Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 218: Lawrence... Reduced to a Goblin

Caroline followed behind Cress, scrutinizing his back from head to toe.

Their cooperation had already collapsed, and it was the other party who had actively betrayed her side, disrupting all her plans. Now he was coming to tell her news from the royal capital—what exactly was his purpose?

Caroline was no naive little girl who would believe he was acting purely out of goodwill.

She recalled earlier, when he had grabbed her daughter Yunis's wrist...

Such direct behavior had never occurred during their previous cooperation.

Could it be that all this trouble, reducing the Lawrence family to this state, was just to obtain her and her daughter?

Caroline frowned deeply. From a strategic perspective, given their current situation, if the other party really made such a request, she couldn't refuse, nor would she refuse.

After all, it wouldn't be much different from the past—just a change of person.

But as a necromancer, could his motives really be that simple?

Caroline didn't know the answer, but she had no way out... As she and her daughter disappeared, commotion seemed to be starting at the city gates...Even small units were breaking away from the front lines, clearly searching for something.

All of this proved that Cress's words were true. If she stayed in Lania City, she would face severe judgment.

Caroline knew all too well what she had done. Once brought to trial, her only outcome would be death.

They left from the flank of the battlefield, with goblins along the way making a path for them, then quickly covering it up to prevent discovery by pursuing forces.

Clearly, Cress's cooperation with the goblins was still ongoing.

Caroline silently clenched her fist, naturally feeling extremely displeased inside, but she didn't show it.

Soon, Cress led the mother and daughter far away from Lania City to a remote wasteland.

"The people, I've brought them back for you."

Cress suddenly stopped and spoke to the air.

Just as Caroline and Yunis were puzzled, a goblin about one and a half meters tall, with silver-white skin mixed with some gold, emerged from behind the earthen slope ahead.

"It's you?!"

Caroline's pupils instantly contracted. As a former "cooperative" party, she certainly knew about this quasi-Gold-level goblin who had always remained behind the scenes.

She glanced at Cress beside her. Clearly, these two parties had conspired to bring her and her daughter here.

"Long time no see, respected Lady Caroline."

The quasi-Gold-level goblin already possessed extremely high intelligence and language skills, having almost completely mastered human speech.

It bowed slightly with courtesy and greeted Caroline: "Without your help, our tribe wouldn't have been able to develop to this extent today... I might not even have been born. In a way, you could be considered the 'mother' of many of our goblins."

"What do you want?"

Caroline wouldn't let her guard down because of a few words of flattery, especially given her current precarious situation.

"Please don't worry, Lady Caroline. As I said, you are our 'mother,' so we won't harm you. We just need you to help us with one more small favor."

"What favor?"

Caroline looked at that ugly face, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"Very simple. We hope you and your daughter can become the true mothers of more children."

Having said this, the goblin before them finally dropped all pretense, its smile becoming twisted: "How about it? It's just a simple matter, right?"

"You..."

Caroline's expression changed dramatically. This filthy goblin actually wanted to lay hands on her and her daughter?!

"Cress, no... Mr. Cress, this is a joke, right?"

She forced herself to maintain a smiling expression, casting a pleading look toward Cress beside her.

"I'm sorry, madam."

Cress spread his hands, his face full of amusement: "Just as I said earlier, I'm currently following a transaction with someone else."

"Please come with me, Lady Caroline... I will provide you and your daughter with the best breeding environment and the finest, strongest males from our tribe."

As it spoke, two Silver-level goblins emerged ahead, approaching the mother and daughter.

"Wait!"

Caroline panicked completely. Was this some kind of joke? To make her become a plaything for goblins, a breeding tool for goblins?

However, the two Silver goblins showed no intention of listening to her. They directly stepped forward to take them away.

Caroline tried to resist, but she wasn't a combat profession—she was an alchemist. How could she resist two Silver-level goblins?

Soon, she was restrained with her hands behind her back and brought before the quasi-Gold-level goblin.

Of course, this included her daughter, Yunis Lawrence, who had long been terrified out of her wits.

"Let me go!"

Caroline continued to struggle, her body twisting constantly, until the Silver goblin behind her kicked her in the back of the knee, forcing her to kneel.

The other Silver goblin nearby followed suit, also kicking Yunis, its face full of gleeful smiles.

