Chapter 132: The Unfathomable Ruins
Roger’s Squad hurried through the narrow passage, looking somewhat disheveled. However, they were careful not to let their weapons and armor scrape against the walls. They were clearly experienced adventurers, instinctively paying attention to such details.
Many adventurers had entered Green Shade Town and even the ruins during this time. However, Roger’s Squad had maintained their first-mover advantage. After familiarizing themselves with the area, they had already reached the second floor of the ruins, gaining considerable fame among the adventurers. They even enjoyed discounts when purchasing equipment, potions, and supplies.
But all of this came at a price. Unlike the first floor of the ruins, which had served as a residential area for civilians, the second floor appeared to be a production area. They had previously discovered the Monster Girl Breeding Ground, and there were similar facilities like the Puppet Factory and the Monster Breeding Center.
The problem was, while residential areas were relatively safe, factory areas were bound to have security and defense measures.
Moreover, they had no idea how the entire ruins functioned. Many things had decayed, but some facilities still maintained minimal operation, especially the defense mechanisms.
Unfortunately, Roger and his team’s exploration activated the defense mechanisms in certain areas. If most of the functions hadn’t been damaged, they wouldn’t have made it back alive. However, they also brought back bad news.
Some of the Magic Horn Goblins, Black Glue Bugs, Black-Backed Ratmen, and Thorn Spiders that had previously escaped to the second floor of the ruins had been captured by the Monster Breeding Center as escaped monsters, causing the Monster Breeding Center to resume operation. Even worse, despite the severe damage to the defense mechanisms, the defense system somehow managed to forcefully activate the Monster Breeding Center and the Puppet Factory, creating a batch of monster puppets as part of the defense mechanism.
Owen, controlling the Top Hat Puppet, read the report submitted by Roger’s Squad from the Great Tree Hollow Tavern. His mood worsened with each line.
He couldn’t figure out the origins of these ruins. Even after all this time, they were still operational. What was even more frightening was the technology, or perhaps magic, displayed here. It made him uncertain about what kind of world this truly was.
One could argue this world was advanced, as most areas still lived a life similar to the medieval period, with ignorant farmers, uneducated commoners, and nobles controlling everything.
But one could also argue it was backward. After all, there were witches, mages, alchemists, demons, and various well-established supernatural professions and powers. Individuals could destroy cities single-handedly, and in many aspects, they surpassed the technology of his previous life.
This was especially true for these ruins. They seemed to have been abandoned for hundreds or even thousands of years, yet they were still functioning. If it were the human civilization of his previous life, it would take only a few decades for everything to turn into a global green and environmentally friendly state, and one wouldn’t even be able to find a working lighter after a thousand years.
Not to mention technologies like monster breeding and puppet modification, which were on the level of black technology. It broadened Owen’s horizons but also made him wonder what kind of bizarre world he had stumbled upon.
“Fortunately, we have adventurers helping us test the waters, but we can’t be careless. We can’t stop establishing branch bases, and it can’t be limited to the Northland. The Empire, overseas, underground, we need Hydra branch bases everywhere.” Owen took off his glasses, rubbing his temples, which were throbbing from mental exhaustion. He wasn’t optimistic about the future of the Northland.
If it weren’t for the stagnant Progress Value Limit, Owen might have immediately chosen to abandon the Northland, get away from these unfathomable ruins, and choose other locations to build even more secretive deep-sea or even aerial bases.
While Owen was envisioning establishing branch bases in the future, the troubles the Northland faced were more numerous than he had imagined. He soon received bad news from Correns.
Initially, the Northland only faced small and medium-sized forces from the Empire that had crossed over to grab a share of the pie. There was a threat, but it wasn’t as significant as imagined, and its impact on the Northland wouldn’t continue to spread. After all, their goal was to seize the initiative and gain more benefits in the future. Therefore, they killed people and seized territory but wouldn’t completely disrupt the local order.
These people were very clear that once order was completely disrupted, it might take a decade for things to stabilize. By then, there would be no one left, rendering their plans futile and their investments wasted.
The problem was that the situation within the Empire was far more complicated than Owen had anticipated. The power of the royal family and the nobles was only on the surface. The Adventurer’s Guild, the Wizard Sanctuary, the Mage Alliance, and others were only a part of the Empire. In addition, various dark forces were emerging endlessly.
Within the Empire, due to various constraints, these forces, although occasionally popping up to make their presence known, caused limited damage because a special balance had long been established among multiple parties.
However, the Northland was different. It was an almost blank slate, and the local nobles were an insult to the word “noble.” It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were merely landlords with noble titles. In this situation, it was clearly a good place to do whatever one pleased; otherwise, the Black Hand wouldn’t have extended their reach here.
Although the Black Hand did dirty work, it had to be said that they also belonged to the lawful faction. After all, once the world became chaotic, these thieves and assassins would have no place to use their skills. When everyone was killing and looting, who would need to hire them? It would be redundant.
But besides the Black Hand, there were many messy forces in the Empire. After all, the benefits and power to be divided had long been split among the big players, with scraps given to their subordinates to satisfy their cravings. Latecomers were like festering sores, wanting to rise but having no way out, forced to suppress their ambitions.
What was even more tragic was that they couldn’t cause much trouble in the Empire, but in the almost blank slate of the Northland, they could easily commit massacres.
The warlock that Ai Mi Er encountered before was a member of a certain evil organization, known for their expertise in creating and spreading Demon Eggs.
It sounded terrifying. If they formed a legion like Bella, they could easily defeat ten times the number of enemies.
Unfortunately, this was only theoretical. In reality, even if ordinary people swallowed a Demon Egg and paid the price, the strength they could achieve was only at the level of a beginner Battle Qi warrior, and one who hadn’t mastered any combat techniques at that.
If such trash dared to cause trouble in the Empire, who knew from which corner a knight, mage, or adventurer would jump out and effortlessly eliminate them, not giving them any chance to grow.
Even without them, the armies of the various lords were not to be trifled with. Even a demonized elite like Bella couldn’t withstand the siege of a swarm of elite soldiers.
However, in the Northland, except for the areas near the Empire’s border, which were more densely populated and stronger, most of the Northland noble territories were one or two days’ journey apart. They rarely saw each other throughout the year. Even if a territory was massacred, it might not be discovered for half a year, let alone ten days or half a month.
Moreover, besides Demon Eggs, there were various cultists who liked to exchange blood sacrifices and offerings for power. They had to take various risks in the Empire, but in the Northland, even wanting to court death was difficult.
Therefore, the Northland was in deep trouble. It might become a wasteland before it even had a chance to develop.
