This is a dark age, the light of the once glorious civilization is scattered on the ground, the iron divine power and royal power bind the land and the people like chains, there are far away the demon tide in the wasteland, and there are fierce beasts in the wilderness nearby, survival is a matter that requires great courage and hard work.

But it was also an age of "innocence" - the iron aristocratic order maintained the iron "aristocratic spirit", the rule-makers indulged in their own "glory" and "orthodoxy", stubbornly enforced those dogmatic morals and rules, the existence of the transcendent laid down the law of "strength over wisdom", and everyone was accustomed to using strength to distinguish between high and low on the frontal battlefield, and the cunning and ingenuity outside of this became superficial and stagnant for thousands of years.

Therefore, people in this era are destined to be unable to deal with an old yin B who has hung in the sky for tens or millions of years outside the battlefield.

Of course, Gawain himself thinks that every one of his plans is quite upright......

Herty has also followed Gao Wen for two years, but she often can't keep up with her ancestors' train of thought, and she hasn't turned a corner for a while: "You...... Is this to do business with the Eastern Legion and the Kingdom Army at the same time? ”

"They have gold and resources, and we have industrial products, and it's a very lucrative deal." Gao Wen said as a matter of course.

Hetty hesitated a little: "But it is very likely that the Eastern Legion has secretly colluded with the cultists...... If we sell them the potion, will we be helping the Cultists......"

Gawain looked at Hetty: "First of all, don't forget that long before the outbreak of the civil war, some retailers of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce had already been in contact with the East, and a small-scale potion business had been doing, but it had not expanded, and secondly, it was ...... Do you think they really benefit if we sell potions to the East? ”

As soon as Hetillo thought about it, the vanished faces of the last batch of "friendly trading partners" who had been dumped by Cecil with industrial products came to mind......

Ah, the grass at Viscount Carol's grave must have been a foot high, right? Count Hossman's body still doesn't seem to be complete......

"Broaden your horizons and broaden your thinking," Gawain said unhurriedly—although the Herty in front of him is already an adult, but I don't know if it's because he's called an ancestor all day long, he really likes to educate people more recently, "Don't stick to the immediate interests, there is a lot of learning between gains and losses." ”

"I see," Hetty nodded earnestly, "I'll contact Padraic." ”

"Let Padraic organize a group of smart and relatively low-key businessmen to take charge of this, we have to do business with everyone, but some businesses can't be done with much fanfare," Gawain nodded, "Also, send someone to the weapon design institute to study how to make 'foreign trade weapons'......"

……

While Gawain and Hetty were discussing a plan for the "foreign trade" of the Duchy of Cecil, deep in the dense forest on the west side of Cecil, a special team was moving swiftly and cautiously through the vines and bushes.

In the stories of the ancient forests that have been formed over thousands of years, the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets, and in those untouched areas of human civilization there are countless terrible legends that parents use to scare their children - bloodthirsty wolf beasts, strange wizards, moving ancient trees, and cruel witches, it seems that everything that can make ordinary people tremble will inhabit the heart of the forest, and is ready to devour everyone who enters it.

The true depths of the forest are certainly not as bizarre as the story describes, but there are also many dangers, with wild beasts and poisonous insects being the main inhabitants in the vast shadows of the towering ancient trees, and even monsters and spirit creations lurking in more special areas, such as the Magical Focus, that can be feared by even trained soldiers and knights.

So you have to be extra careful when you act in it.

The warrior in black light armor stepped on thick fallen leaves and dead branches to get to the observation position, he pressed his hand on the side of the fully enclosed helmet, adjusted the pattern of the tactical eyepiece, and after a moment, the warrior gestured to his teammates behind him: "Safety." ”

One by one, the black-armored warriors stepped out from behind the bushes, followed by Thorderlin, who was also dressed in light armor but without a helmet, and after Soldlin came out Rebecca, who was wearing a short mage robe for easy movement and holding an iron staff.

"Hah-" Rebecca exhaled as she stood on a rock jutting out of the ground, looking into the distance, "I've never been to this deep......"

Thorderlin glanced at the baroness, but didn't warn her to be safe - when he first entered the forest, he also reminded him that "the mage is weak, so don't leave the warrior protection", but after watching the girl kill a sneaking timber wolf with a stick, he realized that the women of the Cecil family were still as strong as they were seven hundred years ago.

