A strong wind blew across the camp.
The curtains of the tents were fluttering in the wind.
It made the camp seem even more dead silent.
The dead silence made Kieran frown.
Especially when he walked through the gate of the camp, he gripped the handle of his spear tightly, ready to deal with any danger.
However, nothing had happened from the gate to the end of the camp.
Kieran carefully checked every single tent they had set up along the way.
Just like what he had seen before, there was no sign of anyone.
Not a single item was missing from the tents though.
Be it belongings or weapons, they were all laid out casually, as if the owner of the tent was inside.
Kieran even saw a bowl of food in one of the tents.
The food in the bowl was half eaten.
Then, it was left there.
He didn't finish it, nor did he throw it away.
It was just left to rot away.
It was as if the person who was eating had disappeared into thin air.
"Disappeared into thin air?"
Kieran's heart skipped a beat.
He immediately activated his [Tracking].
Time had erased all traces of his presence though.
"He must have disappeared for at least a week!"
Kieran deduced based on his experience. He then squinted his eyes.
A week.
They had left Herl City a week ago as well.
Since they had left at the same time, Kieran could not help but speculate.
"If that's the case …"
Kieran's expression turned serious.
Then, he quickly walked towards the end of the camp, the road that led to Isogu City.
Isogu City was a historical site that had been hidden by a huge forest.
However, after an explorer had discovered the gold inside, Isogu City, which had been hidden in the forest, had finally seen the light of day.
A road had been cut down from the end of the camp all the way to the ancient city.
From where Kieran was standing, he could already see a corner of the ancient city.
On both sides of the road, Kieran saw many axes on the ground or stuck in tree trunks.
It seemed like the gold diggers who had built the camp were not satisfied with the current situation. They had continued to expand the area.
Unfortunately, before they could finish their exploration, everyone had gone missing.
Kieran stood still for a moment. Instead of venturing deeper into Isogu City, he retraced his steps.
He felt that he had to inform Herbert and Pierre of the strange scene before him.
After all, as a scholar, Herbert might know something.
…
"Everyone disappeared?"
After listening to Kieran's explanation, Herbert was stunned.
"That's right, everything is still there, but everyone has disappeared!"
"It's like … he disappeared into thin air!"
Kieran said with a frown.
"One thousand five hundred years ago, the Neegor Empire that united the entire world was shattered overnight. It seems to have completely disappeared from the world …"
Herbert muttered to himself.
Kieran and Pierre exchanged a glance, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
As a player who had just entered the dungeon world, although he had heard Herbert's story before, he had never connected the gold diggers' camp to the incident that happened 1,500 years ago in the Neegor Dynasty.
As for Pierre?
He had heard a lot more.
However, he was more used to paying attention to Herbert's daily life instead of the legendary story.
"Herbert, we should go back!
The situation before us is not something we can handle anymore!
You have enough evidence to prove the existence of the Neegor Dynasty. There's no need to risk your life anymore! "
Pierre said.
As a warrior, Pierre never minded taking risks, but as Herbert's butler and bodyguard, he did not want Herbert to risk his life.
Kieran did not say a word.
He hoped that Herbert would help him explore Isogu City.
However, he could not force him.
Not only was it against his principles, but he also knew that forcing a man like Herbert would only produce the opposite effect.
"Don't worry, Pierre. The Night Race could not have destroyed the Neegor Dynasty. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been annihilated by the Neegor Dynasty.
The situation before us is just similar! "
Herbert comforted his butler and bodyguard.
"But it's still dangerous!"
Pierre reminded Herbert.
"But we can't turn back now!
The Night Race has already sealed off our escape route. All we can do is keep moving forward! "
Herbert laughed. He did not look nervous anymore. Instead, he looked relaxed.
"Then we have to give it a try!
It's better than continuing like this! "
Pierre, on the other hand, stood his ground.
"No, no!
If we continue, we won't be in any more danger. We thought that the Night Race was going to deal us a fatal blow in front of Isogu City. Isogu City is not a good place to fight, so the gold diggers' camp was the best choice. But 2567's investigation told us that the gold diggers' camp is empty!
"Not only the humans, but even the Night Monsters are gone!" Zhao Yu said.
