Release That Witch - Chapter 767
Chapter 767: Extraordinary Training Method
he noisy field quietened down suddenly.
No one could have expected that Lorgar would have fallen into a disadvantage so soon after the fighting began. From the looks of this round, Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan was definitely wounded heavily.
Only Ashes knew that she had not used her full power in that attack. At that moment she struck Wolf Girl, the other party had already speedily retreated backward and had slightly curled her body. Therefore the attack was not taken at a full blow. In the face of a heavy blow, Lorgar consciously avoided being in the scope of the enemy’s attack. This indicated that even if she had not experienced the real battle of life and death, at least she had put in a lot of efforts in training.
The girl fell to the ground and rolled around for two laps. Her body rapidly started to inflate, causing the clothes on her body to get torn to shreds. Her smooth skin exposed was covered by the fluffy light yellow mane.
“Um… she looks different from Maggie.” Ashes pondered. “Fat Pigeon wraps herself up with hair and then transforms into a bird species, so this could be considered a purely physical change. No wonder she chooses to fight barefoot before, as she knows that every time she animalizes into a beast, she’ll ruin a pair of shoes. That will be a heavy burden even for a big clan.”
By contrast, Maggie was much more economical. Not only would she not damage her clothes, but she could also wrap her package in her hair and most of the time that meant she could carry an extra luggage.
“Ow ow ow woo—!”
When Lorgar stopped rolling, her body had completely changed its appearance.
A huge desert wolf appeared on the platform. Ashes had seen these wolves with yellow fur on her way to and from the Land of Fire. Compared to the snow wolves at Western Region, their fur was not only stubby and hard, but they were also thinner in shape. After sunset, their eyes would occasionally emit a green light, and they constantly had an insatiable look. Obviously, they led different lives from their same kind in the Misty Forest. Other than the lack of rich rations, they also faced the threat of other brutal predators.
But this wolf in front of her was way too large.
Even a horse would be dwarfed beside her. Just her limbs alone were already half a head higher than Ashes. If Lorgar stood on her hind legs, that would be the height of two adult men.
And her severely damaged nose was also reflected in the animalized body. The cocked bridge of her nose had a collapsed part, and the nostrils also blew out hot air and streaks of fresh blood.
Lorgar howled loudly and caused the onlookers at Sand Nation to gasp in astonishment. Not only Ashes, but it was the first time for everyone around to witness the changing process of the strongest goddess in the Southernmost Region. It was natural for them to feel great pressure and fear standing under such a burly body.
Without waiting for their inhaling sounds to subside, Wolf Girl sprang forward toward Ashes again.
This time Ashes looked more serious, as the latter’s speed had almost reached the level of the God’s Punishment Warriors. And with such a huge figure, its power certainly could not be underestimated.
She avoided Lorgar’s thrust by moving aside and immediately realized that she had made the wrong move.
Wolf Girl’s range after animalizing was too wide. Compared with the God’s Punishment Army warrior that had the same size as common people, she often only needed to move one step to dodge the attack. And with two or three steps she could even counterattack. But for the giant beast, the number of steps needed to be increased at least several times.
Right now, Ashes barely avoided the attack, before the other party struck with her right claw and hit her like a huge wall.
“Boom—!”
Being unable to avoid the attack, she had no choice but to lift her arms to block the attack head-on.
Although the collision gave both sides exactly the same impact, the advantages of body shape at this moment were very clear. Lorgar’s whole body trembled due to the impact, while Ashes was completely thrown out flying.
…
Under the platform, Echo could not help grabbing Andrea’s wrist. “Ashes… Will she be alright?”
After animalizing into a huge beast, the situation was reversed. Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan kept pursuing Ashes, and the latter could only use most of her energy to defend and dodge with almost no way of fighting back.
Although both were unarmed, each of their kicks and punches was as sharp as an iron hammer at this level. Several wounds appeared on Ashes’s body, and the blood gradually dyed her robes red.
“Don’t worry, an attack like this won’t cost her her life. She still hasn’t given all her force.” Andrea continued and said, “Ashes may not have many strengths, but she is exceptional at resisting attacks.”
“Not yet given her… all?” Echo was startled and said, “But she’s obviously panting, and she doesn’t look at all relaxed!”
“Do you know the Extraordinary Training Method during the Taquila age?” Andrea asked in return.
“No, what’s that?”
“It’s a way to speed up the consumption of magic power so that one can be in training mode all the time… According to His Majesty Roland, this was both ancient and inefficient, hence it would be better to study two more books to analyze how muscles and bones can convert chemical energy into mechanical energy.” She chuckled and said, “But I think for someone with the intelligence of Ashes, she might be particularly suitable for this stupid method—after all, letting her read a book was simply too difficult.”
“Is that so?” Echo widened her mouth in surprise.
“Of course,” said Andrea gracefully while she smoothened the ends of her hair. “Look, she’s going to fight back.”
…
As soon as Ashes managed to distance herself from her opponent, she pulled out a black tape from within her arms.
“What’s that?” said Lorgar, who stopped in her tracks and shouted, “is that a weapon?”
The crowd was also stirred up.
The agreement of the holy duel was sanctioned by the Three Gods and deserters would be eternally spurned. So no one violated this even if it was not checked by anyone.
Ashes smiled and casually threw the cloth strap on the ground. It looked like a waist strap, but it made a dull crash when it fell on the ground as if she had thrown a heavy stone, instead of a gentle piece of cloth.
Wolf Girl’s howlings suddenly contracted.
However, this was not the only burden.
Then she crouched down and took the two pieces of black tape that were tied to her ankles.
They looked ordinary but were handmade by Soraya. If they were ordinary fabrics, even the most sturdy canvas would not last more than a week. The cloth strap was divided into three layers. The innermost one was hollow, and filled with special iron bars. Each short part weighed about ten pounds. The cloth strap for the waist would be equivalent to the weight of carrying an adult person.
When she stood up again, she felt her whole body full of strength again and the long-lost sense of ease once again returned to her body.
“Extraordinaries wear this kind of thing to practice. The faster the magic is consumed, the stronger the body gets.” Ashes still remembered what Agatha said at that time. “Even many people bring them to the battlefield, and at the most crucial moment, the most unexpected power could be released. If all went well and you persisted for five to six years, you could even hope to break through the body’s shackles and become a Transcendent.”
And now, just over a year and three months have passed.
Chapter 768: Bloodbathed Battle
his was the first time Ashes initiated the attack since Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan had completely animalized.
Lorgar also did not back down and lifted her body toward her opponent. But this time she found that her attacks could no longer be coherent, and even with a wide range of Sweeping Strike, it was difficult to force the other party to block or counterattack. She was always a little slower than Ashes. She could hit Ashes before, but now she could only tear off a corner of her clothing.
And more often than not, she could not reach anything.