After this girl who seems to be a mage puts on the magic armor, I am afraid that she will be able to kill everyone on the scene except him......

"Be vigilant, switch observers - shieldmen on alert." Thordrin instructed his subordinates beside him, and then glanced down at the amulet he was holding - the surface of this magical object from his hometown was floating with a faint glow, indicating that the team was already close to the magic focus in the forest, and the chance of monster infestation in this position would be much higher.

Then he looked at Rebecca - this team's action today was initiated by this Viscountess, and the goal of the action was naturally up to the other party.

"We're not far from the focus of the magic, aren't we?" Rebecca jumped off the stone and walked over to Thorderlin, "Wow—your pendant is glowing!" ”

"Strictly speaking, this is already the area of influence of the mana focus," Thordrin nodded, "The monster you're looking for should be around here." ”

"Well, I've heard it's ...... around here," Rebecca nodded, then sighed, "It's better to grow up...... When I was a child, my father and aunt never let me run into the forest......"

"The depths of the forest are dangerous, not a place for children," Thorderling said seriously, "Even if we silver elves are not allowed to run into the heart of the forest. ”

Rebecca pursed her lips and walked forward, "Anyway, my aunt made up a bunch of stories to scare me about things hidden in the forest...... What witches, wizards, ghosts, fallen elves and mages, running and jumping trees, bears bigger than houses, and so on......"

While ordering the team to move on, Tölderlin glanced at Rebecca who was walking next to him with a slight smile - although this friend's descendant is a bit maverick, his childhood is not much different from others, and he was also scared by adults with ghost stories when he was a child, as Gawain's old friend, he always can't help but show a trace of care as an elder when he sees Rebecca, and he can't help but say at this moment: "After listening to those stories, I should be quite scared, right?" ”

"Huh?" Rebecca was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, "No—I'll go to the forest to play." ”

Thorderling stumbled on the spot - as a silver elf, he almost fell out of the forest since he was a child: "Why? ”

Rebecca took it for granted: "You think, there are so many strange people and animals living in the forest, what kind of excitement the forest has to be - I like to join in the fun." ”

Thorderling walked steadily this time, but he stumbled at the feet of a steel ranger soldier next to him......

Toldlin glanced at the team member who had nearly tripped over a dead branch, and then looked at Rebecca in amazement—he found that he couldn't tell what was wrong with the girl's logic: "You ...... Well, what about after you go to the forest? ”

"I didn't have to go far before I found a couple of wolves, fought and lost them - and then they were spotted and brought back by the knights of the castle," Rebecca said, and couldn't help but hiss, "It was a terrible beating...... Later I learned that my aunt told me those stories not to tell me that the forest was lively, but to tell me that the forest was dangerous. ”

Thorderlin: "......"

I don't know if the girl was beaten by wolves or by her elders after returning to the castle, but according to rumors...... Most likely the latter.

Moments later, the group reached a deeper level, and the small talk between Rebecca and Sölderlin gradually stopped.

There was a damp smell in the air, mixed with a slight smell of earth, and the Iron Ranger warriors who were observing the situation in front of them made a cautious gesture, and the whole group came to a stealthy stop next to a dead giant tree.

Rebecca and Thordrin cautiously moved forward for some distance, then poked their heads out from behind the bushes and looked at the situation on the other side.

Deep in the forest, in the perennial darkness of the vast canopy of trees, vast expanses of muddy puddles and rotting leaves formed a hidden kingdom of monsters, and several large, lion-like black beasts were resting in the clearing, occasionally raising their eyelids to glance around, and their eyes as large as copper bells were filled with the brilliance of arcane magic.

No ordinary beast dared to approach this place occupied by monsters, and in that vast clearing of the forest, apart from the dangerous demonized reckless beasts, the only living creatures were a few pools of gray-brown ooze monsters that were slowly wriggling in the mud and rotting leaves—these weak and non-aggressive monsters were devouring the mud and rotting leaves, and they were obviously not worth expelling the beasts with their low level and almost natural phenomena.

Thorderling counted the number of the reckless beasts and breathed a sigh of relief: this magical focus had been formed recently, and the monsters that had gathered were not very tricky.

