Chapter 00061: Threat from the Sea
# Threat from the Sea
Chapter 61
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 61: Threat from the Sea
Viola was very dedicated to the matter of spreading the faith of the Demon God.
If not for her duties in managing the territory, it would not have been the Royal Guard leading the commoners in prayer in the plaza every morning; Viola would have certainly been there every single day.
It was naturally even better if people she was familiar with wanted to join the faith.
For instance, Viola had tried to preach to Wendy several times, but unfortunately, Wendy could never really get into it.
But it was precisely because she knew her so well that Viola was keenly aware of Audel's overly enthusiastic spirit for research.
She was truly afraid that Audel might anger the Demon God.
"I've already sent someone to fetch the scripture. You can take a look first. You can only become a follower if you accept it from the bottom of your heart."
"That shouldn't be a problem. I've been researching self-hypnosis spells recently. Even if I don't accept it, I can use a spell to change that. I can also test whether a creature whose mind has been altered by a spell can switch the deity of their faith."
…
See? She really was cause for concern.
At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.
Viola thought it was Zola returning with the scripture, so she simply said, "Come in."
"Your Highness."
However, it was not Zola who entered, but the Tree Elf Zhuoya and her younger sister Lia.
Lia had been all smiles, ready to greet Viola, but upon suddenly seeing an unfamiliar person sitting next to her, she immediately hid behind her sister like a startled rabbit.
"My apologies, I did not know you had a guest. I am intruding."
"It's alright. This is my cousin, Audel. She just arrived in the territory today. These two are the Tree Elves Zhuoya and Lia, from the Springlight Woodland near Leon Fortress."
After a brief introduction of both parties, Viola noticed that Audel's gaze seemed a bit off.
She got the feeling that Audel wanted to drag the Tree Elves off for an experiment, so she quickly asked,
"Zhuoya, what brings you here today?"
"We heard that the city is short on medicine, so we brought some Healing Moss."
This was a special type of moss that needed to be kept dry.
When ground into a powder and applied to a wound, it had antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
When brewed with hot water, it could alleviate a sore throat and fever.
It was a unique medicine of the Tree Elves, found nowhere else.
"Thank you very much. This is a great help."
"There is no need for thanks. The Lord Demon God has helped us a great deal and even granted us high-yield crops. We are the ones who should be endlessly grateful."
As the two were exchanging pleasantries, Audel suddenly interjected,
"Did you come to the fortress through a Mushroom Ring?"
"Uh… yes."
"I knew it. As soon as I entered the castle, I sensed the fluctuations of a special teleportation magic. With Tree Elves present, it's most likely a Mushroom Ring. Could you let me visit your woodland to conduct a study? I once visited the Tree Elf woodland in Cloak Forest, but unfortunately, I couldn't activate the Mushroom Ring, which requires Druid magic. Because of that, I was chased for nearly ten kilometers by the Tree Elves of Cloak Forest."
Audel's expression remained unchanged, but her eyes lit up, something that only happened when she encountered something of great interest.
The so-called Mushroom Ring looked just as its name implied: a very standard circle formed by growing mushrooms.
Druids could use it to teleport between two Mushroom Rings, making it a kind of teleportation portal.
The Springlight Woodland was not far from the fortress, but the Mushroom Ring was generally only used for transporting supplies or in emergencies.
Most of the time, the Druids preferred to transform into animals and walk to Leon Fortress.
Zhuoya was a bit troubled by Audel's words.
She glanced at Viola, who was facepalming, and said, trying to be diplomatic,
"The Tree Elves of Cloak Forest probably meant no harm. Otherwise, they would not have stopped at chasing you for ten kilometers."
At this point, Viola had to speak up.
She said in a suggestive tone,
"Audel is the youngest High-Ranking Mage in our kingdom. I can vouch for her character, but I cannot predict what she might do if she goes to your woodland. If you do permit her to go, I hope you will keep a close eye on her."
