Warrior's Serenade

Chapter 1257

It took Carissa an hour to pull herself out of the paralyzing grip of fear. Afterward, she mounted her horse and

rode straight to the palace. She needed a reason to leave the capital.

Salvador had received two letters from Rafael. The first letter reported an unusual village they had cacross,

and they suspected that the villagers were the private army they were looking for. Salvador had sent a secret

order for Rafael to investigate the area.

The second letter described their initial foray into the mountains, where the defenses were tight, confirming the

presence of a private army. However, they had not yet found the weapons or supplies. Salvador had sent another

order to continue the investigation, with a directive to destroy any weapons and supplies found.

Since then, there had been no word from Rafael.

Salvador was, admittedly, a little worried. Sending just a few people to scout several mountain ranges, without

knowing the size of the enemy force or whether they had martial arts experts among them, was undeniably risky.

At the stime, he also saw it as an excellent opportunity. If they could locate and destroy the weapons, they

could immediately mobilize troops under the guise of quelling bandits. This approach would avoid unnecessary

fanfare and potentially reduce casualties.

Hearing from Carissa that there had been no news for half a month only deepened his concern. But without

information, it was impossible to take action-he couldn't dispatch troops until he had verified the situation.

He issued an edict, instructing Carissa to lead a group to Jasford City to oversee the delivery of a shipment of

luxurious brocade. This particular shipment was intended as a gift to Westhaven and couldn't be allowed to fall

into the wrong hands.

It was well-known that the area surrounding Jasford City was rife with mountain bandits. The surrounding hills

offered ideal vantage points for the bandits, who would then descend to rob passing merchants. Therefore,

sending Carissa with the Mystic Army to escort the brocade was the perfect cover. However, there was no need

for a large force. He assigned 50 men to accompany her, and the rest-whatever extra help she required-she

would have to arrange on her own.

Violet, Cynthia, Bun, Alana, and Leah, along with Isaac and Claire, were all packed and ready to go. Meanwhile,

Mabel, Iris, and others remained in the capital to manage the affairs there.

The Mystic Army had previously escorted tax money shipments, so their departure did not raise any suspicions.

After all, the team wasn't particularly large.

Jacob had initially wanted to accompany her, but Carissa told him that Kyle had already sent word back to

Meadow Ridge. Everett would surely send reinforcements, so it was better for Jacob to stay in the capital to

maintain order. If anything urgent cup, he could quickly mobilize more men.

As she set out, Carissa wore the bracelet her seventh uncle had sent her, with a red whip coiled around her

waist. Holding the Rose Spear firmly, she mounted her horse with ease. Her attire was a simple green tunic over

soft armor, her hair tied up in a high ponytail that gave her a sharp and commanding look.

Jasford City was nearly a hundred miles from Lunvale-a distance that wasn't too far, yet not too close either. For

the Mystic Army, it was manageable. They planned to rest in Jasford City for a day, allowing their horses to

recover. That way Carissa and her group could at least reach Lunvale in one day's ride.

Lunvale was a relatively prosperous inland city. It wasn't near the sea, but a river flowed through the city.

There was a village in Lunvale called Stone Village. It was a very remote place, still without proper roads, with

only winding, narrow paths climbing up and down the mountains. Along the way, there were several other

villages, but the nearest one to Stone Village was nearly 15 miles away. Those 15 miles were mostly steep,

mountainous paths that required climbing cliffs and

traversing treacherous terrain to

reach the heart of the area.

The road from the north was the only somewhat passable route. Any attempt to enter from another direction

would be nearly impossible.

The mountains around the village

were tall and treacherous, with sareas rarely touched by human feet. The old forest, shrouded in perpetual

mist, made it even more dangerous. The air was thick with miasma, and most people avoided entering, despite

rumors of rare herbs and strange beasts hidden within. No one dared risk their lives to make money from such

ventures.

Once, Stone Village had been a relatively normal village. It was sparsely populated, with the young and able-

bodied men heading down the mountains in search of work, leaving behind the elderly and the sick. However, a

devastating plague had killed many of the villagers. The exact cause of the village's transformation was unclear,

but rumors said that outsiders, homeless and without proper identification or records, had ended up there and

settled in the unlucky Stone Village.

Over time, the population grew.

The local government had taken notice, but since the people didn't cause trouble and only made a living by

farming the land, the authorities chose to turn a blind eye.