novelraw Chapter 379: The Death of Ron
Chapter 379: The Death of Ron
"This place really is a treasure land of fengshui. Chaotic Magic Particles are indeed more active in this location. When I was guarding here last year, I noticed that the soil here was too fertile."
It was currently June 4th, the fourth day after the second Magic Well was built. Liang Yuzhi finally couldn't hold back and ran over to take a look. And in just these short four days, this One-Star Magic Well had automatically siphoned nine units of standard Magical Power.
"Yes, Second Aunt. Now I understand why the Frost Duke wanted to attack Socrates first. Because Socrates's territory sits on the upper reaches of this river and is backed by a massive snow mountain. When Hathaway mentioned earlier that Socrates's Magic Well had stockpiled a hundred units of Magical Power, I was quite curious about where so much magic came from since he hasn't killed a Special Boss. And this is most likely the answer."
Li Wei sighed in realization.
"Hehe, that little girl isn't easy to deal with, right? As the prized student personally molded by Night Owl, how could she be that simple? Of course, you kid aren't simple either, so don't act innocent after taking advantage."
Liang Yuzhi chuckled deeply and meaningfully.
Li Wei nodded, expressing deep agreement. He even suspected now whether Hathaway had spoken a single word of truth before.
How could Socrates have possibly refused to ally with her?
It was clearly her who didn't dare ally with Socrates. She was very certain that once she allied with him, she would probably be swallowed whole without a bone remaining.
By then, her ending would be extremely miserable.By comparison, allying with Li Wei—although suppressed into serving purely as a Vassal Lord—was actually the best possible outcome.
"Now that Riverside Fortress also has a Magic Well, you can try recruiting a Tier Two Spellcaster from the Tavern to manage it. Having a spellcaster or not makes a world of difference. However, their asking price will be expensive, so you must mentally prepare yourself; you won't get one for less than 8,000 gold per month. Regardless, you can decide for yourself."
"As for the territory main base, you don't need to worry about anything. I've almost figured out the magical structure of a Mage Tower. Before the end of this year, I guarantee I will build you a One-Star Mage Tower. Of course, I'd prefer for you to apply to build two Magic Arbitrary Doors so that if anything happens, we can quickly support each other. Oh right, I still have three Duke Medals of Honor. Once Little Yue gets back, let's pool them together. It's better to have Magic Arbitrary Doors than hire those unreliable spellcasters."
Having said that, Liang Yuzhi hurriedly left.
But she quickly returned and tossed a Magic Crest blueprint to Li Wei.
"Little Wei, Second Aunt has let you down. Even though Second Aunt once boasted about being a genius scholar, in the face of cruel reality, I have no choice but to admit that when it comes to mastering profound magic, I'm still slightly short of that bitch Night Owl. I'm currently busy researching the Mage Tower, so I really don't have time to craft this Sequence 3 Magic Crest for you. That little lover of yours is Night Owl's elite pupil; perhaps she can help you craft it. Don't make that face; women just need a bit of coaxing, and they'll eventually soften. That's all, see you later!"
Liang Yuzhi hurried off again, leaving a dumbfounded Li Wei standing in place. No way, Second Aunt, your skill level is only this high?
This was problematic!
He had thought that after a few months had passed, this Tier Two Spellcaster would have already achieved a major breakthrough. Oh my god!
Of course, he had to be understanding. Perhaps his Second Aunt truly didn't have the time, lacked the foundation, or genuinely didn't harbor much talent.
As expected, the spellcaster profession wasn't something ordinary people could master just because they wanted to.
Putting away that Magic Crest blueprint, Li Wei had to temporarily set this matter aside. Fortunately, there was no rush; as long as he got it done before the Cross-Border Mission started, it'd be fine.
Following that, he didn't participate further in building the Great Bridge or Black Mountain Fortress.
It was currently June—the season when all things grow—but he couldn't relax because July and August were the rainy season.
He didn't know if this river had flooded last year, but this year he had to be fully prepared.
For example, building a water-blocking dike for those five hundred acres of farmland.
At the same time, the dikes along the riverbanks needed reinforcement and repair. If a flood peak arrived and the dikes breached, what would they do?
These were all major issues!
On this day, while Li Wei was busy building a dike for the farmland, a few lines of information suddenly surfaced. It was actually a region-wide announcement!
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Pioneer No. 1 Zhao Kewu led an army to pierce through an encirclement, slaying a Barbarian Cross-Border Player in battle! He annihilated five hundred and seventy-two Ability Users, successfully tearing open the encirclement, and continuously pursued to slay the Frost Duke's important general, Marquis Bison. The Frost Duke's power in this region has been broken!]
