ATPnovel Chapter 107 Capturing the Natives Alive, News from Blacklight Outpost
Chapter 107 Capturing the Natives Alive, News from Blacklight Outpost
Chapter 107 Capturing the Natives Alive, News from Blacklight Outpost
The afterglow of the setting sun was broken up by the dense canopy of trees, dappling the forest path on the way back to school.
Jiang Ming walked at the front, his silver plate armor gleaming coldly in the forest.
Behind him, Li Bin and two students escorted the dejected Baron caravan.
These native merchants, their necks hunched and their ankles tied together with rope, followed along, staggering.
Because of the terrifying pressure brought by Jiang Ming, Baron didn't even dare to breathe loudly, and could only pray to the gods in his heart.
When the towering reinforced concrete outline of the faculty dormitory came into view of the natives, Baron and the others nearly popped their eyes out.
In their minds, only a duke's castle had a building of this size.
Moreover, this kind of grayish-white stone, smooth as a mirror, is simply unheard of.
"What... was that a miracle?"
Baron's lips trembled and his legs went weak.
At this moment, Zhao Yanzhi was waiting with several archers at the sentry post at the main entrance of the faculty and staff dormitory building.
Upon seeing Jiang Ming return, Zhao Yanzhi immediately waved to signal the roadblocks to be lowered.
"Brother Jiang is back! And he brought back—people?"
The news spread like wildfire among the survivors.
Dozens of students who were working inside the building rushed to the windows or the entrance of the lobby, curiously looking down.
"Holy crap, are those indigenous people? Why are they dressed like refugees from the Western Middle Ages?"
"Look at that beard, and that skin, it's not a fake, it really is someone from another world!"
"Why do they look so afraid of Brother Jiang? Did Brother Jiang raid their hideout?"
The survivors discussed amongst themselves, their eyes filled with the curiosity and excitement of watching monkeys in a zoo.
Jiang Ming walked into the hall expressionlessly, his heavy combat boots striking a heart-pounding rhythm on the terrazzo floor.
Baron and the others were led into the hall. When they saw the strangely dressed "otherworldly people" around them, who were holding glowing plastic tubes (powerful flashlights), they were so frightened that they knelt down and kowtowed frantically.
They rattled off a string of rapid syllables, their tone pleading, but no one could understand them.
Jiang Ming frowned; this inability to communicate made him feel a little irritated.
The information gap is a huge chasm, and he needs to bridge it immediately.
"Brother Jiang, what kind of gibberish are these guys talking about?"
Wang Yang leaned over and scratched his head.
Just then, a thin boy wearing black-rimmed glasses squeezed out from the crowd.
His name is Zhou Wen, and he is usually a marginal figure with very little presence at school.
"Jiang—Brother Jiang."
Zhou Wen's voice trembled slightly as he tightly gripped a skill card that emitted a faint blue light.
Jiang Ming stopped and coldly glanced at Zhou Wen.
"What's up?"
Zhou Wen swallowed hard and stepped forward with great courage.
"I won this in a raffle last night. I was wondering if you would like it."
Jiang Ming took the card, and a message popped up on the system panel instantly:
[Proficiency in Indigenous Language (Skill Book): After learning, you will master the common language of this plane, including reading and writing.]
Jiang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
This is exactly what he lacks most right now.
What do you want?
Jiang Ming didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.
Zhou Wen pushed up his glasses, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes.
"I want to join your core team, or, give me a weapon that can save my life."
He knew that in this godforsaken place, skill cards were precious, but if you couldn't use them, they were just worthless pieces of paper.
Handing him over to Jiang Ming in exchange for protection was his smartest choice.
Jiang Ming nodded and casually pulled out a rusty iron spear he had found in the goblin camp from behind his back.
Next, he took out a piece of discarded aluminum alloy window frame from the portable storage card.
[Synthesis initiated.]
The eerie blue light devoured two things in Jiang Ming's palm.
Three seconds later, a steel spear, gleaming with a cold light and featuring a spiral pattern on its tip, appeared in his hand.
[Steel Spiral Spear (Fine Weapon): Attack Power +12, with the special effect "Armor Penetration," easily piercing light leather armor.]
A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
Jiang Ming casually tossed the spear and two bags of compressed biscuits to Zhou Wen.
"You can keep the stuff, and you can move to the second floor; Zhao Yanzhi will arrange it for you. But this skill book is mine."
