The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 41 Conspiracy (Please continue reading)

"Impossible! How could you possibly be unaffected!?"

The sorcerer's eyes regained their goblin-like brownish-yellow color.

But his aged face was filled with bewilderment at the curved sword at his chest—

She knew that this human who had seen through her should be covered by her magic.

Even if he wasn't afraid of panic, he should have hesitated briefly to allow her to see clearly that this person was about to rush forward and to get away from the crowd...

But he didn't give himself any time to react.

Almost the instant the spell was cast, he had already wounded himself!

"You don't really expect me to explain anything to the enemy, do you?"

Tang Qi doesn't consider himself a talkative villain.

How could I possibly tell her that I had taken "True Vision Eye Drops" beforehand, which allowed me to see through all illusions, so that she would be more cautious later?

The illusions created by the spell of fear are no more noble than the mist of this forest at dawn and dusk.

If it can expose illusions, then it must be true.

So from Tang Qi's perspective, he only saw the sorcerer sprinkling black soil in his hands as he scrambled to his feet and was about to draw his sword with the black snake.

Immediately afterwards, everyone, including the goblins and orcs surrounding them, looked as if they had lost their parents and threw down their weapons.

They moved so fast they had already run into the woods.

With no one stopping him, Tang Qi was able to rush to her side.

Unable to fully gauge the distance of the scimitar, he simply stabbed the sorcerer through the throat—

They could either kill her on the spot or, at worst, keep her as a hostage to help them escape the siege.

Many crowd control spells require the caster to maintain focus in order to sustain them.

As the knife plunged into her chest, the illusions before her eyes naturally vanished.

"Even magic can't work on you?"

The black snake didn't notice the potion Tang Qi had taken, and discovered that the spell that had been troublesome for it was insignificant in Tang Qi's eyes.

I was speechless for a while.

Tang Qi, unwilling to delay, tightened his grip on her neck, completely restraining her.

He took two steps back, widening his stance, and roared menacingly at the conscious orcs and goblins:

"Get the hell back, or I'll shred her guts!"

But he soon discovered that reasoning with these savage creatures was futile.

This sorcerer might hold some sway in the eyes of the goblins, so much so that they shrank their necks and took two steps back.

But in the eyes of the orcs, she might not be as valuable as the axe in their hands.

There was absolutely no reason in those scarlet pupils.

Roaring, it was about to swing its hand axe and rush towards Tang Qi.

The sorcerer couldn't help but scream in terror:

"Damn Shyvana, why isn't she here to save me?!"

The black serpent blade, as slender as the moon, was about to slice across the orc's neck.

But it came first, like a hissing sound of wind breaking through the air—

A giant axe swirled down from mid-air, its blade transforming into a full moon, and slammed solidly into the orc's side.

The orc let out a whimper, startled, and nearly fell to the ground.

The fact that the axe failed to work indicates that its purpose was limited to intimidating orcs.

Tang Qi and Black Snake both looked in the direction from which the giant axe had flown.

However, he did not feel relieved by the orcs' deaths.

On the contrary, the persistent rumbling sound that shook the ground set off alarm bells in his mind.

A chilling sensation, like falling into an icy valley, instantly spread through every pore of his body—

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

The beating of drums and the shouts of war followed one after another.

He finally saw clearly the colossal shadow emerging from the mist—

Those were several giant turtles, each at least fifty feet long and wide!

Under the heavy darkness and fog, they resembled small, rising and moving hills.

The enormous turtle's back was covered in moss, and the edges of its shell were reinforced with serrated spikes and sharpened bones, bound together with thick ropes and lush green vines.

It was used to maintain and support the precarious, tower-shaped shed on the turtle's back.

Between the shacks, there were even makeshift flat areas made of wooden planks and scattered temporary tents.

Platforms and wooden towers on several giant tortoises are connected by a simple suspension bridge that sways from side to side as they move slowly forward. Some planks on the suspension bridge even fall off due to the tremors.

They didn't need to charge; the forest couldn't stop their enormous bodies at all. With each step forward, swathes of trees fell to the ground. On the back of the leading tortoise, atop the highest tower that resembled a watchtower, stood a tall, upright orc.

This is not common.

Orcs always walk with their backs bent, which has forced their spines to evolve into a forward-leaning shape, making them appear hunchbacked.

But for Tang Qi, this wasn't bad news—

Paying attention to one's image shows that he at least understands some aspects of civilization.

"It would be even better if you were willing to communicate."

Before the giant tortoise, at least thirty land-dwelling orcs surrounded them.

That was all Tang Qi could pray for.

"Why don't you tell me the location of the town? Once I escape, I'll help you send news of your death to the Poet's Academy?"

Black Snake and Kuru approached Tang Qi hesitantly.

He believed that in his prime, these orcs posed little threat.

Even if you can't win a fight, at least you can run fast enough.

However, the continuous battles still left him exhausted.

If we continue to drag this out, we might just capsize in a ditch.

But Tang Qi could not possibly let go of this only remaining fighting force:
“If I can’t escape, you can’t leave the forest either.”

"We've reached a dead end. You could have saved your own life, but you want me to die with you?" Black Snake said, using moral blackmail.

"At least you won't be lonely on the road. I'll sing you a song then?" Tang Qi wasn't buying it.

"Screw you."

Upon hearing the attitude, Black Snake couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Tang Qi then looked at the orc at the top of the tower—

He climbed down the ladder, and only after stepping onto the turtle's back did he jump to the ground.

There is no problem with that.

But Tang Qi still thought he would leap into the air and fall into the crowd like a hero making his grand entrance.

Of course, given the height of the watchtower, doing that would most likely result in a broken leg.

The orcs in front of it made way for it, pounding their fists rhythmically into their chests.

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

As the other person approached, Tang Qi realized that they were far more conspicuous than he had imagined—

In the orc race, no one cares about your gender.

I only care about your strength.

As a result, the females are also quite robust, and in a contest of strength, they will not lose to any of the males.

Even so, the female orc in front of her could only be described as athletic.

Not exaggerated, but well-proportioned enough.

Her fangs were neither thick nor sharp enough.

Only her fangs, like tiger teeth, were visible at the corners of her mouth, which made her angular, almost human-like beautiful face appear even more heroic.

Her pale green skin, left undisguised, suggests that her bloodline is not pure.

The tattered strips of cloth were tightly bound to her chest, trying her best not to let the two cumbersome bulges hinder her movements.

This is a half-orc.

A female orc who, in a dog-eat-dog world, amidst violence and bloodshed, still became the leader of a tribe.

For a moment, Tang Qi didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

All emotions shifted to horror after seeing the eyeball hovering on the orc's shoulder.

No one knows how these orcs, who should have been kept at bay by the southern front and beyond the Great Wall, were able to cross thousands of miles and penetrate deep into the Dawn Forest in the central part of the eastern coast.

No one knows how they were able to find their way forward in this fog of illusion.

But now, this construct, exactly the same as the one on Melard's shoulder...

When Tang Qi saw an artificial life form placed in a bottle and fitted with gear-like wings, it was revealed to him.

The arrogant voice of the new star instantly echoed in his ears:

"Ordinary adventurers cannot rent magical artifacts of this caliber."

Only those influential figures in Dragon Gold City with some status and power have the means to lease such a thing at a high price…

He suddenly realized that everything that was happening could not be considered an 'accident'.

It was a complete and utter...

conspiracy.

(End of this chapter)