Chapter 5: Amazon Camp

Seeing Li Bin store more than ten volumes of design blueprints into the safe at the Undead Laboratory, Deirdre could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and said, "Master, this..."

"I've set the safe containing these blueprints so that elite heroes may open it themselves," Li Bin interrupted before Deirdre could finish. "As long as you gather the materials specified, you can build the Undead Scorpion yourselves."

"But..."

"Don't worry; the Undead Scorpion is a mount for the undead, and you can manufacture it too," Li Bin said with a smile. Then he asked, "But I suppose you don't have enough resources for that now, do you? Wait until you have the means, and then you may proceed. Now, where are we?"

"We? Master, don't you know? You've been in the Undead Laboratory for seven days," Deirdre replied with a wry smile. "We've been at the canyon for four days already."

"We've already arrived? Good, notify the Graveyard Demon. Let's set out into the canyon," Li Bin said, surprised at how much time he had lost to his research on the Undead Scorpion.

"Um... Master, there's something I need to tell you," Deirdre said cautiously.

"Speak," said Li Bin, suspecting this had something to do with the Graveyard Demon.

"It’s like this, Master. When we first arrived outside the canyon, the Graveyard Demon discovered a burial ground and decided to relocate our camp there. The plan was to wait for you to finish your research before advancing into the canyon, but your research took longer than expected. Yesterday, the Graveyard Demon received a system notification: after camping on a medium-sized burial ground for three days, the Graveyard Demon would automatically enter an upgrade state, and the second upgrade would take five days," Deirdre explained, her face troubled.

Li Bin quickly understood the origin of the problem. This was likely the idea of a few elite heroes. While he was engrossed in research, he had left everything concerning the Graveyard Demon in their hands. Having the Graveyard Demon camp on a burial ground meant a daily bonus of 10% negative energy income. As long as Li Bin didn’t interfere, this extra income became a gray area profit for the elite heroes. But they had not foreseen the bigger trouble this would cause.

“Hmph, you’ve overstepped this time,” Li Bin said coldly. The system in the Judgement game could ensure the absolute loyalty of a player's heroes, but it couldn't prevent them from making small moves of their own. Yet it was often such minor matters that led to the downfall of great empires.

He wanted to summon both Tina and Deirdre for a harsh reprimand, but after considering it, he let the idea go. Instead, he asked, “Whose idea was it to keep the Graveyard Demon here?”

“It was Tina’s,” Deirdre replied, head bowed.

“Then let her stay in the Graveyard Demon,” Li Bin said coldly. “She will await my order to reinforce us. If she can arrive within the time I specify, I’ll pardon her this time. But if there’s a next time, she’ll be relegated to a city defense hero.”

With that, Li Bin didn’t wait for Deirdre’s reply and strode out of the Graveyard Demon.

Before long, Tina, Deirdre, and Lidas, having organized the troops, caught up with him. From the look in Tina’s eyes, it was clear she deeply regretted her actions.

But Li Bin knew that if he let them off the hook this time, they would become difficult to discipline in the future.

In the end, Tina was left behind. Li Bin, accompanied by the other two heroes and his troops, rode the newly constructed Undead Scorpion and headed slowly into the canyon.

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With Lidas, who was familiar with the terrain, leading the way, Li Bin and his party soon found the Amazonian tribe hidden deep within the canyon.

The entire tribe was built behind four towering trees. As they rounded the giant trunks, Li Bin immediately saw a row of massive wooden walls and four or five tall arrow towers.

At the sight of Li Bin and his subordinates, a clear, youthful voice called from atop one of the towers: “Undead, state your purpose, or we will treat you as enemies.”

Immediately, heads appeared along the arrow towers and walls, and glowing green arrows were leveled at Li Bin and his group.

“Please, don’t attack. We come in friendship,” Li Bin hastened to say.

“We don’t need your friendship. If you don’t state your purpose, you’ll face our strongest assault,” the voice from the tower replied, clearly unconvinced.

Just then, Lidas ran out from the back of the group and called loudly, “Is that you, Midor, up there? It’s me, Lidas. I’ve come back!”

“Lidas? Weren’t you dead for nearly a hundred years?” a head popped out from the tower, peering down in confusion.

“No, I was just trapped somewhere. I’ve only recently been released,” Lidas replied with a rueful smile.

“Is that so? Did you complete your hero evolution quest? And what’s with the eight legs on your lower body? You look formidable,” Midor asked, giving Lidas a once-over.

“It’s a long story. Can’t you let me inside so I can explain?”

“You can, but what about them…” Midor gestured toward Li Bin and his group.

“He is my master. Trust me, they’re all right.”

“Your master? Lidas, you’ve become a hero? Quickly, come in!” Midor called cheerfully, and a wooden ladder was slowly lowered from the wall.

Under Lidas’s guidance, Li Bin entered the Amazonian village, but he and Deirdre were only housed in an outer room. Before long, a middle-aged Amazonian woman entered.

“Hello, I am the village’s foreign affairs officer. Stranger undead, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” the woman began directly.

“I’m a player, Lidas’s master. You can call me Li Bin,” he replied without unnecessary words.

“A player? Then I suppose you’ve come for our tribe’s warriors?” the woman said immediately.

“In a sense, yes, but that’s not my main purpose. I intend to stay in the canyon for a few days and need a guide and supplies,” Li Bin replied casually.

“A guide is no problem. Supplies will have to be discussed with the tribe, but as for recruiting our warriors, that depends on your sincerity,” the woman responded calmly.

“What do you mean?” Li Bin heard the implication in her words.

“The warriors of our tribe are not given to outsiders lightly. If you wish to recruit from our warriors, you must complete the tasks we assign,” she said, placing a stack of task lists before him.

Li Bin leafed through them. The tasks ranged from finding small items to attacking rival tribes, and the rewards were not gold or resources as in other quests, but rather a certain number and level of specific warriors.

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