Slime Immortal.

Chapter 209 The Complicated Situation

"The Blade of Vengeance?"

Upon hearing this name, distant memories surged through Arthur's mind like a tide. He seemed to recall something and asked in confusion:
"Weren't those organizations founded by the Chaos believers who worship Morgul expelled from the kingdom's territory long ago by the Kingdom's Knights and the Church of the Sun?"

Grann shook his head helplessly: "The Church of the Sun did launch a purge back then, driving most of Morgul's fanatical followers to the Rotten Mountains."

"But you should know that the spread of faith has always been very covert, and the power of corruption has a great temptation for the weak."

"Especially for those avengers who have nowhere else to turn, joining the corrupt is the most direct and fastest way to gain power."

"As long as injustice, oppression, and grievances exist in the kingdom, no matter how many times the blade of vengeance is destroyed, as long as the soil remains, it will always be reborn like a phoenix, with the flames of vengeance."

He shrugged: "Even without 'Blade of Vengeance,' there would be organizations like 'The Vendetta' or 'Spear of Judgment.' Their names may be different, but their essence is the same."

As he spoke, he took an old parchment from his pocket and spread it out on the scratched oak table.

"And this time, the professional who reassembled the Blade of Vengeance is said to be a former border knight named Kelvin Ellis."

Chen Yu, who had been quietly squatting on the counter and was feeling drowsy, stirred slightly upon hearing the familiar name "Kelvin," instantly becoming much more awake.

Kelvin?
Hmm, this name sounds so much like the owner of the two corrupted trial parchments he found in the abandoned village in the swamp.

The knight who left behind the notes and ultimately chose to embrace the corrupting power was also named Kelvin, but he never returned after leaving the village...

Could it be the same person?

Unaware of the slime's unusual behavior, Grann continued his narration:

"The name Ellis was once associated with the birth of a White Birch Knight who reached the extraordinary level at the beginning of the White Horse Kingdom. Therefore, the Ellis family was also known as the White Birch family. However, with the decline of the family and the passing of its members, by Kelvin's generation, only he remained in the entire family."

"Although the specific reasons are unknown, this knight was tried and wanted by the border guards for treason and was forced to flee the kingdom. Later, he came into contact with corrupt forces and secretly sneaked back into the kingdom, where he successfully assassinated a powerful nobleman named Caron Scott."

"This incident caused a sensation in the kingdom, but as Kelvin's whereabouts became a mystery again, no one discussed it publicly anymore."

"But what many people don't know is that the knight not only did not flee again, but instead went into hiding within the kingdom, gathered other corrupt believers who were dissatisfied with the current state of the kingdom, and rebuilt the Blade of Vengeance."

"These past few years, their frequent actions have caused quite a bit of trouble in the country's interior."

Calvin crossed his arms and asked casually, "So, what is the connection between the Blade of Vengeance and the Crown of Ignis?"

"Are you suggesting that the crown has fallen into the hands of the Blade of Vengeance, and that we should then deal with those dangerous corrupt followers?"

Grann quickly waved his hand: "Don't misunderstand, the Blades of Vengeance are involved in complicated matters, and they are not entirely enemies of the kingdom."

Then, he said meaningfully, "On the contrary, for the kingdom, it is a sharp blade that can remove rotten flesh."

"Although the Blades of Vengeance do not possess the Crown of Ignis, the Bailey Brooks you are looking for may be within this organization."

Calvin frowned: "How did she get involved with the Blade of Vengeance?"

Grann shrugged, indicating that he wasn't entirely sure either: "Who knows? After all, we only discovered this lead in recent years, so we don't know much more than you do."

"Perhaps in order to survive the fierce battles between those kingdom parasites and the Blade of Vengeance, she had no choice but to join the Blade of Vengeance for protection."

"In short, thanks to that Knight Arthur, Miss Belle, who was caught up in the vortex, seems to have deviated from her original life as a peasant woman and stepped onto the grand stage of the kingdom."

