Green Dragon Princess

"Don't make a sound!"

In the reeds.

A ranger with a full beard hurriedly pressed his index finger to his lips and tried to stop her. "Did you forget what I told you? Jon?"

"Always keep quiet in the swamps!"

The girl behind him couldn't help sticking out her tongue, finally managing to rein in her earlier excitement.

She bent down, lowered her center of gravity, and, together with the bearded man, surveyed the situation in the Jackal Beast settlement.

"How strange. Why can't I see anyone... Ah!"

Jon was squatting on the ground and muttering to herself when she suddenly let out an unexpected shriek. "Jon!"

The bearded man angrily turned around to scold his younger sister.

"I told you not to... Ah!"

Just like Jon, he was startled by what was behind him and let out an instinctive cry.

"Eric, this really isn't my fault."

Jon spoke aggrievedly.

Several meters behind them.

A masked man holding a rapier was calmly watching the siblings.

"What brings you two here?"

Roger lowered his voice, his tone perfectly calm.

"Don't misunderstand!"

"We're just passing through."

The bearded Eric looked somewhat experienced. He raised both hands, his expression sincere.

"I... May I stand up?"

Roger said, "As you wish."

"Thank you... We really are just passing through. We saw the Jackal Beast corpses and found it a little strange, so we came over to take a look. We absolutely have no ulterior motives!"

Eric was afraid that Roger would misunderstand their intentions.

"Oh, is that so? My companions just went after those Jackal Beasts, and then you appeared. What a coincidence, isn't it?"

Roger's tone gradually grew stern.

"Or perhaps you were following behind us from the start, hoping to fish in troubled waters?"

He was probing to find out when exactly the two had arrived.

At the same time, he was trying to make it clear that he was not alone.

Sure enough.

Eric immediately explained nervously, "Sir, I swear we hadn't seen you or your companions before this. It's even more impossible that we were following you."

"We really are just passing through!"

Roger pretended not to believe him and continued with a cold laugh.

"Would ordinary people pass through such a dangerous swamp?"

At this point, the girl named Jon couldn't help interjecting.

"Eric isn't lying to you. We only left the village this morning. We really are just passing through..."

The moment Eric heard this, he grew frantic and repeatedly signaled to her with his eyes.

Jon, however, failed to understand what he meant and merely clumsily explained things to Roger.

In her eyes, the siblings were only First Ring Adventurers.

The unidentified stranger before them was different—he and his companions had destroyed an entire Jackal Beast settlement. Their strength was absolutely far beyond their own.

Explaining themselves and earning his trust was their only way to survive.

"There really is a village."

"But judging from these two, it should only be a small one."

Roger's thoughts began turning rapidly.

He nodded lightly and said to Jon, who was clearly a novice, "I believe you. Since this was all a misunderstanding, there's no need for us to come to blows."

As he spoke, he lowered the Qing Fu Sword in his hand.

The siblings both breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Roger's next words made their nerves tighten again.

"My companions and I came from the west. We've been hunting in the swamp for a long time and are short on supplies."

"We urgently need somewhere to replenish our fresh water and dried food."

"So, would you mind telling me where your village is?"

Jon's expression became extremely awkward.

She suddenly understood what Eric's earlier signal meant.

In that instant, countless bloody scenes flashed through her mind.

Oh no. Could I be bringing disaster upon the village?!

No, I absolutely can't let him know the village's true location.

That was what Jon thought.

But Eric spoke first. "Head southwest for a dozen or so kilometers, and you'll arrive.

"There's a very tall banyan tree near the village. You can see it even from a long distance away.

"Also, the soil there is different from here. It's a distinctive bright yellow, so it's easy to recognize."

His expression remained sincere.

"Our village is very hospitable. You can trade whatever you hunt in the swamp for fresh water and food."

Roger looked at him quietly for a full thirty seconds before nodding in acknowledgment.

"Thank you."

"You can leave now."

The siblings looked as if they had been granted an amnesty.

Even so, they continued facing Roger as they slowly retreated to the edge of the reeds.

Only after they could no longer make out Roger's face did they dare speed up and leave.

On the way.

"Why did you describe it so specifically?" Jon couldn't help asking.

"Since we've already revealed that the village is nearby, there's no need to hide its exact location."

Eric shook his head.

"Besides, under the circumstances, we could only survive first and then seek the village's help."

"Let's hurry back and tell Lady Cindy about this. These people managed to wipe out a Jackal Beast settlement. I'm afraid they aren't an ordinary Adventurer party!"

Meanwhile, after sending the siblings away, Roger sped up his search of the Jackal Beast settlement.

He found no fresh water.

As for food, there were only baskets and baskets of wild lettuce.

Roger picked several fresh stalks and stuffed them into his backpack.

To be honest, this Jackal Beast settlement was astonishingly poor.

If he hadn't found a gold watch and a large box of broken gold and silver pieces in the chief's room, Roger suspected he would have come away empty-handed.

"I didn't even manage to earn back the cost of maintaining my arrowheads."

Roger cursed his bad luck inwardly.

He couldn't help taking a few more stalks of lettuce before finally leaving.

After leaving the Jackal Beast settlement, Roger followed Eric's directions and began traveling southwest.

Before long, yellow soil appeared ahead.

As the reeds rushed past, his field of vision gradually widened.

Half an hour later, Roger arrived at a paved road.

Beside the road stood a nearly rotten sign bearing the words:

"Lettuce Avenue."

He followed Lettuce Avenue south.

Gradually.

Some human houses appeared on both sides of the road, though all of them had been abandoned.

Another half hour passed.

Roger encountered a white-haired old man fishing in a small lake beside the road.

After a brief hesitation, he went over to ask for directions.

The old man was somewhat cold, but he still carefully answered Roger's questions.

From him, Roger learned a great deal.

This land lay in the center of the Great Wetland and was called "Yellowstone Island."

If he wanted to obtain supplies, he could follow Lettuce Avenue south, where there were two inns.

The first inn was called the "Green Dragon Princess."

The old man told Roger that it was a shady establishment and extremely dangerous, so he shouldn't go near it. The second inn, meanwhile, was called the "Thorn."

It was a safe inn, and its owner was an elderly Hill Dwarf who was extremely warm-hearted.

He advised Roger to bypass the Green Dragon Princess and go directly to the Thorn Inn.

After hearing him out, Roger thought for a moment, thanked the old man, and continued on his way.

After walking for a dozen or so minutes, he saw the Green Dragon Princess's sign.

Roger didn't stop and quickened his pace as he passed by.

After a while.

He saw the sign for the Thorn.

But he still didn't slow down. Instead, he went around it.

At noon.

Roger spotted a swath of emerald-green treetops in the distance.

His steps finally slowed somewhat.