Half an hour later, Lola and a group of adventurers had arrived at the pre-departure preparation area. Looking at the supplies in her hands and the temporary teammates around her who were talking and laughing, the young huntress was still a little confused. She had only planned to see if there were any routine missions around the camp, such as clearing out the scattered elemental creatures around the camp. How did she suddenly get assigned to the more dangerous "Advance Team"?
Beside her, the old mage Modir had a cheerful look on his face. The old man, who was more spirited than a young man, stuffed the frost resistance potion into his clothes as he casually said to the adventurers beside him, "Actually, the stuff they gave me is useless. I'm not afraid of such cold air. Young people with weaker physiques like you need more protection. The temperature of the polar regions is no joke. If anyone of you runs out of resistance potions along the way, you can come to me for more … "
The adventurers who were spoken to looked at the old man, who was at least as old as his grandfather, in bewilderment. They wanted to say something, but in the end, they swallowed their words. After all, the domain of the extraordinary was different from that of ordinary people. This gray-haired old man was actually a mage who had mastered mysterious powers. With the blessing of powerful spells, an old man might not be weaker than the so-called 'young adults'. If they nodded silently at this time, they might even be more polite …
Then, Modir's attention was focused on Lola who had not spoken. The old man had a smile on his face. "Lola, you don't look very energetic. This is not the state that a warrior who is about to go on a mission should be in."
"At first, I was going to join the clearing mission in the east of the camp." Lola snapped out of her daze. She smiled awkwardly and said helplessly, "I didn't intend to sign up for the advance team … It was you who dragged me here without any explanation …"
"I asked for your opinion … Did I remember wrongly?" Modir blinked and knocked on his head, a little confused. But he quickly put these trivial questions behind him. "Ah, I can't remember. It seems that I need to apologize to you, Miss Lola. Do you want to quit? We haven't set off yet … "
"No." Lola sighed helplessly. For some reason, she always felt a sense of déjà vu whenever she faced this strange old man in front of her. It was as if … she was dealing with her muddle-headed but warm-hearted grandfather. Ever since her grandfather passed away, she had not felt this way for many years. She could not help but feel relaxed in front of Modir. She was also influenced by this old man who was very active. "Anyway, we're still around the camp."
"Emperor Gwen Cecil said it very well — riches and honor in the midst of danger. Miss, we are not here to enjoy ease." A one-handed swordsman laughed heartily. "Looks like you don't usually participate in the advance team operation? Believe me, the reward of this kind of mission is definitely much more satisfying than your 'cleaning' around the camp. Near the exploration border, there are more active elemental creatures and areas rich in magic. The strength of those things is not much stronger than the monsters around the camp, but the highly purified elemental nuclei and the occasional crystals that emerge from the source of magic are much more valuable than the low-quality elemental mixture … "
"And if you are lucky, you can also pick up the treasures left over from the Tarlonde era. Those good things escaped the fire of war and lie intact in the mud and frozen soil," another female swordsman said in a more cheerful tone. "Those things can be exchanged for a piece of real estate on the Lolun Continent, but here they are buried in the ground with the charred stones … Tsk tsk, I can't imagine what kind of luxurious life these Giant Dragon lived before the war …"
"It feels like they all lived like kings …" "That's for sure. I heard from a Dragon last time that they all had a butler in their house, what was it called … Omega Intelligent Assistant or something? Every family had a butler. Do you dare to imagine such a life? "" I don't dare to imagine it, and I can't imagine it. Anyway, it's gone now … "" It's a pity. "
The topics of adventurers were always lively, especially when the topic was related to wealth. The temporary "army" soon began to discuss enthusiastically. Not long ago, people from different places with different identities and backgrounds were now talking enthusiastically as if they had been best friends for many years. They exchanged ideas and talked as if a strong friendship had been brewing. This friendship occasionally helped them to increase their chances of survival in the next joint operation. It allowed them to have an extra arm to pull them up when they fell. But more often than not, the biggest meaning of this "friendship" was to create some high morale and dispel tension and fear.
Friendship would start from bragging before departure and end at the last count after returning to the camp. Of course, if everyone was lucky enough to live through such a "cycle" several times, a real friendship on the battlefield would be established. It would be consolidated after a few rounds of wine and meat, and eventually, it would last until everyone died.
This was the way of life that adventurers, as well as mercenaries who licked the blood on their blades, were familiar with.
But not all adventurers lived like this. There were also some who were more "reclusive", and Rolla was one of them.
The young Huntress didn't really like this kind of forced conversation. She just silently sorted out her equipment.
Three Frost Resistance Potions from the camp's logistics team. This once expensive alchemy product was now distributed to every adventurer for free to resist the cold environment of Tarlonde. Personal Protection Magical Terminal, a good thing rented after paying a small deposit. This modern industrial product's biggest function was to produce a single person's Breeze Shield. In addition to helping to resist the cold wind, it also allowed the user to survive safely in a poisonous environment.
This second function was especially important. In this dangerous wasteland, a poisonous environment was often accompanied by adventurers. The border of the safe zone was full of leaking factory pipes, contaminated elemental fissures, and poisonous gas sources. Even the Extraordinary with a strong body would die from these environmental toxins if they were not careful.
In order to move safely in today's Tarlonde wasteland, one must ensure 24-hour protection. If it was in the old days, most of the Extraordinary with average strength could not achieve this with their personal magic power alone. But now, machines that did not tire could do this. All they needed was a sufficient supply of magic power and careful inspection and maintenance. Lola did not dare to neglect this matter. After all, she knew that the last careless and unlucky guy had died in the ruins of a factory near the camp. Before he could dig out a single gold coin from this "Adventurer's Paradise", he had already become a victim of the poisonous exhaust gas. His name was still hanging high in the most eye-catching place of the adventurer's hall. By this time next year, the grass on his grave would probably be very tall …
"Stop chatting. Check your equipment, check your equipment."
