I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 127 David is dead?

Night once again oppressively enveloped the wilderness.

After several days of arduous travel, Jemin's team had now set up a temporary camp deep in the wilderness, hundreds of miles away from Golden Harbor.

The air was filled with the earthy smell of soil, the acrid smell of burning wood from the campfire, and a faint, lingering stench of blood.

Despite showing no signs of fatigue, Jemin and General Brandon inspected every possible campsite before sunset, eventually choosing an open area that was backed by a small hill, slightly elevated, and easy to defend.

The carriages were ordered to form a circle, creating a makeshift defensive fortification that protected the nobles in the center of the camp.

The campfires crackled and flickered throughout the camp, casting shimmering light on the weary and anxious faces of the nobles.

They were huddled in their carriages or around campfires, their splendid clothes unable to conceal their disheveled and dejected state.

Count Reinhardt, the once highly respected old nobleman, was sitting by a simple campfire, painstakingly cutting a piece of roasted meat with his silver cutlery.

His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with worry about the future.

Beside him, Baron Fabio's obese body was almost sunk into a simple animal skin cushion, and he nervously rubbed a worn token tied to his waist with his thick fingers.

General Brandon sat alone to one side, holding a sleek, polished short sword in his hand. His eyes were bright and piercing, but he would occasionally glance toward the capital with a furrowed brow.

“My Lord, although Lord Jack is incredibly brave and invincible, the orcs and monsters in this wilderness are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of him…” Baron Fabio lowered his voice, almost whispering in Count Reinhardt’s ear, his fleshy face filled with worry.

"But after arriving in the capital... my distant cousin from that branch of the family has long coveted my title and the properties in Golden Harbor. Now that we've lost all our territory and only have these assets left, I'm afraid the clansmen in the capital won't let us off easily..."

Count Reinhardt stopped what he was doing and sighed softly.

He understood the darkness and cruelty of the royal aristocratic circles better than Baron Fabio.

A bitter smile appeared on his weathered face: "It's not just titles and property. Fabio, my grandsons and their generation have been fighting openly and secretly for the inheritance of the family. Now that the family has suffered heavy losses, if we elders were to die 'accidentally' on the road, those collateral branches and younger generations could rightfully divide all our inheritance."

General Brandon, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Count Reinhardt is absolutely right. My good-for-nothing nephew has been eyeing my military power for a long time. Given his character, in order to inherit the estate openly and legitimately, he might even collude with outsiders or create an 'accident.' The noble circles in the capital are far more treacherous than the wolves and tigers in this wilderness."

A barely perceptible chill flashed in his eyes.

Baron Fabio shuddered in fright, his obese body involuntarily moving closer to the campfire: "Good heavens, General! You mean... they'll send men to ambush us on the road?"

General Brandon did not answer directly, but merely glanced coldly at the nobles scattered around in the distance.

As members of the nobility, they knew best just how sordid things a nobleman could do.

In this perilous wilderness, this fear is amplified infinitely.

They were once high and mighty rulers, but now they are like a flock of helpless lambs.

They lowered their voices, their words filled with a frenzy for power and money.

In a corner of the camp, inside an inconspicuous tent, Jemin was not asleep.

He sat cross-legged, his scouting eye taking in everything in the entire camp.

The whispers of the nobles, their fears, anxieties, and subtle suspicions, all transformed into wisps of worldly energy, which were silently absorbed by the talisman within his dantian.

"It's a pretty good sample, too," Jemin chuckled.

He knew that these nobles were filled with apprehension at his immense power, but because of that power, they were also incredibly dependent on and terrified of him.

This contradictory mindset is exactly the "sample" he needs.

He ignored the whispers of the nobles and turned his attention to something else.

He had previously recruited several mercenaries who had been relatively clever during the day and who had developed a sense of awe towards him.

These men recognized the power of force more than the soldiers, and were more likely to obey his orders when faced with greater benefits.

Having traveled for several days, the surrounding area had moved beyond the sweeping range of the orc army, and gradually, towns and villages with human habitation began to appear.

However, these villages were more conspicuous targets, so the nobles preferred to endure worse conditions and camp outdoors.

