The Survival Rules of NPCs

Chapter 45: The Forest You Can't Approach!

"It seems the Duke has noticed you. Recently, quite a few people have been secretly spying on your dilapidated estate. The secret that the house leads to Holy Stone City can probably no longer be kept hidden."

Inside Michelle's villa, a shadow lingered around her. Michelle sipped her iced red wine, gazing at the cold moonlight outside, and shook her head slightly: "It's inevitable that they'll notice. But I own many properties in Milan, and there are quite a few locations connected to me. I also have mining businesses in Saint Stone City, so it's normal to have a passage there."

"That's true, but it's not good to be noticed over there."

"Of course I know, so we need to resolve things there as soon as possible. Once news of the unrest reaches Mirandil, it's inevitable that Holy Stone City will attract attention, and that will be troublesome."

A rare look of helplessness appeared on Michel's face. Over the years, he had made far-reaching plans, coupled with the traveler's extraordinary abilities and the fact that he had a major handle on the Duke. The Duke could hardly do anything about him, but similarly, he could not do anything about the other party either. If the nobles here discovered Holy Stone City, the previous situation would be completely changed, and it would probably be difficult for him to get close to the forest in the future!

"Have someone notify the Blazing Fire Mercenary Group."

"Fire?" Shadow was taken aback. That was one of Frank's three major mercenary groups, but its reputation wasn't particularly good.

"The interests of the forest cannot be resisted by simply following the rules. Mercenary groups follow the rules for their own long-term benefit. Higher credibility means more jobs. As long as the benefits are big enough, breaking the rules is no big deal for a mercenary group. Rather than that, it's better to find the strongest one."

The Blazing Fire Mercenary Group is known for its domineering style and complex backing. There are even rumors that they have connections to the Rhine Empire's royal family. This kind of background, which disrupts Holy Stone City, actually prevents the nobles of Mirandil from monopolizing the city.

Since chaos is inevitable, let it be complete chaos. Only in chaos can businessmen like myself continue to utilize the resources inside. Although I can't have exclusive control, I can still profit from the chaos and avoid being completely isolated.

This is only the worst option; he wouldn't choose this path unless absolutely necessary.

"Are you sure?" the shadow asked cautiously.

"Pay the deposit first, then wait for the final ten days." Michelle narrowed her eyes slightly. In fact, every day of waiting was risky in the current situation, but she was willing to believe that Allen could stabilize the situation. Next, she just had to wait for news.

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Upstream of that massive river outside Holy Stone City lies the territory of the Northern Beth Empire. There is a large pasture there, but few northern herders are willing to graze their cattle and sheep there. This is not because it is a border region; such a lush and fertile place would not deter hardworking herders just because it is a border area. Rather, it is because it is adjacent to a strange forest!

Click!

Without warning, a group of soldiers trying to cross the river were cut in half by a crab. The blood-red ribbon instantly stained the beautiful blue ribbon. The crab, which looked so bloated, was not very big, but its speed left the group of high-level superhuman warriors with no chance to resist!

Boom boom boom!

At that moment, several black-robed wizards by the river began chanting. The immense magic caused the earth to tremble, and the previously clear weather instantly turned into a thick cloud cover. A vortex of energy formed terrifying black lightning in the air.

A devastating thunderclap descended, its scale so immense that it covered almost half of the ranch. Anyone knowledgeable would recognize this as a forbidden technique of national war level, not to be used lightly by nations that are not mortal enemies. Otherwise, the frequent use of such a forbidden technique would be a devastating blow to city buildings and population, easily shaking the foundations of the regime.

Moreover, such a technique is extremely expensive, and no one would use it under normal circumstances. It's just unexpected that a force would use such a forbidden technique in the wild, especially against crabs in a river...

The terrifying energy surged, and the thick lightning bolts resembled towering black pillars, as if it were the end of the world. If a lightning storm of this scale were used on a small town like Holy Stone City, which had no magical protection whatsoever, the entire city would be instantly reduced to ashes. But on this blue ribbon-like river, it only stirred up faint ripples.

The crab dives into the water, and the blue river acts like a protective talisman. It can be seen even in shallow water, but the current seems to keep the crab forever at a distance from lightning. It is so close, yet impossible to get close.

After a full half hour of bombing, dozens of wizards collapsed to the ground, their faces pale. The river remained as beautiful as ever, like an unbreakable mirror, leaving a group of nobles with solemn expressions.

This is enough to evaporate even a sea. Just what level of power does this forest possess?

"Mr. Gelster," the tall duke, draped in a white feathered robe, looked at the equally tall northern swordsman beside him and said in a deep voice, "Have you seen clearly? Are you confident?"

The tall warrior crossed his arms and rested them on a massive sword half his height. After a long silence, he slowly shook his head: "If I go into the water, my fate will be no different from those soldiers."

Gels Rüin, the youngest level 65 swordsman, is one of the four great sword saints of the Kingdom of Beth.

