Hmm! Hmm!

A sharp groan echoed softly inside the chamber. Lying on the ground was the Slave Trade Guild Captain.

Her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, and blood dripped down from the corner of her mouth.

Her previous beauty and calm smile were long gone. She gritted her teeth, trying to contain her pain, but she found it impossible.

She glared at the silver haired, blue eyed young man seated before her, and her heart trembled.

She wanted to threaten him with her guild’s power but realized that would be ineffective.

She wanted to plead for her life, but once again, she realized the Grim Reaper was not someone who let his emotions control him.

Most of his enemies died ghastly deaths. Emotion and manipulation did not work on him.

This had been confirmed in many of their guild reports.

Many even believed he was no longer human and perhaps had turned himself into an undead.

Even though she knew there was nothing she could do to move the Grim Reaper, she was not willing to die just like that.

She had paid a huge price to reach her current level. She was on the verge of getting the last puzzle piece of her trial, and she could finally leave this hellhole.

And now...

Everything she had worked for was hanging by a thread.

Her rank, her position, her ambition, her future, and even her life were all in the hands of the person she had once believed to be merely an exaggerated rumor.

She took a hard, difficult breath and raised her head.

"What do you want?" she asked in a slow, shaky voice.

Her injury was biting deep into her soul, and the pain made her spasm continuously.

Without her strong will, she would have lost consciousness once again.

But remembering what happened the last time she lost consciousness, she did not dare lose consciousness again.

Listening to her question, Thoren raised his head from the parchment he was reading.

This was intel gathered by the Slave Trade Guild on him.

Most of the intel was outdated. It only contained his recent actions in Jackal Town and nothing much.

There were rough descriptions of his silver hair and blue eyes.

There were warnings about his undead servants.

There were also several inaccurate guesses about his limits, his weaknesses, and his possible talent rank.

Looking at those lines, Thoren felt no anger.

If anything, the wrong information was useful.

It meant many of his true cards were still hidden.

He relaxed his posture and asked, "Is it true your guild has a connection with the Scorpion Clan?"

"Yes, that is true," she responded almost immediately.

"How did your guild manage to convince the Scorpion men to allow you to look into their archive?"

"I do not know... But what I am sure of is that we conduct business with them most of the time. Also, our guild helped them destroy some towns in the past."

Hmm?

"I see..." Thoren did not have any change in his expression.

He had already expected as much. The Slave Trade Guild and the Scorpion Clan were not merely casual partners.

Their relationship was built on shared interest, blood, and profit.

One side wanted captives, influence, and hidden routes.

The other side wanted resources, enemies weakened, and rivals removed. In a place like the Crimson Dunes, such cooperation was not strange.

"Have you been to Scorpion Town? How does it compare to other towns?"

The Guild Captain paused for a moment as if arranging her thoughts. "The Scorpion men are much more advanced than the others. They are not some brutes that could easily be deceived."

"They are far more intelligent than the other Carapace Clans."

"According to what I heard, they have a legacy that spans over one thousand years."

"They might be beastmen, but their ways might not be different from us humans. Many even believe that in some ways, they might be superior to us."

"So, are you saying they are undefeated? Is that why your guild became their lackey?" Thoren asked, his voice dripping with contempt.

Before the Guild Captain could respond, a deep groan came from her side.

Lying on the ground, the Guild Vice Captain had woken up. His face was swollen, and his mouth had lost a couple of teeth.

One of his ears was gone.

Before he could completely regain his bearing, heavy footsteps echoed inside the chamber.

The undead Storm Tyrant arrived beside him and raised its heavy, massive clawed hand before striking.

Bang!

The Guild Vice Captain’s head crashed into the cold, hard ground, bouncing once. Blood splattered to the ground, and teeth escaped from his lips.

A sharp whimper escaped from his mouth before he fainted. Now, his head resembled a pig’s head. The undead Storm Tyrant left as quickly as it came.

Looking at the scene, the Guild Captain forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat.

’Savage to the extreme!’ she exclaimed in her mind.

She had seen cruel people.

She had served under cruel people.

But now, seeing Thoren remain seated without even blinking while his undead servant smashed the Vice Captain unconscious again, she felt a deep chill creep into her bones.

His indifference made everything worse.

It was as if crushing them was not important enough to stir even a trace of emotion from him.

She hardened herself for the umpteenth time and turned her gaze to the silver haired young man with the same indifferent expression.

"F-For your question, I do not know the specifics. I heard many that tried to attack the Scorpion Clan in the past and were all destroyed without exception," she explained, this time quick to respond.

Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced every word out clearly.

She no longer dared delay.

"Do you have a map to the Scorpion Clan?" Thoren asked.

"Yes, it is on one of the shelves among the parchments."

Of course, Thoren had already found the map. He was merely asking, trying to find out if she was lying.

Besides, he did not truly care if she was lying or not.

He had already questioned the Vice Captain, and if her statement was different, her death would only be more brutal than he had planned.

The Guild Captain understood this faintly.

That was why she answered quickly.

Thoren lowered his gaze and took out the map.

The map showed several routes leading through the deeper parts of the Crimson Dunes.

Some routes were marked with red ink.

Some were crossed out completely.

Some had small symbols representing wells, beast nests, and Scorpion Men patrol points.

Compared to the rough information Solenne had provided, this was far more detailed.

It confirmed one thing.

The Slave Trade Guild had indeed been working with the Scorpion Clan for a long time.

"Last question," Thoren said calmly. "Have you heard of my sister?"

Hmm?

The Guild Captain was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening slightly, but she recovered quickly.

She thought for a moment and nodded. Just as she prepared to speak, many heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The footsteps were hurried, heavy, and numerous.

Listening to it, the Guild Captain’s expression changed instantly. For a brief moment, hope flashed in her eyes.

Reinforcements.