86: Chapter 86 The Abyss Secretly Grants Mining Rights

The night deepened.

The bustle outside Luofeng Village finally died down a little.

The pile of congratulatory gifts at the village entrance was still there.

Lin Chen had fallen asleep while holding the dragon egg, which was placed on a soft cushion beside the hillside, the eggshell occasionally growing slightly warm.

Ling Xi leaned against Lin Zhe, her breathing steady, yet the increasingly dense natural fluctuation around her lower abdomen continued to slowly spread.

The Treant Guards were still patrolling.

A squad of guard players had just circled to the edge of the dark forest west of the village when they suddenly stopped.

"Who's there!"

Swish!

Two vines shot out simultaneously, directly blocking the retreat path in the forest.

The next second, a dark figure walked out of the shadows on its own.

The newcomer was wrapped in a black cloak, her entire face hidden beneath a hood; her figure was slender, yet her movements were as fast as a wisp of smoke.

As soon as she appeared, she raised her hands, her voice kept very low.

"Don't attack."

"I'm not here to cause trouble."

The patrolling players looked vigilant.

"People from the Abyss?"

The figure in the black cloak did not deny it, only lowering her head to say, "I am under orders to seek an audience with Lord Lin Zhe."

The news quickly reached the hillside.

Xing Jianwan frowned first.

"The Abyss still dares to come?"

Lin Chen's little face stiffened, and she almost wanted to seal the person on the spot.

Lin Zhe, however, said calmly, "Bring her over."

A moment later, the black-cloaked figure was brought before the hillside.

As soon as she stood steady, she knelt on one knee, her movements very crisp.

"Abyssal Shadow Walker, here on behalf of my master to deliver a gift."

"Who is your master?"

"The Abyss Witch, Mei You."

Upon hearing this name, the few players on night watch nearby were all shocked.

The Abyss Witch.

That was a figure who truly held sway in the Abyss.

Lin Zhe's gaze was calm, and he did not reply.

The Shadow Walker immediately took out a pitch-black mining seal token from her bosom and raised it high with both hands.

"This is the permanent exclusive mining right to the Shadow Crystal Mine west of Luofeng Village."

"From this day forth, that mine belongs to Luofeng Village."

"All output is for Lord Lin Zhe to dispose of as he pleases."

As soon as these words fell, even Xing Jianwan's expression changed slightly.

The Shadow Crystal Mine.

It was the only stable source of dark-attribute forging materials.

It had previously been held firmly in the hands of the Abyss, and the prices were even darker than gold.

Now, they were just giving it away?

Lin Chen blinked, her little face brightening up.

"Are you really giving it away?"

The Shadow Walker kept her head down, her voice even lower.

"Really giving it away."

"My master also asked me to bring a message."

"From now on, all Abyssal Shadow Hunters will never step foot within the boundaries of Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, or Shiti Village."

"Should there be any violation, the Abyss will handle it themselves, without troubling Lord Lin Zhe to take action."

The air beside the hillside went quiet for a moment.

This was no longer just a gesture of goodwill.

This was admitting defeat.

And it was a thorough, complete admission of defeat.

The Shadow Walker continued, "As for the Shadow Elder who previously poisoned and caused trouble in Luofeng Village..."

She paused for a moment.

"He has already been fed to the magic spiders by my master."

"Not even his bones remain."

"My master said that the Abyss did not understand the rules before and offended Lord Lin Zhe."

"She only asks that you do not target the entire Abyssal faction in the future."

After speaking, she lowered her head even further.

On the hillside, no one spoke.

Only the wind blew across the pile of gifts, causing a few ribbons to sway gently.

Lin Zhe looked at the Shadow mining seal, the golden patterns in his eyes flashing slightly.

The system prompt rang out loudly.

[Ding! Detected high-ranking Abyssal female character actively showing goodwill]

[Fifth Bond triggered]

[Current progress: 2%]

Mei You.

The fifth line has started.

Lin Zhe raised his hand, and the mining seal token flew into his palm on its own.

It was cold, heavy, and carried a pure aura of the Abyss.

Only then did he speak calmly.

"I accept the gift."

"As for the rules, you must uphold them yourselves."

The Shadow Walker felt as if she had been granted amnesty and immediately lowered her head.

"Understood."

"My master also said she dares not disturb the little princess's birth, so I will leave after delivering this."

Lin Chen hugged the dragon egg and let out a milky harrumph.

"You're well-behaved this time."

The Shadow Walker's mouth stiffened, and she didn't even dare to raise her head.

But just as she retreated, a solo player responsible for night watch nearby, because he was too close, had his ears perked up like a rabbit, his entire face flushed from holding it in.

The Shadow Crystal Mine.

Permanent mining rights.

The Abyss Witch admitting defeat.

This news was too explosive.

He gritted his teeth hard, originally wanting to hold it in.

But as soon as he left the hillside not far, he was pulled over by another patrolling player.

"What did you just hear?"

"N-nothing..."

"Your face is all red, and you say nothing?"

A quarter of an hour later.

A piece of gossip first exploded in the Luofeng Village night chat channel.

Less than half an hour later, it rushed directly to the world channel.

[Did you hear? The Abyss came secretly in the middle of the night to gift a mine!]

[Permanent mining rights for the Shadow Crystal Mine, gifted directly to Big Shot Lin!]

[The Abyss even guaranteed that Abyssal Shadow Hunters will never dare to enter the Falling Maple area again!]

The world channel went quiet for a moment.

The next second, it exploded!

"What?!"

"The Shadow Crystal Mine?"

"Isn't that thing monopolized by the Abyss!"

"Dark-attribute forging materials more expensive than gold, just gifted away?"

"The Abyss must have been beaten into submission!"

By the time the sky was just barely brightening the next day, the village entrance was already crowded with players.

Everyone craned their necks, their eyes shining.

"Where is the Abyssal envoy?"

"What do they look like?"

"I want to see what expression people from the Abyss have when they admit defeat!"

But they waited for a long time without seeing even a corner of a cloak.

Because that Shadow Walker had already snuck away before dawn.

Moving even faster than when she arrived.

She was truly afraid of being blocked again, and that one extra glance might displease Lin Zhe.

Not seeing anyone at the village entrance, the players became even more excited.

"Holy crap, running so fast?"

"It means they're really scared!"

"Even the Abyss has started gifting mines in the middle of the night to beg for mercy; who can stand up to this!"

"Big Shot Lin has really suppressed all factions now!"

On the hillside, Lin Zhe leaned against a maple tree, the pitch-black mining seal in his hand quietly shimmering with a ghostly light.

Not far away, Ling Xi's aura fluctuated gently once more.

And in the system panel, the newly lit progress bar for the Fifth Bond was still hanging quietly at the very bottom.

Like a wisp of a shadow that had just reached out from the Abyss.