Wizard: I brought the wrong system...

Chapter 407 Unexpected News

Before Yaro could refute, the tree spirit chuckled and continued, "The bats have lived in that cave for who knows how many years. It's dark, damp, and smelly, and the ground is covered with a thick layer of bat guano. Those things are useless to you, but they're treasures to me."

If the tree spirit truly valued them, those things wouldn't have remained until now.

But what it said did make sense; at least the tree spirits had some use for those things, while for Yaro they were simply disgusting.

Yaro rubbed his chest and said casually, "I was already a little injured, so if you're willing to help, it would be a huge help to me."

"Oh, it's just chasing away bats and cleaning up a bit, nothing big," the tree spirit laughed.

"You're too modest," Yaro said respectfully, bowing. "You've helped me so much; is there anything I can do to help you?"

The tree spirit sighed, "Alas, I am just an ordinary old tree. I don't need to eat, wear clothes, or have a luxurious room. I just hope to grow quietly in this forest. But there is one thing that makes me uneasy."

"Please speak."

"As you probably know, this is the territory of the Fernando wizarding family..."

"No, wait a minute," Yaro interrupted hastily, his pupils shrinking. "This is the Kingdom of Lanelli, shouldn't this be the territory of the Lanelli wizarding family?"

"Lanelli? Their ancestors have never produced any formal wizards, so how can they be called a wizarding family? They are merely vassals of the Fernando wizarding family, enfeoffed in the Kingdom of Lanelli to manage ordinary civilians. As for us monsters who live permanently in the Kingdom of Lanelli, we pay our taxes to the Fernando wizarding family every year," the tree spirit explained.

Are the Larnel family vassals of the Fernando wizarding family?

Why would Reid Lanelli sabotage the Fernando Wizarding Family's plans?

And what about that Blood Bat Viscountess? Is that also a method she uses to manage ordinary civilians?

After pondering for a moment, Yaro couldn't make sense of it at all and had to put it aside for the time being.

"Do you need to pay taxes since you live here alone?"

The tree spirit chuckled and said, "Then let's call it 'protection money,' it's the same thing... In short, I need to pay one hundred acorns every year as a condition that they won't attack me."

"The past hundred years or so have been smooth sailing."

"But in recent years, it seems that the official wizards of the 'Fernando Wizarding Family' have all died of old age..."

Upon hearing this, Yaro raised an eyebrow, as if he suddenly understood something.

The tree spirit, completely unaware, continued:

"All sorts of people have come out, and there's even a power struggle within the Fernando wizarding family. I get tax collectors coming here five times a year."

"I could manage with my savings before, but as you know, I've spent too much of my savings to save Bailu, and I can't afford this endless tax payment anymore."

"You mean, you want me to hold them off?" Yaro frowned.

"Of course not. The forest is so big, how could you possibly stop it all by yourself? I'll handle the blocking myself, but for those I can't stop, I'll hope you can help deter them."

Yaro recalled the tree spirit's ferocious attitude when they first met.

Is the tree spirit really paying protection money honestly?

No, it feels more like taking this opportunity to "violently resist taxes".

It had even come up with an excuse—'You disgusting wizards who love to kill each other!'

When a whale falls, all things are born.

With the official wizard who had been pressing down on them dead, everyone's ulterior motives began to surface.

"From now on, we will be neighbors and friends. If you encounter any trouble, I will certainly not stand idly by."

Yaro had no reason not to agree.

Yaro's killing of "Red Lanelli" and "Viscount Corey" and the occupation of the viscount's territory will definitely not please the Lanelli family.

Clearing out undead monsters and supplying grenades to the Earl's territory will also offend the Fernando Wizarding Family.

The tree spirit, who also stands in opposition to the "Fernando Wizarding Family," is a natural ally of Yaro.

"By the way, Lord Tree Spirit..."

"Just call me Grandma Oak. At my age, it's not a bad thing for you to call me Grandma."

Yaro readily changed his tune: "Grandma Oak, do you know where the wizards of the 'Fernando Wizarding Family' usually live?"

"It's roughly in the Dark Plains, but I don't know the exact location. After all, I can't move around, so I rarely pay attention to what's going on outside."

The Dark Plains... why not just say it's on this continent?

Seeing that he could not get any more information, Yaro changed the subject to his original purpose.

"Grandma Oak, I recently suffered a minor internal injury..."

Yaro initially wanted to use his injury as an excuse, but then he suddenly realized that training "Blood Frenzy" required repeatedly damaging the heart muscle, which meant he would be injured multiple times. The magical materials needed for just one recovery were simply not enough.

But considering that the secrecy surrounding "Blood Frenzy" was not high and that the Tree Demon was an ally, he simply revealed his true intentions.

"Hmm... I'm also preparing to cultivate a secret technique that requires a large amount of magical materials rich in life force. Could you trade me some?"

Although it was called a trade, Yaro didn't really have any bargaining chips. He could only hope that the tree spirit wouldn't make excessive demands.

"Little wizard, how much do you need?"

"Um... the more the better."

Not only did Yaro cultivate himself, he also planned to train more guards for the base.

"Oh, little wizard, you've given me a real challenge!"

The tree spirit shook its head slightly, and the branches at the top rustled.

"If you don't need much, I can help you search the forest, but... I've already used up all my magic power to save the little white deer. You can't expect a frail old man to cut off some flesh for you, can you?"

"I apologized," Yaro said first, then asked, "Grandma Oak, are there any other magical materials containing life force in this forest?"

After all, the tree spirit just said that it could help search the forest if it didn't take too much.

"Yes, but not many, after all, I'm here."

The tree spirit added, "Most plants cannot move and have no room to retreat from each other, making the competition even more fierce than that between you animals."

So after I took control of this forest, I devoured and destroyed all the dangerous plants. The remaining low-level magical materials contained very little life force.

How can one allow another to lie on the bed where one is soundly asleep?

It's a very simple principle, and Yaro naturally understands it.

Yaro bowed and took his leave: "I understand, I will go to other places to collect."

Now, we can only place our hopes on the Dark Plains.

"Okay, little wizard, I'll try my best to collect the low-grade magical materials in the forest for you. As for that bat cave... I should be able to clean it up in five days."

(End of this chapter)