newbobooks Chapter 874 The Captain's Selfish Motives
Chapter 874 The Captain's Selfish Motives
In an inconspicuous camp in the Mirror Mountain region within Nata, a guerrilla advance team of Fools is on patrol.
A debt collector stopped and looked around.
The musketeer guerrilla soldier with him stopped when he saw this, looking puzzled: "What's wrong, Kosterlitsky? Did you find something?"
“No, I just suddenly felt a bit cold… It feels like being stared at by a venomous snake… Vasily…” The debt collector, named Kosterlitsky, suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, “Fire a shot from your five o’clock position, 45 degrees upwards.”
Upon hearing this, Vasily, a musketeer guerrilla, fired a shot in that direction at top speed without saying a word.
Although he hadn't seen anything, his long-standing cooperation with his teammates made him unconditionally trust them.
The gunshot rang out, the sound carrying far, and birds and beasts in the forest scattered and fled.
Vasily frowned slightly: "Missed. He's a master."
“Perhaps more than one.” Kosterlitsky drew his weapon, ready to disappear into the shadows at any moment.
He clearly sensed that several people were approaching, but he couldn't find them. This made him a little nervous, and at the same time, a competitive spirit began to rise in his heart.
He wants to find his opponent and then defeat him.
Seeing that his colleague seemed ready to take action regardless of the consequences, Vasily reached out and stopped him.
Meeting the other's puzzled gaze, Vasily explained, "It's not a good time for us to linger in battle. Reporting the situation to the captain is the best solution. Don't forget the captain's instructions; 'that person' is coming soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, a sneer came from the dense forest, followed by a strong gust of wind. Vasily's eyes sharpened, and he raised his musket to block the incoming projectile, only to find that it was just a small stone.
"Who's there!" Vasily shouted, instantly deploying an elemental shield to protect himself.
Kosterlitsky immediately concealed himself, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.
The two men frowned. No one usually approached this area, and the daily patrol duties were not heavy, so the team configuration was unreasonable.
Logically speaking, the combination of debt collectors and guerrillas is unsuitable, because both are offensive advance team members. Without defensive team members to draw fire, they are likely to be defeated.
Losing one's life is a small matter; leaving behind a safety hazard and not having time to relay the message to the captain would be a much bigger problem.
The next second, water elements so dense they were almost impossible to dissolve began to gather, forming a massive water sphere that crashed down on Vasily, aiming to break through his elemental shield.
Vasily realized what the other party was thinking, and his face began to look ugly. The other party had already made a move, but he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the other party. This was a very serious mistake.
But he had no choice. Both the debt collectors and the musket guerrillas were fire-elemental fighters, so they were at a disadvantage against enemies skilled in water.
Vasily immediately made his choice: "Go back and tell the captain there's an enemy attack. I'll hold him off!"
Although unwilling, Kosterlitsky knew in his heart that this was the most suitable method. After all, as a debt collector, he was capable of stealth, and it was generally difficult for the enemy to catch his figure. Having him pass on intelligence would have a high success rate.
Moreover, the musketeer guerrillas possess elemental shields, which should theoretically make them more resilient than the debt collectors, making it more appropriate for Vasily to stay behind to stall for time.
This time, however, Vasily is facing a formidable enemy all alone, and his chances of survival are slim.
Kosterlitsky took a deep breath, turned and left without looking back to deliver the intelligence.
Unfortunately, while their decisions were sound, it also depended on who their opponents were.
Kosterlitsky hadn't taken more than a few steps when he was hit in the face with a side kick. He hurriedly blocked it, managing to defend against the attack but in doing so, he exposed his position.
The one who appeared was a young man in a black robe. He had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were filled with boiling fighting spirit. Without saying a word, he started fighting Kosterlitsky.
Kosterlitsky's heart sank, for the opponent's strength was in no way inferior to his own. If this dragged on any longer, both he and Vasily would be killed, which was unacceptable to a captain's elite subordinate.
With concerns lingering in his mind, Kosterlitsky was unable to fully unleash his strength. In the blink of an eye, dozens of rounds had passed, and he was completely at a disadvantage. Soon after, an opening was seized, and a dagger gleaming with a cold light was placed against his neck.
