Chapter 180: He Let Miracles That Only Belonged to a Few Benefit Everyone

Under the temptation of silver coins, Soke Duo soon organized ten or so careful and bold young guys, brought only some simple equipment, and touched toward the direction where the cooking smoke rose.

Watching the cooking smoke getting closer, a young guard couldn't help but mutter.

"How long do they cook... it's been almost an hour and the smoke hasn't dispersed yet."

His voice had just fallen, and another guard beside him replied casually.

"Maybe it's not cooking; I remember the smoke from the iron-smelting furnace is also quite full."

Whispered exchanges spread in the team.

"Is that smoke too big?"

"Maybe there are many people there?"

Soke Duo didn't participate in the conversation of those guards, but heard it all in his ears.

Regardless, it was a good thing that the smoke and fire were full; at least it showed that the front was the territory of civilized people.

The group continued to advance, and the towering fence wall soon appeared in front of them.

The leading guard was about to walk up, when an arrow suddenly flew over and stuck in the tree trunk beside them.

That suddenly shot arrow startled everyone.

A group of guards quickly touched the firelocks behind them, ready for battle.

Seeing the actions of his subordinates, Soke Duo hurriedly turned to face them, waving his hand to stop them.

"Wait a minute! Don't move!"

At the same time, he turned to face the fence gate in front, only to see a figure standing at the gate, holding a bow and arrow, looking at them expressionlessly.

That person seemed to have been waiting here for a while.

It was obvious that from the moment they stepped into the vicinity of this forest, the lord here had already noticed this group of uninvited guests.

"... We have no malice, just a caravan passing by! Maybe we happen to have things you need, we can make some exchanges!"

Brook, holding the bow and arrow, looked up and down at the man not far away, and the bow and arrow in his hand lowered.

Ever since becoming a claw of the Demon King, he had become the patrol captain of the militia group guarding the gate of Beifeng City.

Based on the experience he had accumulated over many years of walking in the world when he was an adventurer, the guy in front of him indeed didn't lie.

And according to the news from the little demons scouting ahead, their team indeed carried many wagons filled with goods, and it didn't look like they were snatched.

"Brook, guard here... tell me your name and origin." Brook said concisely, not taking the firelocks in their hands seriously at all.

The merchant leader's face was piled with friendly smiles, and he soon reported his family name.

"Soke Duo! I come from the south of the Ryan Kingdom; if you have friends from there, maybe you've heard my name!"

Brook raised his eyebrows and teased with a grin.

"Are you very famous?"

Soke Duo immediately said.

"My chamber of commerce is quite famous in the grain industry, and every lord I've done business with knows that I am an honest and trustworthy person."

Brook shrugged noncommittally, only treating this sentence as a polite remark.

All treacherous merchants, when introducing themselves, would say they were honest people.

Anyway, he didn't have a chance to verify it, right?

Seeing that the other party didn't care about his introduction, Soke Duo smiled awkwardly, but didn't care, just continued desperately.

"Please give me a chance to prove myself... I want to meet your lord. As a sign of my sincerity, I can go with you alone, and let my guards stay outside."

Brook looked at this guy twice in surprise, not expecting this merchant to have more courage than he imagined.

Or, this guy was just purely wanting money and not life.

"... I have already sent someone to report to that Lord; if you want to prove your sincerity, then wait in place. Before getting his permission, I hope you don't cross the arrow beside you."

Soke Duo immediately took a step back, smiling and saying.

"No problem, I can wait!"

Brook nodded, didn't continue to speak, just waited quietly, until a little demon flew from the direction of the Beifeng mine to the top of his head and chirped.

The translation crystal translated the messenger's language.

Brook then put the bow and arrow on his back, looked at the merchant waiting in the snow, and said.

"My Lord agreed to let you enter his territory, but he doesn't have time to see you today, but if you are willing to wait, maybe he can take time to see you tomorrow."

Soke Duo breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, a look of relief appearing on his face, and said gratefully.

"Thank you... thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Only had to wait one day!

Truly a benevolent Lord.

However, unlike the relieved Soke Duo, the guards standing beside him were tense, looking at the little demon flying toward Beifeng Mountain.

Many of them had been adventurers before and recognized what that thing was at a glance.

That was not some undead.

But a real demon!

However, their boss seemed not to know, or didn't care even if he knew, and his whole mind was on the business.

Ordering the accompanying guards to go back to report, Soke Duo took the initiative to show his sincerity and walked toward the gate of the camp alone, although that guard named Brook didn't make such a request.

After passing through the

This place was different from any settlement he had seen since entering the Campbell Principality; both the architectural style and the atmosphere of the entire settlement were quite unique.

What he found especially incredible was that there was none of the overwhelming stench of feces found in the vast majority of rural villages, and the people's mental outlook did not look at all like they had wandered here from afar, but rather like they had been living here for quite some time.

And then there were the roads here.

The hard road surface looked like it was made of cement, and what was incredible was that there were no volcanoes in the surrounding area at all, leaving him baffled as to where these materials had been obtained.

Regardless of where they got them, using them to pave roads was simply a waste!

There were plenty of lords in the southern part of the Lei En Kingdom willing to buy this stuff, just to make the walls of their castles look smoother, rather than like a pile of pitted, rotten stones.

Of course.

Transporting cement to such a distant inland area was not easy, though.

The expression on Suo Ke Duo's face was both envious and jealous; not long after, a logging site came into his view.

Processed wooden planks were piled up there like a small mountain, stacked neatly in a triangular shape.

It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that many of the rural huts he had just seen were actually using cut, smooth wooden planks instead of unprocessed logs!

"Incredible! How many people did you hire to process the wood? Forgive my presumption, do you have nothing else to do?!"

Looking at the bewildered Suo Ke Duo, Bu Lu Ke knew what he was surprised about, grinned, and said.

"If I said we didn't actually hire many people, you would definitely think I'm bragging."

Suo Ke Duo looked at him with eyes like he was looking at a monster, the expression as if to say, "Isn't that the case?".

Bu Lu Ke did not answer his question, because he had already explained this question countless times to newcomers visiting this settlement, and he really didn't want to repeat what he had already said.

He pondered for a moment and said in a conversational tone.

"Believe me, there's nothing to be surprised about... Anyway, your attention will soon be snatched away by other things, and then you will find that this is actually nothing."

Suo Ke Duo looked at him with disbelief.

However, in fact, this sentence of Bu Lu Ke's did not contain a single bit of bragging, because this was his most intuitive feeling over these days, and it was only recently that he had become accustomed to it.

The two continued to move toward the center of the camp, and Suo Ke Duo soon discovered that a few wooden plank houses really didn't count for much, because many of the houses behind them were built with bricks.

These houses were not only more sturdy, but also warmer, and they looked more aesthetically pleasing on the outside.

Not only that!

There were even coal-burning street lamps on both sides of the street; he had only seen such things in the bustling districts of Lei Ming City!

For a moment, Suo Ke Duo even had a strange illusion—

As if he were not on the frontier of the Campbell Principality, but had returned to the city center of Lei Ming City?

This was too inconceivable!

"Is this some special magic..." Suo Ke Duo said in a low voice, while pinching his own arm.

Bu Lu Ke glanced at him and said jokingly.

"Magic? That is certainly magic... and the greatness of that lord lies precisely in this; he allows miracles that originally belonged only to a few to benefit everyone."

Suo Ke Duo was slightly stunned, then fell into deep thought, the expression on his face becoming one of awe.

"Then he truly is an amazing person."

Among the various epics and legends about heroes he had heard of, it seemed that only one person had ever achieved such a thing.

That was the last emperor of the Ai Sa Ke Dynasty—Lin Te Ai Sa Ke, who brought the steam-breathing god-made objects to the mortal world.

Unexpectedly, a thousand years later, in the place where those prairie fires first began to burn, a familiar spark had appeared again...

"That goes without saying."

Although he knew that he was mostly being flattering and polite, Bu Lu Ke's face could not help but reveal a sincere smile.

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the highest point of the entire camp—the cave located on the mountainside, his eyes lost in memory as he said.

"If it weren't for that lord, everyone you saw on the way here would probably have died in the most difficult blizzard a month ago."

The moment he heard this, Suo Ke Duo finally understood why the people here respected their lord so much.

The brief exchange ended, and he turned his attention back to this thriving camp.

Just as the rumors said, the entire camp was full of undead; wandering skeleton soldiers could be seen everywhere, and occasionally zombies, undead rats, and transparent ghosts could also be seen.

It was just that, unlike other places.

The undead here did not hurt people, and even worked together with the residents living here.

Suo Ke Duo had never seen such a strange sight.

Especially when he saw a stone statue puppet, under the command of a ghost, lift a bundle of sacks containing who knows what high up and throw it onto the roof of a building under construction... he didn't even know what expression to make.

To be honest.

After seeing so many strange things, he was a little numb.

Compared to the stone men working on the construction site, he was actually more curious about what that building with a huge footprint was.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"What is that?"

Following Suo Ke Duo's gaze, Bu Lu Ke smiled and said.

"That? That's the new youth apartment; the original one wasn't quite enough anymore." "Youth apartment... what is that?" Having never heard this term, Suo Ke Duo asked, completely confused.

"Simply put, it's a place to take in homeless people," Bu Lu Ke said concisely, "I heard that strange rumors spread in Lei Ming City, and more and more people have moved here recently."

Suo Ke Duo looked at that building twice more in disbelief.

He had thought it was some kind of defensive fortification; he didn't expect it to be a place for people to live.

But then again, he was seeing the operation of using elemental summons to build houses for the first time.

Under normal circumstances, noble mages could not possibly do such rough and tiring work, and most construction teams couldn't afford to hire them.

Unless it was on the front lines of the empire.

The mages there would use magic to modify the terrain to build defensive fortifications, but that was another matter entirely.

After passing through the dense residential area, the two soon arrived at a market.

This seemed to be the central area of the camp, but it was not bustling, with only a dozen or so stalls in operation.

Compared to the red-brick and bright-tiled houses earlier, these goods stalls could only be described as shabby.

=9+Shu_Ba

Suo Ke Duo hadn't paid any attention to this place.

However, the moment his gaze fell on the shelves, his eyes couldn't move away.

At least half of the products displayed on the stalls were things he had never seen before!

Walking up to a stall that appeared to be selling dry goods, Suo Ke Duo reached out and picked up a glass bottle of white granules, touching his chin curiously as he asked.

"Is this salt?"

Using a glass bottle to hold salt—he didn't know for a moment which was more expensive, the packaging or the contents.

The skeleton soldier sitting behind the stall shook his head, a suspected friendly smile appearing on its face.

"Salt is on the shelf next to it; the one you're holding is MSG."

Suo Ke Duo was stunned.

"M... SG?"

Xiao Tu Zai Zhi: "It's monosodium glutamate! Pure natural brewing! Used for enhancing aroma and freshness! Buy a bottle and try it, you'll know; sprinkle a little when frying meat, and the flavor will pop right up. Just remember not to sprinkle too much."

Suo Ke Duo was even more confused, put down the glass bottle in his hand, and looked at the bottle next to it filled with a pitch-black liquid.

This thing should be vinegar; he probably wouldn't misidentify it, but he couldn't make up his mind.

"What about this one?"

Xiao Tu Zai Zhi: "This is soy sauce!"

Suo Ke Duo: "Soy... what sauce?"

Xiao Tu Zai Zhi: "Anyway, it's also a condiment! Buy a bottle and try it, you'll know."

Suo Ke Duo subconsciously reached for his wallet; he was really tempted to buy some to study.

However, when he took out silver coins to pay, the skeleton soldier standing behind the stall showed a disappointed expression.

"We only accept nether coins here."

"... Nether coins?"

"That's right, that's right, it's this kind of thing," Xiao Tu Zai Zhi took out a paper bill and waved it in front of him, then pointed to the bank not far away, "It should be exchangeable over there. I remember that one copper coin can be exchanged for one nether coin. Why don't you go ask?"

That was where the players stored their money, where they could exchange the paper bills recovered from NPCs into numbers in their accounts, synchronized to the official forum.

As for whether money could be exchanged there, she wasn't sure, she just remembered that the bank in Mist Town seemed to have this function.

Beifeng City should be able to do it too, right?

Suo Ke Duo hurriedly said thank you, then looked at Bu Lu Ke to seek the latter's opinion.

The latter shrugged and said indifferently.

"If you want to go exchange it, go ahead, I have no opinion. However, I still suggest you go to the hotel with me to register and check in, solve the place to stay first, and then the kitchen can prepare your dinner."

"Then I'll follow your arrangements." Suo Ke Duo smiled and said, following the host's lead.

He couldn't finish studying the things here in a short while, so he planned to come back and study them carefully after reaching his lodging.

Just as he was about to follow Bu Lu Ke's footsteps and leave, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of tomatoes on a shelf not far away.

At this very moment, he froze in place, the expression on his face as if he had seen the sun rise from the west, his eyes filled with disbelief!

Although he had never farmed a day in his life, because of his business, he had dealt with farmers often, and he knew clearly that tomatoes were summer seasonal vegetables!

In the hot south, one might be able to eat tomatoes in winter, but this was the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea!

Especially since those vegetables looked like they had just been picked from the branch, red and bright as if they could drip blood... this couldn't possibly have been transported from the colonies.

Suo Ke Duo couldn't believe his eyes and couldn't help but blurt out.

"These are... tomatoes?!"

Soon he discovered that there were not only tomatoes on the shelf.

There were also cucumbers! Chili peppers! Cabbage and beets!

"That's right! The guest has a good eye!" Xiao Tu Zai Zhi giggled and gave a thumbs up.

This sentence sounded a bit sarcastic, but she swore she didn't mean it that way.

Suo Ke Duo didn't think in that direction at all.

At this moment, he was so shocked he couldn't speak.

"No... but, isn't it winter now?"

Xiao Tu Zai Zhi scratched her head, not knowing what he wanted to express.

Bu Lu Ke, who was standing to the side, could understand what he was shocked about, so he explained casually.

"Our lord's servants found a way to grow crops in winter... just a short while ago."

"How was this achieved?!"

Suo Ke Duo blurted out subconsciously, but soon realized his presumption and hurriedly changed his words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your trade secrets..."

"Trade secrets? Haha, not really," Bu Lu Ke grinned and said in a joking tone, "If you can gain the friendship of the elves, you too can harvest summer crops in winter."

So it was the elves...

Suo Ke Duo was relieved in an instant, and at the same time, he dismissed the idea of figuring out the ins and outs of this.

Although the pointed-ears were allies of humanity, these allies were not keen on dealing with humans, and most of them lived on an island in the center of the Whirlpool Sea.

No one knew where that island was, and countless people had tried to open up shipping routes to the Tree of Yggdrasil and failed.

To be able to gain the friendship of the elves...

Suo Ke Duo respected that legendary lord even more.

At least he had never heard of any elf serving a necromancer.

The hatred those pointed-ears had for the undead was on the same level as the hatred the followers of Saint Xisi had for demons; only a very small number of fallen elves would collude with necromancers.

But he had heard that those dark elves were often quite barbaric, just like the ogres east of the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, often living a life of drinking blood and eating raw meat, so he ignored them directly.

Arriving at the hotel where he would stay, Suo Ke Duo checked in under Bu Lu Ke's introduction.

There seemed to be only one guest here, so the hotel owner was especially attentive to him, even asking if he had any dietary restrictions for dinner.

Although he was a grain merchant, Suo Ke Duo was not picky about food, so he told the owner to just make some local specialties.

Looking at Suo Ke Duo, who had received the key, Bu Lu Ke said.

"Around this time tomorrow, our lord will send someone to pick you up for a face-to-face meeting. During your stay in the camp, if you encounter anything, contact the owner at the hotel front desk, or go to the city gate to find me."

Suo Ke Duo nodded to show he understood.

However, at this moment, he suddenly remembered a key thing he had forgotten to ask, so while Bu Lu Ke hadn't left yet, he hurriedly asked.

"May I ask your lord's surname?"

Hearing this, Bu Lu Ke, who had stopped, looked him over with a strange expression.

"You've already come here, and you still don't know what that lord is called?"

Suo Ke Duo smiled embarrassedly.

"I've only heard some rumors about him... those rumors didn't mention his name, or there were many versions, and none of them were accurate."

Bu Lu Ke asked curiously.

"What did the rumors say?"

Suo Ke Duo truthfully stated what he had heard and seen near Lei Ming City.

"The rumors say he is a powerful and benevolent mage... and others say he is the chosen one of Saint Xisi."

Bu Lu Ke laughed out loud upon hearing this.

Looking at the bewildered Suo Ke Duo, he grinned and said in a teasing tone.

"The first half is indeed correct, but the second half is ridiculously wrong."

Suo Ke Duo faintly felt something was wrong and asked nervously in a low voice.

"May I ask which part you are referring to?"

"All parts."

Bu Lu Ke looked at him, grinned, and continued in a non-joking tone.

"You are not worthy of calling that lord's name directly; remember to call him Lord Demon King when you see him."

Demon King!

Hearing the word Demon King, Suo Ke Duo didn't react at first, but the moment he did, he was so scared his legs almost went weak.

That overflowing admiration instantly turned into overflowing fear!

"Demon King... wait, isn't the Demon King of Lei Ming County already dead?! No, I didn't mean to offend, it's just... why?"

There were too many question marks in his head.

So much so that he couldn't even explain what the "why" he wanted to ask was.

Regarding his reaction, Bu Lu Ke was not surprised at all, but just placed his right hand on his chest with piety, praying in the way taught by the acolytes of the Necropolis.

"The tyrant of the past is indeed dead, but our lord is different... he is different from all the Demon Kings that have appeared here."

"After you see him, you will understand why I say this..."

(End of chapter)