Goddess Kaleidoscope

When Lude arrived, he saw two small black dragons leisurely basking in the sun on the open ground at the village entrance from a great distance. The dog-headed farmer passing by ignored the two black creatures, clearly having grown quite accustomed to them.

Suddenly, two figures ran out of the village, one after the other. The one in front was a black and white flying creature, about the size of a large cat. The one following behind was a voluptuous purple-haired girl whose movements were like surging waves, giving Lud, who was facing him, a strong visual impact.

The flying cat is the baby dragon Kanna. When she doesn't transform, she remains the same size as before. Sensing Lud's arrival, she comes out to greet him.

Following behind her was Hydra, the snake maid. After returning to Pine Town with Rud, she was assigned to Peach Blossom Village as a baby dragon nanny. She ended up running after Kanna and bumped right into Rud.

End of this chapter

The meeting began with a generous feast of "meat, eggs, scallions, and chicken," and Lud, who hadn't been thrown off balance, nodded to himself, thinking that the snake maid had finally fully adapted to his current human body. Back when he had just transformed, that attack would have sent Lud flying on the spot; the impact was no less than that of a truck capable of transporting someone to another world.

Given Hydra's good performance recently, having completed several missions, as a reward, Rudd has not included her in the book since returning from Oyster Harbor, and plans to give her a public identity so that she can integrate into human society.

Although Hydra in human form requires the summoner to continuously provide it with divine power, as long as it is not in monster form, the consumption of power in human form is not significant. With five goddesses behind him acting as power banks, Lud has no pressure whatsoever.

However, the real problem is that Hydra is not used to being human. After being a monster for so many years, many habits cannot be changed immediately just by changing into a new appearance. Therefore, it needs to undergo relevant special training.

Hydra had no objection to Lud's arrangement. At first, it was simply because of "her master's orders," but now that she was gradually adapting to her new body, she found that being human was much more convenient than being a snake.

"Master, you've arrived."

"Come and see, you've worked hard these past few days."

Rud stroked the baby dragon that was rubbing against his cheek on his shoulder, then gave the timid snake girl a gentle smile. Hydra understood that this expression meant she approved of him, and she was happy too.

After touring Peach Blossom Village, Lude inspected the living conditions of the demi-humans. The village had recently taken in some weaker races such as gray elves and swamp halflings. This was Lude's policy for accepting these scattered, non-powerful demi-human refugees.

Peach Blossom Village is located in a valley within the territory of Nidhogg. It is a rare paradise in the entire Void Forest. Human adventurers, large and medium-sized demi-human tribes, and powerful monsters dare not approach this area. The land in the valley is also very suitable for cultivation. Nidhogg provides shelter for this multi-racial demi-human village out of respect for Rude.

However, the exceptional conditions also attracted some covetous eyes, and Nidhogg couldn't possibly keep an eye on them and provide protection all the time.

There was an accident before, where some wandering cannibals from other places were led into the village by Ah Qin's idiots as refugees. As a result, when they saw that the village was so rich and that the villagers were all weak demi-humans, they had evil intentions.

Ah Qin's kobold rangers were indeed outstanding in reconnaissance, but they were no match for these powerful races in a head-on confrontation. If Shanis hadn't arrived in time using the idol teleportation to wipe out the ogres, Peach Blossom Village, which had finally begun to show signs of improvement, would have been doomed.

From then on, the village only absorbed small-scale subhuman races. It didn't matter if the development was slow; the key was to maintain stability.

Lude came here for two reasons: first, to check on the village's development, and second, to personally arrange for Aqin's kobold rangers to do some things for him.

Among the many demi-human races in the Void Forest, the kobolds are considered a neutral group. They are vassals of powerful demi-human tribes, occasionally engage in intelligence trading with human adventurers, and even accept temporary employment as guides.

Before being recruited by Lu De, A Qin had led a group of cronies in similar business dealings and had even learned human language in the process.

Given the other party's experience in this area, Lud put him in charge of the kobold rangers. His daily tasks included reporting to Lud the movements of various races and adventurers in the forest, as well as returning to his old profession as a neutral intelligence broker, helping Lud spread messages that he wanted to disseminate.

This is what is known as "non-guest cowboy"!

Lude told Aqin that for the next while, whenever adventurers came to him to buy information, he should find a way to leak them a message that there was a hidden cave at the foot of Ghost Head Mountain in the south, with several ancient guardian statues inside, seemingly guarding some rare treasure.

The same message was also spread by people arranged by Lud in Pine Town and other towns in the north of the kingdom, striving to spread the news as quickly as possible and reach the ears of those he wanted to hear it from.

Rumors of treasure spread like blood spilled into the sea, attracting adventurers greedy for money and fame. They are completely unaware that the news is emerging from multiple places simultaneously.

This is the first step in Lud's plan to lure the enemy. Since the Black Hand Brotherhood has been searching for a certain artifact, and they don't know what it looks like, they will inevitably be attracted by this news and come to find out.

Meanwhile, Lude also tricked the necromancer Dick into going into the forest to search for treasure, leading him to meet another group of Black Hand Brotherhood members, and finally inducing a conflict between the two sides to wipe out these competitors.

In this way, the relationship between Dick and another force escalates from a conflict to a deadly feud. In this conflict, Ludd, who helps him eliminate his rival, will gain Dick's great trust, and Dick will believe that Ludd is a staunch ally on his side.

After that, things will be much easier. Ludd will act like a "kind older brother," offering advice and various forms of assistance to Dick, helping him fight his sworn enemy to the death, and ensuring that there is no possibility of any easing or cessation of this internal conflict within the Brotherhood.

That's the general plan for the first phase. Specific operational details will vary depending on the situation, and Lud will find ways to adapt accordingly. There's never a foolproof plan in this world, but caution and flexibility can minimize the probability of failure.

After finishing his business, Lud saw that it was getting late and prepared to head back to town. When Kanna saw that he was going back, she squatted on his shoulder and clung tightly to his collar with her little paws, as if she was determined to come back with him or she would cry on the spot.

Hydra also wanted to go with them. The snake girl had been acting as a babysitter for the dragons these past few days, but she neither knew how to take care of children nor had enough aura to suppress these dragons, so she hadn't been doing a very good job and had been driven to despair by these naughty dragon children.

In contrast, Shanes was surprisingly good at this. When Lude was away, she was the one who kept an eye on Brown and Bramos, keeping these two little brats, who gave their fathers so much headaches, completely under her thumb.

Specifically, Shanis found an opportunity to demonstrate her "second form" in front of the two boys, and the effect was outstanding!

End of this chapter

With someone actively fueling the flames, the news spread by Lude rapidly throughout the northern part of the kingdom. In just two days, more than half of the adventurers and mercenaries knew that a new ruin had been discovered in the Void Forest.

Soon after, some adventurers in the forest, who had been selling information to the kobolds, were the first to find the hidden cave, but without exception, they all returned empty-handed.

These adventurers returned to Pine Town with firsthand information about the cave's interior. They learned that there was indeed a sizable underground ruin inside the cave, but it was riddled with traps and extremely dangerous. The first few teams to enter were all defeated and forced to retreat after only a short time.

It's worth mentioning that the advance team discovered a very strange metal monument at the entrance to the ruins. At first glance, it appeared to be newly made, with an unusually smooth surface, unlike anything ordinary. The accompanying mage was able to sense some kind of unusual and special energy emanating from it.

The metal monument has a smooth, unmarked surface, but whenever someone touches it, a set of scrambled characters will quickly appear on the front. The advance team reassembled and deciphered these characters, eventually obtaining three sentences.

Gods are stingy, but devils are generous!

This is a treasure trove, but also a death trap for the greedy.

Rejoice! You seekers of treasure, I have prepared everything you desire in the abyss. Hedtaka Miyazaki loves you... especially loves to see you suffer.

The inscription on the front of the stele consists of only three sentences, and when the decoder reads these three sentences aloud in front of the stele, the inscription changes again.

The text on the front was rearranged into the correct order, and the four large characters "Spiral Abyss" appeared. The back showed a structural diagram of the entire underground ruins, with nine layers from top to bottom. Each layer clearly marked the location of treasure chests, with the quantity and quality increasing as you went down, giving off an impression of "come and play, old man!"

However, once these naive youths actually entered the ruins, they discovered that while the metal stele did provide a map, it only showed the main structure and not the number of traps or mechanisms. They finally understood the meaning of the third sentence of the inscription: "Hedtaka loves to see you suffer."

This name is not unfamiliar in the northern part of the kingdom today. Its presence can be seen in many major events that have occurred in the Void Forest in recent years. The Medicine God Cult, which first came into contact with it, called it the "Suffering Demon".

Fortunately, the leaders of the first few adventurer teams were all cautious veterans. From the beginning, they never expected to explore the entire ruins in one go. They ventured in only to obtain firsthand information and investigate the true nature of the ruins. If they found anything amiss, they immediately retreated. Therefore, although everyone in the team was injured, they all managed to escape with their lives.

One of the teams even managed to get their hands on a treasure chest, a very ordinary pine chest, which, according to the markings on the map, should be the lowest level among the four types of treasure chests.

Even so, when they carried the heavy box back to the ground and opened it, they were still taken aback by the "good stuff" inside.

Nearly two-thirds of the chest was filled with small pieces of magic crystals. The quality wasn't very high, but this quantity could easily fetch a hundred or two hundred gold coins. The chest also contained an enchanted dagger and a lightning magic scroll for a lightning whip. These two items were worth more than the pile of low-quality magic crystals.

Even the lowest-level treasure chests were so generous, instantly igniting the adventurers' greed. Gifts from demons were certainly tempting, but the sheer amount they offered was simply irresistible!

After the vanguard returned to Pine Town, the adventurers took the treasure chests they brought back to the town's most respected saint, Rudd, hoping that the knowledgeable old man could help them identify whether the items in the chests contained a demon's curse.

Rudd then pretended to touch it, telling the adventurer that he did indeed sense demonic power, but this energy wasn't a curse, but rather a lingering malice, mainly attached to the box. He assured the adventurer that the contents were perfectly usable. If the adventurer was still concerned, he could help purify it, or simply buy it at market price.

So the adventurers did some research and finally decided to sell all the magic crystals to the temple, while keeping the enchanted daggers and scrolls for themselves.

Especially that magic scroll; after analysis, it was confirmed that the Lightning Whip technique had been modified, changing from a single shot to five consecutive shots. To suddenly unleash such a move in battle is utterly unsportsmanlike!

The "success" of the vanguard team instantly spurred on the adventurers and mercenaries still remaining in the town. Even a failed adventure that ended in defeat could bring back a treasure chest worth two or three hundred gold coins, and this was supposedly only the lowest grade chest in that ruin. It made people's eyes itch.

Then, Rudd stepped forward, further fueling the already high level of enthusiasm. He believed the ruins were a conspiracy by suffering demons, an elaborately crafted demonic playground. Adventurers who entered would experience its malice, becoming toys to be toyed with at the demons' whims. But if no one went, the demons would use it to mock humanity's cowardice.

He also discovered that the treasure within the labyrinth was not the work of demons, but rather stolen goods. For adventurers to reclaim this treasure, which rightfully belonged to humanity, was a perfectly just and righteous act!

Encouraged by Rudd, and in order to prove humanity's backbone and courage, and to reclaim those treasures, adventurers charged headlong into the Spiral Abyss.

In support of the adventurers' "righteous deeds," the Temple of Rude also launched a "limited-time promotion" event. Any adventurer who is preparing to explore the ruins can enjoy a 30% discount when purchasing divine potions and special items from him and presenting the association's certificate.

The entire event was planned very smoothly. Lude's purpose was not only to lure the Black Hand Brotherhood, but the appearance of the demonic ruins also brought a new wave of people to the town. Attracted by the treasure, in addition to adventurers and mercenaries, various merchant guilds and organizations also formed expeditions to Pine Town, bringing a new economic boost to the town.

Seeing that the preliminary preparations were almost complete and the atmosphere was getting heated, Lude took the opportunity to meet with the necromancer Dick, who was squatting in the detention center, and told him about the discovery of the ruins.

Thanks to Ludd's efforts, Dick's identity was not exposed. He was treated as a drunken adventurer and given a week's detention, to be released the day after tomorrow. Ludd told him to lie low in town and wait for news from him after his release.

End of this chapter

Since the news of the Demon Ruins spread, hundreds of outsiders have been flocking to Pine Town every day. However, the town has made great progress in both its infrastructure and services compared to before, and it is no longer struggling to cope with the influx of people.

The Self-Defense Corps has now completed its reorganization, with the three hundred men reassigned to different branches of the military: thirty cavalry, seventy crossbowmen, and two hundred infantry. The three knights each serve as captains of their respective units according to their specialties.

On the surface, this force had been incorporated into the Baron's army, becoming his private army directly under his command, and had nothing to do with Lud now. However, after Maine was overthrown and the old lady regained her senses, Lud had become a guest of honor in the Baron's household as his benefactor, and his influence in all aspects had not diminished in the slightest.

