"Sir, it seems that Vorod has been defeated." The young man bent down, picking up several strips of leather armor fragments near a cliff side indented with the shape of a human body, and said.
The Federation colonel examined the leather armor fragments in the young man's hands, then looked down at the large pool of blood on the ground and nodded.
"Indeed, and what's more, he likely did not escape."
"Judging from the footprints on the ground and the traces of the battle, it seems there were three master-level practitioners specializing in swords, war hammers, and Finger Tigers attacking Vorod. Those footprints over there likely belong to a Wizard Apprentice from the Dragan Empire's pursuit detachment, aiding from the sidelines."
The young man pondered for a bit, seemingly putting himself in the shoes of the other, and said:
"That's true, in such a situation, even with Vorod's strength, defeat would be inevitable. The naval force of the Dragan Empire made a bold move, dispatching such a formidable team to deal with Vorod."
"However... if that's the case, Sir, the location of the ancient ruins that Vorod possessed..."
The middle-aged man's expression grew solemn, and after contemplating for a while, he said:
"Although the Federation doesn't want to face the Empire head-on at the moment, the ruins that Vorod controlled are of great significance to us. At the very least, the ancient ruins must not fall into the hands of the Empire."
"Jonistone, contact the higher-ups and request coordination with 'Leviathan Team' and have them pursue the Empire's naval pursuit team."
"If I'm not mistaken, such a powerful team likely comes from the Dragan Empire's special division, 'The Wave Walkers'."
"Additionally, charge the nearby forces to start investigating. "
"This area should fall under Meister County of the Dragan Empire, right? Reach out to the Zaral resistance forces, those guys, and have them look into this matter."
Command after command was orderly issued from the Federation colonel's mouth.
Especially Jonistone the young man, whose eyes lit up upon hearing the mention of 'Leviathan Team'.
"This is Meister County. The Zaral resistance has mentioned to me before that they've established a new stronghold here."
"I will get in touch with them immediately and have them cooperate with the operations."
The Federation colonel nodded and said, "Hmm, if Vorod is detained nearby, then have the Zaral resistance extract relevant information from him and then deal with him promptly."
"If he's dead, then track down the interrogation records and Vorod's belongings."
"Once... if Vorod has been taken by the Empire's naval special division, then leave the follow-ups to the Leviathan Team!"
"A very thorough plan, Sir!" the young man said with a smile, adding his assent.
After boarding the small boat, the huge white owl, Dawhite, as if eager for praise, handed to Rein the pig head hammer and the Glimmering Greatsword from each of its claws.
Watching Dawhite smugly suck up, Vinica couldn't help but grin!
Even animals with enhanced intelligence still venerated the strong.
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The Skull Warhammer that Dawhite was holding in its mouth was now in Vinica's hands first, who curiously examined it.
She excitedly flipped the Skull Warhammer up and down, closely observed it, and then turned her head towards Rein to say:
"Wow! This is Vorod's signature weapon—the Skull Warhammer!"
"Lord Rein, you might not know, I've heard that this Warhammer has a special origin."
"Oh? Then please do tell, Miss Vinica." Hearing Vinica say this, Rein raised an eyebrow with interest and smiled as he looked at the pretty face of the twin-tailed young lady.
He too had just glanced at the Skull Warhammer in the girl's hand.
The Warhammer was made of two parts, the handle was light silver with a metallic sheen, likely a rare metal.
The hammer head was white, with elliptical protrusions and indentations, and upon closer inspection, it was actually a miniaturized human skull, hardened.
Presumably... this was why the Warhammer was named the 'Skull Warhammer'.
A Warhammer made from a skull, to shatter the skulls of enemies?
Interesting, indeed, though it did convey a rather barbaric impression....
What Vinica said next confirmed Rein's guesses.
"Lord Rein, you flatter me." Vinica laughed and began to explain.
"This 'Skull Warhammer' is said to have been a ritual tool from a native tribe on an island."
"As you know, a skull is generally one of the hardest parts of an animal, and after being compressed by the witchcraft of the tribe's shamans, its hardness reached a terrifying degree, surpassing ordinary steel."
"You could say, it's not inferior to most rare metals."
"Moreover, such a witchcraft artifact has undergone years of tribal ritual ceremonies, in a certain sense, it has become an oddity intertwined with the power of belief."
"I see!" Rein nodded, not expecting the Skull Warhammer to be a ritual tool with quite a history.
That said, the Skull Warhammer was indeed no ordinary object.
When collecting the pig head hammer earlier, Rein had noticed that its head, made with Hardened Essence Gold, had suffered some wear after a fierce battle.
But the Skull Warhammer seemed utterly undamaged.
After examining the artifact with interest for a while, Vinica handed the bone Warhammer to Rein and said with a sly smile, "Lord Rein, you may well treasure this trophy of war; it will serve as proof of your valour."