Chapter 208
"As for the reward, we'll talk about that later. Whether we can even complete it is still uncertain."
"Mmm!" Xia Wanyin nodded solemnly.
It seems that rewards were secondary to her; she was happy as long as she could act with Shen Xing.
Leina, who was standing to the side, did not speak, but her gaze lingered on Xia Wanyin's face for a moment, then looked at Shen Xing, and subconsciously tightened her grip on her staff.
Next, Fried Chicken, carrying the three people on its back, sped off towards the territory.
Within the thick fog, a ball of orange light moved swiftly.
The Fried Chicken maintained its high-speed cruising mode, its wings cutting through the churning gray fog, leaving a long trail in the low sky.
As they passed through a familiar area, Leina seemed to sense something and suddenly spoke up.
"My lord, something's up. I smell something strange."
She wrinkled her nose, carefully discerning the scents in the wind, then declared with certainty, "It's the smell of blood!"
"The smell of blood?" Shen Xing was somewhat surprised.
"Hmm, it seems there's been a battle nearby." Leina's tone turned serious.
Shen Xing frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Can you sense exactly where it is?"
Leina didn't speak, but turned her head, her red crystal-like eyes scanning the surroundings.
A moment later, she pointed to an area below. "Right there."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xing immediately manipulated the Fried Chicken to spiral downwards.
As the altitude decreased, the thick fog was dispelled by the firelight, revealing a barren forest.
The twisted trunk was bare of leaves, and the bare branches resembled twisted, charred arms.
In the center of the woodland, a dozen large trees lay fallen on the ground, clearly indicating the location of the battle.
When the Fried Chicken landed on the ground, a scene of utter chaos unfolded before my eyes.
The wreckage of several carriages lay scattered on the black soil, with large patches of dark red blood on the ground.
In addition, there were several broken fingers, a severed skull, scattered fragments of internal organs, and other gruesome sights.
Just as Leina sensed, a tragedy had occurred here.
"Shen Xing, who is fighting here?" Xia Wanyin asked with her eyes closed.
"It's the caravan we just encountered; they were attacked," Shen Xing replied.
"Ah... it's them..." Xia Wanyin's face turned pale.
Shen Xing looked around, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
This grove was not far from where they had previously made their deal.
Clearly, shortly after they left, the caravan was ambushed when it passed through the area.
Moreover, the other party was cruel and ruthless, looting all kinds of goods and even taking the pack animals.
It's unclear whether it was done by nearby players or by local forces in the Land of Mist.
But either way, it's not good news for Shen Xing and Xia Wanyin.
After all, their territory was not far away, and having such a vicious group of people roaming around was like a moving bomb.
"Let's go, let's return to our territory first," Shen Xing said in a deep voice. "Then we'll send people out to investigate and see if we can find any trace of the perpetrator."
Just as they were preparing to take off again, a rustling sound came from the dark bushes not far away.
"Is... is it Lord Shen Xing?"
A slightly familiar, yet fearful, trembling voice rang in my ears.
The three of them stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
Shen Xing recognized the voice and replied, "It's me."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a large, pot-bellied figure covered in mud popped out of the ground with a "gurgle".
It was West, the merchant they had met earlier.
He looked extremely disheveled; his silk robe was torn into strips, and his face was covered in blood and dirt.
"Gods... Gods above, I never thought I'd see you all again... I'm still alive..."
As he spoke, his shoulders trembled violently, and finally he collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears.
"Mr. West, please calm down and tell me what happened," Shen Xing reassured him.
"It's... it's those Skinners!"
West took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot. "Those damned mixed-race bastards have been watching us for a while now, following us the whole time."
"They killed everyone and stole all the pack animals and goods."
"If I hadn't used a scroll to hide underground, I would have ended up like those guards, a pile of minced meat."
Shen Xing frowned slightly upon hearing this.
I had heard him mention the existence of the Skinners before, but I never expected these mixed-race people to be so vicious and treacherous.
They actually followed the Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce the whole time, only making their move when the time was right.
Moreover... the opponent's stealth ability seems quite impressive.
After all, he had Leina and Xia Wanyin by his side, both of whom had extremely strong perception abilities.
