Chapter 040: The Hunt
Redleaf Town was a small town on the outskirts of the empire, with a population of over eight thousand, so it wasn’t very small.
The land here was fertile and the environment was elegant. Most of the townspeople were farmers, growing wheat, corn, and fruits, while also raising livestock such as pigs, chickens, cattle, and sheep. They were self-sufficient, and any surplus could be sold to the neighboring towns through the merchants in the town, making them much wealthier than the average village.
The scenery here was nice. Because of the large number of red maple trees planted, the ground would be covered in red maple leaves every autumn, which was the current season. That’s why the town was named so, and Chen Ran felt lucky to have encountered Redleaf Town in its most beautiful season.
The town wasn’t too big. It would only take about an hour to circle it on horseback, and it wouldn’t take half a day to visit every corner. Chen Ran just casually strolled around for a bit, and the map of Redleaf Town was already fully recorded in his map positioning system, covering the entire area of the town. This meant that he could now safely find a place to monitor the town’s every move. If the black knight were to come, he would be alerted immediately.
He briefly observed the local customs of the town. They were indeed as simple and honest as he had imagined. During the harvest season, the men were busy in the fields outside the town, and the farm girls were feeding poultry and milking cows in their own yards. It was a busy scene.
He observed the women here along the way. There didn’t seem to be anyone particularly stunning. Most of them fit the big-butt, big-breasted type. It was truly not easy for a small farming town like this to produce a gentle, elegant, and well-read girl like Elena.
As he turned his head, Chen Ran inadvertently saw a woman in ragged black robes on the road, who seemed a bit crazy. Because her hair was disheveled, he couldn’t see her face clearly, but he felt she was at least in her forties. The woman kept pulling her hair and muttering to herself incoherently.
Chen Ran pointed curiously at the somewhat strange woman in black robes and asked the captain beside him, “Who is she?”
“Oh, her? A madwoman. It’s best not to bother her,” the captain replied. “She’s a witch. She went out and learned a little bit of witchcraft, seems to know some prophecy-type spells with crystal balls and the like. She’s been in this town for a while. She has some kind of obsession with getting married and has been trying to marry herself off, but because this woman is incredibly ugly, anyone who has seen her face is scared away. Even if she offers herself for free, no man would want her. Although it’s said that men and women are the same at night with the lights off, no one would be interested in a woman who looks like a skeleton. Because when she was learning witchcraft, she seemed to have many creepy hobbies. Even though she has since changed all her habits and no longer practices witchcraft, no one dares to have her now, so she has become more and more crazy, and this is what she’s like now.”
“Is that so?” Chen Ran said with an interested look, taking a few more glances at the so-called witch.
At this, the captain couldn’t help but kindly remind him, “Your Excellency High Priest, you must not get close to her. She’ll cling to any man for dear life, and you’ll have a hard time getting away from her. So now, even the most useless men in the village will stay far away from her when they see her, as if they’re afraid of having their essence drained.”
“Is that so? That’s interesting,” Chen Ran said, looking at the witch a few more times with interest, but that was all. He didn’t linger and continued to patrol other parts of the town with the captain.
In the evening, Chen Ran returned to the mayor’s house to rest.
As for the situation here, he already had a general understanding.
To deal with the upcoming black knight, Chen Ran had ordered people to prepare some items that could restrain a Tier 7 black knight. Without fully knowing the black knight’s purpose, he didn’t have a better plan. Even with full preparations, against a killer star who could appear at any time, this was all he could do.
A day passed just like that. After returning to his room, Chen Ran wasn’t too nervous about this matter. At least the black knight probably wouldn’t come looking for him personally. An otaku’s intuition was very sensitive. Besides, as long as he was fine, that was the most important thing. Next, he just needed to wait and see, and then make a decision after that guy appeared.
It had to be said that in the days since Lia had left Chen Ran, being able to see Elena every day under the same roof was a nice enjoyment.
This girl always made one feel that she was special. She seemed to have an inexplicable charm that was always attracting you. When she was looking at you, there was always an inexplicable sense of pride, making one want to get close to her. Presumably, if such a woman took the initiative, few men in the world would be able to refuse her temptation. She also added a bit of color to Chen Ran’s subsequent life.
In the one or two days before the black knight was expected to appear, the town became tense again, especially at night, which was the main time for the murders to occur. The guards patrolled every corner of the town in teams of several, guarding against any possible tragedy.
Chen Ran found a suitable place in the center of the town to observe. With his map navigation, he could clearly observe all the movements here. He even set an alarm, which would give a loud prompt once the target appeared.
The night was frighteningly quiet. The nights in Redleaf Town were not for anyone’s leisure.
The streets were empty, with only the backdrop of the moonlight for company. Occasionally, a few maple leaves would be blown by the wind, making the place seem exceptionally desolate.
Since the black knight incident, the nights in Redleaf Town had not been lively for a long time. The so-called nightlife was canceled. Even the most rascally hoodlums did not dare to wander the small paths at night. Even thieves did not dare to come out, because they were more likely to be targeted by the black knight.
The moon hung high in the sky. Seeing that there was no movement from the black knight, and perhaps he wouldn’t act tonight, Chen Ran couldn’t help but doze off, leaving only a few accompanying night guards to keep watch with him.
Time passed minute by minute. In another hour or so, it would soon be dawn.
Suddenly, Chen Ran’s automatic alarm went off. He woke up with a start. When he looked at his map positioning, he saw a huge red dot approaching Redleaf Town at an astonishing speed. Chen Ran shuddered, and all his sleepiness vanished. He shouted to wake up the somewhat drowsy guards.
“Sound the alarm! The black knight is on the move!”
Chen Ran was the first to climb onto his horse and quickly cast all the useful support buffs on the few team members. The guards were instantly wide awake. They quickly blew their whistles to notify all the units to be on alert, then quickly mounted their horses and followed Chen Ran.
The night instantly boiled over.
