Night Ranger

Chapter 209: Heated Battle!

p>The two sides were like two powerful currents rushing through the cloud of dust.

The Asuran Bear was as massive as the Ogres. Marvin made the first move and fiercely pounced on an Ogre.

Sure enough, with Burst activated, that Ogre was pushed to the ground by his force.

“Bang! Bang!”

His paws viciously smacked the Ogre’s head, creating bruises. But that guy’s Constitution was too high. Even when pressed on the ground by the Asuran Bear, he could still resist.

His thick wooden club had fallen on the ground. He tried to grab it, but Marvin wouldn’t give him this kind of opportunity.

“Roar!”

The Bear’s paws ruthlessly plunged into the Ogre’s eyes and dug out the eyeballs.

The Ogre wailed in pain, thoroughly losing his ability to resist!

Even if the Ogres were innate 2nd rank monsters, most adult Ogres were at the 3rd rank, but that was because of their huge bodies and strength!

The Ogres’ extraordinary strength, special constitution, and fierce recovery ability were the reasons they could so easily advance to 3rd rank, or even 4th rank and have the strength of a Half-Legend.

But most Ogres stopped there, and very rarely would an Ogre advance to Legend by relying on his fighting strength.

They might have a very high strength, but they weren’t comparable with the dragon race and such lifeforms.

The only exception might be the Iron Ogre and other variations. Under regular circumstances, it was slightly more common for Ogre Mages. This kind of creature was a moving mana pool, and if they had enough creativity and comprehension, they could advance to Legend.

Thus, Marvin didn’t feel that the appearance of a Legend Ogre was something unexpected, but he was surprised by the appearance of the Iron Ogre.

But it didn’t matter now.

Ivan was dealing with the Iron Ogre, Daniela and Bamboo were having fun, and if the Ogre Mage wanted to escape Constantine and O’Brien who joined hands, he would have to pray for a miracle!

These remaining Ogre Fighters would naturally be handled by his army!

…

Marvin led the sixteen Dark Knight to attack the Ogre army first.

They were just like a sharp blade, piercing through the center of the Ogre troops.

Marvin noticed that these Ogres still kept a certain type of formation, even under the threat of landslides.

This meant that they were trained.

But the Asuran Bear was fierce and unmatched. His strength could suppress them!

And even if the Dark Knights were only at the 2nd rank, they wouldn’t lose to the Ogres in the Strength department.

They had the Brave Souls Pressure on their bodies and were greatly lowering the Ogres’ fighting strength.

The sixteen silhouettes entered the Ogre army and opened a big hole in it.

…

“Let’s go! Follow the plan and support Lord Marvin!”

Gordian’s roar was followed by more than forty Silver Church Paladins setting out!

And on the side, River Shore City’s Knights also set off.

They tightly followed Marvin and rushed to attack that gap.

Forcing the Ogres down the mountain was the first step of the plan.

The second step was to split them apart!

They couldn’t let the Ogres stay together!

These monsters might be experts when fighting alone, but when they were together, they were like an invincible army. It would be a nightmare for whichever army met them on a battlefield.

And dividing up the battlefield was what Knights and Paladins excelled at!

Even if they were facing Ogres that were at least two meters tall, making them feel a bit weak, only by advancing courageously on the battlefield could the Knights and Paladins have a chance to survive.

The charge initiated by Gordian and River Shore City’s Head Knight followed Marvin’s opening and cut through them, forming two groups in the Ogre army.

Of the forty Ogres, the few 4th rank elite powerhouses and a dozen 3rd rank Ogres were fighting Marvin and the Dark Knights.

Those remaining were broken up into two groups separated from each other by Knights and Paladins.

The recruited adventurers swarmed around, and followed Marvin’s previous military formation and held special weapons as they approached under the cover of the Knights.

The 2nd rank Wizard corps also moved.

Each 2nd rank Wizard could ride on a magic carpet and float at a low altitude, which could ensure their safety.

They began to attack the Ogres with well-timed spells, according to Marvin’s previous command.

…

“Roar!”

After an intense fight, the Asuran Bear finally crushed the Ogre’s head into paste!

This also used up quite a bit of stamina for Marvin.

The Ogre’s recovery ability was too powerful and it’s melee abilities were top class. Killing one used up so much of his stamina.

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone!

Each Dark Knight could fight a powerful Ogre one on one.

Their armors were extremely sturdy and their bodies very strong.

Even if they were swept by an Ogre’s thick club, they would be standing up a few seconds later, slashing their greatswords at the Ogres’ chests.

Both sides were in an endless struggle, creating a deadlock for the time being.

Marvin didn’t forget to check the situation around the chaotic battlefield.

It seemed to be moving in the direction he wanted.

The battlefield was split in three parts. The main battlefield was happening around him and his Dark Knights.

The Ogres locked there were the strongest.

And to the north and the south, even if they lost many people during the cavalry charge, they had successfully split the Ogres.

Each Ogre was facing the attacks of ten or more enemies!

These enemies included the Knights or Paladins who rushed, adventurers holding iron chains, specialized in restraining their movements, sturdy Fighters, rogues holding bows or crossbows sneak attacking, and Wizards who kept using their spells to attack, effectively injuring the Ogres!

Even though the Ogres were powerful, but in the face of Marvin’s tactics, they were seriously weakened.

Even if someone could die any moment, Marvin had already done everything he could to deal with the Ogres, those war machines.

Both the northern and southern battlefield already had an Ogre collapsed on the ground.

The tactics seemed to be effective.

Next would be a very long heated battle. They just had to keep going and the Ogres would be defeated!

…

After the cloud of dust rose up, the Ogres were the first monsters to rush out, but they weren’t the only monsters living on the mountain.

Soon, loud howling sprung all around as a large amount of wolves swiftly rushed down from the mountain. Behind them was a huge swarm of Goblins, Gnolls, Kobolds, as well as other relatively strong creatures.

In all likelihood, these monsters were the Ogres’ subordinates.

Marvin had already included them in his plan.

He leapt high and used [Intimidating Roar] toward those beasts in the distance!

The Dark Knights also used their own [Brave Souls Pressure] to scare those monsters!

In an instant, that side was in chaos and most low level lifeforms couldn’t help but be completely intimidated by such a fierce aura.

The Wizards corps immediately switched the target of their firepower and a large amount of long range spells were sent over, reaping the lives of groups of these insignificant lifeforms.

It was all going according to the plan!

After Marvin helped a Dark Knight kill another Ogre, his stamina was more or less exhausted.

He had to turn back to a human.

This was definitely somewhat dangerous on the battlefield.

Two Dark Knights immediately rushed over, one on the left, one on the right, protecting him.

He intended to retreat and take command of the army once again.

This was a huge war, which was far from a simple and refreshing adventure. As long as there were enemies in front of you, you had to kill them.

As the commander, Marvin had to understand the overall situation. After breaking through the enemy line, victory was only a matter of time.

They needed time to be victorious. And Marvin had to stay calm, looking for any variables that might appear.

He temporary withdrew from the battlefield.

…

In the north, two unrelated battles were still underway.

Bamboo and Daniela.

Ivan and the Iron Ogre.

Both sides occupied a side of the wasteland to fight their extremely vicious battles.

Despite both battles having the same intensity, their ways of fighting were completely different.

No matter if it was Daniela or Bamboo, they were both powerful casters. Even if their battle was just as lively, it was a battle of spells.

In any case, the Ice Angel Daniela was indeed extremely powerful!

‘To actually be able to face off against one of the strongest Half-Legend Chosen, Shapeshift Sorcerer’s bloodline is really extremely valuable.’

‘No wonder the Cridland clan values the purity of the bloodline to that extent.’

But judging from the fight between both sides, Bamboo clearly hadn’t recovered to her peak. She had moved so quickly to look for him, wanting to use this opportunity to wreck his operation.

But she hadn’t expected that Marvin’s group would have a variable like Daniela.

Both sides were in a stalemate. The one who would end up winning had yet to be determined, but Daniela shouldn’t be in too much trouble. She was the woman who would become the future Ice Empress after all.

As for the other side, Ivan and the Iron Ogre’s battle looked very uncivilized.

Both sides’ strength wasn’t as balanced as the women’s.

The Iron Ogre was being suppressed. Ivan was basically toying with the Iron Ogre.

But the Iron Ogre’s Constitution was really too fierce. Ivan had the strength to kill a Dragon but he could only beat the Ogre until the latter kept vomiting blood.

After a moment, he would stand up once again and keep fighting Ivan.

‘It is simply the most perfect training partner.’ Marvin shook his head.

He assessed that the Iron Ogre’s legendary specialties were bound to be [Major Recovery] and [Rapid Regeneration].

These two great legendary specialties made him able to barely survive under Ivan’s rain of attacks.

But It was only barely surviving, as his defeat was already set in stone.

Marvin sighed in relief.

He already assessed the situation.

But at that time, a roar was issued from the biggest Ogre.

He had brown skin and only had one eye.

After that roar, all the Ogres surprisingly took the same action and began to move closer to him.

‘No good!’

‘This guy is their battlefield commander. He has the power to gather his people.’

‘Can’t let him do that!’

