Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

Chapter 98 The Queen Ant's Message

Incidentally, Alphonse also absorbed the necromantic energy.

The necromantic energy provided by Count Mujik and Feren was quite pure, after all, both of them were warriors with battle aura.

Once summoned, they can possess 70-80% of their original combat strength, making them stronger than ordinary shadow soldiers.

When he returned, Alphonse made a point of concealing himself, taking a long detour before finally returning to Coldwind Territory.

It seems that no one noticed anything unusual.

However, Alphonse was overthinking it. To cast a time-reversal spell, one needs to be a high-level mage, and the Mujik family's territory doesn't have such talent.

Even if someone were to investigate again, the statute of limitations would have already expired, making it impossible to trace back.

Alphonse didn't manage to loot many gold coins from the Earl's mansion, at most a few thousand.

I originally thought Count Mujik was quite wealthy.

Without using the Shadow Soldiers, Alphonse couldn't take much with him, so he only took the gold coins and didn't even take Count Mujik's magic sword.

This money was obviously not something that could be handed over to Mia to put into the treasury. Alphonse treated it as his own private stash and hid it in the bedroom closet.

The weather is getting cold.

Winter has fully arrived.

Winter always comes early in the north. Often, before the first frost month, the cold wind has already started to blow, and many areas have entered a desolate and quiet season.

Although it hasn't snowed yet, the sun can no longer provide much warmth.

The biting cold wind cut like a knife, seeping into the gaps in people's clothes.

In previous years, by this time of year, the crops in the fields would have been harvested and could no longer be cultivated. People would have had to collect and store firewood to prepare for the winter.

When the harvest is poor, they need to go to nearby towns to find short-term work opportunities.

This year is different.

Because of the lord's kindness, taxes were reduced, and their situation was much better than before.

Moreover, the mineral veins discovered in the mountains have given the region signs of prosperity.

Truckloads of iron ore were transported out of the territory.

The brick kilns that burned day and night, and the roads that were built all the way out, provided many job opportunities for ordinary people.

Life is getting better and better.

I used to think that if that "bastard Alphonse" inherited the title, the taxes would probably become more and more stringent.

However, the common people were also considered part of the lord's property and did not have the freedom to migrate. They needed the lord's permission to leave the land, so they could not just escape at will.

Unexpectedly, after Alphonse became the new lord, he seemed like a completely different person. Under his leadership, Coldwind Territory was completely transformed.

This must be divine protection!

That's what Vannah, the porter, thought.

This is also the opinion of most ordinary people.

Otherwise, how can we explain Alphonse's sudden transformation from a reckless dissolute into a wise and benevolent lord?

Although the late baron was very kind and repeatedly reduced taxes, he could not lift the common people in his territory out of poverty.

In the past, during winter, Vanner could only huddle with his family in the wooden house to avoid the cold wind and look forward to the arrival of spring.

Now things are different; he has gotten a new job.

This job is also very safe.

All they had to do was push a wheelbarrow up the mountain to transport the iron ore and the mud and sand that the lord had named "cement raw material" down the mountain.

It's just a matter of putting in the effort.

Salaries are settled daily.

With the escort of guards, there's no need to worry about being harassed by monsters or beasts.

Even small improvements in his life have filled Vanna with hope for the future.

It's a bit strange, though; I've never heard of anyone being recruited to work as a miner in a mine.

But that's not important.

Vanner had saved up a small amount of money and was preparing to rebuild a red brick house with a heated kang bed, invented by the lord, so that his family could spend a warm winter.

That heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is much better than lighting a brazier for warmth.

Vanner still remembers his elderly father's exclamation when he lay down on the heated kang bed, saying, "It's so warm! My stiff joints feel like they've come back to life!"

It's been a long time since I've seen my father smile so happily.

There isn't enough money to build the house, but the lord said that we can work for the house instead of being paid, and the lord's manor can pay for the construction in advance, as long as we register it.

The cement and red bricks, among other building materials, are only purchased at cost price; this is a benefit enjoyed only by the residents of Hanfengling.

Vanner pushed the cart, chatting and laughing with his companions, and followed the soldiers up the mountain with the long convoy.

Outside the mine, piles of ore and cement raw materials, resembling small mountains, have been erected.

It wasn't the first time he'd done this job, so Vanner immediately got to work, moving the heavy iron ore onto the cart.

Suddenly, Vanner heard a rustling sound and couldn't help but turn his head to look.

He was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud.

What crawled out of the cave was a giant ant!

The enormous ant's body is covered by a hard exoskeleton, which is dark and shiny, radiating a metallic luster.

Its enormous compound eyes gleamed with a crimson light, and its powerful jaws were as sharp as scissors. With such large mouthparts, it was certain that it had the bite force to cut a person in half.

"A demon!" Vanner cried out, trembling.

The surrounding civilians screamed in terror.

Van Nash was terrified, his face turning deathly pale. His heart sank to the bottom. If the guards couldn't stop the giant ants, he could already imagine his fate.

If he dies here, this family will be finished. His wife can remarry and find another man to live with, but his two children may not be treated well, not to mention his old father. Who would want to support an extra burden?

At this moment, it was discovered that the soldiers did not make any move to fight, and the spears they held were not pointed at the ferocious and terrifying giant ant.

"Don't be afraid! These are monsters kept by the lord!" a soldier shouted, stopping the civilians who were trying to escape.

Vanner scrambled to his feet, trembling with fear. He saw the giant ant approach a soldier, its head lowered, its whip-like antennae trembling as it touched the soldier's body.

Several soldiers also found it strange, as they already knew that the cave was inhabited by a nest of gold-eating ants.

But gold-eating ants are nocturnal creatures, so it's strange that they would appear in broad daylight and cause such an accident, frightening the civilians.

The soldier who had been touched by the gold-eating ants suddenly said, "The queen ant has sent a message that strange people are appearing in the northwest. You stay here and guard the area. I need to go back and report to the lord."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran down the mountain.

The gold-eating ant didn't linger; it turned and crawled back into the cave.

Vanner finally understood why there were no miners recruited in the mine; the lord had actually raised a group of monsters to mine for him.

To encounter such a terrifying monster up close and not be harmed is a fantastical experience that could certainly serve as fodder for conversation after dinner.

(End of this chapter)