TL: Well, I went for the nuclear option. This will be the last post about ads. I’m starting to insert the ads codes manually in order to place them in prominent places (urgh, 450 posts, madness) instead of using a plugin. This unfortunately means that there will be no detection if it’s mobile or pc.
Chapter 117 – The Nest (3)
“How should I handle them?” Brendel repeated the question to himself.
This was indeed a question. The sudden wealth made him feel that it was unsafe no matter where they were put. He had to lead his men further into to the forest to find Valhalla, but it was unsafe to leave the eggs here.
“Boy, I suggest for you to send these eggs back to Firburh,” Kodan said with a slow and grave voice.
“No, I can’t do that.” Brendel considered carefully. Valhalla’s worth could not be gauged and was worth more than the eggs.
Kodan stared incredulously at him: “Is there something else in the Dark Forest that has more value than these eggs?”
“I thought about this for a while. It’s best to leave some men behind.”
“Leave people behind?” The old swordsman shook his head repeatedly: “Who? This is the Dark Forest.”
“It’s precisely because it’s the Dark Forest that no outsiders would come here. Weaker monsters won’t approach this place because the Hydra’s nest foul smell makes it seem like the Hydra’s still here. The strong monsters have their own territory and would not easily change their locations. Furthermore, this is still the outer section of the Dark Forest. The Hydra is standing at the top of the food chain here.”
Kodan suddenly became alert: “Why are you explaining so much to me? Are you planning something?”
Brendel grinned.
Kodan said exasperatedly: “I have never recognized myself to be part of your group. Are you not afraid that I would run away with these eggs? Certainly bringing all of them away isn’t possible, but I can simply take one or two away.”
“Well now, Grandmaster Kodan, this is the Dark Forest. Is it possible for you to find your way out without the Druids?” Brendel coughed.
The old man was immediately at a loss for words, and his eyebrows were raised: “What, are you threatening me again?”
Brendel hurriedly shook his head: “Of course not, it’s just a joke. I actually plan to leave a group of Fire Claw Lizardmen here. They should be sufficient to handle any beasts that come in by accident. Having them stay here is just a precaution.”
“Hmph. That sounds much better. Don’t joke with me if you have nothing better to do, boy!” Kodan said.
However, he found himself slightly disappointed when Brendel said that. It proved that the youth did not trust him.
The two of them continued to talk until a commotion stopped their conversation. Brendel found one of the youths rushing to him in a panic.
[This person is under Carglise’s group? Did they find something?]
Brendel had sent the youths to inspect the tunnels within the pit during his conversation with Kodan. Since this pit was the former waterfall basin, the tunnels were originally rivers. He sent them out to investigate if there were any other materials. If it was Firelight Moss, it might explain the scout’s astonishment, since they could grow as far as a football field.
“M-my lord….. C-captain Carglise, wants you to take a look for yourself……” The person who reported to Brendel said breathlessly.
Brendel and Kodan exchanged glances. What could that fellow Carglise be up to?
But Brendel nodded and gestured for the youth to bring them over.
The tunnel they entered was long and narrow, and one could see that the walls were smooth, proving that water had once flowed through here.
He studied the walls carefully to ensure that there were no other signs of creatures living here. They did not have any spider webs. While there were rodents and small creatures scuttering, they were not a threat to them.
It would be quite dangerous if a Tentacle Horror suddenly attacked them in this enclosed area.
After walking through the tunnel for several minutes, a light appeared in front of him. There were only four youths resting, and Brendel remembered that half of Carglise’s men were left behind to take care of Merial.
When these youths saw Brendel, they stood up immediately to greet him:
“My lord!” Lord Macsen’s lawless son rubbed his hands, as though he found a difficult problem. “We discovered something that we can’t handle.”
“Can’t handle? What’s the situation?”
“How should I explain it……” Carglise’s expression was incredibly odd: “I can’t explain it with words.”
Brendel wondered what this fearless youth had seen to make him look like the sky had crashed to the earth.
[If he’s pulling my leg and there’s nothing here…… Ha ha ha…… I wonder what I should do with you.]
Though he secretly wondered if there was a football field of Firelight Moss.
“In any case, my lord, let us go and have a look.” Carglise coughed and answered, moving to the side and having his hand pointing towards the darkness.
Brendel nodded and headed for the tunnel’s exit. There was glowing light and he became was slightly mystified. Did the material he was thinking about really grow here?
When he finally left the exit and came to a larger opening, he opened his mouth slightly and was instantly spellbound. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe him as being struck by a petrification spell.
Dazzling glowing lights filled his eyes. It was a crystal mine.
And it was a crystal mine that he could not see an end to.
========= Ciel’s POV =========
It seemed like Brendel accurately predicted his enemy’s actions. The south of Trentheim was completely peaceful ever since he left for the Dark Forest for a week, and there were no signs of a future battle happening.
However, the north of Trentheim was experiencing things differently. Tagiv and his clan members seemed like they had become addicted to their raids, and harassed Lord Palas’s men even more than before. Even though they were sometimes ambushed by the latter, the armies of Lord Palas were incredibly worn out by them.
While these men were busy dealing with Tagiv’s tribe, Firburh was considerably free of such hassles.
Romaine checked the accounts one more time before she became bored. Just like how Brendel had predicted, she was remarkably disciplined and subdued, except that she went to a certain bar and sat in there in the afternoon till it was sunset. Based on her explanation, it was a place where Brendel often went and she wanted to take his place.
Everyone closed an eye when she did that; it was good enough as long as she did not break the city down.
Bosley did not care if she tore the city apart as long as his workshop was safe. He sat on the balcony of a building near it and was taking out his pipe to smoke. However, no matter how much he tried to light it up, none of the sparks went into the pipe.
When two or three sparks finally landed in the pipe, they went out. It was an unnatural event—
He raised his head and indeed discovered Ciel wearing a light purple robe and grinning from a short distance away. He grumbled and complained under his breath:
“This damned wizard!”
But he did not dare to utter his words out loud. He could argue with Brendel, but wizards were mysterious people. Who knew if they cursed people in their sleep if they got insulted?
Bosley raised his head up and sighed: “Very well, Lord Ciel, what matter do you have to come and look for these old bones? Or did you come here to make fun of a pitiful man like me?”
“No, no, of course not, I’m here to discuss something with you,” Ciel shook his head hastily.
“What matter is it?”
“My lord has given me an order.”
“Hmm?” Bosley knew that the young wizard might have a way to contact the young lord.
“I am talking about—” Ciel thought for a while, before deciding on a gentler tone to describe the chain of events, otherwise the old man might be shocked to his death: “Grandmaster Bosley, what do you think of the possibility of creating a path to the Dark Forest?”
“Opening a path?” Bosley looked puzzled at him for a while: “Ah, I understand, you want to get some resources from the Dark Forest, right? That’s a little troublesome. Even if you invest in it there might not be an income, there’s nothing good in the Dark Forest, and maintaining such a road would cost a lot…… I’m afraid that even Trentheim cannot afford it.”
“If it’s an order that must be accomplished even with deaths?”
“Has he gone crazy!” Bosley suddenly paused as he realized the Grandmaster Wizard in front of him was Brendel’s squire and he quickly changed his tone: “That would depend on how deep the road is. I believe a day or two’s journey should not be a big problem.”
“My lord says that he needs a safe path up to the distance of a week’s journey.”
“Impossible!” Bosley nearly jumped up.