At their level, what they cared about was no longer just reproduction itself, but began to pursue the physique, appearance, and even status of their breeding partners...

How could an ordinary human compare to a stunningly beautiful, hot-bodied human ruler who had once held such high status?

Moreover, using such high-quality humans who controlled mana as "breeding beds" would increase the probability of producing powerful offspring by several times, even dozens of times!

"No, don't... Cress, save me! As long as you save me, I'll do anything!"

"I'm sorry, madam..."

Cress's expression was very calm: "I have no interest in two worn-out pairs of shoes that have been played with."

"You... you can't do this... Let me go, I'm Caroline Lawrence! I'm the ruler of Lania City!"

Caroline kept struggling, but was immediately kicked down by the impatient goblin, its muddy foot stomping hard on her face.

Cress glanced at her coldly: "Well then, the transaction has been completed. I wonder if the esteemed guest from the royal capital is satisfied?"

As he spoke, he looked behind him.

A middle-aged man in luxurious clothing was slowly approaching.

"Well done."

The man nodded: "I think Duke will be very satisfied."

"Duke... Duke Side!"

Caroline became agitated again: "Quick, quick, save me! I'm the Duke's person, the Duke likes me, quick... mmm..."

Her mouth was stuffed with a stinking rag that the Silver goblin randomly pulled out, preventing her from speaking further, leaving only muffled sounds.

The newcomer looked down at her coldly: "From the moment your foolish actions affected the Duke's plans, you were already a discarded piece."

He sneered, delivering the final blow to this Viscountess Lawrence: "And you know too much. The Duke doesn't want you saying things that could disadvantage him... But he's still kind-hearted, unwilling to kill you, and even plans to help you escape the Kingdom's judgment... I wonder if you're satisfied with the ending the Duke personally chose for you?"

"Mmm... mmm!"

Caroline's eyes widened, emotionally agitated, but unable to utter a single word.

As for Yunis beside her, she had long turned pale, trembling all over, with the smell of urine coming from beneath her.

"Don't worry, Lady Caroline. The Duke said this also counts as making a contribution for him. You'll have to work hard from now on, the Duke will remember you..."

"Well then, I have other work to attend to. Please make yourselves at home, you two."

With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave.

Cress adjusted the hood of his black robe, looking at the quasi-Gold-level goblin: "I won't disturb your 'enjoyment' either. I hope we can have opportunities for cooperation in the future."

After speaking, he also quickly left.

Only the despairing Viscountess Caroline and the increasingly unrestrained and satisfied goblins remained on the scene.

"Well then, it's time for us to withdraw too..."

The quasi-Gold-level goblin said: "Continuing to attack Lania City has no meaning now. We should hurry and leave Roland Forest to find a larger, more suitable area to continue strengthening our tribe."

With these two high-quality women, they could create true Gold-level goblins in a very short time, and the tribe would continue to grow, becoming a truly large or even super-large goblin tribe!

And to achieve all this...

"I hope you'll work hard from now on, Lady Caroline."

Viscountess Caroline and her daughter had escaped.

This was discovered only after noticing the goblin army beginning to withdraw and the frontal pressure decreasing significantly.

Flora, who had been determined to bring them to trial and make them receive their deserved punishment, immediately became anxious and hurriedly began searching.

However, they ultimately discovered it somewhat late. Even with sent soldiers to help search, they still couldn't find any clues, though they did capture a hiding Baron Rahl, the former ruler of Roland Town.

"Sigh..."

After several unsuccessful searches, Flora sighed with some frustration.

"They actually managed to escape!"

Lin Mo was also angry but equally helpless.

Compared to judging the Lawrence family, they definitely had to prioritize the battlefield and repelling the goblin army.

"We'll conduct a gradual search later. At least they can no longer throw their weight around in Lania City."

"That's all we can do."

Flora nodded. Currently, the goblin army had mostly withdrawn, but there was still much follow-up work to handle in Lania City.

Lania City was temporarily without a ruler, and all these matters needed to be handled by her and Shaya, the two individuals appointed by the royal capital to oversee this operation.

By the way, Shaya had also arrived at the battlefield before the fighting ended.

However, the troops she brought hadn't arrived yet;

she had come ahead on a hippogriff like Flora.

