Chapter 22: Chapter 22：A plan to hunt a country
At dawn, Allen, along with Bernice and a few others, set off on a small boat and a raft made from sheepskin.
Relying on instinct and the sky's color, Allen estimated it to be around five in the morning.
This method of telling time was too outdated.
But there was no other way; Allen also wanted to buy a clock.
There were places in the black market of Bacha that sold clocks.
Unfortunately, in this world with low productivity, clocks could only be produced by the great empires.
In this world called Wagana, there were three continents, eight islands, and fifty countries.
This was information Allen recently gathered from the black market.
The three continents were actually four: the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern continents. However, the Southern continent was in a polar region and uninhabited, hence the reference to three continents.
The eight islands were eight substantial archipelagos.
Geographically, the continents were separated, connected only by oceans and islands.
And the only ones capable of producing high-tech industrial products like clocks were the three great empires in the Northern continent and the two secondary imperial alliances in the Eastern continent.
Allen's country, Redwood, was in the Western continent, a resource-rich and pleasant climate but fragmented and without any empires.
This continent was akin to a combination of South America and Africa on Earth.
It was a resource provider for the great empires, with its territory divided by feather pens on maps under the empires' supervision.
Therefore, all clocks in the black market of Bacha came from the Mammoth Empire in the Northern continent.
The entire Redwood country was practically the backyard of the Mammoth Empire, with close ties between local nobles and the empire's upper echelons.
As a result, a ten-centimeter diameter clock in the black market cost five thousand copper coins.
It was a clock, not a pocket watch.
Larger clocks cost at least three thousand copper coins.
If Allen bought a clock, the profits from this logging trip would be gone.
This was the profit from a monopolized industry.
However, this experience gave Allen new insights.
The nobles of Redwood never cared about the lives of the common people; famines occurred yearly.
In Allen's view, the most profitable things were illicit drugs and weapons.
And the most powerful way to control a country and its people was through food.
"Once the plan to control Little Obion is complete, I'll gradually start smuggling food and weapons!"
Allen began to plan.
Both Redwood and neighboring countries had enormous demand for these items.
Of course, in the world of Gondwana, weapons were not firearms but cold weapons, armor, and beasts.
As the boat drifted downstream, various thoughts gradually took shape in Allen's mind.
Using the Plant Mage's Curse to control Little Obion, he would develop his power in the shadows while using the Obion family's resources to enhance his strength.
Then, he would smuggle food and weapons, control the lower classes, and build an armed force capable of resisting the nobles.
Next, he would need the dragon-slaying techniques he learned on Earth.
The capital of Redwood, Markland, was an isolated island where the nobles resided.
By developing according to his plan, surrounding the island from the mainland, controlling the lower classes, and enhancing his strength, Allen could achieve what was difficult even on Earth—seizing a country!
Yes, this was Allen's plan!
As a man, he was either hunting or on his way to hunt.
Hunting for money, women, status, and power!
Allen had achieved many things in his past life as a smuggling tycoon, but his power and status were confined to the underworld, unable to be openly acknowledged.
But in this magical world full of opportunities, this chaotic, extraordinary world with new rules, Allen decided to challenge a new peak in this continent without empires, seizing a country!
"Be the greatest smuggler, hunt a country, and become a true thief of the nation!"
...
The waters of the Baken River flowed swiftly, but the wide waterway kept the surface calm.
Of course, unless they encountered a beast attack or a rampaging swamp dragon.
At their current speed, a day's journey would take them from the black market of Bacha to the largest city on the Redwood continent, the rainforest city of Baken.
However, Allen's village was on the outskirts of Baken, which was why a noble bastard could obtain a vast forest area.
This was an undeveloped wilderness.
Allen didn't steer the boat directly to the village dock.
After being away for so long, he didn't know what had happened in the village.
Moreover, before leaving, Allen had killed the newly appointed forest ranger captain, Lamey.
That stingy bastard might suspect him.
To be safe, Allen ordered the blacksmith and the others to stay in a dense forest on the village's outskirts, setting up a temporary shelter in case of emergencies. Allen and Bernice would scout the village first to ensure safety.
However, as Allen approached the village along the riverbank, he frowned before even entering the village.
A huge depression on the riverbank caught his eye.
"What is this?..."
Allen was shocked. The surrounding area was littered with overturned soil and vegetation.
Clearly, this wasn't the work of humans.
It was caused by some large creature rampaging on the bank.
Turning around, he saw Bernice trembling, her face pale, teeth chattering, and eyes filled with terror.
Allen frowned and approached, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her. "Hey, what's wrong? Calm down, Bernice."
It was clear to Allen that Bernice was scared by the situation.
She must know something.
When they first met, Bernice had mentioned her tribe was wiped out by a swamp dragon attack.
Based on the powerful aura he sensed back then, Allen, now a Plant Mage, could confirm that the swamp dragon he encountered while hunting river wolves was much stronger, a third or fourth-tier guardian beast.
"It's... it's a swamp dragon!" Bernice finally spoke, recovering from her memories of fear.
"It seems some interesting things happened in this remote village while I was gone," Allen thought, gently soothing Bernice's smooth back.
He wondered if Little Obion had clashed with the swamp dragon.
Curious, Allen led Bernice through the forest, sneaking into the village from the back.
Following the swamp dragon's tracks, Allen observed carefully and concluded that the attack had occurred at least a week ago.
The overturned soil, though covered with some decayed matter, was distinct from the original soil but already had some herbaceous plants growing.
Ruling out the possibility of the swamp dragon lingering in the village, Allen quickened his pace, moving swiftly through the forest shadows.
A few minutes later, Allen returned to his home.
The scene before him puzzled but didn't surprise him.
His house had been burned to ashes!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone