Chapter 402 - 374: Smuggling Through the Eight-Headed Snake Channel
At the Habbit Village Chief’s home, the Elder prepared another table set with "Swamp Mushroom Fish Soup" banquet. Although Da Fei found the many formalities of playing a game rather bothersome, he grudgingly accepted for the sake of their cooking which significantly boosted status. Speaking of which, their cooking skills were key for future development. Once the path was cleared, he would definitely hire some chefs from their village to open a tavern in the Kingdom Capital.
After the pleasantries, the Elder spoke gravely, "Lord City Lord is planning to sneak in under the nose of the Eight-Headed Snake Hydra?"
Da Fei nodded, "Exactly, I am the Child of Destiny. Elder, there’s no need to worry about my safety. However, I still hope to successfully pass through to see if there is a path in another space, as well as to scout out the Eight-Headed Snake’s capabilities."
The Elder pondered for a moment before standing up and saying, "Lord City Lord, please wait a moment, I have something to give you for your journey!" With that, he left the room.
Da Fei’s eyebrows twitched. Was there really some substance behind this banquet? Seeing how seriously he acted, whatever he was giving must be extraordinary, right? Haha! Great, the more extraordinary, the better I like it.
By the time Da Fei had finished the meal, the Elder came back holding a basin with a glittering golden tree branch in it! And when this branch appeared, Da Fei felt as if the air in the entire room was fluctuating, no, it was his vision that was distorting and wavering!
Da Fei was shocked, "This branch is just like the one in the giant lizard’s nest! A branch of the World Tree?"
The Elder said with utmost solemnity, "This is the branch of the Earth Tree Alena. Alena is one of the numerous descendants of the World Tree. On the day the city of Alena fell, we were transported here by holding onto this branch. Now, I present this branch to the Lord City Lord!"
—System Prompt: You have received the Pangbo Oak Shield, a limited Divine Artifact "Alena Tree Branch" gifted by the Elder Habbit.
—Alena Tree Branch: a limited-type Space Divine Artifact, special skill: Space Barrier, Space Teleportation.
Space Barrier: Upon use, it provides the user with a layer of space barrier protection, avoiding attacks and surveillance from the current Plane. Once used, it will consume a significant amount of the Alena Tree Branch’s Divine Power Value.
Space Teleportation: Upon use, it can transport a large number of troops to Habbit Village in Swamp Space, but the branch will wither and become ineffective after use.
Da Fei was astounded on the spot! A Divine Artifact gift! A one-time Divine Artifact that could directly transport troops to their village! Holy shit, so the old man really had a trump card up his sleeve!
The Elder emphasized, "Lord City Lord, the Eight-Headed Snake lurks in the space passage, absorbing the spatial energy of the World Tree, and having reached Demigod strength, it’s quite extraordinary. Even while slumbering, its eight heads take turns being on guard, and it surveils not just the current Plane. Therefore, in a critical moment, you must use the Space Barrier skill of this branch for spatial transfer to avoid its surveillance. Of course, it would be best not to use it if not necessary. There’s not much Divine Power left in this branch. Using it once will affect the effect of Space Teleportation. The main purpose of giving this to you is to hope that if you can’t find a way out, you could still teleport a large number of troops here to support us!"
So that’s it! I knew the game wouldn’t be so bothersome as to send players to a place with no way out and expect them to walk! In the end, there had to be teleportation! And for a pro like me, even being able to teleport just once could change the situation.
Now Da Fei was brimming with confidence, "Thanks for the generous gift, Elder. Rest assured, I will use it prudently—oh, can this branch teleport a big ship over?"
The Elder laughed heartily, "Unless, Lord, you also install a Space Teleportation Array on the ship! And use this branch as the power core!"
Da Fei laughed out loud, "My ship just happens to have a Space Teleportation Array on it!" Well, everything else is fine, it’s just the Durability that hasn’t been restored and is weak as can be.
"As expected of the City Lord, then let’s set off!"
.......
Now, the elder led a dozen rafts of his people, blowing flutes to drive away the swamp water monsters, arriving at the very edge of the swamp, at a space gate on the lake surface resembling a maritime whirlpool passage.