After fighting for a moment, Wolf Girl had to use a strong tactic. When her right claw was unsuccessful, she had to use the remainder of her strength to rotate her body, and use her stout tail to hit the other party—this tactic allowed her to instantly place half of the platform within her attacking range. Even if Ashes were quick on her feet it would be impossible to retreat completely, unless she had no intention from the start to approach. A tail like an iron whip could easily scrape off fresh flesh, and most of the wounds on Ashes were left behind by this move.
However, the expected crash did not come.
Sounds of exclamation could be heard coming from the platform.
Oh no!
Lorgar’s heart suddenly had a bad premonition and at the same time, she saw a fallen figure from the corner of her eye.
She—can fly?
All the bystanders were staring with their eyes wide open. They saw Ashes levitating even over the top of Wolf Girl who was half a head taller than her, and she landed directly on the turning head of her opponent!
Tail attacks had a wide range, yet could only sweep close to the ground raid without being a threat to mid-air targets. However, it would be extremely difficult for most people to jump over such a great distance. As it would be easy for opponents to judge the landing point leading to the inevitable next attack, so few people would jump into a duel.
Unfortunately, after Wolf Girl rotated her body to do a sweeping strike, her tail part became her blind zone.
Ashes no longer chose to show mercy, but smashed her fist into Lorgar’s eye, causing the eyeballs to split open suddenly. A mass of blood splashed over half of her body, and severe pain caused the latter to scream out hoarsely. Even if the body could bear the attack, the organs such as the eyes were still very fragile parts. After losing one eye, the duel had quickly tilted its balance in favor toward the Extraordinary.
However, just as Ashes inteded to withdraw her fist and give her opponent a chance to surrender, she found that Lorgar’s eye was closed and her right hand was gripped tightly by her eyelids and face muscles. In the meantime, a giant claw came flashing toward Ashes—even if this claw managed to wound her, it would also increase the trauma of Wolf Girl’s eye.
Lorgar showed that she was determined to fight.
Normally, imprisonment like this would be unable to trap the Extraordinary witch, but just slow down her actions by a little. But at such a critical moment, even a breath of time could be extremely deadly.
Ashes knew very well that she could not avoid it, so she did not hesitate and lifted the other arm to face the attack head-on.
She seemed to have heard the sound of her broken bones caused by the tremendous impact.
She sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood.
This was probably the first time after the duel started that she was really hit.
As the two separated, Ashes noticed that her left arm had been bent into a weird shape.
“Roar——!”
Lorgar roared loudly and rushed towards Ashes with her mouth wide open, ready to bite.
Instead of retreating, Ashes rolled forward. She escaped the other party’s bite and crawled under the blind zone of Wolf Girl’s neck. Then with one hand holding the ground, she kicked both legs to the other’s forelimb.
With a loud noise, the forelimb bent out like a folding door. And at this point, the three-legged Wolf Girl almost lost her ability to attack.
“Lorgar, that’s enough!” The head of Wildflame Guelz shouted.
“No, I can still fight!” Lorgar replied breathlessly. “Her situation isn’t much better. I just need to hold on for a while… hold on for a while and it’ll be alright!”
Ashes licked the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth, and could not help but laugh.
Her opponent was right as her situation was indeed not too good. The heavy blow caused her whole body to ache and her internal organs felt like they had shifted positions; her arm was also broken and drooping weakly beside her. She looked as pathetic as the one-eyed giant wolf that was standing with three legs.
However, a man could move by two legs, but a wolf could not. Coupled with the loss of one eye, the limited vision would further hinder Wolf Girl’s action. If she could not accurately hit the enemy, then being strong and powerful would be meaningless. This was what she had learned from her experience of fighting with the God’s Punishment Warriors.
The other thing that could be confirmed was that she was now a lot stronger than she was a year ago.
This was particularly obvious when she received that great impact. Ashes could clearly feel the magic power in her body flow faster than ever before, and time seemed to slow down in that instant. She could even see the claws and meat pad that kept coming close toward her. And most of the magic gathered in her forearm, so she had an unprecedented strength.
If it were her in the past, this strike would not only have broken that arm that was used as a shield, but would have also cracked her ribs and internal organs.
But for now, she just felt pain and not numbness nor weakness.
Was this what Agatha meant by the life and death sentiment?
She felt as if she was standing in front of a thick door.
If Wolf Girl could partially control her magic power to partly animalize her own body, could the Extraordinary apply the same method each time to attack with a strength beyond the limits of her own power?
This may be a worthwhile exercise.
Of course, the most important thing now is to resolve this duel.
If I break even the other eye, she will have no choice but to admit defeat, right?
Anyway, with the help of Leaf’s herbs, she could stay alive. As long as she could be towed back to the Western Region, Nana would be able to heal her back to brand new.
Ashes took a deep breath and bent down slightly.
Lorgar also got ready for an attacking stance and exposed her fangs at the same time.
Both of them knew that the next blow would be the final blow for both parties, no matter what the outcome was. Only one person would be standing on the platform.
The heavy atmosphere infected all the spectators and the entire scene was silent, leaving only the sound of the burning ground.
Just as Ashes was about to move, there was a sudden scream from Echo. “Be careful, overhead!”
She rapidly looked up and saw a huge monster rushing down that had expanded wings even wider than the platform. Its claws were like open blades, and as thick as an arm. Only when it got close to the ground, could she hear the hiss of the air stream passing over its wings.
Ashes jumped aside with her greatest strength to avoid the monster’s diving attack range.
And through the corner of her eye, she saw that Lorgar was also trying to dodge its attack. But because of her broken forelimbs, she was unable to and got hit directly by the enemy.
With a boom, the platform was smashed into several cracks by this meteoroid-like impact.
Lorgar cried out piercing screams.
Chapter 769: Unyielding Will
By the name of Three Gods! That’s… the Four-winged Eagle!”
“How dare this beast break into the Burning Shrine!”
“Help, help me!”
“Guards, where are the guards?”
Screams of panic and disbelief came from the crowd. Some of the Sand Nation people pulled out their weapons and climbed up the platform to save Lorgar, while the others wanted to flee. The scene suddenly became quite chaotic.
Ashes could see clearly through the smoke that the bird was actually a giant demonic beast. It resembled a demonic hybrid of an eagle and a beetle. The back, lower abdomen, and head were covered with a striped shell. It had six claws and each section could be clearly seen. The front pair was the thickest and held Lorgar firmly on the ground like an iron clamp. The four pairs of wings, which should have been as thin as cicada wings were thick like bird wings and became its most striking feature.
Nature could never produce such an ugly monster.
The demonic beast kept trying to peck her neck while pressing down Wolf Girl. Its claws could not be avoided, and Wolf Girl could only sway from left to right to avoid the attack. The inability to move her body greatly limited the range that she could dodge. In a short time, her cheek already suffered a few scratches, and the fresh blood stained her fur. By the look of things, she would not be able to hold for a long time and would be killed by the demonic beast.