This is our chance! "
Herbert shook his head.
"Or maybe it's a bigger trap!
There are too many coincidences in the timing. "
Kieran raised his right index finger and looked at Herbert and Pierre with a serious expression as he voiced out his speculation.
"A week!
The gold diggers' camp has been missing for a week, and we left a week ago. I can't help but think of something.
When we left a week ago, we were ambushed. It was the only ambush.
Maybe our strength was beyond the Night Race's expectations, or maybe something happened within their ranks. But in the end, they changed their original plan from stopping you from reaching Isogu City to helping you reach Isogu City.
For that 'thing'! "
Kieran emphasized the word 'thing'.
"So the Night Race is hoping that I can use my knowledge to help them find that 'thing' in Isogu City?
"In other words, before the Night Race finds what they want, we are safe."
Herbert agreed with Kieran's theory. Pierre nodded as well. He did not refute Kieran's theory.
Herbert frowned and thought for a while before continuing.
"Maybe the Night Race will protect us from other threats!"
"Based on this, the disappearance of the people in the gold diggers' camp is most likely the work of these monsters!"
Of course, there could be other reasons. But from what I can see, the Night Race did not want these people to disturb my search for that 'thing' in Isogu City.
After all, that 'thing' is too important to them! "
At the same time, it is also our chance! "
Kieran lowered his voice so that only the three of them could hear him.
What was that 'thing'?
Everyone present, except for the big guy, was well aware of this.
It was a weapon!
A weapon that could easily destroy the Night Race.
The reason the Night Race had stopped Herbert from going to Isogu City was to prevent the weapon from appearing and threatening them.
However, it was obvious that the Night Race had changed their original plan. They had become more aggressive.
They needed Herbert to find the "weapon" in Isogu City and destroy the "weapon" so that they would not have to worry about the consequences of their actions.
That was why Kieran was able to reach Isogu City without any hindrance.
Faced with such a situation, Herbert had another plan in mind. He would find the "weapon" before the Night Race and use it to destroy the Night Race.
It was not going to be easy though.
"If the Night Race is willing to let you search for the weapon, then …"
"They must be fully prepared!"
Don't forget, no matter what the Night Race did, there were thousands of gold diggers in the gold diggers' camp. A method that can make thousands of people disappear is not to be underestimated! "
Kieran said after a deep breath.
"That's why I need you and Pierre's help!"
Herbert looked at Kieran and Pierre with a serious expression.
[Sub Mission Unlocked: Search for the Lost Artifact]
[Lost Artifact: The Neegor Dynasty was a great dynasty. There is no doubt about that. The items left behind by that dynasty are enough to tempt any living being, including the Night Race! They cannot solve the puzzle left behind by the Neegor Dynasty, so they need an expert! Herbert is the best expert! Help Herbert find the Lost Artifact!]
"Just find it?
Not use the weapon to destroy the Night Race? "
The Sub Mission was within Kieran's expectations, but the contents were out of Kieran's expectations.
Kieran had learned his lesson from the previous mission, so he was able to decipher it word for word.
That did not stop him from accepting the Sub Mission though.
"Of course!"
Kieran said with a smile.
"I am your butler and bodyguard. Wherever you go, I'll follow!"
Pierre said helplessly.
The big guy whimpered, indicating that he would follow Herbert, just like how he had grabbed onto Herbert's shirt when the group had split up.
...
The group continued on their way.
As usual, Kieran led the way.
Even though he assumed that nothing dangerous would happen before they found the weapon, it was not an excuse for Kieran to let his guard down.
Soon, the group arrived at the gold diggers' camp.
Herbert and Pierre were shocked when they saw the empty gold diggers' campsite, even though Kieran had told them about what had happened.
Just like Kieran, they got off their horses and looked around.
They hoped to find more clues.
However, just like Kieran, they found nothing.
In the end, after collecting some rations and water, the group reached the end of the camp. It was the man-made road that led to Isogu City.
However, when Kieran, Herbert and Pierre got closer, they were stunned by what they saw.
A wooden sign was stuck in the middle of the road.
Two words were written on it in bright red liquid.
Return!
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