Chapter 143: The Granary's Secret

“You are too impulsive, lad,” the old Halfling couldn’t help but warn. “I am as angry as you are. But the Twin Serpents Cult has too many people.”

Xander shook his head and didn’t continue with this topic.

“What have you found?” he asked.

Old Tucker pointed at a location far away in the Shrieking Mountain Range.

“They are hiding inside, but there are too many people. With only the two of us, we aren’t their match,” he said with a grave expression.

“We have to get the East Coast’s guards and at least a 3rd-rank Wizard in order to completely eliminate this Twin Serpents Cult tumor that took root in this region.”

“Don’t act recklessly. These guys are many times stronger than you imagine. They aren’t comparable to those stupid spiders.”

Old Tucker was afraid Xander would be too impetuous.

Xander appreciated his words of caution, but despite old Tucker’s warnings, he still had to go.

“I do know the means of the Twin Serpents Cult very well. My father died under their plot.”

He considered his words and then added, “Most of the people they are controlling are innocents. Their abilities are very limited; the real threat is those few high-level ones.”

Old Tucker nodded. “But regardless, we should still return to Tornado Harbor first.”

“No use.” Xander shook his head. “Tornado Harbor has just suffered from the Red Dragon Ember’s attack. You should have heard the noise. Now they are already not allowing most people in.”

“I met Little Tucker in Trojan Town, and entrusted him to take my follower Lola to Black Dock Harbor a little to the north.”

“But those two are quite young after all. If you want to return to the Six Pearl Ports, it would be better to look for them at Black Dock Harbor.”

Then, the two argued once again. Old Tucker clearly saw that Xander was preparing to break into the Twin Serpents Cult base and strongly advised against it.

Xander stated that he had a proper plan and wouldn’t just play with his life recklessly.

Finally, the old Halfling compromised, and went on with his own plan, returning to the Six Pearl Ports to inform the guards.

He was a Thief after all, not a frontline fighter. Xander requested that he take care of Lola, and then asked one more thing.

“Do you happen to have an item that would raise dexterity? I have a feeling I’ll need this in the fight against the Twin Serpents Cult followers.”

Of course, Xander wasn’t just randomly asking.

Old Tucker’s equipment was extremely good. This guy was a robber before he changed his ways. He had robbed for many years without being found, amassing quite a lot of good things.

Since both sides had already established a certain trust, there was no harm in asking whether he could borrow something.

Sure enough, Old Tucker hesitated, before finally taking out a ring and handing it to Xander.

Xander took the ring, somewhat pleased.

As expected, Thieves were relatively wealthy!

He had run around for quite a while and had only earned a lot from Black Jack’s body. But one week of robbery in Tornado Harbor would probably get Old Tucker even more than that.

“This Thunder Ring is something I used in my youth. Since you are going to fight the Twin Serpents Cult alone, let’s not talk about borrowing—this ring is yours!”

The old Halfling was rarely generous. Perhaps it was because he acknowledged Xander’s guts.

‘Well… Seems it’s a backup item, so no wonder he is being so generous.’

Xander took a glance at those dark rings on the old Halfling’s hands and couldn’t help but click his tongue inwardly.

Aren’t those rings a lot better than the Thunder Ring?

But this Thunder Ring was also pretty good. It at least satisfied Xander’s basic requirement.

—

[Thunder Ring]

[Quality: Uncommon]

[Effect: Dexterity +1]

[Requirement: None]

—

Uncommon items could adapt to the size of the wearer. Xander put it on, and his dexterity reached 24 points.

He only needed to change his [Rope Master] title to [Chaotic Battle Expert]. That way, when facing the Twin Serpents Cult’s followers, he could reach the 25 dexterity threshold, making him faster and giving him the ability to use Flicker.

Xander sincerely thanked the old Halfling for giving him the ring and was about to leave when suddenly, the old Halfling took out another item.

It was a faint golden belt.

“A Rock Giant Belt. This is something I fetched from Elizabeth’s stomach.”

The old Halfling’s face stayed the same as he said, “The Red Spider was your kill, so this loot should have been yours. But there was an urgent situation at that time so I collected it on your behalf. Then I forgot about it. Since we met once again, I can return this belt to you.”

The old Halfling maintained a totally straight face as he said that.

‘Damn…’

Xander took the belt while inwardly mocking. ‘I couldn’t find anything in the Red Spider’s stomach… I had thought it was just bad luck.’

‘I didn’t expect it was taken away by that old Halfling.’

‘This guy looks so upstanding and righteous on the surface, but his hands actually itched?’

But regardless, as a Thief, Old Tucker gave back something he stole. It already could be considered as being quite loyal.