Ashes would definitely not allow it to happen.
Ashes assisted Iron Axe in participating in the Desert Mission because of Tilly; using the holy duel to decide victory was also the choice of the latter. She had the aid of Leaf’s herbs and Nana’s treatment, so she took this matter very seriously in order not to let Lorgar down. However, Lorgar was still a witch, and so long as she was not evil like a Pure Witch, there was no way Ashes could sit by idly and let her die in the hands of the demonic beast.
“Echo!”
Ashes shouted, and then plunged toward the demonic hybrid. She clung to its mouth at that moment when it was trying to peck again.
The sharp corner of its mouth scratched her arm and the blood dripped bit by bit on Wolf Girl’s face, but she was still motionless.
Wolf Girl looked up at Ashes weakly with her remaining eye. Her dark pupil revealed a complex look.
At the same time, Echo’s lullaby could be heard. The music gradually dispersed everyone’s panic and soothed the crowd that was trying to escape.
Without the interference from the surrounding crowd, repeated gunfire sounds could be heard from where Andrea was standing.
She was different from the First Army that might accidentally wound the witch. Her precise shooting ability ensured that as long as there was a glimmer of space, she could hit the target perfectly.
Ashes saw Lorgar’s claws tremble fiercely. Then several rounds of bullets hit the same joint position, breaking the Four-winged Eagle’s claws directly into two pieces.
After losing the clamp, Lorgar rolled up and kicked the beast’s belly, and kicked it out. The latter flapped its wings and rose again. Only now did the First Army squad ring out the gunshots for the very first time. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to hit a flying target that could circle or swing up and down and was behaving more like an erratic insect than a bird.
“Are you ok?” Ashes took off her black robe and covered the diminishing body of the huge wolf.
“Temporarily… Ahem, I won’t die yet…” Lorgar that had regained her human form, coughed out a mouthful of blood foam, and struggled to climb up but failed several times.
“Don’t move around or else you will aggravate your wounds.” Ashes groped along her body and discovered that one side of the chest was sunken down and she could feel the bumps of the raised bones. It was clear that several ribs were broken in the previous violent impact. It was fortunate that the wolf form could resist the impact of the heavy attacks. If she had retained her human form, that attack would have probably taken her life.
Wildflame clan warriors also surrounded the area with their short bows and aimed toward the demonic beast in the sky. But even firearms could not be effective at this distance, therefore arrows were even more useless.
“Watch out! It’s coming again!” Echo warned everyone again.
“Everyone get out of the way!”
Ashes hugged Lorgar and rolled on the spot to avoid the grazing attack of the demonic beast. Several clan warriors were unable to avoid it and were thrown out with their chests heavily deflated, so they were unlikely to survive.
The Four-winged Eagle obviously had a high level of intelligence. It seemed to realize that the only thing that could threaten it was the rifle held by Andrea. When it was diving and attacking Lorgar, it would always use its abdomen’s shell to face the blonde witch. It also followed a rocking motion and a polyline flight path. When Andrea was refilling, the demonic beast would throw the people it captured toward Hummingbird and Echo to obstruct her filling action and also rotate the direction of attack.
Andrea avoided the danger several times by a thin thread. In addition to paying attention to the movements of the demonic beast, she also had to take care of the other two partners. If she had not mastered the new evolutionary skills that enabled her to release a strong air stream at close range, she would have been thrown down ages ago by the demonic beast.
Ashes could not help frowning as this Four-winged Eagle seemed like it was targeting the witches.
If it simply wanted to prey on food, the platform was full of people, and no one would have stopped it from taking away one or two people. But it dived repeatedly to attack Lorgar or would stare at Andrea and the other witches. It showed no interest in the ordinary people and was vastly different from the rumored brutal and bloodthirsty assailant.
The First Army had only 50 soldiers that entered the Land of Fire and were no help in dealing with a flexible target in the air. Ashes thought it was necessary to lead it to the top of the large army and hopefully, it could be shot down with more intense gunfire.
But… what exactly needed to be done?
At this moment, Lorgar grabbed her hand.
“Throw me upwards.” Wolf Girl gasped and spoke one word at a time.
“What?”
“Ahem… Throw me up!” She repeated. “When it’s coming toward us, that’s the only… the only chance I can catch it. I can’t act on my own, I can only depend on you!”
“If you don’t succeed, you may die here,” said Ashes.
“A warrior’s second home has always been the battlefield,” said Lorgar, with her ears drooping down. “So at least I’ve resisted until the very end. You are the most powerful warrior I’ve ever met… Ahem… You’ve given me the chance to experience such a wonderful fight. Thank you.”
Ashes saw a firm resolve from her expression and nodded after a moment of silence, “I see. But you’re mistaken, it’s not our last fight.”
“Even if I… manage to stay alive, it will be impossible for me to stand like a normal person. You don’t need to comfort me.” She laughed at herself.
Even if she could recover from such heavy wounds, she would still be disabled. Perhaps death would be a better option for her.
“There’s a witch called Nana in Neverwinter of Graycastle, who can heal any man back to brand new. Even someone who’s breathing his last or whose limbs are entirely broken,” said Ashes, slightly widening her mouth.
The wolf’s ears became erect in the blink of an eye.
“What you just said… is that true?”
“Of course, I have gone through no less than a hundred battles like this one, and there were even more powerful enemies. And if you want to hone your skills, you can find opportunities at any time. So if you live…” Ashes stopped here without finishing what she wanted to say, as she realized that the other party’s remaining eye now reflected a brand new light.
“I’ll survive, for sure.”
“Well, come up then.”
Ashes no longer hesitated and grabbed Lorgar’s foot with one hand. She took advantage of Four-winged Eagle diving toward the center of the platform, to fling herself around for two turns before throwing Lorgar out—
Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan was like a flying arrow with her black robes, aiming at the monster that was flying straight down.
Chapter 770: Echo and Drow Silvermoon
Siyaaaaa!”
The Four-winged Eagle let out a peculiar high-pitched sound as it probably did not expect the other party to take the initiative in attacking it.
It opened its beak and without a moment to spare, immediately attacked Lorgar without bothering to dodge.
What happened next shook the hearts of the onlookers.
Lorgar instantly transformed into a massive Desert Wolf and smacked the strange bird’s face with thunderous strength! The eagle’s head bent to one side and its beak that was originally able to pick up an adult with ease suddenly broke away.
It was then already too late for the demonic hybrid to adjust its balance, so the two beasts just fiercely collided with each other.
Lorgar once again spits out fresh blood, but she still tightly grabbed on to the demonic beast, and her teeth sank deeply into its flesh.
