Traveling through the game world

Seeing Sherlock rescued by Lian Yang, Paris said helplessly, "Old Sherlock, you've gone looking for your only friend of the same race again!" Sherlock was also one of the natives of Huttonmar, and Paris had been a friend of many years. Paris had tried to help him search for his only friend of the same race, Maggie, but all her efforts had been in vain.

Sherlock shook his head firmly and said, "He's the only one of my kind left in this world. I can't abandon him!" Turning to Lian Yang, he said, "It's a miracle I survived... Hehe... But please listen to this poor old goblin's ramblings! The Cataclysm destroyed the goblin race. After losing my own kind, I only have one friend left. But that guy went crazy and ran in alone, and hasn't come back yet." He paused and continued, "No one is willing to help me find him. I begged the Imperial Army, but they were adamant, saying it wasn't their business... Oh, my life is so miserable..."

Having heard Sherlock's words and being familiar with the plot, Lian Yang found it hard to understand his feelings for Maggie. And judging from Paris's attitude, this old goblin had probably searched for his companions countless times in a frenzy.

Sure enough, Paris said helplessly, "Old Sherlock just keeps repeating the same few sentences. We sent people to look for him, but they all came back injured, and they never even saw the goblin he was talking about."

Upon hearing Paris's words, Sherlock shouted excitedly, "He's just a coward, afraid to show himself! Humans never trust goblins..."

Lian Yang, who is well aware of the so-called Great Transfer outside the game and the so-called Cataclysm within the game, is speechless. Humans and goblins, who were once enemies of two classes, trust each other? It's a miracle that Sherlock can even survive in the human world! Moreover, Maggie, who is afraid of humans, will definitely hide when humans search for her. Given the danger level of the Hutton Mar Ruins, it's simply unrealistic for a large force to search for Maggie for Sherlock.

However, Lian Yang nodded and said, "I'm going to explore the ruins of Huttonmar anyway. If I see anything, I'll rescue your friend." Lian Yang wasn't just giving Sherlock a perfunctory answer; if possible, he wouldn't mind rescuing Maggie. Most importantly, if the inertia of history remained so strong, he was almost certain to encounter Maggie. His only worry was whether he could rescue her alive.

Speaking of the ruins of Hendon Myre, Lian Yang suddenly thought of the Black Hat Thieves. He asked Paris, "Paris, what's the deal with the Black Hat Thieves? They seem to be quite powerful." It's really troublesome that a thief gang of forty or fifty people would be mobilized for a single Super Mushroom Man, Bernanze. Especially since their background as monsters in the game is vague, but the real Arad continent is countless times more complex than in the game.

"The Black Hat Thieves?" Paris thought for a moment and said, "This group usually only operates in the ruins of Hutton Myre, rapidly expanding their power by plundering the wealth left behind by the residents and robbing adventurers who venture into the ruins. Nobody knows who their leader is, but it's said they have some connection to the Imperial Army. You must have rescued Sherlock at Mushroom Manor on the outskirts of Hutton Myre, right? That's one of their most active areas, so be very careful; these people are dangerous."

Lian Yang immediately understood that from the perspective of the City of Misfortune (the place where the remnants of the Huttonmar ruins lived), the Black Hat Thieves were just a small organization, only appearing troublesome because of their connection with the Imperial Army. However, for Lian Yang and his fellow adventurers who were going to explore alone, the large and powerful Black Hat Thieves were very dangerous.

"Understood!" Lian Yang nodded after obtaining the necessary information and said, "I've been through a lot of trouble, and now I'm going on an adventure. I'm so tired! Let's go!"

The next day, at Mushroom Manor.

In the early morning, a gentle breeze rustled through the lush grass of Mushroom Manor. The fresh air, carrying a slight chill, made Lian Yang and the others feel that the place possessed a touch of poetic beauty.

Wanting to venture deeper, Lian Yang and his companions carefully avoided the mushroom-man monsters they could foresee. They casually slashed down a mushroom-man monster blocking their path with a single sword stroke, as if casually parting some weeds. It seemed as if the trio had come for a picnic rather than an adventure.

The trio ventured deeper and deeper, seemingly reaching the very heart of Mushroom Manor.

"Whoosh!" "Ding!"

In the silent Mushroom Manor, a dart suddenly appeared, flying silently and rapidly towards Lian Yang. Its eerie blue sheen clearly indicated that the dart was poisoned.

Although the dart was thrown silently and was well hidden, it was still spotted by the highly vigilant Lian Yang. The dart was fast, but Lian Yang's sword was even faster! With a swing of his greatsword, the originally heavy greatsword seemed as light as a willow branch in Lian Yang's hands. He deflected the silently approaching dart with seemingly slow but actually fast movements.

However, just like a signal flare, as the first dart was shot down, darts attacking Lian Yang suddenly rained down on him.

"Hehe!" Lian Yang chuckled, "I was feeling bored, and I didn't expect that someone would actually come knocking on my door! Let's get to work!"

Looking at the overwhelming barrage of darts, Lian Yang estimated that at least a hundred people were involved in the attack. However, based on the force of the darts that were hit, most of them were probably only around level 25, which made Lian Yang feel quite bored.

