The fisherman druid is in another world

Chapter 769

Lota's new employer is a minotaur who calls himself Igor.

Unlike the Minotaur in the D&D universe, who were born from demonic rituals in mortal realms and are portrayed as savage conquerors and hunting carnivores, the Minotaur in this world have an ancient history and are the hybrid descendants of ancient giants and wild bulls.

The wild bull was not a four-legged beast as commonly understood, but a humanoid giant whose appearance was very similar to that of a minotaur. It was comparable to most one-eyed ancient giants, both resembling humans but not quite human.

Compared to giants, minotaurs consider the bull their superior ancestor and create a hierarchy of disdain based on the degree of similarity and overlap between their physical features and those of the bull.

From this perspective, Ego is a minotaur with inferior bloodline.

Perhaps that's why Ego became a cave druid instead of a holy warrior.

However, Blackrobo prefers the cave druids, since the tauren's definition of 'holy' differs greatly from Blackrobo's understanding of the concept.

Cave Druids also have different schools of thought.

Fortunately, Black Robb was relatively open-minded and had no objection to Igna's sect, which was considered heretical by the so-called orthodox Druids.

Igor stated that his wish was to establish a city-state that met his ideals, and he passionately described his vision.

Although Black Robb thought it was a typical dreamland, beautiful but naive, he respected Ego's dream and felt that such aspirations for a better future and a pursuit of positive order were at least good and worth encouraging.

This is also a major reason why he was willing to work for Igor.

Led by Igor, they spent two days arriving at the assembly point designated by Igor.

It is a dome that represents the beauty of underground ecology. Although it is not large, only about one square kilometer, it has rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys, forests and meadows. Each part exists in an orderly and natural way, without any artificiality. It gives a very comfortable feeling.

Black Rob's task was to help Igor assemble the personnel he wanted to hire.

Here's the key point: Igor might want to hire them, but they might not be willing to come.

Black Robb didn't care about this. If the person being hired was willing, why would Igor need to pay a high price to hire him?
Moreover, the underground world is not a place of morality and etiquette; the law of the jungle is the underlying logic here.

While technical expertise can certainly be used as bargaining chips, brute force remains the decisive factor.

Those who can't grasp the nuances of this situation often end up experiencing the bitter taste of being forced to drink a penalty cup when offered a toast, or being coaxed into leaving only when beaten.

Black Robb had no objections or complaints and quickly embarked on his search.

His main strategy this time is to prioritize targets close to home, like a rabbit eating the grass near its burrow.

Because for each professional assembled, Igor would settle a portion of the outstanding payment.

Black Robb has always believed that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

The objective and approximate current location have been given by Igor. The remaining part is simply taking risks, and even using both soft and hard tactics to send people back to the rendezvous point.

The task has been simplified to this extent, making it practically foolproof for Black Rob.

Cave lizards are not particularly fast, but they have good stamina and can be used for transportation, allowing riders to conserve their energy, so they are worth keeping.

When we arrived at our destination, it was already dusk.

The alternation of day and night has a relatively limited impact on dark areas.

But in this dark world where the laws are highly distorted, the situation is different.

Day and night, as a concept of law, influence the activity of supernatural powers.

Especially against the backdrop of overwhelming darkness, even during the day, the dense darkness surrounding us is like the dark clouds pressing down before a torrential rain, obscuring the sky. When night falls, it creates an effect of merging into a deep abyss.

As the saying goes, "Isolated yin cannot produce, and solitary yang cannot grow," the opposition and unity of light and darkness (yin and yang) is an unshakeable fundamental law of the world of life.

Therefore, even a dark creature like Black Robo will maintain its identity and at least some vitality by using the principle of "a little bit of yang in a dark fish".

Everything in the dark realms naturally conforms to this principle.

However, most people cannot control this, or even have a clear understanding of it, and simply rely on instinct and go with the flow.

In conclusion, just as the saying goes, "The darker the place, the more the beauty of light shines through," the effects of day and night alternation are far more pronounced in the dark regions of this world than in other extraordinary worlds. This is not due to the abundance of light sources, which is merely a superficial phenomenon. The real impact lies in many details.

Therefore, at dusk, almost all creatures in the dark regions whose minds are still relatively normal will choose to return to their nests.

Nocturnal creature?
Of course there are.

However, in today's dark regions, the so-called nocturnal creatures are more appropriately called twisted creatures or evil creatures.

They are all beings that have been captured by negative energy, becoming the embodiment of its characteristics.

To put it bluntly, they have lost themselves, and no longer possess even their animalistic instincts or survival instincts, let alone spirituality.

That is why fighting against these beings is like fighting against activated, highly radioactive radiation. It's hard to say how you'll end up, but you're definitely not at a loss.