Marvin’s heart sank and he immediately roared, “Gordian!”

The Paladin in the cloud dust clearly understood Marvin’s intention!

And that was to stop those Ogres from gathering!

They needed the Knights and Paladins to set up another charge to scatter them.

This also meant that they would lose many more people.

The Ogres weren’t that easy to handle. Every time they charged, a Knight or a Paladin would get forcefully dismounted and crushed to death.

But even then, River Shore City’s Knights and Silver Church’s Paladins still silently gathered.

The adventurers had no way to trap the Ogres. They were too strong.

Even if more than ten Ogres had already fallen on the battlefield, once these monsters gathered, they would be an overwhelming force.

They had to stop this!

“Charge!”

Under the lead of Gordian and that Head Knight, the cavalry charged once again!

They were set on keeping the Ogres split into the north and south group.

As for Marvin, his sight was set on that Ogre issuing orders!

‘The commander needs to die!’

‘As long as I kill him, this war would end up in our victory!’

Killing intent filled Marvin’s eyes.

“Woosh!”

Suddenly, two daggers appeared in his hands as he took a few steps back and started running toward a Dark Knight.

“Gimme a boost!”

Following Marvin’s shout, the Dark Knight put his hands together to allow Marvin to jump on it, before using force to send him flying toward the battlefield.

Anti-Gravity Steps, Flicker!

26 points of Dexterity gave Marvin such frightening nimbleness. It was as if he was using those movement techniques from the novels in his past life as he quickly walked through the battlefield by stepping on his enemies and his allies’ shoulders.

In a few seconds, he arrived at the commander.

With a flash of cold light, his daggers slashed down as he said, “Move! This Ogre is mine!”

Chapter 210: Bloody Devil King

p>The situation suddenly became unstable on the battlefield.

Marvin’s powerful thrust made the other Ogre a bit unnerved. A few Ogres in the surroundings immediately broke away from their fights and immediately rushed over.

They wanted to protect him!

This reinforced Marvin’s assessment that this guy was truly the battle commander. As for those two Legends, whether it was the Iron Ogre or the Ogre Mage, they were only leaders.

War was an art. The difference between those who knew how to command people and those who didn’t could clearly be seen on the battlefield.

Marvin ignored those other Ogres, his two daggers still ruthlessly slashing down!

“Bang!”

The Ogre Commander did his best to raise his wolf teeth club. “Clang!” Sparks flew everywhere.

Marvin took advantage of the fact that he was falling.

His daggers locked with the wolf teeth club as he sent power to his waist, and his legs went under the club and pressed against the Ogre’s forehead!

…

The few Ogres in the surrounding who wanted to gather together didn’t have their wishes fulfilled!

The Dark Knights appeared, holding their greatswords, and ferociously forced that group of Ogres back.

For these Dark Knights, Marvin was just like the former Night Monarch, someone they swore to protect with their lives.

Marvin wanted to make it a one on one situation, and they would accomplish this even if it cost their lives.

In fact, they also had the ability to do so.

Gordian and River Shore City’s Head Knight initiated the second charge on the northern and southern battlefield.

The sounds of war horses’ hooves resounded on the battlefield. The armored cavalrymen with pikes were ruthlessly charging towards those groups of Ogres.

They vowed to split these Ogres into pieces.

But it was a lot more difficult this time.

The Ogres were recklessly rushing toward their commander, this made the cavalry a lot more passive.

Even though this charge temporarily stopped the Ogres from moving, killed three of them and kept them split between the northern and southern side of the battlefield, the losses on Marvin’s side were even more disastrous!

A third of the Knights and Paladins lost their war horses, and a quarter of the men were smashed, lightly hurt or seriously wounded. A young Knight died on the spot!

This was the cruelty of war.

Those adventurers hovering around the battlefield didn’t dare to approach. They could only try to kill an Ogre that got isolated. But for common adventurers, Ogres were very dangerous creatures.

Despite over ten people attacking one Ogre at a time, they still lost ten people before successfully killing this Ogre.

This displayed Ogres’ power. If not for their rather limited intelligence, and their low reproductive ability, these guys would have been mankind’s nightmare.

A howl was heard on the battlefield.

Most of the soldiers’ faces carried a hint of fear.

They couldn’t do anything about it. Each Ogre was more than two meters tall and extremely strong. Even they were cut down by a greatsword, they would quickly recover, as long as they weren’t hit in the heart.

This made people feel very helpless!

And Marvin’s allied armies already had a lot of casualties. This seriously influenced their morale.

If not for Marvin still fighting, and the Dark Knights doing their utmost, the army might have already collapsed!

At that time, White Gown Collins strode forward and loudly chanted a Divine Spell.

That old fox finally acted.

Silvery white light condensed on the battlefield, and a large scale Divine Spell could be seen appearing.

The silver light enveloped all the Ogres. Each Ogre’s movements seemed to get delayed!

Divine Spell – Slow!

The Ogres were originally slow, but after the Divine Spell, they movements were so slow they seemed to be full of gaps.

This would give time for Marvin to kill Ogre Commander.

Collins’ grasp of the battlefield was also first rate.

Under his lead, the Silver Church’s Clerics also began to use the Divine Spells they excelled at on the battlefield.

These Divine Spells couldn’t directly kill the Ogres, but they could debuff them or buff their allies, and that was enough to even out the odds.

…

On the battlefield, Marvin’s body twisted, dodging under the wolf teeth club. He was hanging upside down on the Ogre’s body!

He attacked behind his own back with the two daggers!

The Ogre Commander’s painful howl erupted.

Because those two daggers were stabbed extremely precisely into the Ogre’s kneecap by Marvin!

He let go and once again used his waist to immediately roll past the Ogre’s head!

“Bang!”

Marvin kicked the Ogre’s back.

This extremely strong guy wasn’t able to control his own body and fell to his knees!

“Snap! Snap!”

The daggers stuck into the Ogre’s kneecap scraped out a bunch of tissue due to the latter’s body weight.

A painful roar once again echoed. His hand holding the wolf teeth club was shaking!

Marvin turned around and extremely nimbly retrieved the two daggers.

“Woosh!”

The wolf teeth club was ruthlessly sweeping over again. This time, the Ogre Commander’s attack range was very wide. Despite Marvin promptly jumping back, it still brushed past his chest.

The stinging pain irritated Marvin.

It was bloody.

Marvin’s heart was beating quickly.

If that had been a clean hit, he would have lost his life!

This was the terrible issue with fighting a huge creature. Despite Marvin’s huge Dexterity, the other side could still find an opportunity.

The creature might survive dozens of his slashes.

But if it hit Marvin once, he would be done for.

A Dual Wielding Ranger would be really helpless when facing some monsters. It was truly a class walking on the edge!

But there would be some changes once he advanced to Ruler of the night.

As a rogue, Marvin didn’t lack high speed movement skills, but he lacked skills to disengage during battles.

Assassins were skilled in that field, with Vanish, Strong Invisibility, Shadow Dodge… All kinds of high level disengaging tools would make them have an easier time when fighting meat shields.

But if an Assassin wanted to kill an Ogre, it would be very troublesome. Their defensive power and Constitution was really too strong.

It was almost impossible for short weapons to deal a fatal blow to the Ogres.

Cutthroat? The neck was extremely thick, so even if Cutthroat cut through it, they could still rely on their powerful recovery.

Stab the heart? With the Ogres’ tough skins, ordinary assassins simply couldn’t break through.

Apart from this, they nearly had no weak points.

To kill them, the only option besides spells was a direct confrontation.

And Marvin was doing that!

Relying on his super high Dexterity, his dismembered this Ogre Commander little by little!

This was something he was good at.

…

Painful roars kept echoing as Ogres on both sides were doing their best to try to help.

But the Dark Knights were a lot tougher than they imagined.

They formed a defensive formation, leaving enough space for Marvin and the Ogre Commander inside.

No other Ogre could come closer.

Their battle experience was frightening. Even if they weren’t on the same rank as those Ogres, they could keep them out easily by relying on their strength and willpower.

The Knights and Paladins on both sides were also extremely tired. Even if the Clerics treated them, every survivor of those charges had deep and shallow wounds, and these wounds were ghastly.

There were three bloody scars on Gordians’ face. He wiped his sweat and said, “What did Marvin do, to make that Ogre howl so miserably?”

His gaze swept through the battlefield, stopping on a fierce fight.

The next second, he felt a shiver running down his spine!

Because at that moment, an expressionless Marvin suddenly attacked from behind and forcefully cut off half of the Ogre’s arm!

The thick forearm flew in the sky before finally landing on the ground.

Marvin looked like a grim butcher, cutting the Ogre’s body little by little.

He already couldn’t stand up after his kneecap was scraped out, so he could only kneel on the ground and fight Marvin.

But Marvin didn’t give him an opportunity after that.

His wolf teeth club had already been kicked away by Marvin.

His body was slowly being chopped apart slash by slash.

Burst!

Reckless Dual Wielder!

He moved around the Ogre Commander, using the same kinds of methods as Black Jack back when he was toying with that Bear.

His Demon Hunter Steps kept becoming more illusory.

