Chapter 379: The Fallen Queen’s Worries, the Wizard’s Secret. (6000)

Chapter 379: The Fallen Queen's Worries, the Wizard's Secret. (6000)

Under the reluctant gazes of the four swindlers, they were carried out of the tavern by the Imperial Soldiers.

Soon, the tavern quieted down.

"Next, it's time to check the loot in the backpacks."

Since these natives' backpacks did not have a stacking function,

Cao Xing needed to take the items out first and organize them.

Without any politeness, he transferred all the items inside into his own backpack.

[Obtained: crowns * 3.72 million…]

[Obtained: Dry Rations * 1742]

[Obtained Book: The Art of Language]

[Obtained Book: The Actor's Self-Cultivation]

[Obtained: Swamp Witch's Pestle (Gold)]

[Obtained: Swamp Witch's Frog Potion Recipe (Gold)]

[Obtained: Noble Attire * 4]

[Obtained: King of Esfis Coronation Robe (Purple)]

[Obtained: Crown of the King of Esfis (Gold)]

…

"Haha, there are actually over three million crowns, and three gold-grade items!"

Cao Xing felt a surge of joy.

Among them, the most special ones were naturally that pestle and the potion recipe.

The next moment, a pitch-black pestle emitting an eerie, dim glow appeared in Cao Xing's hand.

It carried a strong herbal scent mixed with a foul odor.

It looked like this pestle had crushed the flesh and blood of quite a few poor souls along with herbs.

He glanced at its attributes.

[Swamp Witch's Pestle (Gold)]

[Quality: Precious]

[Equipment Level: Level 40]

[Equipment Type: Special]

[Attack Power: 0 ~ 1]

[Attached Special Effect ①: Potion Amplification (Increases success rate by 20% when crafting potions)]

[Attached Special Effect ②: Evil Degeneration (Releases the evil power contained within the pestle, causing enemy creatures within a 10*10 meter range ahead to degenerate by one potential rank—Commander degenerates to Boss, Boss degenerates to Elite, and so on. Can affect creatures up to Level 60 at most, lasting 20 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

(Note: If the enemy creature's potential is Normal, it reduces their attributes by 20% instead.)

(Equipment Introduction: It was once a tool used by the Swamp Witch to brew dark magic potions. Crafted from twisted black wood and magic crystals glowing with an eerie light…)

…

"Oh? This second special effect, Evil Degeneration, is quite interesting!"

Cao Xing chuckled and said, "Especially when used against Commander-level creatures, the effect is phenomenal, directly rendering their new skills useless."

"Of course, the duration is a bit short."

"Regardless, this is still an item that can play a crucial role at critical moments."

He put the pestle back into his backpack.

Another recipe appeared in his hand.

[Swamp Witch's Frog Potion Recipe (Gold)]

[Quality: Precious]

[Potion Effect: Throws a potion at the enemy. Upon hitting, turns them into an attack-incapable frog. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds]

(Note: This potion effect can affect enemies up to Level 80 at most, and will be affected by abnormal status resistance.)

[Required Materials for Refining: Advanced Alchemy Workshop, Advanced Poison Mastery, Glass Bottle, Swamp Toad, Dark Moss.]

…

"Turning into a frog, this effect is a bit disgusting…"

"However, if it's used to deal with enemies, the more disgusting, the better."

"Sabina happens to have Advanced Poison Mastery, so I can let her brew this potion recipe."

Cao Xing thought with a chuckle.

Of course, to brew this kind of potion, two quirky materials were still needed: Swamp Toads and Dark Moss.

These things could only be sorted out by looking into the market.

Aside from that,

there were more than just these two items in the backpacks of those swindlers.

The next moment, Cao Xing took out a gorgeous coronation robe and a gleaming golden crown.

This coronation robe was dominated by a deep and luxurious purple, with its edges embroidered with delicate and intricate patterns using golden threads.

