Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 286 - 273: There is Something Wrong with This Butler

Chapter 286: Chapter 273: There is Something Wrong with This Butler

After speaking, without waiting for other players to respond, Little Xian Miao spoke up herself,

"Do you all remember the human steward we caught during the Crocodile Mercenary Corps mission?"

"Is that steward also in this town?"

Li Mu was slightly taken aback.

Back then, it was he who asked the questions, so he remembered this cowardly steward quite well.

"That’s right, but... the way he looks now, I feel you might not recognize him anymore."

Little Xian Miao said as she tossed a screenshot she had just taken while spying in the chat group.

It was an image of the skinny guard talking to Anders.

The guard’s face was flattering, while Anders looked displeased.

However, the expressions were secondary; what caught the players’ attention was Anders’ current appearance.

This old steward looked nothing like his once portly self. He was now as thin as a bag of bones, with a sallow complexion and dry hair, looking as if he had been on the run for months.

His clothes were also a far cry from the servant’s attire he once wore, now replaced with an ill-fitting villager’s winter coat.

"Wow, how did this guy get so thin? I remember when I first saw him at the Crocodile Mercenary Corps camp, he was as round as a ball."

"It’s really him... almost didn’t recognize him."

"What’s he doing in this town?"

Seeing the astonished expressions of the other players, Little Xian Miao chuckled and continued to send messages in the chat channel,

"I asked around. Apparently, he got lost outside for nearly two months before finally making his way back, which explains his current state. Well, the villagers said he arrived in town just a bit before we did."

"Wha... Lost?"

"That’s hilarious!"

Li Mu raised an eyebrow slightly,

"Weren’t there a lot of other villagers traveling with him too?"

"I asked around indirectly, and no one else returned. Of the dozen or so people we let go that day, only he came back."

Little Xian Miao replied.

After reading her message, Gu Gu Niao furrowed her brows,

"Other people? So, are you saying... back then, Mairrel actually raided this village?"

"Cough, cough... It was buying, uh... forced buying, but she didn’t force buy the villagers. The villagers were just taken as labor, and Mairrel directly forced a purchase of a property owned by a human earl nearby..."

"According to her, trading with nobles is far more profitable, while transactions with those paupers yield nothing substantial..."

Little Xian Miao explained with a hint of peculiarity.

Gu Gu Niao: ...

"I was just thinking, aren’t we heading to Fengye City? This coward is the earl’s steward of Fengye City, it’s right on our way! Besides... the guard who’s supposed to escort us to the city tomorrow is apparently supposed to accompany him back."

"So... I think we might be able to catch a ride and see if we can somehow connect with the nobles of Fengye City or the trading guilds through this steward..."

Little Xian Miao suggested.

Upon hearing her words, the players looked intrigued,

"That’s a good idea!"

"Sure! I remember when we interrogated this guy back then, he seemed to know a lot, connecting through him would definitely work!"

However, some players were slightly hesitant,

"But the problem is... how do we gain his trust, and... won’t he recognize us?"

"He hasn’t recognized us."

Little Xian Miao shook her head and continued,

"He seemed to be asking the guard about our origins! Just not sure why he didn’t come to ask us in person..."

"I think it might be because, on the day we attacked, it wasn’t fully daylight yet, and after defeating the mercenary group, everyone was covered in blood, making us hard to recognize. Now, with all of us slightly altering our appearances, he hasn’t figured us out yet..."

"Oh right, he also didn’t recognize our carriage, which means our modifications were quite effective."

Little Xian Miao expressed her judgment.

After hearing Little Xian Miao’s words, the players nodded in agreement.

That made sense.

However, upon hearing Little Xian Miao’s words, He Fan slightly furrowed his brows.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"He’s inquiring about us?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

Little Xian Miao nodded.

He Fan’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

Seeing his expression, Li Mu’s heart stirred slightly,

"What’s wrong, Brother He Fan, any issues?"

He Fan nodded slightly, speaking in a deep voice,

"I feel... he’s hiding."

"Hiding?"

The other players looked bewildered.

Li Mu opened his mouth, just about to ask something when he saw He Fan suddenly look at Demacia,

"The clothes, take them out."

"What clothes?"

Demacia was slightly puzzled.

