Creekwood Territory, Council Hall.
The fireplace burned with pine wood, crackling softly, and the warm breath dispelled the chill of the early morning in the wilderness.
Garos, in the form of a black cat, curled up lazily on the cushions of a high-backed chair, with his vertical pupils half-squinted and the tip of his tail tapping lightly.
"Thanks to the promulgation and strict implementation of many rules and laws set by you, Creekwood Territory is currently operating smoothly and orderly."
Opposite, Xia'er reported on the overall situation of the territory, "There is an endless stream of adventurers and large business groups coming and going here, and the number of intelligent creatures that choose to settle here or live here for a long time is also growing steadily."
"Although there are still deep-rooted mutual discriminations and prejudices between different races, as well as some inevitable frictions and conflicts, all conflicts are currently within control and the overall situation is stable."
After talking about these general situations.
Xia'er paused for a moment, organized more specific language, and then continued, "However, under the situation of stability, some noteworthy abnormal events did occur."
"For example, the swamp south of Creekwood Territory."
"That area has always been a paradise for wetland creatures, and the ecology has its own balance."
"A few years ago, the behavior of the creatures in the swamp suddenly became extremely abnormal and violent."
"A large number of creatures began to gather in groups, fleeing the swamp area in panic, spreading to the periphery, and even formed a small-scale beast tide at one time, impacting the southern defense line of Creekwood Town."
"After successfully repelling and defusing several beast tides, I personally led a team of elites into the depths of the swamp to conduct an investigation. Ultimately, I discovered that a group of swamp Frogfolks who believed in evil gods were performing Bloodshed sacrifices with living animals, held an evil ritual, and successfully summoned an evil demon from Lower Planes."
Xia'er's tone was solemn.
"A fierce battle broke out between me and the demon. It was really difficult to withstand it at first. But fortunately, I managed to break through in the middle of the battle and improved my strength. Finally, I was able to kill it. The accompanying elites also took the opportunity to clean up and annihilate the group of corrupted Frogfolk."
Demon, this is a general and dangerous term.
It can be Demon from the lower world, or Devil from Nine Hells, or even the incarnation or descendant of some fallen Deity.
After listening to Xia'er's narration, Garos fell into a brief silence.
Breakthrough in battle... This kind of plot that seems to only exist in heroic epics sung by Bard or in cheap knight novels actually happened to him, Flower Lord, which is enough to prove that his potential is unfathomable.
As for Dragonkin, who is an immortal species, there is no concept of making a breakthrough on the spot.
Dragonkin's strength growth relies more on the accumulation of time and sleeping evolution.
However, Garos is not envious of this either.
Thousands of arduous training and accumulation day after day are the source of his real strength.
If one day he encounters a strong enemy and achieves a breakthrough in battle, it will not be pure luck, but the inevitable result of long-term hard work. It is the amount he has accumulated that has finally reached the critical point that triggers a qualitative change.
"Continue."
Garos subconsciously raised one of his front paws, stretched out his barbed pink tongue, and slowly combed the hair on it.
He found that after using Shapeshifting Spell, he would always unconsciously want to do some behaviors that were in line with the current racial habits.
Xia'er himself is a person who loves small animals.
He couldn't help but glance at the muscular, strangely painted black cat next to him. He struggled to hold back some thoughts that might be disrespectful, and quietly lowered his slightly raised arm.
"About two years ago, in a mine under mining in the east of Creekwood Territory, a series of inexplicable disappearances of miners occurred."
"As time goes by, the number of missing persons has not decreased, but has gradually increased. Even some Golem responsible for mining have been destroyed."
"I personally went deep into the bottom of the mine to explore, and found that it was an extremely powerful Earth Troll that had mutated due to unknown reasons. It regarded the entire mine passage system as its own new territory, and was extremely exclusive and completely unable to communicate."
Xia'er continued.
"So, after a not easy battle, I finally killed it and completely solved this hidden danger."
After listening to the description of the mine, Garos was thoughtful.
The underground ruins under the abandoned mine were rumored to contain Legendary Realm-level props. With his current level of strength, he might be qualified to explore it.
"However, it can cause the destruction of a city... If the rumors are true, that Legendary Artifact may be extremely dangerous."
"To be on the safe side, it's better to send your followers who are strong enough to explore first."
Garos silently plans to be famous in his heart.
Immediately afterwards, Xia'er continued his report.
He eloquently listed seven or eight unusual incidents that he had dealt with in recent years, and most of them had been properly resolved by him.
But judging from the timeline of these events, their frequency is obviously gradually increasing, which undoubtedly confirms that Ser Wilderness is becoming increasingly chaotic and dangerous.
In addition, although Xia'er's tone has always remained calm and objective, Garos still captured the hidden meaning behind his words.
This Flower Lord seems to be emphasizing the great contribution he has made to the territory.