But precisely because of this, when Blackrob confirmed that his first target, the Tauren blacksmith Stanton, was in the Withered Forest ahead, he had no choice but to rely on his skill and courage to proceed.

Money is hard to earn, and life is tough. He could easily build a temporary safe house that meets or exceeds the standard right now, but if he can get through this night peacefully, he'll probably be lucky to see Stanton's corpse tomorrow. What's even more disgusting is that he might have to face the monstrous creature that has been twisted into a malevolent force.

Therefore, when forced by circumstances, even knowing there are tigers in the mountains, one still has to venture into the tiger's den.

He simply put the cave lizard into his bag. Then, using a geomancer's technique similar to shrinking the distance between land and space, he strode onward.

It is said that he had worked hard to earn money and bought it from a cave dwarf. It had great sentimental value. Moreover, such values ​​and consumption habits were not in line with the persona of a Grey Orc. Therefore, he usually kept it carefully and only used it when he was in this lone wolf state.

Geomancers are naturally drawn to the earth element, and they receive additional benefits in the underworld. The Cave Druid Ego further grants them the 'Wilderness Identity' buff, which, through an artifact pendant, can be maintained for a considerable period, almost as if it were constant.

Against this backdrop, Lota, the Grey Orc, could enjoy the convenience of strolling through this underground forest, which was new to him, almost as if he were taking a walk in his own backyard. He wouldn't get lost or stumble...

Of course, if there are evil spirits blocking the way, then it is necessary to use methods to clear them away.

"A bone-faced dire wolf? It's seriously distorted!"

As its name suggests, the Bone-faced Dire Wolf has a skull-like head.

Their skull shapes vary, some are majestic, some are cunning, some are cold, and some are ferocious. They are typical examples of the alienation of underground creatures, and many cave druids are willing to use them as a reference for transformation.

However, the bone-faced dire wolf that Black Robb encountered at this moment had obvious characteristics of demonic necrosis. Its body was decaying, shriveled, and broken, yet it was covered with fluorescent sores, crystalline bone spurs, and its organs were also filled with fel energy. In particular, its wolf eyes were like two eerie flames in a skull's eye socket.

Black Robb wasn't sure if this was a plague infection, but even if it was, it didn't matter.

It is no exaggeration to say that the situation of the races in the underground world is vastly different from that of human civilization on the surface.

Even the initial plague, rather than a version that has undergone multiple iterations, would hardly cause much of a stir in the Underdark.

One more thing, which might sound like a bit of an exaggeration of Parus: you can question the fate of this primordial spirit, but you shouldn't question its abilities. If the spread of the plague could wipe out a large number of underground creature strongholds, then Parus would have already used that method to harvest the extraordinary resources accumulated by various underground races over generations.

Black Rob ignored the evil wolf blocking his way and instead chose to dart through the trees.

This place truly lives up to its name as the Withered Forest. The ancient forest is mostly dead, and even those that are alive are twisted and twisted, like giant, twisted thorns, with few branches left, let alone leaves.

The smell of rotten wood filled the air, even forming a yellowish mist.

It is certainly poisonous. If an ordinary person takes a single puff, they can go home and lie there waiting to die. The microorganisms are enough to cause their intestines to rot.

Even if you hold your breath, sensitive organs like the eyes can easily be damaged by this toxic gas.

However, such a harsh environment is no match for a geomancer. With a little magic, he can shield himself from the toxins and protect himself. Breathing normally is also not a problem.

"Huh!?" After flying for a while, Black Robo realized that he had underestimated the Evil Wolf.

These guys actually managed to keep up with him as he leaped and flew among the giant trees.

As they merged with more of their kind, they acquired supernatural abilities similar to shapeshifting magic. Their bodies could even transform into billowing black smoke that shone with a poisonous green light, leaving only a hideous bony head, like an alternative fireball, rolling and chasing after him.

'Ha!' Realizing that the possibility of shaking off his opponent was slim, Black Rob used mobile combat tactics. He pulled out a crystal staff from his back pouch, and with a single shake, the staff softened like a snake. With another shake, the limp staff transformed into a large bow.

He took out a bowstring tanned using a special process from his waist pouch and wound it up.

Once completed, it is difficult to detect its existence unless you look very closely.

When the bowstring of the Light Silk Stone Elemental Bow is drawn, earth element overflows and condenses into a golden arrow with earth element crystal clusters.

The shape and properties of these arrowheads can be adjusted.

For example, Black Robo now uses a spiral head, a hollow body, and adds a touch of fire element.

Lota has an affinity for the earth element, but that doesn't mean the other three elements are unusable.

Both can be used, but they are subject to many limitations. In the current environment, in addition to the highly compatible earth element, the water element is more suitable because there is a lot of water vapor here.

Fire element is not very convenient to use, but it is just a variable to infuse arrows. With Black Rob's control and related skills, it is not too difficult, and he can even do it with ease.

