Arcane Emperor

"What is this? My golden finger? Or the player attribute interface?"

After a brief contemplation, Matthew put this question aside for the moment, deciding not to dwell on things he couldn't figure out right away. The choice at hand was the most pressing matter.

"Leaving here and heading to Sweet Water Town, the Misfortune Level actually gets this high?"

"A value of 5, that represents a 100% death rate disaster!"

"Are there ambushes along the road ahead? Or is there danger in meeting with Baron Carlisle?"

In Matthew's recollection, the adventure level of the Misty Swamp wasn't high, being suitable for beginners.

Many new players adventured in this area.

Of course, the real world would definitely differ from the game, but the difference shouldn't be too drastic.

Unless there was a sudden appearance of a thousand Merfolk or a Swamp Crocodile Leader with a Challenge Level of over 10 charging towards them, it was improbable to pose a threat of complete annihilation to a group of over a hundred people, including 10 Professional Soldiers.

But such disturbances would be substantial, and they would be detected and avoided from a distance.

"Choosing to stay, the worst-case scenario is a delay of two hours, and Fortune 4 sounds secondary. The important thing is, it's possible to survive!"

Recognizing his own strength, Matthew followed his heart's choice and, pushing open the door, said in a calm tone:

"There's no rush to hit the road; let's fix the cart first."

"Everyone else, take a break. We've been traveling for many days and are nearly at our destination; there's no need to hurry."

His voice, ever so calm, lacked the usual urgency. Butler Ralph looked at Matthew, who was wearing a faint smile, with some astonishment and felt as though "the young master has grown up". He slightly bowed and agreed:

"I shall comply with your command."

Ralph turned around and gestured for everyone to rest, then called out in a robust voice:

"My Lord has instructed everyone to rest. Elder John, you handle your tasks; everyone else should check the goods and take the opportunity to replenish your strength."

"We are about to reach our destination soon. Your hard work will not go in vain, and the land and beautiful life promised to everyone will certainly be fulfilled."

These encouraging words elicited faint smiles from those around.

With aspirations for a bright future, they found the hardships and dangers endured along the journey to be insignificant.

Seeing this, Matthew glanced at Butler Ralph with a touch of surprise.

Whether it was handling affairs, arranging manpower, controlling the situation, or setting the mood, the butler performed exceptionally well.

Moreso, the special effect demonstrated through Ralph's speech clearly indicated that he too was a Professional.

"He must be a Level 3 Butler. The Serl Family's noble roots really do run deep. If there's no risk of death, this start isn't bad at all!"

This thought slightly relieved Matthew. He wasn't against leading the team alone, but having assistants would save him more energy to deal with real threats.

While pondering this, Matthew began to evaluate the others.

There were about 100 able-bodied people, the core group the family arranged to follow to the new estate.

Most of them were slaves who had been purchased by the Serl Family and had undergone some military training. Having been promised freedom after contributing five years of work, they were to earn the status of freemen.

There were also freemen from the original estate, some skilled in trades, who were eager for land of their own in the new estate, or simply a different life altogether.

Beyond these people, the ones Matthew valued most, aside from the 10 Soldiers guarding the wagons, were certainly the Knights lagging at the end of the procession.

Walking through the mud, Ralph inspected the line of people and whispered to the Knight on the horse:

"Angela, you've worked hard. Take a break."

Expertly raising her visor and wiping the sweat beads on her forehead, Angela revealed a sweet smile:

"It's not hard, the regular training is much more exhausting than this."

Although she said that, Angela, who cares for her mount, still alighted from her horse gracefully, making her silver-white steel armor seem weightless.

Angela stroked her beloved horse's mane, giving it specially prepared fodder with a fresh egg added, and finally fed it a pinch of salt; she took care of it with great attention to detail.

Matthew looked at Angela's slightly pointed ears, the beautiful young lady knight evidently had elf blood in her veins.

"Professional Knight, so young, she must have great talent. If trained properly, she might be able to lead a knight corps one day!"

Recalling the Dragon Knight Corps once under his command, Matthew made up his mind.

He must establish a powerful Arcane Empire!

Human destiny should be controlled by their own hands!

Matthew failed to notice that Angela, feeling his gaze, had her ears turn slightly red.

An hour and a half later.

Elder John fixed the axle, and the caravan set off once again.

Matthew kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings but saw no signs of danger, not even the merfolk that usually ambushed from the muddy watering holes were to be seen.

After the alert flashed, and with no movement since, Matthew began to question its reliability.

Another hour passed.

The caravan had reached a point not far from Sweet Water Town, and as Matthew caught sight of the distant town, he subconsciously raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me? Where's the promised fortune?"

"Roar...!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from afar.

The voice carried immense oppressive force and a kind of dreadful majesty that chilled the bones.

"Dragon!"

Matthew immediately turned his head and saw a huge black figure spreading its wings, causing a fierce gale as it soared into the sky with a "swoosh."

In an instant, it charged into the clouds, disappearing from everyone's sight.

Its colossal body, 18 meters long, confirmed what had just flown past Matthew was indeed a mature Black Dragon!

A leader of Challenge Level 17+!

Very likely to become a legendary super creature!

The horrifying wind and oppressive force instantly threw the resting people into chaos; many fell into the mud in panic, their hearts racing uncontrollably.

The draft horses, terrified out of their wits, collapsed to the ground, screaming in a frenzy, lying there, trembling incessantly.

The ordeal wasn't over yet; the roaring bellow persisted in the cloud layer, as the Black Dragon's immense and majestic figure dove towards the ground.

His pupils contracting sharply, Matthew saw the sinister light in the eyes of the black colossal beast; countless players had fallen to such terrible attacks. It had a resounding nickname:

Deep Breath!!!

The dark-green corrosive breath fell mightily, turning the area below into a destructive, scorching hell as the Black Dragon streaked forward.

Butler Ralph, standing next to Matthew, pointed tremblingly at the disappearing Black Dragon amidst rolling black smoke and muttered to himself:

"Sweet Water Town is done for..."