Chapter 124: Adventurers Arrive at the Ruins

As the lord of Green Shade Town, Owen was well aware of Roger’s squad’s every move. In fact, the four of them were carefully selected seeds, or rather, role models.

They weren’t the only adventurers who had arrived in the territory, but the others had all been internally eliminated.

Those who were too curious, those who had no bottom line, those with poor character, and those whose personalities didn’t fit—these adventurers were either entangled in other matters or died mysteriously.

Owen intended to make Green Shade Town an adventurer’s paradise. To achieve this goal, it wasn’t enough to just have adventurers; he had to set a good example and create a role model. Only then could he use this to restrain and punish those who didn’t follow the rules. Roger and his squad were the templates he had chosen.

Under these circumstances, how could Owen allow anyone to disturb their adventure? The forest stone road, which the four of them could have easily entered before, was now swarming with soldiers. Even Witch Hunters were deployed, ensuring that Roger’s squad were the only adventurers in Green Shade Town, creating a comfortable space for them to operate in.

Completely unaware of this, Roger’s squad woke up early, expertly packed their gear, and arrived at the checkpoint behind the town, full of anticipation.

As the last line of defense against the ruins going out of control, this checkpoint was heavily fortified. Two small fortresses built with ashlar stones stood on either side of the gate, garrisoned by fully armed One-Horned Goblins and numerous city defense weapons. They were enough to withstand an attack from more than ten times their number of enemies, showing just how tight the defenses were.

Standing in front of the heavy, copper-plated, iron-reinforced gate, Roger nervously presented their identification to the exceptionally tall and sturdy Goblin in front of him. He was terrified that the Goblin would wave his hand and have them shot into hedgehogs or chopped into meat paste. At this moment, they had no power to fight back; after all, adventurers weren’t omnipotent.

“No need to be nervous. I am the Goblin General of Green Shade Town, responsible for city defense. Sometimes, I will also issue missions to you. So, as long as you do not break the law, you do not need to be afraid of me. Now, begin your adventure.” The Goblin General finished his lines as instructed and waved his hand. His subordinate soldiers turned the winch and raised the gate, revealing a long stretch of farmland beyond the checkpoint, along with smooth stone roads on both sides.

“Remember to keep to the right. You can walk or hire a sheep cart to take you to the ruins. I personally suggest you hire a sheep cart; it will help you conserve your energy.” The Goblin General said.

Owen, with his Monster Summoning Magic skill, could randomly summon one of the four basic dungeon monsters every day. Poisonous Snakes and Slimes were small, so most of them stayed in the castle. Goblins and Demon Sheep were sent to Green Shade Town.

Initially, the Goblin General combined the two and trained them into Goblin Demon Sheep Cavalry. However, the forest didn’t need to maintain a large number of cavalry, so the Goblin General, in a rare moment of cleverness, invented the sheep cart.

The Demon Sheep’s strength and endurance weren’t bad, though not as good as donkeys or horses. However, for the smaller Goblins, they were just right as draft animals for pulling carts. Currently, they had become the primary mode of transportation in Green Shade Town, especially during the harvest season when rows of sheep carts, like small trains, traveled back and forth, creating a rather impressive sight.

The sheep cart was a few sizes smaller than a horse-drawn carriage, able to squeeze in four or five people. However, to ensure they had enough space to react and move around, Roger rented two. He and Oak sat in the first one, Gray Cat and Copper Helm in the second, with their backpacks placed in between.

The Goblin in charge of driving shouted, “Hold on tight,” then flicked his sheep whip. A sharp crack echoed in the air, and instinctively, the Demon Sheep pulled the cart forward.

Because it was a stone road, there was very little friction. Moreover, with two Demon Sheep pulling the cart, it moved forward swiftly and smoothly, without any bumps. This gave Roger and his squad the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding scenery.

“These farmlands are drawing life force from their surroundings.” As they traveled, as if confirming something, Oak leaned over and whispered into Roger’s ear.

“Is it evil magic?” Roger whispered back, pretending to be nonchalant.

“No, it’s not evil. It’s natural magic. And the existence of the farmland is suppressing the activity of the surrounding Magic Horn Trees.” Oak glanced at the menacing Magic Horn Trees and couldn’t help but frown.

“These trees are alive?!” Roger had seen man-eating trees before and knew how dangerous they could be. Now, imagining the entire forest filled with such creatures, he couldn’t help but shiver.

“Yes, absolutely do not enter the woods on either side. The Magic Horn Trees on either side of the road lack activity and won’t harm people. But if you go deeper, it’s hard to say.” Oak said seriously.

If he were a Wood Elf, he might have a way to delve into this living forest. However, as a half-elf, he didn’t possess such abilities yet.

“Tell Gray Cat and Copper Helm later.” Roger whispered, then looked at the long, straight rows of farmland, marveling at the scale of it all.

Clearly, Green Shade Town had used some kind of magic to draw the life force from the Magic Horn Trees, accelerating the growth of the farmland. However, it wasn’t evil; the land here was still full of vitality and was able to sustain the entire town.

Lost in his thoughts, time passed quickly. The sheep cart soon arrived at the end of the road, where a huge construction site was located.

Because of Owen’s orders, the excavation of the ruins was very cautious. They never rushed in recklessly and always stayed on the second floor of the ruins, mainly focusing on dismantling the stone materials. Any discoveries made were incidental, leaving Roger and his squad speechless.

“This is how you explore the ruins?!” Roger lowered his head and said incredulously to the Goblin driving the cart.

“Yes, is there a problem?” The Goblin driver was about to take the sheep cart to the sheep pen next to the construction site, where there was readily available feed, so that the sheep could eat before they returned. Hearing Roger’s question, he answered without hesitation.

“No problem.” Roger opened his mouth, then finally managed to say.

“Now I know how Green Shade Town and Autumn Field Town were built.” Roger muttered.

“If you have enough manpower, this is indeed a good method, because no trap can function as intended.” Copper Helm shrugged and said.

Thinking about the common traps in the ruins, such as arrow volleys, pitfalls, and rolling stones, Roger had to admit that this was a good method, a method that adventurers could never use.

“But how come there are so many large Golems here?” As a dwarf, Copper Helm was well aware of the value and complexity of the Golems that appeared on the construction site. It was definitely not something a small town, let alone Goblins, could achieve.

“I feel like there are secrets everywhere here. I don’t know if choosing to come here was the right decision.” As an experienced adventurer, Roger vaguely sensed something amiss. However, all the choices they made were their own decisions. To say that there was a conspiracy seemed far-fetched. Most importantly, it wasn’t worth it.

The White Fang Adventurer Squad was just an insignificant team among the countless adventurers in the Empire. Hiring them wouldn’t cost more than a few gold coins, and getting rid of them wouldn’t cost much either. As for other values…

They came from ordinary backgrounds, their abilities were average, and even in terms of appearance, except for Gray Cat, none of them were particularly striking. Under these circumstances, what could anyone possibly scheme against them for?