Volume 2 Spread Wings Chapter 91: Greta the Witch
When they got a little closer, a dozen beemen came to meet them. Levi noticed that they had almost no armor on them, only some grass and leaves on key parts as cover, and it was obvious that their defense was definitely not high.
But it's no wonder. The wings on their backs are very thin and the lift they provide is probably limited. Once they put on heavy armor, it is likely to seriously affect their movement speed, or even make them unable to fly.
While they were thinking about it, a beeman holding a wooden spear, who looked like a team leader, stopped them: "Stop, this is the territory of the great witch Greta, please explain your purpose!"
A witch, not a wizard? Levi understood immediately. It seemed like this was another wild creature. He just didn't know if it was a human or some other race.
But on the surface he remained calm: "I am Levi, the hero chosen by God. I heard that there is a powerful witch who can command the bee people. I wonder if you are willing to meet me?"
Although he wanted to do some digging here, it would be great if he could hire these bee people as scouts.
But before the other party expressed his attitude, he felt that he still needed to be cautious and not rush into the house rashly. After all, this was not the relatively safe Novice Village.
The bee captain wanted to say something, but at this moment a surprised female voice came from the hut: "God's chosen hero? I didn't expect such a distinguished guest to come and visit!"
Following a series of coughs, the door of the cabin was opened from the inside, and a mysterious woman wearing a hood walked out with most of her face buried in the shadows.
"I am Greta the Witch. What does this chosen hero of God want from me?"
Levi looked at the bee people again. Even when they were suspended in the air, their wings made almost no sound. There were obviously some differences in the flying style from flies and mosquitoes. They were more stealthy in their movements.
Seeing that the other party was so direct, he simply stopped hiding it: "I want to hire some bee people as my subordinates. What are the requirements?"
"Hire a beekeeper? It's not impossible, but we've been together for a long time and have a lot of feelings for each other. Your Excellency may have to pay a certain price."
"What's the price?"
If you are talking about money, this is often the most time-saving and labor-saving way.
The witch Greta immediately laughed a few times like a villain, and then continued, "A level 1 bee soldier is 5 silver coins each, and a level 2 bee drone is 10 silver coins each. In addition, if the God-chosen Hero needs level 0 soldiers, I still have some artificial bees and giant bees here. I can give you a lower price of 2 silver coins."
At the end, the witch Greta said in a tone that said you got a good deal.
But Levi couldn't help but twitching his lips. The recruitment prices were generally several times more expensive than those in the village. Was he being blamed?
Even if flying soldiers are indeed very rare and you really need them, you can't set the price like that, right? Why don't you just rob them? Is it because robbing is not as fast as this?
So he simply shook his head: "Although I really want some beemen subordinates, the price is too high. I can't accept it."
Of course, he did not just leave, because as soon as he saw the other party's appearance, he knew that the matter could still be negotiated, and this witch was probably asking for an exorbitant price.
Greta the witch was not annoyed when she heard this. She laughed again and said, "Is that so? Then if you can help us solve some of the problems, I can lower the price. Maybe some bee people will even pledge allegiance to you out of gratitude."
Levi immediately knew that the main topic had arrived. This witch's personality was a little weird. Really, why didn't you just tell her that you had a task for me? Why go around in such a big circle?
After all, you still don't have any experience dealing with God's Chosen Heroes, right?
"What kind of trouble is it exactly?"
"Well, five or six miles to the north, there are some fallen tree people occupying a very rare flower sea in the rocky highlands. There are about 20 to 30 of them. This has caused great trouble to my bees. The children can't always eat meat, they also need nectar as a supplement."
Only then did Levi realize that the bee people could actually eat meat, and besides the trolls and these bee people, there were actually other small forces in the Stoney Highlands. It seemed that the gnolls' control over this place was not so complete.
But that didn't matter, he was more interested in other words.
"It's a tree man, not a rat man? Can a tree man also fall?"
The witch Greta was silent for a few seconds, and then said: "Yes, any creature with thoughts and wisdom has the possibility of falling. Even angels have fallen angels. How can tree people be an exception?"
"If you can defeat those corrupted tree people, I can give you a second-level bee man and two first-level bee men, and the recruitment price of other bee men will be halved."
Even if it is halved, it is still very expensive, but considering that the enemy is a flying force after all, and this is in the wild, it is not easy to replenish the troops, so it is acceptable overall.
The system prompt popped up immediately, and the task description was exactly as the other party said.
Since he had been recognized by the system, Levi nodded in agreement, and then he asked again: "What is the opponent's strength and what are his characteristics?"