"You did a great job."
Garos's deep voice interrupted Xia'er's continued statement.
In the form of a black cat, he raised his head and stared directly at Xia'er with his vertical pupils, as if he could penetrate the surface and see into people's hearts.
"As a lord, you have performed your duties diligently and your achievements have been remarkable."
Garos said, "So, tell me, what reward do you want?"
Realizing that his little thoughts seemed to have been seen through, Flower Lord showed a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face.
He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I found my true love in Creekwood Territory."
"However, she is not a human being, but a beautiful and intelligent Snake Woman, Beverly."
Garos had already known about this matter from Iron Dragon Sorog and Serpentfolk Sword Saint. He slightly nodded his huge cat head, indicating to the other party to continue and not to go around in circles.
With the lord's acquiescence, Xia'er breathed a sigh of relief, with a sweet smile on his lips.
"After we became partners, our relationship has always been very harmonious and harmonious, and our souls are in harmony."
"The most important thing is that our love for each other has not diminished with the passage of time. On the contrary, like fine wine in a cellar, it has become more mellow and intense."
"She likes to be in the garden under the moonlight, using her flexible body..."
"Stop!" Garos interrupted him again, "To get to the point, I'm not interested in the details of your love story."
"Sorry, sorry." Xia'er quickly stopped talking.
He said, "I can't help but want to share this cross-racial romantic love with others. Closer to home, the only problem between Beverly and I is that we have never been able to have a child of our own."
"You know, neither humans nor Snake-man have the same powerful reproductive advantages as dragons, which are almost unlimited in race."
"We desperately desire to have a biological heir with both sides' blood flowing through our blood."
"But based on all known records and cases, the probability of such an interracial union successfully producing offspring is extremely slim."
Having said this, after a slight pause for a few seconds, Xia'er lowered his voice.
"I accidentally learned about an ancient and rare alchemical formula, one of its main raw materials is Dragon Blood."
"It is said that the spirits brewed with this formula can not only greatly enhance the... effect in that area, but also have a small chance to help overcome the stubborn reproductive isolation, allowing creatures of different races to have a chance to give birth to healthy children after they combine."
Garos turned sideways on the huge cat head and focused his eyes on Xia'er's face.
"So, you want my blood?"
His voice was still calm, but his squatting posture was slightly adjusted, and the exaggerated muscle lines around his body seemed to be tighter.
"Yes, but you have to use the sharp sword in your hand to get it yourself."
The big black cat, like a muscular overlord, bared its teeth slightly and its gaze became dangerous.
"No! You have completely misunderstood!"
Xia'er hurriedly explained, "It's not that your blood is required, any blood of True Dragon can be used as raw material! I just want to ask for your permission first, allowing me to try to collect some Dragon Blood, no matter which member it comes from."
Garos's posture relaxed slightly and nodded slightly.
"In this case, you can take out enough gold coins, gems or other equivalents to exchange some Dragon Blood with other members of the dragon group. I think they will be happy to make this deal."
In times of weakness or poverty, it is common for dragons to sell some fallen scales, a small amount of blood, or even a few old teeth to quickly accumulate wealth.
This is not a shame for Dragonkin, but more like a rational use of resources and a way to quickly accumulate wealth.
After getting Garos's approval, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on Xia'er's face.
"Thank you so much for your understanding and permission."
After settling this private matter, Xia'er's expression quickly returned to the lord's composure.
Immediately afterwards, the relaxation on his face faded, replaced by an unprecedented dignity and seriousness.
"In addition to those things that I have already dealt with, there is one more thing that I haven't had time to report to you when I was reporting the main events just now."
"Just about a year ago, while you were still sleeping, Creekwood Territory came to Creekwood Territory an unusual female missionary."
"She calls herself Alya (Alya), and her title is [Lucky Messenger]. She claims that she serves Deity--Goddess of Luck, who controls good luck and opportunities in the world."
"That Ms. Alya is elegant in manner and gentle in conversation. She openly promotes the teachings of Church of Good Fortune in Creekwood Town squares and taverns, preaching the guidance of fate and seizing the blessings of good luck."
"At the same time, she is not preaching in vain. She provides passing adventurers and business groups with some potions that can quickly restore physical strength for free, as well as some weak blessings that are said to bring short-term good luck. In this way, she attracts people's attention and favor, with the intention of developing followers in Creekwood Territory."
"When I learned about the situation, I found her as soon as possible and clearly informed her that any form of unofficial missionary activities was prohibited here. After that, she didn't bother too much and quickly left and disappeared.
As the territory becomes increasingly prosperous, it will attract the attention of religious organizations and try to preach here. This is something that is difficult to completely avoid.
This may seem like a fairly common incident.
However, when he said this, Xia'er's expression became more solemn.
"The key problem is that when I faced the missionary in person, I couldn't see her depth at all."
