"Hehe, we've finally found the exit! These swamps were all created by those Shadow Crocodiles."
"Sure enough, this place connects to that lake. But what's with this oppressive aura?" Near the cave entrance, Luo Fan stopped, noticing a large creature nearby.
"No wonder those shadow crocodiles didn't dare to escape from this side. How am I supposed to get there?"
The area beyond the cave entrance was also full of silt, and several shadow crocodiles inhabited it.
Continuing their exploration, they found some interconnected holes at a higher elevation, with pool water seeping in. However, there were also many shadow crocodiles there, but they weren't as strong and remained motionless.
Without hesitation, Luo Fan transformed into an earthworm and slowly moved in that direction.
After passing through the waterway, Luo Fan finally sensed an even stronger aura of demonic milk; he had reached the bottom of the lake.
At the bottom of the pitch-black lake, no one paid any attention to a black object moving with the current. Releasing a small portion of his divine sense, Luo Fan discovered that the terrifying creature was right beside him, attracting probing gazes.
Startled, Luo Fan quickly composed himself and became a good boy.
The sounds of battle could be faintly heard coming from the lake, but the huge creature just stared ahead with its eyes open, seemingly puzzled, and emanated waves of oppressive power.
"The human attack has begun? But why isn't this thing moving? Could it be hiding some treasure nearby?"
Disguised as a slender earthworm, Luo Fan withstood the oppressive aura and slowly moved his body towards the direction where the demonic milk was gradually thickening.
The commotion above didn't stop; in fact, it grew louder and louder, summoning many hidden shadow crocodiles. Even one suddenly sprang out from under Luo Fan, startling him so much that he pretended to be dead and was torn into several pieces.
After an unknown amount of time, the boss, probably angered by the humans' incessant actions, awakened several shadow crocodiles around it, and they all swam toward the lake, though they seemed to be clutching a white object in their claws.
"That's... Demon Milk Crystal!" Taking advantage of the disturbance, Luo Fan discovered the treasure. No wonder the concentration of demon milk here was so high; now he understood.
It clung to the boss, transforming into a black chain that wrapped around its muddy feet. Then, taking advantage of the boss's upward movement, its body slowly extended towards the fist-sized white object.
Finally, taking advantage of the moment when it surfaced and roared, it swallowed the crystal and put it into the prepared ring.
"Hehe, bye-bye, you big dummy!" Disguising himself as mud, Luo Fan slid downwards.
Faintly, Luo Fan heard human voices calling out.
"Watch out, it's a level 70 Shadow Crocodile boss!"
"Level 70, that's not something a level 31 slime like me can handle. Bye-bye."
Perhaps sensing the sudden disappearance of the treasure, the entire lake trembled violently, and many shadow crocodiles hiding in the caves were also summoned out.
Arriving at the place where the boss had been resting, Luo Fan ransacked the area again, even digging up the silt that had been heavily affected nearby.
As a result, just as he was working hard and hadn't completely concealed his aura, the shadow crocodile returned.
"Holy crap, did it discover us?" Luo Fan rushed straight in through the exit.
"Wow, there are so many Shadow Crocodile eggs." After taking the two largest ones, Luo Fan retreated frantically.
Waves of oppressive force swept over them, leaving Luo Fan's small body disheveled in the mud. Fortunately, his spiritual sense was strong enough that he entered a state of feigned death, pressing his body against the nearby wall without moving.
The entire swamp churned violently, with countless shadow crocodiles spitting and swallowing within, yet they still couldn't find Luo Fan's whereabouts.
He seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Hehe, learning martial arts was definitely the right thing to do. Stealth Technique, it's really powerful!"
The churning mud actually helped Luo Fan escape. Taking advantage of the commotion, Luo Fan slowly swam upwards. Finally, following the shadows of adventurers passing by above, he left the dungeon.
The dungeon was quite lively at this moment, with a level 70 boss in a rage, whose destructive power was astonishing.
Humanity immediately activated its strongest combat force, and at the cost of severe injuries, finally managed to wound it, while the entire lake surface was completely frozen.
The attempt to kill it failed, but the boss chose to sever its tail, shatter the ice layer, dive into the water, and disappear.
The level 70 boss monster already possesses a certain level of intelligence.
Luo Fan only heard the news at the very end: the Empire had acquired a vast amount of magic milk, along with even more magic stones soaked in it. Most of it was taken to the capital, while Sacred Heart City received a large quantity of diluted magic milk.
"That big guy actually got away? That's not bad. Who would have thought I was the one who got the bird in the dark? Hehe." Thinking about the Shadow Crocodile eggs, Luo Fan still felt a little regretful.
Forget it, I won't go there again.
"Surprised? Stop flattering yourself!" Ellie replied disdainfully. She only knew that Luo Fan had gone out for a while and should have made some gains. But since he had been keeping it a secret, she hadn't asked any further questions.
Before long, many Shadow Crocodile pet eggs appeared on the market, and Luo Fan couldn't help but marvel at how fast humans could develop such technology!
The following days passed peacefully. However, Sacred Heart City was much more crowded, giving it a festive feel.
Because of her meritorious report, Ellie also received some magic milk as a reward, but Luo Fan took it all.
"I was the first to discover these, and they're not of any use to you, so I have to keep them safe!" Luo Fan said matter-of-factly.
Ellie accepted the reward, but Luo Fan didn't say anything more about the other rewards. After all, his master was already a little angry.
"Ellie, my mom's pet has finally reached level 51, all thanks to you." Daisy was very happy, and now even Xiaoxue has the resources to advance in the future.
"Hmm~" Ellie was browsing the mercenary group's recent earnings.
The promotion of ice cream, coupled with the influx of customers, made the Ice Cream Mercenary Group a huge success, and the group's size doubled.
However, most of the recruits were girls, and all of them were ice-attribute, including two high-level mages.
"The mercenary group's business seems a bit off-track," Ellie said, looking at the impressive sales figures with a hint of exasperation. There was practically no income from other sources.
"Luo Fan, what do you think? Should we just switch to a caravan?"
"No, it's not like we're in conflict anyway. Besides, after this period, other ice cream shops will follow suit, and we won't make money for long," Luo Fan replied.
"What can we do then? We can't just sell those mobile stalls, can we?"
"No need. Just set up a separate small caravan for the mercenary group. Don't some of the girls like to study these desserts?"
“If the mercenary group is to develop in the future, it will need a stable source of funding. I don’t want to spend any more money. How about we let Emil take charge of the group’s finances? That girl is quick-witted and reliable, and she’s perfect for this job.”
"As for the others, Tifa likes fighting, so she can train the members with Cecilia. Tiese will handle the legion's daily affairs and intelligence gathering, which will make things easier for you."
"Then what should I do?"
"As the leader of the mercenary group, you naturally need to curry favor with all the forces and coordinate things well. For example, you should try to get on the good side of Daisy and Sister Anna, as they have a lot of influence."
"Oh, I think so."
At that moment, the Duchess walked in with a smile.
"Aili, we've finally found the person you asked me to find who understands animal language."
"Really? That's wonderful, thank you, Auntie. Ah Li's learning progress is still too slow. I feel like she's been in a bad mood, and I can't understand what she's saying."
"Oh, animal language? With my talent, learning it shouldn't be a big problem." Luo Fan laughed shamelessly.
As a master, it's perfectly fine to care for your little servant, right? And then, dress her up in a maid outfit—that would be absolutely amazing!
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