Chapter Thirty-Seven: Schemes!

In the block world, there exists a most peculiar creature. Small in stature, its entire body is covered in white feathers, and it is a domesticated fowl often raised by the block people. It possesses the beak of a duck, yet utters the cry of a chicken; it has the webbed feet of a duck and the wings of a bird, but when slain, what it yields is chicken meat.

Mo Fangyuan has named this strange creature: the Chick-Duck.

At dusk each day, the Chick-Duck will call out, reminding the block folk that night has fallen, the moon shines upon their backsides, and it is time for bed.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The Chick-Ducks in the village called out in unison—it was night.

“Lin Ye, it’s up to you now! There are thirty-nine people here, we must recruit them all... Success is the only option, failure is not allowed!”

“Son, this matter is crucial for us! If we truly join the kingdom, it will be the fortune of a lifetime!”

At this moment, two groups set out—one heading west, the other east, each to fulfill their task.

“Village chief, how many years has your village been established?”

“Not many, just fourteen years. Compared to those powerful and prosperous kingdoms, it’s nothing...”

Inside the chief’s house, Mo Fangyuan and the old village chief exchanged polite banter, though their minds were filled with schemes.

“These two warriors must remain present; should monsters appear, it would be troublesome if they weren’t here to deal with them...” The old chief muttered inwardly.

“The chief must be present; otherwise, even if I win the battle, I might not gain their recognition...” With this thought, both men smiled, as if by coincidence.

“Warrior, you may not know, but since our village was founded...”

“Chief, let me tell you, my adventure stories are quite exciting, for example...”

Both delayed for time, though anxiety brewed within—they’d been waiting nearly half an hour, and still no one had returned.

“Chief! Chief! Bad news, something terrible has happened!”

The young man who had delivered news that morning suddenly burst in, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with terror.

“M-m-monsters are coming! Their numbers are...”

“Haha! Haha! Ha!”

“Why is the chief laughing?” The young man looked bewildered, tinged with anger; monsters were attacking the village, and yet he laughed!

“Haha! Haha! Hahaha!”

Suddenly, Mo Fangyuan joined in the laughter.

“Why does the warrior laugh?” The young man sensed something was amiss and asked.

“I laugh because our village will perish so absurdly, leaving me speechless before our ancestors! All I can do is laugh!” The old chief glanced at Mo Fangyuan beside him, desperately playing the victim.

“Why does the warrior laugh then?” The young man, panicked by the chief’s words, quickly turned to Mo Fangyuan, who seemed formidable.

“I laugh at these paltry monsters, daring to flaunt their skills before me! Old chief Mo Han, watch as I claim their heads!” Mo Fangyuan feigned bravado.

“Warrior, such talent! We are humbled and should...”

Just as the chief was about to kneel and pledge allegiance to Mo Fangyuan, two urgent voices sounded from outside.

“Chief, bad news! A group of monsters has appeared in the west!”

“Chief, the east as well, and there seem to be even more monsters!”

“What in the world?!”

The old chief and Mo Fangyuan were dumbfounded.

What was going on?

No one knew!

“Quick, quick! Take me to the city wall!” The old chief was truly panicked now. Hadn’t he told his son to bring back only a few monsters? How had so many arrived?!

“Wretched son, you’re going to ruin your father!” The old chief was at a loss.

“Let’s go, I’ll come too!” Mo Fangyuan was equally confused—he had instructed Lin Ye not to bring too many monsters, so why were there so many now?

With doubts in mind, Mo Fangyuan followed closely.

“Roar! Roar roar roar!”

“Crunch! Crunch...”

“Tear, tear...”

From the front, the west, and the east of the village, monster noises intertwined, and a glance revealed a dense, terrifying mass.

“What is happening here! It’s over, completely over!” The old chief was beside himself.

“Father, what do we do now?” The chief’s son, just returned, trembled with fear.

He seemed to have done something terrible.

“Your Majesty, this...” Lin Ye was not overly afraid, but felt deeply ashamed.

Were it not for Mo Fangyuan’s presence, the old chief might have taken drastic measures against his own son.

And if the old chief were absent, Mo Fangyuan might have had a stern talk with Lin Ye in the woods.

“Whew, let’s do our best!” Mo Fangyuan had made a fatal mistake: the village already had thirty-nine people. With Mo Fangyuan and Lin Ye staying the night, the total reached forty-one.

This was enough to increase the monster spawn rate in the region!

Plus, both Mo Fangyuan and the old chief had dispatched people to lure monsters...

“I was careless, didn’t...”

“Your Majesty, fortunately the village has only around forty people, so the area attracting monsters isn’t large. The total number of monsters is about one hundred to one hundred and fifty.” Lin Ye calculated.

Presently, only Mo Fangyuan, Lin Ye, and the chief’s son were capable of combat.

Three against more than a hundred monsters, while defending the village and protecting the villagers—it seemed an impossible task.

“Your Majesty, perhaps we should lead the villagers south and retreat.” Lin Ye suggested that the village was likely lost, and it would be better to break through and escape.

“No, absolutely not! We must stand our ground!” Mo Fangyuan firmly refused.

It was night, after all; forty people wandering in the wild would be easy targets, attracting far more monsters than the current hundred.

If they fought here, perhaps thirty block folk could be saved.

But if they ventured out, they might not even save ten.

“Chief Mo Han, as long as you guard the village and prevent monsters from entering, the two of us can kill them all!” Mo Fangyuan spoke confidently, though his heart was filled with uncertainty.

“Really? Thank you, warrior! If you succeed in repelling the monsters, we will henceforth pledge ourselves to you!” Even in the direst moment, the old chief did not forget the desire to join a kingdom.

“Son, the village is relying on you!” The old chief felt both exasperated and affectionate toward his foolish son.

“Father, don’t worry! Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t abandon the village... I won’t abandon the village!” The old chief’s wrinkled face twisted in frustration.

“Just hold your position!” The old chief was nearly beside himself with anger.

“Warriors, it’s up to you now!” The old chief turned pleadingly to Mo Fangyuan and Lin Ye.

“Rest assured, your concerns are mine as well.” After all, soon you’ll be one of mine—though Mo Fangyuan kept this thought to himself.

“Lin Ye, how many days’ worth of TNT explosives did we bring?”

“Your Majesty, we brought two batches.”

“Two batches...”

“...Alright, you head northwest, I’ll go northeast. Try to draw the monsters to yourselves, keep them from attacking the villagers!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lin Ye departed, Mo Fangyuan went to his own battleground, leaving only panicked villagers within the settlement.

“Don’t be afraid, folks! With those two warriors outside, nothing will happen to us! They’re warriors from a kingdom and will surely protect us!” The old chief tried his best to reassure the villagers.

Fortunately, the old chief’s reputation was high, and most villagers would obey his command.

“Everyone, follow me—we’ll go to the sturdiest stone house...” The old chief clearly had some skill, knowing that the best course in such a situation was to gather everyone together in a safe place.