Chapter 61
The swift flow of arrows, the gliding steps of shooting, the shield-breaking strikes... One by one, the melee skills of the mercenaries were unleashed. These mercenaries were not the weak monsters lurking outside the city; even if they had weaknesses, they were well-hidden, unlike the less intelligent creatures that wore their vulnerabilities on their sleeves.
The battle erupted fiercely. Despite the players' exceptional physical skills and their training as agents from various interstellar civilizations, their room for maneuvering was severely limited in the face of overwhelming power.
This was different from a BOSS fight; they were up against equally trained mercenaries, and these were the ones who had undergone job changes.
‘-475’, ‘-512’, ‘-426’...
Wherever the mercenaries' skills struck, red critical damage numbers flashed. With the added effect of the 【Physical Penetration】 attribute from their job changes, the players' armor was rendered nearly useless. A single hit from a skill could nearly wipe out the health bar of these players, who were at levels 13 to 15.
Before they vanished in a flash of white light, the players were left bewildered, wondering why the mercenaries dealt such high damage. What happened to the promised drunken debuff? Why was their combat power seemingly unaffected?
The battle, unexpected and swift, lasted less than three minutes. Even Ye Bai, who was watching from the sidelines, didn’t have time to intervene before it was all over.
“Hahaha, what a bunch of delusional little mice! Consider this a warm-up after a hearty meal,” one mercenary laughed.
“Boss, if we win, will there be more drinks?” another chimed in.
“Hehe, I was just thinking the same thing. That was just a tease; I’m not done yet...”
The mercenaries chuckled as they sheathed their weapons. This time, even the standard crossbows that Ye Bai had temporarily lent them went unused.
“Of course, there’s more,” Ye Bai said generously, pulling out five barrels of refined ale from her backpack.
【Refined Ale】
Level: Excellent
Effect - Blood Vitality: Increases critical hit chance by 50%, boosts critical hit damage by 70%, lasts for 30 minutes.
Alcohol Content: 20
Description: Exclusively brewed and refined at the Toli Fermentary, guaranteed to have less than 30% water added to each barrel!
Why were these mercenaries unaffected by drunkenness? Why was their damage so high during the fight?
The answer lay in the players' lack of understanding of the NPCs in this world. Even players had a hidden attribute called ‘Alcohol Resistance.’
The drunken buff only appeared in characters who had never encountered alcohol before, like the players who had just ‘descended’ into this world. With an alcohol resistance of 0, their resistance would gradually increase with each drink. As long as their alcohol resistance exceeded the alcohol content, they wouldn’t fall into a drunken state.
For these mercenaries, who had been drinking like water for years, their alcohol resistance was at least 50. A single bowl of ale wouldn’t faze them; they would need to consume a significant amount to incur any negative buffs. However, the benefits gained from drinking were very real.
The refined ale was far more effective than the ordinary ale the players encountered in the outer city.
In fact, it wasn’t just these mercenaries; NPCs throughout the multiverse loved their drinks.
As the next phase of territory construction in Bai Ye Village approached, the villagers' need for entertainment began to emerge. Compared to other buildings like the 【Theater Square】 that required higher levels to unlock, the most cost-effective way for a lord to satisfy the villagers' entertainment needs was to build a tavern first...
The ale produced by the brewery not only provided entertainment value for the tavern but also served as a practical intermediate product that could be made into 【Medicinal Wine】 and 【Medical Alcohol】, thus improving the territory's health value.
—Though it was hard to say whether this improvement was a byproduct or simply because the villagers' veins were starting to flow with alcohol.
While the mercenaries enjoyed their drinks, Ye Bai wandered around, collecting a pile of loot.
She had been observing intentionally and soon discovered that perhaps due to some system limitation, the mercenaries ignored the players' dropped items, whether because they were invisible or due to some sort of mental block.
Although the items dropped by the players seemed rather insignificant to Ye Bai, even the smallest mosquito is still meat; something was better than nothing.