After the battle ended, Lin Mo also met this seemingly cold and imposing assassin lady.

In terms of temperament, she somewhat resembled Sherfilia, or perhaps most assassin professionals had this kind of "aloof" feeling.

"Hello, Miss Shaya."

Lin Mo learned her name from Flora.

Shaya turned her gaze to him, looking him up and down.

"So you're Flora's little boyfriend?"

"..."

Okay, she wasn't like Sherfilia at all.

The corner of Lin Mo's mouth twitched. She had an expert aura when not speaking, but the moment she opened her mouth, the image shattered.

Regardless of what she said, her voice alone carried a strong "simple-minded" vibe.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Before Lin Mo could explain, Flora unceremoniously pinched her good friend's cheek: "We're not in that kind of relationship."

Although Lin Mo was indeed excellent and handsome, he was Finnie's boyfriend. How could she compete with the girl she saw as a younger sister for a man?

"Oh..."

Shaya didn't pursue the matter or refute, allowing Flora to pinch her cheek as she greeted Lin Mo again.

"Hello, I'm Shaya, Flora's friend."

As she spoke, she revealed a silly smile.

Paired with her cheek being stretched by Flora, a wave of foolishness washed over her—both silly and cute.

Might as well call her "Silly Ya" instead...

Lin Mo secretly complained.

"After things are settled, regarding the follow-up matters in Lania City..."

Just as Lin Mo was about to discuss serious matters, he saw Shaya's previously silly expression suddenly turn serious: "Someone!"

Before her words faded, she suddenly pulled a dagger from her sleeve and swung it to the side.

"Ding—!"

A clear sound rang out as the newcomer revealed themselves, dressed in black robes—standard assassin attire—with a dagger aimed at Lin Mo, blocked by Shaya.

Lin Mo's pupils contracted, feeling some lingering fear.

Without doubt, the other party was absolutely an expert. Such close-range stealth, and he hadn't even detected it.

This was partly due to the war ending and Flora being beside him, causing Lin Mo to relax his guard slightly, but regardless, based on this stealth level and the speed of the earlier attack, the other party was at least an Elite-level assassin!

The assassin whose attack was blocked looked shocked, hurriedly glanced at Shaya, then hastily retreated.

The intelligence he had received hadn't mentioned that the other side had such a powerful assassin.

"Chase!"

Without needing Flora's reminder, Shaya had already given chase. From the brief exchange, she had roughly judged the other's strength—should be an Elite-level assassin below level 15, most likely level 14. Although undoubtedly skilled, compared to her...

"Ding—!"

Another clear weapon clash sounded. The assassin felt his numb arm, his face showing shock.

So strong!

Where did this expert come from?

Whether in speed or strength, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Escaping unscathed was probably impossible.

In that case, no matter what, he had to complete the mission assigned by the Duke!

His gaze returned to Lin Mo.

That's right, his target was precisely this young man.

Duke Side had suffered such a great loss—how could he be willing to let it go?

He didn't dare touch people from the Oxivis family, nor did he dare move against Flora, Elvish's disciple and the Kingdom's most talented mage. But this kid with no background was different.

His plans being ruined had everything to do with this kid!

Although he seemed connected to that City Lord Behira, after all, he didn't carry the Oxivis family bloodline—ultimately an outsider.

The Oxivis family would act for Behira because she carried the family bloodline and represented the family's honor.

But an outsider wasn't qualified to make such a great family intervene.

So, killing this kid to vent anger while eliminating a future potential rival genius in advance was the second mission the Duke had assigned him.

Before executing the mission, he had seen Flora, hailed as the Kingdom's once-in-a-century magic genius, but hadn't paid much attention.

Flora's strength was undoubtedly powerful—he admitted he was no match—but his target wasn't to confront her, just to kill the kid beside her.

And regarding this, the newcomer was quite confident.

Powerful experts had instinctive reactions to hostility. If his hostility was directed at Flora, given Flora's relatively rich combat experience and strong insight from her considerable spiritual strength, she would likely detect it.

But if his killing intent wasn't aimed at Flora but at someone else beside her, the chance of detection would greatly decrease.

And indeed, neither Lin Mo himself nor Flora had immediately discovered this suddenly appearing assassin.

