77: Chapter 77 Nobles Cause Trouble? Total Annihilation and Apology

The green light-rain continued to fall.

On both sides of the trade route, players were madly dashing while clutching herbs and materials.

"Hurry up! Get this cart of moonlight grass to Holy Light City first!"

"Load up that batch of high-grade potions in the back too!"

The trade route from Luofeng Village to Holy Light City was scorching hot with activity.

Yet, the faces of three old-guard nobles in the western borderlands of the Human Empire grew darker by the minute.

"If this goes on, all our merchant houses will starve to death!"

"Ever since that Luofeng Village trade route opened, all the potions, armor, and herbs we hoarded are stuck in our hands!"

"How dare a measly Novice Area village snatch business from the Human Empire's nobles?"

The three of them grew more vicious with each word.

Finally, with a loud slap on the table, a pouch of gold coins was produced.

"Hire men!"

"Two hundred private soldiers above level fifteen, move out tonight!"

"Rob the Falling Maple caravans, smash the goods, kill people, cut off the trade route!"

"Once the route is in chaos, Lin Zhe will have to stop the cooperation himself!"

As night fell, the two hundred private soldiers indeed set out.

All clad in black armor, masked, armed uniformly with long sabers and crossbows.

The leader sneered, "Just a Novice Area trade route, how hard can it be?"

They crept along the woods beside the official road, stealthily entering the Falling Maple trade route area.

They had barely taken thirty steps inside.

The ground suddenly lit up.

"What—"

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A massive volley of poisonous spikes erupted from the soil!

Fast and dense!

Dozens of soldiers in the front didn't even have time to raise their shields before spikes pierced their legs, waists, and chests, their health bars plummeting!

"Traps!"

"Retreat!"

Just as they tried to fall back, the Red Maple Forest on both sides of the trade route rumbled violently!

Over a dozen treants, more than twice a man's height, charged out!

"ROAR—"

*BAM!*

The first treant slapped down, sending three private soldiers flying on the spot.

The second treant swung its arms, smashing down an entire row of black-armored soldiers.

The soldiers behind raised their crossbows to fire.

Before the arrows could fly far, they were ensnared by vines and crushed instantly!

"What the hell are these things!"

"Weren't we told there were only caravan guards?!"

"Damn it, there are still poison spikes on the ground!"

Their feet were mired in traps, their path blocked by treants.

There was no way to charge forward.

And no way to retreat.

In less than five minutes, the entire official road was filled with screams.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

The treants swept through, slapping everything in their path.

The poison spikes finished off the wounded.

Two hundred private soldiers fell one after another, white light erupting wildly.

Wiped out!

At the end of the trade route, a few players guarding the goods were stunned.

"Holy crap... we didn't even get a chance to act?"

"This defense is way too brutal!"

The news zipped back to the earthen slope.

Lin Chen was holding a superior-grade moonlight grass plant. After hearing the report, his little face stiffened.

"Rob my family's caravan?"

"Seeking death."

He raised his hand and drew a line, instantly unfolding a screen of rules.

The recorded images from the official road, the mercenary contracts dropped by the private soldiers, the family crests on the gold pouches—each piece of evidence was pulled out one by one.

[Masterminds: Zhou Family, Zhao Family, Han Family]

[Goal: Rob the Falling Maple caravans, force a halt to Imperial cooperation]

The evidence was laid out in full.

The surrounding players exploded.

"Nobles hiring private soldiers to rob the trade route?"

"Damn, so it was them!"

Lin Chen ordered in his childish voice, "Lock them out."

*Hum—*

Three crimson announcements instantly popped up across the entire server and the Imperial region.

[All members of the Zhou Family stripped of access rights to Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, Shiti Village]

[All members of the Zhao Family stripped of access rights to Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, Shiti Village]

[All members of the Han Family stripped of access rights to Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, Shiti Village]

"Now send the evidence to Su Ninghua."

The next second, the rule-recorded images transformed into golden light-messages, flying straight to Holy Light City.

Inside the Human Empire's royal palace.

Su Ninghua had just finished reading the light-message, her face instantly turning ice-cold.

"Outrageous!"

"I just established a contract with Luofeng Village, and they dare target the trade route?"

"And even hire private soldiers for robbery?"

She slammed her palm, shattering a corner of the table, her phoenix eyes blazing with killing intent.

"Issue the order!"

"The Zhou, Zhao, and Han families—confiscate their properties immediately!"

"Execute the main culprits in the streets!"

"Seize all their assets for the state, not a single copper coin is to remain!"

Once the royal decree was issued, the sky over Holy Light City turned bloody that very night.

The three noble families had no chance to defend themselves before being dragged to the street crossing by the royal guards.

A flash of blade light.

Heads rolled!

The next day at noon, an Imperial envoy group galloped over.

This time, the lead envoy knelt as soon as he reached the village entrance.

"By order of Her Majesty the Queen, I have come to offer apologies!"

The carriages behind simultaneously opened their boxes.

One hundred thousand gold coins, their golden light dazzling.

The envoy didn't even dare raise his head. "Her Majesty has executed the three involved clans, confiscated their properties for the state, and ordered me to deliver one hundred thousand gold coins to Luofeng Village as an apology to Mr. Lin and Archon Lin."

"Her Majesty also states that the Empire will absolutely not tolerate such incidents happening again."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding players cheered.

"Executed!"

"The Queen is ruthless enough!"

"One hundred thousand gold coins as an apology, now that's more like it!"

Lin Chen glanced at the one hundred thousand gold coins, his little face finally easing a bit.

"This time, they died quickly enough."

The envoy hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes."

Lin Zhe hadn't moved from the start, only casting a faint glance at the trade route, once again bustling with activity.

The treants were still patrolling.

The cargo carts were still coming and going.

The Falling Maple trade banner fluttered proudly on the official road.

And in the distance, yet another new goods transport team was speeding towards them.