Green Monster Epic

Chapter 320: Finally Safe

As the towering shadow of Mansa City, like a colossal beast rising from the earth, gradually approached on the distant horizon, Allen's mood began to lighten.

As long as they could reach Mansa City in peace, Allen and Richard's safety would be somewhat guaranteed. And as long as Allen could bring Richard into the Temple District of the South City, those lurking shadows would find it even harder to strike.

Of course, Allen's improved mood didn't mean he was letting his guard down. On the contrary, he remained tense, constantly vigilant of his surroundings. In fact, because they were about to reach Mansa City, he had even managed to wake Richard, who had been slowing his body's consumption like a hibernating animal to fight the strange poison within him, so that he could use his magical abilities to help scout the area.

He couldn't let Richard cross half the wilderness with him, only to be killed at the last step when they were about to enter a safe zone. That would truly be a worthless outcome.

Richard roused himself, and with sluggish movements, cast layers of protective spells on Allen and himself, to guard against any possible attacks.

"Hey, you two warriors, our supervisor said that since we've arrived at the gates of Mansa City and you're about to pay taxes to enter, you should be safe now."

A beastman youth with two small tiger teeth, wearing a bright smile, kindly and politely reminded Allen and Richard.

"Well, thank you for your trouble. My companion and I haven't had a chance to properly thank your supervisor yet!"

Richard, dragging his heavily injured body, greeted the beastman youth with difficulty.

"Our supervisor said it was just lending a hand, nothing to thank. He hopes you recover soon."

Although Richard's mage robe was tattered, it still vaguely identified his status. The beastman youth looked at him with stars in his eyes, filled with envy and longing, adding a touch of enthusiasm to his words.

"Then we'll take our leave!"

Richard sensed the unspoken meaning in the beastman youth's words. It seemed the supervisor had no intention of meeting Allen and him. He didn't insist, but simply smiled and handed over the ten gems Allen had promised earlier.

"This is our token of gratitude, please accept it."

"..."

After some polite refusal, the beastman youth happily accepted the small pouch. Richard, feeling relieved, was helped by Allen to the city tax supervisor. After each handing over a silver coin, they prepared to enter the city.

"Looking for death!!!"

Just as the two lowered their guard after stepping through the city gate, two masked rogue-class professionals suddenly emerged from stealth, four daggers glowing with a dark light simultaneously stabbing towards the staggering Richard.

At the same time, Allen was distracted by two magic scrolls that suddenly burst open before him. Without thinking, Allen retracted his left hand from Richard's shoulder, turned, and tossed Richard towards the Behemoth merchant caravan not far away, right into the middle of a passenger carriage that seemed heavily guarded.

"Please protect my companion, thank you!"

Allen was now caught in the crossfire of the magic scrolls and the two assassins. Because he had immediately thrown Richard out of the ambush range, he had become the target of the assassins' rage. Four weapons plunged into Allen's steel-like body.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The old, tattered Python Scale Armor was likely ruined this time. At least, it hadn't provided much protection for Allen during this assassination attempt. The protective spells had only blocked two daggers, leaving two more to pierce straight into Allen's body.

But before the daggers could fully penetrate, Allen's body suddenly swelled in size. With the Berserk skill activated, the Bone Cleaver transformed into a circular arc, sweeping fiercely across the narrow city gate, startling a group of pedestrians to scatter and flee.

"A bunch of desperate fools, seeking death!!!"

The city guards stationed at the city gate quickly drew their weapons and charged towards Allen and the others. The gnoll captain at the head roared fiercely.

The two assassins exchanged a glance, then one used Shadow Step to instantly flash out of the city, reappearing dozens of meters outside the walls. After another Shadow Step, their figures were more than a hundred meters away from the city gate, leaving Allen and the others with only a faint silhouette as they disappeared.

The assassins came suddenly and retreated decisively. Before Allen could fully react, and before the city guards maintaining order at the gate had even started to move, they had already lost track of the assassins.

Allen leaned on the Bone Cleaver, pulled a vial of antidote from his dimensional bag with one hand and drank it, while vigilantly watching for any movement around him.

"Are you alright?"

The city guard captain walked up to Allen, asking with an icy expression.

"If you're alright, then get the hell out of here and stop blocking the city gate!"

The city guards' mission was to protect the city's order. Now, someone had dared to carry out an assassination right under their noses, wasn't that a slap in the face?

The real culprits had already escaped, and having Allen, the victim, standing in front of everyone made them feel awkward.

"... Okay, I'll leave now."

Allen was in a foul mood, and the injuries he sustained only worsened his complexion. The poison from the wounds was starting to take effect, intensifying the pain. Thinking about Richard, who he had thrown away, and his unknown fate, he didn't linger any longer, but quickly strode forward to pursue him.

When Allen threw his teammate towards the ornate, veiled carriage of the Behemoth merchant caravan, he almost sent Richard to his death.

The beastman warriors guarding the carriage had already raised their weapons, preparing to hack Richard to pieces in mid-air, when the master inside fortunately stopped them in time. Otherwise, Richard would have been chopped into several pieces and died a confused and unlucky death.

Allen had only thought about the previous favor they had received, assuming that they would help out of goodwill. He hadn't considered that the place he threw Richard would be the carriage of an important figure in the caravan.

"We've troubled you again, I'm truly sorry."

Allen hurried over, just in time to face Luca's expressionless face, and quickly bowed slightly, saying gratefully.

"Hmph! If I had known, I wouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you join the caravan!"

Luca didn't care whether Allen and Richard were innocent or not, nor did he care about their safety. He was only angry that Allen had shifted the blame, throwing the assassinated companion to his caravan.

Regardless of the assassins' skills, there was an extremely important VIP in the carriage. Luca had been extremely cautious along the way, wanting to avoid any accidents that might harm the VIP in the caravan.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

What else could Allen say? He hadn't thought much at the time, he just saw that the carriage was heavily guarded, so he conveniently threw Richard over there. Presumably, if the assassins had any other tricks up their sleeves, the guards around the carriage could handle them.

"It's my fault, I apologize to everyone!"

“It's my fault for dragging everyone down, I'm sorry.”

Richard and Allen hurriedly spoke, cautiously offering apologetic smiles to Luca and the others.

“Alright, Luca, the matter is over, let's not delay here.”

A slender hand extended from the carriage draped in light gauze, gently beckoning Luca, its tender, watery tone passing through everyone's ears, causing them to conjure up images, as if a blurry yet captivating beautiful female face was right before their eyes.

“Understood, Miss.”

Hearing his master's call, Luca couldn't continue arguing with Allen and the others. He simply waved for the young beastman supporting Richard to return him to Allen's side, then glared fiercely at Allen and his companion, before leading the trade caravan onward.

“Thank you for your assistance, Miss. We will definitely repay you in the future.”

Rarely, Allen detected a hint of reluctance on Richard's face as he loudly and politely called out to the departing carriage.

However, there was no response from within. Instead, Richard himself seemed to wilt further after shouting those words, the pain from his body reflecting on his face, making his otherwise handsome features appear extremely gaunt.

“Let's go!!”

Seeing the change in Richard's face, and the stinging pain from his own wounds, Allen knew they couldn't delay any longer. He immediately wrapped an arm around Richard's waist and sprinted towards the Oak Temple.

“Hello, fellow devotee, is there anything I can help you with?”

“My companion and I are poisoned…”

Richard ultimately managed to keep his life, thanks to his substantial resources. He spent a considerable sum to enlist the help of a high-ranking priest from the Oak Temple, who cast high-level detoxification and restoration spells, finally purging the foreign poison from his body.

However, the delay of more than ten days and the damage caused by the foreign poison to Richard's body were extraordinary. He could forget about running around anytime soon; he could only stay in the temple's monastery to recuperate.

The assassins might not have given up their assassination attempt, so staying at the temple for safety would be more reassuring.

Allen's injuries were much lighter than Richard's. Besides a large gap in his front teeth, which made him look somewhat comical, the only remaining issue was the foreign poison in his body, which required the priests' assistance. The rest of his injuries gradually recovered due to Allen's strong resilience and the effects of the potion scrolls he had used previously.

After half a month, Allen regained his vitality, while Richard was still lying half-dead in bed, recuperating. However, because of this experience, their relationship became closer and more harmonious.

Richard was grateful to Allen for traveling thousands of miles to bring his dying self back to Mansa City, without abandoning him. Allen, on the other hand, felt somewhat guilty, thinking that if it weren't for his mistake, Richard might not have ended up in his current state.

Neither of them were narrow-minded, unwilling to shift their own problems onto others, and therefore thought so clearly, which laid the foundation for the beginning of their true friendship.

While recuperating at the Oak Temple, Allen became bored and familiarly made his way to the temple's back hall training grounds, preparing to resume his training, which he had neglected for some time.

Unexpectedly, the first thing Allen saw upon entering the training grounds was a familiar face: the legendary druid Master Oscar, always wearing a dark green robe and a kind, warm smile on his face.

“When did you come to Mansa City? Why didn't you come to find me?”

Oscar had just completed a mission to hunt down a legendary demon in the wilderness and returned to Mansa City to rest for a while. Today, he originally intended to teach the students in the temple's affiliated druid school, but unexpectedly encountered Allen, the hobgoblin he valued so much.

Oscar still had high expectations for Allen. The hobgoblin, who was less than 35 years old, had already reached the ranks of a level 15 high-tier peak. In particular, Allen possessed a physique that only legends had, which meant that his difficulty in advancing to legend would be much lower than others.

In addition, Allen also had a good talent for managing the tribe. Watching him develop a remote small tribe step by step to its current state, it was certain that this goblin tribe would have a place in Mansa City in the future.

As long as Allen could break through to legend, he would have more time to manage the tribe. Perhaps the 114th official member of Mansa City in the future would be the Greenwood Tribe.

In the northwest frontier of the wilderness, restricted by the natural environment of the Tagan Desert, the power monitoring the movements of the elves was still too weak. Although the Temple of Nature had been increasing its efforts to cultivate indigenous forces for protection, it was ultimately not as strong as the human cavalry grassland.

The rise of Allen's Greenwood Tribe allowed Oscar to see the prototype of another powerful tribe. Although the Temple was only in a state of observation for the time being, important figures of the Oak Temple such as Oscar and Clay were intentionally or unintentionally supporting and helping Allen, based on this consideration.

“I've been here for almost 5 months. I came to the temple before to inquire about Master's whereabouts. The temple priests said that you went out to perform a mission, so I haven't had time to visit you, Master.”

Allen was also somewhat delighted. He had just had the idea to exercise his body, but unexpectedly encountered Master Oscar.

“Yes, I haven't been back to Mansa City for long either, look at the question I asked.”

Oscar laughed and patted his head self-deprecatingly. However, seeing Allen's awkward appearance with a missing front tooth and the faint injuries on his body, Oscar couldn't help but ask curiously: “What kind of mission did you take on that made you so embarrassed?”

“... Actually, it's nothing. I just accompanied a companion to investigate some matters, and then we were targeted on the road...”

In front of Oscar, Allen generally wouldn't hide anything from the other party except for truly important secrets. He immediately told Oscar about their pursuit of Alva and his group, as well as Richard's suspicions about the other party's purpose, one by one.

“…”

Oscar also fell into deep thought. An assassination operation by a team of evil god believers with a maximum of high-tier peak combat strength would generally not reach the ears of legendary figures like Oscar. They paid more attention to other strong people of the same rank or extremely important events in the wilderness.

Hearing Allen's statement at this time, Oscar also keenly felt that there might be a deeper purpose hidden behind this matter. However, there would be no gain from just thinking randomly at this moment. After taking this trace of doubt into his heart, Oscar looked up at Allen again.

“Besides planning to train, do you have other ideas this time?”

“Of course I do. Now that the wilderness is chaotic, I also think that what Master said before is very correct, so I want to see if I can take this opportunity to build a relationship with some large tribes and make some plans for the future?”

Allen scratched his head, not afraid that Oscar would look down on him, with a troubled expression on his face.

“But after staying in the city for a few days, although there are many tasks issued by large tribes, none of them are the tasks I expect.”

Ultimately, Alan's departure to Green Field Plains stemmed from his conversation with Oscar, which stirred something within him. Reconnecting with Master Oscar in Mansha City now holds significant meaning for Alan, as a crucial goal remains unfulfilled.

Besides traveling and honing his skills, Alan's journey to Mansha City includes a more important mission: to secure a place for the Green Field Tribe on Mansha City's roster.

The Mansha Wilderness is vast, and its territory of tens of millions of square miles isn't fully governed by just 113 large tribal members. A large tribe's influence extends only a few hundred miles, and expanding beyond that isn't as simple as seizing land and driving away neighboring tribes.

The remaining land is inhabited by numerous indigenous groups like the Green Field Tribe, scattered across the wilderness, constantly fighting and assimilating each other, evolving from small to large, weak to strong.

