Chapter 2: Sweetwater Town, It's Over!
"What is this? My cheat ability? Or a player attribute interface?"
After a brief moment of thought, Matthew temporarily set the question aside. Things he couldn't figure out could be left for later; the choice in front of him was the real priority.
"Leaving here to go to Sweetwater Town, with such a high misfortune level?"
"A value of 5, that's a catastrophic event with a 100% fatality rate!"
"Is there an ambush on the road ahead? Or is there danger in the meeting with Baron Carlisle?"
In Matthew's memory, the adventure level of the Misty Swamp wasn't that high, considered a beginner area.
Many new players would venture in this region.
Of course, the real world would certainly differ from the game, but it wouldn't be too far off.
Unless thousands of murlocs appeared all at once, or a swamp giant croc leader of level 10 or higher charged head-on, only then would there be a risk of total annihilation for a team of over a hundred people and ten professional soldiers.
But those creatures would make a lot of noise, and they could be spotted and avoided from a distance.
"Choosing to stay would only delay us by two hours at most. Fortune 4 is secondary; what's important is that I can stay alive!"
Recognizing his own strength, Matthew chose according to his instincts. After opening the door, he calmly said:
"No need to rush; let's fix the cart first."
"Everyone else should rest for a while too. We've been traveling for so many days and are almost at our destination, so there's no need to be in such a hurry."
The calm tone, devoid of the usual urgency, left the steward Ralph slightly stunned. As he looked at Matthew, who was smiling faintly, he suddenly felt as if "the young master has grown up." Bowing slightly, he nodded in agreement:
"As you command."
Ralph turned around, made a rest gesture to the others, and shouted in a loud voice:
"The Lord has ordered everyone to rest. Old John, you keep working; the rest of you check the cargo and replenish your strength."
"We're about to reach our destination. Your hard work will not be in vain. The promised land and a good life will definitely be fulfilled."
The words, calm with a touch of encouragement, brought faint smiles to the faces of those around.
With hope for a better life in the future, they felt that the hardships and dangers along the way were no longer significant.
Watching this scene, Matthew glanced at the old steward Ralph in surprise.
Whether in handling affairs, arranging personnel, controlling the situation, or adjusting the atmosphere, this steward performed outstandingly.
More importantly, the special effects Ralph displayed through his words clearly indicated that he was also a professional.
"He must be a level 3 steward; such wealth in a noble family. If there's no threat of death, this start isn't bad at all!"
This made Matthew breathe a little easier. He didn't mind leading the team alone, but having helpers would save him more energy to deal with real threats.
Thinking this, Matthew began to observe the others.
There were about 100 young men, the base team arranged by the family to accompany them to the territory.
Most of them were slaves purchased by the Serre family, most of whom had undergone some military training. Before coming, they were promised that if they contributed or worked for five years, they would gain the status of freemen.
Among them were also freemen from the original territory, some skilled in one or two crafts, hoping to gain land of their own or a different life in the new territory.
Aside from these people, what Matthew valued most, apart from the ten soldiers guarding the carriage, was naturally the knight at the end of the team.
Ralph waded through the mud, inspecting the team, and softly said to the knight on the horse:
"Angela, you've worked hard; take a rest."
Skillfully raising her visor and wiping away the beads of sweat on her forehead, Angela flashed a sweet smile:
"It's not hard at all. Training is much more exhausting than this."
Although she said this, Angela, mindful of preserving the horse's strength, lightly jumped off the horse. Her silver-white steel armor seemed as light as a feather.
Angela stroked her beloved horse's mane, handed it some specially prepared fodder, which included a fresh egg, and finally fed it a pinch of salt, taking great care of it.
Matthew noticed Angela's slightly pointed ears; this beautiful young knight clearly had elven blood.
"A knight professional, so young, with great potential. If properly nurtured, she might even lead a knight order!"
Matthew recalled his former Wyvern Knight Order and secretly made up his mind.
He must establish a powerful Arcane Empire!
Humanity's fate should be in its own hands!
Matthew didn't notice that Angela felt his gaze, causing the young knight's ears to blush slightly.
An hour and a half later.
Old John had repaired the axle, and the team started moving again.
Matthew kept a close watch on the surroundings but saw no danger. Even the murlocs that usually hid in the muddy pits and jumped out were nowhere to be seen.
After the prompt flashed, there had been no further activity, making Matthew begin to doubt its reliability.
Another hour passed.
The caravan had arrived near Sweetwater Town, and as Matthew looked at the town looming in the distance, he subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
"Are you messing with me? Where's the promised luck?"
"Roar...!"
A deafening roar suddenly echoed from afar.
The sound carried immense pressure, accompanied by a certain majesty that sent shivers down the spine.
"A dragon!"
Matthew immediately turned his head to see a massive black figure unfurling its wings, whipping up a fierce wind as it soared into the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the clouds, out of everyone's sight.
The massive body, nearly 18 meters long, confirmed that what had just flown past Matthew was an adult black dragon!
A level 17+ leader!
A super creature with a high chance of becoming legendary!
The terrifying wind and pressure instantly threw the resting people into chaos. Many panicked and fell into the mud pits, their hearts pounding wildly.
The mules pulling the carts collapsed in fear, trembling and crying out in terror as they lay on the ground.
But it wasn't over yet. A roaring cry echoed through the clouds as the black dragon's massive, majestic figure dove toward the ground.
Matthew's pupils contracted as he saw the ferocious gleam in the black beast's eyes. Countless players had fallen to this terrifying attack before; it had a resounding nickname:
Deep Breath!!!
The dark green corrosive breath descended, as the black dragon charged forward, turning the ground below into a hellish inferno of destruction!
Standing next to Matthew, Ralph watched the black dragon disappear into the billowing black smoke and trembled as he pointed into the distance, muttering to himself:
"Sweetwater Town, it's over..."
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