The war between Order and Chaos had been going on for thousands of years. The clash of the two forces had left countless ruins in the fragmented world of Collow. Most of the ruins were eventually annihilated by the clash of time and power, but the powerful ones or the more recent ruins could still be found. These ruins included the devil's dens in various kingdoms of Order, as well as the ruins of human towns in the land of Chaos.
Except for those sanctuaries that were protected by holy power and could stand for thousands of years in the Chaos, such as the Cassouin Temple, the human ruins that could be found in the wilderness were basically the products of less than three centuries. Things that were older had been destroyed by the tide of Chaos.
The ruins of the town in front of them were such "young" ruins. According to Veronica, this town was the product of three centuries ago. It did not belong to any kingdom, but was built by the great merchants of the Kingdom of Taros and the Kingdom of Beacon Fire. That century was the "dawn" when the power of Order overwhelmed the power of Chaos. The Chaos in the Dark Swamp, Barren Wilderness, and Shadowy Forest was once pushed back to the southernmost border of the continent. The great merchants of the two kingdoms opened up a great trade route along this route. The distribution market they built was like a string of pearls across the plains and hills. One-fifth of the continent's wealth flowed through this artery.
The bards had left behind magnificent poems, which were full of descriptions of the well-dressed merchants, gorgeous dancers, adventurers, mercenaries, and centaur warriors who wandered from the grasslands in search of opportunities in these markets at that time.
Until the attack of Chaos, the tide of power turned the plains and hills into a paradise for monsters. This string of "pearls" was scattered in the darkness, and now less than one-tenth of it survived. A few scattered ruins were either half-submerged in the mud of the Dark Swamp or had become ancient tree nests in the Shadowy Forest. This ruin in the Barren Wilderness was perhaps the only place that was still intact, and it could provide some shelter for the wanderers who passed by.
If there were really wanderers who would be bold enough to cross this wilderness.
This time, there was such a group of "guests" entering the ruins. They were the Royal Knights of Taros led by Veronica.
The old knight Morian led the way in front, and the standard-bearers holding the 'holy relic' followed closely behind, providing the whole team with the protection of the Light of Order. Hao Ren and Veronica guarded their surroundings as they stepped into the ruined town. Although the rest of the knights walked lightly, they still held their weapons and formed a defensive formation. They did not let their guard down even when advancing or retreating.
Hao Ren could not help but be curious when he saw how cautious the others were (in fact, he had some doubts a long time ago, but he just could not find the right opportunity to ask). "Don't you have the protection of the 'divine relic' I gave you? Will there be monsters coming out of here? "
Veronica could not help but look at Hao Ren strangely. This question did not sound like something that a battle-hardened ancient guardian would ask. But she remembered that this ancient had been asleep for a thousand years, so she kept her doubts to herself and patiently explained, "A place shrouded in light is not necessarily safe. While the Servants of Chaos in the fog will be dispelled by the power of Order, there are still half-contaminated Festered here. The Festered are the product of the creatures of the World of Order being contaminated by Chaos. They are also the intermediate state between the creatures of Order and the creatures of Chaos. These monsters still retain half of their physical bodies, so they have a certain degree of resistance to the Light of Order. What's more, the part of their body of Order has an instinctive desire for the light. While the light can cause them excruciating pain, these monsters will still rush over like moths to a flame. "
Morian added, "The last time we passed through here, we ignited the embers in the town's furnace. The power of the embers may attract the monsters wandering in the wilderness here. But don't worry too much. While the Festered have a certain degree of resistance to the Light of Order, they are still creatures of Chaos. They will be weakened by the holy relic. Plus, their numbers are hard to come by. As long as we are careful, there won't be a problem. "
"Oh," Hao Ren replied, but his brows were slightly furrowed.
Without the protection of a holy artifact like the Golden War Flag, they would be devoured by the Servants of Chaos, and with a holy artifact, they would attract the Festered like how a flame would attract flying insects. The warriors who fought in the realm of Chaos were choosing the lesser of two evils. This damned place … was really not a place for humans.
At this moment, the team had entered the central area of the town ruins.