It is worth mentioning that although the old lady ultimately only agreed to let her daughter Lisa go to school to learn life skills that noble ladies would need to master, such as cooking and sewing, she hired Ludwig as the Baron's tutor, who would come to the Baron's house three times a week to teach him, mainly to learn to read and write, and to add other subjects when he got older.

In addition, construction began on the Baron's official residence. Through Lud's connections, a dwarven construction team was hired from Gulig. The renderings and floor plans of the manor were provided by Lud.

The old lady was amazed by Lude's erudition, even his mastery of architecture. Lude, on the other hand, was inwardly filled with emotion, thinking that the European-style villa he and his best friend had built together while playing Minecraft years ago was finally being made into a physical replica outside of the computer.

On this day, Ludwig was giving the Baron his lesson as scheduled. Halfway through the lesson, Hume suddenly came over and whispered a few words in his ear. After listening, Ludwig calmly gave her instructions.

"Let it air out for now, and I'll deal with it when I get back after class."

Meanwhile, on the other side, a medium-sized adventure team of more than twenty people had just entered the town. Judging from their clothes and demeanor, the team was actually composed of two groups: one group consisted of real mercenaries, while the other group seemed to be servants and guards, surrounding a young master like a star.

If Lud were here now, he would definitely recognize the mercenary squad leader as a familiar face—Erwin von Mastak of the Hydrangea Blade.

This purple-haired young master had some interactions with Lud when the War God Cult's missionary group arrived in Pine Tree Town. He was essentially a messenger between Lud and Duke Gamelin in the east. The two were not allies, but they were not enemies either.

Lude's initial impression of this guy was that he was an arrogant and domineering rich kid who liked to bully others and acted recklessly as a mercenary. Later, he discovered that his background was not simple, and that he himself was quite shrewd, secretly having an affair with Duke Gamelin behind his own father's back.

It seems that Erwin came to Pine Town this time as a mercenary, taking on a job as a guide and bodyguard for another group traveling with him. Once the group entered town, Erwin approached the young master who was being surrounded by guests, and said with a warm smile.

"This is Pine Tree Town, Young Master Terin."

"It looks so-so, far inferior to Yanmu City."

Hearing the young master's rather arrogant evaluation, Erwin smiled noncommittally, thinking to himself, "You're comparing the most formidable pass in the southeast of the kingdom to a small border town on the northern frontier that has only been established for five years. Who exactly are you looking down on?"

Of course! He definitely couldn't say that to his face. Along the way, Erwin had figured out that his own playboy act was fake, but this guy was the real deal. Anyway, this mission was just about making some extra money for him, so he'd just go along with this idiot.

However, what bothered Erwin was that although this young master Trin was a fool, the old man who looked like a butler beside him was not simple. When the two first met in Unos Town, the mage beside Erwin had secretly warned him that he couldn't see through that old man.

These people seemed to be accompanying their young master on a sightseeing trip, but they were actually looking for something. Erwin was quite concerned about this, but wisely did not ask any questions.

The group entered the town and first found a place to stay. Although Young Master Terlin was a fool, he was really rich and booked an entire hotel on the north side of the town, facing the river.

After everyone put down their luggage, Erwin, under the pretext of "gathering information," left the inn with one of his teammates. He didn't go to the town's tavern, because he had already learned on the way there that the town's largest tavern had been temporarily requisitioned by the new lord, and the mercenaries and adventurers had gone elsewhere in town for entertainment.

But Erwin didn't go to those places; instead, he went straight to the temple, intending to find the most well-informed person in town to directly inquire about crucial information.

Erwin quickly arrived at the temple gate. From a distance, he could see that a large crowd had already gathered there. Upon closer inspection, he realized that most of the hundred or so people were fellow potion enthusiasts, queuing to buy potions. A temporary stall had been set up in front of the temple gate, with a green sign that read "Potions - 30% OFF".

What do these symbols (referring to 0FF) mean?

The alien native, who couldn't understand English, scratched his head and casually pulled over a passerby to ask about the situation. He learned that it was a limited-time promotion on potions, and a group of people were frantically buying them, thinking that they would lose out if they didn't. Among them were some middlemen who wanted to take them to other places to make a profit.

After thinking for a moment, Erwin realized that the divine potions of the Medicine God Cult were indeed highly sought-after goods, so he had his companions join the queue while he entered the temple through the adjacent believer passage.

Compared to the rapidly changing town, the temple of the Medicine God Cult remains largely unchanged. To put it nicely, it is simple and frugal; to be blunt, it can be described as stingy and impoverished.