The task Jemin assigned them was simple: to gather intelligence and information from the surrounding villages. Although they had the Eye of Reconnaissance, Jemin wasn't entirely clear on the situation at the front or in the surrounding towns, so they needed to collect relevant information to avoid foolishly stumbling into towns controlled by the orcs.

Several hours later, in the deepest darkness before dawn, the mercenary captain finally returned to the camp, panting heavily.

"My lord! I've found out!" The captain knelt outside Jemin's tent, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "The orc army is indeed gathering. Relying on supplies transported from Golden Harbor, their vanguard has already assembled in several towns north of the capital, and they may launch a large-scale offensive at any time!"

Jemin nodded calmly; the orc's actions were not too far from his expectations, and he gestured for them to continue.

"Aside from that, there's not much specific information. If I had to say... there's probably another rumor about those foreign demons." The mercenary captain's tone was somewhat conflicted.

"Oh? What rumor?" Upon hearing that it was related to wizards, Jemin became interested.

The mercenary captain took a deep breath: "Last month, multiple kingdoms joined forces to annihilate a powerful alien demon named 'David'! It is said that the wizard was exceptionally powerful. After descending into this world several months ago, he successively destroyed several orc tribes. Later, he broke into the elven territory, where no one could defeat him! If it weren't for... if it weren't for divine intervention, and the warriors from various countries disregarding casualties, we would not have been able to eliminate him at all!"

The private army captain's eyes still held excitement for the gossip: "My lord, you don't know! The people in the taverns say that the great battle was absolutely earth-shattering! It's said that even space was torn apart, countless mountains were reduced to dust, and rivers changed course! After the wizard David died, his soul even turned into a vengeful spirit, cursing many nobles and priests who besieged him, causing them to contract strange diseases and eventually die tragically!"

On the surface, Jemin seemed to be listening with interest, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"David?"

There are many wizards named David, but if we're talking about the most famous "David" among the wizards who have just arrived this year, it would probably be that level ten genius from the First Norren Academy.

He dismissed the private army captain and fell into deep thought.

"A divine manifestation... does that refer to something like an angel? If it's a level three being leading the attack, along with a group of level two beings surrounding them, then it might be possible to kill that genius."

As a level 10 genius, David's trump cards are definitely not much worse than his own.

But just like the problem Jemin encountered, if a level 3 being leads the team, the opponent is very likely to kill them before they even have a chance to unleash their trump cards.

"That's not right either. Judging from the rumors, the two sides must have gone through a major battle. However..."

Jemin couldn't help but search his memory and pulled up the previous contribution ranking.

During the two months that Jemin secluded himself in Golden Harbor to conduct research, the contribution rankings were still updated on time.

Because he hasn't contributed much in the past two months, Jemin's ranking has dropped two places, and he is now in sixth place.

However, the growth rate of contributions from other wizards has also begun to slow down, and it seems that they have all entered a period of dormancy.

"David..."

Jemin quickly flipped through the top contribution rankings to see the changes in David's profile.

In the beginning, David was consistently ranked among the top three in terms of contributions.

However, by the second month, his contribution ranking had slipped, and at its worst, he was even ranked fifth, indicating that the rate at which he gained contribution points had slowed down.

It seems that he had wiped out the orc tribes near the landing site, leaving no prey, so it must have been around that time that he moved on to the elven kingdom.

After arriving in the Elf Kingdom, they must have encountered many enemies, and their contribution ranking soared, reaching the top three.

"Then last month... David's ranking jumped straight to number one, which means he must have had a really tough battle."

Jemin's fingers trembled involuntarily: "It seems David really was killed... No, that only means he went through a big battle last month, it doesn't mean he's the one who died. We still need to look at the changes in the contribution rankings this month..."

Despite saying that, Jemin knew very well that if David had actually experienced such an attack, the chances of him dying were very high if he was unlucky.

"Could such massive losses be possible from a mere incomplete interdimensional war? Could David, a level ten genius, really have died so easily? Wizards are all intelligent people; surely they wouldn't choose such a reckless fool as their successor?"

Jemin appeared to be deep in thought with his eyes closed, but his mind was churning with all sorts of thoughts.

Finally, he sighed deeply: "Forget it, there's no point in thinking about this now. Let's wait until we get to the capital to find out more specific information."

Putting all that aside for the time being, Jemin sat cross-legged on the ground and began meditating before dawn.

(End of this chapter)