"Just as I thought. A wondrous item."
Roger had felt that the "White Raven's Crown" was extraordinary at first glance.
After examining it up close, he found that it was indeed an exceedingly rare magical item.
Wondrous items and forbidden items were alike.
Both fell outside the scope of what the Qi Divination Technique could identify.
This left Roger unable to learn any further details about the White Raven's Crown.
But since even a Gray Dwarf could wear and use it, Roger naturally wasn't worried that this wondrous item would remain useless in his hands forever.
After quickly stowing away the "White Raven's Crown," he continued feeling around the Gray Dwarf Chieftain's corpse.
"Found it!"
Roger gave a hard tug and pulled the object off the Gray Dwarf Chieftain's neck.
In the blazing firelight from halfway up the mountain, he could see that—
it was an amber-colored bead.
The bead felt incredibly cool in Roger's hand, yet even after a long time, it didn't feel ice-cold.
Roger tossed out the Qi Divination Technique, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Master Qu Feng's Fire Aversion Pearl (Treasure): The wearer becomes unafraid of flames
"This Gray Dwarf Chieftain is ridiculously rich."
After reading the description, Roger couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
One wondrous item and one treasure—both priceless treasures.
Compared to these two treasures, the Corpse Demon's collection was practically worthless.
He put on the Fire Aversion Pearl right then and there.
This thing was a perfect match for the Suicide Ring.
The scene of the Gray Dwarf Chieftain charging out of the sea of flames was still vivid in his mind—
not only had he emerged completely unharmed, but even his clothes had been perfectly protected. This showed just how profound the Fire Aversion Pearl's effects were.
"Could there be the tomb of some martial arts master near the marsh?"
"Or perhaps the ruins of some martial arts sect?"
He couldn't help thinking this.
After searching again and again and confirming that there was nothing else of value on the Gray Dwarf Chieftain, Roger finally rose leisurely to his feet and turned his gaze back toward the battlefield below the mountain.
The ballista on the eastern slope had also been destroyed.
Roger spotted a familiar back—
Rachel was riding Misha, leading a team of Flying Dragon Beasts in driving the remaining Gray Dwarves down the mountain.
Cindy, meanwhile, had appeared at the very top of the watchtower.
Emerald-colored light swirled around her body, though he had no idea what kind of spell effect it was.
Eric and the others were also clearing out the remaining monsters near the main gate.
And that Emerald Young Dragon was flying arrogantly back and forth above the enemy formation.
Every now and then, it would dive down, snatch up several Gray Dwarves, then soar high into the air and hurl them viciously back down!
Without the protection of the ballistae, the Gray Dwarves' defeat was only a matter of time.
Seeing this, Roger could no longer remain calm.
If he didn't rush over to claim some kills now, when would he?
The night deepened.
The Gray Dwarves' formation gradually collapsed.
As the retreat signal rang out, large numbers of Gray Dwarves began fleeing in panic, running wherever they could.
Those Gray Dwarves who had been gravely wounded by dragon breath and lost the ability to move were callously abandoned by their companions.
Outside the village gate,
quite a few wounded Gray Dwarf soldiers lay on the ground, wailing.
The villagers who had survived the disaster stood on the watchtower, watching the scene outside with lingering fear and disbelief.
The Emerald Young Dragon had long since disappeared.
But a ghostlike shadow was darting left and right across the battlefield like the Grim Reaper, moving with practiced ease.
He held a rapier in his hand.
Facing the immobilized Gray Dwarves, he struck with overwhelming force, every thrust sealing a throat.
Time passed second by second.
The wailing outside the village gate went from howls of agony at first to complete silence later.
Everyone stared blankly at the savage swordsman, each of them finding him somewhat familiar.
After a while,
a small door beside the main gate slowly opened.
A woman of captivating allure walked out from inside.
Slash!
At just that moment, Roger finished off the last wounded Gray Dwarf soldier.
He sheathed his sword and turned around.
A faint smile appeared on Cindy's tired face. "You haven't fallen in love with little Rachel, have you?"
"Let me make this clear first. She's mine."
Roger weighed the Qing Fu Sword in his hand, his eyes bright. "Do you have any poison?"
Cindy was visibly stunned.
She probably hadn't expected Roger to bring up such a strange topic when they met again.
"Yes."
She thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Do you have any poison that's colorless, odorless, and extremely potent?"
Roger asked again.
Cindy frowned. "How could such a thing possibly exist in this world?"
Roger bared his teeth in slight disappointment.
Given this world's purification methods, finding a substance that was both colorless and odorless while being violently toxic really was an extravagant hope.
"However, we do have a laxative that's very difficult to detect."
Cindy thought about it. "It isn't purely a laxative, either, but in large doses, it does cause extremely severe adverse reactions."
"Are you thinking...?"
She caught on quickly and had already realized Roger's intentions.
"Give it to me."
Roger answered decisively. "The more, the better."
"Tonight is the best opportunity. It may also be the only one."
Cindy's eyes flickered for a while.
In the end, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Half an hour later, on the western side of Yellowstone Island,
Roger's figure quietly appeared outside a heavily guarded encampment.
Occasionally, wailing could be heard from within.
The Gray Dwarves guarding the entrance were clearly distracted.
Although twice as many guards as usual had been assigned, the defensive effect was pitiful.
Roger waited for the right opportunity.
After taking two or three steps along the sturdy perimeter fence, he landed lightly inside the camp in the blink of an eye.
This was one of the six camps the Gray Dwarves had built on Yellowstone Island.
Originally, there had been at least five hundred Gray Dwarves in this camp.
But after tonight's battle, most of the camps had suffered heavy casualties.
More importantly,
most of the Gray Dwarf guards had faced the Emerald Young Dragon directly as enemies and endured several waves of "Dragon Might."
Dragon Might was not something ordinary people could withstand.
This mental suppression continued affecting them without pause.
As a result, their previously airtight defenses had become riddled with holes tonight.
That was why Roger had said today might be their only opportunity.
Now that he had successfully infiltrated the Gray Dwarf camp, he had only one main objective—
drug them!
Though it was only a laxative, it would be more than enough to make these monsters suffer.
The essence of hunting was to find every possible way to weaken one's enemies and strengthen oneself.
Roger was not the sort of person who cared whether his methods of killing enemies were honorable.
If there were a poison potent enough to work without being detected, he wouldn't have minded sending every Gray Dwarf to the afterlife in a single night.
In the darkness,
Roger moved lightly, looking around every few steps.
Before long, he made his way around to the vicinity of the camp kitchen.
The defenses of the Gray Dwarf camp were typical of tight outer defenses and lax inner ones.
There were actually only a few fellows who looked like Gray Dwarf cooks lying on the ground, snoring loudly.
Seeing this, Roger simply walked over openly.
Just as he had done in the first two camps he visited,
he added double the dose of laxative to the light water the Gray Dwarves drank every day.
Naturally, he didn't spare the stored food, either.
"I hope this stuff can reduce their Fortitude."
Roger sincerely prayed.
If this laxative really was as miraculous as Cindy had claimed,
then over the next day or two, he would enjoy the most satisfying harvest season of his life.
After administering the drug,
Roger left the kitchen and prepared to wander around the nearby tents to see whether there were any isolated wounded soldiers.
As long as he wasn't discovered, harvesting another batch ahead of time would be perfectly fine.
He crept toward the tent area.
Suddenly, he heard a heated argument.
Before you continue