Chapter 1503: Chapter 460: The Correct Way to Unfold Hidden Plot_3 Chapter 1503: Chapter 460: The Correct Way to Unfold Hidden Plot_3 Now that he had encountered the team from Duke Simon’s Mansion, he finally saw a sche that wasn’t too obscure.
The rivalry between the Landon Family and the Red Dragon Royal Family, and Duke Simon, ant that each party would naturally want to achieve better assessnt scores in the exam, and they would spare no effort to secure higher evaluations for passing.
And the only way to achieve high evaluations was to dig into the plot.
These few squads were strong enough to qualify for exploring challenging plots; now motivated by competition, they swiftly pieced together the causal relationships.
The sche wasn’t too clever, but it was more than sufficient to deal with a group of First Tier card masters.
It was precisely because Leonard Churchill saw through this that he found the trial assessnt increasingly interesting.
He also wanted to see what the person behind the scenes was really planning to do.
By now, he was almost certain that sothing the person behind the scenes needed was hidden within the plot of the Alternate Dinsion.
…
Leonard Churchill was very low-profile at the academy; not to ntion outsiders, even those within the Landon Family considered him an ordinary Scholar.
But the few people in his squad knew that this teammate was formidable.
Serli had already decided to adventure to Black Crow Castle with Young Master Sack, but when Leonard Churchill spoke up, his eyes shifted, and he also said, “Young master, I think we should consider what Allen is saying. I have a bad feeling about this Alternate Dinsion. Heading rashly to Black Crow Fort might be problematic…”
As a Lizard Mage who specialized in Wisdom, he had a keen sense of danger.
Although he hadn’t considered as much as Leonard Churchill had, he had thought of part of it.
Moreover, Leonard Churchill’s warning instantly awakened his sense of crisis.
Upon hearing Serli and Leonard Churchill speak, Sack stopped his steps that were already heading out of the village and, after a mont’s contemplation, asked, “Then what do you think we should do?”
He had taken both of them to the Black Market before.
Having witnessed their wisdom and adaptability, he instinctively trusted them.
Seeing that Leonard Churchill had no intention of continuing to speak, Serli shared his thoughts, “The assessnt in the Trial Space mainly relies on the plot’s difficulty. I think we could delve into so hidden plots and trigger side quests. Usually, hidden plots are more challenging than the main quests. If we can uncover a few valuable side quests, the rewards won’t necessarily be less than the main quest’s. Moreover, although Duke Simon’s people have monopolized the main quest, their team is still in the village. We just need to keep an eye on them, and it’s not too late to follow them out once they leave the village…”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the squad was visibly brightened.
Right!
Since Duke Simon’s people hadn’t left, they weren’t in a hurry either.
Although they hadn’t received the task, keeping watch over the other team and acting as opportunists was also a smart approach.
After pondering for a while and thinking back to the Demon Beasts they had encountered earlier, Sack also trusted his instincts.
He commanded, “Alright, pair up in twos and search the village for clues! As soon as anyone finds sothing valuable, notify imdiately!”
…
anwhile, upon hearing from a Knight that the Landon Family’s people hadn’t left the village, Young Master Ferren also showed a regretful expression, muttering, “Tsk tsk, those guys really know how to keep their cool. They actually didn’t leave the village…”
He had just received an important piece of information from the village chief.
In this Silver Fir Forest, one should not leave the village at night.
The fog from the Abyssal Rift would spread at night, and there would also be terrifying Demon Beasts hidden in the mist, hunting for prey.
He didn’t know what those “Demon Beasts” were, and had hoped that the Landon Family would test the waters, but having provoked them earlier, they still hadn’t left the village.
…
Leonard Churchill had the best relationship with David.
Also, as a Scholar and one of the less powerful in the team, it made sense to pair up with the one with the highest combat power for safety.
After splitting up, the two of them strolled leisurely around the village.
David, being a pure Martial Artist, didn’t like to use his brain.
