Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Storming the Bandit’s Lair

Night fell like a giant black velvet cloth, slowly covering the Black Stone Mountain Range.

Only a few sparse stars shimmered faintly through the gaps in the clouds.

Under the cover of night, the Pegasus Knight Order approached the Blood Wolf Corps’ lair like phantoms.

The outer watchtowers and sentry posts were taken down by the Knights’ Bows and Arrows before they even had time to react.

Just as the Pegasus Knights were about to reach the cave entrance, those inside seemed to sense that something was amiss.

A few torches were lit. Dim, yellow light spilled from the entrance, faintly revealing several figures scrambling in panic.

”Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

Shrill cries echoed from within the cave, shattering the valley’s silence.

A few Crossbow Arrows flew sporadically from the cave entrance, but between the darkness and the Pegasi’s nimble evasion, their aim was wildly inaccurate. They didn’t even graze the Knights’ cloaks.

”Charge!”

Ed roared, leading the charge.

His Pegasus let out a piercing cry. With a powerful beat of its wings, it suddenly accelerated, streaking toward the cave entrance like a bolt of white lightning!

The Knights following close behind also spurred their mounts, a white torrent of ten Pegasi surging toward the seemingly solid entrance of the lair with unstoppable momentum.

A few members of the Blood Wolf Corps stood at the entrance, wielding their weapons in a futile attempt to block the charge.

But in the face of the diving Pegasi and Knights, their resistance was as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Ed’s Long Sword flashed in a vicious arc. The burly man at the front, who was wielding a Giant Axe, was cut in two at the waist before he could even react!

Blood splattered against the rock wall, staining it crimson in an instant.

Then, Ed’s Pegasus sent two other enemies flying. Its heavy hooves trampled their bodies, producing the sickening crunch of breaking bones.

With the guards at the entrance easily dispatched, the Knights dismounted and moved deeper into the cave to clear it out.

”Kill!”

The Knights of the first squad charged into the cave, following close behind Ed.

Two Knights remained behind to guard the mounts while the others filed inside.

The air filled with battle cries, the clash of weapons, and furious shouts.

Half an hour later, the echoes from deep within the lair gradually subsided.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and dust.

Deep within the cave, the last vestiges of resistance had been crushed.

Flickering torchlight danced across blood-smeared rock walls and bodies strewn haphazardly on the ground.

The heavy stench of blood, mixed with the smell of smoke and dust, filled the narrow passage, making one want to retch.

Ed emerged from a fork in the deepest part of the cave, his Long Sword still dripping. His breastplate was spattered with dark red flecks of blood.

”Sir, all hostiles have been eliminated,” Ed reported.

Raylo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Knights who were catching their breath, some standing, others leaning against the rock walls.

Their armor and weapons all bore the marks of battle, but none were seriously injured. Only a few unlucky souls had suffered minor flesh wounds, which they had already tended to themselves.

”Casualties?”

”Two with minor injuries, but they won’t be slowed down,” Ed replied. ”The Blood Wolf Corps didn’t leave many behind—about fifty men—and their will to resist was weak. It seems their elite forces really weren’t here.”

”Good.”

Raylo’s voice echoed in the cavern.

”First squad, secure the entrance and perimeter. Clean up any traces of the battle. Second squad, with me. We will search the entire lair, especially any places where treasure might be hidden. The Blood Wolf Corps has been entrenched here for years; their hoard must be substantial.”

”Yes, sir!”

The Knights acknowledged the order and swiftly broke off to their tasks.

Holding torches aloft, the Knights began a thorough search of the massive cave system.

The cave’s interior was far more complex than it appeared from the outside, a labyrinth of twisting passages showing many signs of having been manually excavated.

In addition to the main tunnels, there were numerous narrow offshoots and stone chambers.

These chambers were used as bedrooms, storerooms, and even crude prison cells.

Besides the smell of blood, the air was permeated with the foul stench of long-term habitation—a mix of cheap ale, sweat, and some unidentifiable, rank odor.

Tattered Beast Hides hung on the walls, and the floor was littered with miscellaneous junk. Bones, broken pottery, and rusted weapons were strewn everywhere.

”Tsk, these guys really lived in squalor.”

A young Knight kicked aside an empty wine jug and couldn’t help but complain, ”This smell... it’s not much better than a goblins’ nest.”

A more seasoned Knight beside him clapped him on the shoulder. ”Count your blessings. At least we don’t have to spend the night here. Get searching. You never know, there might be something good hidden in some nook or cranny.”

They meticulously checked every corner, tapping on suspicious-looking walls and moving aside piles of junk.

In a relatively spacious stone chamber that appeared to be the leader’s quarters, the Knights found a few scattered coin purses and some passable weapons, but it was a far cry from a fortune ”accumulated over many years.”

”Sir, we haven’t found anything special over here.”

A Knight reported to Raylo, who was examining a crude map.

Raylo lowered the map. It was a crude chart of the Black Stone Mountain Range, with some areas marked by skulls, clearly indicating danger zones.

The map alone was quite valuable.

”Keep looking. Don’t overlook any possible spot.”

The Knights understood his meaning and began to search even more meticulously.

Raylo led a few men into the deepest area, which appeared to be a storeroom. It was piled with grain, low-quality cloth, and some goods of unknown origin.

”Kree!”

The cry came from Moonlight, somewhere up ahead.

Ed and Raylo walked over to investigate.

Moonlight was crouched before a stone wall, grooming itself.

The wall was in the deepest part of the storeroom. Compared to the surrounding rough rock, this particular section was unusually smooth, and there appeared to be faint, hard-to-see cracks on its surface.

”Interesting.”

Ed reached out and ran his hand along the wall.

His fingers traced a fine seam that was almost perfectly blended with the rock’s natural texture.

He pushed forcefully, but the stone wall didn’t move an inch.

After carefully observing the wall, he reached out with his gloved hand and pressed firmly on several specific spots.

As he gave one last press to an inconspicuous protrusion, there was a soft CLICK.

The smooth section of wall slowly swung inward, revealing a pitch-black opening.

”We found it!”

A Knight exclaimed in a low voice, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Raylo rubbed Moonlight’s little head and scooped it up in his arms.

”Well done!”

The Little Silver Dragon was always full of surprises.

The Knights filed inside, holding their torches high.

It was a secret chamber, more orderly than any of the other stone rooms, roughly twenty to thirty square meters in size.

As the torchlight illuminated the scene within, every Knight audibly gasped. Even Raylo and Ed’s eyes flashed with surprise.

In the center of the chamber were several heavy wooden chests. A few were open, their contents spilling out a nearly overwhelming golden gleam!

Beside the gold and silver lay piles of multicolored Gemstones. The largest were the size of a pigeon’s egg, while the smallest were as large as a fingernail, all refracting the torchlight in a dazzling display.

On racks against one wall were exquisitely crafted weapons and suits of armor. Though their style was somewhat dated, they were impeccably maintained, and some even emanated a faint Magic Radiance.

On the other side were stacks of what looked to be valuable ores, Magical Beast Materials, and several locked metal boxes, their contents unknown.