Chapter 275 – This Is Seriously the Outer Territory?

Thud—

A brawny man wearing a black headscarf forcefully plunged his saber into the chest of the middle-aged man before him. With a smooth motion, he drove the blade in and pulled it out, and the middle-aged man collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, blood slowly spreading around him.

Scattered around were twenty to thirty other bodies, some dressed as archers, others as sentinels, lancers, or halberdiers. Without exception, each bore fatal wounds, their life force clearly extinguished.

A few massive rock beasts also lay lifeless on the ground.

One of the black headscarf-wearing men stepped forward, rummaging through the cargo packs strapped to the sides of the rock beasts, and grinned. “Boss, this batch looks pretty good. There are quite a few rare-grade materials here. Selling them all should fetch a decent sum.”

“Our old place was already overrun by those Snakemen monsters. Our brothers either died or fled. Now, looking at it, merging into the Eternal World at the border isn’t such a bad thing. We’ve avoided those Snakemen and made a profit early on. This is a lucky sign.”

There were four players wearing black headscarves in total, with over a dozen elite troops stationed further out on perimeter guard duty. They were survivors who had emerged from the border city.

The Black Headscarf Leader didn’t seem particularly excited. They pondered the information obtained from the earlier interrogation, combined with the goods they had uncovered, and said, “This merchant group appears to be from a territory called Red Leaf Territory, which belongs to the Taixuan Alliance—a newly established territory barely over six months old.”

“Taixuan?!”

The previously jubilant player seemed as if his throat had been seized, unable to utter a sound.

The Taixuan Alliance was one of only two faction nations on Blue Star, its power far surpassing that of other loosely structured national forces.

To cite a recent example, Xuan Nation had always been highly protective of its sphere of influence.

They didn’t expand aggressively, but anyone who dared encroach upon Xuan Nation’s domestic affairs would face swift and severe retaliation.

The speaker, Old Four, still remembered that after the world began descending into chaos, a powerful warlord faction in their region had caused some casualties while vying for treasures within Xuan Nation’s borders. Within days, the entire warlord faction had disbanded, and the warlord leader—a player of considerable strength—had simply vanished without a trace.

“B-boss, one of the people we just killed was a player, right? Could we have already been exposed?”

Old Four glanced around nervously, afraid that Taixuan Alliance’s elite troops might descend from the skies at any moment.

The Black Headscarf Leader sighed. “Don’t panic. This is the Eternal World. Even within the Taixuan Alliance’s heartland, there are many remote, scarcely populated areas. Besides, this is the periphery of the Taixuan Alliance. As long as we don’t foolishly provoke the official Taixuan towns, we won’t face much danger.”

The leader showed no concern at all.

As they had said, this was the Eternal World—the wilderness was a lawless land, and countless players had died in the wilds, their numbers beyond reckoning. The Taixuan Alliance wouldn’t intervene, nor could they even if they wanted to.

And it wasn’t just the Eternal World; even on present-day Blue Star, Xuan Nation lacked the resources to manage areas beyond its cities.Of course, things like plundering merchant caravans couldn’t be done too frequently. Doing it too often would attract the attention of the local administrators—the ‘official fortress lords.’ Even if it didn’t reach the point of alerting the Taixuan authorities, it would inevitably provoke a joint crackdown from the surrounding lords.

Engaging in risky activities regularly would eventually lead to unexpected consequences.

The Black Headscarf Leader was well aware of this, but the most lucrative options were all listed in the Taixuan Alliance’s prohibited regulations.

“Like ordinary players, honestly take on commissions to earn Soul Sand?””

The leader dismissed this idea.

The other three brothers weren’t willing either.

They weren’t idle players to begin with but local warlord leaders. Having grown accustomed to being petty tyrants, they couldn’t possibly revert to being ordinary players.

“Boss, how could we work for the Taixuan Alliance? We’d lose face!”

“Yeah, working for others is out of the question!”

“Slaving away like other players just to earn a pittance of Soul Sand? I won’t do it! Boss, why don’t we pull off a few more heists and then make a clean getaway? Like you said, the Eternal World is vast, and Taixuan can’t do much to us.”

What the second brother suggested was exactly what they had just done—plundering passing merchant caravans.

For them, it was all too easy. The entire caravan had only one Elite-level player, and that Elite player had just two Elite-tier units under their command.

To them, it was nothing worth mentioning.

They themselves were only at the Peak of the Elite level, but during their years as warlords, they had amassed considerable wealth and equipped themselves lavishly, each possessing six or seven Elite-tier units.

If they worked for a lord like ordinary players, how could they have trained so many elite soldiers?

