NOVEL WEB Chapter 18 : Prepare for First Conquer
Several wooden roots emerged from the ground, resembling a cocoon enveloping something. The wooden cocoon appeared in front of Alice and Arina, who were sitting on a rock under a tree.
The wooden cocoon then opened, revealing a beautiful woman inside. Some parts of her body were covered in green scales, from her elbows and fingertips to her knees and toes.
Don't forget that the woman's chest is also covered in green scales, but the woman is not wearing any clothes and only her green scales cover all her sensitive parts. After coming out of the wooden cocoon, the woman immediately knelt and lowered her head, and half of her body was still covered by the wooden cocoon.
"Alice-sama, sorry to disturb your time; I will deliver the report given by Aether-sama,"
Alice gazed at the woman for a moment, observing her body, and her libido remained completely unresponsive. Alice then shifted her gaze to the woman's face, which was incredibly beautiful.
Apart from the green scales, her skin was smooth and fair, as if she had been bestowed with a gift from nature. She belonged to the high-level dryad race previously summoned by Aether, and Aether had obtained an item to summon these dryads from Alice.
Her ears were pointed and long, just like an elf's. A green aura surrounded her body as if nature itself was protecting her from all kinds of dangers.
Her nails were also very sharp, and she had serrated teeth. Nevertheless, she remained stunningly beautiful. Any ordinary man would likely fall in love at first sight upon seeing a high-level dryad like the one before Alice.
Alice had no interest whatsoever in the dryad.
Feeling herself being stared at for a while, the dryad's face turned red, and she tried to stay focused on her mission, which was to deliver the report to the supreme leader.
"Alright, so what's your report?" Alice asked.
Alice was quite curious because Aether had managed to gather the report quickly. Indeed, Aether was a servant Alice often used when exploring forested areas due to her swift movements in such environments.
However, since this area used to be a forest, Aether could still use her skills to move quickly here. But if the forest remained damaged for seven days, Aether wouldn't be able to move swiftly anymore because this area would no longer be considered a forest.
"Very well, but before that, I'd like to introduce myself -"
"No need! Just get to your report!"
Arina's voice sounded very firm as she cut off the dryad's conversation, and she wore a somewhat intimidating expression. This naturally frightened the dryad standing before Alice, causing her to break into a cold sweat.
Alice didn't like Arina's attitude of not allowing subordinates to introduce themselves. It was like someone only wanted the hard work of someone else but didn't care to know who was doing the hard work.
Seniority might be playing a role here too. Arina was a servant, while the dryad before Alice was a permanently summoned creature.
However, Alice was also quite puzzled, and she was genuinely curious.
(Since when do dryads have names?)
In the Monsterland game, every monster wouldn't have a name, and the name section in the monster profile would be filled with the name of the monster race.
This was quite different and intrigued Alice.
(Do all the creatures I summon have names?)
This made Alice very interested; there might be a good story behind her subordinates' names.
"I-I apologize for being so presumptuous,"
The dryad even banged her head on the ground and prostrated herself in apology. Seeing the dryad like this made Alice snap back to reality.
"Stop, Arina! If summoned creatures like this dryad want to introduce themselves, let them introduce themselves!"
Alice said very firmly, "Alright! Forgive me, Alice-sama, I swear to atone for this sin!"
"No need, Arina. All creatures can make mistakes, so don't think like that," she replied.
"Alright, I understand."
The Dryad was quite confused and guilty for causing a small disturbance here due to her carelessness. She had also resolved to commit suicide if the Supreme Leader demanded it because of her grave mistake.
"Alice-sama, Arina-sama, if you please, I will take my own life to redeem my mistake."
Hearing these words, Alice had a terrible headache and felt her stomach cramp. It was utterly nonsensical for someone to introduce themselves and then request a suicide punishment.
This situation left Alice utterly perplexed by her subordinates' mindset.
"Stop that! That's an order from me! First, introduce yourself, and then deliver your report clearly and in detail," Alice commanded.
Alice was meticulous and couldn't afford to miss any small details in the report provided by Aether. She was well aware that Aether had put in all her effort to compile this report quickly, in just a few hours.
Alice expected that Aether would provide the report in the afternoon or evening, but this was far from her expectations. She didn't anticipate Aether delivering the report in the morning, which was both impressive and terrifying.
If her subordinates could create such concise reports, what about Alice herself!?
Thinking about it made Alice want to escape the current situation.
"Very well, my name is Veris, one of the Dryads summoned to serve the Supreme Leader and the most esteemed individual in this world, Alice-sama," Veris introduced herself.
Alice pondered for a moment. (Veris, huh? A rather good and simple name.) But after her name was mentioned, Alice snapped back.
"Continue with your report, Veris."
"Yes! Aether-sama has discovered several goblin tribes around a dozen kilometers in that direction. They all appear to originate from separate tribes, but now they have united to form a very large goblin tribe."
"This is likely due to the tremendous and powerful explosion that was undoubtedly caused by Alice-sama."
(Ehhh!!!??? Did a Hydrogen Explosion make the goblin tribes unite?)
(I didn't expect the impact to be like this, and how did they survive the explosion?)
"So, how did they manage to survive the explosion?"
"So, go on,"
"Several orc tribes are located tens of kilometers from the goblin settlement, and they seem to be preparing for a major battle."
"Probably due to dwindling food resources."
"If that's the case, do the goblins have enough food supplies?"
"According to our observations, the goblins should be able to sustain themselves for at least the next 20 days."
"Aether-sama is currently restoring the forest at a location quite far from the goblin and orc settlements, and it shouldn't raise their suspicion."
"Fascinating! A remarkable report,"
Alice praised Veris.
"I don't deserve praise after the mistakes I've made,"
"Veris, Alice-sama has given you praise, and you should be grateful and think harder so that Alice-sama will praise you again in the future,"
"Very well, Arina-sama,"
"In that case, I'll assign the first task to Aether, convey this to Aether when you return,"
"Yes! I will relay it. So, what task does Alice-sama want to assign to Aether-sama?"
"Conquer the goblin village without bloodshed. Success or failure is a matter of later, and I'm giving a 5-day deadline from now. Additionally, all dryads and other races assisting Aether must also help in restoring this forest, including Aether herself,"
Alice felt uncomfortable as she uttered these words as if she were passing on the damage she caused to others.
"Then, I'll go to the orc location to conquer them,"
Alice then stood up and smiled as if she had found a new purpose in life.
"We must conquer the creatures around us to protect Azaroth,"
"Understood! I get it! Then, I'll take my leave,"
Alice nodded. The dryad instantly returned to her wooden cocoon and disappeared underground.
"Arina, you will be in charge of taking care of and overseeing Azaroth while I'm gone,"
"Wait a moment, Alice-sama! It's very dangerous for you to go alone to a place with minimal information,"
Suddenly, Alice realized her mistake. If she were ambushed by players, she might easily be killed even though she could put up a fight. However, being ganged up on by many players would be troublesome.
"In that case, we will go to Azaroth to gather some troops and procure equipment to prepare for unforeseen circumstances,"
"All right! Allow me to accompany Alice-sama to the orc location,"
"Then who will watch over Azaroth?"
Arina thought for a moment and remembered someone.
"An Ancient Lich named Ivara, he has a rather high level of intelligence, and I acknowledge him,"
"An Ancient Lich, huh?"
Alice pondered for a moment.
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