Klaf City, one of the kingdom's top cities before the Demonic Tide, was personally conquered and massacred by the Grand Duke of Adelaide leading Corpse Tide. There is no longer a single living person left in the city.
Where is this city now?
Luoli looked at the map in front of him, comparing some of the details with his own memories.
Although time has passed and the Demonic Tide has swept through, he still recognized a few familiar rivers and mountains, places he had once set foot in when he was human.
As memories from a century ago slowly overlapped with the map in his field of vision, Luoli began to discern them bit by bit.
"Dude, are you going to raid the Blood Corpse's lair?"
[ Do Some Farm Work ] walked over from Bennett's wheelchair and patted [ Soaring Clouds ] on the shoulder.
"I'm not that stupid..."
[ Soaring Clouds ] gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"There might be a Grand Duke sealed away in Klaf City. If I can't afford to offend him, I can at least avoid him. Knowing where this city is will make it easier to avoid it in the future..."
Beside the two, Luoli stretched out his fingers with all his might, only to find that his fingernails, along with the first phalanx of his finger, had been completely cut off by the metal saw blade.
Looking at the dried blood on the wound, that dull pain returned.
Luoli suppressed the urge to cry out in pain, and with trembling hands placed half a finger on a point on the map:
"I vaguely remember it was somewhere in this area."
He was in pain, his brows furrowed, but his tone remained unaffected. [ Soaring Clouds ] took the map, and his brows furrowed as soon as he glanced at it.
He superimposed the hand-drawn map onto the map in his game system, quickly located the area marked by Luoli, and shared it in the chat group with the following message:
" The Klaf City is likely located here."
Players quickly checked the system messages. [ Do Some Farm Work ] glanced at them and exclaimed in surprise:
"No, the Klaf City is located in..."
"It's just to our north!"
[ Soaring Clouds ] added:
"It's located about two hundred miles north of Earl Luoli's sealed territory..."
As they stared at the markings on the map, speechless yet simultaneously seeing the burning passion in each other's eyes—
If a count is already so valuable, what if they could capture a grand duke alive someday?
Soaring Clouds Xiao swallowed, suddenly feeling unsure of what to do.
He asked in a low voice, "[ On the Do Some Farm Work ]:"
"Tell me, should we still report this intelligence?"
[ Do Some Farm Work ] looked up in surprise, staring at him with a bewildered expression, while [ Soaring Clouds ] explained:
"What if someone else gets there first if we report it?"
[ Do Some Farm Work ] looked both amused and exasperated upon hearing this:
"Dude, aren't you thinking too far ahead? What level are you now?"
Level 9.
[ Do Some Farm Work ] burst into laughter:
"You, a Low Tier level nine, dare to set your sights on the Grand Duke? I thought you were level ninety!"
Upon hearing this, Soaring Clouds's expression twisted slightly.
"A city full of Blood Corpse —that's a gold mine! I really can't bear to part with it..."
"What gold mine? I think it's uranium ore. It's valuable, but if the mining technology isn't good, you'll be the first to die. Even if it's uranium ore, it won't run around and emit radiation, but the Blood Corpse will bite people everywhere. If you awaken the Grand Duke but can't capture or kill him, you'll become a sinner in this world."
[ Soaring Clouds ] opened his mouth as if to explain something, but in the end he whispered:
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"What else can we do? Of course, we should tell Ed. You've already seen the value of Klaf City, so Ed must have seen it too. Instead of thinking about Dungeon you can only enjoy for yourself years later, it's better to trust that Ed will offer you an irresistible price. Besides, even if you keep this a secret, other players will find out eventually, and then you'll lose both your money and your reputation."
Ed, the voyeur, listened to [ Do Some Farm Work ]'s explanation and sincerely admired the veteran player's foresight.
Look and listen, this is the awareness of a veteran!
To be honest, Ed wouldn't mind giving players more power. For example, if a player confidently assured him that they could clear out all the Blood Corpse in an area, Ed would certainly be happy to see that happen.
Outsourcing isn't all bad; for example, Ed has clearly felt much more relaxed since handing over the defense of southern Aduolin Province to Duma.
However, this so-called outsourcing also needs to have a limit. If there are only earls and marquises in an area, Ed is happy to let the players handle it themselves.
And this Klaf City seems to be sealing away at least one vampire grand duke.
This is no small matter; if the players don't handle it well, there's a real possibility that a Corpse Tide could rise again.
So, without much thought, Ed already had the basic outline of a plan.
I've chosen you! (For a major event!)
Embark on an adventure in an ancient city, battle monsters, and search for treasure...
This perfectly matches the name of the large, long-running quest, "[ The Great Adventurer ]".
Two hours later, Ed put down the book he was holding, "The Memoirs of Luoli Adelaide (Narrated by Luoli Adelaide, Written by [ Soaring Clouds ])".
This confession records the less-than-glorious but still somewhat interesting life of Earl Luoli, and reads like a dramatic, chronological account.
"Um..."
He looked at Soaring Clouds in front of him and said with a smile:
"Well done, this is a very valuable confession that can be of great help to the Second Holy See."
"You and your team have contributed significantly to this operation; you can start thinking about what reward you'd like."
" Son of God..."
This was the first time [ Soaring Clouds ] had seen Ed in person besides registering. This limited-time NPC wasn't easy to meet, so he was a little nervous and even changed his way of addressing him to that of other NPCs:
"About Klaf City..."
Ed nodded and explained:
"This intelligence is equally crucial, but I need to send Gungnir to investigate its authenticity. Therefore, the corresponding reward will be settled after confirmation."
"Even without that part of the information, the battle between the Short-Eared Elf and the vampire grand duke is still very valuable, so you will still receive your reward."
Ed weighed the thick stack of confessions in his hand and gave his own price to offer:
"If you want to settle this with money, how about three gold coins?"
He looked at Soaring Clouds in front of him and asked, his tone even leaving room for the other party to bargain.
Ed's Howling Pothos price was not unfounded; he referenced the prices he had received for bringing back confidential documents and a confidential old man, and ultimately determined the figure.