Chapter Twenty-Three: The White Knight on Night Watch

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
The four brothers, sitting against a tree trunk, nursed their bruised faces and glared resentfully at Fang Yuan, but no longer dared to provoke him.
At the same time, Fang Yuan, exhausted, lay casually on the ground, unwilling to bother with them.
Although he hadn't truly fought to the death, his power in the second form had been considerable, yet those four had suffered nothing but superficial wounds—a testament to their astonishing defense. They truly lived up to their reputation as holy knights, men capable of both healing and withstanding attacks.
Now, the three factions sat apart: Mu Rongxun and his group of onlookers on one side, the four brothers on another, and Fang Yuan with Wang Junfeng on yet another.
Since the task required cooperation among so many, even necessitating selection from outsiders beforehand, it was bound to be fraught with difficulty.
There was no way they would abandon the four holy knights; in fact, if possible, they'd prefer to recruit Fang Yuan and his companion into their team.
These were genuine experts, and the mission rewards were secondary at this moment—the most important thing was to escape from Grand Duke Ephisoa.
"How did you end up here?"
Wang Junfeng, now stripped of his wildness from battle, wore a warm smile on his square face, his affable demeanor easily winning favor.
"I'm looking for something," Wen Feng replied coolly.
"You came for that item as well," Wang Junfeng nodded knowingly.
He realized he was mistaken, but Wen Feng offered no explanation.
"We can work together. Old Fang went to search for clues on the other side, I've got a lead here, which is how I ended up fighting with the big guy. At first, I thought it was just us, but now it's clear—the item's fame has drawn too many, and no single group can claim it. To avoid losing everything, cooperation is best."
Hearing himself called "big guy," Fang Yuan grunted in displeasure but remained silent.
Earlier, the two had fought each other to a standstill for most of the day, and now, out of stamina, he could no longer match his opponent.
It wasn't a matter of life and death, so he wouldn't resort to certain tactics, letting it slide.
"Agreed," Wen Feng nodded decisively.
He had been pondering how to draw people into his camp, and now that the other side had offered, he welcomed the opportunity.
"Hey..."
The four holy knights were about to complain, but Wen Feng cast them a glance, instantly silencing them.
They dared provoke Fang Yuan and attack Wang Junfeng when he was alone, but when it came to Wen Feng, aside from bluster, they never truly dared to act.
Sword-wielders and blade-users were madmen, and these hammer-wielders knew better than to cross them.
Though they didn't dare speak out against the alliance, their dissatisfaction came out in muttered groans.

After Fang Yuan and Wen Feng joined the group, conversations revealed that they were just outside the city walls of the royal capital of Ireland. Their battle had been over a clue, since fights inside the city were forbidden, so they had come outside to settle things.
"I advise you not to make any moves inside the city. If you cause too much commotion, the Night Watch will come, and you won't be able to withstand them," Wang Junfeng warned sternly.
"Hey, weren't you a lone wanderer? Why are you with so many people? Where's Yi Shisan?"
"We accepted a mission together. As for Shisan... we weren't together when we were teleported," Wen Feng explained.
"I see."
Wang Junfeng nodded, though he was a bit disappointed.
"If Yi Shisan were here, with Old Fang's formations, and the four of us combined, plus the big guy, five second-tier combatants could break into the treasury. Without Shisan's sword array, though, it's less certain," Wang Junfeng sighed.
"Your goal is the treasury? The palace treasury?"
"Is it? You're also aiming for the palace treasury?" Wang Junfeng countered.
"Yes, the mission item is in the palace treasury. We're figuring out how to slip in," Wen Feng nodded. There was nothing to hide—completing the mission was the priority.
"Honestly, your side has numbers, and those four first-tier fools are somewhat useful, but the rest aren't, and I'm afraid they're not much help," Wang Junfeng considered, shaking his head.
"We've all had our attributes sealed, so we can't use our full strength. Even if those four take the front lines, plus the big guy, it wouldn't be enough to withstand that monster's attack."
"Is it really that formidable?" Wen Feng frowned.
If it was truly that powerful, things would be difficult.
"It's not impossible to try. That creature is greedy, and I have something that can weaken it by 10% for thirty minutes," Wang Junfeng said.
[Expired Glutinous Rice Ball: Despite being expired, it's a delicacy for certain gluttonous creatures.]
[Star Rating: One Star!]
[Effect: Reduces attributes by 10% for the next thirty minutes!]
After sharing its effects with the group, Wang Junfeng was proud—he had acquired it with great effort, precisely for such encounters.
If not for the enticing bounty offered for the item, he wouldn't have ventured into this one-star war world, where investment and reward were mismatched.

Wen Feng glanced at Mu Rongxun.
Mu Rongxun directly revealed the initial, wondrous effect.
Though it wasn't their first time seeing it, everyone was still amazed.
"A three-star dish?"
Wang Junfeng's eyes widened.
"Younger brother, do you have any more of this? Would you sell one to your elder?"
His heart burned with desire—weakening by fifty percent!
How many bosses could be safely steamrolled with that?
Mu Rongxun shook his head; he would never release the remaining two portions.
"If we have these items, what are our odds?"
Dark Night interjected.
"Hard to say,"
Wang Junfeng scrutinized him and, after careful thought, spoke again.
"First, there's the question of how to get the creature to eat it, then a question of how quickly it takes effect."
"It doesn't matter when it works, as long as it does, we'll make our move!"
Wen Feng frowned.
He didn't overthink things; just charge in—once the guardian is weakened, could it really withstand them?
"We don't have much time, either. We must finish the battle within two minutes. From the moment chaos erupts, the Night Watch will arrive in two minutes, and we have to leave. We also need to be wary of other lurkers."
Having scouted the treasury and dealt with the Night Watch several times, Wang Junfeng knew their strength well.
"You keep mentioning the Night Watch. Are they really that formidable?"
Wen Feng hadn't seen them, so he couldn't judge their power.
"The Night Watch isn't a single person, but a department,"
Wang Junfeng's expression was grave.
"In the capital, you'd rather offend the emperor than provoke the Night Watch's White Knights."