The man wore a playful smile: "The outcome is decided."
At the same time, Vasily finally found the person who attacked him, but when he found the other party, the fire elemental shield on his body finally couldn't hold on and broke, and he himself was stunned on the spot, completely losing the strength to resist.
Although he lost, Vasily felt much more relaxed. Recovering from the dizziness, he looked at the woman standing gracefully in front of him and laughed, "Are you crazy, Ada? Can't you even say hello properly?"
The attackers were none other than two of Saffir's most trusted lieutenants: Ada and Shaplow.
Despite being scolded by Vasily, Ada wasn't angry. She smiled and said, "Lord Dark Priest asked us to give you a little test. The captain agreed, so you can't blame me."
"Damn, you scared the hell out of me." Vasily plopped down on the ground. Although he was unwilling, he had to accept that he was no match for the other man, but he was not one to back down verbally.
Although they were ordinary soldiers of the Fools, because they were the captain's subordinates, they usually acted superior to others because of their status.
Only when faced with colleagues whose qualities are no less than their own will they put away that pride, that pride that belongs to the elite.
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High on Mirror Mountain, atop the cliff on the west side of the Yanmi main tribe, the tall executive officer took in everything that was happening below without uttering a word.
Beside him, a petite girl stood with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. Sensing the coldness emanating from the man beside her, she said, "Being countered by an attribute doesn't mean you've lost."
"I don't think defeat is a shameful thing. It's just that they were too lax. The team's configuration was flawed from the beginning, which is what shouldn't have happened," the man commented.
After saying that, he shook his head: "It's time to give them a sense of urgency. Since arriving in Nata, they have made great strides in their campaign against the Abyss and have never failed. This has fostered their arrogant and conceited mentality, which is very dangerous."
Your words of advice came at just the right time; they've managed to tighten things up for them.
"Don't you blame me for not giving you face?" the girl asked, feigning surprise.
Hearing his words, the man turned his head, his eyes sharp beneath his dark face: "Aurora, are you insulting my resolve as a warrior or my character as a leader?"
“How could that be? You know, among my colleagues, I can build a good relationship with someone because of personal feelings, small favors, or some kind of benefit. But you are the only one I truly respect from the bottom of my heart,” Saffir said without changing his expression.
After hearing her words, the captain turned his head away again, no longer looking at her. After a while, he snorted softly, "Glib tongue. The executive from the House of Hearth has the most eloquent tongue in all the Fools."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Saffir said without getting annoyed. She knew that the captain's words were not meant to be derogatory; he was simply stating an objective fact.
Her gaze fell upon the Yanmi tribe, and she got down to business: "I'm new here and don't know much about the situation. Why don't you tell me your plans so I can figure out my own position?"
"The plan..." The captain's eyes were cold and deep, as if he were pondering something far in the future, "There's nothing that can be called a plan, it's just two points: to seize the Heart of Vulcan and..."
He stopped midway through his speech.
Before he could hear anything further, Saffir understood and nodded slightly: "If it's something that can't be said, then I won't say it. Anyway, I did something similar to D'Artagnan, so this is just an eye for an eye."
In order to obtain the Heart of the Rock God, Sapphire really tricked Dattaria. This was no secret within the Fatui, and all the Executors knew about it. At the Puppet Tea Party, this matter was repeatedly discussed, becoming a topic of conversation among the Executors.
Actually, the captain had high hopes for Prince D'Artagnan, but his promising junior was treated like a Japanese by Saffir, which made the captain lose face.
But he never thought of helping the young master get revenge. He was stupid and there was nothing he could do. If he wasn't smart enough, he would just have to sacrifice himself. He wasn't good at strategizing, so he would focus on force. He had to be either good at fighting or able to take a beating.
While D'Artagnan may not be considered one of the top fighters among the Fools' Enforcers, he has made significant progress in terms of resilience over the past few years, thanks in no small part to Saffir's careful mentorship.
There's nothing I can do. She survived all that beating and is still alive and kicking. She's really tough.