"Not only can I not feel her Life Level, I can't even feel any special energy fluctuations or extraordinary qualities in her. She stands there as if she is the purest ordinary mortal without any power."
"This means that either she is really just a mortal with no power; or... her level of strength far exceeds the limit of my perception."
"And considering that when she left, I secretly tracked her for a certain distance out of caution, but in the end I completely lost all traces for no apparent reason, the second possibility is undoubtedly much greater."
After hearing Xia'er's description, Garos's eyes narrowed slightly, and his vertical pupils turned into two cold thin lines.
His original slightly casual posture disappeared instantly. Although his whole body still maintained the shape of a cat, it naturally exuded a dignified and powerful aura and majesty.
It can make a strong human being like Xia'er, who has experienced hundreds of battles, has a level of up to 19, and has keen perception, completely unable to see the depth.
This most likely means that the other party is a strong man who has stepped into the Legendary Realm! He is suspected to be a bishop-level figure.
It's no wonder Xia'er takes it so seriously.
Under the Legendary Realm, everything is mortal!
There is an almost insurmountable chasm between ordinary things and Legendary Realm life, which is the sublimation and transformation of the essence of life.
To give the most intuitive example:
If they are both Legendary Realm, the Legendary Realm dragon can still have a huge advantage when facing Legendary Realm humans by virtue of its racial talent and powerful body.
But if a giant dragon at the peak of level 20, only one step away from the Legendary Realm, faces a strong human Legendary Realm who has truly stepped into level 21.
If the two fight, the dragon's probability of winning will become extremely slim, almost impossible.
Even though he is as arrogant as a dragon, his ancient inherited knowledge clearly contains a word of warning.
[Legendary Body cannot be touched by the fangs and claws of mortal things. The only one who can deal with the Legendary Realm is another Legendary Realm]
The power of the Legendary Realm lies not only in the dramatic improvement of basic attributes such as strength, speed, and reaction.
What's truly terrifying is the unique ability that comes from a deep understanding of the rules of the world - the field!
When a being advances to the Legendary Realm.
Based on his core cognition, unique will, and life-long accumulated experience and path, he will create a [field] that belongs only to him and can partially rewrite the rules of reality.
Within this field, some basic material rules will be significantly changed.
For example: making the spatial orientation upside down and confusing, turning left into right, and up into down; making an ordinary stone harder than Adamantine; making a rusty iron sword have the sharp concept of cutting everything in the field; you can even make the flame cold and the ice burning.
Among them, the most common field-assigned concept that has almost become the standard configuration of the Legendary Realm is--Absolute Defense.
Unless it is countered by other Legendary Realm or forces, or the intensity of the attack exceeds the conceptual limit that the Legendary Realm can bear, or the Legendary Realm strongman's own energy is completely exhausted.
Otherwise, in this field, Legendary Realm is truly indestructible! Facing any attack below Legendary Realm, it is almost invincible!
In short, anyone who materializes as Legendary Realm will master a powerful mechanism.
Unless certain values are so outrageous that they can break the mechanism, nothing will have any chance of winning against the Legendary Realm.
Of course, Legendary Realm has a limited range, and continuous expansion will consume huge amounts of energy.
Therefore, Legendary Realm is not completely invincible.
But even so, when faced with beings under the Legendary Realm, no matter what race the opponent is, Legendary Realm can still be said to be almost invincible.
"Don't be too nervous."
"As an apostle of Deity, the other party may also possess some kind of high-level magic that can completely resist outside detection, or possess related powerful magical objects."
Garos's pupils slowly opened, analyzing another possibility.
"Since this [Lucky Messenger] has voluntarily left Creekwood Territory, we should not take the initiative to delve deeper until there is no further movement. If she comes back next time, or if you make any new discoveries, you must inform me as soon as possible."
His expression returned to calmness, but his heart was already on higher alert.
Today's Ser Wilderness is really like a cauldron about to boil, and all kinds of hidden ghosts and monsters seem to be starting to emerge.
"I have become stronger than before I fell asleep... but the levels and potential opponents I come into contact with are also constantly improving. I still cannot relax at all and must always remain cautious."
Garos warned himself silently in his heart.
At this moment, Xia'er seemed to notice something, and quickly took out a Communication Stone from his arms that was vibrating slightly and exuding a magical halo.
He put it close to his ear, and the voice of a sentry captain, extremely tense due to nervousness, immediately came from inside.
"Lord! Urgent military situation!"
"Eastern Third Watchpost discovered that a large number of undead creatures are gathering! The number is extremely huge! And at least three types of advanced undead have been observed among them. Their direction seems to be Creekwood Territory!"
ps: I watched the military parade video today until I don't know what the world is. I'm just being lazy. I'll try my best to finish the battle plot in one go tomorrow. Please give me a monthly ticket by the way.