The collar stood high, inlaid with brilliant gems, and the shoulders were wide and stiff, decorated with gorgeous golden shoulder armor.

This coronation robe looked full of majesty and a mysterious aura.

As for the other crown, it was forged from pure gold. The texture of the gold was delicate and heavy, and every line had been meticulously carved, smooth and elegant.

After glancing at the attributes, Cao Xing praised, "Although this coronation robe doesn't have much in terms of stats, it adds 30 points of Charm."

"The other crown also adds 50 points of Charm."

"It seems these are the real deal!"

These items were of high value, and many nobles and royals would definitely be willing to buy them at a high price.

The loot from the backpacks of those four swindlers was quite good.

Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction.

Then, looking at the messy tables and chairs inside the tavern, he instructed, "Lachi, clean up this place, I'm leaving first."

The 15-year-old Lachi replied respectfully, "Please rest assured, respected Lord, I will clean this place up."

Cao Xing nodded slightly and walked out of the tavern with a cheerful mood.

"Not bad, not bad… I didn't expect swindlers to actively send money to me."

"Now, let's go check on how those four griffins captured during the day are doing."

Then, he went straight to the fourth-ring area of the territory.

There were several huge iron cages there, and the ones locked inside were naturally those four Gale Griffins.

Nearby, several Imperial Soldiers wearing battle armor were keeping guard.

"Screech— Screech—"

From afar, the angry screeches of the Gale Griffins could be heard.

They were frantically slamming into the iron cages, producing dull, heavy crashing sounds.

However, these griffin cages were meticulously crafted by Harold, with a large amount of mithril and evergold added to them. Needless to say, their hardness was enough to trap these immensely powerful monsters.

Cao Xing walked over.

When the guarding Imperial Soldiers saw him, they immediately bowed and saluted, "Respected Lord, may you be well."

Cao Xing nodded slightly, then asked, "How are these griffins doing?"

One of the Imperial Soldiers reported, "They are still as hot-tempered as when they were first captured."

"They haven't eaten anything all day today, and they are slamming into the iron cages all the time, bleeding from their heads."

Hearing this, Cao Xing took a look and found that these griffins were covered in various wounds, with blood flowing out and staining their originally gorgeous feathers red.

Griffins were a proud creature, and taming them was extremely difficult.

Even those expert animal tamers in the kingdom would need to expend a huge amount of energy and time to tame a single griffin.

And in Cao Xing's territory, there were no talents like animal tamers.

It seemed he could only think of other ways to make these griffins submit.

Just at this moment, the door of the nearby Blacksmith Shop opened with a creak.

Two scrawny little fellows dragged a huge bundle of iron chains on the ground, walking out of it with great difficulty.

Their little faces were flushed red, and their foreheads were covered in fine beads of sweat.

These iron chains were very heavy, clearly exceeding their strength, but the two little fellows were still pulling them hard.

At the same time, Harold appeared behind the two of them.

"Little fellows, to become a blacksmith, you need not only perseverance, but also a robust physique!"

"Your frames are too scrawny, hang in there!"

His voice was steady and powerful. It sounded like a reprimand, but it was actually encouragement.

Hearing this, Sarle and Boudi instantly mustered all their strength, pulling the two bundles of iron chains even harder.

Cao Xing asked with confusion, "Harold, what is this about?"

The dwarf blacksmith immediately chuckled, "Lord, although these griffin cages are sturdy enough, they aren't very stable."

"I see that these griffins won't submit in a short time, so I forged a few iron chains to secure the cages."

Cao Xing nodded, and his gaze turned back to Sarle and Boudi.

The dwarf blacksmith seemed to know what he was thinking and continued, "Rest assured, Lord, I took two Light Feather Chicken eggs today to enhance their physiques."

"These two little fellows are too scrawny; their main goal recently is to exercise their bodies."

The two little fellows on the side gritted their teeth and replied, "Respected Lord, we will definitely be able to persevere!"

While speaking, they had already dragged the iron chains to the side of the griffin cages and began preparing to secure them.

