The battle took place before they left the city.

But who could their enemies in Elpaxin be? Firstly, it is impossible for the military and the Silverwind Knights, as they don't need to resort to such methods.

Fang Hong first thought of the 'Big Sister' and her group they encountered at Traveler's Rest. They did have the motive and recognized Atira and Tianlan, but whether they had the strength to carry out such an attack was doubtful.

Then there was another potential enemy, the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team, descendants of Flor. The Red Cloak Team had the ability, but seemingly lacked the motive. Even if they saw the Continental League and recognized him, they did not know Atira and Tianlan.

Or perhaps the Dragon Worshippers—but this hypothesis was truly frightening to consider. They hadn't even formally started their investigation, and the enemy had already come knocking. Wasn't this going too far?

Fang Hong couldn't think of any reasonable explanation and had no choice but to ask some detailed questions. He learned that the attackers were not of low level; ordinary members were on par with Atira, while Hilveld's maid was capable of taking on two or even three opponents by herself.

Fang Hong didn't know what level Xiesta was at, but he knew Atira's total level was 13, including 9 levels in her War Profession, 6 as a Hunter and 4 as a Druid—originally 3, but she had gained a level after the battle at Traveler's Rest. Natives didn't have the Summoners System, but after all, Eteliria was a world of information states, and Tianlan and the others were able to help look up her information.

The experience invested in a 6th-level Hunter and 4th-level Druid totaled up to just being equivalent to a 9th-level Forester. Of course, the Elf Girl also had a Level 7 Chef, but that didn't contribute to combat—so, to be able to stand alone against a 9th-level Forester without gaining the upper hand, the opponent's average standard must have at least reached the level of ordinary members of Silver Forest Spear or the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team's main force.

That level was even slightly higher than the ordinary soldiers of Colin Ishurian.

There were not many organizations with such strength in the First World. Upon further investigation, there were only a few Grand Guilds, along with the Colin Commercial League, Artisan Association, and a few other forces of comparable level.

Could it really be the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team? Fang Hong couldn't help but feel skeptical.

The only good fortune amidst this entire incident was that Atira and the others were with Hilveld, who seemingly didn't anticipate the noble girl's maid's strength. Thanks to Xiesta's sole effort in fending off the attackers, they were able to hold out until the guards arrived; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

For this reason, Fang Hong specifically expressed his gratitude to Hilveld. However, to his surprise, Hilveld didn't show any discontent for being involved and seemed to genuinely embody her claim of not being so delicate, as she graciously accepted his thanks.

And for the rest of the entire day, such attacks did not occur again. However, this did not mean that the situation was improving; that night the rain intensified significantly, greatly affecting the speed of the party's progress.

The original plan was to arrive at Karifen by noon on the fourth day, but by midnight, they still had not caught sight of that abandoned town.

So it goes to say that the usual travel time often only applies to normal conditions, and does not take bad weather into account—Fang Hong learned another new lesson. With this thought, he sighed, watching the rain pitter-patter against the window panes.

The water cascaded over the wooden texture, slid down the window sill, reached the ground, and seeped through the cracks in the planks.

A few leaks left over from the previous battle were still letting in rain; thin strands of water drifted into the room, sprinkling his face with a touch of coolness. Luo Yu had braved the rain to patch up the roof yesterday, but it clearly hadn't had much effect.

From behind him on the bed came faint coughing sounds.

Fang Hong turned around and looked at the Natural Historian Miss curled up under the blankets, who was usually somewhat timid but now seemed even quieter and more delicate—her eyes tightly shut, her thick eyelashes gently drooping, her small pale face like a sheet of paper, lips pursed tight, fragile as if they were about to shatter—breathing barely audible.

After confirming her condition was still stable, Fang Hong checked for any water dripping from the ceiling before reaching out to adjust her blankets.

The room was filled with a strong scent of herbs—

Gita was here, naturally, to make it convenient for him and Hilveld to care for her. After all, both of them had some Potion Studies knowledge, though Hilveld was more specialized in this area, while his Potion Studies were mostly related to Alchemy.

Indeed, due to the addition of Hilveld and her maid, the already cramped space on the platform had become extremely tight. Moreover, they didn't have the opportunity to remodel due to the rushed timing. As a result, Atira had to clear out a separate compartment in the storeroom—hanging barrels and boxes on the net behind the Burden Beast, while in here, a private space was partitioned with wooden planks and cloth drapes to serve as a temporary residence for the master and maid.

Thus, Hilveld and her maid lived inside the room, while Fang Hong still resided alone in the simple space outside.

It might sound somewhat romantic, but it was not; setting aside the fact that both were too busy to sleep for over thirty hours while caring for Gita, even in stolen moments, Hilveld would only discuss design diagrams with him.

He did not know where the noble girl got her incredible energy from; his own head felt like it was about to explode.

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