As an elite team, with experienced rchants handling supply procurent, the entire preparation work was much faster than Raine had anticipated.
In just over an hour, the group was aboard the hired carriage.
It was still the kind of large wagon with good ventilation.
However, as they advanced north, the terrain gradually rose, and Raine clearly felt the temperature change.
"Look, Lankote Snow Mountain." At this mont, Chris pointed to the towering cloud-piercing snow mountain in the distance and remarked with a sigh.
"I wonder when we can go to the snowfield for a mission."
Raine couldn’t help but raise his eyes and look.
Unlike seeing the Lankote Snow Mountain from Mill Town, now, due to the significantly closer distance combined with clear skies and a bright blue sky, the snow-capped peaks were clearly visible.
Lankote Snowfield is inhabited by many formidable monsters, and the weakest among them is the Winter Wolf with a challenge level of three.
It needs to be noted here that the challenge level of one Winter Wolf is three, not that of a group.
According to the word-of-mouth of adventurers, without a team composed of Full Classes, don’t try going to Lankote Snowfield lightly.
"Chris, if your progress speed was as fast as Raine’s, I believe it should be within these two years," Fabian teased while twirling a dagger in his hand.
"Alright." Chris shrugged, looking at ’Mage Apprentice’ Raine who was even sturdier than him, sowhat helplessly.
"We’re not far from Lankote Snowfield, so the temperature drops a bit quickly."
"But we’re about to arrive, Jueya Village is up ahead," Reya pointed into the distance, speaking.
Raine followed Reya’s gesture and looked far ahead to see a village sowhat similar to Oak Village, nestled beneath a steep cliff, surrounded by lush forests.
"Villagers witness said these Giant Vampire Bats seem to fly toward the cliff direction after sucking the blood of livestock."
"If that’s the case, we don’t need to go to Jueya Village; let’s head directly to the cliff and take a look first."
"What do you all think?"
"Alright!"
Reya’s proposal imdiately received unanimous agreent from the team.
It was not yet noon, and if everything went smoothly, the mission might be completed before nightfall.
...
A mountain seen afar can kill a horse.
Although it seed not far from their destination from a distance.
In fact, even with the double-horse drawn large wagon, it took the group at least another two hours to reach the destination—the cliff.
"This crack might be it."
"That place might also be it."
"And there too."
Fabian walked around the adow below the cliff and returned, pointing at three different rock crevices along the cliff.
Raine and the others looked up.
They saw two crevices were just over a ter above the ground, while another rock crevice was at least three ters above the ground.
"The habit of Giant Vampire Bats is similar to bats, they usually co out only at twilight, so just by the appearance of the crevices now, I can’t make a judgnt," Fabian shrugged and said.
The group understood Fabian’s point. To determine further, they needed to explore each one.
"Alright, let’s start with this crevice," Reya quickly decided.
She didn’t like procrastination, and waste half a day’s ti waiting when there’s still ti before twilight was truly wasteful.
"Wait, let try." Raine offered, after thinking about it.
"Hmm? Raine, you mastered new magic?"
"No, my sense of sll is good. If it’s a bat cave, I should be able to tell," Raine thought for a mont and said.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to make up a plausible reason, but the problem was Raine didn’t know any magic in this world that could drastically enhance a person’s sense of sll.
Therefore, making up a fictitious magic that can be easily exposed was less reliable than telling the truth.
"Uh..."
Upon Raine’s words, Reya wanted to say sothing, but held back the words at her lips.
If it were Fabian or Chris, she would have teased a bit.
And others were sowhat puzzled too, hence did not speak, instead, their eyes turned to Raine to see how he would determine it.
Raine first approached the first crevice, bent over, and squeezed into the approximately 1.5-ter-high rock gap, his nostrils flaring slightly, he focused attentively and took a sniff.
"Not here, although there is a faint stench, the quantity is only two bats."
"You can even discern that?" Fabian’s eyes widened in surprise.
As a Rogue Apprentice, he encountered soone who was better at scouting than him this ti.
"Yes," Raine nodded.
Soon, he moved to the second crevice, walked a few steps inside similarly.
"Also not here, this seems to have been a black bear’s den before."
"Then it must be up there." Raine looked up and pointed at the crevice more than three ters high on the cliff wall.
The group followed Raine’s pointing, all looking up, and their expressions changed.
"This height....I’m afraid the smoking tactic we prepared earlier may not work," Chris frowned and said.
Although he had once slain a Giant Vampire Bat before, that bat cave was only half a ter above the ground.
Therefore, whether it was the fixed interception net or constantly adding firewood, it was convenient.
But this ti, the bat cave was actually in the mid-air cliff crevice, making it difficult.
"I’ll go chop trees, build a simple ladder." Grande thought about it for a mont and said.
"Okay, prepare first; we need to go up and take a look," Reya decided.
Whether it was Grande, Raine, or Chris, they were all burly individuals, and in less than a quarter of an hour, two cedar trees stripped of only their trunks were hauled over.
Placed half a ter apart on the ground, the top ends positioned towards the crevice.
Soon, a sloping, nearly forty-five-degree simple ladder was constructed.
As the task initiator, Raine took the lead in climbing.
He first examined the crevice, which from the outside seed not very large, but inside, it was more spacious; then he drew in a breath, detecting the scent again.
Indeed, waves of similar fishy sll entered his nostrils.
"Very fresh, and there’s the scent of cattle and sheep blood."
"Fifteen..."
"No, it seems to be eighteen or nineteen, so seem to be the scent of fledglings."
Relying on sensitive sll, Raine found that when he paid careful attention, he could differentiate the individual scent mingled within the Giant Vampire Bat odor.
Like how everyone has a unique body odor, subtle differences which generally humans can’t detect due to less sensitive sll.
But if one has a specific odor, it becos more obvious to sll the difference.
Under the enhancent of sensitive sll, Raine was akin to discerning each Giant Vampire Bat with distinctive odors and thus accurately estimating the number inside the cave.
Soon, Raine turned and spoke to the people below the cliff: "It’s here."
User Comments
0 comments from readers