Once they reach a certain size, these indigenous tribes can no longer recklessly follow their old ways. After all, any attacks on nearby tribes would likely involve those of similar size, as smaller tribes are no longer worth their attention.

Frankly, these tribal battles and conflicts are driven by the desire for population, territorial resources, or more fertile land. There's little else that can entice tribal leaders.

However, the ground messengers of the Temple of Nature view the slaughter of thousands or tens of thousands of natives as a wasteful extravagance. Each intelligent native is a cornerstone beneath the gods' feet, a source of their power. How can they be allowed to die meaninglessly without contributing any faith?

From the perspective of the loose alliance members in Mansha City, such infighting also goes against their interests: since their own tribes can't occupy so much land, they can allow weaker tribes to develop and become their vassals, providing assistance.

Of course, there are other benefits such as tributes of resources, money, and talent, which powerful tribes use to extract value. Even many dirty, underhanded tasks can be passed on to these tribes, using them as pawns to be discarded at will if discovered. The advantages are numerous.

Naturally, smaller and medium-sized tribes that pay the price also receive rewards. Unless a tribe genuinely intends to cultivate and then absorb another from the start, large tribes and the Temple of Nature will generally treat these tribes that haven't yet met the requirements as potential candidates, inducting them into Mansha City's ranks as unofficial members outside the 113 official tribes, granting them the rights and obligations of the Mansha system.

As long as intelligent races reach a certain balance, they will inevitably have their own operating rules. For tens of thousands of years, the Mansha Wilderness has continued its own culture and style in this way.

Alan's desire to leave the Green Field Tribe's name in Mansha City is to obtain unofficial member status.

Don't underestimate this. Once they gain unofficial member status in the city, the Green Field Tribe will have a layer of protection. At the very least, powerful entities like the Agina Goblin Tribe and the Snowmi Troll Tribe won't be able to openly use various means to deal with the Green Field Tribe.

However, becoming a registered unofficial member of Mansha City isn't easy. Alan needs at least one official member's invitation and recommendation, and then complete a trial mission given by Mansha City to the tribe, before he can register his tribe's name with the administrative department and have a written notice sent to the leaders and representatives of the 113 member tribes.

The Temple of Nature holds a lofty position in the wilderness, and it's no exaggeration to say they dominate. However, this doesn't mean they don't have other opponents or entities they need to win over. Gods like the Kobold God, the Gnoll King, and even alien deities like Erythnul, the God of Hate, all consider the wilderness their home.

To avoid antagonizing these deities and to attract more allies, the Nature Gods established Mansha City as a political mechanism, giving these deities' followers and tribes the opportunity to participate in important wilderness affairs, while slowly winning them over.

Therefore, while the Oak Temple could help Alan join the Mansha City roster, they aren't qualified to recommend unofficial members in terms of the system, especially since Alan's tribe isn't powerful or outstanding enough for the Oak Temple to fully support.

"You should have taken this step long ago, instead of staying cooped up in that Green Field Plains."

Oscar is optimistic about Alan's future and his ability to manage the tribe. Otherwise, he wouldn't have maintained contact with Alan and his people all these years.

Of course, Oscar himself only recently advanced to the legendary rank, but his position in the Oak Temple hasn't improved as much as his strength. This is partly due to Oscar's lack of foundation in the wilderness. The other legendary figures in the temple all have their own supporters in the wilderness, giving them more influence in the temple, and their power naturally matches.

Don't think that figures like the chief priests, priests, and bishops of the temple have no desires or pursuits. Those who can advance to the legendary rank naturally have their own ideas and beliefs, and they all hope to implement their ideas. At this time, having more power means having a larger stage to perform. For example, Oscar, a legendary powerhouse, hopes that the temple can invest more manpower and resources in the Tagan Desert to control the desert's unstoppable expansion.

No matter how rich the Oak Temple's foundation is, it can't recklessly support the various ideas of its legendary powerhouses. After all, the temple has at least 30-40 legendary figures, distributed between two continents and the Mansha Wilderness, but their demands ultimately have many that cannot be realized for the time being.

Therefore, Oscar's support for Alan and his tribe is also in the hope that Alan can repay Oscar in the future, helping him seize greater power in the temple.

"I have a good relationship with the elders of several tribes, and I can help you connect with them and introduce you."

"However, you need to understand that these tribes won't help you for nothing. You must make some kind of payment in order to get a return, this is an equal exchange."

"So, you have to think carefully about which tribe to choose as your introduction target."