The heart eager to exploit bugs is stirring

The water would not recede in just a short while. After all, reshaping the area into muddy terrain would take some time.

So after bidding farewell to Yang Jinfang and the others, Liu Xuan followed the riverbank eastward, preparing to head to the outpost.

Naturally, he passed through the marshland where he had encountered trouble the last time he crossed the river.

The monsters in this marsh were ones Liu Xuan had encountered before. Strictly speaking, there was only one type: the [Marsh Frogman].

But when you got down to the details, there were actually quite a few varieties.

There were [Marsh Frogman Spearmen], [Marsh Frogman Archers], [Marsh Frogman Rock Throwers]... and so on.

Depending on their weapons, there were a total of seven or eight varieties.

Although the names of these monsters were different, they were all level 11 and had exactly the same amount of health: 1,600 HP.

The only basic difference their weapons made was to their attack power.

At first, Liu Xuan had assumed that they all counted as the same type of monster.

However, when [Thunder Aura] activated and bolts of lightning came crashing down, killing more than a dozen monsters, the aura's damage unexpectedly rose to 10,400.

That was an increase of 6,400.

In other words, the monsters he had just killed must have counted as four different types.

So as long as the monsters had different names, the damage would stack?!

“Isn't this skill a little too overpowered?”

Oh, wait. The overpowered one was actually me. In that case, never mind.

As the monsters in this marsh were relatively low-level, hardly anyone came here to grind anymore.

Liu Xuan easily found the remaining varieties of [Marsh Frogmen] and raised the aura's damage to 16,800.

Only then, satisfied, did he cross the bridge and return to the Orchid River Outpost.

It had been a while since he had last come here, and he found that the place had undergone some more changes. Cart after cart of supplies was piled up in the open area, seemingly waiting to be transported somewhere.

When he entered the command hall, he discovered that the village chief was there as well, apparently discussing something with Captain Finch.

That saved him the trouble.

Captain Finch was surprised to see him. “Warrior, what brings you back? I've already heard about the battle in the north. You really did recapture Orenburg. But shouldn't you be busy strengthening Orenburg's defenses these past few days?”

“I came back to take care of a few things. I also have something for the village chief.”

“Something for me?” The village chief froze for a moment. “Could it be...?”

Liu Xuan took out the soil he had dug up from the White Estate and handed it to the village chief. “I have fulfilled my mission.”

The village chief accepted the soil with trembling hands. Tears immediately began streaming down his face, and for a long while he was unable to say a word.

Seeing this, Captain Finch understood what had happened and helped him over to sit down.

Only afterward did he return and continue speaking with Liu Xuan. “Many of us still can't forget our homes.”

“Actually, you could go back and take a look.”

“There will be a chance. Warrior, did you see all those supplies outside? As soon as Orenburg is completely stabilized, we'll transport them there. The place is in ruins and should be in desperate need of these supplies.”

Liu Xuan nodded. “We've also found some survivors.”

“Really? That's good to hear. By the way, did you come back only because of the village chief?”

“There are a few other things as well. There's something I need your help with, Captain.” Liu Xuan took out the map he had obtained from Stefan. “Can you help me figure out where this place is?”

Captain Finch took the map and studied it, gradually furrowing his brows. “I don't recognize it just from the map. It should be somewhere I've never been. However, speaking of an island in a lake...”

“I did once hear about a count who built an extravagantly luxurious castle on an island in a lake. According to the rumors, even the walls were made of gold, the tables were made of ivory, and the baths were filled with fine wine. The stories were so exaggerated that they sounded almost mythical, but I have heard them as well.”

He walked over to the map of the Empire he had shown Liu Xuan earlier and searched across it for a while. Finally, he pointed toward an area in the north.

“If I remember correctly, his territory should be here.”

Liu Xuan followed the direction he indicated and saw that it was farther north than Orenburg.

He carefully compared the two maps. “There are mountains and forests here, but I don't see a lake.”

“This map depicts the territory of the entire Empire. If the lake isn't very large, it may simply not have been marked.”

Liu Xuan nodded. In that case, he would have to go there and investigate personally.

At that moment, a voice came from the side. “There really is a lake in that forest.”

It turned out to be the village chief.

He had already recovered from his emotional state. After hearing the two of them discussing the matter, he came over and added, “Our family used to be nobles, after all, so we know a little more about this. The count Captain Finch mentioned was called Count Samos. He was the emperor's younger brother. However, although his castle was luxurious, it wasn't quite as extravagant as the rumors claimed.”

“Count Samos was secretly executed many years ago on charges of rebellion. However, there are different stories circulating among the nobility. Some say he was actually killed because he was too cruel, murdering tens of thousands of people in his territory and provoking the emperor's fury.”

Liu Xuan thought to himself, Murdering so many people?

If Stefan had obtained his lich inheritance from Count Samos, then everything made sense.

There was a good chance that he, too, had secretly been transforming people into undead.

But that was only Liu Xuan's guess. He would still have to see the place with his own eyes before he could confirm it.

As he looked at the map of the Empire before him, a bold idea suddenly occurred to Liu Xuan.

He pointed to the lands north of Orenburg and asked Captain Finch, “Can we go to these places now?”

Captain Finch was stunned for a moment before nodding. “Of course. However, shouldn't you be spending your time settling the survivors, forging better equipment, and increasing your strength? Wouldn't it be too much pressure to head even farther north right now? Besides, according to our original plan, I recommend using Orenburg as a base and gradually capturing the several small cities nearby before slowly advancing north.”

Liu Xuan waved his hand. “Let's not worry about that for now. The point is, we can go farther north, right?”

“Uh... yes.”

There was no way such a vast area could all be sealed off and made inaccessible.

“Then I have another question.” Liu Xuan tapped two large cities on the map, one to the east and one to the west in the north, and looked seriously at Captain Finch. “Can we enter these two cities?”

The Empire's map was clearly drawn. To reach the imperial capital farther north, one had to pass through these two cities, which guarded the route from the east and west.

So, unless something unexpected happened, the upcoming fourth-stage campaign should be an assault on these two cities.

Although the current announcement had told them to wait two or three days for the promotion defense battle, and the fourth stage had yet to officially begin, it had never said they were forbidden from going there now.

The second and third stages had been separated by a great river, and without building a bridge, it had truly been impossible to cross.

But there was no such barrier now. If he captured both cities before the fourth stage began, how would that count?

Captain Finch was in charge of the northern campaign, so he should represent the system's position to some extent. That was why Liu Xuan wanted to know how he would answer.

Sure enough, Captain Finch did not directly answer whether they could enter the cities. Instead, he said:

“If we took everyone over there to attack those two cities, who would defend Orenburg?”

“Forget about that for now. From what you’ve said, Captain, does that mean we can actually go to those two cities?”

Finch nodded, then was about to say something else when Liu Xuan interrupted him.

“Then I have one more small question. There shouldn’t be any problem with the scale of this map of yours, right? In other words, equal distances on the map correspond to roughly equal distances in reality.”

“Of course. It’s a map kept by our military, after all. There’s no way the discrepancy could be too large.” Finch could tell what Liu Xuan was getting at, but still advised him, “The monsters to the north are no ordinary creatures. I really think you should play it safe, warrior, and improve your strength a little more first.”

Liu Xuan chuckled. “I was only asking, really. Just asking. I’m not planning to go.”