The Ogre simply couldn’t resist. He received another slash carrying enough strength to cut down his body.

In thirty seconds, the entire battlefield fell silent!

Every Ogre was dumbstruck.

Marvin was like a bloody devil king standing next to the Ogre Commander whose limbs were cut off.

The pitiful Ogre Commander was like a limbless doll… It was what they liked to do to humans.

The Ogres were thoroughly angry, and they raised their head and bellowed, incessantly roaring.

Marvin coldly said, “Noisy things.”

He kicked on the Ogre Commander lying on the ground. He then crossed his daggers above the Ogre’s nape and slashed!

The two daggers penetrated the Ogre’s neck, and were stuck inside.

“Fucking annoying…”

Marvin was ready for that. He leapt in the air and did a flip, and his feet stomped on the daggers!

The two daggers sank down, beheading the Ogre Commander on their way.

Then, all the Ogres went berserk.

But this was what Marvin wanted.

They began to fight their own battles, disregarding everything as they randomly attacked people next to them, no longer using group tactics.

‘Phew, the plan is successful…’

‘Now it’s time to surround and kill them.’ Marvin sighed in relief.

At that time, the graceful Elven Prince came from the battlefield in the wasteland up north, dragging something with him.

“How did it go?” Marvin asked.

Ivan shrugged. “His Common is too messy.”

“Before he lost consciousness, he said the word, [Devil].”

Chapter 211: Archdevil

p>Devil?

Marvin took a deep breath. Sure enough, that group of Ogres was related to the Devil.

The connection between that black clothed old man he met outside the Gnoll tribe and the treasure hidden in the castle was gradually clearing up.

Many clues were fitting together, as if they were pieces of a puzzle gradually taking shape.

That Three Eyed Great Devil Head pattern appeared in Marvin’s mind.

Numen gained something from the Devil there, and the Cridland clan was the Numen descendant… His grandfather took away a treasure from the Lavis royal family when he left home that year and it was now buried in White River Valley, and it brought quite a bit of trouble.

Regardless of what that item was, it would definitely not be unrelated to Hell.

Daniela wanted it, so she must have known what it was.

In a few instants, Marvin came up with all kinds of ways to probe Daniela for more information.

But right now, the most important matter was still to end this war.

“Do you think this Iron Ogre still has some value?” Marvin asked.

Ivan shook his head, “This guy’s intelligence is frighteningly low. I suspect he doesn’t know our language and just used random words together.”

“Killing it is,” Marvin calmly said.

“Finally.” Ivan shrugged and drew a worn-out iron sword from somewhere before ruthlessly beheading the unconscious Iron Ogre.

He then impaled the Iron Ogre’s heart, twisting and thoroughly mashing it. He only stopped after confirming the Iron Ogre was already dead.

Ivan’s way of handling it wasn’t unreasonable.

The Iron Ogre’s recovery ability was too powerful. Even if it was beheaded, it might regrow a head. You had to completely destroy its vitals to kill it.

…

As Marvin looked at the dusty battlefield, every Ogre was struggling.

But they were quite violent. Adventurers, Paladins and Knights were greatly injured.

But what made Marvin pleased was that his Dark Knights didn’t sustain any injuries.

After experiencing the long Eternal Night’s war, they were a lot better at keeping themselves in peak fighting condition. And their powerful strength and reaction speed made it a lot easier for them to survive on the battlefield.

“It’s time to end this war.”

Marvin nodded to Ivan and the latter kicked the Iron Ogre’s head high up in the sky.

Marvin leapt up and roared. He viciously stepped onto the Iron Ogre’s head in front of all these ogres!

That head’s mouth was still bleeding endlessly.

The obstinate Ogres were dumbfounded.

The Iron Ogre was an existence like a war god in their minds.

If their commander died, they could still be angry, but now that a Legend powerhouse died, it made the remaining Ogres panic!

Their morale rapidly declined, and some Ogres even began to flee in disorder!

“Everyone! Hunt them down!”

“Give them the last blow!” Marvin coldly ordered.

Not far from the dusty battlefield, O’Brien and Constantine were walking together. The former was carrying a crystal ball in his hands.

In the crystal ball was a miniature version of an Ogre baring his fangs.

Marvin sighed in relief. This time it was really over.

…

Half an hour later, the cloud of dust had calmed down.

Forty Ogre’s bodies were lying down on the battlefield as well as many other monsters’ bodies.

No Ogre was able to flee. They might have ran fast, but they couldn’t outrun cavalrymen.

The entire Ogre tribe was wiped out. The commander died in battle, the Iron Ogre died in battle, and the Ogre Mage was taken prisoner.

As for the human side, there were quite a bit of casualties. But considering that they were facing an Ogre army led by two Legend Ogres, Marvin leading them to victory was already pretty good.

Bamboo and Daniela’s battle had ended a while ago. As a Chosen of the Azure Matriarch, she had a good grasp of her surroundings.

As soon as Ivan knocked out the Iron Ogre, she began to retreat.

Unfortunately, Daniela kept chasing after her, unwilling to let her go. Bamboo ended up using quite a bit of strength but managed to escape from the battlefield.

This made the future Ice Empress very annoyed. Even if she wasn’t willing to admit it, she knew deep down that Bamboo had fled not because of her, but because of Ivan and the other two powerful Legends!

What aggravated her bad mood was that just Constantine was already enough to restrict her. There were actually two even more powerful Legends appearing at Marvin’s side.

Who is that guy in the end? How could he get help from these kinds of powerful experts?

Daniela’s heart was full of doubt, but naturally, no one explained to her.

On the chaotic battlefield, everyone began to cleanly sweep up the spoils of war and take care of their companions’ corpses.

There would be many matters that needed to be taken care of.

But Marvin didn’t have to worry about dealing with these matters.

He sent four Dark Knights to Anna. He would let her be in charge of dealing with the aftermath of this war.

As for him, he was in a tent in the temporary camp.

There, a totally new kind of interrogation was about to start.

…

Only Marvin and O’Brien were in the tent.

After the war ended, Ivan urgently crossed the mountain and hurried to the camp established by the sailors.

Since he came to help Marvin, there was a temporary lack of power over there.

Without the Legend, who knew what the 3rd rank Roberts might do.

And Constantine was still being a very “friendly” local guide for Daniela, not giving any chance for her to search the castle.

Thus, it was only Marvin and O’Brien there.

The means of this Night Walker leader were heaven-defying. Marvin had never seen such a magical method before.

A transparent crystal ball was lying on the table.

A miniature version of the Ogre Mage was surprisingly locked in the crystal ball.

“It’s fine,” O’Brien gently said, “His mana is sealed.”

“It’s like a pet in a crystal ball. You can try to touch it.”

Marvin forced a smile.

He couldn’t be as fierce as O’Brien.

Perhaps only a few people could consider a Legend Ogre Mage in a crystal ball as a pet and play with it.

“I need to ask him a few questions,” Marvin requested.

“Sure,” replied O’Brien candidly.

He grabbed the crystal ball, and a mysterious black force passed through his palm and entered the Ogre Mage in the crystal ball.

The latter immediately displayed a painful expression.

“This is one of the masterpieces of the Anzed. The Cursed Globe. There aren’t many in Feinan.” O’Brien indifferently added, “Of course, there aren’t many creatures worth using the Cursed Globe on.”

“If you have questions you can ask him, there are no questions he won’t answer. Moreover, he will say the truth.”

After saying this, he turned and left the tent. “Remember to bring me back my pet when you are done asking. Thanks.”

In an instant, only Marvin was left in the tent.

Marvin looked at the startled Ogre in the crystal ball and asked his first question. “Who taught you magic? I don’t believe you innately comprehended it.”

…

Marvin soon realized the Cursed Globe’s extreme might.

Sure enough, the Ogre Mage said everything he knew under Marvin’s questioning. He apparently couldn’t control his own mouth.

O’Brien added a [True Words] enchantment on the Cursed Globe. Thus, when the Ogre Mage faced Marvin’s questions he could only tell the truth.

Half an hour later, Marvin returned the Cursed Globe to O’Brien with a heavy expression.

He got too much information from the Legend Ogre.

He needed to carefully sort it out.

First, this Ogre Mage didn’t become a Legend Ogre Mage by chance; he was actually deliberately fostered.

That black-clothed old man called himself the incarnation of an Archdevil, a Lord of Hell. Early on, when the Ogre tribe was struggling in the Shrieking mountain range, he appeared in front of the Ogre Mage.

He was the one who helped him advance to Legend.

And the Iron Ogre also advanced to Legend thanks to some special methods of the Archdevil’s incarnation.

Because of this, they offended the most powerful monster in the Shrieking Mountain Range.

Despite these monsters being restrained by Lance’s law and being unable to kill outside the mountain, they could still kill each other. The shackles didn’t restrain that.

In order to avoid that powerful monster, the Archdevil’s incarnation told them a way to overcome the shackles and take refuge out of that mountain.

Thus, the Ogre tribe left the Shrieking Mountain Range.

In other words, that Ogre tribe was also part of that black-clothed old man’s scheme.

Otherwise, Marvin would have been able to expand White River Valley’s domain to the coastline without needing to fight this war.