A shield warrior who looked more mature and steady noticed Rolla's silent action and immediately reminded his temporary comrades who were a little too lazy. So, the adventurers finally quieted down a little and began to skillfully check the things that were used to save their lives.
After a little while, the bell that indicated that the door was ready finally rang in the assembly area. More than a dozen adventurers who had received their respective missions began to move to the departure passage at the edge of the camp. Rolla and Modir left the assembly area at the back of the hall with the others. They walked through the trail named 'Armed Man's Trail' and came to the end of the tall and sturdy wall. A gate made of alloy stood tall in front of them. The thick and heavy door blocked out the bad weather outside the camp.
In the creaking sound of the mechanical structure, the heavy black door slowly opened. The whistling cold wind instantly rushed in. Even with a layer of wind shield, the cold of the arctic region still made people who were used to a warm environment shiver.
The endless wasteland of Tarlonde came into Modir's sight. The old mage could not help but laugh and walked out.
"Ah, the unknown land … I'm ready!"
…
On the observation deck at the top of the high wall, Byron's gaze was looking at the vast wasteland below. He saw the door of the adventurers open, and more than a dozen fully armed teams filed out of the door and set foot on the heavily polluted and ruined plains outside the town. He could not help but sigh emotionally. "Ah … adventurers … Seeing this scene, I can't help but think of the days when I was a mercenary."
The voice of the Dragon Mark Witch Ashalena came from the side. "I don't remember when we were mercenaries, we had such a formation and logistics. A stronghold of such a scale, a highly efficient management center, professional task dispatch and logistics teams, semi-standard equipment, and the Giant Dragon in the active area can be used as a rescue unit at any time. Back then, not to mention mercenaries, even the regular army did not have such a treatment."
"Not to mention back then, even the modern regular army rarely has such treatment. This is Tarlonde, the land of the Giant Dragon." Byron smiled and looked back at the red-haired lady beside him. "I'm just thinking a little, reminiscing about the past."
"… The managers of Agundor have begun to push the control area to the west. Nearly half of the adventurers today are advancing in the direction of the Crystal Hill. Their task is to help clean up the monsters along the way and stabilize the safe border of this passage," Ashalena said casually. "It seems that the Giant Dragon is finally not satisfied with Agundor, a safe island hanging alone in the wasteland."
"I heard that the Giant Dragon seems to intend to open the passage between Agundor and the Crystal Hill within a week and set up a communication station there to receive messages from the west coast." Byron nodded. "If this communication station is set up, the communication between Agundor and the monitoring post on the west coast will be much more convenient. At least the frequency of communication can be increased to once a day."
"Considering what the monitoring post is watching, I don't think the frequency of communication is that high." Ashalena shook her head. "But think about the terrible environment in Tarlonde now. It's a miracle that they can make the long-distance communication across half of the continent. You can't be too demanding."
"That's true. But it has nothing to do with me." Byron shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be leaving in two days."
"You're going back to the Loren Continent?" Ashalena looked at Byron with a little surprise. "So soon?"
Byron waved his hand and said casually, "I'm the commander of the navy. My task this time is only to escort the Alliance's support supplies and rescue teams. Staying in Tarlonde for too long is not in line with the orders I received. I have to go back to report."
"That's true." Ashalena nodded and then smiled. "Then it's time for me to leave. We can go back on the way."
"You're leaving too?" This time it was Byron's turn to be surprised. He could not help but look at the dragon lady in front of him. "Aren't you the leader of the support team? Don't you want to stay here and continue to help the Dragons rebuild? "
Ashalena shook her head. "Just like you, my task is actually just to bring the team safely to Tarlonde. The rest of the things will be taken over by other dragons who are specially in charge."
"I see. I thought you would continue to be in charge of the follow-up rescue mission. I'm curious. How can a person like you do such a professional thing when you're not good at anything except drinking and fighting?"
Hearing Byron's casual words, Ashalena could not help but smile. She looked sideways at her former 'mercenary leader' and grinned. The corner of her mouth emitted a condensed flow of magical flames, and the blazing dragon's breath rose from both sides of her cheeks.
Byron turned pale with fright when he saw this. "Hey, hey! Ashalena! Don't be so serious! You're spitting in my face now. This is a diplomatic problem! "
"It's not easy to hear such a professional word like 'diplomatic problem' from your mouth. But what's even more difficult is that you actually got my name right on the first try." Ashalena's mouth curled up, and the unformed dragon's breath dissipated silently. She raised her eyebrows somewhat provocatively. "Why? Do I only leave you with two impressions of drinking and fighting?"
"… Do you want me to say 'beauty and wisdom'?" Byron thought carefully and said uncertainly, "If you want me to say it that way, it's not impossible …"
"Forget it. I've imagined it coming out of your mouth, and it feels like you're cursing me." Ashalena waved her hand with a strange expression, and then suddenly stopped. She seemed to be lost in thought and memory. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. "The impression in my memory … I can hardly remember what the companions who adventured with us in the south looked like."
Byron glanced at Ashalena in surprise. "Don't you dragons have a long lifespan? I thought those things were still the same to you as yesterday … "
Ashalena did not answer. She was once again lost in thought. After a few seconds, she slowly said, "I want to see them."
"… You have a holiday?"
"I can. It's not difficult."
"Then I can help you apply for an entry permit."
"Thank you, Captain."
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