Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 210: Fiery Red Hair Fluttering in the Wind

The pleasantries ended here for now. Lin Mo first checked on the situation of the villagers and adventurers. Fortunately, the advantage of terrain was still quite effective in battles where the general strength level was relatively low.

Everyone's stamina was severely depleted, but they hadn't sustained many injuries.

Lin Mo casually cast a few "Greater Healing Arts," using this rather extravagant method to heal their wounds.

[Greater Healing Art] Proficiency +1

"Skill [Greater Healing Art] Lv2 (10/10) has leveled up!"

"Current skill [Greater Healing Art] Lv3 (1/40)"

"Gained attribute points: Mana +1, Spirit +1!"

It leveled up.

He gained another point of Mana and Spirit.

Continuing like this, Lin Mo felt he was almost about to advance to an Elite Level mage!After all, Flora was also an Elite Level mage.

Of course, she probably wasn't one who had just reached Elite Level, but was somewhat higher, maybe around level 13 or 14, or a bit more? But she should still be quite far from the transcendent level 20.

"So, why did you come to this village?"

Lin Mo asked curiously.

"Ah, that's a long story..."

Upon hearing this, Bern immediately became somewhat emotional.

"It's actually not that complicated. Simply put, that bastard lord of Roland Town didn't plan to rescue the surrounding villages, but the branch president of the Roland Town Adventurers' Association wasn't ready to abandon the people of these villages. So he organized us adventurers to see if we could save as many as possible."

Evan, standing nearby, succinctly summarized.

"I see."

Lin Mo nodded. This indeed matched his impression of Roland Town.

That lord of Roland Town, if he remembered correctly, seemed to be the son-in-law of the Lawrence Family, right?

That guy was clearly no good;

ever since Lin Mo transmigrated to Roland Town, he had done plenty of beastly things.

In contrast, the president of the Roland Town Adventurers' Association was a very good person. Back when they went to support Falling Leaves Village, it was this president who initiated the task.

"So, how is the situation in Roland Town now?"

"Not very optimistic either."

Bern shook his head: "Last night, quite a few Goblins had already broken into the town. We barely managed to clear them out. Lania City, in order to defend the main city, recalled almost all the guards from various regions. Roland Town is a bit special because the town's lord is the son-in-law of Lania City's City Lord, Viscount Lawrence. So the main city didn't withdraw the guards and let the town keep its original defensive forces, but..."

But how many guards could a large town really have?

Facing an army of tens of thousands of Goblins, they simply couldn't hold them off.

Additionally, with the disaster at hand, the situation inside the city was also very chaotic. Many people took advantage of the chaos to steal, rob, kill, set fires, and then escape...

The entire Roland Town had fallen into complete chaos.

The branch president of the Adventurers' Association wanted to do something but was truly powerless in such a situation. Frankly, Roland Town was already beyond saving... So he could only organize the people to leave while arranging for adventurers to rescue the surrounding villages as much as possible.

Listening to Bern's description, Lin Mo gained a deeper understanding of how precious the situation in Silverstream City was, where the people were willing to trust the lord, and the lord spared no effort in protecting the people, when facing the Goblin army's invasion.

All this was thanks to the stable order brought by Lady Behira's careful governance over time and the lofty reputation accumulated bit by bit. And the final facts proved that she indeed lived up to the people's reverence and expectations.

Coupled with well-trained, exceptionally combat-effective guards and the assistance of many enthusiastic adventurers, Silverstream City managed to successfully repel the Goblin invasion without paying a heavy price.

But in Lania City and Roland Town, the situation was much worse.

The entire bureaucratic system of Lania City had rotted from top to bottom. Usually, they only thought about squeezing the people dry. During such critical times, they naturally wouldn't consider the commoners. Those nobles were probably all thinking about how to ensure their own safety and how to transfer their wealth...

"By the way, I should return this to you."

Bern suddenly carefully took out a scroll from his chest: "We agreed back then that I would return it to you as soon as I learned it."

Lin Mo glanced at the scroll and remembered that experience.

It was from his first time entering the Secret Realm, which was also full of dangers. Miriam almost lost her life because of it, and this [Fortitude] scroll was also obtained from a treasure chest during that time.

"Forget it."

Lin Mo shook his head: "Keep it as a memento. In exchange, Uncle Bern, your [Shield Bash] scroll will continue to stay with me."