‘Everything, from Twin Snakes Cult’s Miller, Cold Water City’s Toshiroya, up to the Gnolls and the Ogres was part of that black-clothed old man’s scheme.’

‘What the hell is he doing?’ Marvin was seriously worrying.

If an Archdevil truly had his sight on White River Valley’s treasure, that wouldn’t be something he could resist alone.

But what made Marvin puzzled was, if that was truly the case, why was that Archdevil using such roundabout methods?

Couldn’t he just drop by and take it?

Marvin then somewhat recalled that when they met, that guy’s strength seemed to be sealed by a greater power.

‘Not good, I have to quickly uncover the secret of the treasure.’ Marvin made up his mind.

…

After the heated war, White River Valley seemed even more bustling.

Marvin dispatched people to establish a sentry tower on top of the Ogres’ mountain. This was a pretty good location to watch both White River Valley and the future harbor in the east.

He then returned to his castle and went to his study.

He hesitated for a bit, and then clenched his teeth before ordering a servant to seek Daniela.

Chapter 212: Grandfather’s Painting

p>In the study, Marvin and Daniela were sitting, facing each other.

“Oh, did Sir Constantine request a vacation? And you didn’t feel relieved so you took the initiative to accompany me?” Daniela looked at Marvin and ruthlessly mocked.

She was a bit annoyed by Constantine always being around her these days.

She had come to White River Valley with a mission. Apart from confirming Marvin’s blood, the most important task was to bring back the treasure.

She once pledged in front of her father that if she couldn’t bring back that treasure, she would never come back to the North.

This was a pretty heavy oath.

Marvin also knew a bit about this. White River Valley wasn’t famous during the game, but the Ice Empress did become the ruler of the North. This meant she was probably able to find the treasure.

Unfortunately, the current White River Valley was a lot different from the game’s.

There were now three Legends watching over it. Perhaps no one would believe that a few months earlier, it was occupied by a pack of Gnolls.

And that’s not mentioning the Ashes Tower’s Master allying herself with White River Valley.

Elven Prince, Demon Hunter, and also an overpowered character that could play with a Legend Ogre Mage as a pet…

Daniela felt her own worldview being overturned.

Where did so many Legends come out from? In normal circumstances, these were the kinds of experts that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to meet for a lifetime.

But Marvin could actually gather this kind of power.

She was less and less able to see through that guy.

Thus, she was a bit surprised when Marvin sought her out today.

After all, even though the war ended, there was a lot of mess waiting for Marvin to clean up.

…

“I want to chat with you.”

“Chat about the treasure matter.”

Marvin got right to the point.

He obtained a lot of information from the Ogre Mage’s mouth. In fact, meeting the Ogre tribe out of the Shrieking Mountain Range made him somewhat worried, but fortunately, he confirmed that Wizard God Lance’s shackles had yet to collapse. That Archdevil also used a very special method to let the Ogres leave the Shrieking Mountain Range, and it couldn’t be copied.

This had made him sigh in relief. Otherwise the monsters on the Shrieking Mountain Range could have freely come down. Not to mention a small White River Valley, perhaps even Jewel Bay, the entire East Coast and probably the whole South would have been overrun.

On the Shrieking Mountain Range were elite monsters, some species from ancient times, remnants of the Celestial Plane, and according to rumors, even many gods’ spawns… In any case, before Marvin transmigrated, he had only run the Spider Crypt instance. As for the things above, he only heard rumors.

In short, it was very frightening.

Fortunately the Law Shackles were still there, intangible, but possessing an extremely strong restraint to those monsters. It’s rumored that Lance used the purest Law power to create those Law Shackles and even the collapse of the Universe Magic Pool didn’t influence the effect of the Law Shackles.

…

“What do you want to know.” Daniela was silent for a moment before finally starting to chat with Marvin.

“I want to know, what is the treasure you are talking about?” Marvin asked.

“No comment,” Daniela answered.

“It’s related to a Devil,” Marvin said.

Daniela indifferently retorted, “So what? We are descendants of the Numen. Who doesn’t know that Numen come from the Devils.”

“Our clan’s most valuable treasure being related to the Numen is quite normal.”

Marvin nodded. “However, being related to a powerhouse like an Archdevil, it isn’t very normal.”

Archdevils were equivalent to the Abyss’ Demon Overlords. Who knew how many times stronger than the common gods they were!

This kind of existence was actually conspiring against White River Valley. Even if it was in line with the way Devils handled stuff, wasn’t it a bit too exaggerated?

This was what made Marvin so confused.

Daniela sighed and hesitation began to flicker in her eyes. “You seem to already understand quite a few things.”

“Indeed. This thing is really connected to an Archdevil. I know what you said before was just a perfunctory excuse. You definitely know where the treasure is,” Daniela said.

“Listen, Marvin, If I really had such evil intentions, I wouldn’t have fought off Bamboo for you, and I also wouldn’t sit with you to negotiate.”

Daniela’s tone suddenly felt very sincere. “Trust me, that thing isn’t something you can control. But our clan’s people know how to control him.”

“Otherwise, things might become very dangerous.”

“We are family… Dear Cousin…”

Cousin?

Marvin sneered, Daniela was worthy of being the future Ice Empress, able to switch her attitude so easily.

Her unruly and willful nature was concealed very well as she began to display the affection of a family member.

Marvin was indifferent.

“Whether we are family or not, this is hard to say. But I am actually quite interested in the word you used, [Him].”

Marvin faintly smiled, continuing, “When we spoke of the treasure, you used [Him] and didn’t refer to him with the usual [That thing] or [That treasure]. Could the treasure be something living?”

Daniela clenched her fist, realizing she had been careless and leaked something.

“You are truly unreasonable.” Her expression immediately turned back to coldness. “You really think these few Legends can protect you for a lifetime?”

“Don’t think I’m unaware that they could leave at any time. How could Legend powerhouses be willing to work for a 3rd rank weakling?”

Marvin shrugged. “They don’t work for me, they are my friends.”

“Friends?” Daniela indifferently dismissed, “They’ll be your friends only when you are of use to them, right?”

“There is no harm in telling you the truth, the treasure left behind by our family is really something living… A part of one.”

“I know that even if I tell you this, you wouldn’t hand me the treasure. I can see with a glance that you are someone selfish. You only plan on hogging this treasure to yourself.”

“But I warn you, you won’t be able to control this kind of formidable power!”

“You won’t only kill yourself, you’ll kill the people at your side and even the entire White River Valley would fall into an unprecedented crisis because of your selfish action.” Daniela’s voice was strict.

Marvin shook his head and smiled. “You are wrong.”

“I’ll show you.”

After saying that, he got up and took out a key from the drawer, pushed the cupboard behind him, and revealed the hidden door.

Marvin turned to Daniela and said, “Actually, this isn’t the first time I opened this hidden door.”

“The first time I opened it, I almost lost my life.”

A heated gaze appeared on Daniela’s face, “It won’t this time. I’ll protect you.”

She then took a step forward and grabbed Marvin’s left hand.

A refreshing feeling came from her body, and Marvin felt a bit more clear-headed.

“As expected, you know what is inside.” Marvin took a deep glance at Daniela.

The latter slightly smiled. “This is something from our clan.”

“Open it.”

Marvin reached forward and opened the door!

They directly met with the Three Eyed Great Devil Head carrying that strange smile!

After opening the entrance, the two simultaneously shook!

Even Daniela was stopped by the willpower check for a moment. She struggled free three seconds later.

Her eyes returned from chaos to calm.

The entire study immediately became ice cold.

A layer of cold even formed on the hand she was holding.

Marvin couldn’t help but sneeze!

“Is this how you’ll protect me?”

After struggling free from the illusion, he looked at Daniela, the fear from the willpower check still apparent on his face.

His left hand was quickly freezing, at a rate visible with the naked eye.

After turning into the Ice Angel Shape, Daniela was extremely beautiful, far more beautiful than those local beauties. She also carried a kind of out of this world bearing.

She gently released his hand and her wings began flapping, suddenly rushing inside!

Marvin calmly followed behind her.

The hidden room wasn’t too big and the sides were completely deserted.

“This is fake.” Daniela took a glance at that Great Devil Head.

“This is merely an alchemy item. It’s used to send the same chaos willpower spell as the Great Devil.”

She looked further into the hidden room.

There was a scroll painting in the depths of the room. On the scroll was a relatively young man.

The painting looked ordinary, with nothing special about it.

But the young man’s eyes were looking at a stone platform.

On the stone platform lay a pair of silver bracelets.

“It is!”

Daniela was pleasantly surprised. She flew there, trying to grab that pair of bracelets.

But at that time, the young man in the scroll painting lifted his head and said, “You aren’t my descendant. You aren’t qualified to take away my inheritance.”

Daniela looked at that man in the painting with disbelief and the next second, a frightening light ray shot out from the painting.

Even in her Ice Angel Shape, she couldn’t dodge.

Marvin saw Daniela get hit by the light ray and turn into a petrified Ice Angel, falling on the ground extremely awkwardly.

He had already been expecting something like this.

