35: You didn't listen to a word the captain said!

Judging from the perception of the Spiritual Power net, that figure could only be considered humanoid.

It was pitch black all over, as if covered in a skin of asphalt; it lacked the complete limbs of a normal human, yet its movement speed surpassed that of ordinary people.

Ronan guessed that the power of corrosion on its body likely originated from that pitch-black asphalt skin.

"Captain, should we report this to the regional person in charge?"

Drill Mouse had a serious expression. Ever since stepping into the Monster Forest, he had felt a constant, suffocating sense of oppression.

"This piece of bark alone doesn't prove anything. Without other evidence..."

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Ronan turned his head to look at him. "It's probably not worth much, maybe even worthless."

"Captain, is the inner area also our territory?" Evil Axe gestured with his chin toward the depths of the forest.

"Only a small section. Let's leave it for later and head to the other safe zones first."

The three of them quickly traversed this area.

With his Spiritual Power net fully deployed, Ronan didn't discover any more of those similar black creatures.

He did, however, see several vacant Goblin nests; it was unknown where the Goblins inside had gone.

Otherwise, Ronan wouldn't have minded clearing out these nests in passing.

A single Goblin was worth 3 silver wolves, and one nest could earn him at most 12 silver wolves.

As long as he spent sparingly, it would be enough for Ronan to stay in Moonless City for quite a while.

"Captain, where to next?" Evil Axe asked.

Scattered pedestrians had begun to appear on the road, indicating that the three had left the Monster Forest and entered the sphere of influence of Moonless City.

Ronan saw someone avoiding him again, which couldn't help but remind him of the scene when he had first escaped from the Monster Forest.

His heart was suddenly filled with a myriad of emotions, and he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

Even the old man walking toward them looked so much like the one with the injured leg from back then... Oh, wait, it was the same old man.

"Old man, we meet again." Ronan stepped forward to greet him face-to-face. "Do you remember..."

"Ghost! A ghost!"

The old man's leg wasn't injured this time; he screamed while fleeing for his life.

Ronan: "..."

It seemed the old man had a good memory.

"For an old man of his age to have such speed, he might have been an expert in his youth." A sense of admiration welled up in Evil Axe.

"Captain, did this old guy offend you?" Drill Mouse pulled out his dagger, eager to try. "Do you need me to catch him for you?"

"Drill Mouse..." Ronan placed a hand on his shoulder and said earnestly,

"When you are old, having enjoyed all the wealth, glory, and beautiful women, and at that time there is no one noisy in your ear, how would you feel?"

"Very... very happy?" Drill Mouse answered tentatively.

"Empty! You would feel an unprecedented emptiness!"

Veins bulged on Ronan's forehead as he corrected him, "So we should respect the elderly and love the young even more, understood?"

"Understood..." Drill Mouse nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "So should I help you catch that old guy?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Evil Axe immediately punched him. "Why the hell do you keep wanting to catch this worthless old man?"

"You didn't listen to a single word the Captain said!"

"If you're going to catch someone, catch the kind with wealth, glory, and beautiful women, understood?"

"So that's how it is..."

Listening to their conversation, Ronan held his forehead, having completely given up on promoting basic moral concepts to these two.

Following the map on the card, Ronan unknowingly arrived in front of a village.

The few scattered wooden houses and stone pigsties at the village entrance looked incredibly familiar... "Lord, why have you come?" As soon as the village chief saw it was Ronan, he immediately came forward to welcome him.

Ronan was somewhat speechless; after going in circles, he had actually ended up back in Jiuwan Village.

"And these two lords are?" The village chief looked at the Dwarf and the Halfling, appearing a bit nervous.

"These are my team members; we're just passing through." Ronan looked up at the darkening sky and asked instead,

"Village Chief, can you arrange for the three of us to rest for a night? We'll continue our journey tomorrow."

He grabbed a handful of Copper Badgers from his coin pouch and stuffed them into the village chief's hand, estimating it should be enough.

The village chief took the money and, with a beaming smile, said it was no problem. He immediately instructed the villagers to tidy up a vacant wooden house for the three of them.

"By the way, why haven't I seen Parker?" Ronan asked.

"He went to the city, saying money can be made there." The village chief sighed. "I don't understand it, but making money is always a good thing."

"Has his wife already given birth?" Ronan remembered Parker saying before that his wife was about to give birth.

"Oh, right. She has given birth." The village chief tapped his head. "Look at my brain; getting old, I always find it easy to forget things."

Looking at the village chief's white hair, Ronan couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow.

He only hoped the man wouldn't encounter Adventurers like Evil Axe and Drill Mouse while alone.

After seeing off the village chief, Ronan sat down and silently practiced his Meditation Method.

Although he practiced the Starry Sky Meditation Method at night every time, there wasn't actually any extra bonus.

The starry sky was the one in his mind that formed its own universe.

In the external starry sky, the orbital paths of various planets could only serve as a reference.

Beside Ronan, Evil Axe leaned against the wall, his eyes half-closed as he fell into a light sleep.

This was a habit developed from his years of experience as an Adventurer; if danger occurred, he could react immediately.

At a glance, it made one feel very reliable and at ease.

Drill Mouse, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Ronan opened his Spiritual Power net, following the road around the houses, and perceived the Halfling currently hiding in front of someone's window, peeping.

He was about to go and drag him back when he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the familiar layout inside the house.

Looking closely, wasn't this Hunter's home?

The Hunter was paralyzed in bed, and his elderly mother should have already gone to sleep; at this time, another person was feeding him medicine.

This person had a limp and a disabled left hand, and could only use their right hand to feed Hunter spoonful by spoonful; they were likely Hunter's relative.

Life for the people at the bottom was indeed not easy; just simply staying alive required their utmost effort.

Lamenting, Ronan stood up, intending to go out and call Drill Mouse back.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out, he bumped into Drill Mouse, who had revealed himself and was running back.

"Drill Mouse, don't go running around and peeping in people's villages late at night." Ronan frowned.

"Captain, I discovered that the villagers here actually have servants attending to them!" Drill Mouse said with a shocked face.

Ronan stood before him and brought a hand-chop down onto his head.

"Behave yourself!"

"If you dare to act on your own without reason again, watch out or I'll dock your share of the team's profits!"

Drill Mouse was hit on the head while completely off guard; in pain, he could only honestly shrink into another corner, his eyes full of grievance.

Ronan felt it was necessary to properly restrain his team members to prevent similar unreliable situations during battle.

He looked back at Evil Axe; even with such a large commotion from him and Drill Mouse, the man hadn't woken up.

He even faintly heard extremely rhythmic snoring.

Wait... what about the promised light sleep?

What about the promised half-dreaming, half-awake state?

What about the promised immediate reaction?

What about being reliable and putting one at ease?

Ronan rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling that the construction of the team had a long way to go.