Chapter 1714: 573. I Have a Date with the Half-body Man Warlord – Additional Update for Brother “Huo Zheng Ting Hao” [15/30]_2
Murphy had thoroughly studied the four instances of the Black Scourge battles. He understood clearly that in the first three times of the Black Scourge, the Brass Fortress was indeed facing the main force of the Gnolls, and the forces the Gnolls committed in this direction were several times greater than those directed towards Transylvania.
In the first and second instances, the Brass Fortress was not as terrifying as it is today; the Gnolls were able to charge into the battlefield and fight against the dwarves. However, by the third instance of the Black Scourge, the Brass Fortress had already fully formed, leaving the Gnolls with an unprecedented sense of despair in front of that fortress.
Therefore, in the fourth instance, the King of Bone Biting chose to do the opposite.
He did not attempt the impossible task of conquering the Brass Fortress but instead led the main forces of the Gnolls into Transylvania. Had the King of Bone Biting dug in stubbornly at the dwarves’ fortress, he certainly would not have achieved the feat of overturning half of the continent.
“Damn you, Felix, you bastard, your success provided enough experience for this instance of the Black Scourge. As long as they’re not fools, they’ll follow your previous march route,”
Murphy cursed angrily as he flew towards the solitary peak known as “Hunger Mountain”:
“The reason Transylvania has to bear such pressure is all because of you, you damned dog! If you weren’t already dead, I would definitely cut you into minced meat to quell the anger in my heart.”
But Murphy also knew that as the Brass Fortress was further fortified, even without the leadership of the King of Bone Biting, the Gnolls would certainly focus on breaking through in Transylvania, which compared to the dwarf’s city as strong as gold walls, was indeed a soft target.
He shook his head to clear these thoughts from his mind and accelerated forward in the air. Ten minutes later, Murphy entered the peaks of Hunger Mountain.
Unfortunately, upon comparing it with the map data recorded in the Core Bead, he discovered that the legacy of the “Wanderer” Tech Company was further west, even near the location of the Brass Fortress. According to comparisons, Murphy could discern that the place should be among the snow-capped mountains near the Brass Fortress,
but he didn’t have time to spend a few more days wandering there. That area was already an “advanced map”, unfriendly not only to players but also to him as a mainline NPC, so he decided to explore those areas next time.
Murphy turned his attention back to the mountain peak in front of him. The reason this slightly green peak was called Hunger Mountain was well-founded.
Triss specifically explained the origin of this place to little Mo Fei.
This was one of the traditional strongholds of the Cannibal Demon in the Dark Mountain Range. These notorious gluttons would rob and plunder here, and even the Gnolls were unwilling to provoke this group of bastards who dared to eat anything and everything.
As for what the Cannibal Demon is…
Uh, just think of it as an enhanced version of an ogre.
For instance, when Murphy folded his wings and descended onto a platform on the mountain peak, he saw several Cannibal Demons lying around a large bonfire sunbathing.
These creatures grew over five meters tall, each as wide and hefty as the legendary “mountain trolls”. Although they were humanoid, their faces were so ugly that even the Gnolls could laugh at their homeliness.
They were basically entities with just a nose, eyes, and a mouth, looking so silly and simple that they seem like an earnest work of the creator’s collection of malice.
They’re essentially like a mischievous child molding clay into a human shape and then enlarging it dozens of times.
An adult Cannibal Demon’s weight can reach several tons.
Their brute strength is terrifying, able to uproot big trees and use them as clubs. Even the tallest Jackal Barbarians seemed like dwarfs compared to these real giants. Moreover, Cannibal Demons have a strange “resistant skin”, which can withstand blades like rocks.
According to Triss, to kill a Cannibal Demon, one must use Spiritual Energy or find their weaknesses, such as poison or fire; however, the strangest thing about this race is that each Cannibal Demon has a different weakness!
Even brother Cannibal Demons born of the same mother would have different weaknesses.
This made hunting Cannibal Demons one of the most dangerous tasks on the continent; even the spikiest Thorn Night Walkers wouldn’t actively provoke these big guys.
However, their secrets couldn’t be hidden from the perceptive Crimson Witch. During a previous date, Triss told Murphy that they could determine the weaknesses of Cannibal Demons by observing their skin color.
For example, green-skinned Cannibal Demons are likely vulnerable to fire, red-skinned ones can be poisoned, and blue-skinned ones fear earth spells.
The black-skinned Cannibal Demons are the most troublesome, indicating they’ve lived long enough for their weaknesses to be compensated for by their growing strength, in which case it requires Spiritual Energy to lure them to suicide.
Of course, there’s no perfect life in this world.
The Cannibal Demons have gained innate strength and resilience at the cost of their brains. At least seven out of every ten jokes mocking stupidity across this continent involve Cannibal Demons.
In the past, when the route through Smugglers’ Forest was accessible, those smugglers would use various tricks to deceive Cannibal Demons into letting them go, often only needing a few shiny glass beads and some lamb legs to fool these greedy fellows.
Of course, merchants had to hope they wouldn’t encounter starving Cannibal Demons.