He knew about the set of rules guarding the treasure. When his grandfather left, he had set it up so that only his direct descendants could obtain this treasure.

Even if Daniela was his cousin, she clearly didn’t have the qualifications to take away this pair of bracelets.

Marvin quickly arrived in front of the stone platform.

“Equip them quickly,” the young man on the painting urged, “My petrification can only block her for at most three minutes.”

“I have a lot of things to tell you during those three minutes.”

Marvin didn’t hesitate and directly equipped the silver bracelets.

Then, a silvery light flashed and the bracelets became invisible. He tried to feel them, and sure enough, the bracelets were still there. But other people wouldn’t be able to perceive them.

He raised his head and looked at the man in the scroll painting and couldn’t help but ask, “In the end, what did you leave behind for me?”

“Dear Grandfather?”

Chapter 213: Ancestor’s Mystery

p>”Being called grandfather by a young man not much smaller than me is truly a strange experience.”

The young man in the painting blinked. “What’s your name? Are you Jean or Miller’s child?

“I’m Marvin. My father is Jean,” Marvin answered simply.

“Are they okay?” The man in the painting anxiously fretted, “After I left, I didn’t pay attention to White River Valley for a very long time. I gave the valley to your father, but his innate talent isn’t very outstanding. I always worried about you guys.”

“After you left?” Marvin was shocked.

“Could it be that you haven’t died?”

The young man laughed for a bit. “Of course, it’s just a prank. But it seems I won’t be able to return for a little while. To let everyone think I’m dead might have been for the best.”

Marvin suddenly felt a bit dizzy.

His own grandfather… Was actually still alive?

He firmly believed that this scroll was an alchemy item with a [Message Image] enchantment attached to it. The man inside and his words would have been recorded in advance.

But he hadn’t expected that his own grandfather was actually still alive.

That painting….

“This painting will burn in a few minutes. You might not see me for a very long time, Marvin.”

A trace of benevolence flashed through the young man’s eyes as he watched Marvin. Despite Marvin feeling that kindness was a bit out of sorts, he still forced himself to accept it.

He was his grandfather after all.

“Communication across planes is a very troublesome matter unless you can find someone able to reproduce a similar item.”

The young man gravely said, “We don’t have much time. I know you have a lot of questions, but I have to answer to the most important ones.”

Then, the young man kept talking for two and a half minutes, and Marvin listened, recording every word in his heart.

The content was really too shocking.

Marvin kept thinking about it, confirming it in his heart, making sure his grandfather didn’t make a mistake.

Once the time came, the lower half of the painting began to burn on its own.

“Seems like our discussion has reached its end.” The young man gently smiled. “Although I’m surprised you didn’t become a Wizard, but Ranger with the Shapeshift Sorcerer subclass is also a very fascinating path. I also noticed many powerful blessings on your body. You seem to be shouldering many people’s expectations.”

“I am proud of you.”

“This painting will ultimately leave a remnant behind. That remnant is the plane’s mark. If you can get a hold of an item to communicate between planes, you can try to get in touch with me. I know you still have many questions, but for now you can only go by yourself and gradually explore…”

That last word had yet to be finished when the painting finished burning.

Marvin cautiously walked over and picked out a small crystal from the ashes.

This was the plane mark his grandfather mentioned.

He suddenly heard a coughing voice behind him!

The powerful Ice Angel finally got rid of the petrification state.

She was extremely angry as she looked at the absolutely empty stone platform. She lost her self-control and asked Marvin, “What have you done?”

Marvin calmly looked at Daniela. “I took what my grandfather gave me.”

“That’s all.”

Daniela rushed in disbelief and grabbed Marvin’s wrists.

The ice cold feeling from her body could be felt.

“You really… equipped it?” Daniela’s tone was extremely dispirited.

She ground her teeth and glared at Marvin, “Why is it you!”

“My father obviously told me it belonged to me!”

“It should be mine.”

She then seemed lose her spirit.

Marvin lightly patted her shoulder. “Don’t take offense, your father might have made a wrong guess.”

“Regardless, we are family, aren’t we?”

…

That pair of bracelets wasn’t a treasure in itself, but only people with enough talent in the Cridland clan could put them on.

Their effect was to control the true treasure.

And after putting it on, Cridland’s clansmen couldn’t harm him. This was a bloodline restriction.

Marvin’s grandfather also made use of that point in those days. He stole the treasure and ran away unhindered out of the Lavis Kingdom.

In the Cridland family, there was a rumor that the one who put on this pair of bracelets would become the ruler of the North.

Marvin’s grandfather had put on those bracelets, but he wasn’t interested in becoming the ruler of the North. A few decades after escaping to the South, he left this world.

That’s right, he left this world, left Feinan.

But that didn’t mean he died.

Marvin recalled that day in his childhood when his father and Uncle Miller held a funeral. They hadn’t looked very sad.

They must have known their father had disappeared, but hadn’t died.

He left this world. And as for where he was now, he hadn’t had time to tell Marvin, but according to Marvin’s guess… he most likely was in Hell.

The secret of the Numen, Cridland clan’s most valuable treasure… Marvin finally knew what the hell that thing was!

That was the head of an Archdevil!

Despite his grandfather mentioning the countless ancient seals on it, Marvin was still startled.

The Archdevil head was still the real thing, and it was now calmly lying in that secret path.

Thinking of this, Marvin didn’t even dare to sleep in his castle.

His grandfather truly had a big heart. He actually buried a ticking time bomb like that under White River Valley. Wasn’t he worried that a time bomb like that, whose seals weren’t reinforced by strong casters, could lead to many calamities?

In fact, the calamities White River Valley met this past half year were due to this sealed head.

That black-clothed old man was a phantom forcefully condensed by the Archdevil. It had countless years of knowledge from the Archdevil, but no strength.

This guy was also pitiful. His head was originally cut down by the first Numen, and they absorbed knowledge and bloodline’s strength from the Archdevil’s head. They successfully made the first man-made bloodline Sorcerer. Those people were the first Numen.

They were extremely powerful and tyrannized countless worlds, a group of crazy mad scientists. They were obsessed with making artificial bloodlines and loved to imprison all kinds of powerful lifeforms to absorb their power.

This Archdevil was one of the unlucky targets.

He had been used by the Cridland clan for many generations, relying on his unparalleled vitality and his ability to draw power from the void. He kept struggling at death’s door.

A lot of seals were placed on his head, leaving him unable to use his considerable powers.

Helpless, he could only begin to resort to schemes, which also happened to be what he was the best at.

He tried countless times, and eventually succeeded.

He bewitched Marvin’s grandfather into taking him away from the Cridland clan’s hidden grounds.

But he had also failed. Marvin’s grandfather was the most outstanding talent from the Cridland clan (or so the young man had said). Even if others believed he was merely a 3rd rank Wizard, in fact, his Sorcerer class was higher leveled than his Wizard class. Even if it wasn’t publicly known, Marvin estimated that his grandfather was at least a Legend.

He saw through the Devil’s trick and imprisoned it in a small region like White River Valley before relying on his mighty strength to replace the seals.

The Archdevil thoroughly calmed down.

But he didn’t give up.

The two sides made a bet, and put it on a contract. That time, the always conceited young man lost and had to follow the contract, so he was forced to leave Feinan.

He thought he could come back very quickly, but he was trapped.

Thus, so many years flew past.

Up till today when Marvin, with the help of Daniela, realized the truth.

Because Marvin’s grandfather left, the seals on the Archdevil’s head began to loosen up.

Little by little, he was able to condense a phantom. And even if it was only a small step, it already gave him the prerequisite to help him escape.

He used the black-clothed man’s identity to bewitch Toshiroya, King Cobra, Miller, and the Ogres. He hadn’t dared to look for stronger people because they would have been able to see through him.

He was hoping these people could rescue him, though of course, he had enticed them with lies.

But Marvin arrived in this world, making everything impossible.

Marvin equipped that pair of bracelets named [Ancestor’s Mystery]. The power of the bracelets was reinvigorated, once again activating many seals that had previously worn off back on that Archdevil’s head.

From his grandfather’s words, the Archdevil’s head shouldn’t be able to recreate a phantom for another half a year.

Naturally, he also warned Marvin to not touch the head for the time being, unless he was able to go through the hidden chamber’s willpower check on his own.

That Great Devil’s head was an reproduction of the actual Archdevil’s head made by his grandfather using alchemy. Only by using his own power to withstand its effects would he be able to resist the Archdevil’s bewitchment.

Thus Marvin set aside the idea to go check on the Archdevil’s head for the time being.

However, he apparently found a completely new path for his Shapeshift Sorcerer advancement.

In any case, Marvin finally figured out the origin of the black-clothed man, and temporarily removed the crisis on his territory.

As for Daniela, she was extremely dispirited. She had pledged that if she couldn’t get the Archdevil’s head, she wouldn’t go back to the North.

She sent Oren back to Lavis’ Dukedom to inform her father.

Marvin couldn’t say anything about this.

He wasn’t worried about Daniela staying in his territory. After all, with the Ancestor’s Mystery in his hand, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to get in contact with the Archdevil’s head. She would only be controlled by that kind of crafty Devil.

