Black Sail
Chapter 175: CLXXV. A Mere Martial Artist

Chapter 175: CLXXV. A Mere Martial Artist

Alanee’s identity was noble.

It was impossible for her to go to a relay station and take a carriage others had ridden in.

Two beautiful, shiny black horses with flowing manes galloped along the thoroughfare, pulling a meticulously carved dark-toned rosewood carriage. While not inlaid with gold or jade, it was quite understated, yet it exuded an aura that told strangers to keep their distance.

The roads within Aran were so smooth they nearly matched the level of asphalt highways; there would be no issues even if cars were to drive on them.

In the transportation network of each major city, every twenty miles, or even less, there was a relay station inn, where fierce competition was the norm.

The most outrageous thing was,

when you were about fifty miles away from a big city, there were street lights on both sides of the road, and dedicated road maintenance institutions to repair and maintain the main roads.

When Alanee saw in the newspaper that there was a trial run in three days, the first wave was definitely a no-go. If she took her time returning via the main road, she might miss even the last chance.

Therefore, she suggested taking a shortcut. Although it would lead through some remote towns, with Grim present, even if the sky were to fall, he would hold it up for her.

And to her commands, Grim simply couldn’t say no.

When Alanee’s carriage was about to reach a town, it was stopped—an adventurer, judging by his attire, halted them.

He didn’t stop them out of malice.

This was a Gold-level Adventure Group that had received a commission: a Magic Beast had flown out of the forbidden area, proving to be quite troublesome. According to the mission description from the guild, it was a White Frost Giant Falcon.

Now, they had set up bait around the town—a large group of rabbits mixed with special spices, offering an irresistible allure to such a giant falcon.

They advised Alanee to take a detour, or it might be dangerous.

Although Aran’s military strength was incredibly powerful, military deployments were exceedingly strict. Some towns, strategically unimportant and remote, still only had the most marvelous of species—the adventurers—to turn to.

The adventurer gazed at the woman stepping out of the carriage, his eyes almost popping out.

His profession often indulged in the pleasures of drink, women, and gambling, but upon seeing Alanee, he felt no desire to [defile her], only a sense of inferiority.

That blend of silver and pale golden hair...he seemed to have heard rumors of such features somewhere.

But he couldn’t place where exactly. Rather, like a reclusive character in the presence of a goddess, he felt uneasy, striving to exhibit a quality he did not possess.

"Um... you adventurers really have it tough."

Alanee observed the dirt and dust on his face and the tattered state of his greaves, her heart momentarily overflowing with compassion.

Wealthy yet still pursuing greater riches, those who stood as pillars of the financial world were also worldly.

But when gold, silver, and power became mere numbers, they sometimes attained a sort of "divinity."

"Grim, please help them out. Also, if the rabbits are eaten, it would be quite pitiable."

Alanee wanted to tug at his clothes and act coquettish.

Immediately, Grim knelt, not giving her a chance.

"As it is the master’s command, I shall see it done."

He declared with certainty.

The adventurer stared at this coachman in confusion, only to see Grim taking down a three-meter long Big Bow, and arrows as long as spears—far too exaggerated.

"Don’t worry, the reward is yours; we are simply in a hurry."

Grim asked the adventurer to lead the way for a swift and decisive battle; they couldn’t afford a delay because of such an incident.

Alanee clapped her hands in excitement, ready to watch the show.

Without waiting for the adventurer to guide him,

The bait previously set by this Gold-level Adventure Group had already drawn in its target.

With a prolonged, melodious cry, a terrifyingly large creature swept in from the edge of the sky, bringing a gentle breeze that seemed to be caused by the fluttering of its snow-white wings.

A colossal White Frost Giant Falcon with a wingspan of nearly seven to eight meters swooped down from the high skies.

"Shit!"

The adventurer involuntarily took two steps back. This was different from the intelligence report, wasn’t it supposed to be only about four meters in size? As the silver-white figure in the sky grew larger, he suddenly lost his will to fight. How was he supposed to bring down such a monster?

Alanee simply clenched her fists and cheered Grim on.

Grim positioned a long spear-like arrow onto the Big Bow.

A One Stone Bow, which could be considered a Strong Bow, had an Armor-piercing cone fitted on the tip of the arrows, capable of penetrating even thin layers of iron armor.

The bowstring of this bow was made of special materials; it was crafted from an extinct species’ tendons mixed with Magic Energy Material, and its terrifying resiliency exceeded that of a One Stone Bow by a hundredfold. A normal adult male would not be able to draw it even a bit.

Grim’s arm muscles exploded with lines as he easily pulled the Big Bow to its full extent, raised it above his head, and aimed at the White Frost Giant Falcon flying in the skies above.

The monster was still far up in the sky.

Bang!

When the long spear-like arrow was shot, it wasn’t with a whoosh, but with a deafening blast like a powder keg exploding.

Wisps of blue smoke rose from the bowstring, and the explosive force nearly flattened the grass on the ground.

The long spear-like arrow flew diagonally into the sky for an unknown distance before planting itself precisely into the belly of the White Frost Giant Falcon. The entire chest and abdomen burst open, exploding into a mist of blood, falling like a kite with its string cut, wings spiraling down, and finally crashing heavily into the grass fifty meters away.

A crater ten or more meters in diameter appeared, with blood flowing into a pool, quickly turning into a bright red pond.

Instantly, dust and smoke filled the air.

A male servant very appropriately held up an umbrella for Alanee, standing in front of her to shield her from the dust and blood mist.

Grim retracted the Big Bow, inviting Alanee onto the carriage. He obviously thought it would be best to return as soon as possible, but since it was her command to try something new, he had no choice but to comply.

The adventurer was scared silly. What was up with this man? He was more monstrous than the beast!

"Fantastic, Grim! Who is better, you or the Hall-level adventurers?"

Alanee clapped with a smile.

What she hated most were Hall-level adventurers. That guild really knew how to hype things up. They erected statues for those people while they were still alive; she hadn’t even been sculpted yet—it was incomprehensible.

One of the Hall-level adventurers was called the ’Divine Sword.’

The ’Basic Sword Skills Manual’ was compiled by him.

But he himself denied this title, saying that swordsmanship has no end. If his level could be called ’Divine Sword’, then what should a stronger level be called?

Alanee despised these show-off guys. They couldn’t hold a candle to a single hair on her Grim, let alone dream of touching the champion of the first Continent Martial Arts Competition, the Sword King.

"I am just a Martial Artist. As long as I can protect my master, that is enough," Grim said calmly, getting Alanee into the carriage.

"Psh, so boring," Alanee playfully waved her hand at the dirt-covered adventurer, "I have high hopes for you. Someday you’ll become a Hall-level adventurer too. Go for it."

Alanee returned to her seat, with Grim taking the reins as driver. They hurried on the shortcut through the town, and soon disappeared from view.

Leaving the adventurer disheveled in the wind.

Hearing the commotion, his teammates quickly came over. Upon witnessing the falcon’s corpse, they were flabbergasted and hurriedly questioned him for details.

The adventurer told the truth, spilling the entire sequence of events.

"Hair of a colour between light gold and silver?"

"Holy Spirit above! You weren’t rude, were you?"

"Of course not, I was very polite."

"That’s good then..."

The leader of the adventure group sighed with relief, looking at the eight meter-wide giant falcon in the Blood Pool. If it was someone from that family, having such a top-notch expert as a bodyguard wouldn’t be surprising.

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