Chapter 84: Chapter 81: The Wonderful Use of the Mermaid

Without further delay, he lightly patted Red Rabbit’s shoulder blade.

Red Rabbit immediately set off toward the forest, its gait both agile and rhythmic.

The vast army of Skeletons stirred, flowing like a tide around their master as they departed the blood-soaked beach.

The captive Naga, who had been roped together, struggled to keep up, their serpentine tails writhing as the Skeletons herded them along.

Hai Ge Xiyin, meanwhile, was "escorted" to a relatively safe position in the middle of the formation, surrounded by several Bear Goblins and Fish Giant Skeletons.

Before long, the entire Undead Legion vanished into the treeline.

Meanwhile, near the coast.

The old Fishman Shaman, who had been lingering nearby, had witnessed the entire event.

It watched as that detestable Necromancer captured Princess Hai Ge and her Naga guards, then departed without a backward glance.

The old Fishman Shaman let out a low, powerless roar.

There was nothing it could do now.

’It couldn’t possibly send its thirty-odd battered survivors to charge that Undead Corps. What difference was there between that and suicide? It would be nothing more than delivering more soldiers to the enemy.’

In the end, the old Fishman Shaman could only glare hatefully in the direction the Undead Corps had vanished before turning and diving into the water, disappearing from sight.

***

「Soon.」

At Lynch’s signal, the experienced old militiaman continued to lead the way.

At the same time, Lynch once again sent out the Skeleton Squirrels.

Not long after, Lynch found his target in a small, leeward mountain hollow.

It was a temporary camp built around a natural cave, with only twenty to thirty goblins standing guard inside.

Lynch lightly waved his skull Magic Staff.

His army of the dead surged into the temporary camp like a tide.

In just a few minutes, the goblins inside the camp were completely wiped out.

Their corpses were quickly dragged aside and stacked. A Bone Mage stepped forward to raise them, incorporating them into the army.

This had practically become the standard post-battle procedure for the Undead Corps.

The two militiamen, meanwhile, took a look around the camp and soon found more than ten young girls with disheveled clothes and faces stained with dirt and tears inside a large shack.

By the time Lynch leisurely rode Red Rabbit into the camp, surrounded by his Skeleton Guard, the militiamen had already calmed the girls and led them out of the shack.

One of the figures was precisely Lynch’s target for this trip—Little Lisa.

Her face was pale and her hair was a mess, but she didn’t appear to be physically harmed—just frightened out of her wits.

"My lord?"

As soon as Little Lisa saw Lynch, it was as if she had seen a family member. She rushed over and burst into tears.

Because she often saw Skeletons, she wasn’t afraid when facing the Skeleton army. On the contrary, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.

Lynch dismounted the Hellhound, comforted her with a few gentle words, and her emotions quickly stabilized.

The other girls from the Fishing Port were also brought out.

But there were still seven or eight unfamiliar young girls left.

The old militiaman stepped forward and asked about the situation in the gentlest tone possible.

Soon, the general situation became clear.

Those young girls were from several different nearby fishing villages or small hamlets. They had all been abducted by goblin squads that suddenly appeared while they were gathering goods by the shore or collecting firewood in the woods.

They had been held here for varying lengths of time; the longest had been three days.

However, to Lynch’s slight surprise...

Although these girls were imprisoned here—scared, starved, and cold—they had not been subjected to the abuse that goblins usually inflict.

This was not normal.

’It’s not that I lack compassion,’ Lynch thought, ’but goblins are notorious for their greed, cruelty, and lechery. When they capture human females, they almost always assault them immediately. They rarely ’keep’ them.’

’Besides, goblins usually aren’t picky about their victims. The old, the weak, women, children—anyone can be a target. They wouldn’t go out of their way to capture only young maidens.’

Lynch’s brow furrowed slightly. He found this suspicious.

Just as he was about to ask for more details...

Suddenly, his expression shifted.

Through the Skeleton Squirrels and Bone Shadows scattered outside, Lynch "saw" a human squad of about five or six people stealthily approaching the camp along a forest path a hundred-odd meters from the perimeter.

Lynch saw they were wearing mismatched, old leather armor, and the swords, bows, and crossbows in their hands were ordinary. He knew this was a common adventurer party, the kind seen everywhere in the lower districts of Saint Roland City.

They looked to be nothing more than common thugs and ruffians.

There were countless low-level adventurers like this, and true professionals among them were exceedingly rare. Any real expert would be quickly snapped up by a major power or a noble family. Why would they be loitering around out here?

’Heh, perfect timing.’ A thought sparked in Lynch’s mind, and he immediately issued a series of commands through his mental link.

The Skeleton army inside and outside the shack immediately began to move quickly and silently.

The Skeletons outside dispersed and hid in the woods, while those inside concealed themselves in the shadows of the shack and beside piles of junk.

These Soul Fire Skeleton commanders under Lynch often joined him on ambushes and sneak attacks, and had long since gained abundant experience.

Besides, Skeletons had an advantage: once they lay in ambush, they were truly silent.

Now that their strength and intelligence had increased dramatically, their movements were naturally all the more adept.

Lynch himself took Little Lisa and the other girls, glanced around, and then retreated into the largest shack under the protection of his Skeleton Guard.

That line of Naga captives and Princess Hai Ge were also quickly taken to the back of the shack to be guarded.