Noen Kingdom, border.
Tyrion is the border commander, responsible for governing and managing fifty thousand border troops.
Tyrion has always been very responsible for managing the army, personally inquiring about many matters.
A month ago, the Mountain Patrol Team, which was supposed to return on time, has yet to come back.
An entire month has passed, and there’s been no news from this team.
Originally, this was just a patrol team, not significant enough to be reported to someone of Tyrion’s level.
However, due to Tyrion’s keen interest in these matters, he also learned about the disappearance of a Mountain Patrol Team.
"Strange, Reili Kingdom hasn’t made any moves lately, so why has an entire team vanished?"
Tyrion keenly sensed something unusual about the situation.
Outside the border, in the mountains, there are rarely any powerful demons appearing.
Even if there are demons, the team has several Knight Level members.
Even if they can’t win, surely one or two out of a dozen people can escape.
If it were an attack by a neighboring country, a force of at least dozens or hundreds would be needed to completely wipe out a dozen people.
That is in the mountains — escaping into the woods makes pursuit difficult.
But now, this Mountain Patrol Team has been missing for a whole month.
He pondered, then called his Order Officer over: "Dispatch a hundred-man team, divided into ten squads, into that mountain range to search for the missing team."
The Order Officer questioned, "Commander, is it necessary to send so many people? They might just be lost."
"No, it’s not that simple. Remember to instruct them not to be too far apart, ensuring they can support each other if needed."
Tyrion shook his head, insisting on sending a hundred-man team into the mountains.
This hundred-man team will head into the mountain range to search within the patrol range of the missing Mountain Patrol Team.
After Tyrion personally gave the order, the hundred-man team quickly assembled.
This hundred-man team consisted of elite soldiers, not only having many Knight Level warriors but also three Great Knight Level powerhouses in command.
A hundred men set off for the mountain range, determined to find the missing team’s whereabouts.
Alive to see the person, dead to see the corpse.
Since encountering that Mountain Patrol Team two months ago, Herag and his two companions have had an additional task besides exploring and mapping.
That is patrolling and reconnaissance.
Herag and the other two would go out on patrol every few days to check if anyone was approaching.
For the past two months, it has been very calm, with no other humans coming close.
Herag and the others painstakingly drew maps and completed patrol tasks.
Life at Base 27, generally speaking, is quite dull and boring, with no entertainment facilities or activities.
However, Wizards are those who can withstand loneliness, so they have little need for such things.
Those who come here to participate in pioneering warfare are eager to go further, not concerned with trivial matters like these.
Herag, as usual, stood on a hill, staying alert to the surroundings.
The map drawing work is almost complete, with most of the mountain covered.
The patrol task is, generally, also rather boring.
The mountain scenery is nice, but even the most beautiful view becomes tedious if seen every day.
Herag peered forward, suddenly crouching down.
"Someone is coming ahead."
Upon hearing this, David and Reese came over, crouching down as well, hiding behind the trees in front of them.
Standing atop the mountain, they could see a group climbing at the base, far below.
The group was sizable, likely numbering over a hundred.
Herag took out a telescope to observe closely; they wore the same standard light armor as the Mountain Patrol Team encountered earlier.
"It seems they’re the Noen Kingdom troops, probably here for the missing Mountain Patrol Team. Let’s report back to Mr. Kane and Lord Parker."
Herag stooped low, retreating silently, with David and Reese nodding and following behind.
They quickly returned to Base 27, informing Parker and Kane of the situation.
"A hundred-man team?" Parker pondered, then said, "Kane, advise everyone to stay inside during this period."
"Understood, Lord Parker." Kane quickly went down to give instructions to everyone in the base.
Parker continued, "If it’s just the border army, there’s no need to worry; they won’t find Base 27. We just need to see if there’re any Casters among them."
"Casters? You mean Wizards?" Herag asked.
Parker nodded, "Pretty much, just different terminology."
The search operation by the hundred-man team soon commenced, with everyone in Base 27 staying indoors during this time.
All remained inside, with none venturing out.
Base 27 is protected by a Concealing Witch Array.
This hundred-man team, even with some Great Knight Level warriors, has no clue about such arrays.
Even searching for a hundred years wouldn’t reveal Base 27’s presence to them.
The hundred-man army’s search operation quickly commenced. Once inside the mountain range, a hundred men seemed insufficient.
The mountain range was vast, making it impossible to scour every single location.
However, they were able to traverse most areas.
Several times, they passed right by the entrance of Base 27.
Yet they completely failed to detect the existence of Base 27.
To them, it appeared as a solid rock face from which a mountain spring flowed.
Thirsty soldiers even drank a few sips while resting against the rock face.
In such scenarios, one couldn’t know that behind the rock face lay a base.
This hundred-man team finally withdrew.
"Commander, we’ve searched that mountain range for a long time without finding any trace of the missing team. However, we did find some traces of human activity, though we can’t confirm who they belong to," the leader of the hundred-man team began his report.
After a whole month, they hadn’t found the whereabouts of the lost patrol team.
Tyrion frowned, "Things are indeed not simple. Since you can’t find them despite so many people looking, searching further would be pointless."
He turned to the Order Officer and said, "Go to the Adventurers’ Guild and issue a task. Search the mountain range for any suspicious traces. I think perhaps only the Casters might find some clues." Thıs content belongs to Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
There are very few Casters, and they hold uncommon statuses in the military, so commanders can’t just order them into the mountains to search.
Instead, the task is entrusted to Adventurers from the Adventurers’ Guild — they only require payment.
There are many capable individuals in the Adventurers’ Guild; Tyrion does not underestimate them.
In fact, the military frequently collaborates with these adventurers, and this isn’t the first task they’ve commissioned.
There are many tasks the military isn’t suited or appropriate to handle.
These adventurers are free-spirited, skilled, and not bound by many constraints.
Often, they get things done more efficiently and swiftly.
The Order Officer nodded, "I’ll handle it right away."