Chapter 650 - 613: Preparing to Steal Ore
Da Fei looked in the direction Tai Da was pointing at the dozens of Kingdom Tree Elves transporting timber in the distance. These Tree Elves, not seen for many days, shone with a metallic luster, as though coated with a thick layer of silver paint.
Da Fei’s eyebrows jumped. Indeed, these Elite Tree Elves were not afraid of mercury poison, and they came with a special skill of transporting 5 units, making them the best candidates for stealing mines. With my Overload Skill doubling logistics capacity, that’s 10 units at a time. Just 39 Tree Elves could steal 390 units of mercury ore in one go. That’s a big move! If they can do it twice... is there a chance to do it twice?
Let’s introduce mine-stealing here.
Mine-stealing is a professional term that divides into stealing from players and stealing from monsters guarding the mines. Stealing from players’ mines has no rules. Whether it’s a solo Stealth or moving an entire group with a convoy, as long as you have the capability, you steal as much as you can.
However, stealing from monster-guarded mines requires finesse. If players find a group of powerful monsters guarding a treasure chest or low-level resource in the wild, they can stealthily go and steal, but once detected and killed by the monsters, the stolen chests and resources drop.
Additionally, once a mine has been stolen, the monsters will increase their alert level, making subsequent Stealth attempts more difficult. Continuous failure might eventually render even God-level Stealth ineffective. This situation lasts until the game refreshes scenarios weekly.
Clearly, Da Fei faced a mercury mine guarded by a demigod. With Da Fei’s God-level Stealth and the Sentinel’s Stealth Master, sneaking to the shore to steal might not be an issue, but the next time isn’t guaranteed. Also, this story-related mine likely won’t refresh with the weekly game scene; even if it did, Da Fei doesn’t have the time to wait.
Therefore, to steal, he must seize the easiest opportunity the first time, bringing a large group for one big theft. As long as Da Fei uses the God-level Reconnaissance Skill Phantom March, along with Anlicia’s fog cover, the chances of the large group stealthily succeeding should be high. But the opponent is an unknown-strength demigod! There’s a big chance of being discovered! The key is that once isn’t enough; at least two times are needed!
While quickly calculating, Tai Da continued: "Lord City Lord, these Tree Elves seem to have developed a new special skill from continuous exposure to mercury vapor over several days, but the effect is unknown. Please check it, as it might obscure their life aura to some degree, making it more advantageous for mine-stealing."
Da Fei was suddenly startled: "A new special skill? Let me see!"
Da Fei and Tai Da quickly ran over to examine the attributes of a silver-painted, Gundam-like Tree Elf.
—Kingdom Elite Tree Elf (Mercenary Army): Large-sized Elite Spiritual Creature, Attack 34, Defense 68, Damage 16-29, Magic Resistance 75%, Life 650, Attack Speed 7, Move Speed 6, Command Value: 12, Stamina: 250.
Special Skill: Production, Weighted Transport, Advanced Defense Skill, Flower Demon Coexistence, Root Entanglement, Defense Stance, Auto Recovery, Mercury Barrier.
Weighted Transport: Can transport 5 units of resources.
Mercury Barrier: Unknown special skill.
Da Fei exclaimed: "What is this unknown special skill all about?"
Tai Da shook his head: "Possibly the influence of mercury vapor on trees or Tree Elves, yet even the Tree Elves themselves can’t understand this influence, resulting in this unknown special skill situation. By the way, have you noticed that these Tree Elves’ Defense and Magic Resistance have increased quite a lot?"
Da Fei couldn’t remember much detail and could only sigh: "Indeed, it seems this mercury vapor not only produces Mercury Wood but also transforms troops!"
Speaking of it, when Da Fei initially brought these Tree Elves while fleeing, their large size made it impossible to traverse the dense Black Forest, and at that time, Habbit Village was wary and wouldn’t let the troops enter the city. This led to the Tree Elves being exposed in the mercury vapor of the Black Forest for so many days. At that time, there was a vague sense of something significant, and now it turns out there really was something significant! Ultimately, this is how the game works; anything unusual must have depth, depending on whether players have the time and energy to dig deeper.
Tai Da excitedly added: "Moreover, here’s something even more important. These Tree Elves were hired from the Kingdom. Once you develop a new special skill for them, you’ll gain unparalleled prestige in the Kingdom. So once we’ve cleared the field and removed unrelated personnel after cutting all the timber, they can thoroughly comprehend it in a real battle, but only the Lord with God-level Skill can lead them to comprehension."
Good grief! It pains me that I’m training troops for someone else! Will my high prestige earn me a human title? It should, right? After all, I sorted out the Electric Eel Nine-Headed Serpent Pool of Radiance.
Da Fei could only nod: "Very well, we’ll act once the timber is cleared."
Tai Da added: "It will take some time to clear all the timber. Before that, please return to the city and prepare a batch of specially sealed toolboxes to store and transport mercury; otherwise, there’s no way to transport this liquid mercury. The sealed boxes are sold at the Mining Guild."
Da Fei suddenly realized: "Excellent, I leave the excavator in your capable hands while I head back to the city immediately."
"Yes, my lord!"
...
Da Fei immediately returned to Habbit Village in the Swamp Space. The harp music drifted from afar in the village—undoubtedly, Selvia was practicing. Good, Little Baby was working hard, so I couldn’t slack off either.
At this moment, all the stone transported by Flying was unloaded. Habbit villagers were filling stones while driving piles to build a dock in the lake, waving goodbye to Da Fei.
The ship wouldn’t travel empty; the next stop was naturally the Vine Demon Space to transport a load of wood back first.
Da Fei recalled something, then retrieved the single-player weapon Multi-headed Serpent Blade, a competition prize, from the mailbox and handed it, grinning, to Catherine, who remained on the ship: "Honey, here’s a gift for you. You’ll love it!"
Sure enough, Catherine was immediately captivated by the bizarre sword design at first glance and eagerly took it, exclaiming: "Captain, you’re giving this to me?"
Da Fei laughed: "Of course! Who else but you could use this sword?"
Catherine snapped back to reality, embraced Da Fei’s neck, and gave him a kiss, then burst into laughter: "Thank you, Captain. With this sword, I can defeat a hundred foes and take the Knight examination!"
Goodness gracious! A beautiful Vice Hero kissed me! Does this mean I’ve reached the highest level of favorability?
Da Fei excitedly asked: "What is the Knight examination?"
Catherine solemnly explained: "My Hero profession is a pirate. Though I’ve disguised myself as a Knight to apply for a naval officer, I am ultimately not a Knight. But since I am an officer, I can take the examination to gain Knight qualifications, although it is exceedingly challenging! However, with this sword that can splash and leech life, things are different now. By the way, as an unaligned profession beginner, you could take the exam too. Interested in joining forces with me?"
Da Fei was so shocked his jaw dropped. A pirate doubling as a Knight? That’s mind-blowing!
(My stomach has been hurting for three days now; I’ve really gone too far this time!)(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)