Hogwarts Card System Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Gnoll Camp Rebuchas

It looked like a makeshift stronghold, a camp made of wood. Built against the mountain, the terrain was high, and climbing up required taking a steep path close to the mountain wall. Two filthy, slovenly gnolls stood guard at the wooden gate…

Good heavens, they have a system!

When did gnolls learn military strategy? This world is too crazy!

Seeing the tall wooden wall made of unpeeled logs, Jerry and Shirley were a bit stunned.

This stronghold looked only slightly smaller and rougher than Dicamond; it was also a very standard gathering point!

“What should we do? Should we wait until night to try and sneak in?” Shirley asked.

The choice of this treacherous location was too good. As long as the two gnoll guards had eyes, no enemy could hope to escape their gaze.

Jerry looked at Shirley and smiled, “Shirley, don’t forget, Ted and I are wizards!”

Shirley rolled her eyes in defiance, “What’s so great about wizards!”

Jerry said, “Ted, it’s up to you. I’m not very proficient with the Disillusionment Charm. If something goes wrong at a critical moment… this isn’t facing Filch, you know.”

Jerry’s night-crawling was a technical art, relying entirely on his slick movements. It wasn’t the same as Harry’s cheating method with the Invisibility Cloak.

Although he had learned the Disillusionment Charm, he didn’t dare gamble on his skill in such a serious situation. It was much safer to let Ted handle it.

Ted nodded, “Okay, I’ll do it later. No rush, let Ansu scout the situation inside first.”

Ansu sighed—I reiterate, without me, this team would fall apart!

Then it flapped its wings and flew high, circling the mountain wall twice, then landed on a secluded wooden wall, cautiously peering into the wooden stronghold.

Ted didn’t just wait there; he took out an egg-sized Poké Ball, threw it to the ground with a soft thump, and a small white mouse appeared on the ground.

Little Mouse stood on its hind legs, front paws on its hips, looking left and right.

“Ah? This little thing is quite unique!” Shirley immediately wanted to get her hands on this fellow rodent.

Little Elf Mouse moved like a startled rabbit, flashing behind Ted’s leg in an instant.

Ted pointed to the distant wooden stronghold, “Go there and see if there’s anything strange…”

Little Elf Mouse scampered towards the stronghold, its figure actually flickering as if teleporting!

Soon, Ted closed one eye and began to connect with Ansu’s and Little Mouse’s perspectives, subtly observing the entire stronghold.

“Ding~ Discovered Gnoll Camp Rebuchas. Mission [Mysterious Gnolls (Green)] completed. Reward: 300 experience points, Card [Gnoll Hog (Green)].”

“Ding~ Triggered Mission:

[Gnoll Camp Rebuchas (Blue)]

You have found the source of the gnolls! It turns out to be a numerous gnoll camp occupying a strategic location! This is too dangerous. For the safety of Dicamond Village, you must destroy it!

Objective: Destroy Gnoll Camp Rebuchas, killing as many gnolls as possible.

Reward: 780 experience points, Random Card * 3.

If gnolls are allowed to gain a foothold, nothing within twenty kilometers will be safe!”

Ted didn’t expect this mission to have a follow-up; it was actually a quest chain!

…

Although the gnoll camp appeared organized and disciplined, they were still gnolls.

The stronghold was a chaotic mess, with gnawed bones and bloody meat scraps everywhere. Bones and rotten meat piled up in corners, a sticky mess!

They even defecated anywhere! Paris streets weren’t this dirty, were they?

Some gnolls were sprawled out sleeping, while a few were making strange hyena-like noises, fighting.

Their fights were real; the crudely made greatswords in their hands truly aimed for each other’s heads. Their protruding short snouts revealed bared fangs, and once they bit down, they wouldn’t let go. One bite would tear off a pound of flesh!

Six or seven other gnolls watched the spectacle, cheering and howling.

At this moment, a much larger gnoll, accompanied by two gnolls stronger than the average ones, walked over. He delivered two kicks, sending the fighting gnolls rolling on the ground.

The two gnolls, who had just been fighting to the death and covered in blood, immediately cowered, shrinking their necks and whimpering as they hid in a corner, daring not to make trouble.