Cao Xing nodded slightly and didn't ask further.

After all, these were Harold's apprentices; he had his own training methods.

Harold said at this moment, "That's right, Lord, you came just in time."

"Today, besides forging the griffin cages, I also finished crafting that pair of gauntlets you requested."

"The quality should be pretty good, you can go take a look."

Hearing this, Cao Xing instantly grew interested.

Rightly so, Victoria didn't have a weapon yet.

"Well done, I'll go take a look right now."

Thus, he walked straight into the Blacksmith Shop, and then came to the storage box area.

Upon opening it, he immediately saw a meticulously crafted pair of gauntlets. The surface was sewn from saber-toothed tiger leather, with delicate and clear textures.

The color of the gauntlets was deep and lustrous, exuding an ancient and powerful aura.

At the joints, sturdy metal plates were inlaid, which not only increased the sturdiness of the gauntlets but also added a touch of ruthless texture to them.

"The appearance of this pair of gauntlets is quite good."

Cao Xing directly put them away.

[Obtained: Roaring Tiger Gauntlets (Gold)]

He glanced at the attributes.

[Roaring Tiger Gauntlets (Gold)]

[Quality: Precious]

[Equipment Level: Level 40]

[Attack Power: 893 ~ 956]

[Attached Special Effect ①: Spirit + 150, Physique + 150, Skill Casting Speed + 20%]

[Attached Special Effect ②: Tiger King's Might (When launching melee attacks, has a 100% chance to increase strength by 30%)]

[Attached Special Effect ③: Roaring Tiger's Roar (When casting a skill, has a 45% chance to trigger the power contained within the gauntlets, emitting a deafening roar that causes enemies within 20 meters with spirit power lower than 2000 to fall into a state of intimidation for 1 ~ 3 seconds. Cooldown: 45 seconds)]

(Equipment Introduction: Crafted from the most precious piece of leather taken from a saber-toothed tiger boss. When casting skills, one can faintly hear bursts of fierce tiger roars. Its forgeman is: Expert Blacksmith—Harold Iceberg.)

…

"The stats of this pair of gauntlets are quite strong."

"The second special effect can give Victoria decent melee combat capabilities, and the third special effect can even come with crowd control effects."

"Not bad, not bad."

With a satisfied expression, Cao Xing put them into his backpack.

Then he left the Blacksmith Shop.

"Next, I'll go find Victoria and give her this pair of gauntlets."

"And by the way, ask about the secret regarding that wizard."

Cao Xing hadn't forgotten that a powerful wizard was hunting down this queen. The reason was that Victoria knew a secret about this wizard.

Since he was free right now, he could go over and ask her.

Thinking this, he had already arrived at the door of the room where Victoria was staying.

Ever since becoming a core combatant, Victoria also possessed corresponding treatment: a small private room.

Of course, it was just a Level 1 residence, with a small floor area, and it was very convenient to build.

Speaking of which, this was still his first time coming to this woman's residence.

On ordinary days, Victoria didn't speak much, with a cold expression and full majesty.

The powerful aura she unconsciously emitted made other residents in the territory reluctant to get close to her.

In this territory, Victoria basically always moved around alone.

At this moment, Cao Xing inexplicably felt a bit nervous.

"Cough cough—"

Giving a light cough, Cao Xing cheered himself on, "I'm here to discuss serious business, not to act like a thief. What am I nervous about?"

With that, he reached out and began knocking on the wooden door,

"Thump! Thump thump!"

The sound of knocking rang out.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps came from inside.

The door slowly opened, and a face carrying a hint of doubt and a hint of majesty appeared before Cao Xing.

It was an exquisite and icy-cold face, with eyebrows like distant painted mountains and eyes like cold stars.

Beneath her high-bridged nose, her lips were tightly pursed, revealing an inviolable majesty as well as a mature charm.

She slightly raised her chin, gazing at the figure at the doorway.