They managed to evade their detection; these Skinners are no ordinary group.
"Gods... there's a shipment of vital goods destined for Black Hawk City there. If it gets lost, the guild leader will throw me into Xiushui Lake to feed the fish."
"Waaaaah... Now the goods are gone... I've lost my job... I'm doomed... Waaaaah..."
The businessman West wept bitterly, pounding his fists on the ground, his face ashen.
At that moment, he seemed to remember something, turned to look at the young man in the wheelchair, and a hopeful light appeared in his eyes.
"Lord Shen Xing... could you please help us find those Skinners and reclaim our goods?"
"If you can help, you'll gain the friendship of the Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce, and you can choose any of the goods."
He pleaded humbly, as if grasping at a last straw.
[Ding! You have triggered a special mission: Blood Debt and Trade Route]
[Mission Objective: Locate the Skinners' stronghold and retrieve the Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce's goods.]
[Quest Rewards: Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce Reputation +500, Merchant West's Favorability Increased, Choose 1 item from the goods as a reward.]
Upon seeing the mission information flash before his eyes, Shen Xing's heart stirred.
"Your West, I understand how you feel right now, and I understand your difficulties."
"But as you know, these Skinners cunning, treacherous, and inherently cruel; they are extremely difficult to deal with."
Even if I wanted to help you, I'm powerless to do so since I don't even know where they are.
He neither immediately agreed nor refused, but first calmed the other party down.
West was stunned for a moment, then realized he had a point, and slumped down in dejection.
At this moment, Shen Xing changed the subject. "However, you may go to my territory to rest for a while."
"In the meantime, I will send out troops from my territory to scout around and try to find the location of those Skinners. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope reappeared in West's eyes.
He answered without hesitation, "Sure, of course! I was just wondering where I could go!"
"Lord Shen Xing, you are truly my savior! I'm counting on you!"
[Thanks to your assistance, Merchant West's favorability has increased by 25, current favorability: Trust]
Shen Xing looked at the prompt in front of him and smiled calmly, "In that case, please come back with us."
As he spoke, he made the Fried Chicken bend down, spread its wings, and then sat down in front of him with the two girls.
West sat carefully in the back, gripping the back of the wheelchair tightly with both hands.
After all four people were seated, the Fried Chicken vigorously flapped its wings and slowly lifted off the ground.
As a young chick... no, a little Hippogryph, Fried Chicken is still a child.
It was barely able to carry three people before, but now with a nearly 200-pound fat man added, it's completely beyond its capacity.
"Chirp... chirp..."
The Fried Chicken let out a laborious squawking sound, and after flapping its wings for a long time, it only managed to fly a little over a hundred meters.
But then Shen Xing took a piece of Finger Worm meat from his backpack and stuffed it into its mouth.
Fried Chicken's expression instantly changed from?(><)? to (???_??)?!!
The bird became full of energy and soared hundreds of meters into the air in a few moments, speeding towards its distant territory.
Shortly after they left, a shadow slowly appeared in the nearby woods.
He raised his head, watching the figure recede into the distance high in the sky, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eerie green beastly eyes.
As a wisp of black mist rose, the shadow vanished into thin air.
Ten minutes later, a streak of dark golden light streaked across the sky and crashed straight into the area of the orange-yellow flames.
The Fried Chicken flew over the outer city wall and went directly to the inner city of the territory, where it slowly landed next to an open space.
Four figures jumped off his back one after another.
West looked around at the towering arrow towers and the tall city walls, his eyes filled with even greater awe.
"Incredible... Lord Shen Xing, the scale of your territory is beyond imagination, even more prosperous than some Expert Rank territories I've visited."
"I now believe what you said before."
Chapter 150: Recruiting Kodo Beast, Thriving!
The merchant Weston was awestruck by the scale of the territory, gazing at the buildings and occasionally letting out a gasp of amazement.
Shen Xing smiled modestly, "West, you must be exhausted after your long journey and the attack by the Skinners."
"Let me have someone take you to the hot springs in the territory to relax and soak in the water."
He paused, then added, "As for the Skinners, I'll figure something out."
Upon hearing this, West's eyes filled with gratitude. "Then I'll have to trouble Lord Shen Xing. I will forever remember your kindness!"