Chapter 88: The Trace of the Demon
Three thousand miles south of the Northern Region!
This is a yellow earth highland area, which used to be a lush green forest. However, as the human kingdoms began to expand toward this area, a large number of trees were cut down, leading to severe soil erosion. The consequence of this soil erosion directly caused the appearance of a yellow river, although in this world it is not called the Yellow River but the Nilodona River. This is in the language of the Eshindai people, descendants of humans from the Arcane Empire, who can live over one hundred and twenty years. The name means ‘muddy river’.
Looking south from the Nilodona River, there are scattered villages and towns, which are human settlements. They have been continuously cutting down trees here since three hundred years ago. Now, from the Misty Forest all the way to the Dark Woods, the number of trees has decreased by at least one-third. These trees, like the Han people of the Central Plains back then, were felled for various reasons, which ultimately led to uncontrolled soil erosion in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The Druid Order is quite dissatisfied with this matter!
Both sides have had intense conflicts over this issue, but due to the lack of strong Druid organizations in this area and the presence of another peculiar existence, the matter ultimately ended without resolution. However, after the soil erosion became quite apparent, humans began to notice some problems and slightly restrained their past logging practices. This area almost saw the birth of industrial beginnings, but it was ultimately suppressed by various forces in the initial stages.
At this moment.
At the edge of the Misty Forest, a graceful and athletic figure was moving swiftly. She was wearing exquisite leather armor with a special emblem on her chest, and even her dusty appearance couldn’t hide the heroism emanating from her. She was a Silver Moonwalker and seemed to have been on the road for a long time. When she saw a thick plume of smoke rising ahead, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace and rushed toward the source of the smoke. Ahead appeared a village, but it was eerily silent, with no sign of roosters crowing, dogs barking, or human activity.
A loud eagle cry sounded.
Immediately after, a majestic eagle flew down from the sky and transformed into a middle-aged Druid covered in dense hair in an instant. He glanced at the Silver Moonwalker beside him and said in a deep voice, “There’s no one else around! I wonder why the Druid Council suddenly sent us here to investigate; is there something more important happening here?”
The Silver Moonwalker’s expression was serious as she whispered, “Listen! There’s not a sound; there are almost no living people here!”
The two advanced into the village.
The village before them was mostly destroyed, with traces of burning everywhere, and many corpses on the ground. The Silver Moonwalker bent down to examine a few bodies, then her face grew solemn as she said, “This wasn’t done by bandits! The valuables on these people were not taken; it seems their deaths are somewhat strange!”
“That way!” The middle-aged Druid closed his eyes to sense and then pointed in a direction as he quickly approached.
The Silver Moonwalker followed closely. As they passed through a burned-down house, everything before them turned their faces ashen. Because they saw many corpses, both men and women, old and young, including mothers and children. There were numerous traces of firewood having been burned nearby, and in the center lay a corpse that was nearly charred to a crisp, with many disordered footprints on the ground. It seemed that too many things had happened before it all unfolded.
“Fallen?”
The middle-aged Druid looked around, then turned to the Silver Moonwalker and inquired, “Or is it some other evil presence?”
The Silver Moonwalker’s expression was grave. She picked up a small piece of dark red thing that resembled skin from the ground and said with a serious tone, “It’s a demon!!!”
“Go!”
“We must report this to the council immediately; a demon has appeared here.”
“d*mn it!”
“How did the demons from the Abyss escape?!”
………………
Eastern Sea Route.
The Half-Elf First Mate licked the bloodstains on his arm with his tongue. He had just been ambushed and slashed, but the injury wasn’t severe; as a pirate, he was used to being hurt. Next to him, a subordinate was bandaging him, while some fierce pirates were kicking and beating the surrendered captives, mainly some crew members without combat power.
“How are the casualties?”
The Half-Elf First Mate had someone tie the bandage into a tight knot, then stood up and asked, “How many dead? How many injured? Are all the enemies cleared?”
A rather shrewd-looking pirate ran over, bowed his head, and said, “Your Grace, thirty-two are dead; about fifty or sixty are injured. All the resisting enemies have been killed, and there are still some trying to resist in the ship’s hold, but we dealt with them too. Everything has been sealed in the hold; we know the rules of Your Grace Throat Cutter and ensure no one sneaks down.”
