When it came to combat, Li Huai was undoubtedly the one with the most authority in the group.
So as soon as he spoke, everyone launched into a heated discussion.
During this time, Lan Qingyou mostly watched, absorbing the useful information and speculations from their words.
She also ate the food Gu Xiaobei had sent to fill her stomach.
Of course, the pound of beef she promised Steel Wool was delivered as well.
Steel Wool ate until its belly was round and full.
The Moon: "@The Tower, have you decided where you're going? You can't just wander aimlessly through the Abandoned Land."
The Tower: "Gu Xiaobei invited me to her restaurant earlier, so I'm planning to stop by the ruins on the way."
The Moon: "The Abandoned Ruins?"
The Tower: "Yeah, why?"
The Moon: "According to the info I've received, that slave owner Sherlock’s base is in the Abandoned Ruins. You could even say the entire ruins are his territory now. He failed to recruit you last time; if you go there now, aren't you just walking into a trap?"
The Tower: "Oh! This is the first I've heard of that. Care to elaborate?"
Upon hearing that her destination was actually the slave owner's territory, Lan Qingyou perked up instead.
Was a slave owner that scary?
To be honest, few people took such a person seriously.
More directly, anyone with even a bit of strength in the Abandoned Land looked down on people like him.
After all, someone who relied on a Contract talent and enslaving others to grow was the definition of 'strong on the outside but hollow on the inside.' Lan Qingyou merely treated him as a joke.
However, now that her own interests were involved, she naturally had to ask for details.
Shang Chuan quickly provided a summary of the intelligence he had gathered.
It turned out that Sherlock had originally been in the Abandoned Lake region. After the server merge, he felt that the Abandoned Lake was too difficult to operate in and lacked room for development, so he sent people out to scout.
Fortunately, the Abandoned Ruins were right above the Abandoned Lake. A city with some infrastructure—even if it was in ruins—was better than a lake filled with islands where one could only travel by boat.
So, he began his operations in the Abandoned Ruins.
Although people's warnings had made his contracts less effective than before, Sherlock was still a descendant of demons and possessed a certain amount of cunning and means.
Supposedly, he first had all his subordinates infiltrate the 'families' within the Abandoned Ruins.
Then, he had them use various disguised contracts and excuses to get people to sign. Gradually, many people in the Abandoned Ruins became his slaves.
As his power grew like a snowball, many people noticed the strange occurrences.
Several people who had inexplicably become slaves even managed to leak the news.
Then, a great battle took place in the Abandoned Ruins.
On one side was Sherlock's slave army, rumored to number around twenty thousand.
On the other side was a resistance army spontaneously organized by the 'original inhabitants' of the Abandoned Ruins, said to number over forty thousand.
The outcome was clear.
One side had a unified, forced command structure, while the other had a fragmented command system with conflicting orders. After three days of fighting, the resistance army was defeated.
According to Shang Chuan's informant, Sherlock's slave army suffered about ten thousand casualties, while the resistance army suffered thirty thousand. The survivors scattered and fled.
As a result, the area became Sherlock's base.
The Tower: "Well... that's certainly a lot to take in."
Lan Qingyou scratched her head after reading Shang Chuan's brief explanation.
Ever since joining the Tarot Villa, she had basically stopped checking the world and regional channels.
After all, with Chu Yuan, a member of the Supreme Council, present, he would mention any major world events in the group.
As for the regional channel, Shang Chuan, Gu Xiaobei, and Li Huai were there to provide intelligence.
For instance, just now, when she needed information, Shang Chuan had provided it immediately.
So, she simply didn't waste time on those other channels.
The Moon: "It really is hard to judge. Sherlock's tactics weren't particularly brilliant. The key is that his forces aren't afraid of death—or rather, they can be forced to sacrifice themselves."
The Fool: "Your District 666 really is a land of 'outstanding talents.' From where I'm sitting, that Sherlock guy doesn't care at all whether his subordinates live or die."
High Priestess: "Please, in a slave owner's eyes, slaves are just objects. They don't have a right to live."
The Fool: "Haha, that's true."
As mentioned before, not many people cared about a slave owner.
So, when the members of the villa talked about this topic, it was mostly just mocking banter, like watching a play.
This was true even for Shang Chuan, Gu Xiaobei, and Li Huai, who were also in District 666.
This was partly due to their combat strength and partly because everyone in the villa had risen by learning the knowledge of this world step by step.
As for Lan Qingyou, she also looked down on him, even feeling a bit indifferent.
But since she had to go to the Abandoned Ruins, she had to suppress that indifference.
Only caution would allow her to live longer.
Well... she would continue as planned. Once she reached the ruins, she would wait and scout the situation at night.
In any case, she was just there to search for any possible 'legacies.'
Thinking this, Lan Qingyou packed up, stored her tent into a card, put the card into her little yellow duck crossbody bag, mounted her Magic Broom, and continued flying northwest with Steel Wool.
"Mm... I have to say, this outfit is really incredible at keeping me warm."
Flying in the air, Lan Qingyou shook the snow off her clothes.
Constant temperature was so convenient. Whether it was the tent, the set, or the custom pajamas she was wearing, she didn't feel the slightest bit of cold.
As expected, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were everyone's primary needs.
Two minutes after she flew away, a person stepped out from a bush.
A closer look revealed that although his hairstyle was different, this person was the same Skinny Monkey who had tried to sneak into the tent earlier.
"What! A witch?"
When Skinny Monkey returned to his team's shelter and told the leader everything he had seen, the leader's voice rose in surprise and doubt.
"Absolutely certain,"
Skinny Monkey nodded seriously.
"She had that kind of large, pointed hat you often see, was wearing academic robes, and was flying in the sky on a broom. It's definitely the Witch of the Tower mentioned by the world consciousness."
"If that's the case, then it really might be the Witch of the Tower. But I didn't expect this witch to commit to the role so thoroughly. Does she really think having the title of Witch makes her one? Wearing an outfit like that... does she think this is some cosplay event at an International Convention and Exhibition Center?"
The leader frowned and complained.
"Then Captain, what should we do? Should we report this to the master? Based on the direction she's flying, she's likely heading straight for our base."
Rate on N.U.
