The horse-drawn carriage came to a halt in a dense forest filled with towering trees. All of the mercenaries on the horse-drawn carriage immediately sprang into action. The minotaur demon Dennis and orc Skol got off the carriage and stood at the very front with their weapons raised. Scott and Sam also got off the carriage and stood at the back of the carriage, surveying their surroundings with wary expressions. Sydney the monkey dashed through the trees like a real monkey, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
Evan was still sitting in the horse-drawn carriage with his wand in his hand as he surveyed his surroundings. Eva also remained in her seat, but she reflexively inched closer to Evan.
Meg held Amy tightly in his arms with his right hand resting on his bull-slaying saber. Carrying a longsword would make others think that he was hiding something, so he decided to switch to a bull-slaying saber for now. He looked around with a curious expression, but didn't see anything worthy of a fight. As such, he couldn't help but wonder why Chiwil had suddenly stopped with such a serious expression on his face.
Amy's eyes were also filled with curiosity. This was the first time she had been with a mercenary squad, and she was feeling a little excited that she was about to experience her first battle.
Ugly Duckling, who had been dozing off in Amy's arms this entire time, suddenly opened its eyes wide. Its ears perked up, and it stuck its neck out to sniff carefully. It then looked around at the surrounding forest in alarm, as if it had discovered something of interest.
"What's that, Leader?" Dennis looked around, but didn't discover anything suspicious, so he turned to Chiwil with a question.
The other mercenaries were also rather perplexed, but there was no doubt in their eyes. They had absolute trust in Chiwil.
"It's an adult Purple Golden Mink. We're quite lucky. If we can catch this little guy today, our rewards won't be any less than those of the Ironhide Bulls," Chiwil said with a smile.
"A Purple Golden Mink!" All of the mercenaries were elated to hear this.
"I didn't think we'd encounter a Purple Golden Mink here. I heard someone offered 500 gold coins for a Purple Golden Mink fur, and it's even more expensive than gold! We sure are lucky today!" Dennis rubbed his hands together in an excited manner.
"The Purple Golden Mink is very cunning and cowardly, and it's extremely fast as well. It won't be easy for us to capture it in this forest. We can only get Monkey to lead it toward us first, then we can capture it. We only have one chance, and if we fail, it won't fall for our trap again." The smile on Chiwil's face faded, and a serious expression appeared on his face. He stood on the shaft of the carriage and surveyed his surroundings before pointing at the intersection between two mounds of dirt as he said, "Let's wait there. Sam, set up your traps, and everyone else, spread out. If the Purple Golden Mink appears, don't be in a hurry to capture it. Instead, try to lure it in a certain direction, then use Evan and Sam's traps to capture it."
"Remember, the most valuable part of the Purple Golden Mink is its fur. The price of a complete Purple Golden Mink fur is vastly different from that of a damaged one. Even if we can't capture it alive, it's best not to damage too much of its fur," Chiwil cautioned in a serious manner.
"Yes!"
All of the mercenaries replied in unison before spreading out to surround the intersection. Meanwhile, Sam carried a large sack on his back as he made his way toward the intersection to set up his traps.
"Mr. Meg, this is an emergency, so we need some time to capture this Purple Golden Mink. Under normal circumstances, Purple Golden Minks won't attack people of their own accord, but as a second-tier magic beast, they're still quite powerful. If they're caught in a dire situation, there's a good chance that they'll go berserk. Hence, I think you and Eva can stay on the carriage until we capture it," Chiwil said as he turned to Meg.
Evan stood up and shot a cold glance at Mag. He pursed his lips with disdain before leaping onto the branch of a nearby tree. He then treaded nimbly on the branch as he traversed through the forest. If it weren't for the fact that one of his hands was tugging at his pants in a strange manner, he would appear to be a little more elegant.
"Even his jumps are so cool; I'm so lucky." An intoxicated expression appeared on Eva's face before she glowered at Meg with a hint of disgust in her eyes before sitting down in the corner furthest away from them.
"No problem." Meg nodded in response. Purple Golden Mink fur was one of the most popular clothing materials for nobles, so Meg knew a thing or two about it. Even a rabbit would bite when cornered, let alone a second-tier magic beast. As such, Chiwil was indeed looking out for their safety.
Of course, he was also concerned that they would pose a threat to their encirclement. The Purple Golden Mink wasn't all that powerful, but it was extremely fast. Even a high-grade knight wouldn't necessarily be able to catch up to it in the forest, which was why its fur was so expensive.
If it weren't for the fact that they had encountered it by chance, the Rose Mercenary Squad definitely wouldn't have targeted it as their mission target. The failure rate for capturing Purple Golden Minks was extremely high, so they were only trying their luck.
As for Eva, Meg couldn't even be bothered to take a second glance at her. Bickering with a woman like her would only lower his IQ.
Chiwil nodded before stopping the horse-drawn carriage beside a patch of dense bushes, which just so happened to block their line of sight. She then untied the whip hanging from her waist before slinging it onto the branch of a large tree. She then swung herself onto a nearby tree and lashed out with her whip over and over again, using it to quickly traverse through the forest.
"Big Sister Chiwil is so awesome!" Amy exclaimed with elation in her eyes.
"She really is." Meg looked at Chiwil as she swung through the trees, and he couldn't help but recall Lara from Tomb Raider.
"Father, what's a Purple Golden Mink?" Amy turned to Meg with a curious expression.
"It's a type of large mouse with purplish-golden fur," Meg explained with a smile.
"A large mouse?" Amy's eyes lit up, and she looked down at Ugly Duckling as she said, "Ugly Duckling, it's a mouse! Can you catch it? "
"Heh, what do you mean by a large mouse? The Purple Golden Mink is a 2nd-tier magic beast; there's no way a little kitten would be able to catch it," Eva scoffed at Ugly Duckling, which was only slightly larger than a palm in Amy's arms.
"Meow, meow!" Ugly Duckling took a glance at Eva, seemingly a little displeased with her words as it extended its little pink paw in a threatening manner.
"You're wrong, Big Sister Flat-chest. Ugly Duckling isn't a kitten; it's a duckling, and it's most likely a duckling that can catch mice." Amy shook her head with a serious expression.
"Hmph! If even it can catch a Purple Golden Mink, then I'll eat it raw! "Eva's body trembled with rage upon hearing Amy's words, and she harrumphed coldly as she turned away.
"It's here."
A short and long whistle sounded from afar. A monkey-like figure was running through the trees at high speed. In front of him, there was a purple-gold figure jumping on the tree trunk at an even faster speed. It was almost impossible to see the figure clearly. One could only see a purple-gold shadow.
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