...
After a lively night, the team set off again the next day, continuing on a straight path to Bai Ye Village.
Thanks to the territory's directional sensing, this journey saved Ye Bai a lot of effort compared to opening up trade routes through the wilderness on her own.
If they had started from the territory, they would have had to explore step by step to find the locations of other towns. The entire process would be time-consuming and could lead them astray. Even if they eventually succeeded in opening a route, taking too many detours would inadvertently increase transportation costs.
Along the way, they encountered some monster tracks, but since they were only two days away from Mei Luo City, they faced only low-level creatures like wolf packs and brown bears, which the escort team easily dealt with.
As they ventured deeper into the wilderness, the terrain gradually became rugged, with rolling hills appearing.
On the third day, a towering mountain blocked their path.
“Looks like we’ve run into this situation after all...”
Ye Bai had sensed this might happen when they first encountered the gentle hills. Now, gazing at the sudden rise of the mountain, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. The height made it difficult for even the horned horse transport team to pass, let alone ordinary carts. To develop trade routes, they needed to ensure compatibility for more merchant teams to reach the territory.
Unfortunately, their technological level was insufficient. If they could unlock the 【Tunnel】 technology later on, they could have cut straight through the mountain.
But given the current situation, it seemed they had no choice but to take a detour.
Ye Bai could feel they were getting close to Bai Ye Village. However, taking a detour would undoubtedly extend their journey.
Before long, a temporary ‘sentinel’ archer riding a horned horse returned from scouting ahead. She reported to Ye Bai, “I found two paths up ahead. One is a gentle slope that goes around the mountain, but the distance is uncertain and likely quite long. The other is a canyon that might allow us to pass through the mountain, but…”
“What is it? Are there powerful creatures?” Ye Bai guessed from the archer’s expression.
The archer nodded seriously, “There are signs of a group of patterned crocodiles in the wetland lake below the canyon.”
“Patterned crocodiles…”
The other mercenaries stiffened at the mention.
Patterned crocodiles were level 20 to 22 monsters, with adult ones typically exceeding 3 meters in length, covered in tough scales. They were known for their thick hides and high damage from their sharp teeth. Their only weakness was their slow movement, but in a group, their numbers could easily compensate for that disadvantage.
In short, they were quite troublesome.
“Everyone, equip your standard crossbows. The transport team will stay back while we assess the situation,” Ye Bai said after a moment of consideration.
Upon hearing this, the mercenaries all nodded in agreement, with no objections.
After all, Ye Bai was the employer. Having received their payment, the escort team’s primary duty was to handle any dangers during the journey. If they encountered risks and suggested changing routes, they might as well not be mercenaries at all.
Moreover, Ye Bai had generously shared good wine with everyone, which had endeared her to the mercenaries. As the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a gift horse in the mouth; everyone was keen to show respect to this generous employer.
Lastly, over the past three days, whenever they faced combat, Ye Bai had taken charge of the battle, naturally establishing her authority. The group had grown accustomed to following her lead.
Following the archer’s guidance, they made their way toward the canyon.
The important horned horse transport team trailed far behind, leaving a sentinel to prevent any surprises. After all, if they got too close to the patterned crocodiles, the horned horse herd might panic and scatter.
Ye Bai had initially thought Di Lin Na would stay back, but to her surprise, Di Lin Na actively offered to come along to take a look. Ye Bai had no choice but to agree; she didn’t want to lose the goodwill she had built with her, and even if she refused, Di Lin Na would come regardless.
“It’s just up ahead.”
Not long after the leading archer spoke, a canyon appeared before them.
A beam of light shone down from above the canyon, illuminating the wetland below.
In the center of the wetland, a pond was covered in water plants, appearing a deep green and obscuring its depth. On either side were shallow banks where one could step, and judging by the width of these banks, they could easily form a path for carts and horses.
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