The demonic beast sensed danger from the Desert Wolf clinging on to her and desperately flapped its wings trying to fly up. However, no matter how hard it moved its wings, it was unable to gain altitude due to the Wolf Girl who weighed as heavy as itself.
“Andrea!” Ashes shouted at her companion.
“I knew that you would have to depend on me eventually,” said Andrea. She threw her rifle back to Echo and leaped up the platform while summoning the Magical Longbow.
At the same time, the two beasts smashed down heavily onto the platform.
With a flash of white light, the Desert Wolf which was sitting on top of the Four-winged Eagle suddenly disappeared. Ashes knew then that Lorgar had already reached her limit. But fortunately, the outcome of this battle had already been decided. She took a dead Sand Nation warrior’s robe and rushed toward the demonic beast.
Upon closer inspection, she could see that the demonic beast’s back and the abdominal shell was pockmarked with several wounds. Some were scratches, while others were small holes that oozed green slime and blue blood. These wounds were probably left by the First Army, but none of them had inflicted fatal damage to the demonic beast.
She quickly found the motionless Princess Lorgar in the gap between the wings and carried her down the platform.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the longbow in Andrea’s hands shining with golden light.
The hybrid demonic beast that had been wounded quite severely had its head swaying and was staggering on the ground when it suddenly found something resembling a golden sun next to it.
“Hey, what are you looking at?” Andrea laughed mockingly. “Fly away if you can.”
“Shriek—!” It finally recovered its senses and tried spreading its wings in a panic to escape. But it was too late.
A blinding ray of light shot out from the Magical Longbow, and with a thundering whistle, it pierced through the demonic beast’s body. In a flash, its body suddenly started emitting countless beams of golden light, as if a sun was trying to break out of its body and began engulfing it in its glow!
As it quieted down, a circular crater a few meters wide appeared in the middle of the platform. All that was left of the Four-winged eagle was a piece of its body lying on the edge of the gap, and its remaining body parts were splattered all over the place like tiny droplets of rain.
Andrea stood proudly in this torrential rain of flesh and gore, with her golden bow giving her long hair and alluring figure an eye-catching silhouette.
“Why are you still materializing your longbow? Are you wasting your magical power?” Ashes who was under the platform got grumpy and stood up.
“Of course, it’s for the people here to remember my heroic appearance… ah, sh*t.” She suddenly covered her mouth halfway through her sentence. “It’s all your fault for making me talk. What if some bird meat fell into my mouth?”
Ashes could only roll her eyes at that.
…
The Wildflame chief Guelz had an ashen face as he gently received his daughter from Ashes. With his shoulders slightly quivering, he said, “Is Lorgar… ”
“She’s still alive, but it doesn’t look good. Even the best herbal remedies can only delay her death.” Ashes shrugged and said, “Unless we treat her immediately.”
“You… have a way to cure her?”
“That’s right, and she can be as healthy as she was before the duel.”
Guelz stared with his eyes wide open and gazed at the Extraordinary witch for a while before finally slowly opening his mouth. “Then… what’s the price?”
“You’ll know soon enough,” Ashes tugged her hand and said, “But what I want to know is… Will you acknowledge the result of the holy duel?”
“Wildflame isn’t Ironwhip, and we won’t deny a victory that was won through blood and honor. Furthermore…” Guelz sighed and said, “no one can deny that you are currently the strongest clan. If you don’t believe, you can listen for yourself…”
Ashes have certainly heard it.
Be it on the platform or the Burning Road, every single person present was shouting a single name in unison.
“Osha! Osha! Osha!”
It was among this cheer, that Echo climbed up to the platform.
“I am the chief of the Osha clan, Drow Silvermoon, but I also have another name, Echo of Graycastle’s Witch Union!” Her voice sounded clearly above the noise of the crowd and reached everyone’s ears. “I have lost everything since the betrayal of the Iron Whip clan. Not only was my clan exiled, but I was also sold into slavery, from the Port of Clearwater, all the way to the King’s City in Graycastle. I was fortunate enough to be rescued by a witch organization. After that, I was transferred to a small town in the Western Region, where my name has been changed to Echo.”
She paused momentarily, then said, “I prefer the name Echo more than Drow Silvermoon—though I have been through some painful experiences, I am so much happier than I ever was in the desert. That town, which was once a desolate town on the border, has now become a bustling city. Most of the growth during this period was brought by a Lord, His Majesty Roland Wimbledon of Graycastle, and he was also the one who changed my destiny!”
Ashes was stunned. “This… doesn’t sound like the rehearsed speech.”
“Well,” said Andrea, with a light chuckle, “it’s what she’s been wanting to say the most. And besides, all we can do now is applaud her.”
In the beginning, Echo seemed a bit nervous, but once she started talking about Neverwinter’s interesting lifestyle, she began to talk with increasing confidence. “I know you are curious as to why I’m saying all these things, after all, it’s just someplace in the North. No matter how beautiful it is, it has nothing to do with our people in the Sand Nation. That’s right… Maybe this was the way it used to be, but now things are not the same!”
“His Majesty’s catchphrase is that Neverwinter will never discriminate based on origin. His city has people from all kinds of backgrounds: ordinary people from Graycastle, witches, and even people from foreign clans! This is enough to prove his kindness and benevolence. Now he intends to save the Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan from this blood-soaked, barren desert and grant you all a better life, just like he did when he helped the witches—and I’m carrying out the will of His Majesty, Roland Wimbledon, to deliver this news to all of you in the name of the strongest clan: he has decided to become the chief of the Mojin Clan to unify the entire desert and treat us all as his people!”
Chapter 771: Desert Promise
p>”What is… a chief?”
“Sounds like the head of all the clans…”
“Isn’t that the same as the Three Gods Emissary?”
The crowd began to discuss. At that moment, the head of the Black River clan that had descended to fourth place, jumped onto the platform and questioned loudly, “But the king of the northern kingdom you mentioned, Roland Wimbledon, is not a Mojins. How could he rule the entire desert?”
“Here it is,” Ashes thought. “This is one of the key problems that they have to deal with if they want to put the Southernmost Region into the prefecture of Graycastle. I’ll see how Echo handles it.”
Echo looked at him and asked peacefully, “Were the Three Gods Emissaries who used to rule the desert… Mojins?”
Her voice was not high, yet with the help of her magic power, it traveled to everyone’s ears. The head of the Black River clan was startled when he heard it. “Um, well…”
“We all know that the answer is negative.” Echo noticed his silence, so she looked under the platform and said, “The Three Gods Emissaries were real giants. It’s said that they didn’t have uniform looks. One of them had four feet and three hands and another had more than one head. Undoubtedly, they were not Mojins.”