Zhou Wen hugged the spear as if it were a priceless treasure and thanked him repeatedly.
Jiang Ming crushed the skill book.
A massive flow of information rushed into his mind in an instant, and countless obscure pronunciations and distorted characters became clear and distinct in a flash.
It's a wonderful feeling, like a chaotic noise suddenly turning into a familiar mother tongue.
Jiang Ming turned his head and coldly looked down at Baron, who was kneeling on the ground.
"Raise your head."
Jiang Ming spoke, using the Common Language that Baron was familiar with, but his tone carried an undeniable chilling intensity.
Baron shuddered, looked up in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Sir—you, you speak Grimm?"
"Now it's my turn to ask you, not the other way around."
Jiang Ming walked up to Baron, and the tip of the black iron horse-slaying sword gently touched Baron's chin.
"Name, identity, and where is this place?"
Baron felt a chilling killing intent emanating from his chin, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.
"My name is Baron, and I am a free merchant from the eastern border of the Kingdom of Grin, sir."
"This is the outer edge of the border forest in the eastern part of the kingdom, which the locals call the 'Glimmering Woodland'."
Baron spoke extremely fast, as if he was afraid that if he slowed down even a second, he would have his head chopped off.
"A dimly lit woodland?"
Jiang Ming repeated it.
"Yes, this is a no-man's-land. Traveling east for a month will take you into the Tranquil Forest, the territory of the elves; traveling west for about three months will cross a great canyon and lead you into the northern border of the kingdom—"
Jiang Ming sneered inwardly; it seemed his previous judgment was correct.
The school, this "enclave," happened to fall at the intersection of multiple forces.
"Besides you humans, what else is around here?"
"Goblins—those green scum are everywhere, including the ones you just killed."
Baron swallowed hard and continued.
"And there are also the occasional ogres, and the secluded half-elf settlements deep in the woods. My lord, we are just a passing caravan; our goods include salt and spices. If you release us, they are all yours!"
Jiang Ming sheathed his sword.
Salt and spices?
In another world, these are hard currency.
But in Jiang Ming's eyes, the information provided by these natives was more valuable than that little bit of salt.
He turned around and looked at Zhao Yanzhi.
"Find an empty room and lock them in. We'll verify the accuracy of the intelligence after our meeting."
"Also, you guys bring him with me; we're going to have a meeting."
Jiang Ming looked out the window, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
"We have more neighbors than we imagined."
The temporary command post on the second floor of the faculty and staff dormitory was filled with smoke.
That was a half-pack of damp Hongtashan cigarettes that Wang Yang had found in a teacher's dormitory drawer. It had a pungent smell, but it was a rare luxury here.
Jiang Ming sat behind a large solid wood desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping the surface.
Opposite him, the caravan leader Baron was kneeling on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold floor, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
"You mean, if you travel west for most of the day, there's a place called 'Blacklight Outpost'?"
Jiang Ming's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
Baron swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he replied, "Yes—yes, sir. That's a supply depot set up by the Kingdom of Green on the edge of the Twilight Woods, and it's also—it's also the largest black market for stolen goods in the vicinity."
"A place to sell stolen goods?" Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow.
"The Glimmering Woods is home not only to goblins and beasts, but also to many exiled knights, wanted criminals, and bounty hunters."
Baron, not daring to look up, blurted out, "Although Blacklight Outpost is nominally under the kingdom's jurisdiction, it's actually controlled by the local garrison commander, One-Eyed Gareth. As long as you can pay the entrance tax, they'll buy and sell anything there."
Jiang Ming looked at the simple map on the table.
The school is currently located deep in the woods, where resources are scarce and the school is constantly at risk of being attacked by hordes of wild animals.
Although he can create most basic tools using his synthesis abilities, there are some things that cannot be conjured out of thin air.
For example, magical materials, monster cores, and detailed information about this world.
"How many troops are stationed at that outpost?" Jiang Ming asked the most crucial question.
Baron pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "About two hundred standing guards, plus quite a few mercenaries. However, even Commander Gareth is probably no match for you, sir."
He had witnessed firsthand how Jiang Ming crushed the goblin shaman like an ant on the riverbank.
That pure physical strength far surpasses that of most professionals at Blacklight Outpost.
Jiang Ming nodded, having made up his mind.
