At the edge of the Giant Wood Tunnel, Solderin and his Steel Rangers were approaching a small town.
The multipurpose chariots of the advance party stopped outside the town. These sturdy vehicles made of steel acted as temporary shield generators and energy stations. They built a temporary stronghold on a stone plateau outside the town. A ranger climbed onto the top of the chariot and faced the town. He pressed a button on the side of his helmet.
The crystal goggles on the visor of the helmet were activated by magic. They first turned red. The warrior scanned the town with magic detection vision. Then, the goggles turned blue. The new Eagle Eye spell in the second-generation goggles enhanced the user's vision. Many details in the town immediately appeared in the eyes of the observer.
After a short observation, a slightly muffled voice came from the helmet. "Sir, there are Crystal Cluster infected wandering in the town. There are obvious magic reactions everywhere."
"The whole town has been infected …" Solderin's face was gloomy. "It seems that we have entered the infected area. We can't go any further."
"We haven't found any trace of the Eastern Army and the Royal Army …" the ranger said. "Could they have been wiped out?"
"… There's no way to be sure. Although the nobles' army is weak, at least there are many extraordinary individuals in charge. It won't be that easy to wipe them out," Solderin said in a low voice. "Perhaps they have abandoned all the wilderness areas and are relying on the big cities to defend. Maybe they are still fighting with the Crystal Cluster infected further north …"
Solderin said his analysis, but he did not have much confidence in it.
As a high-grade Ranger who had experienced the Great Pioneering 700 years ago, he still found the situation in front of him particularly tricky.
The strange 'Abomination' and the large number of Crystal Cluster infected people had hindered the collection of intelligence. Even with the elite and powerful Steel Rangers, he could not determine the situation deeper into the contaminated area.
It was different from seven hundred years ago, when humans were fighting in the wastelands, there was no need to consider whether there were reinforcements or safe zones in the wastelands ahead. That was because in the end, it would develop into a matter of recklessness. If they were reckless, they would survive, but if they were reckless, they would be wiped out. There was no other path ahead, and the Mana Tide that was closing in from behind would not give them time to think. But here … the situation was much more complicated.
At the same time, the other rangers were still observing the situation in the town. This was the first time they had seen a large number of Crystal Cluster infected people gathered together without a battle. It was a good opportunity to observe their movements.
Soon, the soldiers discovered something that they were concerned about.
"Sir, these 'monsters' … seem to be organized."
Solderlin froze for a moment, then immediately activated Falcon Vision (Elven Hawkeye) and looked in the direction of the town.
Just as the soldiers saw, the Crystal Cluster infected people … were organized.
They were not wandering aimlessly. Instead, they were moving in an organized manner. Some particularly tall individuals were commanding them. Solderlin saw the 'monsters' working in groups of three to five to carry things. He also saw them patrolling and keeping watch in the town. Such a scene … was not seen in the previous encounters in the wild.
Solderlin frowned and slowly recalled more details. Although the previous encounters in the wild were chaotic, the organization of the Crystal Cluster infected people seemed to be traceable.
They did cooperate and have a certain degree of command when attacking.
They … seemed to have retained a certain degree of thinking ability?
If that was the case, the situation was even worse. They could think, but their cognition was completely different. This meant that they were not just monsters who had lost their minds after being infected.
These Crystal Cluster infected people … were an army.
While thinking, the situation in the town in the distance suddenly changed.
Solderlin saw that the Crystal Cluster infected people gathered on the west side of the town were inexplicably agitated. Then, several particularly tall Crystal Cluster Giants appeared in his field of vision. Those Crystal Cluster Giants quickly gathered a large group and rushed northwest from the town.
Driven by curiosity, Solderlin looked in the direction where the Crystal Cluster infected people were heading. At the end of his field of vision, he saw smoke rising and flashes of magic explosion.
A battle broke out there.
"There may be survivors. Get in the car!"
…
When dusk fell, the majestic southern gate finally appeared in his field of vision.
Berkel stopped in the wilderness. In the warm spring wind, he looked at the mountains in the south and the majestic fortress that stood proudly in the middle of the mountains.
A horse with a mottled coat stopped beside him uneasily. It kept digging the ground under its feet with its hooves and snorted.
This horse was "picked up" on the road. The owner of the horse might have fled, leaving this poor animal wandering in the wilderness. Of course, it could not be compared to Belk's beloved horse. It could not even be compared to any of the warhorses in the army. But in any case, it was a great help in the second half of this difficult journey and greatly shortened the time of the journey.
Perhaps because he finally saw the end of the journey, Belk suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. He smiled and patted the neck of the mottled horse. He said in a light tone, "You have done a great job. You are almost worthy of the title of Knight."
The mottled horse snorted and shook its neck slightly.
Belk nodded in a good mood. He then turned around and got on the horse. He controlled this mute temporary companion and continued to move forward to the fortress in the distance.
