Farming in a Parallel World and Becoming a God
Chapter 209 - 171 Black Reaper Attacks_1

Chapter 209: Chapter 171 Black Reaper Attacks_1

Gaven was somewhat surprised by the rebuttal and turned his head to look at Flinn, "Do you know the name of this Jackalwere warband?"

Virginia also regarded Gaven with an inquiring gaze.

Gaven spoke evasively, "I’ve heard of them, yes. It’s said that they are a formidable Jackalwere warband that only recruits Jackalwere elites. Among them are Demon Priests adept at offering sacrifices to the Demon Lord Yenogu and can harness the Power of the Abyss to enhance themselves. The official members of this warband all possess black fur, and they leave no survivors wherever they go—brutally exceptional. Thus, they have been dubbed the Black Reaper. Instead of shame, they take pride in this title, adopting it as their warband’s name."

Gaven shared only some of the more commonly-known information, nothing too specific.

Because he wasn’t sure whether some events had taken place at this point in time.

In his previous life, the warband known as the Black Reaper had a notorious reputation.

They roamed the Northern Lands, leading to the ruin of countless villages and numerous casualties, eventually drawing the attention of the Northern Lands’ powerhouses who banded together to exterminate them.

But they had a way of rising from the ashes time and time again, becoming the henchmen of even greater evil powers.

There were rumors that this Jackalwere warband was secretly supported by the Santarin Association, as many of their merchants turned out to be the ultimate beneficiaries of the warband’s attacks.

However, no one could produce solid evidence.

"Correct," Flinn confirmed with a nod, "It is the Black Reaper. They have recruited a few Jackalweres who fled from here, learned about the Fairy Wilderness, and are now organizing an evil army to head this way."

Taking the floor, Gaven did not relinquish his turn but continued to inquire, "I am quite curious, how did Mr. Flinn come to know this information about the Black Reaper? And why inform us?"

There was a more pointed question that Gaven did not continue to pursue; Flinn was also a Jackalwere, and those of the Black Reaper were his kinsfolk, after all.

Flinn fell silent.

Without a doubt, Gaven had touched upon the heart of the issue.

If he couldn’t provide a reasonable answer, the credibility of the information he brought would be severely discounted.

The silence of the Jackalwere Monk didn’t last long before he spoke up, "You must find it strange, not just the aforementioned issues, but also why I, a Jackalwere, have become a Martial Monk. I wonder if you would be willing to hear a story."

"We are all ears," Gaven and Virginia both presented themselves as attentive listeners.

Flinn was not a practiced storyteller, but the story involving his origins, infused with his emotions, was quite unique.

There was a Priest named Bennett, a devout follower of the Morninglord Lathander.

He hadn’t done anything earth-shattering in his life, merely guarding a secluded Monastery, pondering the ultimate question of good versus evil in the Multiverse, and the role of faith therein.

It was claimed Jackalweres were crafted by the Demon Lord Yenogu in his own image, their nature imbued with demonic force, born inherently malevolent.

Bennett believed that this malevolent nature largely stemmed from environmental influences and evil faith. If they received teachings of faith from a young age and were nurtured with affection, it was his belief that orderly and good Jackalweres could be fostered, thereby negating the notion that certain creatures are innately evil. This would philosophically strike at demons, severing their power to commit evil in the material world.

Hearing this part of the story, Gaven had already come to the conclusion that it was bound to end tragically.

The old Priest was far too naive.

The conflict between good and evil, the opposition of light and darkness.

These are fundamental to the existence of the entire Multiverse; even the high gods cannot defy this Law.

The gods of goodness raise their God Kingdoms in the celestial planes.

Evil gods can only create their wicked domains in the lower planes.

When a good god falls into wickedness, his kingdom too will descend into the Abyss or Hell.

When an evil god converts to benevolence, his domain will be expelled from the lower planes, rising to the celestial planes.

This is a rule indomitable even for gods. You, a mere Priest, with a tiny experiment think to overturn it? If not naive, then what?

Even if the experiment succeeded, it would be an exception, not a basis for theory.

As expected.

Priest Bennett adopted five newborn Flinds. Three died one after another due to innate frailty. Only two survived.

One viewed the old Priest as a father and earnestly struggled against his own nature.

The other succumbed to his nature and to Yenogu’s temptations, murdering the old Priest in rage and consuming his body, setting foot on a path pursuing boundless power, which led him to the extremes of depravity, earning Yenogu’s favor who bestowed upon him even greater demonic power.

Thereafter, the good-natured Flind embarked on a path of vengeance, vowing to avenge his adoptive father.

By the time he located his blood brother again, he had become the Leader of the Jackalwere warband Black Reaper.

The benevolent Flind was named Flinn, the very Martial Monk before them.

The wicked one was called Nord, the great Leader of the Black Reaper.

"So, you have been following the Black Reaper closely, watching them and looking for opportunities to weaken them, taking the chance to avenge your foster father," Gaven stated, summarizing for the Martial Monk Flinn.

"Yes," Flinn nodded, "Perhaps to you, they are Jackalweres like myself, supposed to be my kin. But in my eyes, they are a gang of vicious thugs, executioners whose every breath is a desecration of this world. It is only right to eradicate them entirely, sending them to the Abyss. Would you not also hang your violent tribesmen?"

"Compared to Mr. Flinn’s great kindness that transcends race, it is our vision that is too narrow." Virginia took over the conversation and said, "Could we ask Mr. Flinn to give us a detailed account of the Black Reaper situation?"

Gaven and Virginia worked seamlessly together, one playing the good cop, and the other, the bad.

All the nice and harsh words were spoken by this duo.

Master Flinn, whose realms were lofty, seemed utterly indifferent as he said, "The core members of the Black Reaper are not very numerous, about three hundred or so, but the quality is high. They are all Abyssal Jackalweres enhanced by the Power of the Abyss, with their Professional Level awakened.

Moreover, they never act alone. Whenever they launch an attack, they inevitably gather all the local forces of Jackalweres, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Goblins, Gnolls, and other Monster Tribe powers to strike a thunderous blow.

Before I came here, the forces they had control over included at least four or five Monster Tribes, with a total of more than two thousand warriors. As for how many they can muster during an actual attack, I cannot estimate."

"Thank you, Mr. Flinn, for bringing us this news, it is crucial to us." Virginia expressed her sincere gratitude, "Otherwise, we would have been caught unaware if the enemy showed up at our doorstep."

"The message has been delivered, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to take your leave now," Flinn said as he stood up again.

"Mr. Flinn, what is this?"

"I intend to continue to lurk around the Black Reaper, to see if I can uncover more intelligence."

"That is quite dangerous. Now that we’ve been warned in advance, it’s more than enough. Why not stay here and wait for the Black Reaper’s arrival?"

"Part of why the Black Reaper chose to attack here is based on my personal speculation. Perhaps it’s just a false alarm. They might choose other targets, which is why I need to keep an eye on them to prevent them from slipping away."

"Alright, we will see Mr. Flinn off."

The Jackalwere Monk was insistent on leaving, and after exchanging a look, Gaven and Virginia ultimately did not stop him and escorted him all the way out of the camp.

Yaling General Colin asked with some confusion, "Why let him go? What if he is a spy sent by the enemy to scout our camp?"

"Unless the enemy Leader is an utter fool, no one would send such a spy. No matter whether the news is true or false, we will prepare," Gaven answered.

Virginia nodded in agreement, "When the likelihood of the truth far outweighs that of a lie, we must treat it seriously. Because if what he has said is true, he will be our greatest informant."

"We can’t disregard the other possibility," Gaven introduced a new perspective.

"What possibility?"

"Misdirection. Last time, I was seen here, and those with intent might guess I’ve allied with you. By issuing an early warning, they could attract our attention here and then strike at Dragon Oak Territory."

After speaking, Gaven himself couldn’t help but shake his head, "The likelihood is minimal; after all, they’d have to identify me in advance and deliberately target Dragon Oak Territory."

"It’s a small possibility, but we can’t discount it. We must prepare for multiple scenarios," Virginia still decided on caution.

"Before that, I must ask Lord Virginia for a favor. Come with me to a place and help me with something," Gaven seemed to have made a firm decision.

"Where to?"

"You’ll see once we get there. I’ll set the location, you just need to open the teleportation gate."

Seeing Gaven’s serious expression, Virginia did not press further, and instead took hold of Gaven’s hand, activating the teleportation gate.

When they regained their bearings, they found themselves in a steep canyon bustling with Gnolls busying in and out.

The sudden appearance of two people clearly startled the Gnolls; amid a barrage of barking and realizing it was Gaven, they gradually resumed their activities, paying him no mind as they returned to their tasks.

Gaven was used to this treatment.

The majority of Gnolls were not too bright, and bootlicking was an art of intelligence, one that few possessed, nor did Gaven bother to teach them etiquette. As long as they did their jobs, that was enough.

This place was clearly one of Gaven’s bases, though not a large one.

Surveying the surroundings, Virginia was still unclear on why Gaven had brought her here.

"Come with me," Gaven said mysteriously, "I have something amazing to show you."

His demeanor had piqued Virginia’s interest.

"Giant Dragon? Red Dragon?"

When Virginia finally saw what Gaven wanted to show her, she was quite startled.

To be more precise, it was an imprisoned Red Dragon, pressed under a great mass of stone, with only its head and one massive leg exposed. Although its full shape was obscured, it appeared to be young, perhaps in its adolescence.

It was unclear how long this adolescent Red Dragon had been imprisoned here, and though it was not dead, it wasn’t far from it, terribly listless in spirit.

Upon seeing Gaven, a flicker of malevolence flashed through its draconic eyes, quickly drowned by endless fear.

Aivensa, that little brat, would come to visit from time to time with no purpose other than to show off and babble about herself, but from her mouth, Roderick had gotten to know quite a bit.

For instance, the current miserable situation he was in, wanting neither to live nor able to die, was all orchestrated by this Half-Elf before him.

Life during this time was like being in Purgatory.

Not only did he have to constantly endure the immense pain of giant rocks pressing down on his body, but he also had to periodically endure being bled by those he once wouldn’t have deigned to glance at, to be turned into Dragon Blood Potions.