Oh, so there was indeed a leader who could keep them in line, otherwise, they would destroy themselves.

However, in the memories of those deceased gnolls, there was an even more imposing presence than this level 9 gnoll leader.

Within this gnoll stronghold, there was a gnoll shaman!

It was precisely its existence that allowed the gnolls, who had suddenly appeared in this world less than ten days ago, to build this stronghold in a strategically advantageous location.

Gnolls are dim-witted, brutal, and vicious; they are a group that knows nothing about construction.

Without a knowledgeable and intelligent shaman, they would at most find a suitable place, light bonfires, set up tents, and perhaps build a few shaky wooden huts, and that would be it. How could they achieve their current situation!

What concerned Ted was this gnoll shaman because it was a spellcaster.

For wizards, beings without magical abilities are not very threatening, but once they have spellcasting abilities, it’s hard to say.

This gnoll shaman from another world, who knows what it can do?

He had to find it, and if possible, backstab it directly to kill it, that would be the safest.

So, Little Mouse carefully scurried through the clutter, heading towards a cave deep within the mountain wall.

Upon reaching the edge of the mountain wall, it was much cleaner here; those gnolls dared not run wild in this area.

Two tall gnoll raiders, who had been following the leader earlier, stood guard at the cave entrance. Ted briefly appraised them: level 7 and level 8.

Little Mouse cautiously stood up, peeking its head out from behind a log. So sneaky~

These two gnoll raider guards were much more dedicated; their four large eyes darted around, and their noses twitched.

Little Mouse dared not get closer; gnolls also had very keen senses of smell. It couldn’t run into the cave right in front of the two gnolls.

This was where Ansu needed to make an entrance.

Ansu spread its wings, which spanned one and a half meters, and swooped over the heads of the two gnoll raiders with a whoosh, its talons almost scratching off their scalps.

The two gnoll raiders immediately started chattering, waving their greatswords wildly at the sky, chasing far away.

By the time they returned, Little Mouse had already sneaked inside.

Little Mouse’s eyes could see in the dark, and Ted, connected to its perspective, could also see the situation inside the cave, though the low angle was quite unaccustomed.

The cave wasn’t completely dark; although there were certainly no windows, there were many torches. And surprisingly, it was very clean.

There were no bone scraps, animal furs, or other debris found throughout the camp, nor any excrement.

Aside from the slightly stale air, it was surprisingly clean, like a school hallway.

Walking about seven or eight meters further inside, the space began to widen, and at the same time, crude murals, drawn with natural minerals and plant dyes, began to appear on the stone walls—very primitive and simple, but with a raw, visceral feel that went straight to the heart.

Especially scenes of groups of gnolls slaughtering various prey, including many humanoid creatures, in sacrificial rituals.

The main deity in the center was drawn very tall—at least ten times taller than ordinary gnolls!

It had a head and face similar to a gnoll’s, but its body was covered in bone spurs, abnormal limbs, hooked claws, scales… four arms held various strange and bloody weapons!

Little Mouse only took one look and was so scared that it trembled all over, almost unable to move, daring not to look again.

Ted used his psychic abilities to soothe its mind, urging it to continue forward, and then he saw a stone hall, where a relatively short, hunched old gnoll was located…

The old gnoll looked very ancient, wearing a dirty leather robe seemingly stitched together from scraps of hide. The fur around its mouth was even somewhat grizzled.

Its teeth were severely worn, and its fur was messy and unkempt. The exposed black and yellow markings had faded and blurred, and in some places, quite a bit had fallen out.

At this moment, it sat before a small, crude altar, emitting faint, dog-like whimpers and soft cries from its throat, its body swaying slightly, fully concentrated.

About a meter in front of it was a small altar built of simple stone.

It had a base less than a meter high, covered with skulls, herbs, animal skins, dried blood in stone bowls, bloody and grotesque sacrificial knives…

On the altar was an abstract statue, roughly the height of a gnoll, made of black wood and bones as a frame, covered with sinew and hide, with black stones for eyes, and unknown animal teeth embedded in its mouth…

Four-armed and gnoll-headed, this was precisely the deity seen on the cave wall earlier, receiving sacrifices.

(End of this chapter)