[Recently, we discovered that an alchemist has been secretly using alchemy to conduct equivalent exchanges with the demons of the Nightmare Land for some relatively primitive materials. We believe this alchemist should be an outsider.]
[If you have any information regarding this alchemist, please contact us immediately through a messenger at the Demon Tree Tavern. A reward of 10,000 Dragon Coins.]
[—The Peace Organization]
"..."
'Isn't this talking about me?'
'I have been planning to secretly continue making trades, but I never expected that my name would already be on the wanted list of the Peace Organization.'
'The bounty is a little too low, though. Only 10,000 Dragon Coins?'
'How boring!'
However...
Ethan could also sense how terrifying this organization was through this bounty notice.
He hadn't even been an alchemist for that long, had he?
And they had already discovered him?
Although Ethan couldn't be certain whether the reason the Peace Organization hadn't discovered his location yet was because of the protection from the mastermind behind the scenes or because of the newbie protection period, that didn't mean he could keep using alchemy frequently and continuously without ever being discovered.
It seemed that Nostradamus's warning had helped him a lot after all.
At the very least… he wouldn't foolishly conduct this kind of equivalent exchange in his own territory again.
Who knew whether the process of an equivalent exchange might accidentally release those monsters from the Nightmare Land, and then they might simply take his territory as a base of operations or a place for teleportation, just thinking about it made Ethan feel terrified.
[Demon Tree Climbing Race: The once-every-ten-years climbing race will be held on September 10, Year 2000 of the Magic Calendar. Those who wish to participate, please register with the bartender at any Demon Tree Tavern within three days. Entry fee: 1 Dragon Coin]
[Participants who rank among the top one hundred will receive a prize of 100,000 Dragon Coins.]
[Participants who rank among the top ten will receive a prize of 1,000,000 Dragon Coins, as well as a mysterious grand prize.]
[The top three participants will receive grand prizes of 3,000,000, 5,000,000, and 10,000,000 Dragon Coins respectively, along with a super grand prize.]
Bzz~
At this moment, Charlie's radio suddenly made a sound and said, "Lord Ethan, I suggest you participate."
"Hm? Why?"
Ethan had already been considering participating, but he didn't really want to take the risk.
Of course, there was another reason. He was currently competing with a large group of lords for a spot in the top three, while also dealing with matters in his manor and arranging all sorts of things.
So he was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to manage his time.
After all, who knew whether participating in this Demon Tree Climbing Race would require countless days?
What if the climbing race hadn't ended yet, but the Lord Game had already ended?
Wouldn't the refugees who had lost their territories be out of his reach?
So when Ethan saw that the climbing race was happening in just two days, he became even more conflicted.
Bzz~
Before Charlie spoke, there was always a sound of static.
"Because I've predicted that of the seven remaining lords in Area A, aside from Lord Ethan's alliance, the lords from the other four areas seem to know that it will be difficult to surpass you, so they have all signed up for the climbing race."
"Although the climbing race carries a certain amount of risk, we're outsiders, and most of us possess special abilities as well as some special equipment. So compared with the natives of the Mist World, our chances of winning are still quite high."
"There's one more thing…"
"The flow of time inside the Demon Tree World is different from that of the outside world. Those lords will very likely level up inside, and may even obtain some additional things or train powerful skills through experience."
"If they form alliances with people from the Third World when they come out of the Demon Tree World, or even learn some kind of assassination skill and use it to assassinate Lord Ethan's alliance…"
"Although I know that Lord Ethan's abilities are very strong and you're not afraid of assassination."
"But the other two areas' lords who are working with you aren't nearly as strong."
"And there's one final point…"
"Lord Ethan also can't afford to take the threat from the Peace Organization lightly."
Only then did Ethan realize the importance of this climbing race.
However, this couldn't really be blamed on Mr. White for not explaining it clearly to him.
After all… Mr. White didn't know that he was a player.
And another reason was that Mr. White wanted to make more money through the Demon Tree Climbing Race. Naturally, he couldn't let Ethan leave at such a critical moment. The opportunity to make money was the priority.
So it was perfectly normal for Mr. White to simply skip over the matter of the Demon Tree Climbing Race.
"Honored guest!"
Red-haired Alfred stood to the side, a respectful look on his face as he said, "Your bug carriage is ready. It's a Dark Armored Bug, which is especially skilled at spatial travel. Please prepare ten spirit stones for the fare in advance, and then you can board!"
'Oh?'
His form of address had changed from "guest" to "honored guest."
However, Ethan didn't bother arguing with Alfred over such a minor detail. Instead, he pointed at the promotional notice for the Demon Tree Climbing Race and said, "I was looking at this Demon Tree Climbing Race that's being held two days from now. Do I register here?"
"Yes, honored guest. Pay the one-Dragon-Coin registration fee and take a simple test, and you'll be able to participate," Alfred smiled and asked, "May I ask if the honored guest would like to register?"