But what Marvin didn’t expect was that just one day later, he would be pleasantly surprised by Daniela.

…

The next day, in the meeting room.

Marvin gathered everyone, mainly to discuss what would happen after the war and how to develop White River Valley.

He shared a bit of his thoughts when suddenly, Daniela stood up.

“In any case, I have nothing else to do here.”

“Building a country is something I’ve been learning since I was a child. If you trust me, as your fiancée, let me deal with this matter.”

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, feeling doubtful of Daniela.

Marvin slightly hesitated.

“Tell me what you are thinking first.”

Chapter 214: Territory Development

p>Behind Marvin was a complete map of White River Valley.

The map was left behind by Marvin’s grandfather and perfected by Marvin’s father, but it hadn’t been updated during this generation.

This map could at most be considered a sketch.

After all, the current White River Valley had already expanded at least twice.

From the northern mine to the southern White River, from the common border with River Shore City to the coastline.

Marvin made a decision. He would go look for two Master Cartographers to draw a map of White River Valley once this meeting ended.

But for now, he had to use this one.

Daniela didn’t have stage fright, and really looked as if she was Marvin’s fiancée.

She walked up to Marvin’s seat and pointed at the coastline on the map. “You intend to establish a harbor there?”

Marvin nodded in reply. “Yes.”

“It would be better to do it further south.”

Her slender finger followed the coastline and surprisingly pointed at the estuary, the location where the White River flowed into the sea.

“This place is the most suitable to build a harbor, because it allows the sea trade to also develop inwards. As far as I know, the river is very deep.”

“I looked at the river when I was bored a few days ago. The river is wide, very slow, and deep. Many ships could travel on it.”

“If you set up a harbor there, and then restore the previously abandoned wharf, you could completely connect the eastern and western side of your territory.” Daniela spoke with assurance.

Marvin nodded and said, “I also planned to do that at the beginning.”

“However, that location doesn’t work. It’s not fitting to build a harbor there because of the erosion caused by the river. It would be very hard to build a city on that land. Moreover, that area is closer to the wilderness.”

Daniela confidently said, “I’ll take care of this issue.”

“It’s only soft soil. As long as you are fine with me taking care of it, you’ll have a new harbor in six months!”

Everyone looked at Daniela doubtfully.

Only the alchemist who wanted to join in the fun suddenly spoke, “Steel talcum powder?”

Daniela looked at the alchemist, somewhat surprised. “Not bad, there is someone who knows of [Steel Talcum Powder] in such a rural area.”

The corner of Marvin’s mouth twitched.

These words were implying he didn’t even know of steel talcum powder. But the price and buying channels of that stuff weren’t things the current White River Valley could take care of, right?

But he carefully thought. What Daniela said wasn’t without reason.

White River’s estuary was a very important strategic location. If they could occupy this area, it would be extremely convenient for both sea trade and inland trade.

He thought for a bit and muttered, “What if I want you to build the harbor in three months?”

Daniela shrugged. “The budget would need to be doubled.”

Marvin nodded. Daniela’s appraising ability was very good. They would need a great amount of manpower to establish a new harbor, and it required a lot of money.

After the harbor was built, they still needed enough ships.

Marvin only had the stolen Southie for now. As soon as the war ended, Marvin sent a group of people to deal with this.

Most of those slaves chose to leave by themselves, while a few chose to stay behind. Marvin let them live in the eastern part of White River Valley, in the vicinity of the new harbor.

They might become the first residents of the new harbor. As for the Southie, it was silently unmoving on the beach and was undergoing remodeling.

River Shore City’s engineers had already begun to carry out a complete transformation.

The remodeling would last about a month. Once the transformation finished, the Southie would be a completely new ship, at least on the exterior. Even if the Taurus chamber of commerce wanted to say something, they wouldn’t be able to. Once they shed all pretenses with Marvin, he would simply denounce them for their secret slave trade.

Even though the South Wizard Alliance didn’t prohibit slave trade on paper, it required a permit. It was clear that the Southie didn’t have that kind of permit, so it could only pretend to be a merchant ship stealthily transporting slaves. In any case, Marvin wasn’t the clueless teen from the past. White River Valley had also greatly developed. He wasn’t worried about the Taurus chamber of commerce trying something.

…

Then, Marvin spontaneously sat on the side, letting Daniela become the lead of this meeting.

Every idea Marvin suggested was being perfected.

The northern mine would continue to operate. According to the notes left by Marvin’s father, the northern mine not only had a deep iron ore vein, but might also have some other ore veins.

But they were restricted by the previously lacking economy of White River Valley, and they were short on miners.

Daniela suggested to to purchase slaves to solve this issue. And to buy in great quantity.

“Building a territory requires manpower. A slave costs a fifth of a free man. Even though they have shorter life expectancy, it’s far more beneficial than employing miners.” Daniela calmly added, “I don’t know much about the current market situation in the South, but this is how we handle it in the North.”

“It’s also very easy if you want to keep a benevolent reputation. Promise the slaves that if they work hard for three years, they would automatically become free men.”

“Most people only need a bit of hope in order to work with all their might.”

“This is different from when you released those slaves. The slaves on that ship were from the South, in addition, most of them were women and children. You promised them freedom. The slaves you need to buy should be young and sturdy men. There are frequent wars between northern cities, and many people would become prisoners of war after losing. I know the best place to purchase those slaves.”

Daniela didn’t get to finish her words when Marvin chimed in, “Bass Harbor.”

Daniela praisingly nodded. “Seems like the Overlord isn’t inexperienced.”

Marvin sighed. As someone who went through the education of a more advanced civilization, he was very critical of slavery.

But under these circumstances, if they didn’t use Daniela’s methods, they really couldn’t develop the territory quickly.

He wasn’t a saint, and it was impossible to help everyone. Just as Daniela said, he really needed a group of young, sturdy, and obedient slaves.

…

After talking about the northern mine and the new harbor, Daniela’s sight aimed to the south.

Even though she had only stayed in White River Valley for a short period of time, she figured out the entire territory’s situation.

To the south of White River Valley was a very fertile piece of land, but there were many monsters that would harass the inhabitants.

With the just the guards’ manpower, they wouldn’t be able to completely clean up these monsters.

But Daniela suggested another way.

Establishing an [Adventurer Camp].

Set up an adventurer camp west of the southern White River.

Building a small kind of village there would provide the adventurers with a resting place, supplies, and weapons repairs…

Marvin had already been mulling over it for a long time. However, for Daniela to be able to suggest the idea in such a short time, he had to say, the future Ice Empress truly had the ability to rule a country.

As for how they should build the facilities for the adventurers, Marvin already had a plan.

The plan was very simple: Request help from River Shore City.

In any case, his deal with Madeline was still ongoing, Marvin could give any request and she could only answer by grinding her teeth.

If he didn’t profit as much as he could now, could he wait till she advanced to Legend to ask?

…

According to Daniela’s plan, once the adventurer camp was set up, It would help settle the adventurers who came attracted by the wilderness clearing order.

They could start exploring to the south. That place was part of the wilderness, but if there were enough people, they would gradually secure the area.

Marvin could issue a few monster extermination quests. The bounty hunters would rush there like ants rushing for food.

Moreover, White River Valley had many cost-effective monsters to kill, so getting rid of them would give easy money to the adventurers.

This would become the paradise of the southern adventurers.

…

Apart from this, recruiting sentries and mounted patrols was also put on the agenda by Daniela.

Because in her plan, such a vast territory had to establish enough defense mechanisms. Otherwise, it would be too easy for the enemies to infiltrate it.

“There, there, and also there. This one is the most important… We must set up a sentry tower there.”

The place Daniela was pointing at was unsurprisingly the top of the Ogres’ mountain.

As she said, that location was extremely advantageous, able to overlook the entire White River Valley. It had views on the Spider Crypt in the north, and the future adventurer camp in the south, River Shore City in the west, and the new port in the east.

This location definitely needed a lookout post working around the clock.

As for the few other places Daniela pointed, they were also key locations.

Marvin’s expression while looking at Daniela was a lot more appreciative.

Even if that girl was young, her insight in planning was very frightening.

“Do you believe me now?” She winked, looking at Marvin. “I’m a woman who started drawing architectural designs when I was four.”

Marvin clapped, “Good. You perfected the entire plan.”

At that time, the others couldn’t stay seated.

They looked at Marvin and Daniela for a long time. Ultimately, Anna and Wayne couldn’t help but ask, “Brother/Young Master Marvin, you planned so many things, but… What about money?”

Marvin and Daniela glanced at each other and answered at the same time, “Borrow!”

Borrowing money, crazily borrowing money. This was the main reason Marvin wanted to attack the Ogre mountain.

With this gold mine in his possession, he could start borrowing money everywhere.

…

In the Wizard Tower outside River Shore City.

Madeline’s complexion became ashen as she looked at the list Marvin sent her.

A huge amount of supplies and manpower was requested.

‘What the hell, there is even something like a dozen prostitutes required as manpower!’

What angered her even more were the 2000 Wizard golds written at the end of the list.

‘Do you really want to squeeze me dry?’ Madeline angrily grasp the list.