The town ruins were severely corroded, and there were almost no intact buildings. But the remnants of the past glory could still be vaguely seen in the ruins. Most of the buildings here had thick and sloping outer walls, and the roofs were round and curved. Most of the houses were made of stone, and there was a hint of a desert country. It was said that the architects who designed these towns were mainly from the Kingdom of Beacon, and the Kingdom of Beacon was a famous desert country in the past.
Halfway through, a sudden sense of alertness stirred in Hao Ren's heart. He immediately lowered his voice and said, "Wait, there seems to be something up ahead."
The words of the 'ancient guardian' carried weight. Even the old-fashioned old knight Morian immediately stopped and lowered his body when he heard the warning. Veronica drew her knight's sword and used magic to cover the reflection of light on the blade. Then she ordered the 'standard-bearer' who held the holy relic to stop while she moved forward step by step.
The power released by the holy relic in the hands of the standard-bearer was like a lighthouse in the realm of Chaos. If there were Festered ahead, then the standard-bearer would most likely attract a group of monsters if he moved forward.
Hao Ren could not help but worry when he saw the princess walking alone to the edge of the sanctuary with her sword in hand. Her behavior was certainly brave and respectable, but it did not seem like something a princess should do. Taking the lead was sometimes a shortcoming for a leader. However, he saw that none of the knights around him showed any strange expressions. Apparently, they were already used to Her Royal Highness's behavior.
What he did not know was that Veronica was not being too rash. It was because the scouts and spellcasters in the team were all dead, and she was now the only half a mage and a warrior who knew how to scout.
On the battlefield, practicality was the first priority.
Hao Ren pondered for a moment before he followed Veronica. The two came to a broken wall in front of them and crouched down.
The collapsed stone wall happened to be the limit of the protection of the holy relic in the standard-bearer's hand. Within the protection was the shimmering Land of Order, and outside the protection was darkness and Chaos. The two realms were clearly demarcated, and it looked amazing to Hao Ren.
Veronica took out a pale gold triangular amulet from her pocket. She placed the amulet on her forehead and whispered a spell. The power of the amulet immediately shrouded her body, and a layer of light appeared on the surface of her body.
Then she took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness of Chaos outside the sanctuary.
She had just used the Amulet of Order, a magic item that allowed a single person to move in the realm of Chaos. The Golden War Flag or other holy relic were too dazzling in the Chaos, so the amulet for a single person came in handy. But the effect of the Amulet of Order was quite limited. Once the effect was over, the user would be instantly swallowed by the Chaos. In Collow, being a scout was definitely the most dangerous profession.
Hao Ren saw this scene and guessed the use of the amulet, but he did not have it. Veronica had already assumed that Hao Ren was an experienced ancient guardian, and he had all kinds of ancient holy relic on him, so she did not even think of giving him an amulet.
But Hao Ren did not actually need such an item. He just pretended to gesture a few times in front of his chest, and muttered "psycho goddess bless me" before he swaggered into the darkness.
Veronica turned around to take a look and was immediately dumbfounded.
But soon, she blamed everything on the all-purpose excuse of "powerful ancient".
The two moved cautiously in the darkness and mist. Finally, they arrived at the circular square in the middle of the town ruins.
"Holy sh * t …" Hao Ren mumbled. "Are these the Festered you mentioned?"
The square was filled with all kinds of twisted and deformed monsters!
The monsters came in all shapes and sizes, and most of them were corrupted beasts. There were black wolves the size of calves, and rhinoceroses with bone spikes and plates all over their bodies. Among the beasts, there were also some humanoid creatures. They wore tattered armor and held broken weapons in their hands. These were the warriors and adventurers who fell during the attack of the Chaos. But now, their limbs were twisted, their flesh was festering, and their eyes were burning with murky grayish-white flames. They had become one of the monsters of Chaos.
And among these monsters, Hao Ren also saw some "species" that looked completely different from the other monsters. These monsters had been corrupted to the point that their original form was almost unrecognizable. Their bodies were emitting black smoke, and half of their bodies were blurry. This was a sign that they were highly assimilated by the land of Chaos, and it was the last stage of the Festered. Soon, they would be swallowed by the mist around them, and eventually become part of the power of Chaos.
"… They are indeed Festered, but why are there so many of them?" Veronica was also stunned by the scene in the square. "The fire has already been extinguished. It shouldn't be this attractive …"
Hao Ren narrowed his eyes. It sounded like something was wrong.
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