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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nAfter understanding what was going on, Yang Ling consoled Yuna and Alice before ordering the group to scatter. He then walked quickly toward the meeting hall and signaled for Goode to follow him.

nAfter sitting down in the meeting hall, Yang Ling rubbed his temple, “Goode, how’s the recent situation?”

n“The construction of the pier and harbor are on track, preliminary construction in the Black Water City has already been completed, we have also picked up the pace in the excavation of the Five-colored Crystal Vein and the construction of the military factory!” After reporting on the progress of the main projects, looking at Yang Ling’s unchanging expression, Goode hesitated for a moment, “But, there seems to be some trouble at the Hunter Association…”

n“Oh, what trouble?” Seeing how worried Goode was, Yang Ling knew that the problem must not be simple, then gently creased his brows.

n“These few days, there are many people who have issued missions in the Hunter Association, but they were all requests that did not carry a high reward. The missions that had high rewards were almost always snatched away by the troops!”

nGoode was worried, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “Furthermore, there are a dozen hunters that have met with misfortune in the forest over the days. According to Viola’s investigations, most of them were not injured by Magical Beasts. Instead, they seemed to have been killed by another person in the shadows!”

nKilled by another person in the shadows?

nCould it be that the Troop Association not only wanted to deal with him, but also increased the scope of their plans to target all hunters?

nHe could attribute one or two hunters being killed to personal feuds, but having a dozen hunters meet with misfortune in just a few days was not normal. Without having to put in much thought, Yang Ling knew that it was highly possible that this was the doing of the troops that have gathered in Wissen Town. The only thing he could not confirm was if this were the self-motivated actions of the troops, or that they were given secret instructions by the Troop Association.

n“The other party is highly experienced and would clear off all of his traces after taking action before leaving quickly!” Thinking about the hunters that had met with misfortune, Goode’s eyes turned red, “Viola and I had personally went to investigate at the scene, but could not find any favorable pieces of evidence. I suspect that the people who’re committing these murders are extremely powerful assassins!”

nEvery hunter who had met with misfortune suffered a fatal blow from their backs. Furthermore, all of the victims had their eyeballs dug out, in case someone found clues based on the reflection of their pupils before they died. Other than highly experienced killers, Goode could not think of anyone who could be that meticulous!

nKillers?

nExperienced, highly powerful killers?

nAfter recovering from his surprise, Yang Ling’s expression became grave. In order to attack the newly formed Hunter Association, it was possible that the Troop Association would not personally take action and instead hire assassins to do the dirty deed for them. As long as a batch of hunters died within a short span of time, it would instill fear within the hearts of the people in the Magical Beast Territory, severely impacting the people’s passion for joining the Hunter Association.

nOf course, other than the Troop Association, Yang Ling could not rule out the possibility that the foreign affairs minister of the Kaliya Duchy Grichie, or the minister of the Banto Empire was taking the opportunity to cause trouble. Grichie’s family had been eyeing the rich resources of the Magical Beast Territory, while the military minister of the Banto Empire was intent on avenging his grandson who had been killed at the Aila Mountain Pass. They would definitely not miss this opportunity to cause trouble in the territory.

nHmph, there’s a solution to every problem!

nAfter understanding what was going on, Yang Ling let out a cold grunt. If this was in the past where he still did not have abilities that were powerful enough, he might have had to act cautiously and adapt to the situation. Now that he had advanced to the level of Divine Wizard, he was confident that he would be able to deal with the sage level fighters of this world alone.

nCoupled with his high-level Magical Beasts like the Unicorn and the Flying Dragon King, coupled with his massive army of Magical Beasts, his abilities were powerful enough for him to deal with the threat of his enemies.

nRight time, right place, right people…

nEven though the Troop Association had a long history and possessed top-notch troop teams only heard of in fables, Yang Ling was confident that the other party would not be able to deal with him if he made use of his authority of a leader, his mysterious Wizard Techniques and massive army of Magical Beasts well.

nOffense was the best defense!

nFaced with an unknown enemy, the best course of action he could take was to actively attack, cutting off the sources of intelligence the other party had within the territory. It would be even better if he captured someone alive, as it would allow him to find out about the person behind the operations.

nAfter a moment’s deliberation, Yang Ling came up with a plan that made use of the other party’s idea, “Goode, find a few members from the intelligence team Parrot that seldomly exposed their faces and get them to act as merchant teams. Their cover story would be that they are heading toward the Spider Valley in search of steel mines and need a few hunters to show them the way. You can publish a mission at the Hunter Association tomorrow. Remember, you have to keep this a secret!”

nFind a few members from the intelligence team Parrot and get them to act as merchant teams?

nGoode had a thought after recovering from his surprise, quickly understanding Yang Ling’s idea. As long as they could find a way to lure out the killers hiding within the shadows, then capture and interrogate them, it was highly possible that they would find out about the true mastermind behind the incidents.

nAfter discussing some of the specific details, Goode left, full of confidence. Even though Yang Ling had not explained to him what had happened last night, he could clearly sense that Yang Ling was unlike who he was before. Even though he did not know Battle Energy or possess any Magical Energy, that strange ripple of energy in his body had become more obscure. That feeling was as if Yang Ling had trained to become a sage level fighter overnight.