But the next line made her feel a bit better.

‘So it’s borrowed… Half a year?’

She hesitated, before agreeing to Marvin’s request.

The same thing happened in the South Wizard Alliance’s headquarters.

But this loan request had shockingly reached 10000 Wizard golds!

Chapter 215: Setting Off Once Again

p>South Wizard Alliance’s East Coast headquarters. Department of Finance conference room.

“Regarding Baron Marvin’s application for a huge loan, what does everyone think?” inquired one person in a low voice.

The other four stayed silent.

After a moment, someone sneered, “10000 Wizard gold coins? Never before has such a huge amount been loaned since the alliance was established, right?”

“What did he use as a guarantee?”

The first person who spoke was a woman. She was the head of the finance department, O’Connor.

She took a glance at that sneering man and said, “Mister Peter, could you not speak nonsense if you haven’t checked the assessment report?”

Peter felt speechless.

Everyone had a thin document in front of them.

This was an assessment report of Marvin and White River Valley’s development potential.

The South Wizard Alliance was very strict when providing a loan, and would always do a thorough investigation.

“As far as I know, Baron Marvin’s territory truly doesn’t have enough to repay the loan on a short term basis. But in this expedition, Baron Marvin successfully opened up a territory.”

“He annihilated an entire Ogre tribe. It is said that there were Legend Ogres among them.”

“And we discovered quite a few old acquaintances at Baron Marvin’s side.”

O’Connor just finished her sentence when Peter suddenly shouted, startled, “How could this be!”

As he held that information in front of him and looked at each familiar name, he couldn’t help but blurt out, “Demon Hunter Constantine…”

“Elven War Saint Ivan…”

“And even that unsociable O’Brien?”

Peter gulped in agitation. “Tell me, is this information forged?”

The others looked at him as if he was an idiot.

The reason they were silent earlier was because they were shocked by those few names. They were wondering what kind of person could gather so many powerhouses in one place.

Not to mention the information, a few pages earlier, it also mentioned that Marvin, along with a few other Legend Powerhouses, got rid of the Crimson Patriarch, something which even Sir Anthony wasn’t able to do.

There was no doubt that simply from this report, Baron Marvin was someone with extremely high potential for growth.

The South Wizard Alliance already intended to confer Marvin a title of Viscount after the success of this wilderness clearing expedition. The corresponding rewards were also being prepared.

The South Wizard Alliance was always encouraging capable nobles to expand their lands, but not like those northern nobles who liked to fight against each other to the death for a bit of resources. Those people would rather start a feud that would last for generations than step out in the wilderness.

But what caught the alliance somewhat unprepared was that they had yet to send Marvin’s reward and this guy already asked for a loan.

And the loan amount was unprecedentedly high!

10000 Wizard golds!

This was equivalent to ten million silvers!

This amount was equivalent to half of the loan quota of the department of finance in the South Wizard Alliance’s eastern headquarters.

If they loaned that money to Marvin and the other territories asked to borrow from them, they might end up in a situation where they were strapped for cash.

From this point of view, Marvin’s request was a bit absurd.

But directly declining wasn’t a good way to handle it.

Because something very tempting was written on Marvin’s loan application.

10000 Wizard golds, six month return deadline. Collateral, two gold mines.

Immediately after the end of the wilderness clearing military campaign, Marvin promptly looked for someone to check the ore vein at the core of the Ogres’ mountain.

The outcome made him overjoyed.

According to his father, there was a gold mine there. But that wasn’t the result of the investigation. There wasn’t just one vein, there were two!

The two ore veins ran parallel to each other and didn’t cross paths, one south and one north. Marvin gave mining rights for one to the Silver Church as part of their business transaction, but he was still the owner of the gold mine.

According to the investigation, if they mined with a certain intensity, it would take about twenty years to fully mine.

Their entire value when added together exceeded 60000 Wizard golds.

It was the appearance of those two golds mines that made things difficult for the finance department.

The head of the department, O’Connor, already sent a group of people to check, and there was no issue with Marvin’s report. No one expected such a hidden treasure to lie in the vicinity of a barbarous place like the Shrieking Mountain Range. But it was too late to act, because that mountain along with the coastline already became the personal property of Marvin.

Moreover, the wilderness clearing order was still in effect. As long as he kept opening up new territory for the next half a year, the wilderness clearing order would remain valid.

Who knew what this ambitious young man would do.

In the eyes of the higher ups of the Alliance, Marvin was a very promising Overlord worth nurturing.

And his ability to repay the debt in the long term was very high. There was apparently no risk in lending this money.

But the amount was too large, so the finance department had to convene this meeting.

..

“Ladies and Gentlemen, everyone must have already grasped the information about White River Valley.” O’Connor looked at everyone and resolutely announced, “Now is the time to vote.”

“Oh, that’s right. If anyone is worried about the guarantee, there was a piece of information an hour ago, Dame Hathaway of the Three Ring Towers is willing to vouch for this debt. But it was in a hurry, so there wasn’t time to formally send the vouching document. But Dame Hathaway’s reputation is flawless.”

O’Connor finished and then took the lead. “I agree to provide this loan.”

“I agree.”

“I agree.”

Even Peter who was initially sneering shrugged. “I agree.”

Only the last man was silent for a moment before sighing, “I abstain from voting.”

The all gave him a pitying look.

This was a Unicorn clansman. They had heard about the small grudges between the Unicorn clan and Marvin.

It was said that the Unicorn clan was intending to deal with Marvin, but they ended up suffering from the disaster known as the Ancient Red Dragon Ell.

The Unicorn clan had already collapsed. As one of the few remaining clansman, even if this person had a high position in the South Wizard Alliance, he couldn’t create much trouble for Marvin.

4 to 0, perfect pass.

Half an hour later, Bass Harbor, in the lobby of the South Wizard Alliance’s eastern headquarters.

“Congratulations, Miss Anna, Lord Marvin’s application has already been approved.”

O’Connor personally handed a document to Anna and then looked behind them. “As long as Baron Marvin shows his Baron Medal, he can sign it.”

Anna took out a medal and smiled. “He didn’t come, but I brought the medal. Is that a problem?”

O’Connor froze. Such an important matter was actually handled by a butler?

She couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Baron Marvin now?”

“He…” Anna signed while helplessly saying, “I also don’t know…”

Lola behind her back also nodded. “Lord Marvin is indeed known as the Wanderer. After giving us quite a bit of tasks, he slipped away.”

…

Indeed, just as Lola said, after Marvin completed the planning of the development of his territory, and gave everyone long term and short term tasks, he once again left his territory.

He was going west this time. He didn’t bring anyone along apart from Isabelle.

Acting as an overlord wasn’t his strong point. He would at most know a bit of basic management general knowledge, and only had a rough idea on how to quickly build a powerful territory.

It turned out that Daniela displayed breathtaking talent in this regard.

Marvin felt quite at ease in leaving the territory development to Daniela. Of course, during Marvin’s absence, the Proxy Overlord was still Wayne.

And the matter of River Shore City’s loan was very simple, just send a sealed letter and Madeline would send the stuff.

The 6th page of the Book of Nalu was still in her hands after all, and she was still in the middle of enlightenment.

Before she advanced, Hathaway could come and take back that page any time, thus she didn’t dare to go against Marvin.

And as for the South Wizard Alliance’s loan, he carefully considered and still sent Anna.

This was a huge amount of money. He wouldn’t trust the others with it. He only felt relieved with the butler who had always silently followed behind his back all this time.

As for Lola, he sent her to buy supplies and slaves.

He already officially appointed Lola as White River Valley’s Finance official. She was mainly in charge of purchasing and budgeting. The true financial power was still in the hands of Anna.

Daniela was mainly in charge of building the territory. She wasn’t meddling with the other matters.

But her existence was also considered as an insurance after Marvin left.

Even though the Dark Guards were always there to defend White River Valley, but if they met a powerhouse, they wouldn’t be able to contend against it.

Constantine and O’Brien had left White River Valley after all. The former because of the Red Dragon’s corpse. Apparently there was no one in the South who knew how to properly dismember a Dragon. In order to maximize the profits, Constantine intended to personally set out to look for an old acquaintance. That guy reportedly had dissected at least three Dragons! He had plenty of experience.

Fortunately the Red Dragon’s corpse in the Thousand Paper Crane wouldn’t have any issues. As for the matter of the Dragon Blood’s bath, Marvin once asked Constantine and was scolded by the latter for wanting to recklessly waste such a resource.

Dragon blood could make very powerful medicine. Using it to bathe would certainly increase one’s attributes, but it wasn’t very cost efficient.

After Marvin understood, he decided to wait for that butcher’s arrival while also asking Constantine to help with recruiting a few master-level Potioneers.

Apart from this, Ivan followed Anna and Lola to Bass Harbor in the north in order to guarantee the safety of the funds.

And the rest of the territory’s progress was carefully arranged.

…

Three days later, Marvin brought along Isabelle and climbed over the the mountain on the far west of the Deathly Silent Hills, northwest of River Shore City.

What spread in front of them was an endless desert.

The Saint Desert.

Marvin let out a breath and took the lead under the setting sun.