Upon seeing the figure at the doorway, the expression on the icy beauty's face softened.

She bowed and said, "Greetings, my lord."

Cao Xing nodded and then asked, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

Victoria shook her head gently, then replied, "No."

"Why has my lord come to find me…?"

"It's about the secret of that wizard you mentioned last time." Cao Xing didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

Victoria's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she fell into thought.

A moment later, as if making some sort of decision, she said, "Please come in, my lord."

With those words, she turned around first and entered the room.

Cao Xing followed behind her.

Victoria's demeanor was poised and elegant; even her walking pace was different from other women—it was a nobility carved into her bones.

From Cao Xing's perspective, he could see Victoria's back. Her cascade of brown hair hung down her slender back, and a form-fitting plain nightgown enveloped her mature and perfect body.

Seen from behind, her slender waist was barely a handful, yet it formed a striking contrast with her full, upturned buttocks.

Under the flickering candlelight, her back was sometimes bright and sometimes hazy.

Even her fair, tender skin could be faintly seen, and the outline of her tiny panties was vaguely discernible beneath the cover of the nightgown.

Because the size was too small, it couldn't wrap around her round and full buttocks at all, even pinching them into an alluring curve.

It involuntarily drew one's gaze firmly, unknowingly accelerating one's heartbeat.

Cao Xing thought to himself, "Such small panties—doesn't she find them uncomfortable to wear?"

"It seems I can instruct Xia Yanni to make a larger size in the future."

"Mhm… just base it on her measurements…"

The decorations in Victoria's room were extremely minimalist.

A large bed, covered with a thick quilt.

Beside it were two rustic wooden tables and chairs.

A kettle of hot water was boiling on the stove, making a bubbling sound that added a touch of lively atmosphere to the quiet room.

She turned slightly sideways and said softly, "Sit."

Seeming to remember something, Victoria quickly corrected herself, "My lord, please sit."

Her tone carried a trace of reverence along with some awkwardness.

Cao Xing smiled and didn't mind, sitting down directly.

Victoria sat with poise and dignity opposite him.

This woman's sitting posture was extremely standard.

Her head was held high and her chest puffed out, her legs pressed together just right, and her hands crossed and placed on her plump thighs.

Under the flickering firelight, her eyes still carried a profound tranquility.

The elegance and nobility in her bones still exuded a unique charm.

Then, she parted her red lips slightly and began to speak, "This wizard is called Adrian. I'm not too clear on his strength, but he is at least above Tier 7."

"He is very likely a Hero-level powerhouse!"

"Back then, he once cast a taboo witchcraft that directly enveloped the entire royal city."

"Under the effect of that witchcraft, everyone's strength was severely weakened."

Hearing this, a trace of light appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

"He's actually a Hero-level powerhouse?"

By now, he also knew just how powerful a Hero-level powerhouse was.

That was a power capable of destroying a city.

Of course, not all Hero-level powerhouses were that powerful.

Just as Victoria said, for a single piece of witchcraft to envelop the entire city, that estimated at least a commander-level existence.

"Yes."

The queen kept her back straight and continued, "And by chance, I saw this wizard's right hand."

"There was a special mark on the back of this person's right hand; that was a slave mark belonging to the Renova Kingdom."

"This kind of mark is very special. Once branded, it is directly engraved into the flesh and blood, completely impossible to remove."

"Later, I investigated and found that this person's facial features were very similar to a prisoner in our Renova Kingdom's Black Reef Prison."

"However, more than twenty years ago, a riot broke out in Black Reef Prison, and many prisoners inside vanished without a trace. I suspect he escaped at that time."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing immediately asked in puzzlement, "You mean this wizard used to be a slave of your Renova Kingdom."

"And after escaping, he carried out revenge against your kingdom?"

Victoria nodded gently, "Probably."

A gleam of contemplation appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

He asked again, "However, he wouldn't hunt you down for so long just for this secret, would he?"