[He earned 500 Campaign Points and obtained a reward of 30,000 Standard Gold Coins, as well as one Duke Medal of Honor.]
——
Wow!
Zhao Kewu exploded in power. Badass, impressive!
Li Wei praised. He eagerly wished for more region-wide announcements like this!
Because the more announcements there were, the smaller the pressure he would have to face.
Perhaps next, he could swing by Zhao Kewu's side and see if they could unite to destroy and uproot that Great Bridge Fortress in the east!
Hm?
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Pioneer No. 2 Socrates successfully killed a Barbarian Cross-Border Player during a city defense battle and has cumulatively repelled the twelfth assault from the great army led by the Frost Duke.]
[He earned 500 Campaign Points, one Duke Medal of Honor, and a reward of 54,000 Standard Gold Coins.]
——
What?
What day was today? They were spamming the screen simultaneously?
Or did this mean something was about to happen?
It's Ron!
Holy crap, Ron is going to die.
A flash of realization streaked through Li Wei's mind.
The Frost Duke must have gone to harvest him. It was precisely because the Frost Duke wasn't there that Socrates found the opportunity to slay a Neanderthal Cross-Border Player!
Just as Li Wei realized this, another region-wide announcement flashed by, carrying the scent of blood and a cruel chill.
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Pioneer No. 4 Ron placed misplaced trust in the Frost Duke and was misled by black magic. Without any defenses, he welcomed the Frost Duke's army and was summarily slain by the Frost Duke on the spot! His territory has fallen; his Pioneering Card has been obtained by the Frost Duke; all four of his Profession Cards have dropped. His soul has been corroded and seized by the Frost Duke; he can never be resurrected again. The Frost Duke has acquired new magical knowledge and new power. Once he finishes comprehending it, his overall strength will become even more powerful, highly likely breaking through to Six-Star+ or even Seven-Star-.]
[Surviving Pioneers, please prepare for war.]
——
Fuck!
As expected!
Li Wei sighed faintly. Ron was an old friend too, yet he met such an ending.
Unable to resurrect!
The price was incredibly tragic.
But Li Wei truly had no means to participate, much less intervene.
Because Ron's territory was a full two thousand kilometers away from him. He had just covered three thousand kilometers to receive Hathaway, and so far, less than six days had passed. He couldn't possibly intervene at this time.
Sending out Li Yue was already his limit. In fact, Li Wei even suspected whether Li Yue had arrived near Ron's territory yet.
Because this event happened far too quickly and decisively.
This practically meant that over ten days ago—when he successfully received Hathaway and fled into the desert—the Frost Duke had already decided to make a move on Ron.
He was going to become even stronger. Although Socrates just won a minor victory, this advantage wouldn't last. Once the Frost Duke finished comprehending more new magical knowledge and became stronger, that would be the moment Socrates's territory would be breached.
Fortunately, the situation on Li Wei's end had already opened up. Regardless of what happened, the Frost Duke had no way to launch an offensive this year.
Next, he just needed to build the Magic Arbitrary Doors and store up enough Magical Power. Then, even if the Frost Duke personally led a grand army to attack, it wouldn't be a big problem.
Of course, he couldn't afford to be careless before then; he still needed fundamental safety measures.
Thinking of this, Li Wei could no longer be bothered with building the dike for the farmland. He immediately returned to Riverside Fortress and used the Prestige Card system to remotely open the recruitment interface of the Three-Star Tavern.
He hadn't recruited anyone yet this month, nor had he planned to, because he felt the situation was under control.
But that wouldn't do now. The Frost Duke was accelerating his pace, and those Neanderthals might be doing the same. So he needed to recruit a spellcaster to act as the overseer at Riverside Fortress just in case.
After all, he already had a Magic Well; leaving it without a spellcaster to oversee it was far too wasteful.
At this moment, he scrolled straight to the end of the recruitment interface—the spellcaster recruitment zone.
There were still quite a few spellcasters who had once been Lords but went bankrupt due to various reasons. Even some spellcaster Lords whose territories were on the brink of bankruptcy or half-dead would occasionally take on odd jobs.
For example, the red-robed Witch Anna belonged to this type.
Of course, the overall number was small. There were only three left: two Tier Two Spellcaster Witches and one Tier Three Spellcaster Wizard.
And the hiring prices were all extremely high. The prices for the first two Witches were 10,000 Standard Gold Coins per month and 13,500 Standard Gold Coins per month, respectively.
As for that Tier Three Spellcaster Wizard, the price offered was directly 30,000 Standard Gold Coins per month.
Damn, that was a presence on the level of Night Owl. What was an elder statesman like you doing coming out to join the fun?
