They were filled with a sense of safety when they felt the lush greenness and heard the chirping of the birds around them.
All the Druids fell on the ground. Leaning against a tree, Black Thorn sighed and turned his hood down, revealing a face that was not very handsome but manly and weatherbeaten.
He remarked, still frightened, “That woman is almost Legendary.”
The other Druids didn’t say anything. They had more or less guessed it.
Otherwise, considering the temper of Green Shade, they wouldn’t have left obediently after one of their members died.
It was only because they really couldn’t beat her.
None of them saw clearly how the woman attacked.
They had no idea what happened when Heather was killed.
Besides, the woman was next to a fire-class Mage who could fly and seemed rather powerful.
The big blue fireball did not seem even to be his most powerful attack. They didn’t stand any chance of winning.
The Mage would’ve been tricky enough on his own. Their plants were most scared of fiery magic attacks, which meant that they were vulnerable to the Mage, not to mention that he was protected by a Warrior who was almost Legendary.
They certainly would rather not recklessly enter conflict with such a team.
Recalling the beautiful half-Legendary female Warrior, Black Thorn sighed and asked, “Didn’t they say that the strongest person in Hollevin is just a Master? Who’s that woman? How can she be half-Legendary when she’s so young?”
Nobody could answer that. After all, they were barely involved with secular matters and weren’t aware of the latest news.
Actually, they had very good reasons for that.
This world had actually been changing very slowly. For thousands of years, there had been no great changes in general except for the rise and decline of certain noble families.
Sometimes, a city would be absolutely the same after a hundred years, except for the change of the citizens’ names.
Besides, they were not completely secluded, but would go out every couple of years for the latest news.
After a while, someone asked, “What about Heather’s family?”
Heather was a new member of the group. He was only recently married, and his wife was reasonably beautiful. Black Thorn thought a moment and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of his family.”
The atmosphere immediately turned weird. Many people hesitated, but none dared to talk.
A moment later, rustling sounds came from far away in the woods, indicating an intruder.
All the Druids stood up and looked at the source of the sound warily.
Soon enough, a person that they were quite familiar with showed up. They were all relieved.
It was a plain-looking man, who couldn’t be distinguished at all if he was in a crowd.
Looking at him, Black Thorn asked, “What have you found?”
“I’ve got everything.” The man took a breath and continued, “Delpon was previously led by the Johns, until Roland, a Golden Son, seized power. They’re cutting off the wood right now because Roland looked for a reason for the poor workers to work and be paid in winter. It’s just a sense-of-justice thing. Roland is a Mage as well as the chairman of the Magic Tower in Delpon.”
The same man’s face popped up in the Druid’s head, a face that they would rather beat up and spit on.
Frowning, Black Thorn asked, “Golden Son? What does that mean?”
The man swallowed and said, “Don’t be shocked, but the Golden Sons are human beings from an alternate dimension that the Life Goddess has invited here. Their greatest feature is that… they’re undying.”
All the Druids were shocked. Some of the people on the ground even jumped to their feet.
Black Thorn shook his head. “That’s not possible!”
“It’s real,” The intelligence agent said firmly. “I’ve asked twenty people, even with the enchantment spells of human beings. But the answer is the same. It’s already common knowledge that the Golden Sons can be resurrected.”
All the Druids looked at each other in bewilderment.
Black Thorn looked awful. If the intelligence agent weren’t lying, they would be fighting monsters that they couldn’t possibly defeat.
After a while, he said, “Let’s go back and report the matter to the headquarters in Fareins. We’ll wait for their instructions.”
Everybody found his suggestion reasonable and nodded simultaneously.
On Roland’s side, he asked Andonara to oversee the project and ensure the lumber camp’s safety in place of the wounded Vincent.
As for himself, he went to the Guild of Mercenaries and paid thirty gold coins for intelligence on Green Shade, and another thirty gold coins in the Guild of Assassins for the list of members in the Hollevin branch of Green Shade.
The Guild of Assassins reminded him that the correctness of the list was not guaranteed, as it was hard to infiltrate Green Shade. They had done their best.
Roland nodded and didn’t think that it was a big deal.
He read the intelligence in the Magic Tower first, before he teleported himself to the capital.
The capital was as prosperous as ever, and Roland found the Guild of Bards in a corner in the south of the city.
The Guild of Bards was much smaller and more poorly decorated than the Guild of Mercenaries and the Guild of Assassins.
Also, there were no guests here at all. Even the receptionist was taking a nap on the counter.
Roland tapped the counter and woke up the receptionist. Then he said, “I would like to meet your chairman. I have a deal that’s worth at least fifty gold coins.”
Seeing Roland’s magic robe, and hearing the number that Roland proposed, the receptionist rushed upstairs in a hurry.
Soon enough, a rather handsome middle-aged man wearing a gray-and-white robe came down.
He invited Roland to a study on the second floor warmly. After the receptionist served fruit wine, he poured a cup for Roland and asked with a smile, “Sir, what business do you have in mind that needs our help?”
“My name is Roland. I wonder, have you heard about Green Shade?”
The chairman was briefly stunned. Then he continued with a smile, “Of course I have. Sir, you may call me Viki. How is this organization related to our business?”
Roland took out a bag from his system backpack, with at least fifty gold coins inside. He said, “I don’t like this organization, so I’d like your bards to subtly slander them while they sing legends or knight stories in the taverns.”
Viki, chairman of the Guild of Bards, was stunned. He took a deep breath and said, “That can be dangerous.”
“This is the payment for the second month.” Roland took out another bag. “Of course, you will be paid on the third month too. I wonder if you’re willing to accept the task.”
In the meantime, Roland opened the bag, and gold coins were sparkling inside.
Thinking for a moment, Viki raised his head and grinned hideously. “How exactly do you want them to be slandered, sir?”