“Mm.” The Half-Elf First Mate nodded slightly, satisfied, and said, “Don’t disturb the things below; you will naturally get your rewards when we return to Taro Port.”
He stood up and headed towards the hold where the slaves were being kept.
Those treasures weren’t anything special; there were certainly other ways to make money. What he cared about most was the group of enslaved craftsmen being escorted from the East, as the task that Lord Soren entrusted to him was of utmost importance. The Half-Elf First Mate quickly brought his men down to the hold. Most of the slaves held inside were of Eastern descent, resembling people from desert regions, but their skin was a bit yellower, and their features were not as pronounced as those of people from this side; their facial lines were softer.
“Which ones are skilled craftsmen?”
The Half-Elf First Mate looked at the fifty or so slaves held before him. The Eastern Sea Route trade would not transport cheap goods, so the quality of this group of slaves was relatively high.
A clever fellow nearby quickly came over to answer, “There are over thirty skilled craftsmen here, and more than ten are Eastern Gladiators being transported. They will be sold to the City of Wealth for the underground gladiatorial arenas in the Southern Coast; this batch of slaves is quite valuable.”
Gladiators?
The Half-Elf First Mate showed a hint of interest on his face. He walked over to an Eastern Gladiator, looked at the sturdy man in front of him. This man’s muscles were not overly defined, unlike many warriors on this side, but his muscle lines had a sense of power and fluidity. Legends say Eastern Gladiators are quite nimble and have even received training from Eastern Monks, making the rumors seem true.
“Take them all back.”
The Half-Elf First Mate glanced at the shackles on the man’s hands and ordered, “These people seem to have some use; Your Grace Throat Cutter just happens to need manpower, and there may be an opportunity to make use of them.”
“Eh?”
He looked toward the back of the hold and cautiously walked over, asking, “What’s in that cage over there? Why is there no sound at all? Is it empty?”
Someone immediately brought over a torch.
As the light shone in, the creatures inside the black cage appeared before them, and many couldn’t help but exclaim, then someone enlightened said, “What is this? Is this an Eastern Beastman?”
What stood before them was a little girl.
A very small girl, probably no more than six or seven years old, wearing a floral-patterned dress, her small face looking somewhat dazed, but her large eyes and fair skin were apparent. This was not the most astonishing part; what surprised them more were her ears, which resembled furry cat ears, and a small cat tail protruding from her backside.
“A Beastman?”
The Half-Elf First Mate couldn’t help but look surprised and then muttered, “She seems to be the legendary Cat Girl? I thought this kind of Beastman was already extinct! Unexpectedly, one can still be found in the East!”
Hiss!
Faced with the group of fierce-looking pirates surrounding her, the little girl appeared somewhat frightened, but the courage in her heart urged her to show her teeth at these people, revealing a noticeable pair of small fangs, appearing somewhat wild and untamed. Beastmen have significantly decreased since the Arcane Empire period, and they are now very rare. It is difficult to explain the reason for their appearance, but legends say it is related to some forbidden things.
After all, the Grand Archmages back then always sought to meddle with the realm of the gods, including the creation of life.
The Half-Elf First Mate curiously looked at her, then instructed those around, “Don’t harm her; this Cat Girl seems quite rare. Bring her back as a gift for the young lady.”
The young lady he referred to was naturally Vivian, but primarily he meant Lilian, as only Lilian would occasionally command them around.
Now, among Lord Soren’s core subordinates, who doesn’t know Vivian is the treasure of Lord Soren’s heart?
Not to mention Vivian’s own strength is somewhat unfathomable to them!
………………
The Half-Elf First Mate soon came out.
Outside, several people were already waiting. One middle-aged man wearing pince-nez glasses looked somewhat scholarly; he didn’t seem like a pirate but more like a merchant guild manager and walked over, slightly bowing his head and saying, “Your Grace, the cargo from the three ships has already been accounted for. There are twenty-six crates of porcelain, twenty-one crates of tea bricks, and about twelve crates of various spices and rare silk fabrics. The total value may exceed fifty thousand Gind; if sold to the nobles in those areas, the value could be estimated to rise by fifty percent!”
Upon hearing this,
The Half-Elf First Mate was taken aback, muttering, “So much! It’s worth that much?!”
He felt something was amiss.
Because the items transported on these three ships seemed to be of considerable value! Moreover, they were all the most expensive and valuable goods on the Eastern Sea Route!
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