“Let’s go, we have a long road ahead of us.”

Chapter 216: White Deer in the Desert

p>A tall silhouette and a small silhouette were struggling forward in an endless sandy area.

There was a lot of wind and their feet would sink in the sand with each step, greatly impeding their progress.

Especially the little girl in the back. Her face had a few bloody scratches from the flying sand, but they had already dried up.

It could be seen that she struggled with every single step.

But she was still resolutely following behind Marvin, expressionless.

From her words, she wouldn’t hesitate to do anything Marvin asked her to do.

And Marvin didn’t lend her a helping hand.

He could see a shadow of his former friend from this girl with 18 years left to live. The path ahead would be full of hardship, difficult even for Marvin.

But she was confident in him. The way she was looking at him made Marvin feel responsible for her.

He had to think of a way to save her.

Thus, when he left White River Valley this time, he didn’t bring anyone else, only Isabelle!

Marvin planned a path full of hardship for her.

That path was far more difficult than this desert, but it was her only chance.

‘I hope this child can persevere.’

Marvin turned and took a glance at Isabelle. She clearly was running out of strength, but she still listened to Marvin’s words: To not use [Blink].

This ability would endlessly burn her already short remaining lifespan. Marvin ordered her to not use it except as a last resort.

She was struggling at every step.

This seemed to be the fate of the Hammons.

Marvin stopped and waited for a while before Isabelle slowly caught up.

In fact, they were already three days away from the Deathly Silent Hills.

Marvin had a compass in hand, making sure they wouldn’t go in the wrong direction.

“There is about an hour of walking left. How are you?” he asked with concern.

Isabelle softly nodded.

The two continued forward.

An hour and twenty minutes later, there seemed to be less sandy winds.

The two climbed a dune. They could faintly see some signs of human habitation in the distance.

The girl rubbed her eyes, thinking it was a mirage.

Marvin gently patted her head, spitting some sand that had gotten into his mouth. “It’s here.”

This was an oasis. The most famous town of the eastern part of the Saint Desert, [Kassemuir], was founded on this oasis.

The desert people believed that this was a land blessed by gods because many oases in the desert faded away with the passage of time, but only this Kassemuir oasis didn’t.

It had stood straight for an era.

Most of the Saint Desert was occupied by the Bai clan. As for the Sha clan, they were only a small part occupying the stone forest in the north, studying their gunpowder and firearms.

“In the language of the Bai clansmen, Kassemuir means ‘Pearl’.”

“This is the place I said I would bring you to.”

Marvin held Isabelle’s hand and walked to the oasis.

The town could slowly be seen in the distance.

This town wasn’t unfamiliar to Mavin. He had hung around and gotten pretty high reputation there due to some coincidence, nearly becoming the Bai Clan head.

As for Kassemuir, he knew quite a bit.

This town wasn’t as calm as it looked.

There were hidden undercurrents that other people couldn’t see. These frightening shadows should still be dormant at this time. If they appeared, they might frighten the entire Saint Desert.

But the reason Marvin came wasn’t to settle a hidden danger in Kassemuir.

In fact, he had left White River Valley with one goal: Grabbing the Source of Fire’s Order.

Only with that Source of Fire’s Order could they resist the waves of chaos magic during the Great Calamity and establish an area that temporarily wouldn’t be subject to the influence of chaos magic.

That was the reason the Rocky Mountain could found a country at that time. The three Fate Sisters had a Source of Fire’s Order in hand.

They lit the order, to bless the people.

Even if Marvin didn’t know where they got that Source of Fire’s Order, he knew they actually had three of them.

The first one was stolen by Shadow Prince Glynos. The second was forcefully extinguished by many gods joining hands when the sisters lit it.

As for the third, the eldest of the sisters, that fierce girl who personally tore apart the Black Dragon, eliminated a few gods’ avatars and burnt the order.

Despite this, they suffered from the gods jealousy toward the Rocky Mountain and thus, it didn’t last for long.

Marvin required the Source of Fire’s Order. He knew the gods’ tricks, so he only needed one.

But getting more would naturally be even better.

Thus, he left White River Valley this time to go for the Sorcerer country, Rocky Mountain!

As for the Saint Desert, they were only passing through.

Kassemuir was a hub. If not for Isabelle, Marvin wouldn’t need to come here.

But what made Marvin frown was that it was apparently the wrong time to get there.

When they finally arrived at the town, they found out that it was under martial law!

People without IDs wouldn’t be able to enter Kassemuir. They might even be captured as spies by the guards.

‘What happened?’

Marvin curiously looked at a huge group of people gathered around a signboard outside Kassemuir.

He pulled Isabelle’s hand and moved closer.

…

In the barren endless desert.

A few slanted cactuses were lying on the roadside.

A hungry and thirsty traveller was on the roadside, apparently having lost his way.

His lips were split open, probably from dehydration. Without help, he might not survive this crisis.

Suddenly, a nimble White Deer appeared in his sight.

A White Deer appearing in the desert?

If an average person saw it, they might only think it was a mirage.

But this traveller seemed strangely attracted and staggered up.

The White Deer stayed in place, unmoving.

The man slowly approached.

The White Deer simply kept standing there, its eyes full of kindness.

But at that time, the traveller suddenly showed his sinister fangs. His face caved in, turning into a circle of frightening sharp teeth!

The White Deer was immediately startled!

But it was too late. The traveller had already pounced on it and bitten the White Deer’s neck.

The latter fell on the ground, struggling for a moment before being sucked dry by the traveller, meeting a tragic death in the desert.

The traveller chuckled and wiped the bloodstains, returning to the appearance of a normal man.

At that time, a white clothed woman suddenly appeared.

“Good job.”

“Keep killing White Deer. But pay attention to Kassemuir’s side. Someone already took note of our operation.”

“We have to be careful of the retribution of the Bai,” the woman briefly warned in a soft voice.

The traveller chuckled disapprovingly. “Rest assured, Lady Deceiver.”

“Those silly Bais still can’t differentiate humans from Evil Spirits..”

The white clothed woman nodded. “That’s fine.”

“According to my investigation, it’s rumored that only by killing a certain amount of White Deer would one be able to attract the [White Deer Holy Spirit]’s anger.”

“This is the only opportunity to open the White Deer’s cave. Only by grabbing the treasure inside we will be able to set up the Disaster Door.”

“Keep going, but remember to not let the Bai worshippers find out about you. Otherwise the White Deer Holy Spirit won’t leave the White Deer Cave. Understood?”

The traveller nodded.

Then a sandy wind blew across and the woman disappeared.

The traveller kept going forward.

And that poor White Deer was already buried in the sand.

…

In front of the bulletin board, Marvin was seriously looking at the contents.

Unlike the other people who came attracted by their curiosity, he actually understood the meaning behind this announcement.

‘Large scale White Deer killings?’

‘No wonder the Bais want to seal off Kassemuir.’

‘The White Deer Holy Spirit is the sacred beast of the Bai clansmen.’

Information about those White Deers appeared in Marvin’s mind.

It’s rumored that when the Bai ancestors were forced to migrate to this desert, they couldn’t adapt to the life there. They could find neither water nor a place to survive.

At that time, the White Deer Holy Spirit appeared, showing them the path, and ultimately leading them to an oasis.

The White Deer Holy Spirit was the Bai clan’s deity.

It had many heirs, and these mysterious White Deer had the ability to be invisible. They were scattered all over the desert.

The normally couldn’t be seen.

Occasionally, when travellers who lost their way, tumbling on the roadside, were in crisis, the White Deer would appear to them.

At that time, as long as they followed behind it, they could find a water source and keep on living.

Similar legends existed in various parts of the Saint Desert.

These White Deers were under the protection of the Bai clan and they were travellers’ benefactors.

But now, the angry Bai clansmen found out a great amount of White Deer corpses.

Someone was killing the White Deer.

This made the Bai clansmen unable to restrain their anger. They sealed off all the oases and began to investigate this matter.

Seeing the contents of this bulletin board, other might just wonder why someone was killing White Deers, but Marvin knew it was a serious matter.

‘A White Deer bloodbath, only to draw out the White Deer Holy Spirit. Only then would the White Deer Cave from the rumors would be shortly opened.’

‘That artifact can establish a passage between planes… Whose plan is it?’

A large amount of names appeared in Marvin’s mind.

A similar event also happened in his previous life. But Marvin didn’t know whose work it was.

After all, there were a few planes relatively close to Feinan that could open a temporary passage.

Underworld, Abyss, Hell… They were all possible choices.

Putting this conspiracy behind, Marvin was now facing a serious problem.

If he couldn’t get into Kassemuir, he wouldn’t be able to implement his plan.

This made him feel quite troubled.

But at that time, a group of people suddenly proclaimed, “The Holy Maiden returned!”

“She went to investigate the circumstances of the White Deer’s murder. There must have been results since she came back.”

Marvin turned his head, only to see a white-clothed woman slowly walking back from the desert.

He had a kind of special feeling when he saw her.

This feeling was very similar to when he looked at Daniela.

__

T/N: The Bai of the Bai clan means white. It is the same character as the white from the white deer. Knowledge +1!