"Of course, please don't misunderstand. I'm not being sarcastic about your friend. We know that the charges against you were fabricated by them, but Miss Bailey is indeed quite something now. She seems to have become a key member of the Blade of Vengeance."

"To find her, we must first contact the corrupt followers of the Blade of Vengeance."

After he finished speaking, he showed a timely expression of regret for Arthur's passing, unaware that the deceased knight was sitting quietly opposite him.

Calvin glanced at Arthur beside him without making a sound, his fingers tapping lightly on the wooden table, seemingly deep in thought, but actually talking to Chen Yu.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Grann: "You know there are traitors within the kingdom, so why don't you take action immediately instead of going through all that trouble to use those poor Avengers to deal with them?"

"Well... because the situation is more complicated than you think..."

Grann fell silent for a moment, his fingers interlaced, his head bowed as he gathered his thoughts. After a long pause, he slowly began to speak:

“Mr. Calvin, this country may not be as perfect as the poems portray it; it has darkness and decay, but I still love it deeply and am doing my best to maintain a facade of peace and stability.”

"However, our strength is very weak, even pitifully small."

"On the contrary, those parasites are not as weak as you imagine. They have woven a huge web with power and money, constantly corrupting the kingdom."

"They are deeply rooted, like a giant tree with intertwined roots, or like an elephant hidden in the shadows of a room."

"Some people can see the elephant, some can't, but without exception, most of those who see it dare not speak, much less offend this enormous creature."

"And the Blade of Vengeance is a power not controlled by the kingdom, nor by those parasites."

"There are some things that only they can do, and only they are capable of doing."

He looked at Calvin, his tone becoming sincere.

"I need you to use your past connections to try and get in touch with Miss Bailey and build a bridge for us to communicate and cooperate with Vengeance Blade."

"As long as the Crown of Ignis doesn't fall into the hands of those parasites, we don't even care where it goes. You should understand what I mean."

"Ugh, all this scheming and power struggles again. It's giving this Earl a headache," Earl Bran muttered, lying behind the chubby boy, then idly sharpening his claws.

Calvin gave Grann a deep look, but his attitude did not soften because of Grann's seemingly frank words. He continued in a calm tone:
"You're not telling the whole truth. I suspect you have other motives hidden."

Grann was taken aback, then said helplessly, "As expected, I couldn't hide it from you. In fact, the prince behind me is also very interested in you and the power you represent."

"Are you pursuing a strategy outside the kingdom?" Arthur spoke up at the opportune moment, hitting the nail on the head.

Grann readily admitted, "That's right. We hope that the undead lord of your territory can cause some trouble for the great demon hiding behind the scenes, even if it's just some harassment and restraint."

"The best course of action would be to find a way to sever the passage between the kingdom's border and the Golden Valley, preventing these kingdom parasites from making contact with that great demon."

He then chuckled, "And also, you don't actually think that the kingdom's nobles would remain indifferent if a sizable undead territory suddenly appeared on the kingdom's border, do you?" "It's all thanks to Your Highness's lobbying efforts that those officers' vigilance was lowered, all for the sake of this possibility of cooperation."

“Coincidentally, if you do not return to Allenbridge Fortress, I will soon be heading to the border to visit the undead lord on behalf of His Highness.”

“Your information network is indeed very good,” Calvin commented.

However, there was one more thing he didn't say: although the intelligence network of His Majesty behind Grann was powerful, it was not yet perfect.

Because the lord of the emerging force in the swamp is not an undead at all, but a slime that no one expected...

"So you've agreed to cooperate?" Grann asked cautiously.

Calvin did not answer immediately, but instead asked Chen Yu through the gel communicator, "What do you think?"

Chen Yu shook the gel slightly to indicate his agreement.

Currently, the benefits of cooperating with them outweigh the drawbacks.

If anything unexpected happens during this time, he can also make Arthur and the others withdraw in time, without having to care about integrity or reputation.

Anyway, it was the undead who broke the agreement, what does it have to do with him, the slime?

After receiving the reply, Calvin nodded slightly and asked, "What is your specific plan?"