At this point, she began to speak in a much higher pitch, “The few words left by the emissaries have become principals that are abided by all Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan. The laws carved onto the slate tells us about the desert rulers, one is being blessed by the Three Gods, the other is opening up boundless oases and keeping all the clans away from hunger, thirst, and death. Anyone who could accomplish any of those can become the ruler of the Southernmost Region.”
The discussion in the crowd quieted down. Nobody wanted to object the laws left by the Three Gods Emissaries at the Land of Fire. In fact, the holy duel was a way to decide power distribution originated from the laws.
“But the Three Gods Emissaries did bring green land to the desert.” The head of the Black River clan did not want to be neglected. He pointed at Echo and raised his voice, “It’s said that 1,000 years ago, this area was an oasis! Is the king of Graycastle capable of that? Don’t be deceived by false benefits. Anyone who owns that kind of power is not different from the deity.”
“So as long as he could bring new oases to the Sand Nation, you’d admit that His Majesty is qualified of ruling the Southernmost Region and consider him as the chief, right?” Echo said with a smile.
“That’s right. Not only me, I’m afraid all the other clans would agree with me!” The head of the Black River clan kept his mouth shut for the first condition and took most of the audience’s opinions as his own.
“Indeed, His Majesty can’t convert the Southernmost Region into a green land, but he’s willing to take our land into the territory of Graycastle and offer us residences near lakes and forests to keep us from the threats of thirst and sandstorm forever.” Echo returned to the platform and said word by word, “This is the promise His Majesty made. He’ll bring you a new oasis, the vast and rich northern area is exactly the boundless green oasis whose color will never fade.”
Everybody was startled and could barely believe what they had heard.
Thuram was equally shocked.
This is the real purpose of the Osha clan!
That is the meaning of the new oasis and new order Iron Axe mentioned!
It has always been every Mojin’s dream to live in an oasis that is forever green. Such a temptation is unimaginable, especially to those small clans that are too weak to grab a piece of the Iron Sand City. Although big clans might be hesitant and unwilling to see a drastic change in the Southernmost Region’s order, they could not prevent the transmission of this message, probably within half a month, this astonishing message would spread through the entire dessert by the clansmen on spot from every Silver Stream Oasis!
“No, this is absolutely nonsense. It’s a lie, a fraud!” the head of the Black River clan shouted. “Have you forgotten the tragic ending of the Black Bone Clan and the Sandstone Clan? Didn’t they die out and become extinct because they easily believed what Garcia, the Queen of Clearwater, said? Offering us an oasis and the source of water? The cunning northerners will never do that. They’ll only give you a pond, or a piece of land as big as my palm, making you fight for these resources unceasingly as you did in the Southernmost Region where you have to work to death for them.”
Thuram imperceptibly sighed. “If it were before the holy duel, this speech could have suppressed people’s aspirations, but it’s too late now.”
In five duels, no one was killed. The merciful image of the Osha clan had spread through the small oasis. People could easily imagine that the northern kingdom’s king who was supporting Osha was equally merciful. Obviously, someone merciful would not oppress the Sand Nation people as the Queen of Clearwater had done.
Even challengers like Black bone and Sandstone were willing to sell themselves cheap to Garcia, which was an indication of how attractive a land of survival was to them. Even if it might be a trap, some clansmen would like to take the risk. If the King of Graycastle sincerely wished to take the Southernmost Region into his domain, those pioneers would definitely become the examples for other clans to follow. As long as it started, the northwards migration of the whole Sand Nation would become inevitable.
This king obviously had all his moves well planned, making a show of strength to draw the clans’ attention, killing nobody in duels to build a merciful image, becoming the chief of all clans by indisputably winning the holy duels and making the other forgiven major clans reluctant to turn against Osha under everybody’s attention.
Thuram thought he would play a fairly important role in the process of the Osha clan settling in the Iron Sand City, but now he found that his role was only to supply Osha with his clansmen and information about the major clans in Iron Sand City. As to the real plan, he was totally kept in the dark. Echo did not take stationing in the Iron Sand City seriously and revenge was only as easy as lifting a hand to her. Thuram could not help but feel lost.
But after a short while, he rose with spirit again. If everything would go as the new leader said, Osha would undoubtedly become beyond the strongest clan. Then as a member of the Osha, he obviously would gain great benefits. In the face of this promising future, why bother feeling lost for the moment?
As expected, Echo slightly shook her head, “You’re wrong, chief. What Garcia needed are mercenaries, not common clansmen, which was her biggest difference with His Majesty, which was also the reason why she picked Black bone and Sandstone who had stronger fighting capacities. Yet His Majesty won’t do that. He considers all the Mojins as his own subjects, so any clans here can go to the Kingdom of Graycastle, regardless of how many young adults they have or whether they’re powerful. His Majesty doesn’t need the Sand Nation people to die for him, no merciful king would sit by and watch his subjects dying in vain!”
“What do you want in return? We ought to pay something for that.” The Wildflame chief Geulz stood up and said, “He won’t help the Sand Nation for nothing. I don’t believe there is such a thing as free lunch!” He clenched the teeth, “Tell me. I’m willing to accept it.”
“What His Majesty wants from you is simple, which is to work,” Echo said frankly. “Like the other tens of thousands his subjects, work for the kingdom, work for yourself! You’ll get paid, improve your lives, receive education and bring up children… That’s all he wants.”
“Is that… Is that all?” Guelz was startled.
“That’s right. A way of living your life without fighting and struggling!” Echo raised her tone again. “Everyone knows that there are fewer and fewer Silver Stream oases… In my childhood, I could occasionally see oases near the south point of the Endless Cape. But now, the white wasteland near the northwest area is constantly expanding. The oases are deteriorating into sandy soil. Even the small oases around the Iron Sand City have shrunk. Do Mojins intend to keep on fighting and killing for living places, immersing the yellow sand with your blood and eventually disappearing with the oases in the Southernmost Region? Tell me, are you willing to accept this consequence?”
“No, my Lady.”
“I’d like to go with you, Lady Silvermoon!”
“Please take me with you!”
Noises, like rolling waves, spread from the center of the platform to the surrounding areas.
Looking at the extremely pretty girl on the platform who’d drawn most of the clans’ attention, Iron Axe could not help kneeling down with warm tears shedding.
He had dreamed of this occurring countless times, especially that night when the Osha clan became qualified for a duel participant. But when he woke up, the clan had disappeared and the princess had become a slave. He thought he would not live to see this happening.
But now, what Echo had accomplished was even further than he had dreamed. Although he even dropped tears over this, within his heart he was fulfilled and proud.
“Osha finally gains the Three Gods’ favor.”
“I understand there are still people hesitating, but soon what I said will be proved.” Echo raised her right hand and said, “Those clans who want to follow me to the southern territories of Graycastle may pack right now and meet me at the small oasis before departure. Those who can’t leave right away need not worry. I’ll leave staff behind to guide those who wish to find suitable living places in the northern kingdom. As long as you abide by the Graycastle laws, you’re His Majesty’s subjects and will be protected. Graycastle’s door is always open to you.”