A guard of two hundred men might be troublesome if it were a regular army unit, but if it were just seasoned border soldiers, they wouldn't pose much of a threat.
"very good."
Jiang Ming stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the survivors who were carrying supplies.
The playground was piled high with junk seized from the goblin camp—rusty iron knives, stinking animal hides, and unidentified bones.
Jiang Ming considered all of these things as rubbish.
Keeping it takes up space, but throwing it away seems wasteful.
"Zhao Yanzhi," Jiang Ming called out without turning his head.
Zhao Yanzhi, who had been waiting at the door, immediately pushed it open and entered: "Brother Jiang, I'm here."
"Take inventory of the warehouse."
Jiang Ming turned around, his gaze sharp: "Pack up all the goblin weapons, as well as any unused surplus supplies we collected at the school."
Zhao Yanzhi paused for a moment: "Brother Jiang, those rusty iron pieces and scrap are useless to us. Are we going to throw them away?"
"Throw?"
Jiang Ming smirked and pointed at Baron, who was kneeling on the ground.
"Take these locals with you and have them work as porters."
"Let's go to Blacklight Outpost and set up a stall."
Since that place is a haven for stolen goods, that's perfect.
He wants to exchange all the "waste" of industrial civilization and the "garbage" he stole from goblins for resources that can enhance his strength.
As for the Baron caravan?
Jiang Ming never intended to support this group of idle people from the beginning.
The school's food reserves are already tight. Rather than keeping them around to eat and drink for free, it's better to let them contribute their remaining energy as free labor and guides.
"This... to set up a stall?" Zhao Yanzhi was a little confused by Jiang Ming's train of thought.
In this dangerous alien world, shouldn't the first reaction be to stay in the base and farm?
But he didn't dare question it and immediately nodded: "Understood! I'll arrange for people to pack it right away!"
Jiang Ming walked up to Baron and looked down at him.
"You just said that your goods contained salt and spices?"
Baron's heart skipped a beat. That was his entire fortune and his life, but to survive, he could only nod painfully: "Yes, sir, there are five large barrels of coarse salt and a chest of black pepper—"
"Now they are mine."
Jiang Ming declared ownership directly, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He crouched down, took a crudely made silver coin from Baron's pocket, and played with it in his hand.
"As your guide, if this deal goes smoothly, I might consider not killing you, and even give you a good meal."
Baron looked up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with a desperate will to survive: "Praise be to you! Merciful sir! I will certainly lead the way! I know the Blacklight Outpost's black market inside and out!"
Jiang Ming casually tossed the silver coin up and caught it steadily.
kindness?
No.
This is simply the rational use of resources.
"Go and get ready. We'll be leaving in half an hour."
Jiang Ming waved his hand, dismissing Baron like a fly.
When he was the only one left in the room, Jiang Ming opened the [Synthesis of All Things] panel.
His gaze fell on a pile of unsold goods that he had scavenged from the school supermarket.
Several boxes of cheap glass cups, a pile of stainless steel spoons made in Yiwu, and a few boxes of unwanted colored plastic beads.
On Earth, this is industrial waste.
But in a world with low productivity—
Jiang Ming grabbed a handful of plastic beads and then picked up a glass.
[Synthesis initiated.]
A faint blue light flashed.
The originally cheap glass has become crystal clear, with colorful "gems" embedded in its surface, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.
【Five-Colored Glass Holy Grail (Exquisite Craftsmanship)】
[Evaluation: Although it offers no attribute bonuses, its exquisite craftsmanship is enough to drive any unsophisticated nobleman crazy.]
Jiang Ming looked at the "Holy Grail" in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
This is a case of dimensional reduction attack.
Using Earth's industrial waste to harvest real gold and silver from another world.
This deal is a huge profit no matter how you look at it.
Half an hour later.
A strange group assembled at the school gate.
Jiang Ming wore a clean set of Silver Knight armor, carried a Black Iron Horse-Slaying Sword, and rode a tall gray warhorse, looking like a lord going into battle.
Behind him were Wang Yang and Li Bin, fully armed, and five carefully selected suicide squad members.
Further on, came the Baron caravan, which suffered immensely.
Each of these natives carried a heavy bundle on their back; some carried rusty goblin scimitars, some carried bundles of animal hides, and some even carried two boxes of glassware.
"Set off."
Jiang Ming gave the order.
The large contingent marched into the dense, shimmering woodland, heading west towards the Blacklight outpost.