Although [Fortitude] was a green excellent-grade skill and [Shield Bash] was a white common-grade skill, for the current Lin Mo, while excellent-grade skill scrolls still had value, they weren't that important anymore.

"Besides, if you keep it, it might be beneficial for the future development of this skill, right?"

Bern remained silent for a few seconds but didn't refuse: "Alright... Thank you!"

"Uncle Bern, you're being too polite."

Lin Mo smiled and shook his head: "Although we're not teammates anymore, we're still friends. You helped me so much before, teaching me many things and principles. This little thing is nothing."

A smile also appeared on Bern's face, and his eyes seemed to glisten slightly.

"By the way, Brother Lin Mo, how have you been lately? What things have you encountered?"

Evan, standing nearby, asked curiously.

He looked at Lin Mo's current appearance, his eyes full of admiration and curiosity.

Even though they hadn't been separated for very long, Lin Mo had already become such a powerful adventurer and even mastered magical power!

He really wanted to know what had happened to Lin Mo. It must be a story full of legendary colors, like the winding chapters in a bard's tales.

"Me..."

Lin Mo lowered his eyelids, recalling his experiences during this period: "How to put it... I've been quite lucky, I guess..."

He briefly described his experiences, of course, just a simple overview, omitting many unnecessary details.

Meanwhile, Landon and Finnie also came to his side, listening to his story with great interest. When he occasionally mentioned them, they would step forward, pat their chests, and indicate they were the people involved.

...

Lin Mo's story wasn't very long, as now wasn't the time for idle chatter, so he only selected the key points to tell.

But for some things that needed emphasis, he didn't omit a single word—for example, the fact that this Goblin disaster, including the previously missing girls, was all related to the Lawrences.

"I thought we already understood the Lawrence's crimes enough, but it seems we still vastly underestimated them... These beasts!"

Even Bern, who usually had a good temper, was so angry he gritted his teeth.

"So now, Lady Behira, the City Lord of Silverstream City, has dispatched troops to Lania City, planning to help the people of Lania City get through this difficult time together, and incidentally arrest the masterminds behind everything—the Lawrence Family—to put them on trial!"

"Good!"

Evan immediately waved his fist in exhilaration: "I've long been disgusted by those damn nobles... Of course, I mean bastard nobles like the Lawrences."

"Uncle Bern, what about you? What are your plans next?"

Lin Mo's gaze swept over the few people in front of him and looked toward the more adventurers behind.

Clearly, this question was also directed at them.

"Later..."

Yes, what about later?

Bern felt somewhat lost for a moment. They came here to protect the villagers of this village. And now, although the losses were quite severe, the crisis for this village was temporarily resolved.

So next, should they stay in the village and wait for this disaster to pass, or...

"Would you like to join us, kill all the damn Goblins? Then drag those high-and-mighty, self-righteous lords down from their pedestals and make them pay for their actions!"

Lin Mo's words immediately made Evan, being a young man, light up with excitement, feeling his blood boiling.

"Uncle Bern..."

Clearly, he was very interested in this, but the final decision still had to be made by Bern.

Bern looked at Lin Mo in front of him and suddenly smiled: "Since it's your invitation, how could I refuse?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the adventurers behind him: "Everyone, since you came here to help these villagers resist the Goblin invasion, I believe you are all adventurers with ideals and principles, rare and brave warriors!"

"What kind of person the lord of Roland Town is, I think everyone knows very well. And the crimes they committed, you all heard just now. Before, we didn't have the power to resist all this, we could only swallow our anger and endure. But now, the opportunity has come... The people of Lania City, including us, have suffered too much oppression and bullying from the Lawrences. I think it's time to use our own hands to change all this!"

He spoke these heartfelt words. The worldly sophistication and slickness that had accumulated over the years, belonging to adults, seemed to be cast away by him all at once in this moment.

He seemed to have returned to that age where, just holding a sword in his hand, he fantasized about punishing evil, righting wrongs, and fighting injustice, rediscovering the passion of his youth.

Silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, one adventurer spoke up first: "Kill!"

Then, one after another, shouts and curses erupted.

"Damn it, I've long been fed up with that bullshit Lawrence!"

"Yeah, before I became an adventurer, I was bullied plenty by those noble's lackeys..."

