In fact, Hao Ren had been waiting for the old general to say this. For the past ten days, he had been trekking through the wilderness and forests of Collow, but he had not had a good meal. Even if he and Veronica did not lack food and drink in the other dimension, sitting in the wilderness was certainly not a good environment to eat. So when Marcus said that dinner was ready, Hao Ren suddenly felt that the old man was a lot more pleasing to the eye.
The old general admitted that the environment in Fort West was limited, and Princess Veronica was not a demanding person. So this simple welcome banquet was held directly in this simple reception room. Soon, Hao Ren also knew that this simple reception room was actually the most luxurious place in Fort West. The fortress looked magnificent from the outside, but it was a pure battle fortress from the inside out. Everything here was designed to resist the forces of Chaos, and there were no unnecessary decorations or extravagant luxuries. Even Marcus' room was only one size bigger than an ordinary soldier's. Using all their strength to resist the Chaos, squeezing out all the resources for personal enjoyment and turning them into force — this was the normal life of the people at the border.
But although the banquet was not sumptuous, it was delicious and nutritious enough. The frontline soldiers fought every day, and as long as the upper echelons of the kingdom were not stupid, they would certainly not mistreat the soldiers here. Fresh vegetables and a kind of soft and sweet bread whetted Hao Ren's appetite, and some kind of mushroom soup quickly relieved the fatigue accumulated over the past few days.
Hao Ren was focused on eating, but Princess Veronica's attention was not on the food in front of her. The princess was very worried about the abnormal changes at the border of Chaos. "When did the monsters attack the city?"
"On the day you disappeared, Your Highness," Marcus sat across the table, his huge body made him look like a giant beast lying on the table. "To be precise, it was the fourth hour after the collapse of the entire Shadowy Forest. When the forces of Chaos reached the peak of the day, those things suddenly appeared in the air. This attack was completely without warning, and even the wizards in the magic tower did not notice any signs. If it were not for the permanent runes of Order on the outer wall of Fort West, I am afraid we would not have survived the first round of attack. "
Veronica nodded. "Will the attack continue?"
"It lasts for one to three days each time, with an indefinite interval in between. The Chaos lingers outside the city, and no matter how many times the power of the Spire of Flames breaks them up, those things don't seem to show any signs of weakening. To tell you the truth, I find it very disturbing: this is the seventh year of the tide of Chaos, after the peak period, they should be gradually declining, but now it seems that they are growing stronger. "
"Within the kingdom …"
"Under the protection of the goddess, the road is still clear, and communication has not been cut off. Although a small amount of the power of Chaos has infiltrated the western mountain corridor, it is not enough to be a threat. If even the aid from the kingdom's borders was cut off, this place would not be like this. "
Veronica breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Father and General Gloen should already be discussing countermeasures."
"Countermeasures? I am afraid it is difficult to come up with any effective countermeasures. "The old general shook his head." Your Highness, I have been fighting against the Chaos for seven years, and during the Year of Order, I have been fighting against the large and small Chaos tearing points in the kingdom for your father. I know very well what kind of enemy we are facing. It is unpredictable and uncontrollable. Although it is sad, in the face of the tide of the Sea of Carnos, humans can only passively accept and resist. Every time we survive the tide of Chaos, it is not because the mortals have defeated it, but because the tide ended before we were wiped out. If this tide continues as it is, the only thing the old man can do is to die here. Buy enough time, this is the only countermeasure. "
Hao Ren looked up and looked at Marcus in surprise.
He did not expect to hear such pessimistic and desperate words from the seemingly iron-willed old general. But when such words came out of the old general's mouth, Hao Ren knew that this was the reality that the people of Collow had already accepted.
Under such circumstances, the old man could still calmly say that he would die in battle, which was the most admirable thing.
Veronica obviously knew that the old general was telling the truth. She could only bite her lip and said, "I know. There is one more thing, about the furnace outpost in the Shadowy Forest … "
"After 'that day', we lost contact with all the outposts," Marcus spread out his hand. "The Chaos attacks were quite frequent, and all the crossings between the fortress and the jungle were completely blocked. Our best scouts could not pass through the shadows. It was not until recently that a team of suicide squad successfully crossed the blockade of the Chaos and found the nearest outpost. Only two scouts came back alive, and the news they brought back was terrible."
"I know …" Veronica lowered her eyes. "The garrison of the fortress is dead. It seems that they died of madness."
Marcus put his hand on the table and looked at Her Royal Highness. "You and your knights have miraculously crossed the entire forest. Do you know what happened there?"