Seeing other teams knocking on doors and questioning villagers for clues, they casually walked around, and David couldn’t help but curiously ask, “Allen, shouldn’t we be asking these villagers?”
Leonard chuckled, “For a village with hundreds of households and over a thousand people, if we were to knock on each door… knocking on each, how long would that take?”
In the eyes of those newbies, searching for the subplot was just a matter of luck.
But in Leonard’s eyes now, those hundreds of village households were all connected by lines of fate. It was like a tangled ss, which, with a bit of sorting, would reveal which line had issues.
Although David couldn’t keep up with the thought process, he knew that Leonard was very capable and said expectantly, “Do you actually know where there are any clues?”
Leonard replied offhand, “When we were entering the village earlier, I heard a child say that there is a seamstress nad Aunt Caroline in the east part of the village, whose husband has not returned from hunting… I think we could check it out.”
That was a clear clue.
But upon hearing this, David exclaid in surprise, “Ah… how co I didn’t hear it?”
He recalled that when they entered the village, those dozen or so children were chattering away for ages, and he couldn’t make out what they were saying, let alone distinguish anything from it.
Moreover, he didn’t even think in that direction at the ti. Could that even trigger any subplot?
Leonard just smiled and explained briefly, “I am a ‘Scholar’; my thoughts tend to scatter, so I heard it. You practice Martial Arts; greater focus is better for you. It’s normal that you didn’t hear it.”
That explanation was faultless.
But it was only one part of the reason.
The most important reason Leonard caught that piece of information was due to his Multi-Heart and Multi-Use ability, and the insight brought by “I am the world.”
Like natural laws, they have always existed in nature, it’s just that without reaching a certain realm, Extraordinary n can’t see them.
Leonard didn’t bother to explain further, and the two of them headed straight for the wooden house at the east end of the village, with Demon Beast furs hanging at the entrance, and knocked on the door.
The one who opened it was a haggard-looking village woman.
Leonard got straight to the point, “We are Bounty Hunters summoned by the Lord. We heard in the village that your husband has not returned from hunting. If you can clearly explain what happened… perhaps we can help you.”
Hearing that they were here to help find her missing husband, the woman’s expression imdiately turned hopeful. She hurriedly invited Leonard and David inside and began to recount what had happened several days ago.
At the sa ti, Enlightennt also appeared.
「Seamstress Caroline’s trust in you 10」
「C-tier subplot quest triggered: Missing Hunter. Three days ago, a hunter by the na of Chloe disappeared while hunting in Frostwolf Forest and has not been seen since…」
David, who was also a teammate, saw the Enlightennt as well.
The dark-skinned teenager looked again at Leonard talking with the village woman, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if to say: Is this how you trigger a subplot?
Was it really like sleepwalking, with the rest of the team still knocking from door to door, and they had just triggered a C-tier quest?
For a mont, David’s eyes were filled with nothing but deep admiration.
Leonard certainly didn’t pay much attention to his teammate’s astonishnt.
Triggering this C-tier difficulty plot was not his goal, and he had even guessed the outco of the whole plot: The hunter Chloe was very likely killed by the Vampire they had encountered before. Following the woman’s indication to Frostwolf Forest, they might encounter a beast, then kill it, and complete the quest.
Such a subplot quest held no attraction for Leonard.
He needed more.
But obviously, this kind of basic Non-Player Character wouldn’t know much.
What Leonard needed was to dig deeper into those hidden places: “Lady Caroline, we will help you find your husband…”
He now knew the temperant of Spatial Will; as long as there were rules, there were ways to utilize them.
Since trust had been ntioned, he decided to build on it first.
Indeed, as expected, upon saying this, Enlightennt promptly showed: 「Seamstress Caroline’s trust in you 10」
Facing a Bounty Hunter who was willing to help her look for her missing husband without asking for much compensation, Caroline quickly placed enough trust in him.
Then, led by Leonard’s guided conversation, she finally revealed an important clue, “Both of you… actually, there is a legend in the village… the village’s Witch Doctor used to be dispatched by the Holy See…”
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