"Even after becoming an adventurer, haven't we often been treated unfairly too?"

"Yeah, so it's time for revenge!"

"Let's go, let's beat the crap out of them together!"

"They must pay the price for their years of reckless behavior!"

For a moment, the crowd was agitated, even the villagers started shouting.

Many of them had lost family members in this Goblin disaster...

And as the lord of this territory, Lawrence, not only did they not take any measures, but the disaster itself was caused by them.

How could this not make people furious?

"I want to go too!"

A young man from the village, holding a hoe, said righteously and filled with indignation: "My sister went missing inexplicably back then. So she wasn't captured by Goblins, but was kidnapped by those bastard nobles and sent to the Goblins!"

His nails dug into his flesh, his face full of resentment.

"I want those nobles to pay with their lives!"

"And my older sister..."

"My An'er too!"

"Now the village has been destroyed by the Goblins anyway, let's charge! Let's fight it out with those damn Goblins and nobles!"

This situation was beyond Lin Mo's expectations.

But compared to the adventurers, these villagers were, after all, just ordinary people. Even if they went, they wouldn't be of much use and might instead suffer significant casualties.

So he pressed his palms down, signaling everyone to calm down first.

"I can understand everyone's feelings, but now the number of Goblins has proliferated to a certain extent. The front lines are too dangerous, so leave it to us to handle."

This was a world with transcendent power;

sometimes, having more people wasn't necessarily useful.

After calming the villagers, Lin Mo led the remaining adventurers to continue heading toward Roland Town.

Since they were traveling at night, everyone's speed was somewhat affected. Lin Mo was really too impatient and worried about the situation there, so he left the main group and went ahead alone.

His current Agility attribute was a full 120 points. If he really ran, he would be many times faster than a carriage.

Before long, the outline of Roland Town appeared before his eyes.

With the [Eagle Eye] skill, although he couldn't see as clearly as those true night-vision magical creatures, it was at least completely sufficient for Lin Mo to judge the general situation.

Outside Roland Town, guards and Goblins were still engaged in fierce battle.

But it was very obvious that the guards were at a significant disadvantage...

Rather than calling it a battle, it was more like a desperate struggle for survival.

Roland Town's simple protective walls couldn't stop these numerous Goblins at all. Many Goblins had long since broken into the town, freely burning, killing, and looting.

Lin Mo quickly rushed to the front lines. First, he healed a few severely wounded guards, then waved his hand, a chilling cold gathering in his palm.

[Blizzard]!

The sudden hail falling from the sky caught those Goblins off guard, instantly crushing a large number of them.

The Goblins fortunate enough not to be within the Blizzard's range immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate after narrowly escaping death.

Then the next moment, their bodies seemed to lose control as they looked at the man who created this blizzard. Their legs moved uncontrollably forward, walking straight into the Blizzard's range, only to be swallowed by the hail.

[Taunt]

This skill was unexpectedly very useful.

It indirectly increased the effective range of Lin Mo's magical skills.

[Blizzard] Proficiency +23

[Taunt] Proficiency +29

Because Taunt was a green excellent-grade skill and Blizzard was a blue exceptional-grade skill, even though only a portion of the Goblins affected by Taunt walked into the Blizzard, the proficiency gained was actually higher than that for Blizzard.

"Skill [Taunt] Lv3 (40/40) has leveled up!"

"Current skill [Taunt] Lv4 (23/100)"

Level 4.

The guards behind looked at the suddenly appearing young man with both shock and joy.

"Respected Mage, thank you for your assistance!"

Old Light said excitedly, expressing his thanks. He had been cut many times by Goblins earlier and was on the verge of death. Then a holy light suddenly showered down, and almost all his wounds healed instantly.

"You're welcome."

Lin Mo said while throwing out another [Flame Chain Star].

"Uncle, are you all that's left of Roland Town's guards?"

Lin Mo was somewhat puzzled. After all, back when the Goblin disaster was erupting everywhere, the lord of Roland Town was never willing to send his guards out to help the surrounding villages, so Roland Town's forces should have been well preserved.

Even after intense fighting, it shouldn't have been reduced to just these one or two hundred people.

"They've all left..."

Old Light's tone was somewhat dejected: "After suffering heavy losses on the first night, the lord... Baron Rahl and his fiancée Yunis Lawrence left here early. They took many young guards with them, leaving only us old folks, less than five hundred in total. More than half have already died at the hands of the Goblins."

