BXBX NOVEL Chapter 177 Infiltrating Successfully
It was something that was actually a regular event and happened every year in the game. It involved merchants and mercenary groups meeting and talking about various things as well as sales of some good items.
Of course, the invitations to the Six Forest Gathering were limited to a few powers. And those that were invited were usually quite well to do in the kingdom.
\'Even the King pays attention and sends a few representative nobles for it… how did Dozla even get invited to something like this?\' Arthur was rather confused.
For a bandit to be invited along with his groups was unthinkable. Normally speaking, the mercenaries would simply kill the bandits if they found them there while the Merchants would be very offended.
After all, the merchants and mercenaries were often at odds with the bandits. Not to mention the nobles there wouldn\'t tolerate lowly bandits being there either.
\'This only means… something is gonna happen at the Six Forest Gathering!\' Arthur had a big hunch.
Even in the past, there was limited information about the Six Forest Gathering on the forums since only a handful of them had ever managed to be invited to it.
\'Looks like I need to look more into it.\' Arthur thought to himself and listened to the conversation further.
The two bandits were still talking and didn\'t seem to have noticed Arthur yet.
"We can find a chance to sneak away along the way to the gathering. That\'s why we have to be careful. If we are unlucky, we might be left behind here. And if we resist, we\'ll just be given to the cultist." The second bandit said.
"Shit, gotta watch out more then. I don\'t want to be left in his rural shit hole anymore. I regret ever leaving my village and coming here." The first bandit complained. "Though… ain\'t that Six Forests Gathering a big thing? Are bandits even able to go there?" he asked after thinking.
Arthur\'s ears perked up as this was exactly what he wished to know.
"Who knows, man… Chief probably got some connections." The second bandit shook his head.
"He isn\'t… intending to attack it, is he?" The first bandit asked warily.
"I… have no idea… I sure hope not, though." The second bandit found it to be concerning too. "It\'ll be a death sentence if he does."
"Guess we really have to run away in the middle of it." The first bandit shook his head before spotting something in the distance. "Crap! The captain is coming. Get to work."
"Yeah!" the two bandits quickly started walking away, continuing their patrol.
Arthur too, kept his act up and pretended to patrol. He did a small turn before entering the cave.
\'There aren\'t any particular restrictions here on who enters and leaves, so it should be fine.\' Arthur thought to himself.
<Player Arzhur has entered Trunel Bandit Hideout>
<Warning: Player has entered a Dangerous location!>
<Recommended level: 75+>
<Warning: the player is under-leveled for this location!>
As soon as Arthur stepped in, he got a bunch of warnings flashing in front of him.
\'Damn, they really raised the recommended level this far high… Guess Dozla being here affected it a lot.\' Arthur realized.
He recalled that in his past life, the recommended level for the Hideout was just Level 25. Whereas now it was three times higher!
But the surprising part was that, all the Bandits that Arthur saw here were all below level 25. Even the stronger ones were at most level 24.
\'Is it Dozla alone that has raised the level this high?\' Arthur found something to be wrong.
But he knew he had to see it himself. If he came to conclusions without proof, it could be really bad for him. As such, he continued to observe everything while exploring the cave.
The entrance of the cave was narrow at first, but as one went inside, it expanded vastly. There were several branches of tunnels spreading apart and sections that had been divided for different purposes.
Arthur didn\'t know if his disguise and stealth were good or whether the other bandits were just too comfortable, as no one even cared that he was there.
\'Perhaps they are just confident that nothing bad can happen with so many guards and Dozla being here.\' Arthur hoped that this would be true as he could exploit their overconfidence.
Since it was working in his favor, Arthur also made an attempt to gather a little more information.
He learned that the actual place where the Bandits lived was this cave. The tents and huts outside were merely for the new recruits that had arrived.
\'This makes sense, as the cave would be a lot easier to hide than the huts outside. Just the smoke coming from there would make it easier to spot for others.\' Arthur understood.
In the cave, there were living quarters, sleeping barracks, storage areas, and even a large kitchen.
Arthur was surprised by the latter, as fire in an enclosed place like this could be deadly. But the bandits had cleverly made use of the natural structure and flaws of the caves. There was a large crack in the roof, that went all the way to the top of the mountain.
There was a natural opening at the top, from which the smoke could freely dissipate without there being an obvious sign of fire.
Feeling a bit amazed at it all, Arthur continued inwards until he finally reached an area that was a bit more \'secure\'. There were guards standing at its entrance and Arthur had to stop some distance away from there.
Arthur went around it and tried to find another spot before finding one. He stood near what looked like a small wood stockpile. It was a few meters away from the hall and barely offered a glance if one leaned forward.
But just as Arthur wanted to take a close look though, he heard a voice.
"Hey you!" Someone called out sternly.