But Shaya's presence was a circumstance he hadn't anticipated...

This seemingly young girl was strong!

From that brief exchange, he could tell her strength surpassed his own.

Normally, he should abandon the mission.

With Flora and this powerful assassin girl present, he almost certainly couldn't complete the assassination in front of them.

But Duke Side had anticipated this situation and specifically prepared a countermeasure for him.

He quickly pulled a potion from his person. The next moment, accompanied by a roar, his entire body was enveloped in red light, veins bulging all over, muscles knotting...

"It's Bloodburn Reagent!"

Flora reacted first, quickly warning: "Be careful, he drank Bloodburn Reagent!"

Bloodburn Reagent?

Shaya nearby was startled. Besides basic alchemical potions like Life Potions and Mana Potions, alchemists could naturally create many other potions.

This included some functional potions that could temporarily provide abnormal statuses or effects.

Like the most common Strength Potion that temporarily boosts power, Stone Skin Potion that temporarily increases skin toughness, etc.

And Bloodburn Reagent was also a functional potion.

But unlike ordinary functional potions, Bloodburn Reagent was a potion with massive side effects and exceptionally powerful effects.

After drinking Bloodburn Reagent, the user's Qi and Blood would enter a state similar to "boiling" for a short time, with greatly increased intensity and activity, granting extremely powerful explosive force during the duration.

This powerful explosive force, at the Elite-level adventurer stage, could bridge a gap of 2-3 levels.

Correspondingly, after the reagent's effects ended, the user would enter a weakened state with strength reduced by more than half! Meanwhile, the Qi and Blood would suffer permanent weakening due to temporary overdraft, even physical attributes would decline accordingly. According to relatively recent research, even expected lifespan would be affected to some extent.

So generally, unless absolutely necessary, few people used this functional potion with such strong negative effects.

Shaya immediately took action, swinging her dagger to attack the opponent.

However, after drinking the Bloodburn Reagent, the opponent's explosive force clearly surpassed Shaya's. After a brief clash and passing each other, Shaya's figure trembled slightly, showing minor imbalance.

Seizing this opportunity, the assassin directly charged at Lin Mo.

With the Bloodburn Reagent's enhancement, his originally fast speed became even more astonishing, almost instantly closing the distance.

"Wall of Scorching Demise!"

Flora's voice sounded nearby as a wall of flames materialized in front of Lin Mo.

But the assassin no longer cared, his eyes filled with madness, showing no intention of slowing down, his sharp dagger aimed directly at Lin Mo's throat.

Lin Mo's gaze fixed intently on the blade approaching him.

His face showed some panic, but incongruously, his eyes remained calm and composed.

Under normal circumstances, the opponent might notice something unusual from this, but now, under the potion's influence, he couldn't think so complexly—he only wanted to kill Lin Mo to complete the mission, then leave quickly before the potion's effects ended.

The sharp dagger struck the wall of flames. With the Bloodburn Reagent's enhancement, cracks actually began to appear on the wall.

But the Wall of Scorching Demise still provided brief resistance. Meanwhile, the blazing flames also obscured the opponent's vision.

That was enough!

Lin Mo suddenly took an arrow from his Spatial Ring and threw it into the air.

The next moment, the Wall of Scorching Demise shattered. The assassin's figure turned into a blur, instantly appearing before Lin Mo. Under Flora's anxious gaze, the sharp dagger accurately pierced his throat.

"Mmm..."

The assassin's triumphant expression suddenly froze.

A cold, painful sensation came from his lower abdomen.

He looked down to see an arrow held by Lin Mo before him, which had pierced into his body due to his own forward momentum.

Then, an intense numbness spread throughout his body.

The arrow was poisoned!

He immediately realized, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

With severe poison plus the impending negative effects of the Bloodburn Reagent, he probably couldn't escape unscathed.

But at least he had completed the mission...

Just as he thought this, a wave of heat suddenly assaulted him from ahead. The "Lin Mo" whose throat he had pierced suddenly exploded.

"Boom—!"

After the dust settled, several seconds later, Lin Mo emerged from the side.

This preparation, originally made to guard against the possible appearance of the quasi-Gold-level goblin, had seemed useless after the goblin army withdrew. Unexpectedly, it had come in handy through sheer coincidence.