Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The bandit leader "Guoquan" Dixon had recently been living very comfortably, thanks to the addition of a fierce new group of recruits.

Due to oppressive taxation, the Newly Reclaimed Land had always been plagued by bandits.

Now the extortion and rapacious demands by the Red Rose and Blue Rose made it very easy for gangs to expand their numbers.

Offering just a morsel to eat was enough to attract those who had no other choice but to come seeking refuge.

If that were all, however, it could only attract some clumsy peasants at best.

But every one of the new recruits under Guoquan was a tough character.

Not only were they quick and nimble in their tasks, but they also never asked unnecessary questions about unrelated matters.

Most importantly, each of them had a Warhorse and was skilled with a saber.

"Having cavalrymen, good grief," Guoquan thought smugly, "Isn't that something unique in the entire Newly Reclaimed Land?"

With the new recruits, Guoquan easily swallowed up another nearby gang of outlaws.

Now, only "Guoquan Dixon's" gang remained in this forest, he had finally achieved his long-standing career goal: monopoly.

The only slight disappointment was that these new recruits only listened to a kid named "Pierre."

Even his own commands as the boss had to be relayed through that kid.

"I have to find a way to deal with that kid," Guoquan schemed internally, "to completely swallow up this bunch."

"Boss! Trouble!"

One of his men came running back, tumbling and shouting, "Someone really tough is coming! Really tough!"

Guoquan went up and slapped the man across the face, knocking him over.

"What's there to panic about, damn it?" Guoquan cursed fiercely, "These days, who the hell struts around outside if they're not tough?"

The chaos of war had led to rampant banditry, which, in turn, almost halted commercial activity between towns.

There were hardly any ordinary pedestrians on the roads anymore, and merchant caravans were almost extinct.

The travelers who still dared to venture outside were either very brave or confident in their abilities, with most possessing both qualities.

As a result, Guoquan's "business" was becoming increasingly bleak.

However, he wasn't too worried; if raiding travelers wasn't an option, they could still raid farms.

Now that his gang had acquired these formidable warhorses, and with more manpower, they could easily handle a small village of several dozen households.

Upon hearing from his subordinate that the oncoming stranger was formidable, Guoquan's eyes gleamed with a plan.

"Pierre?" Guoquan shouted around the camp, looking for him, "Where has Pierre gone?"

No horsemen paid him any attention; everyone was busy with their own business.

This made Guoquan even angrier, and he bellowed, "Pierre!"

A scruffy young man emerged from a tent, his eyes bleary as he looked at Guoquan and lazily responded, "Here."

"There's a horseman coming up ahead," Guoquan ordered, "You go around and cut off the rear, don't let him escape. I'll block the front with the others."

After a grunt of acknowledgment, Pierre stretched out his arms to get dressed.

The other horsemen seemed to have something to say, but Pierre just lightly shook his head.

Guoquan looked on with envy as Pierre mounted his warhorse and galloped down the forest path with his saber in hand.

Warhorses were too expensive and troublesome to keep.

Even Guoquan, the leader, didn't have a large steed to ride, just a small Hurd horse.

Seeing Pierre charge away, Guoquan hurriedly called for the rest of his men to follow.

By the roadside, he caught sight of the stranger who the subordinate claimed, "really was tough."

At a glance, Guoquan could tell this was a dangerous man.

The stranger rode his horse at a leisurely pace.

He appeared young, well-proportioned, with an inconspicuous white mark on his forehead.

A horsehead cane was tucked into one saddlebag and a sword into the other.

Gut instinct told Guoquan that this man was indeed very dangerous—perhaps even more so than Pierre and his warhorses combined.

But for Guoquan, the more dangerous the better.

Guoquan watched Pierre close in on the stranger from behind—whichever of them died was not his loss.

Then, something unexpected occurred.

Like thunder exploding in the woods, a voice boomed throughout the forest, "Pierre Girardnovich! You really have gained some skills!"

Stunned, Guoquan watched as Pierre dismounted and embraced the dangerous stranger.

"Damn it, this has gone bad," was Guoquan's only thought.