"... I understand. I will discuss this matter with the elders."
Viola knew very well that Audel was not a bad person, but because of that confounded research spirit of hers, who knew what she might do to offend the Tree Elves.
A preemptive warning was necessary.
With that said, Zhuoya wanted to take her leave.
After all, Tree Elves were not fond of outsiders.
Viola and the Royal Guards came to the woodland occasionally, so it was fine now that they were familiar, but Audel was a complete stranger.
The Tree Elves did not want to stay long.
But before she could speak, the door was knocked upon once more.
Viola thought that this time it must be Zola returning with the scripture, but it was not.
"Good day, Your Highness."
Miss Wendy entered the office with her butler, Reina.
She was a little surprised to see that the office was not, as usual, filled with Royal Guards busy with their work.
Then, her eyes immediately fell upon Audel, who was sitting next to Viola.
"You are… Wendy?"
"It has been several years, Miss Audel. I did not expect you to still remember me."
"Actually, I didn't recognize your face, but your hairstyle is too distinctive. It is hard to forget."
"..."
Yes, Audel always spoke so bluntly.
"But I have not forgotten you for a single moment, Miss Audel."
Wendy sat on the other side of the sofa and said lightly,
"Using a freeze ray to turn the tea used in my etiquette class into a block of ice, using sparks to burn off the fur of my beloved puppy, using a splash of strong acid to leave a large hole in my birthday present, and secretly concocting a magic potion but, having no test subjects, making me drink it, which gave me diarrhea for a week. I remember all of these things crystal clear."
It felt as though her voice grew more and more resentful as she spoke…
And to make matters worse, Audel turned to Viola beside her and said,
"Was Wendy always so prone to holding grudges? I've almost forgotten all about those things."
"You should remember them! How can you just forget the trouble you have caused others!"
Wendy took a deep breath, as if telling herself, 'I am not angry, I am not angry at all.'
She composed herself for a moment and said,
"We can talk about the past later. Your Highness, I have some bad news."
Wendy took a sealed letter from her dress pocket and placed it on the coffee table.
"This morning, a fast boat arrived from Sailing Harbor. The people on board brought a secret letter from my father. The navy of the Tandelon Demon Kingdom launched a feint attack on Sailing Harbor, successfully providing cover for a transport fleet to bypass the Sailing Harbor navy. They are heading in the direction of the Leon Territory."
The Tandelon Demon Kingdom was one of the Coalition of Four Nations attacking the Avarus Demon Kingdom.
Upon hearing this, Viola immediately lost her relaxed demeanor and asked in a low voice,
"What are the specific numbers?"
"An estimated fifty-some vessels, the majority of which are troop transports."
This was clearly a move to capture Viola.
Otherwise, no one would even want a remote and barren place like the Leon Territory, even if it were offered for free.
Not to mention launching a naval feint just for this.
"I predicted the enemy would come from the sea, but… this is too soon."
The only land route into and out of the Leon Territory, the Canyon Path, had been blown up by Viola.
The army definitely could not get in before it was cleared, as an army was not just composed of people, but also a large and vital baggage train of supplies.
So, the only way in for now was by sea, taking ships around the Spine of the World Mountains.
But doing so was actually very troublesome.
The harbor in the Leon Territory could currently only moor fishing boats.
Large warships would risk running aground if they came too close.
Furthermore, based on her own experience breaking through their lines, Viola judged that the Coalition of Four Nations was not of one mind.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to escape so easily.
Coming to the Leon Territory to capture her was clearly a dirty and thankless job that no one would want.
To the Coalition of Four Nations, if Viola was willing to stay in the Leon Territory, they would just leave her be, as long as she did not come out and lead a resistance.
After they had dealt with the effective forces of the Avarus Demon Kingdom, a princess with only two thousand troops at her command could be crushed at their leisure.
Viola was well aware of their assessment, which was why she believed that even if a navy were to come, it would not be now.
But reality had taken a different course than she had predicted.
(End of chapter)