Chapter 476: Chapter 234: This Is Freaking Level 8?

He took out a map with the route drawn on it and pointed to a small section. "Around noon on the second day of the mission, we’ll be passing through Route 11 of the Blackwater Swamp. For about an hour, we’ll be relatively close to the Core Area. But even at the closest point, we’ll still be about a kilometer away."

Lin Mo nodded. He had read many related books on his way to Fajade City, so he was quite familiar with the dangerous areas nearby.

The great Forest of Serenity was divided into over a hundred Demon territories of varying sizes, each inhabited by different species of Demons.

The Blackwater Swamp, on the other hand, was a rather unique area. The paths were muddy and swamps were everywhere; a single careless step could leave you trapped.

However, because the Blackwater Swamp offered the most direct route to many cities, including the Royal Capital, saving at least two days compared to going around, the City Lord of Fajade City had spent a great deal of effort in the past to carve out relatively safe official roads through the swampy region.

By following these official roads, the risk of getting stuck in a swamp was greatly reduced. After extensive trial and improvement, the probability of encountering a swamp was now very low. Those who still unfortunately fell into one while on an official road were mostly just unlucky, stumbling upon a newly formed patch of swamp.

Among these cleared paths, there were a total of three routes leading to the Royal Capital.

They were Route 1, Route 5, and the newest one, Route 11.

Route 1 was the first one established. It took the most cautious approach, with the road carved along the border between the flanking mountains and the Blackwater Swamp. It had since been paved with stone slabs, serving as the main trade route, and was extremely safe.

But for one thing, an extremely high number of merchant caravans passed through this trade route every day, to the point that one had to make appointments and queue up. For another, this cautious route also meant it was still somewhat of a detour. Although it saved about 40% of the travel time compared to going around the other side of the mountains, it was still quite long. At a normal carriage speed, reaching the Royal Capital would take at least five days.

The second path, Route 5, mostly ran along the outskirts of the Blackwater Swamp. About two-thirds of the way in, upon reaching the dense swamp area, it turned inward and passed through the middle of the Blackwater Swamp.

The final third of this route was more dangerous, but it saved one to one and a half days compared to Route 1. It was also less congested than the main trade route, making it the choice for many mid- to high-end merchant associations.

And finally, there was Route 11, which had just been completed this year.

This route was the boldest, cutting straight into the middle of the Blackwater Swamp. As it neared the Royal Capital and encountered the dense swamp area, it veered even further, detouring toward the Blackwater Swamp’s Core Area to shorten the journey as much as possible.

The advantage was reaching the Royal Capital in three or even just two days. As for the disadvantage, it was, naturally, the danger.

The Core Area of the Blackwater Swamp was home to quite a few Middle Tier Lord Level Demons, which were equivalent to Elite Level.

In addition, the Blackwater Swamp was a lawless region, with many bandits and marauders active within it. To evade encirclement by the main cities, these bandit groups often set up their strongholds in the middle of the Blackwater Swamp, or even deeper.

Therefore, the chance of being attacked by bandits while traveling on Route 11 was also considerable.

And any bandit group that could survive and establish a foothold in such a place was not to be underestimated.

That was why a merchant convoy escort mission was rated as C Level.

But even so, among C Level Tasks, this was already considered one of the less dangerous ones.

The possibility of encountering an Elite Level Demon was undoubtedly much better than directly facing one, along with the numerous other Demons that might be at its side.

If they were lucky and didn’t run into any Elite Level Demons, it would be a huge gain.

Even if they were unlucky and did encounter one, it would just be like an ordinary C Level Task, but with extra rewards.

The mission Deke had chosen was indeed a good one.

"Oh, right. The Blackwater Swamp has a lot of poisonous fogs and miasmas, so we’ll need to prepare some anti-poison and detoxification Potions. We’ve prepared quite a few. Take a look. If it’s not enough, you can buy more at the Association."

As Deke spoke, he opened his bag, revealing dozens of meticulously packaged Potions inside.

"This should be enough."

Lin Mo nodded. ’These Potions alone must be worth thousands of Gold Coins,’ he thought. ’We might not use them all, but it shows that Deke is sincere.’

Under normal circumstances, these Potions would be more than enough; they wouldn’t even be able to use them all.

Even if something unexpected happened, there was no need to worry. Before leaving Silver Stream City, Madam Chacher had given them a batch of Alchemy Potions, which also included high-quality anti-poison and detoxification Potions.

Even Potions purchased from the Association probably couldn’t compare to the ones from Madam Chacher.

"However, there is something I need to buy..."

Lin Mo hadn’t forgotten that he still needed to buy another Priest Profession Skill to raise his Priest Profession’s Level.

"Alright, no rush."

Deke nodded. "That’s fine. It gives us more time to study the mission route and identify the high-risk areas. Besides, the caravan isn’t ready yet. We’re scheduled to depart at nine, so there’s plenty of time..."

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