Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 375 I'm leaving Backlund

"Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming."

Lu Ze snapped out of his thoughts and apologized to Sharon.

"Ah."

Sharon said calmly. She should have realized that Luze had discovered something, but seeing that he had no intention of sharing, she didn't press him for details.

"How many of those materials have been sold?"

Lu Ze suddenly remembered something else.

"Basically none were sold."

Sharon replied, "That demigod infiltrated various extraordinary gatherings to ambush us."

That's really being too persistent.

Lu Ze felt a chill, but quickly laughed, "It's alright, we can make a move tonight, right?"

There's no need to worry about that demigod causing trouble at the Queen's party. Besides, he plans to use this high-level gathering to search for the main ingredients of the potion, even just a clue would be helpful.
"By the way, Miss Sharon, are you familiar with the Shadow Knights and Griggs, these two extraordinary creatures?"

Lu Ze asked.

After Sharon's answers to the "School of Life" questions, he had higher expectations for Miss "Wraith." After all, she came from a sect with a deep-rooted history, even though that sect had now been corrupted by an evil god.

Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed this time.

"I've never heard of the Shadow Knight, as for Grigor..."

She thought for a moment, "I once read about it in the sect's books. It's a kind of extraordinary creature, also called a blood giant. It used to be distributed in the Northern Continent, but it's basically extinct now."

Hey, as expected, extraordinary materials at the demigod level certainly won't be obtained so easily.

Although somewhat disappointed, Lu Ze tried to console himself.

He then said, "Then you..."

"Crench!"

The carriage suddenly swayed, interrupting his words.

"what happened?"

Lu Ze raised his voice and asked the coachman outside, his alertness heightened. Although he didn't sense any extraordinary presence outside, he remained cautious.

"It's nothing, sir."

The driver's muffled voice came from across the carriage, "The intersection ahead is blocked, we need to change our route a bit."

"The road is blocked, why?"

Lu Ze frowned and asked.

"Because the warships are about to enter the port, the streets around the port area are closed to traffic."

The coachman's voice was filled with pride, as if he straightened his back in his seat, "Sir, you know, that's the 'Pritz'!"

Oh right, it was mentioned in the newspaper.
Luzer recalled that the ironclad warship "Pritz" had dominated the seas this year, defeating numerous pirate fleets. Now, to celebrate the New Year and for its maintenance, it would return in glory to Backlund to participate in the festivities.

Through the carriage window, he could see that soldiers were indeed guarding the intersection ahead, preventing carriages and pedestrians from passing. Fortunately, there was more than one road to the North District, and the driver changed the route slightly, and the carriage soon resumed its journey.

After that, the two chatted about various topics, including the "Rose School" and the situation in the Southern Continent, as well as their experience exploring Amon's Tomb that day. Meanwhile, the carriage gradually approached the abandoned botanical garden in the Northern District.

"Although it was really dangerous at the time, the outcome was good after all."

Lu Ze laughed, "Look, we've acquired so many extraordinary attributes and items. We can make a fortune just by selling them at the Queen's party."

As he spoke, the carriage arrived at the botanical garden, and he casually glanced out the window. His eyes widened instantly.

Now, this botanical garden in the north of the city collected rare plants from all over Rune and the Southern Continent. It was originally intended for exhibition to earn admission fees. Unfortunately, the citizens of Backlund were not interested in it, and coupled with its remote location, even the land could not be sold. In a fit of anger, the owner abandoned it and stopped taking care of it.

Thanks to the abundant rainfall in Backlund, the plants here grew wildly, and soon became overgrown and desolate.

Considering that the Queen could manipulate plants to build castles, choosing this location for the gathering was quite appropriate.

When Lu Ze looked out the car window, he did indeed see the castle made of plants. However, the castle was in ruins; its magnificent exterior looked as if it had been ravaged by giants, now dilapidated. The plants that made it up were all withered and dead, as if all their life force had been drained away.

Someone has disrupted the Queen's party!

"Don't stop, keep going."

Lu Ze was only stunned for a moment before he reacted. He immediately called to the coachman to have the carriage leave at a steady pace. After the carriage had passed several blocks, he turned around and met Sharon's gaze with a gloomy expression.

Who do you think it is?

".I have no idea."

Sharon paused for a moment before answering.

As for Luze, he had some guesses. He thought it was likely the force behind the human trafficking and disaster-making scheme. They had already clashed with the Queen once, ending with her naval forces being besieged and her temporarily leaving Backlund. Now that the Queen had just returned, they were already eager to make their move again.

Another possibility is that the organization that orchestrated Duke Negan's death, the Twilight Hermits, is also secretly altering the landscape of Backlund.

Or perhaps, the two forces are actually one.
Thinking of this, Lu Ze felt increasingly uneasy, as if a heavy dark cloud was slowly approaching the metropolis, pressing down on him and making it hard to lift his head or breathe.

It's time to leave.

After passing through a few more streets, Lu Ze called for the carriage to stop.

He stepped out of the carriage, stood by the streetlight, and watched the carriage leave.

Sharon's figure quietly appeared, the orange light of the streetlamp shining through her slender body, leaving no shadow on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I can't attend today's gathering."

He said to Sharon. It was nearing the end of December, and the nights in Backlund were very cold. The white breath he exhaled was illuminated by the lamplight, making it look like a monster hovering around him.

"I hope the Queen is alright."

Sharon said.

“That one is a high-sequence individual; it’s not our place to worry about him.”

Luze had great confidence in the Queen. He noticed that the castle only showed signs of battle, but there was no trace of blood. "Something big may happen in Backlund soon. I suggest you and your companions be careful."

"Ah."

Sharon calmly accepted his suggestion.

The two chatted all the way, but by this point there was basically nothing left to say.

Lu Ze thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I plan to leave Backlund before the New Year. Before I leave, I wish you a Happy New Year in advance."

"Happy New Year."

Sharon nodded.

Then, without saying another word, she quickly disappeared under the streetlights.

As for Lu Ze, he hired a new carriage and returned to the East District.

He decided to begin preparations for leaving tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)