"Well, they are all fallen and rotten tree people. They have thick skin and flesh, and have the strength of level 2 to 3. A small number of elite ones may have the power of darkness, and it seems that some of them have become special tree incarnations, which further enhances their strength."
"Trees incarnate?"
Treemen are not a particularly rare type of soldier. Natural wood elves can recruit level 2 treemen, and there are occasional recruitment opportunities in the wild.
Their characteristics are thick skin and flesh, good strength and physique, but they also have slow attack and movement speeds, and the most fatal weakness is fire.
In Levi's opinion, the tree man is to some extent like a weakened version of the earth element , and both can only serve as meat shields.
However, this special term "tree incarnation" was the first time he had heard it.
Facing Levi's questioning, the witch Greta did not feel impatient at all, because the more detailed the other party asked, the more he really wanted to complete the task. If the other party agreed casually and then went to exterminate those tree people recklessly, she would doubt his ability or intelligence.
So she just explained very patiently: "The local jackals are divided into spotted, striped, and purple-black hair. This is based on their original races. The same is true for tree people."
“Birch trees are extremely hard and deadly when dried, and their tree incarnations have strong attack power;
Oaks are tough and long-lived, and their tree incarnations move slowly but have outstanding defenses.
Willow trees are the messengers of spring and the source of life. They can slowly restore their health near water. "
"Based on the differences in their original tree species, they will become slightly different after awakening their tree incarnations. Other rarer tree species may also transform into tree people with rarer abilities."
"Of course, ordinary tree people can't do this on their own. Even ordinary druids can't do it. Either they have a special druid advancement - tree herder, or they have some treasure."
At this point, even though he was covered by the hood, Levi seemed to be able to feel that the other person's eyes were shining.
This woman doesn't look like a good person. If I don't ask and just go straight to her, won't I be in big trouble later?
So he decisively started to bargain with the other party: "If there is a tree shepherd, then the price will not be this."
You have to pay more!
Although Levi did not say the last three most crucial words, the witch Greta obviously understood what he meant.
She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Okay, there is indeed such a danger. In that case, I will give the promised bee man to you in advance. If there really is a tree herder, as long as you can take back the symbolic item that killed it and give it to me, I will give you some extra rewards afterwards. How about that?"
Levi was a little surprised that the witch Greta was so easy to talk to. Now he became more suspicious of her intentions.
But no matter what, the system will not lie. Following the other party's words, he also received a prompt saying that three bee people were requesting to pledge allegiance to him.
So he nodded decisively: "Okay, then it's settled!"
Even if it is a sugar-coated bullet, he will eat the sugar coating first. He doesn't think that the other party can be stronger than the rules of the system. Since the other party has decided to be loyal to him, then just be his subordinate!
Suddenly, he remembered that he had been promoted to a formal magician, so he asked tentatively: "One more thing, do you know how to be promoted to a formal magician?"
In fact, when he asked the question, he had already roughly anticipated that he might not get a particularly satisfactory answer.
After all, the other party’s name has already shown that she is a witch, not a magician!
As expected, the witch Greta shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just a weak witch and I don't know much about this. But I heard that it requires a magician of at least level 10 to preside over a magic ceremony."
Levi was a little disappointed, but he still nodded and thanked him before turning around and leaving.
After they walked away, the witch Greta was still standing there grinning, and a dozen unusual bee people floated out of the hive.
Compared with ordinary bee people, they are larger and closer to humans, and even their wings look much tougher and thicker. Especially the female bee person in the lead, who has a completely different appearance from the other bee people.
Unlike ordinary bee people who have obvious characteristics of bees, she does not have the long black and yellow hair on her body, no antennae on her head, and her eyes are not compound eyes.
Apart from the two pairs of translucent wings on her back and a pair of arms at the ribs, she looks closer to a real human being, and is a beautiful woman wearing beautiful clothes woven from flowers and grass leaves.
She was wearing a big hat that looked like a mushroom cap, which didn't match her body shape and made her look a little silly.
"Mother Greta, why would you tolerate a high elf like this? We are just as capable of fighting!"
Greta, the witch who had seemed very treacherous, now looked a little kind: "Janet, your mother and sisters died in the battle for freedom. You are the only little queen who survived the tribe, and they are also the only remaining soldier bees. Before more bee eggs are hatched, we can't risk wasting any more strength."
"Although this place is not the Underdark, it is also full of dangers. Those gnolls are really unusual, not to mention that the tree people are particularly restrained towards you bee people."
"If he can really succeed, it will be very helpful for your revival. Let's let him recruit some bee people and regard it as a contribution to the revival of the race!"
Although still a little confused, the female beeman named Janet nodded vigorously: "Yes, Mother Greta, everything is for the revival of the beeman tribe!"
