Chapter 347: Chapter 293: Ximu Town, The Return (Part 3)

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, his voice laced with undisguised greed: "Or... do you have any special donations?"

The old merchant swiftly slid off the cart and walked briskly to the front of the soldiers’ captain.

First, he respectfully handed over the transit documents stamped with the red seal of the Raymond Duchy, then magically produced two bottles of tempting amber mead from his bosom.

"Sir, you’ve had a hard time, coming in the wind and rain. This is just a small token to drive away the cold for you and warm the brothers’ bodies."

He handed over the mead with a genial smile, lowering his posture significantly.

The bald captain unceremoniously tucked the mead into his own bosom.

The old merchant then lowered his voice, leaned in, and said, "I heard last month that a caravan only ’donated’ twenty gold coins?"

He discreetly raised three fingers, lowering his voice further: "Our caravan is a small business, but we understand the rules, willing to donate this amount, just asking you to show mercy and give us a full receipt for the paid taxes."

The bald captain squinted his eyes.

This meant he could privately pocket thirty gold coins but only needed to report a mere ten gold coins in taxes to the Viscount’s Mansion.

"Ha ha, sensible!"

The captain burst into laughter, pounding the old merchant’s shoulder hard, but when he accepted the heavy money bag handed over by the merchant, his expression suddenly changed, and his voice turned cold.

"However... the situation has changed! Times are hard, and the brothers’ expenses are high! It needs—this much!"

He spread his five fingers in front of the merchant and waved them.

The young apprentice beside him was so angry he trembled all over, clenching his fists, yet didn’t dare to act against the armed soldiers.

The weapons gleaming at their waists, and the Alchemy Golems standing in the rain exuding a cold metallic sheen, weren’t just for show.

"Damn vampires! Greedy bastards!"

The apprentice mumbled under his breath, almost whispering so only he could hear, but couldn’t help grumbling softly.

"Compared to this, it would be better if those wild monsters took over here! At least they’re not so insatiably greedy!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

His voice was low and almost overwhelmed by the patter of rain, nearly inaudible, but with a warrior’s keen hearing, the slightest sound was still discernible.

"Hmm?!"

The bald captain turned his head abruptly, his gaze dangerous as he glared at the apprentice: "You! What did you just say?! Little bastard! Dare to say it to my face again?!"

The old merchant’s face changed dramatically, his heart sank, thinking to himself this was not good, he was already prepared to bleed a fortune to quell the incident.

Just at this tense moment, where the atmosphere was nearly frozen,

whoosh——!!!

A piercing and terrifying sound, like huge leather being torn apart, suddenly came from the sky!

A hard-to-distinguish silhouette unfolded its wings sharply in the hazy rain curtain, centered around it, countless descending raindrops seemed to be dyed by some invisible force into a bizarre emerald green.

These green rains emitted a chilling hissing noise immediately upon touching the ground.

A thick fog with a sweet, metallic scent spread out.

The nearest low-level soldiers, having just inhaled a whiff, suddenly felt the world spin, dizzy and almost fainting on the spot.

Almost at the same time, the ground shook violently.

Creeping like living creatures, emerald vines covered with poisonous thorns broke through the wet and soggy soil, entangling the soldiers’ limbs and torsos around them.

The terrified screams and curses of the soldiers were instantly drowned out by the creaking sound of the vines.

Even the hefty, metal-cast Alchemy Golem was quickly ensnared and tightened by several thicker and sturdier vines, the immense force causing the metal to emit a piercing groan, and in an instant, it was wrapped into a huge, continuously constricting green cocoon, unable to move.

Five-Colored Dragon!

It’s the Green Dragon!

The bald captain’s pupils suddenly contracted, immense fear grasped his heart.

"Enemy attack! It’s evil..."

Before he could finish his sentence, it was abruptly interrupted by a more violent, storm-rending roar! A gigantic, terrifying Wolf Fang Club was thrown out like a meteor!

Bang!

A crunching muffled sound! The Wolf Fang Club landed precisely on the upper half of the bald captain’s body, its horrifying force instantly smashing him to smithereens, the scalding blood mixed with shattered flesh and bones splattering like a fountain all over the old merchant ahead.

Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump!

A heavy and rhythmic thudding, like a giant’s footsteps, echoed once more from the depths of the rainy veil.

An Ogre warrior, riding a heavily armored massive rhinoceros, appeared like a moving mountain, effortlessly swatting aside the obstructive trees like straws, suddenly manifesting itself before the dazed stationed soldiers.

But this was merely the beginning of the calamity.

Hiss hiss hiss... In the dark, rainy backdrop, countless ghostly, flickering eyes, glistening with eerie green, blood-red, and bluish-white light, lit up without warning.

Dense and layered.

They had long encircled the entire intersection, including Ximu Town, seamlessly.

Looking again at the human troops’ scouts and sentries, completely unresponsive.

Unbeknownst to anyone, they had been silently assassinated by War Lizardfolk hidden in the shadows.

The soldiers were easily torn apart by the swarming monsters, and the Alchemy Golems were smashed into twisted scrap by powerful monster warriors, the scant resistance appearing exceedingly fragile against the overwhelming force.

Many merchants and adventurers stranded in the small town huddled under the eaves, staring in terror at all this, at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, Green Dragon Ludwig stretched his wings, circling low, roaring a deafening announcement of sovereignty.

"From now on! This place is under the control of the mighty Molten Iron Tribe!"

"Those who surrender shall live! Those who resist—shall die!"

The old merchant wiped away the blood that covered his eyes with trembling hands, wisely fell to his knees, then forcefully dragged his by-now petrified, dumbfounded apprentice to the ground beside him.

Molten Iron Tribe?

What a familiar yet dread-inducing name.

More than twenty years ago, those monsters who decisively retreated to the wild after killing the nobles, they’ve returned! And their resurgence seems far more unstoppable than before.

At this moment, the wind and rain grew fierce.

But more oppressive than the wind and rain was the invisible curtain that had quietly descended over Scale Earth Rift.

Everyone in Ximu Town realized that change was coming.