Second World

"You already know they are there?" Jack asked.

Water Lily nodded. "The Raretooth tribe used to be the overlord of our province. We never believe they would relinquish their territory without a fight. Their disappearance has been something that we pay much attention to. So, when someone spotted them inside that village. It quickly drew our attention."

"So, you have been surveying the place? Do you know how many of the Raretooth tribespeople are there?"

"We can't tell for sure. That village has been closed to the public since the Raretooth tribe appeared. No players nor native outsiders are allowed in. We can only watch from afar. From what we see, we estimate there are probably around a hundred of the Raretooth tribe inside that village."

"That is just a tiny fraction of the tribe," Jack said.

"Yes. I think they are just a small company sent here for a specific mission. We just don't know what the mission is until today."

"You said the village is closed off…? That means the ruler of this province is collaborating with the Raretooth tribe."

"We suspected so, but we don't know if they are simply giving this Raretooth tribe a shelter or they are in with the things they do in Themisphere's border towns."

"Of course, they are in on it! You orcs are all vile creatures!" Hans interjected.

"Hans… You promised you would be cool if I bring you," Jack warned.

"Hmph," Hans laid back on the carriage's wall.

"I'm sorry for his outburst," Jack apologized to Water Lily.

"That's fine," Water Lily said. She had received a message from Jack about Hans after Hans rejected her handshake.

"Well, back to the topic. Who is the tribe in charge of this province?" Jack asked.

"That will be the Angryfeet tribe," Water Lily answered. "The lord chief of the tribe is Kusema Angryfeet."

"If the Raretooth tribe is the guest to this Angryfeet tribe, won't Four Winds get in trouble for attacking the village?"

"He has got permission from Grand Chief Kabaka," Water Lily said. "This incident risked the diplomatic relationship between our two countries. Your evidence is enough to implicate the Raretooth tribe. If that village truly sheltered the tribe, Four Winds has enough authority to carry out an attack. The grand chief will deal with Kusema after the operation. This, of course, means we have to make sure the Raretooth tribe is inside the village before we attack."

The carriage stopped.

"We have arrived," Water Lily informed.

"So fast?" Jack asked.

"This is just a small town. This carriage we are in is the only carriage in this town," Water Lily replied and went out of the carriage.

They came out to the town gate.

"We will ride a bit into the wilderness," Water Lily said. "Four Winds is gathering our force there so that we don't draw too much attention from the town's people."

The three summoned their steeds. Luckily, Hans' steed was a rare grade, so he won't slow everyone down. As for Jack, he used his backup whistle he got from the Adventurers Association and summoned the super-rare-grade silver horse.

The three rode with Water Lily leading the way. Soon they came into a clearing behind small woods. A regiment was on standby there. They went to the head of the regiment and saw Four Winds.

Next to Four Winds were his trusted lieutenants. Violent Blizzard, Disco Rain, Purple Mist, Coca, and Jim. Jim was level 63 now. It seemed Cipher Flight did help him level up quickly to catch up with the others. Four Winds and Violent Blizzard were level 71. The others including Water Lily were level 70.

The players in the regiment were mostly around level 66, but a portion was also around level 50 or even below. It was now becoming harder and harder for everyone to stay alive all the time.

"Hey, I can see your level now," Four Winds said to Jack when he arrived. "You are no longer using the thing that hides your info? Level 75… How the hell do you level up so fast?"

"Do you use cheat codes?" Coca asked.

"I do," Jack answered.

"Do you mind sharing?"

"Cut the crap. We should depart," Four Winds stopped the senseless talk before it developed.

"Yes, if we want to do this, we need to be quick," An old orc came out of the crowd followed by two young orcs.

"It's you three!" Jack recognized the three. The three were the native orcs that Water Lily said would follow them. They were Umeza, Mkulme, and Tumwa from the Giantkiller tribe.

"Your Majesty Storm Wind, it's good seeing you again. Especially not in a situation where we have to kill one another," Umeza greeted.

"I guess I am not your opponent now," Mkulme said to Jack. As a native, he remained at level 77 the same as when Jack fought him during the Election Tourney. As for Tumwa, she had increased by a level to level 62.

"If you people want to level up fast, there are candidates here who can be your companions," Jack pointed to Four Winds' lots.

"We will think about it," Mkulme said with a laugh.

Jack understood Mkulme was just giving him a polite response. Mkulme was the chief of the tribe. He won't be willing to be a player's companion and get summoned into danger without notice.

"By the way, why are you three here?" Jack asked.

"We were in the area," Umeza answered. "We received a transmission from Grand Chief Kabaka, asking us if we can aid Chief Four Winds in an operation. We heard what it is about and are willing to help."

"Thank you very much," Jack uttered. "I represent Themisphere to express gratitude. This operation is very important to maintain the peace between our two countries."

Umeza chuckled. "I never expected there would be a day when I fight side by side with a human against my own race. I, Umeza Giantkiller, truly have lived very long and seen everything."

"Umeza Giantkiller?!" Hans exclaimed. He wasn't aware of Umeza's name because his level was too low to inspect the old orc. "You are the bastard orc who killed my grandfather…!!"