"Laser cannon!" Alice, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. As a sharpshooter, she had a strong sense of perception. She sensed where the dart was and fired a laser cannon in the direction of the dart without even looking up.

The scorching laser not only incinerated the incoming darts into steam, but its residual force also burned through attackers who had no time to dodge. What? You say dodge? The laser cannon's attack speed is the speed of light, and the highly concentrated energy of the laser can instantly incinerate and burn through a person upon contact. Unless you can predict the trajectory or neutralize the laser cannon's energy, being hit means certain death.

"Roar!" Berserker Baron became even more ferocious, letting out a furious roar as he activated Blood Frenzy, wielding his dual swords with both hands. He charged towards wherever the darts were concentrated, his incredible speed not only deflecting incoming darts but also easily grabbing and killing the enemies who launched them.

"Crackling..." The little guy was equally unwilling to be outdone. As a half-living being, it let the darts clang against its body, fiercely unleashing its newly acquired lightning ability in the direction the darts were fired. In a flash, the enemy was reduced to ashes. Perhaps only the little guy, whose level was still relatively low, could reap the greatest benefits from this sudden battle. After all, although the number of enemies was extremely large, their average level of only about 25 could only provide the trio with the most basic experience.

Seeing that their planned surprise attack had not achieved the desired effect, the leader of the attackers decisively gave the order to retreat.

Watching the trio of Lian Yang, like war gods, effortlessly slaughter their former comrades, the attackers felt no hatred, only fear of Lian Yang. Upon hearing their leader's order to retreat, they immediately fled the battlefield.

Just then, an angry shout rang out: "How could you do this! How could you slaughter adventurers like this? You scum!"

"Huh?" Baron looked at the newcomer with some confusion and said, "These are the people who ambushed us, okay?"

The newcomers were also a small team of six. Their attire immediately revealed them: two Sword Masters, a Berserker, an Elementalist, a Force Master, and surprisingly, a Paladin. They had a tank, DPS, support, and healer. A perfectly formed team.

The leading paladin said indifferently, "But I see you standing here, while those are already dead!"

Before Baron could say anything more, Lian Yang chuckled, stopped him, gave Alice a look, and stepped forward, saying, "So what do you want to do?" Lian Yang knew perfectly well that the person before him was the Black Hat Thieves' true trump card. Since the other party lacked strength, they were resorting to underhanded tactics.

The paladin said casually, "Of course you'll come back with us to face the Empire's judgment! Massacring adventurers is a serious crime." His words carried an air of superiority, clearly indicating his noble birth.

Lian Yang continued nonchalantly, "These people seem to be from the Black Hat Thieves. I don't remember the Killing Thieves being illegal? Look at their attire and weapons; those are all the hallmarks of the Black Hat Thieves."

"Is that so?" The paladin shrugged, saying helplessly, "Maybe they have a particular fashion fetish? Who says that dressing like a band of thieves automatically makes someone a band of thieves? I think they were just adventurers operating in the area, innocently killed by you." The paladin, of course, knew these were the Black Hat Thieves; in fact, they were subordinates of his partner—his own men.

"Is that so!" Nodding, Lian Yang said, "So that means you might be a member of a thief gang even though you're disguised as a paladin?"

Lian Yang's words infuriated the paladin. In his view, the cat-and-mouse game was over. He said in a deep voice, "If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do. But either come back with us to face trial, or you'll be executed right here!" Of course, what he really thought was that Lian Yang was doomed no matter what. The so-called imperial trial was simply his men judging Lian Yang; he had the power to decide right and wrong.

"Imperial judgment?" Lian Yang took out his military rank insignia, pinned it to his chest, and said, "I am Lian Yang, captain of the Hope Independent Squad of the Steel Wolf Knights of the Delos Empire. Now I suspect you are a member of the Black Hat Thieves!" He'd finally gotten to the point. Clearly, this was a paladin of noble birth from the Delos Empire; without a good pretext, Lian Yang wouldn't be able to easily take him down. He hadn't expected him to be so impatient.

"What?!" The paladin's expression changed drastically upon seeing Lian Yang's military rank. As a son of a high-ranking official in the Delos Empire, he immediately recognized the rank as genuine; Delos Empire ranks were impossible to forge, and no one dared to. He hadn't expected Lian Yang, who appeared to be just an ordinary adventurer, to be an Imperial Knight. He inwardly cursed the Black Hat Thieves' leader for acting rashly without proper investigation. Even for him, being suspected of colluding with a thief gang would be a very troublesome matter.

Thinking of this, the paladin shouted, "Kill them all, or we'll all be in deep trouble!"

As he spoke, he bestowed a set of support skills upon all team members. He stood at a distance behind the five. It must be said that the paladin team members were all around level 40. If it weren't for the fact that Lian Yang and the others possessed a contract that didn't exist on the Arad Continent, this would have been an extremely difficult battle.

But there are no "what ifs" on the battlefield. The Paladin activates support, the Force Master casts a shield to buff their teammates. The Elementalist applies all the buffs they know, the Berserker activates Blood Frenzy, and the Sword Master unleashes their ultimate weapon.

The paladin is the leader of the group of six, but in reality, the other five are his bodyguards, practically his bodyguards. Their unparalleled teamwork stems from years of working together. The paladin's squad is ready for battle!

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