Apocalypse Descent: Farming with My Harem

Chapter 488 - 222: Dark Crystal Ball, Three Fairy Tales (6000)_3

“The ogre mastered the art of cooking human flesh…”

“The children from nearby villages were nearly all captured and eaten by him!”

“Until one day, a princess from the kingdom appeared in the forest and was captured by the ogre.”

“When the king received the news, he was furious! He immediately dispatched a large number of knight orders to capture this ogre.”

“However, when people entered the forest again, they found that the knights and soldiers sent by the king, including the princess and the ogre, had all disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again…”

…

After the old witch finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought.

Her voice was very hoarse and heavy, seemingly perfect for telling horror stories.

However, this story of the ogre was something Cao Xing had never heard before.

The old voice sounded again.

“The third story is about a princess of the kingdom…”

“Long ago, there was a very beautiful princess, whose appearance was like the moon in the sky, making people admire her. Many princes from neighboring countries came to this land to propose to the princess…”

“However, to prevent others from coveting the princess, the king built a hundred-meter-high tower and locked the princess inside, forbidding anyone from contacting her…”

“Afterward, the king brought the princess food and water every day…”

“The queen knew everything clearly. One day, she tried to free her daughter from the tower, but the king discovered her…”

“Days passed, and the princess’s hair grew longer and longer…”

“Until one day, her hair reached a hundred meters long, enough for her to slide down from the high tower…”

“As more people perished, the legend of the high tower gradually spread… From then on, the area became a forbidden place rarely visited by anyone…”

…

After hearing these three stories, Cao Xing seemed to be deep in thought.

It was obvious that this was related to the monsters in the castle she mentioned earlier.

Cao Xing said directly, “Are these three stories about the three kinds of monsters you told me about before?”

The old witch let out a sharp laugh.

“Hehehe…”

“Yes… To meet the witch in the castle, you must first defeat these three guardians…”

“Each one is stronger than the last; if you can find their weaknesses, you can defeat them more easily…”

“Weakness?”

Cao Xing asked with confusion.

“That’s right… Their weaknesses are hidden in the stories I told…”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing understood the purpose behind the old witch’s storytelling.

Meanwhile, a system prompt appeared.

[The task of killing the forest witch has been changed]

[Task objective: Defeat the three castle guardians, the big wild wolf, the ogre, and the long-haired princess, 0/3]

[Go to the top floor of the castle and defeat the forest witch: 0/1]

[Task reward: Dark Crystal Ball (Orange) *1, clue to Shield of Origin — Anodite…]

…

After saying this, the old witch’s eyes shone with a ghostly green light again.

“Oh, young explorer… Good luck… Hehehe…”

“Just a reminder again… The castle only reveals its true appearance at night. You need to enter at night…”

After saying that, she closed the door of her little wooden house.

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing appeared thoughtful.

“Does it only reveal its true face at night?”

He checked the time.

[Time until nightfall: 1 hour and 17 minutes…]

…

Cao Xing did not say much but quickly led the group away.

…

…

At this moment, as time passed, the environment of the Witch Forest became increasingly dim, signaling the imminent arrival of nightfall.

Liu Muxue also noticed this, then softly asked, “Axing, are we going into the castle tonight?”

Cao Xing thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, “Not tonight.”

“According to that old witch, the monsters in this castle should be quite high-level.”

“We won’t return to the territory tonight either; we’ll rest in the forest for the night.”

“In the morning, we’ll continue to explore the Witch Forest and try to clear the monsters around the castle, getting more [Advanced Power Hearts] and [Intermediate Power Hearts] to make breakthroughs.”

“Improving our strength will give us a greater assurance.”

After listening to Cao Xing’s analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.

It was evident that his decision was correct.

Cao Xing maintained his steady approach.

Instead of diving headfirst upon seeing the Dark Crystal Ball and the task rewards, he chose to proceed cautiously, ensuring he had enough strength to handle the dangers of the castle before entering.

This was one reason Assam and the others respected Cao Xing.

Sometimes on the battlefield, charging blindly may yield results, but at a greater cost.

Analyzing one’s strength rationally and improving oneself before battle allows for further progress.

Additionally, the old witch didn’t specify a time to complete the task.

Cao Xing could decide when to enter.

Rab excitedly said at this moment, “Lord, are we spending the night in the forest?”

Cao Xing nodded, “Yes.”

Rab immediately replied, “Great! Wild Boar Warriors love the forest!”

“By the way, Lord, would you like to rest at our Wild Boar Tribe?”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing remembered.

In this forest, there was a Wild Boar Tribe, with a comfortable temperature and ready-made resting rooms.

He glanced at the map.

He found that the Wild Boar Tribe was about ten kilometers away, not too far.

Therefore, Cao Xing nodded, “Alright, we’ll rest at the Wild Boar Tribe tonight.”

Hearing this, everyone smiled.

They were now third and fourth-tier powerful beings.

With their constitution, spending a night in the forest was no problem.

However, having a warm place to stay was obviously a good thing too.

At this time, Cao Xing said.

“Chuchu, let your mom know we’re safe, so she won’t worry.”

Tong Chuchu, standing next to Eliza, nodded her little head, “Okay, big brother!”

After speaking, she went to contact Xia Yanni.

Beside her, Eliza said, “Lord, please let my father know too, or he’ll think I’m sneaking out with you at night!”

Cao Xing looked at her speechlessly, “Got it.”

Then, he pressed on the communication device on his ear and dialed Yilena.

“Zizz… Zizz…”

Static sounded.

Moments later, Yilena’s voice came through.

“Lord?”

Yilena seemed not too used to such technological devices.

“It’s me.”

Cao Xing said directly, “Yilena, we’re not returning to the territory tonight.”

“Notify the others that all work continues as usual.”

Hearing this, Yilena replied softly, “Okay, Lord, be careful outside, remember to keep warm, and think of me~”

“Alright, I will.”

After giving these instructions, Cao Xing prepared to end the call.

At that moment—

A thought flashed through his mind.

Currently, besides Yilena and the three female dragon blood warriors, there were over two hundred combat personnel in the territory.

This was a very formidable force.

These soldiers had nothing to do besides standing guard at night.

Could they use an [Ice Dragon Horn] to summon Ice Nest Monsters to earn points and Dragon Marks?

With their strength, handling the medium Ice Dragon Horn challenge might be a bit difficult.

But for the monsters summoned by a [Ice Dragon Horn (small)], it would be no problem.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing added, “By the way, Yilena.”

“Continue notifying them, telling those soldiers to be ready for battle tonight.”

“Tonight, I’ll use a small Ice Dragon Horn; there will be many Ice Nest Monsters arriving.”

“You lead the three Dragon Blood Warriors and two centaurs to organize the troops.”

“Handle the attacks from those Ice Nest Monsters.”

…