He knew that he was passing by the territory of Count Pompeii, but he did not plan to meet the noble of the plains. He did not even plan to rest in any of the nearby villages. On one hand, he wanted to save time and minimize as many twists and turns as possible. On the other hand, he really did not feel tired.
Although he had been trekking in the wilderness for more than ten days, and although he barely had any rest, he really did not feel tired.
He only vaguely remembered that he used to be tired, but that seemed to be a long time ago.
The mottled horse trotted in the relatively flat wilderness. The comfortable wind blew in his face, lifting Belk's spirit. A strange and pleasant feeling arose in his heart, making him feel more relaxed. Looking at the towering walls of Rock Fortress getting closer and closer, the young marquis began to plan the next step in his mind.
First, he had to pass through Rock Fortress and enter Rock City. He had to tell Sir Walter what happened at Giantwood Pass and ask him to help warn the ruler of the south. Giantwood Pass, Sorin Castle, Sorin Castle …
Belk's eyes suddenly flashed with a trace of confusion.
What happened at Giantwood Pass? What happened at Sorin Castle again?
He was in a trance for a moment, but this momentary trance was quickly ignored. He suddenly did not care about what he was going to warn. He only remembered that his mission was to go to the Southern Territory to warn and deliver an important message. And with his identity and the importance of the message he was going to deliver, he would undoubtedly be warned by Gawain. Duke Cecil would personally receive him … …
These strong thoughts kept surging in Belk's mind, but suddenly, a scene appeared in his mind.
A pair of eyes, a pair of bright eyes flashed in his mind.
Those eyes … … were a bit familiar.
In this short moment, Belk suddenly woke up.
He felt his heart pounding, his breathing was rapid, and sweat was dripping down his neck. A large number of messy and broken memories were quickly reorganizing in his mind, but it was difficult to form an accurate image. It even gave him a splitting headache. In this terrible state, he suddenly felt a burst of heat in his chest.
Belk subconsciously put his hand into his chest and touched something that was constantly emitting heat. It was a small amulet, the amulet of the God of War.
This powerful amulet had received the highest level of blessings, had all kinds of enchantments, and could enlighten the wearer's spirituality. It was releasing more and more heat, and along with the heat, there were waves of power. Belk held the amulet in a daze. He only felt that his brain was constantly being washed and reconstructed, and his messy and broken memories were finally being reorganized one by one.
He recalled the thick fog in Sorin Castle, the strange changes at Giantwood Pass, and the owner of those eyes.
At the end of all the memories, he heard the last words of the prince he swore allegiance to.
"Run."
There was a loud bang in his mind, and Belk completely woke up. He also realized that he had been strange for the past few days.
He came here under the influence of some kind of obsession, but this obsession was not spontaneous.
He actively or passively stayed away from all the people along the way, as if he was trying to avoid being disturbed or stopped by anyone.
He managed to escape from the most heavily polluted area with almost no pursuit.
He was being controlled.
Belk suddenly pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.
He looked up at the Rock Fortress in the distance, and suddenly he felt an illusory expectation and impulse in his mind again. But this time, he forcibly suppressed those thoughts that did not belong to him.
He dismounted from the horse and tightly gripped the War God Amulet in his hand. The sharp edges of the amulet pierced his palm. As blood flowed out, he saw the sparkling light within the blood.
It was some kind of crystal particles shining under the sunlight.
At this moment, Belk finally realized that he had become a source of infection. He had completely disguised himself as a human by using the body of a high-grade fighter as a container. He was the most dangerous source of infection.
The heat of the Ares Amulet began to wane, and the power stored in the amulet gradually dried up. He felt that his consciousness was shaking again, and those thoughts that were forcibly suppressed and mutated were trying to regain control of this body.
He raised his head and looked at the Rock Fortress in the distance. He struggled to think, but there was only one clear thought. He had to … warn them.
There was not much time left for him to be conscious.
Belk looked around and pulled out his family heirloom sword.
He went to a nearby boulder and raised the sword. The tip of the sword cut through the boulder, and debris flew everywhere.
"The Great Wood Passage is shrouded by the plague. His Highness Edmund has been controlled by the curse. The Army of the Eastern Region may have been wiped out.
"The main contaminated areas are concentrated in …
"Be careful of the plague carriers disguised as humans. Their characteristic is that their blood contains crystals."
Belk lowered the sword and looked at the words he left behind. He felt a little proud.
Although he passed through the Great Wood Passage in a muddle-headed state, he still remembered the main areas where the crystal giants were entrenched. This information … may be useful.
After doing all this, he turned around and glanced at the towering walls of the Firmrock Stronghold. He then withdrew his gaze and smiled at the horse that had accompanied him through the last part of his journey.
"Run."
In front of the sudden pressure, the horse let out a loud neigh and turned around to run away.
Belk exhaled and supported his body with the sword on the ground. He stood straight and looked in the direction of the Eastern Region.
"It's really far …"
Two seconds later, a huge column of magic flame that could be clearly seen in the Rock Fortress soared into the sky and lit up half of the sky.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
