"You mentioned that you, out of boredom, took a stroll in the forest and then managed to recruit this group of goblins to work for you?"
Weng Ling stared at Night Three suspiciously.
Night Three shrugged and gestured toward the Broken Arm Mountain next to the farm.
"Well, I also happened to eliminate a few goblins on the way. They mentioned something about exchanging money with you."
Weng Ling glanced in that direction, her eyelids twitching slightly. This 'a few'...
Could it be that he had the good fortune to stumble upon several goblin camps that happened to catch fire?
Hmm, that must be it. This timid man wouldn't have the capability for anything grand.
Weng Ling nodded, "Alright. According to the bounty I posted, you'll receive 10 copper coins for killing a goblin laborer, 1 silver coin for a goblin warrior, 10 silver coins for a goblin lieutenant, and 1 gold coin for a hundred-man commander. However, the lieutenant and commander must have intact corpses."
Pausing, Weng Ling exaggeratedly raised her hands in helplessness, "Oh dear, look at all these severed hands you have here. It's quite challenging to identify them. Looks like I'll have to settle with the standard of 1 silver coin at most for you. What a shame."
Indeed, Night Three's expression immediately darkened.
"Haha, just kidding. How could I take advantage of you? We'll settle things as they should be. However, you'll have to pick out the severed limbs of lieutenants and higher ranks yourself. I'll arrange for someone else to identify them, so no cheating, alright?"
Seeing Night Three's defeated expression, Weng Ling felt extremely pleased. She patted his shoulder and chuckled.
Her original goal was to eliminate goblins, so she naturally didn't mind Night Three preemptively dealing with them. Furthermore, her curiosity about Night Three grew stronger.
A fallen noble, timid, greedy, and ruthless, yet possessing various skills. With just an old servant and two disabled individuals, he managed to build a wooden house and subjugate numerous goblin slaves in just two days.
The key point was his exceptionally good luck, finding so many goblin corpses after she issued the bounty...
"It's a pity; he's a bit reclusive, not one to socialize."
Weng Ling shook her head, easily discerning that Iron Axe and the others were not Night Three's friends from their fearful expressions – a sight she encountered regularly.
This was indeed a person of considerable skill...
"Oh, by the way, have you made good use of the seeds I gave you? Those vegetable seeds were quite hard to come by!"
"Oh, I haven't planted the vegetables yet, but I did sow some wheat."
"Wheat? Is it these?" Weng Ling exclaimed, walking to the Stench Corpse Farm, covering her nose. She crouched down, then looked at the four goblins lifting hoes.
They stood there foolishly, swinging their hoes, not really looking like they were working seriously.
"This is..."
Weng Ling's expression suddenly changed. The sapling by the Stench Corpse Farm seemed to move slightly with the swings of the goblin's hoe?
She rubbed her eyes and observed again.
"No mistake! With my eyesight, I wouldn't be wrong! Could this be... nature magic?"
Weng Ling looked at Night Three in astonishment.
It was well-known that goblins had almost zero magical perception ability, and their wooden hoes didn't seem to be magical equipment. The problem must lie with this man!
Thinking of this, Weng Ling closed her eyes, carefully sensing it. Night Three, however, was surprised to see a white cross glowing faintly on Weng Ling's forehead.
"This is..."
Night Three took a few steps back in shock, looking at Weng Ling with uncertainty, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, brows furrowed.
After a few seconds, Weng Ling, now with a somewhat dark complexion, stood up and glanced at Night Three.
"I didn't expect you to be a hidden expert!"
Night Three's heart skipped a beat, and Old Gu slowly approached from behind.
"Are you a summoner? I sensed the power of a contract on these four goblins." Weng Ling suddenly pointed at the four goblins.
"No wonder these stupid, lazy, and wicked goblins follow your orders. Turns out, you've made them your summoned beasts!"
"Yes, quite innovative!"
Weng Ling sighed heavily, finding this man quite extraordinary.
But if he was a summoner, then his peculiar personality made sense, as summoners didn't necessarily need friends.
As for natural magic, it must be his old servant's doing. He remembered him mentioning that the steward was skilled in farming...
Seeing Weng Ling's peculiar expression but with no hint of resentment or hostility, Night Three finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, he felt the need to prevent Weng Ling from delving further into her thoughts, so he quickly spoke up:
"My lady, when do you plan to keep those adventurers waiting outside?"
"Oh, I forgot!"
Weng Ling's face stiffened, and she hurriedly ran towards the gate of the stone wall.
Meanwhile, Night Three looked at the goblin skeletons, then at Old Gu, lost in thought.
"The power of a contract, huh?"
It seemed that the mechanisms for undead revival and building reconstruction were entirely different. For instance, Old Gu hadn't been identified as a contract beast; otherwise, Weng Ling would have treated him as a freak and a demon, smashing him long ago.
But it worked out for the best, providing him with a better cover identity. After all, compared to an archmage, summoners seemed less likely to draw attention.
Still, he wondered if it was just an illusion; Baozi Meimei's gaze seemed a bit more fervent.
...
Weng Ling didn't take much time. Soon, she led a group of adventurers dressed in peculiar outfits to his farm.
There were men and women, old and young, totaling around fifty people:
There was a priest draped in a white sheet, an elemental mage wielding a wolf's fang staff, nearly naked except for a sword-wielding swordsman, and even one who dressed like a can of goods, though he lacked a horse...
"Everyone, quiet down. This is the ranger I've recruited. He'll be in charge of counting your kills. The tax officer will settle your rewards based on the count inside the city."
"Three rules: no attacking each other, no looting others' spoils, and no deceit!"
"Violating any of these three rules means I won't pay the bounty. Also, if I find out someone killed another adventurer, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Having said that, Weng Ling, with a single swing, smashed a log that the goblin lumberjack had just brought back into pieces.
Night Three: ???
"Oh, by the way, these goblins are his summoned beasts. Pay attention and don't harm them accidentally, understood?"
"Understood!" The adventurers responded enthusiastically.
"Alright... let's go! Show these goblins how capable you are!"
"Ohooho!"
Then Night Three watched as the adventurers rushed into the forest, except for...
The heavily armored knight without a horse, who was slowly shuffling at the back.
However, perhaps due to poor visibility inside the armor
, he stepped on the broken wood that Weng Ling had just smashed, lost his balance, and fell flat on the ground. He struggled for a while but couldn't get up...
"Uh... is there anyone there? I can't get up. Can someone kindly help this old man?"