Nobody knew how the cheer started. But it was like a drop of ink falling into water, soon it rippled and spread to the entire Land of Fire.
The major clans still remained silent. But compared with the crowd under the platform, they were insignificant.
The sounds of the clans from every corner of the Silver Stream exceeded that of those from Iron Sand City for the first time.
A crack appeared on the primitive and stiff order.
A new order was taking shape at the riot of sounds.
Tiny and immature as it might seem, but it exuded infinite vitality.
The crowd began to kneel down to cheer for the new strongest clan, as well as to bow to the chief. Not everybody had the nerve to be a pioneer, but there were always people who were brave enough to sacrifice everything for the evergreen land in their heart.
On that day, the cheers spread unceasingly through the Land of Fire.
From that day on, the desert had a new leader.
Chapter 772: The Arrival of the Relics
ith the help of a Sigil of Listening, Roland received the result for the last holy duel, including everything that happened in the Land of Fire, by that afternoon.
Instantly he summoned Maggie, Lightning, and Nana to his office.
“There is a severely wounded witch in the Iron Sand City who needs your treatment.” Roland looked at the three energetic girls—no, two girls and one legal girl, and said, “Prepare tonight and leave tomorrow. No need for haste as long as you arrive at Fallen Dragon Ridge by tomorrow evening and reach Iron Sand City the following day. Ashes will be there to receive you.”
“Do both of us need to go?” Lightning asked, indicating Maggie and herself.
“Yes. I feel better when you’re together,” Roland said, nodding. “Besides, Maggie needs to be assisted when tying Nana onto her back, doesn’t she? Remember to wear more clothing, it’s hard to fly in freezing weather.”
Nana couldn’t help but shiver when she looked out the window at the falling snow.
“Understood. I promise, she will be delivered on time!” Maggie said as she raised her hand.
“Flying there is not a problem…” Lightning pouted, “but, if you want to start exploring the snow mountain, please wait until I come back! Missing it would have me in tears.”
“Um… the moment when a great explorer cries… that’s definitely a scene worth recording.” Noticing the serious expression on Lightning’s face, Roland couldn’t help but laugh. He knew that since the news about the possibility of a relic on the snow mountain had spread, Lightning had been looking forward to it. “Of course, you’re all crucial members of the expedition. I can assure you of that.”
“That’s settled then.” Lightning patted her chest in relief as she said, “You can counting on us, we’ll cure the wounded sister.”
“You can also tend to other Sand Nation civilians along the way. But, don’t stay for too long.” Roland kept on going, “You should return on the day Nana has exhausted her magic power and take the same route when you return. Understand?”
With the relocation of Taquila survivors drawing to an end, he should start an expedition to the snow mountain. However, without Nana staying in Neverwinter, he did not dare to hastily send the witches to that unknown land.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Alright.”
“Coo!”
The three of them answered simultaneously.
After they had left, Roland leaned on his chair and let out a sigh of relief.
Nightingale stuck her head out from behind Roland as she asked,”Does this mean that you’ve successfully taken over the Southernmost Region?”
“I’d say we’ve only taken the first step,” Roland said, smiling. “There are still many things to do.”
After over a month of fighting, the Desert Mission had come to a temporary truce.
Unfortunately, the following migration was going to be the challenging task.
Roland fetched the map from the corner of his desk and laid it out. His sight landed on the southern territory of Graycastle. He had conveyed his plan to offer the Sand Nation civilians a new oasis before Iron Axe had departed. The preferred location would be the border area that had lost a lord and most of its populace. It had been successively struck by civil wars, that had been started by Timothy and Garcia. The main cities like the Port of Clearwater and Eagle City had been turned into ruins. The surrounding small towns and farmland had also been destroyed..
With the refugees flowing into Neverwinter, the southern territory became a desolate wasteland. Rather than leaving them to ruin, Roland decided to let the Sand Nation reclaim them. They could start at the junctions, between the desert and green land, and gradually rebuild the Port of Clearwater.
By doing this, workers who were exploiting Blackwater could start off at the Port of Clearwater, and reach the southern point of the desert by sea. According to Iron Axe’s report, most of the underground Styx’s Rivers lay to the south of the Land of Fire, mostly under the Endless Cape. In that area, Blackwater tributaries flowed close to the ground and near the coastline. When compared to the danger-ridden land route, traveling along the coastline was much safer apparently. Given the present technology level of Neverwinter, the coastline was undoubtedly the preferred exploitation location.
It would take some time for these events to take effect in the Southernmost Region. Clans that heard the news might not leave for the Southern Territory immediately. Regardless, the temptation of an oasis would be irresistible to the Sand Nation civilians. Even if only a few clans move there in the beginning, eventually more would follow and ultimately become Roland’s subjects.
Thus, not only would he gain a large labor force and prevent the land from going to waste, but the revived residence would also stop the roving bandits that traveled inland. This made it so Roland didn’t need to deploy a large force of manpower to work in the desert and the subjects that wanted to live in the Southern Territory would also find an abode.
Of course, there were hidden dangers as well.
One challenge would be merging his people with the Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan.
Yet, Roland wasn’t overly concerned.
Leaving aside the unawakened democracy, this world’s religions were thought-provoking enough—they didn’t require one to be too religious, but more like a pure nature worship. Both of the nations used the same language; the Sand Nation’s lifestyle and customs were not so much a special culture, but more of an adaption to the desert. Iron Axe and Echo were perfect examples. The two of them had roamed all the way to Border Town, and fit in well without too much difficulty.
As long as his law enforcement was strict and the punishments and rewards were fair, Roland believed that the Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan would also become qualified workers.
Just in case there was a rebellion, the First Army that had been stationed in the Southern Territory and Fallen Dragon Ridge happened to be more than mere ornaments.
The more pressing issue Roland cared about was following up on the hybrid demonic beasts Iron Axe mentioned, that had attacked the witches. If his recollection was accurate, it sounded like an unavoidable accident had caused the desertification of the Southernmost Region. Geographically speaking, this piece of pointy land adjacent to the mainland was not far from Graycastle, which made such an abrupt change happening highly unlikely. Unfortunately, for the moment, he was too short-handed to explore the Southernmost Region, so he would have to ignore this quandary temporarily.
While what the demonic hybrid did was inconceivable—this abnormal lifeform owned a modicum of intelligence. Roland had learned this from his own experience, so, what had driven it to attack the witches despite the risk? If the inland demonic beasts had sieged the human cities under the influence of the relics of gods, then the Four-winged Eagle had obviously attacked witches for some other reason.
While Roland was thinking hard, Wendy and Phyllis knocked on the door before they walked in. “Your Majesty, the last batch of facilities that had been shipped from Taquila will arrive at the Third Border City soon. Pasha invited you to meet her underground.”
