Chapter 394 - 366: Battle of the Strong in the Swamp
In the marshland, no food could be wasted. Scraps ignored by the rulers at the top of the food chain naturally attracted the attention of foragers at the bottom. A mountain of abundant food was enough to incite a challenge to the rulers’ authority from the lower ranks.
Now, dozens upon hundreds of giant lizards in the marsh were advancing towards the lake island where the giant crocodile resided. Their intrusive behavior enraged the giant crocodile, which transformed into a massive wave, roaring as it charged towards the intruders. The leading giant lizards hurriedly turned tail and fled, while the others seized the opportunity to accelerate towards the lake island!
In the water, the speed of the giant lizards was not much slower than that of the giant crocodile. Even though the crocodile’s speed was astounding, it was not enough to easily hunt down a single giant lizard. The escaping lizards distracted the crocodile, allowing more lizards to invade its territory, where they ravenously devoured the raven corpses floating on the water’s surface.
The giant crocodile grew even more furious, abandoning its chase of the fleeing lizards to drive out the invading lizards, creating a chaotic melee! Finally, one unfortunate lizard, unable to escape in time, met a gruesome fate in the crocodile’s jaws, severed in two, and the spurting blood immediately dyed a large area of the lake red!
Seeing this, Da Fei excitedly clenched his fist, "It worked!"
The elder couldn’t help but feel encouraged, saying, "I see now. Although the giant crocodile doesn’t eat ravens, the ravens do attract giant lizards, which in turn are the real food for the crocodile! As long as it kills enough giant lizards, it can be completely satisfied!"
Da Fei chuckled, "Exactly! Back on Pirate Island, I used the same method to kill all the crocodiles. When it comes down to it, we are the ultimate hunters in the marshlands!"
The elder couldn’t help but praise, "Lord, your plan is exceptionally thorough!"
Hahaha! Ultimately, the success on Pirate Island demonstrated that the game’s biological chain followed this kind of logic. Even though an outlier like a choosy eater of a giant crocodile appeared, the overall pattern wasn’t broken and could still succeed!
At this moment, the eviction was still ongoing. The death of comrades wouldn’t deter the giant lizards; their corpses became even greater temptations! Consequently, another giant lizard met its demise in the crocodile’s maw! For the lizards, this meant even more food!
And then, as the massive lizard pack that had been harassing like a wolf pack suddenly withdrew completely, a gray giant lizard appeared, encircled by a gray aura!
Da Fei couldn’t help but be startled, "What is that?"
The elder, gripping his glass orb tightly, couldn’t help but tremble, "My goodness! It’s the Petrified Giant Lizard King, the gray aura surrounding it is the Petrification Aura. Any weak creature that gets too close to it will be instantly petrified! Its territory is marked in red on my map, I didn’t expect it to come rushing over!"
Da Fei was taken aback! A Petrified Giant Lizard! The famous neutral anti-heaven creature in the marsh! It, along with the Death Barbaric Bull that makes anything it glares at drop dead, were known as the anti-heaven duo in the marsh! If during open beta, Elf Clan players were all hoarding and trading level 3 troops Jungle Hunters, then high-end players of the Dark Alliance loved to bathe in the swamp, amassing level 5 standard Petrified Giant Lizards and level 6 standard Death Barbaric Bulls! The special skills of these two troop types allowed players to create miracles, beating the odds with weaker forces!
And this Petrified Giant Lizard was even of boss level. Its surrounding petrification aura was unheard of, essentially turning a probability-based petrification attack effect into a continuous radiation effect. According to what the elder said, was it a 100% probability?
Da Fei exclaimed, "Are all red-area monsters of this caliber? Is it a demigod?"
The elder shook his head in horror, "Unclear of its level, but its petrification skill is extremely powerful. I find it hard to imagine such an entity would cross borders to challenge the soon-to-be demigod-level giant crocodile over something as trivial as food!"
Da Fei’s brow twitched, "Could it be that these raven corpses ignored by the giant crocodile are precisely the delicacies needed by the Petrified Giant Lizard?"
The elder said solemnly, "It’s possible! These raven corpses are filled with a mysterious spiritual energy, which might be exactly the nourishment the Petrified Giant Lizard desperately needs!"
Da Fei nodded and gritted his teeth, "Well, then. Let them fight each other to a standstill!"
The elder immediately agreed, "Hopefully, they’ll both fight to their deaths!"
The sudden appearance of the Petrified Giant Lizard calmed the furious giant crocodile. The difference in size was like a medium ship faced with a small boat, but many times size couldn’t dictate the outcome. What would happen when a pure brawler demigod faces the special-skilled Petrified Giant Lizard King?
After a few seconds of confrontation, the giant crocodile took the initiative to attack. As it advanced, the waves it caused were enough to engulf the Lizard King!
Closer, the giant crocodile opened its steel-trap-like bloody maw, and at that moment, a thick white smoke suddenly spewed from the Lizard King’s mouth, instantly turning the giant crocodile’s head completely white and slowing its movements!
Petrification! But not completely!