Moreover, this belt’s properties were very amazing!

Although it was still an Uncommon item, it was one of the best Uncommon items.

—

[Rock Giant Belt]

[Quality: Uncommon]

[Effect: Strength +2]

—

This property was simply fierce!

What was Xander lacking most right now? It was Strength! Dual-wielding Rangers originally renounced power to raise attack speed.

His Strength was lacking to the extent that a lot of times, when attacking a large monster, he would break a dagger, or he would need a flip or some other method to stab the enemy’s vital point!

Those movements weren’t just so Xander could look handsome… It was just that he really lacked power!

As long as these moves to increase his force were properly chained, they would be effective. But if he fought against an expert, this would turn into a deadly weakness.

These two points of Strength were just perfect.

Xander immediately put on the Rock Giant Belt, and his Strength rose from 12 to 14 points.

After getting his hands on two Uncommon items, Xander finally bid farewell to the old Halfling and went on alone toward the southwest Shrieking Mountain Range.

—

Nightfall. Xander stopped in front of a barren hill. The horse apparently sensed something and began to act somewhat scared.

It was a frightening atmosphere, but only the most perceptive and keen animals could detect that with their instincts.

Xander released the reins, setting the horse free as it rushed toward the northeast.

Thus, he wouldn’t leave too many traces behind.

The hill in front was an important branch of the Twin Serpents Cult in the East Coast, the Hidden Granary.

There was only one entrance to the Hidden Granary, and it was guarded very tightly.

But this was nothing before Xander’s 101 points of Stealth!

He already found the cave. The outside of the cave seemed absolutely deserted, but it was actually extremely well defended.

Two 2nd-rank Clerics were watching the surroundings, alert. They were hiding in the shadow of the cave, not easy for others to find.

And they both had a lazy Osse Dog at their feet.

This kind of dog was relatively rare on the East Coast. It was a creature from the Osse Island in the north. Osse Dogs had a very sharp sense of smell, and most importantly, they had a certain chance of seeing invisible targets.

Thus, this creature was regularly used to guard important entrances.

Xander looked at the two completely spiritless Osse Dogs and knew that these pitiful little guys had already been numbed by the Twin Serpents Cult’s nauseous breath.

The Twin Serpents Cult Clerics might not know about it, but the Osse Dogs’ sense of smell and sharp eyes were easily stained by filthy things.

This Hidden Granary would make sacrifices each month at regular intervals, making the ghosts of the dead gather there, in this excessively chaotic hill burial.

The Osse Dogs’ perception had clearly already been numbed by this, so they simply couldn’t notice his Stealth.

But even so, Xander still waited.

Waiting for the darkness.

It was a lot better for a Dusk Walker to act in the night.

—

The sky was dark.

Xander’s operation slowly started.

The Hidden Granary belonged to the wilderness, and a Ranger’s Stealth wouldn’t be penalized in the wilderness. And there was the Dusk Walker bonus.

He lightly went through the entrance.

Just as he thought, those two dogs were basically blind, and as for those two Clerics, they didn’t have any good method for Stealth detection.

Xander successfully infiltrated the Hidden Granary.

He moved very slowly, each step in accordance with the proper movements for Stealth. This was a very valuable experience from his previous Thief life.

During Stealth, footwork was very important. Sometimes, a correct and steady pace could even raise the effectiveness.

There were small braziers burning at regular intervals in the dark cave. There was a design of the World Ending Twin Serpents on the braziers.

As Xander infiltrated deeper into the Hidden Granary, he passed quite a lot of people blindly walking around.

They had lost their own will and were brainwashed by the Clerics, making them pray every day to the World Ending Twin Serpents.

If they found an enemy, these followers would crazily attack the intruder.

They were frightening brutes, but they were also innocents.

If the Cleric controlling them was killed, they would be freed.

Thus, the Hidden Granary instance didn’t follow typical gameplay!

If a team used the usual approach, killing everything on their way, they would die. Killing these ordinary people wouldn’t give them much experience and would result in a decline in Fame. It would also waste a great amount of time, experience, and potions.

The Hidden Granary was basically designed for Stealth experts.

Because this was a special place.

It was a walk in the park for Xander who was familiar with the game. He still remembered this place’s terrain. He walked for half an hour, passing by ordinary people and 2nd-rank Clerics, and finally arrived at the entrance of the Officer Cleric’s cave!

The Hidden Granary’s defenses were tight outside, but lax inside. There was only one simple curtain hanging in front of the Officer Cleric’s place, and no defenses.

Xander lightly went in.

The cave was as big as it was in his memories. In a far corner, a silhouette was whispering.

He seemed to be talking to someone!

Xander thought of something and moved closer.