Li Wei automatically ignored that one and chose the second Spellcaster Witch. Currently, the Magic Well at Riverside Fortress had already siphoned twelve units of Magical Power. Even if a great god were invited over, a clever woman couldn't cook without rice.
Therefore, as long as they could handle small-scale harassment, it would be enough.
Incidentally, Li Wei's Magic Well was established on the northern side of the Great Bridge—less than three kilometers north of Riverside Fortress, and eight hundred meters southwest of Black Mountain Fortress.
Two kilometers to the northeast lay Li Wei's farmland.
In short, it was completely within the coverage zone of the Magic Well. Any random Tier Two Spellcaster could easily guard this place.
Soon, as 13,500 Standard Gold Coins were smashed out, the recruitment was successful.
A little over ten seconds later, a cluster of faint gray mist surfaced outside the fortress. Immediately following, a thirty-something elder sister stepped out—wearing massive thick-rimmed glasses, with messy unkempt hair, wrinkled clothes, and an overall scruffy appearance. This lady definitely had personality.
Li Wei hurriedly stepped out of the fortress, only to see her heading straight for the Magic Well on the northern side of the Great Bridge. Then, she unapologetically started pulling all sorts of things out of her Resource Card. This included, but was not limited to, a massive filthy tent, two rabbits the size of dogs, a cross-eyed donkey that only brayed, three huge white geese, and an enormous iron pot stained with all kinds of unidentified soot.
This style, this aura—the word 'dangerous' might as well have been written on her face.
When Li Wei stepped forward, this scruffy elder sister looked up, rolling two expressionless eyeballs out from behind the thick rims of her glasses.
"Hello, my Lord. Happy to be of service. Pertaining to my mission, what is it?"
"Simple. While guarding this Magic Well, you must look after this fortress, that farmland over there, the Great Bridge construction site, and ensure the construction of that fortress on the south bank is not disturbed. You don't need to concern yourself with anything outside the Magic Well's coverage."
"Oh, it sounds very simple, but you only have twelve units of Magical Power here, which also makes it very difficult. Of course, as a Five-Star Spellcaster Mercenary, if I cannot solve the employer's problems and shrink back at the first sign of difficulty, that would go against my professional ethics."
"How about this: as long as the total number of attacking enemies does not exceed fifty, and there is only one Five-Star target, then I can guarantee all of this. For any enemies below this threshold, regardless of how many times they come, I can resolve them smoothly."
"But once it crosses this line, then apologies—you'll have to add money. For every doubling of the enemy's numbers and strength, you must double my pay."
"However, I am not omnipotent. If the enemy's numbers and strength suddenly triple beyond that baseline—apologies, I would rather be blacklisted by the Tavern Mercenary Association with a warning, and I will absolutely turn tail and run."
"Of course, if you, my Lord, are willing to fight alongside me and have an elite army stationed here, then the conditions can be relaxed by another fold."
"Additionally, if there are no enemies, I can also take charge of the daily operations of the Magic Well. This place is near the great river, and the river water continuously brings Chaotic Magic Particles over. I must say, Lord, you really chose a treasure land of fengshui."
"Mhm, that's roughly the gist of it. Can you understand what I'm saying? If you don't agree, that's fine too. Just leave 10% of my wages as travel expenses, and we part on good terms to forget each other by the lakes and rivers. How about it?"
"Agreed!"
Li Wei nodded, feeling that what the other party said made perfect sense. One Neanderthal Cross-Border Player and fifty Ability Users—that was already quite a large-scale squad. Doubling it twice would mean 150 Ability Users and three Neanderthal Cross-Border Players. To be honest, in the current eastern and central regions, that was highly unlikely.
Besides, he likely wouldn't be going out again anytime soon. His focus would be on daily training, looking after the farmland, and fighting floods. The rainy season was arriving shortly; what if a flood washed away the river dikes?
Just as Hathaway had said, it was time to train their internal strength and develop steadily.
"Very good. Then, respected Lord, would you care to make another transaction? I am a mercenary. According to the rules, we can trade items worth no more than ten thousand gold coins. Although this requires paying a 15% tax, it doesn't matter; we'll share the tax burden between us. Are you interested?"
"Sure, I can take a look." Although Li Wei knew he might get fleeced, given the current situation, the ability to trade externally was inherently an opportunity.
Hearing these words, the scruffy elder sister finally condescended to look Li Wei in the eye fully, even bringing out a hint of a smile. Instantly, she directly slapped out twenty Pet Cards.
"Inside are twenty Two-Star Warhorses. I'm not asking for a high price—ten thousand gold coins. We'll share the tax burden. What do you say?"
(End of this chapter)