The Iron Ranger warriors silently raised their weapons—high-powered thermal ray guns, arcane missile launchers, and small individual howitzers—deadly weapons aimed at the monsters in the distance, and the reckless beasts who weren't known for their sentient abilities were still ignorant of all of them.

"Be careful, just kill the beast and don't spread it to the side," Rebecca said in a low voice, "Don't use the howitzer." ”

The fighter who used the howitzer regretfully put away his weapon and replaced it with a regular thermal ray gun, while Sölderling understood Rebecca's words: don't use too powerful weapons, obviously to prevent the destruction of this natural magic focus, although Rebecca can only rub large fireballs, she is still more or less a mage, and there is a need for magic focus.

It seems that this Viscountess's target today should be not only those few reckless beasts, but also the focus of magic here—what exactly has she been studying lately?

Thorderling decided to wait until the mission was over to ask, and now ...... First of all, we must deal with those reckless beasts.

After a short, whispered command to fire, the Steel Ranger warriors attacked.

The sound of heat rays and arcane missiles slicing through the air shattered the silence of the forest, followed by the angry roars of demonic beasts and the deathly wails that followed.

The battle lasted only a minute—not even a minute.

The Beasts are indeed dangerous monsters - but that is for the average old-style soldier and the unprepared low-ranking knights, and for the Iron Ranger warriors who are armed to the teeth, wield magical weapons, and use sneak attack tactics, these powerful but slow-moving monsters only need a round or two of fire.

The fierce and thrilling battle was over, the sound of weapon fire gradually subsided, and the last of the dying beast struggled to the ground, a rapidly flying enchanted feather arrow piercing its skull, ending all the killing. Thorderling wielded the bow (he was still accustomed to using the weapon he had with him for years) and led his warriors out of the natural bunker and into the glade, with Rebecca following closely behind.

A rustling sound sounded all around, and Thorderling looked in the direction where the sound came from—the frightened ooze monsters were trying to escape the place, but judging by the speed at which they wriggled, it would probably be a long time before they were out of sight of the warriors.

"Wow—you're amazing," Rebecca complimented with satisfaction as she looked at the results of the battle, "all killed!" ”

"My fighters are well-trained," Thorderling smiled reservedly, "is it time to take a sample?" ”

"Ah yes," Rebecca nodded, and the warriors around her immediately came to the surrounding beasts, ready to peel the samples as instructed, but then Rebecca waved her hand, "Go and catch those ooze monsters." ”

"Go and get ......," Toldling was stunned as soon as he repeated a word, "Huh? ”

"Catch the ooze monster!" Rebecca blinked, "Why are you still stunned?" ”

Thorderlin's face was clouded, but he had given the order for the Iron Rangers, who were also in the circle, to carry out the order quickly—to catch the ooze monsters that were still slowly wriggling into the distance—and he himself looked at Rebecca in confusion after giving the order, "You brought us here...... Just to catch those ooze monsters? ”

Rebecca nodded, "yes." ”

For the first time, Thorderlin felt that his brain was a little insufficient: "What's the use of you catching that thing?" ”

"Even a Ooze Monster has a value of its own as long as it's used properly," Rebecca said mysteriously, her gaze falling on the Iron Ranger warriors in the distance—they easily grabbed the low-level monsters crawling in the mud, but they looked embarrassed by the mud, "In your eyes, the Ooze is just a puddle of moving mud, but in my eyes...... They may be industrial raw materials. ”

"Industrial raw materials...... Thorderlin couldn't connect the useless ooze monster with the magical magic industry, but looking at Rebecca's sparkling eyes, he felt a kind of persistent power inexplicably, so much so that he didn't say anything more questioning, "Okay, I'm looking forward to your results." But the ooze monster caught ...... What about these reckless beasts? ”

Rebecca looked around at the fierce demonic beasts that had fallen (although they were super fierce, but they died unjustly), and thought for a moment: "Can you eat it?" ”

“…… Although I haven't eaten it, it is said that the ribs of the beast taste good, and the bone stew is very nourishing. ”

"Then cut a portion and take it back," Rebecca slapped her, "I'm going to give my ancestors a stew!" ”