Now... I dare not go into the water to face a crab.

It sounded ridiculous, but no one on the scene dared to laugh at him. Everyone knew how arrogant this young sword saint was. He would never admit defeat so easily unless he was really not confident. The ones who were easily cut to pieces when they went into the water were not ordinary soldiers, but Duke Raven's elite personal guard, which was composed entirely of extraordinary warriors. The captain in charge was a level 40 berserker!

That single team could often destroy a small country, but now... it has died a pathetic death on a crab's claw in a river.

"Still no good?" The Duke took a deep breath. Over the years, he had spent a huge amount of resources trying to find a way across the river, but this blue ribbon-like river was like an uncrossable galaxy, and no matter what he tried, it seemed impossible to shake it.

Even if we used forbidden techniques at the national war level, we wouldn't even have a chance to open a passage in a short time.

As for sending people to cross the border, that would be even more difficult. Over the years, he has lost at least a thousand extraordinary individuals. What does that mean? Such losses are enough to establish a small northern country!

No matter which direction you enter from, there are strange creatures that will sink you to the bottom of the river forever. For example, he once saw a floating creature that could change color and freeze a level 50 Berserker General, swallowing him bite by bite in front of everyone.

For example, the giant tortoise that appeared before was only a few feet in size, but it could suck together hundreds of scattered soldiers and swallow them whole with a single mouthful!

And now, even the Sword Saint dares not easily challenge these crabs. Just how many monsters are hidden in this forest and this river?

Standing behind the Duke, Minister of the Interior Renn sighed again. This loss was enough to cover two years' worth of taxes from the Duke's lands!

If they keep testing me like this, I might as well quit. Let whoever wants to clean up this mess do it.

He just couldn't understand why the Duke was so determined to stick to this godforsaken place.

With so many terrifying monsters inside, what good would it do for the two of them even if they managed to get in? Does getting in guarantee a safe return? Even if there's a tremendous treasure, would anyone who goes in be loyal enough to come back?

I really don't know what this lord is thinking? And he keeps provoking the monsters here. If he angers something and the monsters come out, it will be a huge disaster for the northern kingdoms!

"Holy Stone City may be the only breakthrough," the old wizard said in a low voice.

"Does Lord Bailey intend to provoke a war between our two nations?" Renn immediately said coldly, "The Rhine Empire is not a weak empire. It has a century-old peace treaty with the Beth Empire, a sacred covenant initiated by generations of emperors from both sides to jointly confront those witch doctors in the south!"

The old man ignored Renn's questioning and continued to speak to the Duke: "The World Tree hides the secrets of the ancient elves, a beautiful being that can live for thousands of years simply by virtue of its bloodline. According to the intelligence Peter has sent back over the years, as well as the goods that the merchant Michel accidentally revealed, it can be proven that someone has already touched the treasure in the forest."

"The size of Holy Stone City is now ten times what it used to be. If the Duke had listened to me from the beginning and found an excuse to occupy this place directly, the Rhine Empire would most likely have been willing to negotiate in order to avoid war. We would have had enough space to carve up this city. But now, with such a population and such a size, it has already made Mirandil take notice. If we don't act now, once the secret is exposed, we will no longer have the opportunity to acquire it easily."

"Enough!" Renn shouted sternly, "You seducer from the shadows, how many resources has the Duke lost over the years because of you? Those fallen warriors, the lost wealth, could have allowed the Duke's people to live a more prosperous life. With proper management, the Duke's territory could have doubled in size. All because of you..."

"No matter how much land you own, it's just a number to an individual. Without enough time, no matter how much land you conquer, how much time will you have to appreciate your masterpiece?"

"you......"

"Alright!" The Duke, who had been silent until now, interrupted the two of them. His voice was deep and heavy, carrying a hint of somberness.

"Sending a messenger to contact Peter is too slow; I need more useful intelligence!"

[On the morning of the 297th day of my 61st year in this world, I haven't gone into hibernation because I'm waiting for a reply from my fellow villager. Today, I was lucky enough to catch a large blue-shelled crab, which I call the Blue Bread Crab. It looks similar to the silly bread crab from my previous life on Earth, except that its blue shell and flesh make its meat look a bit like some kind of dark-colored food.]

[But don't underestimate this guy. Several times when I went to the river to catch shrimp, this lurking creature suddenly chopped off my head! This thing is a first-rate assassin. It gets close to you without making a sound and can even turn into stone. But although it's dangerous, it's also incredibly valuable. Its shell and eyes are the best ingredients for making Shadow Potion, and its meat is delicious, especially when eaten as sashimi...]

Just as Bai Cai was about to write down all the functions of the Blue Bread Crab in her diary, a long-lost sound suddenly came from a tree vine.

"Mother Goddess, are you there? Your devout believer, your humble servant, Chris prays to you!"

Bai Cai frowned upon hearing this. To be honest, of all the people who could contact her, this was the one she disliked the least...