nOn the Tailun Continent, the ripples of energy within both warriors and Magical Tutors would become more and more obvious when they advanced within the levels below sage level. People with greater amounts of mental energy could more easily detect Sword Saints or Magical Tutors lying in ambush.

nBut sage level fighters were different. The greater their abilities, the more ordinary they looked on the surface. An ordinary person would definitely not be able to sense the ripples of energy in their body.

nPerhaps the leader had summoned a high-level Level Surpassing Magical Beast with a secret technique last night and broken through the hurdle toward sage level!

nRemembering the massive energy vortex in the sky above the castle last night, thinking about the soul shaking roars of fierce beasts, then recalling Yang Ling’s identity as an Ancient Summoner, Goode started imagining things. Coupled with the obscure ripples of energy within Yang Ling’s body, he became more and more certain of his guess. In his joy, the dark clouds that had enveloped his heart in this period of time scattered, and he became more hopeful for the development of the territory!

nThe effects of a sage level fighter on the development of the territory was clear!

nGoode knew that with Yang Ling, a sage level fighter, the safety of the Hunter Association and the territory would be guaranteed. While there were battles between sage level fighters in the continent, sage level fighters would not easily pick a fight with each other under normal circumstances. If they were unable to kill their opponent with one strike and allowed them to escape, they would have to face the ambush of a sage level fighter in the future.

nThus, no matter how powerful they were, no one was willing to easily get into a feud with a sage level fighter. No one was willing to face the vengeance of a sage level fighter, especially when he was using underhanded means from within the shadows!

nAfter seeing Goode leave in the distance, Yang Ling took a sip of ice cold rum before ordering Orlando to bring the old butler Murbaqi to him. Soon, the meticulous old butler appeared before his eyes.

n“Murbaqi, these are the Man-eating Vines I obtained within the forest. They can quickly attack the targets close to them. Plant them around the castle under the guise of transplanting trees!” Yang Ling spoke as he retrieved all of the mature Man-eating Vines, then continued, “Spread my instructions, in the future, the servants are not to get close to the castle walls, and the guards out on patrol are to be equipped with a plaque that can be used to identify them!”

nThe Man-eating Vines were fast and had sharp attacks. Coupled with their masterful camouflage, they would definitely catch the enemies infiltrating his castle off guard!

nHe had to start from the Wissen Castle if he wanted to place traps all around his territory. In terms of defense, the Man-eating Vines were definitely the best choice. Paired with the guards who patrolled around the territory day and night, as well as the Horned Bee Beasts that acted like hidden scouts, Yang Ling believed that his enemies would find it difficult to infiltrate the castle! It would be even safer if he found the time to set up a restriction within the castle.

nThis way, he would be able to guarantee the safety of the people within the castle even if he had to leave for other matters!

nThey can rapidly attack the targets close to them?

nEven though the old butler was confused when he saw the mottled green and red Man-eating Vines on the ground, he did not act rashly. But the young Orlando was different. In his curiosity, he could not help but extend his hand to touch the blood red giant Man-eating Vine, discovering that it was cold to the touch. But other than the sharp spines on the end of its appendages, he could not discern how dangerous they were for the time being.

n“Sir, these limp vines are the fabled Man-eating Vines?” Orlando stepped on the giant Man-eating Vine on the ground with force after shaking his head. He became even more curious after seeing that the vine had no reaction, not understanding why Yang Ling would place this much importance in this matter.

nSeeing that Orlando was fine even after stepping on the vines, the old butler shook his head and out of curiosity, gently touched the limp Man-eating Vines on the ground. He had heard that there were terrifying Man-eating Vines within the Terras Forest decades ago. However, he did not expect the fabled monsters to look like this.

n“Hehe, step on them, put your back into it. Otherwise, you would not have the chance again in the future!”

nYang Ling shook his head as he looked at Orlando and Murbaqi stepping on the bodies of the Man-eating Vines, oblivious to the dangers. If not for ordering the giant Man-eating Vine he had tamed to not retaliate, the two people before him would have long been reduced to a withered corpse by the many Man-eating Vines.

n“Sir, the names of these vines are rather frightening. Unfortunately, they are so soft and limp. They would make good belts, but using them to attack enemies that infiltrated the castle… ” After shaking his head, Orlando spoke as he picked up a limp Man-eating Vine and measured it against his waist.

nBecause of the lack of resources, most of the Beastmen used beast hides as a belt. It was not only troublesome, it also carried a lingering, metallic stench. But these so-called Man-eating Vines were different. They were strong yet flexible, and brought with it a faint fragrance. They were definitely made to be belts.

nBelts?

nLooking at Orlando measuring the Man-eating Vines around his waist, Yang Ling erupted in sweat. It seems like the ignorant knows no fear! After shaking his head, Yang Ling suddenly had a thought as he came up with a marvelous idea!

nBecause of the limited conditions, it was impossible for him to give every hunter a Magic Hunting Card. But these Man-eating Vines were different. He could cultivate and nurture a large number of them.

nIf he could find a way to allow every hunter to control these Man-eating Vines, they would be able to use if as belts during a normal day, but use them as weapons at critical moments. This would definitely catch their enemies off guard. With the sharp attacks and blinding speeds of the Man-eating Vines, their abilities would definitely increase tremendously!

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