Moreover, working for others also involved risks, just like the Taixuan player they had just killed. If that was the case, why not take the risk from the very beginning? It would save them a decade of detours.

“Now that our city has been captured by the Serpentfolk Tribe, we need to consider new sources of income.”

The Black Headscarf Leader pondered for a moment and said, “But plundering these caravans only brings one-time income, which isn’t particularly high. Besides… transporting even a single batch of goods is challenging for us. If we plunder multiple batches, transportation and sales become issues, and the risks are high. This kind of business isn’t stable. Instead…”

“Let’s pull off one big heist—plunder a newly established territory on the outskirts of Taixuan and feast to our heart’s content in one go!”

The second, third, and fourth brothers initially felt dissatisfied with the leader’s caution when they heard the words “isn’t stable,” but before their complaints could leave their mouths, they were stunned by their leader’s audacious plan.

“B-b-boss, this is Taixuan’s territory we’re talking about!”

Wasn’t this practically asking for death?

The Black Headscarf Leader lit a cigarette and spoke slowly, “I have my reasons for thinking this way. If we engage in ordinary business, the risks will still be high if we do it too often. It’s better to make it worthwhile in one go.”

“As I said before, after pulling off one big heist, we can make a clean getaway, and Taixuan won’t be able to do much to us.”

“And just imagine how wealthy a lord’s territory is. Not only that, if we capture the territory and destroy the Lord Altar, we can even obtain altar fragments. Rumor has it that gathering enough fragments can synthesize a Lord’s Heart, allowing ordinary players like us to become lords.”

“Think about it: would you rather roam the Wilderness, living a life on the edge of your saber, or gamble for a Lord’s Heart, escape to the Neutral Lands, and build your own territory?”Of course, they chose the latter.

They had long grown accustomed to living like local despots.

“Let’s do it, boss!”

“Indeed. Our first target is Red Leaf Territory. Such territories, having been established for just over half a year, are rich in resources but weak in military strength—making them the perfect targets. Of course, even though we have the capability, there’s no need to confront a territory’s numerous soldiers head-on.”

The leader glanced at the surrounding goods. “We’ll disguise ourselves as a merchant convoy, enter the territory, and execute their Lord.”

Coincidentally, the city they originally stayed in bordered the Xuan Nation.

Both the boss and the third brother among them spoke fluent Xuan language, making it even more natural to pose as a merchant convoy from Taixuan.

…

One day later.

“Boss, have we strayed off course?”

Four players and twenty to thirty military units, disguised as a harmless merchant convoy, trekked through the dense forest.

According to the information they had previously obtained, the journey from the plundered lands to Red Leaf Territory should have taken only half a day.

Normally, they should have arrived long ago.

But they hadn’t.

In the vast wilderness, with insufficient information and maps, straying off course seemed almost inevitable.

“Be patient. We’ll find it sooner or later.”

No sooner had the Black Headscarf Leader spoken than his expression brightened. In his hand, a crimson Warhawk that had been scouting high above suddenly descended, relaying information to him.

A major discovery!

Following the direction indicated by the Warhawk, they soon noticed that the monsters around them were thinning out. From time to time, they also came across traces of battles, logging, transportation, and other activities.

All of this indicated that a territory lay ahead.

“But this territory isn’t Red Leaf Territory, is it?”

“Whether it is or not doesn’t matter. We’ve been moving consistently northward, so any territory in this location must be one of the newest ones—suitable targets for us.”

“The boss is right. As expected of the boss.”

Just as the Black Headscarf Leader had anticipated, as they advanced a bit further, the trees gradually thinned out.

In one part of the forest, there was a dirt path, worn down by frequent travel.

Military units patrolled along established routes, eliminating wandering monsters.

The Black Headscarf Leader stated their purpose: “We are players from the Black Wolf Merchant Guild. We have a business proposal we’d like to discuss with your Lord.”

“Is that so? Please follow me.”

The patrol captain was from the Third Brigade, Sixth Squadron of the Garrison Legion—a Valiant Cavalier at Elite One Star, who had Awakened self-awareness some time ago.

He didn’t know much, but he remembered his superiors’ instructions: merchant convoys need not be intercepted, but they must be escorted, monitored, and reported.

Thus, the squadron leader led the Black Headscarf players toward their territory.

“Step one, accomplished!”

The four Black Headscarf brothers exchanged glances, feeling confident.

As they expected, the captain brought them into the territory, leading them to a building in the town that seemed to serve as a reception area.

The only thing that slightly surprised the four brothers was…

The territory’s City Gates and City Walls were incredibly grand!

“They’re rare-grade City Walls!”