The elder spoke solemnly: "Lord City Lord, we can only escort you this far. The Eight-Headed Snake is inside the whirlpool passage, you must be careful!"
Da Fei nodded: "When I come next time, I will certainly come with a splendid army to resolve the elder’s crises!"
The elder also smiled: "By the time the Lord comes next time, we will also surely work hard to redevelop and rebuild our swamp!"
After the final pleasantries, Da Fei activated Stealth and jumped into the water, then was swept into the whirlpool. As the world spun around him, the scene changed, and Da Fei appeared in a gently flowing river, with the sky a pale green and serene blue, countless green specks like fireflies fluttered spectacularly far and wide. On the left side of the river was a patch of swampy bushes, surely the mirrored projection of the swamp on this side of the passage, and on the right side was a vast rainforest, which meant—it was the next space, right? If there’s a rainforest, does it mean it’s close to the space developed by the Kingdom?
Rumbling sounds came from ahead of the river, needless to say, it must be the thunderous snoring of the Eight-Headed Snake.
Da Fei drifted quietly with the flow of the water, not daring to make a sound. Soon, the massive body of the Eight-Headed Snake, blocking half of the river channel, emerged from the front of the river course! Even in slumber, it exuded an intimidating presence no less threatening than the Sea Demon Skira!
The countless specks of light in the sky continuously gathered towards it, meaning—were those specks the energy of the World Tree it had stolen?
At that moment, it was holding up one giant snake head, constantly spewing clouds of poison and surveying its surroundings, while its other heads hung on its back, fast asleep. It seems the only way to sneak past was to stealthily move along the very edge of the river.
So, when to cross over? Da Fei frowned, completely unsure.
However, since the elder gave him this branch that could teleport once, Da Fei felt more confident and less pressured. This stealth operation became less critical. After all, even if he made it across, what significant achievements could he accomplish alone? When the future army arrives, it would be much simpler and more direct to fight and explore simultaneously. Perhaps, the greatest significance of this operation was to test whether he could officially become a Stealth Master?
No no no, that would be too meaningless! Stealth is not the goal; the ultimate aim is to defeat it head-on! And to defeat it, maybe the only way is to bring in the Flying and cannonade it head-on. Wait, isn’t this river made for sailing large ships?
Anyway, since there’s no pressure now, let’s start a video recording of the surrounding environment to prepare for the future battle.
As for the Space Divine Artifact’s Space Barrier and such, that’s a joke—such precious Divine Power, I’d die before using it. It’s just right to die and return clean; I’ve not been home for a few days, and I’m eager to see how Radiant City’s construction is going. I’m also desperate to return and focus on developing troops to build a great army.
Then Da Fei calmed down, first dove into the riverbed to test the depth, then swam from one shore to the other to test the width—ensuring that the Flying could turn and maneuver without any trouble. This place also seemed to have no wind, but no matter; the Flying had a Magic Sail, the mayor had said it was possible to purchase it from the Magic Guild, and money was no problem. The biggest issue was the durability of the Flying! This problem is quite troublesome!
Could it be the only solution was to teleport Radiant Wings down here? However, Radiant Wings lacked a teleportation array and hadn’t been retrofitted with a Magic Sail. Without triggering a quest, it was absolutely impossible to expect NPCs to help retrofit these high-end strategic facilities, even with money! So did this strengthened version of my Epic Quest count as triggering a quest? Even if so, would NPCs set up teleportation arrays for two ships belonging to the same player? It’s doubtful!
By the way, is sailing the only option? In the current and foreseeable future, players are unlikely to possess large ships, so how should players normally confront this Demigod? Send a mass of infantry to pile on? Only a large guild would do such a thing, right?
...
As Da Fei pondered his tactical strategy, there was movement at the Eight-Headed Snake’s position—the poison-spewing head that was on duty fell asleep, while another one that spat frost raised its head.
A shift change, the Ice Head? Suddenly, Da Fei’s brows twitched. Isn’t this the head that the Ancient Witch Spirit said it had severely injured? Does it mean that this head is slightly impaired and has weaker sensory abilities than the others? The success rate for sneaking past under its watch must be much higher, right?
Alright, since the video recording is pretty much done, if not now, then when? Here I come! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)