Chapter 301: Undercover III

The Midas Merchant Organization’s caravan stayed true to its act.

Whether it be Aurelia and her siblings, Killian and Pandora, or the squads of Vanta, Equilla, Exemplar, and Gotun, all of them acted perfectly.

Had it not been for the fact that they knew that this was merely a disguise on their part, they themselves would have believed that they were truly employees of the Midas Merchant Organization, nothing more, nothing less.

They all had serious expressions on their faces as they inspected every crevice of the area they were in.

Even the nooks and crannies of the large roots of the towering ancient trees were not spared, as each of them held tools in their hands that helped them with collecting various herbs that could only be found here in the Forest of Eternity.

At this moment, the specially-made pouches tied on their waists that preserved the states of the herbs were bulging, which further showed the commitment they had in their disguise.

Of course, even while they were using considerable effort in collecting the herbs in the catalog, which was approved by the Xerxes Village’s chief, they still used the majority of their energy in surveilling the surroundings.

Despite the lack of events these past few hours, they did not dare slack off even a little bit.

Seconds soon turned to minutes, and minutes to hours.

It did not take long before the sun in the sky slowly disappeared into the horizon.

Noticing that the sky was starting to darken, Aurelia gathered everyone and did a headcount like a normal leader of a caravan would, before they began to return to the village under Marazana’s lead.

Everyone in the caravan spoke in hushed voices, talking about random things, such as how beautiful elves were and how refreshing the breeze in the Forest and Eternity was.

This was so that even if there were elves who could overhear their conversation, they would be fine.

***

A long while later...

The caravan took more than half an hour of walking without rest before they were able to arrive in front of the Xerxes Village’s entrance.

This was due to the uneven terrain of the forest and the fact that they did not have the agility of elves and their familiarity with the surroundings.

Of course, had it not been for the fact that they were posing as ordinary members of the caravan, they could have drastically shortened their travel time.

"Ahhh, I’m tired." Killian stretched his back.

His voice was just loud enough to be heard by the people near him.

Zild glanced at him and scoffed, "And you call yourself a swordsman?"

"Leader, we can see your knees trembling from here..." Hans, who was beside him, had a fed-up expression on his face as he spoke.

The members of Exemplar had long been used to the "rivalry" between Zild and Killian.

This had also been the cause of their countless spars back when they were still training in Harmonia.

Of course, the current score was 30–0, with Zild not having won even once.

While they were having their own conversation at the rear of the caravan, Aurelia, Auryn, Pandora, and Marzana were currently being received by Yurva.

"Welcome back. How did today’s gathering go? Were you able to collect enough herbs from the outskirts of the village? I trust the journey was not too troublesome, and that no one encountered any danger along the way." Village Chief Yurva still had the same gentle smile that she had earlier.

Aurelia smiled as well, "It was fine, Ms. Yurva. We were able to collect quite a few herbs. I believe that, after a few days, we’ll be able to reach our quota."

"That’s good. Though I must say, seeing you get so hasty almost makes me think that you don’t like being here..." The village chief feigned a hurt expression on her face, yet the mischievous glint in her eyes was very obvious.

Auryn waved her hands frantically, "O-Oh, t-that’s not—."

"Haha! I’m joking!"

Yurva patted Auryn’s shoulder as she glanced at the rest of the caravan members, "Oh, I apologize for being so talkative, you children must’ve been tired. Come, we’ve prepared something simple for you."

Pandora and Marzana glanced at each other, but refrained from speaking.

Instead, they just gathered everyone else and followed behind Aurelia and Auryn without doing anything strange that could give away their disguise.

The caravan was soon led into a vast open clearing, where a towering bonfire blazed at the center like a miniature sun against the darkening forest.

Waves of golden light flickered across the surroundings, illuminating the ancient trees that stood like silent guardians around the gathering grounds.

Encircling the fire were long wooden tables and finely crafted chairs arranged in careful rows, laden with food, drinks, and decorated tableware.

The warm glow of the flames danced across the polished surfaces and the faces of the gathered elves, giving the entire scene the grandeur of something like a feast.

Above them, glowing lanterns and drifting embers mingled beneath the emerald canopy, while the crackling of the bonfire filled the air with a comforting warmth that made the atmosphere feel both lively and strangely enchanting.

Not far from the gathering, several elves gently played strangely shaped string instruments crafted from pale wood and silver vines, their soft melodies drifting through the clearing like whispers carried by the wind.

Resting upon the long tables were bottles and finely carved goblets filled with deep-colored wine, its rich crimson hue reflecting the dancing firelight like liquid rubies.

Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxing and soothed the caravan’s exhausted minds and bodies.

"Woah..."

Aurelia could not help but gasp at the sight, as it was her first time experiencing the culture of the elves.

Yurvan glanced at her with a smile, "Haha, I’m glad that you children seemed to like it. After all, we wanted to treat Her Majesty’s guests with utmost hospitality. So, please enjoy."

As the village chief spoke, she and some other elves guided the caravan members to be seated at the tables without any delay.