Taking advantage of the temporary slowness of the giant crocodile, the Lizard King suddenly accelerated, dodging the crocodile and heading straight towards "Raven Mountain" on the island. The giant crocodile quickly shook off its whitened state and began to turn and chase frantically, but it couldn’t catch up! Although the giant crocodile wasn’t petrified, the slowing effect tangibly worked upon it. Thus, the Lizard King focused only on opening its mouth wide, swallowing the ravens floating on the water and piled on the island, while the giant crocodile’s chase was in vain. Moreover, the Lizard King would move in an S-pattern, leading the crocodile in dizzying circles!
Seeing this, the elder couldn’t help but voice his disappointment, "Looks like hoping for them to destroy each other was unrealistic!"
Da Fei, whose plan had fallen apart, also sighed, "Why are there so many powerful beings here?"
The elder shook his head and sighed, "The Eclipse Battle a thousand years ago affected the World Tree’s foundation, creating leaks in the World Tree’s Space. At the same time, the divine power nutrients of the tree roots in this space began to seep out. Over these thousand years, we’ve witnessed these ordinary marsh creatures grow stronger generation after generation, finally evolving into the powerful beings we encounter today. Of course, considering the millennia-dormant Eight-Headed Snake, the nutrient seepage might have started even earlier, and the Eclipse Battle only exacerbated it."
Da Fei couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. It seemed the World Tree’s waters were really deep. The epic quests concerning the World Tree might sincerely not be something he could complete in one go at present. The game had only been open for a little over a month. If he rushed too much, he’d end up with nothing. Slow and steady wins the race. He didn’t believe the demons would immediately destroy the World Tree; players had to have some time to play.
In any case, having secured friendly cooperation with the Hobbits was a major success. Once he brought over the Tree Spirits from the Black Forest, he’d scout out the next space on his own in stealth mode. If it didn’t work, he’d die and return to have the kingdom’s Chief of Staff locate this unknown space.
While pondering this, the sky suddenly reverberated with a dense buzzing sound.
"Dragonflies!" The elder’s expression changed, urgently calling out, "Everyone, jump into the water!"
In no time, all the Hobbits hurriedly jumped into the water, cautiously watching with only half of their heads visible.
Da Fei’s brow twitched. Dragonflies! Another marsh dominant species, a giant insect half as long as a human, resembling both flies and dragonflies, a level 3 neutral flying troop! Once targeted by them, one would be poisoned, weak, and powerless.
In other words, this battle over food wasn’t just between the giant crocodile and the lizards. Now dragonflies had arrived—what else would come next? If the chaotic situation continued to escalate, what would happen?
At that moment, Da Fei seemed to see an opportunity! No, an even crazier idea suddenly emerged in Da Fei’s mind—could he possibly take advantage of this chaotic battle to wipe out the marsh’s powerful creatures in one fell swoop? Even if not completely wiped out, eliminating a few segments would be possible! So, what did he need to do?
Seize the opportunity, never miss it again! Da Fei was determined and spoke seriously to the elder, "Elder, I want to approach the battlefield alone, could you find me a shallow water area? Somewhere at least where I can stand in the water?"
The elder was shocked, "Lord, what are you planning to do?"
Da Fei laughed, "I still have a crossbow cannon with me. I want to quietly set it up in the water near the battlefield, then take the opportunity to shoot and kill one or two to create chaos. If possible, I’ll target any wounded strong figures!"
Da Fei had engaged in such activity around the Demon Governor at the Demon Factory before. Now, with the Temporary Sentry skill of a Master of Stealth and the natural cover of the water, he felt even bolder! Not to mention that the Temporary Sentry added 39 attribute points, further enhancing the power of the crossbow cannon!
The elder was thoroughly shaken, "But doing so would put you, Lord, in enormous danger!"
Da Fei replied, "That’s something I need to settle first. If I’m not around, Mr. Tai Da will be entrusted to your care. I’ve only brought a logging team this time, and their mission is to prevent demons from plundering the wealth of our World Tree Space. So we must cut down the Black Forest’s timber, as that area will become our battleground against the demons in the future and must be cleared. However, considering it’s also the Hobbits’ homeland, I’ll offer to purchase it—at the kingdom’s timber price. What do you think, elder?"
"Buy?" Upon hearing about a transaction, the elder seemed to immediately disregard Da Fei’s safety, eagerly asking, "You mean, the entire forest?"
Indeed, Tai Da had guessed correctly. This fellow was not easy to deal with, so taking the initiative to propose buying the land showed sincerity and generosity—no, grandeur!
Da Fei nodded, "The whole forest. But could it be cheaper? Maybe a 30% discount or something because the wood here is quite decayed!"
The elder immediately raised five fingers, his whiskers quivering as he spoke passionately, "50% off! Although it seems quite decayed, it’s quite solid. Our rafts and villages are made from those woods, unexpectedly sturdy and waterproof, who use them know. A hundred years ago, timber prices were 200 gold coins per unit! So let’s use the rates from a thousand years ago, 100 gold with a 50% discount. I believe a thousand years later, the forest will be denser, with more timber, more gold mines, and definitely worth more than this price. I’m giving you a friendship price, plus we can also help with the logging..."
Da Fei was stunned! What the heck, they actually used his precious Mercury Wood to make rafts and repair their ramshackle village? Tear it down! Take it all down! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian.com to cast recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)