“Boss, does this territory seem a bit unusual? Their soldiers also appear quite elite!”

None of them spoke, but their eyes conveyed the general meaning.

The leader was somewhat surprised, but he remained calm, even feeling a sense of delight.”This is a wealthy territory, but no matter how rich or how great its potential, it’s still just a territory established barely over half a year ago.”

“No matter how strong a territory is, it can’t be that powerful, yet it might possess various precious treasures.”

Pulling off this one job could equal countless others.

Wouldn’t that be a huge profit?

The group waited excitedly and expectantly inside the guesthouse.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I represent our Lord.”

The newcomer was Isloria’s Incarnation.

Beside her followed several ‘Starlight Scholars’ she had trained through her strategic talents.

The Starlight Scholars’ Rank wasn’t particularly high, and their combat ability was quite weak, but they had unique advantages in recording and memorization. These few Starlight Scholars were also outstanding individuals selected from thousands of ordinary residents.

Isloria brought these Starlight Scholars along with the intention of mentoring them.

Otherwise, for a transaction like this, sending one of her Incarnations would have been sufficient—no need for such trouble.

But she had to teach the newcomers so she could eventually delegate her heavy workload to them in the future.

Isloria had once aspired to become the Lord’s indispensable right-hand General through her exceptional handling of affairs.

But now, she preferred to focus on research and experiments.

By guiding the newcomers through this transaction, she could fully entrust future dealings with merchant caravans to them—after all, these were just minor trades anyway.

Her thoughts wandered.

The players wearing black headscarves slightly changed their expressions.

Why hadn’t the Lord come in person?

In such newly established territories, whenever merchant caravans arrived, the Lord should personally appear. After all, caravans operating in the peripheral regions of the Taixuan Alliance possessed considerable strength and status—out of respect and various other considerations, the Lord needed to show up.

In many cases, minor Lords even had to curry favor with the leaders of major merchant caravans.

“Where is your Lord? This business deal must be discussed with your Lord present.”

“In such matters, I have full authority to represent our Lord. If you wish to negotiate, let’s proceed. If not, please leave.”

Isloria was growing impatient.

The subtle change in their expressions moments earlier had struck her as somewhat odd. However, her true self had observed through the ‘Starry Sky Eye’ that these individuals were merely Elite-ranked players, not disguised assassins from the Divine Radiance Empire.

Such Rank distribution was quite normal for a merchant caravan.

Just as she thought this, one player stepped forward.

Old Three could no longer restrain himself.

“Capture her! She must be an important figure in this territory. Severing one of the Lord’s arms is just as good.”

But before his words faded, a beam of star-blue light shot out, piercing through his abdomen.

Immediately after, the pink-haired girl raised her pale finger, firing multiple beams of light.

In the blink of an eye, the beams shattered the heads of various soldiers and dissipated right before hitting the walls—her control over the power was precise.

The Black Headscarf Leader didn’t notice these details; by the time he regained his senses, two of his comrades and over a dozen soldiers had thudded to the ground.

What Rank of powerhouse is this?!

He had no time to ponder further. Along with the remaining Old Four, he smashed through the window and fled outside.

Outside the building, there were some patrolling soldiers, but they appeared to be mere grunts.

The Black Headscarf Leader summoned his elite troops to clear a path.

Boom—

A Goblin Warrior was slammed into the wall by one of the grunts.The barbarian warrior at the Peak Elite level was beheaded by another patrolling soldier.

Black Headband’s eyelids twitched. Another glance revealed that Old Four had already been captured in the distance, unable to struggle free.

“Is this an ordinary patrol soldier?”

It wasn’t that his judgment was poor—he had seen at least several similar patrol squads along the way.

“Thunder Martial Artist! Clear the path!”

He commanded his strongest General.

This was a General he had cultivated with countless resources, who had already achieved a Breakthrough to the Third-Order Warlord Tier. This secret, he hadn’t even told his own three brothers.

The Thunder Martial Artist threw punch after punch, forcing back the patrolling soldiers one by one, as if unstoppable… Boom!

A hammer smashed the lightning to nothing.

A bare-chested burly man who happened to be passing by muttered, “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing, Master Li, just a minor incident.”

Aren’t the strong individuals in this territory a bit too overpowered?

Ahead, Master Li blocked the way.

Behind, Isloria’s Incarnation rested her chin on her hand.

All around, the elite forces of the four brothers fell one by one, while more and more territory patrol squads gathered here.

Four squads, six, eight, ten.

Their attire was all quite similar.

They were indeed ordinary patrol soldiers.

Could it be… they had stumbled into an official stronghold of Taixuan?!

(End of Chapter)