Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1534 - 528: Mutant Spider Swarm

Strong figures who converse respectfully and on even footing usually win over people's affection in no time.

Following a brief exchange, numerous members of the Brighton caravan eased their suspicions toward Rein, bursting into chuckles and casual banter. A Brighton lass called Ayana stood out, her wide, sparkling eyes brimming with fascination for Rein.

"Those wizards in black robes, with bones or skulls embroidered on their chests, are the most despicable, secretly stealing the bodies of warriors from our tribe’s tombs," Ayana declared with clear outrage.

"Oh? Bones or skulls on the chest?"

"Are they from the Tutkash School? I heard they are more active on the west side of the Shirendil Plateau," Rein remarked, a touch of bewilderment in his tone.

"Yes, they used to be, but now there are quite a few black-robed wizards wandering near our tribe," Ayana affirmed, her voice ringing crisp and true.

"Sir, did you just say they are from the Tutkash School?"

The young woman's query accidentally drifted to a nearby elder and youth, making their frames tense just a bit. Rein caught the shift right away and offered a faint smile.

Clearly, as key members of the tribe, they recognized their foes well enough but had kept the details from the girl.

"Yes." Rein grinned and gave a nod.

"I see, by the way, I’ve heard that the number of missing people from several Brighton tribes near the west is getting more serious. It seems to be related to this Tutkash School too."

"Sister!" The Brighton youth who'd first spoken with Rein hurriedly cautioned her, gesturing for his sibling to hold her tongue.

After all, to him, Rein remained an outsider.

Even without the Tutkash School's wizard robe on him, that didn't rule out some hidden link. Her bold words could spell danger.

"Don’t worry, I’m not familiar with them, nor am I a friend."

"By the way, haven’t you reported this situation to the Empire?"

"Also, I heard that in the Shirendil Plateau, the Isodre School has considerable influence here. Don’t they intervene in this matter?" Rein grinned, gently guiding the discussion toward the Isodre School.

For the Empire's higher-ups granted major wizard schools special privileges in an area, yet they also demanded those groups handle regional safety and steady progress.

"It used to be okay, those Yellow Robed Wizards who manipulate rocks and earth would step in, and sometimes even battle with the Black Robed Wizards, but in recent years, this seems to happen less and less, sometimes not at all."

This round, the Brighton youth answered in place of his sister.

Still, he appeared cautious about both factions, calling the Isodre School wizards Yellow Robed and the Tutkash ones Black Robed.

"As for the Empire, except for Nirheim, there is basically no one else," the youth added with a hint of scorn.

Though his statement came out sharp, Rein recognized the raw honesty in it.

The Imperial Swordsmen hadn't even set up a full outpost across the Shirendil Plateau, merely posting a liaison spot in Nirheim with only a few staff.

"By the way, are your minerals to be delivered to a designated chamber of commerce?" Rein thought back to the elder's worried look and had to inquire.

"Yes, sir, these minerals are to be delivered to the Giant Stone Chamber of Commerce, which is under the Isodre School you just mentioned."

"Do you know what they need these metal ores for?"

"Not quite sure, but last time I overheard a Yellow Robed Wizard muttering something about metal puppets," the Brighton youth recalled and shared.

Right as Rein prepared to probe further, a piercing bone whistle pierced the air:

"Left front, exotic spider swarm! In large numbers!"

"Oh no!" At the warning call, the Brighton youth Antaruka sprang up like a swift cat, dashing ahead without delay.

At the same moment, Rein narrowed his gaze a fraction, observing how the Brighton folk hurriedly formed defensive lines.

He spotted a horde of fist-sized spiders marked with black patterns charging at the caravan's position, their vast numbers rolling in like a massive sheet of shadowy cloth spanning dozens of square meters, gliding rapidly over the earth.

"Exotic spider swarm?" Rein whispered, puzzled.

"Yes, sir. In recent years, these black spiders have become more numerous, but when I was a child, I rarely saw them. The elders in the tribe said these are foreign creatures," the Brighton girl Ayana clarified.

"Oh? Are they hard to deal with?"

"If the numbers are small, they’re actually not difficult to deal with. An experienced tribesman can handle four or five of them; the key is, every time these exotic spider swarms appear, they’re in groups of at least a dozen."

"So once the old, weak, women, and children of the tribe go out and encounter them, they are sure to be harmed, and even the strong youth need to handle them cautiously," Ayana explained, her features etched with worry as she eyed the incoming exotic spider swarm.

By now, Rein watched the so-called exotic spider swarm clash directly with the Brighton Warriors.

Axes swung in deadly curves, spraying foul black blood and shattered chitin shells everywhere, as the lead wave of black-marked spiders fell to the Brighton Warriors' blades—yet reinforcements from behind kept pouring in relentlessly.

At the same time, these arachnids began firing webs that glowed with a dim black sheen, or ejecting streams of sickly green venom.