Chapter 18

The key issue was that Rodi simply couldn't recall the specific details—no location, no location...

He could feel that he was just a step away from the answer he sought, but his anxiety prevented him from uncovering it. In frustration, he tried to calm himself and began to think about the decisions he needed to make next.

It seemed that something significant was about to happen, but Rodi, unable to confirm the location, had no way to take any action. Clearly, these orcs were planning to attack somewhere, but he was truly helpless—though it might seem cold and indifferent to life, it was important to recognize that the world of "Rift" was not a modern society. In the era he had lived in, an accident reported on TV that claimed ten lives was a major event, but here... the slaughter of three hundred people in a village or the freezing and starving to death of nearly a thousand people in winter were mere topics of conversation for the lords, not considered significant events. At most, the lords would say, "This year is not good" and then lament, "Taxes are hard to collect."

At this moment, Rodi understood the limits of his abilities. Without knowing the location of the event, the only thing he could confirm was that Nolan Village would not be attacked—because he had stayed there for a long time and knew the village's history well. If there were to be an attack, it would not happen until two and a half years later.

Therefore, in this situation, Rodi wisely chose to ignore the content of the letter, as he knew he couldn't do anything... to warn all the villages to be on guard against an attack? That was unrealistic. The date pointed to the next day, April 15th. Rodi calculated that even if he started riding fast horses to all the border villages now, it would take him a week to complete the task.

Rodi sighed inwardly and didn't think too much about it. After collecting the spoils of war, he ate a simple meal in the dining hall to fill his stomach, pondering how to find Stan and use the blood ore to upgrade his weapons. Carter and Rugar, seeing that Rodi seemed in low spirits, came over to ask a few questions. Rodi didn't hide anything and explained the content of the letter.

Although they didn't know how Rodi could read the orc script, the information also made Carter and Rugar frown and think deeply. They ultimately decided to send people to notify nearby villages to be vigilant and take preventive measures.

After all, they were native citizens of the Carren Kingdom, and their thinking was entirely different from Rodi's player mindset. Understanding this, Rodi had no objections. After dispatching two scouts in two directions to notify the villages, Carter and the others temporarily felt at ease and returned to the simple hut to sleep.

Listening to the loud snoring, Rodi looked up at the rising sun, rubbed his slightly bloodshot eyes, and found a corner to squat down, softly calling up the character attribute panel.

The battle to raid the orc camp rewarded an astonishing 728 experience points from start to finish. Adding the 66 experience points left over from reaching level 2, he now had 794 experience points, exceeding the 600 points needed to reach level 3.

Rodi was a bit puzzled and then opened the "Quest Log," where he saw a record: "Raid on the Orc Camp (Completed)"

Below it was a task rating: A-

So, it turned out that he had unintentionally completed a faction-matching "quest." Such quests are often not actively accepted but are directly assigned by the system during actions. Completing or not completing them is optional, but if completed, there would be corresponding rewards based on the rating. Rodi couldn't completely annihilate all the orcs in the camp, so the rating was naturally lower. However, if he had pursued and killed those orcs, the rating might have reached the highest S level.

But Rodi didn't think about it much at the time. He had other reasons for letting those orcs go: to let these terrified orcs return and spread the news, demonstrating the power of humans, which would serve as an intangible deterrent to the arrogant orcs.

Turning his gaze back to the character attribute panel, he thought for a moment and ultimately did not choose to "level up."

This extra level of experience was Rodi's current trump card—a last resort to save his life. If any unexpected event threatened his life, he could use the "level-up bug" to instantly restore his strongest combat ability, whether for escape or a fierce fight. This was a move that others could never anticipate.

Thinking that he finally had a decent survival skill, Rodi's tense spirit finally relaxed. The fatigue began to spread, and he looked at the blood ore in his hand, deciding to sleep and deal with these matters later.

Stepping back to the dormitory, it was already past midnight, and the sun was about to rise.

Nolan Village still looked the same. The windmill on the distant hill slowly turned, and farmers preparing to work the fields walked out of their houses in groups, chatting on the road. They occasionally talked about Lord Kirk's estate, discussing the lives of the nobles with a hint of envy.

Listening to their idle chatter, Rodi gradually recalled the differences between this society and the modern one he was from. In this land, the concept of "ambition" might exist for many, but no one would think, "If I work hard, I can become a noble" or "I don't want to farm; I want to be a knight."

As a modern person, Rodi had been educated from a young age that "all people are equal." But here, such thoughts seemed unrealistic. In the Carren Kingdom and all human lands, farmers would always be farmers, and tailors would always be tailors. They were born as subjects of the lords and owed them loyalty. This concept was deeply ingrained, and people rarely had any extra thoughts.

Rodi shook his head, cleared his mind, and stepped to the door of the hut where the snoring was deafening. He faintly heard the sound of hooves. Turning his head, he saw the lord's estate's cargo wagon returning from another village—this was a common sight, and Rodi didn't pay much attention. However, he noticed the figure in a butler's robe hurriedly getting off the wagon and rushing back into the estate, seemingly in a hurry for something.

Probably... the lord was about to start collecting rent?

Thinking about the rent, tribute, and taxes that an estate had to pay, Roddi sighed, thinking how oppressive feudal society was. He went into the house, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep...

...

In the evening, the shepherd drove the sheep past the hut, and the "baa" sounds woke Rodi from his sleep.

This body still wasn't used to staying up late. Rodi sighed as he opened his eyes, slowly sat up from the bed, and rubbed his greasy hair, which hadn't been washed for days. He yawned and tried to wake up amidst the still-thunderous snoring.

Suddenly changing his schedule wasn't easy. Even after sleeping for five or six hours, Rodi still felt weak. A few of the sleeping scouts had already gotten up, presumably to find something to eat. His eyes felt a bit sore, and he accidentally hit the crossbeam when he stood up, feeling that he still wasn't used to this height and environment. However, after two victories, Rodi's mood gradually relaxed, and he wasn't as tense.

When he first woke up, his mind was always a bit stiff and muddled. Rodi was no different, but as he walked out of the house, a few conversations clearly reached his ears.

"Will Lieutenant Sordin get a promotion?"

"Him? When will Duke Luciferon be senile enough to give him a promotion?"

These words reminded the drowsy Rodi of his current identity—he was no longer just a player but a scout belonging to the Luciferon family... to Duke Luciferon, he was just one of the countless insignificant private soldiers... ha, the Luciferon family, at least a duke...

Wait a minute.

Rodi suddenly stopped, the words "old duke" making him feel that something was different from his memory.

In his memory, after the game started, the largest city in the northwest, "Hollir City," had no old duke, only Duke Francis, who later betrayed the country and joined the enemy. He was not old at all. The only one related to the term "old duke" was the statue of an old man in the city, Duke Angmar Luciferon, the father of Duke Francis.

Could it be... that the old duke, who was supposed to be dead, was still alive?

"Marco, I want to ask—where is Duke Francis now?"

Rodi casually asked, and because of the authority he had accumulated from two battles, the chatting soldiers immediately stood at attention, answering him as if he were a legion commander: "R...Rodi Captain, you mean Duke Francis? At this time of year, the Duke should be on a tour of his territory with his sister, as is the annual custom."

The soldier who answered assumed Rodi had misspoken and answered without any hesitation. Rodi smiled, indicating that he didn't need to be so tense, and asked if the soldier's wounds were healing. After nodding and chatting for a few moments, he walked to the side.

Turning his face, his expression was normal, but his mood was a bit conflicted—

Duke Angmar Luciferon was still alive and was the highest lord of this land?

This was definitely unexpected news.