“Finally they arrived.” Roland became excited when he heard the news. The so-called Third Border City was actually an underground bunker that had been built under the Impassable Mountain Range. This place functioned similar to a city and essentially served as a secret stronghold. The last batch of facilities was the Instrument of Divine Retribution and the relics of gods. To ensure their safe arrival, the First Army that had been stationed at Neverwinter provided the escort.
“What about the demonic beasts? Any movement?”
“No sign of a massive gathering for the moment.”
“Is that so…” Roland stood up and said, “Let’s get started then.”
Chapter 773: The Third Border City
he entrance to the cave was located to the north of Neverwinter. It could be found in the juncture between the city and the mountain range. On the nearby hillside, there was the ever-busy mining and furnace areas.
Near the foot of the mountain, a solid concrete wall appeared in front of everybody. Although there were many facilities still under construction, this place had already become the most heavily guarded area in Neverwinter. There was a watch tower on each one of its corners and wired netting lining the top of it. There was also a machine gun blockhouse on each side of the gate.
The guards saluted Roland as he walked through the gate and into the yard.
Upon walking into the yard, he faintly felt as if he had traveled back to the modern world.
What he saw in here was definitely not supposed to be in this era. There was a huge cave that had its entrance covered with concrete. The cave was over ten meters wide and over 5 meters tall. The two grand iron doors were oversized compared to the entrance and their thickness reached an astonishing one meter. They were not solid poured but were rather jointed by several layers of steel plates. This was on par with many doors at modern military strongholds.
Since the iron doors weighed so much, the entrance had to be modified and slideways were installed on the ground to support the doors. Even with the slideways, they could not be pulled open by manpower alone.
Due to this, one of the two steam engines in the yard was used to provide the driving force to move the doors.
If the demonic beasts broke the defensive line set up by the Taquila witches, as long as the relic of gods got retrieved, these two doors could block any following demonic beasts outside.
Standing in front of the doors that were as big as a multi-layered building, Roland could feel their solidness. Almost 1/3 of Neverwinter’s winter steel output was used to build these two doors. Their simple rectangular shape might seem easy to produce, but their size alone required a higher level of skill.
On the day the doors were installed, Roland had witnessed the scene as they were opened and shut. Listening to the toneless roar of the steam engine, the harsh grating on the sliding tracks, and watching the slowly closing doors, Roland felt as if he was in charge of the entrance that protected them from doomsday.
On each side of the two iron doors, there was half a line of words. Combined together, they meant the Third Border City.
Roland and the crowd of people that followed him walked into the cave. The light suddenly dimmed.
Phyllis took out the Stone of Lighting and walked in the front of the team. She began to lead everybody down the deep cave.
“Your Majesty, I don’t quite get why you call this place the Third Border City.” Wendy said with bewilderment, “If the outside Border Area is the first Border City, then where is the second Border City?”
“Because the third is the proper title,” Roland replied.
“Ah?”
“Anyway, don’t you think the number three goes quite well with a stronghold? Besides, it doesn’t matter what name we give it. What matters is people can remember it,” Roland said with his hands laid out.
“Alright, as long as you like it,” Wendy said, twitching her mouth.
After they stopped talking, the only sounds in the cave were the echoing footsteps and water dripping.
Due to the lack of spraymecs, only the floor of the cave was paved with concrete. On the two sides of the floor was a ditch and a mine railway. If materials and food were needed, they would be transported by carts hauled by the other engine at the entrance. Roland had heard from Phyllis that the God’s Punishment Witches were once interested in measuring the power of the machine, and they found out that even five of them pulling a rope together could not stop the steam engine from dragging them forward.
Since the walls and ceiling of the cave could not be covered with concrete, leaking became inevitable. Luckily, the temperature inside of the mountain would not get too low so the water inside would not freeze. While devouring worms would leave a trail of mucus behind while crawling forward, when its mucus dried out, it would glue the dirt together as if smearing a layer of paste on the surface of the walls and ceiling. Because of this, there was no danger that the cave would collapse.
After about a half an hour’s walk, the cave got brighter.
“We’re almost there.” Phyllis slowed down. “Your Majesty, do you need…”
Roland knew what she wanted to say and interrupted her. “It’s ok. Take me there now.”
The God’s Punishment Witch turned back and looked meaningfully at Roland, “… Ok, I understand.”
Upon exiting the narrow cave, they entered a large cavern. In front of them was a spacious dome building that was the size of a football field. Throughout the cavern, tens of light beams were projected onto the dome and cast bright spots on the floor. With the help of this light, people would not feel oppressed in this area even though they were deep under the mountains. Besides the witches, the First Army was also dispatched to guard this place. Each of the soldiers had been examined by Nightingale personally to make sure they were Roland’s strongest supporters.
The deeper into the dome they went in, the more they got away from this light. In the center of the spacious dome, there were only a few rhombus shaped magic cores. They were the three Taquila Senior Witches… or in other words, original carriers.
Roland walked to the three of them with a smile on his face. He stuck out his right hand toward the leading blob monster. “Finally we could meet. You must be Pasha, aren’t you?”
At that moment, Roland could feel someone panting behind him and felt that a hand was on his shoulder. Undoubtedly, if anything went wrong, Nightingale would drag him into the Mist instantly.
The blob being fell silent for a while then a familiar voice sounded, “I’m surprised, Your Majesty. Before today, we’ve only been communicating through the Illusion Core. Perhaps the illusionary images weren’t that frightening, but at this moment, in front of me, the calmness you’re showing is astonishing. To be honest, you’re the first one who’s seen this shell and reacted as if nothing had happened. Even when the Taquila witches first saw this form, they weren’t as calm as you are. I’m curious, aren’t you afraid at all?” She paused, reached out a tentacle, and gently tangled it with Roland’s hand. “But you’re right. I’m Pasha. Thanks for supporting the Taquila witches.”
“He hasn’t supported us. It’s hard to say whether the group of common people he sent are meant to help or supervise us,” a cold consciousness came in. “It won’t be too late to tell him after he finishes exploring the big snow mountain.”
“Alethea! We made an agreement!” a third voice interrupted.
“Alright. I’ll shut up.”
It seemed the other two were Alethea and Celine, who often appeared beside Pasha. Roland did not mind their tones. Firstly, those ancient witches had lived in an era where witches were superior and so it would be difficult for them to change their mindset. Secondly, compared to having their attitudes changed, he wished more to make some substantial gains.
“The Fjords’ most famous explorer once said that fear comes from unknown. No matter how you look, your souls belong to Taquila witches,” Roland said, smiling, “and I’m no stranger to the latter. Agatha has become an essential member of the Witch Union and a beloved and trusted member at that.”