"The ones you picked up."

He Fan said.

Demacia suddenly realized.

He smacked his forehead, then pulled out a tattered, blood-stained garment from the accompanying car, while mumbling,

"Almost forgot about this... Thought it might be some plot item, but after entering the village, there was nothing, I was just about to throw it away..."

However, as he spoke, he stopped talking.

Because he suddenly noticed that He Fan and Li Mu were becoming more and more serious.

Even Xi Hong’s Fried Tomato squinted slightly.

They all stared at the clothes in Demacia’s hands, appearing deep in thought.

"Wh... What’s wrong?"

Demacia felt a burst of anxiety,

"I didn’t steal any treasure this time, really, look, I haven’t even rummaged through these clothes... And it’s not a mercenary uniform, there’s nothing worth noting here..."

Li Mu: ...

Little Xian Miao: ...

Gu Gu Niao: ...

Xi Hong’s Fried Tomato: ...

"What’s this nonsense?"

Li Mu chuckled helplessly.

He examined the clothes in Demacia’s hands for a moment, then sighed slightly,

"Demacia, don’t you think these clothes seem a bit familiar when you look closely?"

"Familiar?"

Demacia was slightly taken aback.

He carefully picked up the clothes and examined them, suddenly feeling a sense of surprise,

"These... seem like the clothes of those humans captured by Black Dragon back then."

He Fan’s eyes grew stern as he snatched the clothing from Demacia’s hands and spread them out...

It was a rather tattered garment, with the center stained dark with blood.

As he unfolded the clothes, He Fan’s expression became even more serious.

He pointed at the bloodstains on the clothing, saying,

"The wound is on the back."

"This is a stab from behind."

Hearing this, Li Mu’s expression shifted,

"You mean... it was done by that steward?"

He Fan glanced at him,

"Highly probable."

Gu Gu Niao’s expression also changed.

She furrowed her brow, pondering before her eyes lit up with understanding,

"It’s very possible... Along this route, it’s only him who traveled from this direction with us."

"But, if it truly was him, why would he kill those who fled with him? There’s no benefit to it..."

Demacia was puzzled.

"It might be related to the battle with the Crocodile Mercenary Corps, he’s probably silencing them to keep something hidden... Maybe it even involves us."

Li Mu said.

Once he said this, a glint appeared in Li Mu’s eyes,

"I heard from the returning elf NPCs that the border count of the Holy Mania Empire, like the Half-Beast, also gained wealth thanks to the elves."

"Moreover, his strength is formidable. His high-end combat power below the level of legend is even more potent than the Half-Beast... If it weren’t for the True God’s protection over the Half-Beast, just that one border count might be able to wipe out the thousands of troops of the Half-Beast."

"When we assaulted the Crocodile Mercenary Corps campus with our thousands, alongside Black Dragon Mairrel, he must have seen it as either a threat or a target..."

After hearing this, Demacia had an odd expression,

"Brother Mu, you’re saying that the steward was silencing them and intends to use our information to claim credit?"

"It’s quite possible."

"But if it was truly him who did this, why carry the clothes? Wouldn’t that expose him as the murderer?"

Demacia was still full of questions.

Soon, though, he was greeted with simultaneous eye-rolls from Gu Gu Niao and Li Mu,

"What’s the season now?"

"Winter?"

Demacia blinked warily.

He widened his eyes, then slapped his thigh,

"So that’s it! His steward clothes are so thin, not really for warmth. He must have carried these garments for warmth and got skittish closer to home, so he tossed them, but didn’t expect me to pick them up!"

Li Mu nodded ever so slightly, as he spoke,

"Those dozen people, none returned."

Demacia furrowed his brows,

"Brother Mu, are you saying the steward killed everyone else? Just him? But he was so terrified back then, he even wet his pants in fear of us!"

"That was because we were numerous and formidable, but if it’s a dozen ordinary NPCs without even a single practitioner?"

Little Xian Miao retorted.

Demacia was momentarily at a loss for words.

Li Mu pondered for a moment and said,

"This steward... has issues."

"We should be cautious with him, consider traveling together, but with vigilance."

"No... this time, we should indeed travel with him. Maybe we can find out what he’s really up to..."

"Who knows, it might even lead to a hidden storyline."