They ran away?

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment: "Where did they run to?"

Lania City?

But right now, the situation in Lania City might not be much better than here.

"I don't know."

Old Light shook his head: "We only found out about their departure this morning."

Forget it, that's not the focus right now.

Lin Mo shook his head and looked at the Goblin army before him.

Compared to the surrounding villages, the Goblin army attacking Roland Town was on a completely different scale.

The Goblins in those two villages earlier numbered at most around a thousand, but the Goblin army here probably had twenty to thirty thousand!

Moreover, there were quite a few powerful Goblins among them. Although Lin Mo wasn't afraid of them, with his strength alone, he couldn't possibly hold off so many Goblins...

Besides these guards, some adventurers could also be seen fighting desperately near the city gate, but the role they could play was minimal.

"How is the situation inside the town?"

Lin Mo asked while continuing to cast magic into the distance.

The surrounding guards, including those he had just healed, were still fighting the Goblins.

"The president of the Roland Town Adventurers' Association has been trying his best to organize the people to evacuate to neighboring cities. He should still be doing that now. This town... is finished..."

Old Light beheaded a Goblin with his sword, his face filled with sorrow. He knew perfectly well that this small town, his home, could no longer be held.

Lin Mo nodded.

That president's choice wasn't wrong, and his reaction was quite swift. After the lord fled with a large number of guards, Roland Town had no possibility of holding out.

In that case, it was better to take as many people away as possible.

During the day, the Goblin attacks usually weren't very fierce and might even stop briefly.

Thanks to this, some people should have been able to evacuate successfully, so the casualties in Roland Town would be fewer than expected.

But only somewhat fewer...

And even if they were lucky enough to evacuate, it only meant temporarily saving their lives.

What they could take with them were their already meager possessions. What they lost were large tracts of fertile land they relied on for survival and the houses acquired through a lifetime of savings...

Ordinary people in this world already lived very difficult lives. Having lost these things, even if they escaped the Goblins, how were they supposed to survive?

That's why many people, even knowing the Goblins were coming, were unwilling to leave.

Firstly, without the protection of adventurers and guards, they simply didn't have the ability to cross the vast wilderness to reach other cities.

Even if they were lucky enough not to encounter magical creatures and reached their destination, having lost everything, it would be very difficult for them to survive in a new place.

Not to mention that neighboring cities might not be willing to accept these refugees.

After all, from the current situation, at least among the cities of the Doria Kingdom, there wasn't much connection between cities. They were more like independent territories affiliated to the kingdom, which is why city lords were often called "lords."

For those young and strong individuals, the lords of other cities might welcome them, welcoming these who could become the bricks and tiles for the city's development. But what about the middle-aged and elderly?

These people, seen as having no value in the eyes of the lords, being turned away wasn't strange at all. No one cared whether they lived or died.

But still, as the saying goes, even so, this was the only option available...

The lord had already run away with his people. Relying solely on the remaining few guards and those adventurers, it was simply impossible to hold Roland Town.

Even with Lin Mo and Landon and the others added, it was the same.

"Damn nobles..."

Lin Mo frowned tightly. He killed many Goblins, but he could only manage the area right in front of him. In other directions, the Goblin army was continuously pouring into the town, burning, killing, looting, and destroying this small town.

This gave Lin Mo a deep sense of powerlessness.

Forget about him;

even with the addition of the guards from Silverstream City, could they really change the situation in Lania City?

Just then, a hippogriff flew across the sky.

The next moment, surging flames fell from the sky like a dazzling rain of fire, submerging a large area of Goblins.

For a moment, it was as if a huge sea of fire had appeared within the area.

So powerful!

Lin Mo was instantly shocked. This skill should be similar to his Blizzard, both being exceptional-grade skills. But the effect displayed, whether in terms of power or range, was far stronger than his.

Conservatively estimated, the other party's Mana was at least twice his!

Who was it?

Lin Mo looked toward the hippogriff in the sky. It slowly descended, just landing in their direction.

As the distance closed, he saw a familiar purple mage robe and that purple mage hat.

A slender arm pressed down on the hat, fiery red long hair dancing in the wind...

It's her?!

Lin Mo's spirits were instantly lifted.