Roland noticed that Pasha’s tentacle was rather coarse and the surface of it was not as dry as it looked. The surface of her tentacle felt moist. Perhaps it was because she constantly crawled in the dirt. Roland could clearly feel the warmth beneath her skin. This giant blob in front of him was, undoubtably, a fresh lifeform.
“…I see,” Pasha’s voice sounded sentimental, “and you’re right. Our cooperation had begun long ago.”
“Faced with the threats of the demons, everybody should let go of past prejudices and try hard to join hands.” After some short casual conversation, Roland came to the main subject. “The relics of gods have arrived, right? Can I have a look at the things that determine mankind’s lives?”
Pasha waved the main tentacles on top of her head. “Of course. Come with me.”
Chapter 774: [Divine Land]
p>Roland curiously observed the Taquila Senior Witches as they moved. Their tentacles played different roles. The short ones twisted like snakes so they could stand and walk while the long ones constantly inserted themselves into the mud to correct directions. Some tentacles were amazingly long. Based on the height of dome’s ceiling, the tentacles were over 100 meters long and could shrink freely like arms.
Even the strongest muscles could not support such long tentacles. Roland guessed that the magic power in the blob enabled them to walk freely, just like the giant demonic beasts that apparently broke the limits of gravity.
After walking a couple dozen steps and passing two magic cores, Pasha stopped in front of a cube which seemed to be made of gemstone.
“That’s a God’s Stone of Retaliation. I can’t get too close…” Nightingale whispered in his ear to remind him.
Roland nodded silently and asked Pasha, “is the relic in it?”
“Yes. While keeping it locked up, we can limit its summoning range. If we did not put it in a box made of God’s Stone of Retaliation, I’m afraid the residents in your city would be unconsciously affected by the relic.” Pasha stretched out a few tentacles and placed them on the box without immediately opening it. “Before you have contact with it, I have to clarify some points lest you have an accident.”
“Is it… dangerous?” Wendy stepped forward and subconsciously stood in front of Roland.
“Don’t be too worried. As long as you don’t stay alone with the relic, it’ll be alright,” Celine interrupted.
“What do you mean by that?” Roland asked, raising his eyebrows.
Pasha became more serious and said, “as I have said before, if you open yourself up in front of the relic, you can see some incredible sights. Either a witch or a common person can be summoned. But remember, what you see isn’t completely fictional. It’s different from the phantom instrument, what you see in the painting scrolls will have an impact on reality. That’s the first thing I want to clarify. Don’t accept the summoning of deities alone at any time.”
Roland immediately felt a chill creep up his spine, thinking,“The sight in the painting can affect reality? Isn’t that the same as Sadako Yamamura climbing out from television?”
“Why is it not dangerous when there are more people?”
Pasha explained, “Because once you’re trapped in the Divine Land, you’ll have some obvious reactions, for example, glazed eyes, dull body, ravings., etc. The people around you have to drag you out of the range of the relic. In the historical records, many people had once been summoned by the relic alone and then their souls could not return to their bodies. Two or three people having contact with it that take turns effectively reduces the risk.”
Roland glanced at the Taquila witches and said, “I got it. In other words, since there are at least five people here, it’s not that dangerous at all, right?”
Celine nodded. “If this wasn’t so, we wouldn’t allow you to watch it at close range.”
Alethea coldly said, “there’s another point we need to warn you about. You should know that the huge painting scrolls in the relic display the demon civilizations. If you have a chance to see them, they may… No, they’ll definitely try to hurt you. We can help you wake up from the summoning, but we can’t help you resist the horror of it.” She paused for a moment and continued with a sneer in her tone, “if you’re too scared and make a scene at that time, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
“That’s what you wanted to clarify?” Roland remained undisturbed. “Anything else you want to say?”
“You…” Alethea probably did not expect him to be so indifferent and could not help feeling slightly stifled.
“If not, then open it.”
Roland sighed silently. As a modern man who enjoyed all kinds of monster, alien, thriller and horror movies, he had a much broader horizon than the ancient people. If he was unprepared, he might be scared. But what Alethea said was, in some sense, sort of a spoiler . As long as it would not cause him real harm, he did not think that he would give up exploring the mystery of the deities.
“I see,” Pasha shrunk her tentacles and opened the God’s stone box to reveal a spindle-shaped red crystal.
It floated up from the box by itself and then it, like the magic cores, quietly floated in the air about a meter above the ground.
“It can’t get out of the range of the God’s stone. You need to get close to it and relax, then you can enter the Divine Land.”
“Your Majesty…” said Wendy, grabbing Roland’s hand with some concern.
“Don’t worry. It won’t be dangerous since you’re here. I know what I’m going to face,” he said, gently patting the red-haired witch’s hand to comfort her.
Other than the information given by the Taquila witches, he also learned some information from Isabella’s memory and his exploration of Pivotal Secret Temple of the Church in the Dream World. They proved that something could indeed bring people into an incredible “Divine Land”.
Roland sat down cross-legged beside the relic and closed his eyes.
…
Meanwhile, Pasha stretched out her tentacles to connect with those of her companions.
Their consciousness quickly connected together and reflected what they intended to say in each other’s mind.
A furious Alethea said, “how dare he be so arrogant? I can’t wait to see him scare and tremble. Otherwise, he’ll never truly realize what terrible enemies he’ll face. When he wets himself, I wonder what he’ll say.”
Celine glared at her angrily. “What good will that do us? Any ordinary king is very concerned about dignity and prestige. If you make him disgrace himself then I’m afraid he’ll hate us. How can we explore the snow mountain and look for the Chosen One if we lose his support? Even worse, what if he becomes terrified of the demons? The whole world will lose hope!”
“He said he was not afraid of anything. Anyway, I warned him. Do you think you can stop him?”
Celine muttered, “it was a mistake to bring him here to contact the relic. I didn’t recommend doing so from the very beginning. At least we should have waited until we reach a basic level of trust.”
Pasha softly sighed. “So should we just hide it from him or prevent him from approaching the relic then? We’ll never get his trust that way. Put yourself in his shoes. Would you trust an ally who is unwilling to allow you to know about the key that determines the fate of human destiny? No matter how you explain, he won’t appreciate it. Only after he experiences it in person will he understand our sincerity.”
“But…”
“But it’s also unnecessary to be too worried. The demon and the Giant Eye don’t show up every time. Besides, even if he’s too scared and made a mistake, we can promise that we’ll keep our lips buttoned and never reveal it to other people. I think he’ll understand.” Pasha said to reassure Celine and herself,
“What about the two witches coming with him? Will they keep that secret too?” Asked Alethea with malicious intent. She, undoutedly, regarded it as a pleasure to see a common person lose face in front of witches.
“That’s not our business.”
…
When Roland opened his eyes again, he found himself in an infinitely spacious palace.