Chapter 150: Yumi's search

While Michu learned new abilities, met the incubus prince, and prepared for another adventure to learn magic, his girlfriend researched the Blood Poison. She also went around the closest cities to Hider's Dungeon.

In one of those cities, Yumi entered the restaurant.

"Water, please." She smiled at the waitress and took a table for herself.

The waitress nodded and turned around.

But even blind would be able to sense that this waitress was exhausted. Her voice was dry and she sighed a lot. Below her eyes, dark circles spread and her skin was likewise too pale to be healthy.

Yumi saw past herself within that waitress.

She was exhausted from work or probably the situation in the city.

Yumi bet on the latter and she was eager to learn more.

"Here's water..." The waitress put down the water slowly.

"Thanks. How about you rest with me?" Yumi's voice drew the waitress.

She sounded worried and the waitress' heart swelled with gratitude.

After the waitress took the seat, Yumi passed some more money to her as a tip, then asked, "It doesn't look like the restaurant is flooded with clients. What's happening?"

One often would love to unburden oneself with strangers.

That was what the waitress thought and so she poured out all her worries to Yumi, "Fees and taxes are getting higher... It's like our lord wants to starve us to death... I have been saving up a lot of food recently, so my health got worse."

Yumi's slit eyes shone, "Has something happened to your lord? Did he lose his family or maybe land?"

"I heard that villagers from one of his villages had contracted a severe illness... Other than that, there weren't any rumors from merchants. But even if that village has their problems, it's too much for the lord to sacrifice us!" The waitress wailed.

But that was the clue Yumi had been looking for.

She emptied the cup of water and took out a lot of bananas from her inventory! Those bananas stupefied the waitress, but Yumi guaranteed, "The best bananas you will ever eat." A few coins also rolled on the table!

All of this was snatched by the waitress who bowed to the client! "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Once outside, Yumi looked around the city.

It was definitely in a worse state, but people had been doing their best to look cheerful and sell their goods to all coming and leaving players!

Yumi didn't have anything else to do here, "Let's check the village and meet the lord."

-

There were many provinces around the royal castles and their territories.

In the province that had Hider's Dungeon, Lord Makro was the royalty. He was a tall and well-built man whose level reached a big one hundred!

He and his royal house had become accustomed well to the new era with players.

Alas, his enemy wasn't the player! It was a madman from the same world!

"Who is there?" The sound of steps, albeit quiet, reached his ears.

His servants were long since cast away and he wanted to spend the evening alone with his burdens sunk in the booze.

But his high level and battle experience spotted the unknown presence behind his door.

The doors opened and the lady with white hair, unique eyes, and an alluring figure stepped in. "For the first time sneaking in, I did a good job, did I not?" She smiled and took a seat before Lord Makro.

In this game, players were doing the stuff they usually wouldn't do in real life.

Although it was nice to try new stuff, some went for deeds that one would condemn whether it was game or not.

Yumi did something that was on the border, but how many players had never sneaked into the noble houses for items or treasures?

It was a game, so it was fun...

Right?

"You managed to pass all my alarms and servants... It's more than just a good job, woman. You did your lessons," Lord Makro replied to Yumi's words.

He didn't take out his weapon because he could tell her intentions.

She wanted to talk with him and her comfortable sitting in the chair was proof of that. Of course, his old eyes also could see through Yumi's stance before she even took a seat.

Yumi looked around the office, relished the medieval setting, then tapped the mahogany chair, "Nera is threatening you."

Lord Makro's face instantly distorted after Yumi hit the truth!

He covered his face with his hand and replied, "What do you know?"

"Nothing. After I checked the village, I felt 'the Mana Poison' and a little bit of the Blood Poison in the air. This is great research material for me, but that's not what I came here for. Your reaction tells me I hit the truth, so let's cooperate." Yumi replied.

Lord Makro sighed, "He used one of the villages as an example... And what I saw scared me witless. At worst, they will die. At best, they will lose their mana... This is the fate that those villagers have!"

If they lost their mana, they would become worse than common humans.

Calling them slaves also wouldn't suffice. They would be like freeloaders without anything to offer to the world and their noble!

In a way, the villagers would become like humans from Earth.

"Shouldn't you have contacted the royal family already?" Yumi curiously asked.

"Any noble doesn't want to be indebted to the royal family." Lord Makro shook his head. "It's fine to be under their banner and use their status to keep the stalemate between royalties, but any more than that would be dreadful. I would lose all independence if I were to ask for their help."

"Nera wants resources, doesn't he?" Yumi decided to drop the topic.

If the royal family was unaware of this problem, then they wouldn't butt their noses in this epic quest! It suited Yumi's book and she proceeded with other questions.

Lord Makro nodded, inwardly feeling like this woman knew everything already! Otherwise, why would her questions be on the point? "He wants an absurd amount of money from me. It's far more than my whole wealth, so I can slowly glean from my subjects."

'Poison World... The resources are probably for the poison world.' Yumi thought inwardly while keeping a beautiful, but scary smile on her face.