Grann's eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "It's very simple. The Blade of Vengeance is most active in Storm Territory, where the Border Guard Legion is stationed. It is constantly plagued by demonic tides and is also the most important gateway from the mountains to the Golden Plains."

"Once this place is breached, surging monsters will rush out of Storm Territory and flood into Golden Harvest Plains, ravaging all the unripe crops."

"The reason why the Blade of Vengeance appears there so frequently is not because it wants to breach the defenses of Stormhold and lure in monsters, as rumored."

"In fact, that place is the most heavily infiltrated by demons. Entrusting such an important place to these parasites, one can imagine how terrible the consequences would be if a war were to break out with those demons."

“If we go there, we can find Miss Belle, and perhaps also get news of the Crown of Ignis.”

“Storm Territory is not far from here. It only takes seven days to reach it by horseback, but with our help, you can get there in three days.”

"Moreover, His Highness can forge new identities for you, so even if your friend is a ghost, you will not be questioned."

He frankly admitted that he had seen through Arthur's identity and hoped to dispel their concerns.

After listening to Grann's words, Arthur and Calvin exchanged a glance and finally agreed to his arrangement.

Grann visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping involuntarily. "Great! I'll go prepare the horses and supplies right away. Please wait here for a moment."

After Grann left the farmhouse, Count Bran immediately flew out from his hiding place and landed on Arthur's shoulder.

"Ugh! This guy's talking in circles, so frustrating, but at least we have a clue about the crown."

Arthur nodded gently, put the chubby boy back on his shoulder, and walked to the window to observe the situation outside.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled the fields. A few barks came from afar. Turning to look in the direction of the sound, you could see Grann's figure gradually disappearing into the distance along the country road.

Calvin walked to his side and whispered to Chen Yu on his shoulder, "Your Majesty, how credible do you think what he said is?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment, "Seven parts, I'd say. The part about the Blade of Vengeance is probably true, but he has reservations about what the prince's intentions are."

"However, at present, cooperating with them is indeed the best option."

Not long after, Grann returned.

This young man from the Snow Wolf family once again demonstrated his "wealth" and "efficiency." He boldly purchased two well-fed and strong horses from the nearest post station stables and had the grooms bring them back.

"These are the horses prepared for you. They are gentle and have excellent stamina, enough for us to reach the nearby noble territories."

Arthur stepped forward, expertly inspected the horse tack, and then asked, "When do we depart?"

Grann mounted his horse. "Let's set off now. It's still early, so we can cover as much distance as possible."

Arthur and Calvin exchanged a glance and simultaneously mounted their horses.

To make the journey safer, Chen Yu quickly hopped onto Calvin's shoulder and then jumped into the breastplate. Count Bran, on the other hand, nimbly slipped into Arthur's breastplate, only his small head peeking out.

"Let's go!" Grann flicked the reins, and the horse galloped forward with light steps.

The two men followed, riding their horses through the country lanes, quickly leaving Allenbridge far behind.

Golden waves of wheat rippled in the wind, like a flowing ocean. Occasionally, farmers could be seen working in the fields, looking up with curious eyes at the group of unfamiliar travelers.

Chen Yu also curiously observed the scenery along the way.

As a slime living in a swamp, this was the first time he had ever seen such a wide-open field in Zearella.

It truly lives up to its name as a vast plain; the fields stretch as far as the eye can see.

I wish the Slime Kingdom could have such a large plain someday.

He thought to himself with envy.

“Where shall we spend the night?” Calvin asked, his mount keeping parallel to Grann.

Grann replied, "There's a small town ahead where we can rest at an inn. I've already made arrangements."

Chen Yu had originally planned to follow Arthur and the others all the way to Storm Territory to enjoy the local customs and culture of the White Horse Kingdom.

But soon news came from the distant swamp that there was an emergency at Riftstone Fortress, with many undead appearing in the surrounding area.

"Undead?"

Why are those undead who stay in the ruins all day suddenly coming out?
Could something have happened in the Dark Lands?
Filled with doubt, Chen Yu realized he could only return to the swamp to deal with these uninvited neighbors.

(End of this chapter)