The battle in Liyue showed initial signs of his abilities, while the battle in Fontaine was earth-shattering. He unleashed his Demon Lord Armor and the Whale of the Stars in a single, powerful attack. Even the captain had to give him a thumbs up for his sustained combat capabilities.
It's a good thing that the younger generation has made progress.
It's a bad thing if your mind doesn't improve.
The captain had tried taking Tadalia to a tea party organized by several female executives, hoping that the junior could get to know and fit in, but it didn't work well. Tadalia didn't seem to be very good at dealing with women.
The only person I could talk to and had a good relationship with was Saphir, and that was only because Saphir took the initiative to contact me.
During the tea party, D'Artagnan was like an innocent virgin who had fallen into the village intelligence office, surrounded by a group of aunties and grandmothers, treated like a rare animal.
However, this situation showed signs of improvement after the incident in Fontaine, Liyue. At least the women's attitude towards Tartaglia was not so cold anymore, although their attitude was still somewhat subtle, always giving the feeling that they were not treating her like a human being...
Who cares? It's a good thing to be able to get close.
The captain thought that made sense.
Upon hearing Saphir mention D'Artagnan, the captain realized what was going on and shook his head: "That's not the reason... Never mind, I want to contact the Lord of Smoke Riddles' people first."
“What the Lord of Smoke said…” Saffir frowned and thought carefully, “I remember the leader here is called Piran, right? He’s a giant, almost five meters tall.”
The captain shook his head and rejected the suggestion: "It's pointless to look for their leader. The person we need to find is the genius of the Smoke Mystery Master. Her name should be Citrali. I plan to have her guide us through the ley lines here."
Saffir understood that this was what had just been said and what followed: the captain had his eyes on Nata's ley lines, and his ambitions were far from small.
She carefully observed the terrain around the residence, shaking her head as she did so: "The residential areas are too concentrated. Even if we infiltrated, we couldn't make contact with that person silently, let alone kidnap them..."
Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she pointed to a solitary little house far from the center: "Isn't that it? It looks like there's someone living alone there."
The captain looked in the direction she was pointing and nodded: "It's definitely true. We've decided to contact him for now."
“Obtain the Heart of Vulcan, familiarize yourself with the ley lines…” Saffir pondered. “Captain, it seems the Queen’s mission doesn’t include the latter part.”
"That was my personal reason," the captain admitted.
Saffir was shocked when she heard this. She looked at the tall man in front of her in disbelief: "Everyone says that the captain is fair, selfless and stern, but today you are telling me that this is out of personal motives?"
"Ugh... I must have drunk fake alcohol. Will you be back to normal after a good night's sleep?"
The captain didn't answer, he just stood there quietly. He knew the person next to him too well. If he had to find someone among all his colleagues to conspire and cause trouble, Saffir was the most suitable, because she was unruly enough. And that's why her complaints would come out of nowhere.
Just like now.
After Saffir calmed down, the captain continued, "I want to reshape Nata's ley lines, and the Heart of Vulcan is a necessary condition. Will you help me?"
“Do you want to hear what you’re saying? This is betrayal. Capitano, if I take you back now, will I become the first seat?” Saffir laughed smugly.
The captain remained calm: "If you want it, I have no objection."
“Heh…” Saffir looked down at the Smoke Mystery Tribe below, but did not give an immediate reply.
Seeing that she seemed hesitant, the captain added, "You helped Scaramucci and Rosalyn before."
"So, the whole world knows I'm a traitor? The Queen didn't even lay a hand on me, how righteous!" Saffir said, leaping off the cliff. "Let's go, one more time won't make a difference."
"Hmph..." The captain chuckled and jumped down with her.
The cooperation between the First and Second Executive Officers of the Fools was officially reached at this moment.
In Saffir's view, helping out once in a while is no big deal, since it won't affect the mission of bringing back the Heart of God afterward. It's just that it will cause some trouble in the middle, which is not a big deal.
Whether she had a moment of regret when the captain finally achieved her wish remains unknown.
The two arrived at the very edge of the Yanmi tribe, where there was a secluded courtyard. At that moment, a tall, thin man was carefully tending to his crops. Sensing someone approaching, the man became wary.
A fateful encounter took place.