Chapter One Hundred and Two: Plundering the Devil’s Tribute

Within that Purple Demon Eye, there seemed to lurk the vile power of the Dadala Demon. The eye patch, however, also appeared to have the ability to seal that power away, which struck Han Shuo as deeply strange. He kept sweeping his gaze over the little skeleton’s comically placed eye patch, trying to uncover some clue.

But he soon realized he was wasting his effort. Once the Purple Demon Eye was covered by the patch, Han Shuo could no longer sense the slightest abnormality. Aside from the jewels and precious jade scattered throughout the room, there was nothing else worth attention. When he felt no trace of danger, he rose and went to the door, calling in the old priest of the forest trolls.

As soon as the old priest entered, his eyes fixed at once on the Dadala statue that had lost its Purple Demon Eye, and he asked in astonishment, “W-what is this? Why has the Purple Demon Eye left behind by Great Dadala vanished?”

Gesturing toward the little skeleton, Han Shuo smiled and explained, “That eye has already been taken back by Great Dadala, who has descended into the mortal world. Did you not see the eye patch over his left eye?”

At Han Shuo’s reminder, the old priest finally reacted. He looked at the little skeleton in wonder, then immediately dropped to his knees and cried out, “Congratulations, Great Dadala! The Purple Demon Eye has long been guarded by our tribe according to your wishes. Now that it has returned to your grasp, our tribe has finally not failed in its duty.”

“Besides the Purple Demon Eye, is there anything else you need to offer in reverence to Great Dadala?” Han Shuo thought for a moment, then stared at the old priest and asked.

The old priest froze. After frowning in deep thought for a while, he shook his head and said, “The Purple Demon Eye was guarded by our tribe on the great god’s behalf. Aside from that, all the treasures in this room were also dedicated to Great Dadala.”

“Very good. Very good.” Han Shuo nodded and said to the old priest, “Then you may step outside first. Once Great Dadala comes out in a moment, he will guide you all.”

After the respectful old priest backed out of the large house, Han Shuo wasted no time in plundering everything inside. Gold, jewels, and fine jade scattered across the floor vanished one after another into his spatial ring. By his rough estimate, the wealth here was worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins. It had all been taken from others by these forest trolls and then offered up to the Dadala Demon.

There were a few heavier items he did not touch for the moment, and he also did not immediately pry down the gems set into the wooden house. He first gathered the gold, jewels, and jade scattered on the ground, and after a quick estimate, he decided it was enough and stopped.

Aside from a few large antique-like objects and the gems embedded in the house, many of the valuable jewels, gold, and jade inside had all fallen into Han Shuo’s spatial ring.

However, the capacity of his spatial ring was limited, and since it already held other things as well, he only took about one-third of the items in the room. Even so, that third alone was likely worth several tens of thousands of gold coins. It seemed the forest trolls’ years of plunder had indeed yielded rich rewards.

Now that the little skeleton had become the forest trolls’ Great Dadala, Han Shuo began thinking again. Using the little skeleton’s identity, he could make these forest trolls do certain things. He was not worried about the things in this house disappearing; leaving them here should still be safe enough, and sooner or later he would return to make a wooden corpse warrior. Han Shuo was not in a hurry.

The forest trolls were a reviled and despised race in the Dark Forest. Yet now that the little skeleton existed, Han Shuo could borrow its authority to command them. The only thing that gave him some pause was this: what exactly could he make them do?

As he pondered this, Han Shuo suddenly felt a headache coming on. These forest trolls were by nature greedy and fond of plundering others; that much could never be changed. It left him unsure how to direct them. If they had not mistaken the little skeleton for the demon they served, Han Shuo would not have minded killing them all and taking everything they had.

But now that the little skeleton existed, he could command them, and killing them would seem far too wasteful. After some troubled thought, Han Shuo concluded that their nature of plunder could not be altered. The only thing he could change was their targets. If he turned their prey into similarly notorious goblins, ogres, or merchant caravans from enemy nations, then evil deeds could be turned to good use.

Having made up his mind, Han Shuo left the house with the little skeleton. Through the surveillance of the three elemental demons, he had already thoroughly mapped out the place guarded by the forest trolls. After descending from the house, Han Shuo gave his orders: “Great Dadala has just descended here and is not yet familiar with the situation in this world. He must first become acquainted with the entire Dark Forest before he can guide your future. During this time, you are not to continue plundering those dwarves. Great Dadala needs them to live well.”

The old priest of the forest trolls had many questions in his heart, but he did not dare to challenge Han Shuo’s words. He merely bowed his head and asked respectfully, “Do you need us to send warriors to help Great Dadala become familiar with the surroundings here?”

“No need. In a few days, Great Dadala and I will come to your tribe. You only need to remain there and wait.” After saying this, Han Shuo did not even take the forest trolls’ rafts. After giving a few more instructions, he left with the little skeleton.

After leaving that area, Han Shuo did not return immediately to the Cemetery of Death. Instead, he took the little skeleton with him to become familiar with the terrain.

Since he intended to gather the five elements of corpses, he certainly would not pass up such a naturally advantageous place for wood. Apart from the area near that wooden house being guarded by forest trolls, the surroundings held nothing else besides vegetation and trees of astonishing abundance.

After releasing the three elemental demons to survey the entire region, Han Shuo finally steadied himself and prepared to head back to the outer Cemetery of Death.

Along the way, Han Shuo had carefully examined the route with the elemental demons, and the path back had already been etched into his mind. Rather than entering the river directly to return, he followed the riverbank at an unhurried pace. Halfway there, he felt a little hungry. Looking at the few lively strange fish in the clear water, an idea flashed through his mind. The Slaughter Demon Edge whistled out, and with a thought from Han Shuo, it plunged into the river, piercing two large fish before flying back into his hand.

At Han Shuo’s command, the little skeleton took a bone knife and left. After a while, it returned carrying a pile of wood and quickly set up a frame. Under the light of Han Shuo’s flint, the two fish were already roasting. He casually took seasoning from his spatial ring and sprinkled it over the fish, letting an enticing fragrance slowly spread through the air.

A black shadow suddenly streaked through the sky from afar. The wind it brought made Han Shuo’s robes snap and flutter, and a foul, nauseating stench rushed at him, making him feel sick. He looked up in fury, but the black shadow rose from low to high and climbed back into the sky, becoming a tiny black dot.

“Damn stinking bird. Disgusting,” Han Shuo cursed as he turned the nearly cooked fish over.

Just then, the black shadow came swooping down again with a shrill whoosh. When it came close above Han Shuo’s head, it suddenly shot upward once more. But this time, because Han Shuo had already been wary, he finally saw its true form: it was a harpy with the body of an eagle and the ugly face of an old woman.

Harpy witches and deepwater venom serpents were both tier-three magical beasts. Though she bore a human face, she could not speak human language. Her body carried a constant stench, and she loved feeding on human corpses. Once a harpy witch fixed her gaze on someone, she would keep testing them until she found the right moment, then suddenly sweep over their head, stinking them dizzy with the foul odor on her body before using her sharp claws to tear open their skull and devour the flesh.

In the Dark Forest, harpy witches were especially troublesome because of their swift flying ability. Once one took an interest in you, she would become a severe headache. After Han Shuo realized that this one had set her sights on him, he gave the harpy witch in the sky a cold, hard look and snorted, “Seeking death.”

Still holding his position over the roasting fish, Han Shuo ignored the harpy witch’s repeated probing. The little skeleton beside him gripped its bone knife with a restless air, seeming ready to fly up and drag the hateful creature down, but under Han Shuo’s reassurance, it did not act rashly.

At that moment, several figures slowly appeared in the distance. From the look of them, they seemed to be a young adventuring party, made up of a mage, an archer, and warriors, six people in all. They looked up at the harpy witch hovering above and muttered curses at how detestable it was.

Han Shuo, who had been concentrating on dealing with the harpy witch, heard their curses and suddenly realized that this harpy witch’s original target seemed to be them. Only after seeing him here alone did she change her mind and try to swallow him first.

One of the swordsmen caught the scent of roasting fish and noticed Han Shuo, then pointed him out to his companions. The six young adventurers, both men and women, began making their way toward him.