The exquisite and icy beauty before him spoke again, "You are right. There are two reasons why he is hunting me down."

"First, as a wizard of the Ostia Kingdom now, he holds a noble status, and no one has ever known that he used to be a slave."

"If this matter spreads, it will deal a severe blow to his reputation and prestige."

"Second, later I secretly investigated this person's files and discovered that he was imprisoned after being discovered studying black magic."

"Black magic is an extremely evil and highly hazardous power. The entire Western Continent does not allow evil powers to appear."

"Once someone is found using this power, a large number of powerhouses will take action to surround and annihilate them!"

"I suspect the reason this wizard was able to possess Hero-level power in a short period of time is because he learned black magic."

Victoria spoke word by word.

A look of thought appeared in Cao Xing's eyes once more.

"Then why didn't you spread the matter of this wizard studying black magic so that other powerhouses would deal with him?"

A bitter smile appeared on Victoria's radiant lips, "Because, the matter of him studying black magic is only my deduction; there is no concrete evidence."

"Adrian is already a high-ranking official of the Ostia Kingdom, and he is also a Hero-level powerhouse himself."

"Without clear evidence, who would risk offending an entire kingdom to make a move against him?"

"Moreover, that king probably knows in his heart that Adrian has borrowed the power of black magic, but for the sake of the country's status and reputation, he chose to protect this wizard."

Cao Xing nodded.

No wonder that wizard wanted to hunt down Victoria.

As long as she was killed, the entire Renova Kingdom would be considered destroyed, and no one would ever know that he used to be a slave.

Furthermore, no one would be able to accuse him of learning black magic.

Although Victoria was a queen, she herself was only Tier 5.

Facing a Hero-level powerhouse, being able to live until now was already quite remarkable.

Cao Xing comforted, "You don't need to be nervous; anyway, this wizard hasn't found you yet."

"You must believe that before long, our territory will possess the power to fear no Hero-level."

Hearing this, the tension on the icy beauty's face gradually dissipated, replaced by a gentle smile.

"Mhm, I believe you."

"You are a lord worth rely… relying on…"

Saying the last sentence seemed to make her somewhat unnatural.

Cao Xing smiled.

At the same time, he couldn't help turning his thoughts to the severely injured Dragon Speaker in his territory's basement.

This person was also a Hero-level powerhouse. If she could wake up, Cao Xing's territory's strength would skyrocket.

Of course, she could only be allowed to make a move when it was absolute last resort.

After all, the Dragon Speaker also had enemies.

As for who her enemies were, all of this could only be asked after she woke up.

He shook his head, clearing away these thoughts.

Then he took out that pair of gauntlets from his backpack and placed them on the table in front of him.

Victoria took them with a puzzled expression, "This is…?"

Cao Xing said, "Didn't you say last time that you needed a pair of gauntlets when fighting? This is prepared for you."

A trace of astonishment appeared on Victoria's face, and she froze in place.

Seeing her expression, Cao Xing thought she didn't like it and asked, "What's wrong? Having been a queen before, you've received too many gifts and look down on this pair of gauntlets?"

Hearing this, the beauty before him shook her head hurriedly.

"No… it's not like that…"

"This is the most precious gift I have received in recent years. I… I like it very much."

"Thank you…"

[Due to your generous gift, Victoria's loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 95…]

…

A smile also appeared on Cao Xing's face. The loyalty of this fallen queen was almost maxed out.

As if treating them as a treasured possession, Victoria held the pair of gauntlets in her arms, a gentle smile blooming on her face.

This was the first time Cao Xing saw her looking this happy.

The smile on this queen's face was so charming that it made one unable to help getting intoxicated by it.

Facing Cao Xing's direct gaze, Victoria's expression seemed somewhat unnatural.

Her legs pressed even closer together.

"What is it, my lord?" Victoria couldn't help asking softly.

Cao Xing shook his head, "Nothing."

"I just feel that a certain set of clothes should suit you very well."

…

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