Veronica shook her head. "I'm also confused, General. There are no signs of attack on those outposts. All the buildings are intact. The armory hasn't even been opened. It's just that the guards inside are all dead. But we still found some clues. Some of the outpost commanders seemed to have held on longer than others around the furnace. They left … "
Veronica told Marcus what she found in those outposts. Marcus did not interrupt during the whole process. The old general just listened attentively, and the majestic eyebrows on his face gradually intertwined.
"We know nothing about these things," Marcus's expression was gloomy and terrible. "I have failed your father."
"General, there is a limit to human strength," Veronica comforted. "It is already the greatest achievement for the kingdom that you can defend this fortress in the Western Region. What happened in the Shadowy Forest is strange. Not only the accident at the furnace outpost, but also my defeat that day. Although the Theocracy has always been arrogant, they have never made such a mistake in the past many centuries. All these things are worth investigating. I am afraid the scholars in the king's city are our only hope. "
Marcus frowned. "The scholars … can only count on them. What happened in the Western Region must be reported to the king immediately. I will arrange a messenger. "
"Messenger?" Veronica raised her eyebrows. "The teleportation device …"
"It can't be used ten days ago," Marcus shook his head. "The interference is getting stronger day by day. The wizards said that a shadow vortex is gradually forming over Ansu, and the spatial structure on the continent has become very unstable. Now, except for the hinterland of the kingdom, the teleportation in other areas has all been stopped."
Veronica thought for a moment and said decisively, "… Then I have to go back to the king's city."
"Well, you are safe and sound. His Majesty must want to see you immediately."
"It's not just that." Veronica put down the cutlery in her hand and looked at Hao Ren. "We have experienced a lot of incredible things in this trip to the Chaos. Some things are better to tell my father in person. And my sister … she has more knowledge and may be more interested in the guardian. At the same time, I am also worried about the domestic situation. If I don't show up, some people may not be able to sit still. "
"Ha, the circle of the nobles …" Marcus laughed, and his tone did not hide his contempt and annoyance.
Hao Ren looked at the people around him and felt that there was no need for him to participate in the current topic, so he bowed his head and continued to eat.
After the banquet, Hao Ren and the other knights went back to their rooms to rest, but Veronica and Morian stayed behind.
The two climbed the high steeple of the fortress with General Marcus. They went up the spiral staircase and finally reached the platform at the highest point of the western fortress. The Spire of Flames stood tall on the pedestal behind them, emitting a dazzling light that shrouded the entire fortress.
Looking around, the Shadowy Forest was like a turbid black cloud, lying gloomily on the land in the west. Further away, it was completely shrouded in darkness. The mountains on both sides of the fortress also extended all the way up in the light, and eventually were obscured by the shadow clouds high in the sky. Only on the east side of the fortress could one see the vast and unpolluted mountains and hills. A shimmering road extended through the forest all the way to the kingdom.
If one only looked to the west, it would inevitably give one the feeling of being surrounded by a sea of darkness and trapped in an isolated island.
This was the bridgehead of the World of Order, the land on the edge of light.
"About the 'Ancient Guardian' …" Marcus looked at the forest in the distance and said casually, "Your Royal Highness, do you trust him?"
"He saved everyone's life, including mine," Veronica said faintly.
"It seems that you are not so sure about his origin." Marcus understood the meaning behind his words.
Veronica did not say anything.
At first, it was the princess who identified Hao Ren as the Ancient Guardian, but it did not mean that she did not think further. After so many days of thinking and observation, especially after noticing that Hao Ren had a lot of common sense in the world, her doubts began to grow.
Memory confusion was not an all-purpose excuse.
Marcus waited for a few seconds, and when there was no response, he continued, "You should have also thought of it. There may be hermits who survived the last century in the wilderness, but it is unlikely that there are things from the previous generation. The Chaos shuffles once every hundred years. Except for a few specific tearing points, there are almost no ancient ruins in the world that have not been discovered for a thousand years."
Veronica glanced at the old general and said, "The Cassouin Holy Mountain is in one of the tearing points. Whether it was a hundred years ago, three hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago, it has always been shrouded in Chaos. I know it is incredible, but there is a temple there."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"His origin is indeed a mystery," Sir Morian finally said, "but he is certainly not a servant of Chaos, nor is he a cultist. He carries many extremely powerful sacred artifacts with him, and the power of those sacred artifacts is far from that of this era. I'm afraid they are really ancient relics."
"Anyway, the most important thing is that he is on our side," Veronica sighed. "I know you may think that I am naive, but I have thought it through. I trust him and believe that he is the guardian of the holy land, whether he really comes from ancient times or not."
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