Chapter 89 - 85: Heading to the East

Chapter 89: Chapter 85: Heading to the East

Lian watched the distant village until the 13 members of the investigation team completely disappeared from view.

They had just left the forest without any incident, and the Guards who came to see them off all breathed a sigh of relief.

Lian turned his horse around, led the army back, and returned to the North District encampment.

He released the little green bird he hadn’t crushed, and the bird immediately flew nervously to hide by Sophie’s side.

Back in his military tent, Lian continued to draw the detailed map of the Bone Forest.

He had studied art for a time, and his drawing skills surpassed those of the army’s Surveyors. Thanks to this and his excellent memory, he was able to refine the once-crude map of the Bone Forest, meticulously detailing all the areas they had explored.

In the future, this map would become part of the Green Shade Territory’s official domain.

While he drew, Sophie watched quietly by his side.

The little green bird was still chirping away.

After three days, Lian finally finished drawing three-quarters of the Bone Forest map. As for the remaining missing piece, he would have to complete it after fully exploring the East District.

At the same time, he also obtained a new trait.

[Map Surveyor] You are skilled at drawing maps. The maps you draw are more precise than those on the market. Possessing this trait enhances your sense of direction and spatial awareness. Your probability of getting lost in a Maze is reduced by 10%.

Lian stroked his chin. ’It seems that every time I do something and reach a certain level of achievement, I can get a new trait. I don’t necessarily have to spend Points to exchange for them in the shop.’

’However, if I relied on my natural talent alone, it would probably take at least ten or twenty years to go from a One-star Knight to a Two-star Knight. It would be impossible to advance from One-star to Four-star in just a few months, let alone fuse the paths of a Knight and an Assassin to gain the special bonus of a Shadow Knight.’

Under normal circumstances, the path of a Knight and the path of an Assassin were incompatible. Once you chose one, you had to see it through to the end.

It was like how a pious Believer could never be the same person as a Heretic Believer.

But Lian had now achieved it, being both pious and heretical.

The piety came from his [High Level Believers] trait, while the heresy was a negative side effect of his [Pseudo-God Trader] trait.

Handing the newly drawn map to Sophie, Lian ordered his personal guards in the tent to bring him hot water. He wanted to take a proper bath.

He had been so engrossed in drawing lately, forgetting to eat and sleep, that he hadn’t even bathed properly.

’I really miss the days when Anna and Annie were around. I barely had to ask; they would bring hot bathwater, help me take off my clothes, scrub my back, and even...’

Lian decided to stop thinking about it. ’One should be content with what they have.’

’Besides, isn’t the beautiful Miss Witch, Sophie, right here with me?’

Sophie was admiring the map Lian had drawn, completely engrossed.

She seemed to have developed an interest in drawing as well.

Lian took a long, comfortable hot bath and showed off his impressive physique. Unfortunately, Sophie remained captivated by the exquisite map and didn’t glance at him at all.

’If Catherine saw this, her heart would surely be pounding, right?’

’Anna would probably be drooling, and Annie might not even be able to hold her Assassin’s Blade steady.’

Lian sighed, stopped his rambling thoughts, got dressed, and had his personal guard summon Kob and the others for a meeting.

Whether the Spirit of the Forest existed or not, Lian’s original plan would not change.

Now, only the East District of the Bone Forest remained.

It was time to consider conquering the East District.

He hoped the East District would bring him some surprises, because his Points had been pitifully stagnant lately.

And hanging over his head was the one-year death warning: the [Divine Wager].

If he couldn’t achieve the status of a Golden Believer within the given time, only death awaited him.

Someone who had died once would cherish life even more. Lian was the same; he valued his life more than anyone.

Therefore, he had to find every possible way to accumulate Points.

Kob and numerous squad leaders gathered in Lian’s tent. Robson looked a bit weary today, even sporting Father Simo’s trademark dark circles under his eyes.

This couldn’t help but bring to mind his Goblin fiancée and her group of friends.

This group of young female Goblins enjoyed the atmosphere of the human military camp. After the peace treaty was signed, they were always visiting Robson, which put a blissful kind of pressure on him.

It was a known fact that the Goblin race was formidable in *that* department; both males and females were enthusiastic about carnal pleasures.

Robson, a true man of the Green Shade Territory, already had his hands full with one young Goblin girl, let alone four or five of them at once.

Robson couldn’t voice his suffering, and on top of that, he was the target of much envy from his colleagues.

The only good news was that this time, the noble girl Aisha had also brought the Goblin Princess, Julia. Julia, in turn, brought a large retinue of maids, and these Goblin maids didn’t mind having some romantic encounters with the young, brave human Guards.

This alleviated the hostility everyone felt toward Robson.

As for the Princess, she had yet to choose any man to spend a night with. Lian guessed her target was probably him.

The Goblin Princess wanted to marry the Lord of the Green Shade Territory; only that would befit her noble status.

But Lian clearly had no interest in the Goblin Princess. Even though she had an excellent figure and was quite beautiful, she was still a far cry from Sophie and his own lovely fiancée, Catherine.

Besides, Lian did not accept interspecies romance.

He didn’t want his future children to have naturally green skin.

So, he would just have to decline the Goblin Princess’s kind intentions.

Lian hung the meticulously drawn map on the wall and stuck a small green flag in Area 1 of the Bone Forest’s eastern section.

"Next, we are heading east. Who can tell me everything we know about the Skeleton Monsters?"

Lian looked at the crowd.

Kob coughed twice and said seriously, "The Skeleton Monsters living in the eastern part of the Bone Forest have a strict hierarchical system. The ones we usually encounter are the lowest-level Skeleton Monsters."

"Based on the ones we’ve seen, we can classify the Skeleton Monsters by danger level, from high to low, A Level to F Level."

"A Level monsters are the most dangerous. They’re also known as Skull Knights. A Skull Knight is characterized by riding a tall Undead Reindeer and wielding a sharp Bone Sword or a Long Spear. They are leaders among the skeletons. When one appears, it is typically leading a Skeleton Legion of at least 300."

"In the history of the Green Shade Territory, without the intervention of a Witch, only the Glory Six-star Knight, Lord Land John, has ever personally repelled a Skull Knight. But even he was severely wounded as a result, and it took him one year, three months, and fifteen days to recover."

"B Level are the Skeleton Wizards. Their skin is dark red, and their bodies are covered in curses. Their own combat power isn’t very high—even a common Guard could kill one easily. However, simply touching them will inflict a terrible curse. A single red skeleton once appeared in a village, and the entire population died an unnatural death."

"C Level are the Skeleton Giants. Their average height exceeds six meters, and they are also extremely dangerous. Their bones are tough and their Power is immense. They basically don’t need any weapons and can wipe out a ten-man squad of Guards with their bare hands. Their combat power is equivalent to a Three-star Glory Knight."

"D Level are small skeletons. They usually appear on the shoulders of Skeleton Giants and are launched from there. They possess incredible Speed and agility. Their sharp claws and piercing mouthparts are their weapons. Their combat power is equivalent to a Two-star Knight."

"E Level are skeleton cavalry. They typically have weapons and mounts, with combat power equivalent to a One-star Knight."

"F Level are the basic Skeleton Monsters. They have no weapons or mounts, and their combat power is equivalent to an Elite Guard. They are also the most common type of Skeleton Monster."