Chapter 354 - 198: A Dog-Eat-Dog Situation Is Really Coming?
Chapter 354: Chapter 198: A Dog-Eat-Dog Situation Is Really Coming?
’Is this the feeling Miss Feney was talking about?’
Shefilya recalled the strange things Miss Feney had often said to her some time ago. She hadn’t really understood them back then, simply acting as a good listener.
She just never thought that after all this time, it would now be her turn.
Ali was still sound asleep. Lin Mo peeked into her room, then left without disturbing her.
When he came downstairs to the living room, he saw Shefilya sitting on the sofa, elegantly sipping tea in a new maid outfit.
Seeing Lin Mo come downstairs, she stood up, walked over to him, and bowed slightly. "Master, did you sleep well?"
She didn’t seem suspicious in the slightest, her expression as cold and aloof as ever. If Lin Mo didn’t know her so well, he might have mistaken her attitude for reluctance.
But in truth, this was actually a rather good attitude for Shefilya. Aside from still being a little unaccustomed to the new form of address, her tone could almost be called quite obedient.
"Very well. Let’s go. Shall we head over to the City Lord’s Mansion and see what’s happening?"
Although they had repelled one wave of the Goblin Army’s attack, that didn’t mean the goblin siege was over so simply. Lin Mo wasn’t clear on the current situation and needed to go to the City Lord’s Mansion to find out.
It was also a good opportunity to check on Feney.
Every time a situation like this occurred, that girl would disregard her own well-being, pushing her Spirit to the brink of collapse and passing out.
Ultimately, her Spiritual Attribute wasn’t high enough, so she couldn’t handle the spiritual strain that came with using Magic.
Lin Mo had often been troubled by this same problem before, but recently, after gradually building up his Spiritual Attribute, it was no longer much of an issue.
The two of them didn’t even bother to eat, heading straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.
They weren’t the only ones in the City Lord’s Mansion. Some of the city’s military officers were also present, along with the two Adventurer Groups that had previously arrived as reinforcements.
City Lord Beixila had specially arranged a banquet to thank them for their support.
The banquet was grand and lively, which made Lin Mo a little confused.
’Is it really okay to celebrate so extravagantly after repelling just one goblin attack?’
Harboring this doubt, Lin Mo went to Lady Beixila’s study and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Lady Beixila’s voice sounded from within. Lin Mo pushed the door open and entered. As usual, the City Lord was busy at her desk, but the expression on her face was clearly much more relaxed.
"You’re here?"
Looking up and seeing Lin Mo, Lady Beixila’s expression grew even more amiable. She smiled and nodded. "Have a seat."
Lin Mo sat down on a nearby sofa, and Lady Beixila also rose and sat down across from him.
Miss Melissa suddenly appeared from somewhere and poured them hot tea.
"Thank you."
She was Shefilya’s mother, after all, so Lin Mo nodded and expressed his thanks.
Melissa smiled. "There’s no need to be so polite with me, Young Master."
"Has that child, Shefilya, caused you any trouble recently?"
"No, she’s been great..."
Meeting Melissa’s gaze, Lin Mo instinctively grew a little nervous. ’After all, she’s just like Lady Beixila... Does this make her my mother-in-law, too?’
"That child has had a cold personality since she was little and doesn’t talk much... Please be patient with her."
Melissa said with a slight bow.
Lin Mo could only respond with an awkward acknowledgment. His strength had increased tremendously since he first transmigrated, and he was now a person of status in Silver Stream City—even the City Lord’s prospective son-in-law. However, it was difficult to change his mindset overnight. At least for now, he found it hard to put on the airs of a so-called noble.
Lin Mo didn’t like being pretentious anyway. For him, normal conversation was perfectly fine.
Of course, he did take a certain pleasure in hearing Shefilya call him "Master."
’And who wouldn’t love hearing a beautiful girl call them "Master"?’
’Especially with Shefilya’s cold expression and calm tone. If only she had a hint of disdain on her face...’
This was different from the decadent rules of the nobility. In Lin Mo’s mind, this was just part of the fun.
"You came here to ask about the situation outside the city, didn’t you?"
Lady Beixila took a sip of her hot tea. Seeing Lin Mo nod, she continued, "You don’t need to worry about that. According to our scouts, the Goblin Army is still moving away from Silver Stream City."
"Oh?"
That surprised Lin Mo. The Goblin Army wasn’t some small squad of a few dozen or a few hundred. The movements of a force numbering in the hundreds of thousands were nearly impossible to hide or fake with a feint.
In other words, the Goblins truly had no intention of attacking Silver Stream City again.
’They’re giving up after just one failed attack?’
’Are Goblins really that lacking in resilience and patience?’
No wonder everyone here had started celebrating.
Lin Mo frowned slightly, pondering the matter. From his perspective, it was logical to assume that a Goblin Army of this scale, once formed, wouldn’t just disband so easily.
But they were, in fact, moving away from Silver Stream City. Could it be...
A sudden thought struck Lin Mo. "They’re not... heading for Lania City, are they?"
Lady Beixila smiled and nodded. "Judging from their current route, that is highly likely."
’So that’s what it was.’
The dog-eat-dog scenario was actually happening.
But according to their investigations, the Goblins had been cooperating with Lania City all this time. Why did they suddenly turn on them? The change of heart was truly a bit sudden.
"However, we have some bad news on our end as well."
Lady Beixila’s brow furrowed. "After a preliminary sweep and count of the battlefield, we discovered that the Goblins secretly moved many of the dead soldiers’ bodies away under the cover of the chaos."
Hearing this, Lin Mo immediately realized what it implied. "Something similar seems to have happened before... In the end, the one who benefits is the Undead Mage hiding in the shadows."
"We haven’t received reports from the other towns yet, but it’s likely the same everywhere... and some towns might have been hit quite hard. Fortunately, we had already evacuated all the villagers to the towns for their safety. Otherwise, who knows how many more bodies would have been stolen..."
"But because of that, those villages suffered severe damage. The reconstruction will take a very long time..."
Lady Beixila said all this, but she didn’t seem particularly troubled. Compared to the threat of the Goblin Army at their gates, these tasks were merely troublesome. They could be resolved slowly, so they weren’t a major concern.
Lady Beixila looked up at Lin Mo again, changing the subject. "If the Goblin Army’s target really is Lania City, what do you think we should do?"
’She’s asking me?’
Lin Mo was taken aback for a moment. After a brief thought, he said, "For now, we should definitely hold our position and observe the situation..."
After all, he didn’t know the specifics of Lania City’s situation, and it wasn’t even certain if the Goblins were truly going to attack them.
"Mm."
Lady Beixila nodded. "Until the situation over there becomes clear, it’s best to hold our position."
But if the dust settled and it became clear that the Goblins had completely broken ties with Lania City—or rather, the Lawrence Clan—then they couldn’t just stand by and watch the people of Lania City suffer.
After all, nearly all the wrongdoing stemmed from the arrogance and greed of the Lawrence Clan; the residents of Lania City and its surrounding towns were mostly innocent.
Of course, when that time came, their actions would not be limited to providing support. They would also include a final reckoning with the Lawrence Clan!