Caesar did not mobilize his entire force; he brought only four assassins, making five people in total including himself.
His own strength was at the Low-tier Transcendent level, which was not the top within the team.
The other four, however, were all genuine High-tier Transcendents.
Caesar, whose strength was not the highest, could firmly suppress this group of unruly and blood-stained powerhouses. He had never relied on force alone to do so.
It was his sophisticated tactics that allowed him to knead people with different motives together.
It was the precise binding of personal favors and interests that made his subordinates both revere him and find it difficult to leave.
Even more, it was the "life-saving debt" of leading them to escape from death through nearly cold-hearted decisiveness in desperate situations time and again.
He had become the unquestioned leader of that chaotic, depraved lot who believed only in power.
The ruthlessness and resolve in his bones far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine.
This ruthlessness was not only directed at his enemies; when necessary, he was never soft-hearted toward his own people either.
"Spread out and search. Find the Saintess's exact location."
After entering the mine,
Caesar's voice rang out deeply in the dim tunnels, carrying a tone of command that brooked no argument.
"Once found, do not act recklessly. Send a signal and wait for everyone to gather before launching a fatal blow simultaneously."
"Remember, do not touch that mage named Lin Gui."
"What about Princess Elvia?" Black Scorpion, the assassin who was jealous of Viper, asked.
Caesar said in a deep voice,
"If she stands in our way, then send her to be buried with the Saintess."
"Leader, the opposition is just a little girl knight and a weakling mage, plus that Saintess who can't even truss a chicken!"
One of the assassins, code-named "Lust Demon," whose eyes were filled with lecherous intent, couldn't help but complain.
He had long been salivating over the Saintess's appearance and body.
On the crown, her holy, angel-like aura made him incredibly obsessed.
"Five Transcendents against them is like squashing bugs! We should just charge in and mince them up to be done with it. Why take so long?"
Caesar's cold gaze swept over, and the chill in his eyes made Lust Demon's skin tighten.
"Obey orders. I do not wish for any accidents to occur. There is nothing wrong with being cautious."
Lust Demon grunted in response, but his face was filled with displeasure and indifference.
Caesar gave him a harsh, predatory glance.
He then exchanged a look with another assassin beside him named Cold Face, who was always taciturn and had a face as cold as ice.
Cold Face nodded imperceptibly, his eyes looking at Lust Demon with killing intent.
Only then did Caesar withdraw his gaze.
Driven by him, the five assassins simultaneously extinguished the magic lamps they carried.
Their figures merged into the distorted shadows throughout the mine, beginning to penetrate into the depths noiselessly.
According to the information fed back by the mages outside via alchemical creatures,
The target trio had been moving at high frequency inside the mine last night.
Furthermore, the trajectory of their movement was quite bizarre; their positions were very close to the rebels' outposts and traps.
Yet, the mages had not sensed a trace of reconnaissance from the other party.
The last place the alchemical creatures had captured their location was... the No. 3 Mine Platform on the eastern side of the mine's depths.
That place had once been where miners gathered to rest and stack their tools.
The assassin code-named "Viper" was the first to silently creep toward the direction of No. 3 Mine.
As a High-tier Transcendent assassin, his concealment techniques had reached a state of perfection.
When he moved, even the sound of the wind was nearly absorbed by him, and his footsteps left no obvious marks upon the accumulated dust.
Upon hearing Caesar's explicit command not to harm Lin Gui,
Viper had actually felt a great sense of relief in his heart.
He felt grateful toward that messenger mage who had indirectly brought him news of his younger brother and allowed a sliver of light to reappear in his desperate life.
He was even unwilling for the other person to suffer any harm.
The reason he was the first to rush toward No. 3 Mine was that he intended to find Lin Gui before his other companions.
He wanted to control or lead him away to avoid him being caught in the crossfire during the chaotic assassination.
If Lust Demon or the other two fellows found him first,
There was no telling what outrageous things they might do. If they accidentally harmed that mage...
Just then, a figure caught up with an obvious whistling sound of breaking air; it was Lust Demon.
He was currently not using any concealment methods at all.
His face carried unabashed disdain and a greedy desire for the Saintess's body.
Viper cancelled his concealment, revealing his figure from the shadows as he questioned coldly,
"The leader ordered us to spread out and search. What are you doing following me?"
Lust Demon licked his lips and grinned sinisterly.
"Viper, don't you fucking act all righteous in front of me!"
"That Saintess has such tender skin; wouldn't it be a waste for her to die?"
"I need to have some fun first and let her know what a real man is before she dies! You, get lost!"
A flash of disgust crossed Viper's eyes.
He knew Lust Demon's character well; the man was a habitual rapist and murderer.
Nobles, commoners, he would even target female members of the rebels who were alone. He had no bottom line.
However, Viper had no mind to deal with that now; he only cared about Lin Gui's safety.
Viper ignored him and suddenly accelerated.
He shot toward the depths of No. 3 Mine like an arrow from a bow.
This action instead infuriated Lust Demon.
Lust Demon misunderstood Viper's intention, thinking the other man also wanted to strike at the Saintess first and enjoy the "spoils" alone.
Instantly fuming with rage, he followed at full speed while cursing.
The speed of High-tier Transcendent assassins was extremely startling.
The intricate corridors within the mine were like flat ground beneath their feet.
In less than a short minute, the two of them, one after the other, rushed into the No. 3 Mine area marked on the map.
This was a relatively open platform.
On one side of the rock wall, there were still a few dilapidated, simple tents once used by miners for resting.
Viper was faster; with a sprint, he arrived before the nearest tent and violently yanked open the heavy, dust-proof curtain!
The inside of the tent was empty.
A look of surprise appeared on Viper's face.
Seeing this, Lust Demon, who was following close behind, pushed Viper aside without ceremony.
He rushed inside impatiently, his voice still whispering with excitement,
"Little beauty, stop hiding. Let brother give you some love..."
However, the expected beautiful face of the Saintess in a state of panic did not appear.
There were only some rotten wooden boxes, rusted pickaxes, and scattered debris inside the tent, emitting a heavy smell of mold.
Lust Demon did not give up; he pulled out a magic lamp and clicked it open.
The piercing light instantly dispelled the darkness within the tent, illuminating every corner clearly.
There was indeed no one.
"Damn it! Are they playing with me?!"
Lust Demon was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged. He kicked the empty wooden box in front of him into pieces.
"When I get out, I'm going to gouge out the eyes of those useless mages outside and step on them like bubbles!"
Viper also slipped into the tent. He ignored Lust Demon's irritability and instead quickly crouched down, his sharp gaze scanning the floor.
There were obvious and fresh footprints of multiple people on the dust, as well as marks of dragging and... the embers of a campfire that had not been extinguished for long.
"They were indeed staying here, and they didn't leave long ago," Viper judged calmly.
The lecherous light in Lust Demon's eyes grew even stronger. "They can't have run far! After them!"
He charged out of the tent in a single stride.
Viper, however, narrowed his eyes slightly, lingering on an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the tent where the dirt had obviously been disturbed.
His heart stirred, and he crouched down, carefully brushing away the loose soil with his fingers.
Underneath the layer of soil, a small object was buried.
Several strands of hair shimmering with a faint ginkgo-golden light were meticulously wrapped around a small wooden stick.
It was made into an extremely crude... small doll?
Viper's pupils contracted slightly.
"This is?"
Rate on N.U.