The arrow left the bowstring, flashing golden light on one side before hitting its target on the other, leaving a pale golden flight path in the air.

Black Rob brought out Lota's muscular physique to its fullest potential. Even professional weightlifters couldn't draw this elemental bow, and once it was drawn, the firing speed was truly lightning fast. Unless you were able to predictively dodge and evade after the arrow had left the bowstring, you would have to be at least a legendary player and have special talent or skills in movement.

The evil wolf clearly didn't have that kind of strength.

Moreover, Black Robb's timing for shooting arrows is also flawed; he chooses to strike when the opponent is in mid-air, precisely calculating the opponent's flight trajectory.

In this way, there is indeed no reason why it would be wrong.

'Boom!' The orange-gold fireball exploded, the dazzling flames engulfing and tearing apart the poisonous green light that was wrapped in black smoke, leaving only the broken bone wolf head, which fell to the ground, the eerie light in its eyes extinguished in the process.

'Awooo...'

The sound of a wolf howling came from the ultrasound.

Black Rob glanced in the direction of the sound and snorted coldly.

Now is not the time to level up by fighting monsters. As long as you don't provoke him, he won't escalate the war. Whether the opponent is the Wolf King or the Evil Mother, he has no interest in them. Making money is more important.

Adhering to this single-minded philosophy, after shooting down four more evil wolves, the remaining evil wolves finally stopped chasing.

After flying for about fifteen minutes, he spotted his target, Stanton.

"Grey Orc? Hello! Did my kinsman Ego invite you?" Stanton greeted him in a deep voice and perfect Common.

After landing, Black Robo leaned on his staff, and with a seemingly casual wave of his other hand, a golden ring of fire began to spread. The withered branches and leaves on the ground were ignited, and the vicious insects living in them squeaked and cried out as they were burned, or simply burst open with a "pop".

The ground was charred black, and as Lota stepped onto it, wisps of golden light rose from beneath his feet, traveling up his legs and gradually transforming into a faint mist of light, which was then absorbed by Lota.

By standing on the ground, one can replenish one's strength. Lota's energy pool is relatively shallow, and Black Rob, who controls such a body, naturally pays close attention to replenishing his energy in order to keep himself in the best possible condition.

At the same time, his gaze fell on Stanton and the car beside him.

An underground version of a Minotaur-style caravan.

It is etched with multiple magic circles, and the magical artifacts and pendants are also abundant. At a glance, one can find that there are isolation barriers, as well as spatial folding, shape memory (similar to memory metal, which helps to quickly recover after damage), ecological self-sufficiency and other effects are in effect.

Black Rob licked his teeth. The cost of this mobile shelter was enough for him to create three Legendary+ Reapers.

If he didn't need to maintain his persona, he would be happy to build a better vehicle himself and then forcibly exchange it with it, which would definitely be a huge profit.

Now, all they can do is endure the complaints about 'wasting resources' and negotiate with them regarding the commission.

“My name is Lota, and I have indeed come on Igor’s behalf.”

Stanton didn't mince words and stated directly, "I'm willing to accept Igor's invitation, but my furry friend got scared and is lost. I need to find him, otherwise my car won't be able to leave."

'he!'

Upon hearing Stanton's choice of words, Black Rob realized that to Stanton, the giant Lost beast named Momo was a family member, not just an ordinary domestic animal.

He could understand this partnership between humans and animals, and considering the broader environment, the social atmosphere of the group, and the actual situation, it was not considered abnormal.

Therefore, he didn't say much, but looked at the sky and asked, "You know there's a lair-level evil bone-faced dire wolf nearby, right?"

Nest-level and elite-level monsters and above can gather or generate (including corrupt) more secondary monsters of the same kind under their command. In short, they are boss monsters, but the underground races of this world do not call them that.

Stanton clearly misunderstood, explaining, "My fur is very strong. I'm sure he's alive and in good condition; he's just lost."

Black Rob didn't bother with any more nonsense. He figured he had time to hurry, and maybe he could bring Mao Mao back soon.

"A token." He reached out to ask for it.

Stanton handed the beast-taming whip to Black Robb and instructed him, "Furry is very intelligent. He can distinguish good intentions and understand the intentions of intelligent beings. Just be patient with him."

"Don't worry, Ego has cast druidic spells on me," Blackrob said telepathically.

Being able to use the words of the heart allows one to transcend the barriers of conventional language and directly communicate with the target's mind. However, the underlying nature of this is somewhat domineering, and can be considered a form of mental intrusion.

"A versatile individual with a strong mind, such a Grey Orc should be quite famous, yet I've never heard of his deeds before..." Stanton muttered to himself, watching Black Rob's rapidly disappearing figure.

(End of this chapter)