Hao Ren now truly regretted not insisting on naming the mercenary group. Now that he thought about it, it would have been better if he had named the group Pink Rabbit. When Gelton said "all the good names are given to dogs", everyone's face turned pale. Only Lily was still in high spirits. She even took the initiative to introduce herself. "Yes, yes, yes, I'm the deputy leader of the mercenary group..."
Hao Ren decided to let her be the deputy leader in the future, even though there was no such position in his group...
Gelton mainly asked about the mercenary group's origins and how they rescued the four ascetics. Firstly, he wanted to know more about them, and secondly, he wanted to verify if the whole thing was true. He made no attempt to disguise this inquiry, and, being the rector of the place, it was natural for him to be discreet in the matter. However, Hao Ren had already retold the whole story to Big Beardy and the rest. Of course, it was flawless.
"Then I have no more questions. You guys have done a great job." Gelton exhaled after the detailed questioning. The wrinkles on his face smoothed out. He looked at Hao Ren curiously. "But I'm curious why you didn't come to Leyton directly. Instead, you came to the sacred lake. Wouldn't it be more troublesome to escort the Orb back to town? I heard you guys teleported here. Is there a problem with the landing point? "
Hao Ren's face was serious. "Nothing else. My hands are slippery."
Vivian punched him and explained, "We're not familiar with the terrain around the Blood Lake. Leyton has a lot of mana sources, so we chose an open space to teleport. But we didn't expect the rock monsters to have infiltrated the Blood Lake. We thought we only had to deal with the monsters in the Gnarled Grove. "
Gelton nodded solemnly. "If that's the case... then it makes sense. Thank goodness you guys are fine. "
Big Beardy then asked, "I know that the line of defense here has been breached once. But why haven't we purified all the monsters that broke in?"
Gelton looked at Hao Ren and the rest. But considering that this was no longer a secret, and the people in front of him were witnesses and participants of the whole thing, he did not hide it. "We've only blocked the gap in Leyton. The monsters have other routes to bypass our line of defense..."
Then, the old bishop roughly explained the situation. His explanation was obviously more accurate and detailed than the knight captain. "... It was peaceful before. Although there were monsters splitting from the mountain range from time to time, there were not many of them. Their route was simple, so it was not difficult to deal with them. We set up fortifications on the main road, and after we knew the monsters' weaknesses, we easily stopped them. Then, I started to study ancient books about the ancient magic civilization, trying to find the reason why the monsters split from Dragonspine Ridge. Before I made any progress, I was prepared to fight the monsters in a stalemate. But there was no progress... About half a month ago, the main peak of Dragonspine Ridge collapsed. Not long after that, news of an attack came from the northern line of defense. As usual, the main force sent reinforcements. But not long after that, the front of the line of defense was attacked by a large group of monsters... That was the first time the rock monsters showed signs of a planned operation, and their numbers were several times greater than before... "
Gelton paused for a moment before continuing, "After Leyton's defence line was breached, the southern part of the mountain collapsed as well. And this time, the collapse was even stranger. The whole mountain seemed to have a life of its own as it changed its form. It twisted and stretched out to form a new path. This new path went through the mountain ridge of the defence line and into the Gnarled Grove. Now, most of the monsters around the sacred lake are invading through this sinful path. If you go to the south, you can easily see it: a new mountain has extended from Dragonspine Ridge, right above our line of defense. "
Gelton told Hao Ren and the rest of the story in detail. He did not put on the airs of a bishop at all. He knew that the four ascetics would return to the royal capital sooner or later to report the situation here to the pope. So, he took the opportunity to explain the situation now.
"The mountain changed shape on its own?" Big Beardy looked serious. "This is not a good sign... Can't you stop it?"
Gelton closed his eyes slightly. "There is a limit to our strength. It is difficult to shake nature. As much as I hate to admit it, the power left behind by the evil mage-emperors of ancient times is still beyond our comprehension. That mountain path is indestructible and filled with miasma. It can even suddenly collapse to prevent outsiders from getting close. The knights have already suffered heavy losses there. Even the magisters sent by the kingdom can't do anything about it. Now, we can only keep clearing the monsters in the Gnarled Grove or stop them in Dragonspine Ridge to maintain the situation. The Church Knights are responsible for the former and Marshal Ophra's royal knights are responsible for the latter. "
Hao Ren listened in silence, but in his mind, he was thinking about how to investigate the secrets of Dragonspine Ridge. The mountain was showing more and more strange things. He believed that the mountain must be hiding the secret of the Magic Empire from more than 10,000 years ago. And this secret might help him crack the mysteries of the unusual creatures on Earth, and even the ultimate answer to the Plane of Dreams itself. His first priority now was to stop the Plane of Dreams from merging with the Surface World. So, he could not let go of any clues related to it. While Hao Ren was discussing with the MDT whether he should apply for a micro-observation satellite, the door of the reception room was suddenly pushed open. A valiant and beautiful woman rushed in and said, "Your Excellency, I heard that the Orb of the Holy Synod... Hmm?"
Hao Ren looked back and found that it was a female soldier with long, curly chestnut hair, wearing a tight-fitting armor. She was heroic and dignified. It was Marshal Ophra, the legendary heroine of the Kingdom of Holletta, a magical figure who had guarded the kingdom for hundreds of years. As soon as the marshal entered the room, the first person to jump up was, as expected, Becky. The mercenary girl was stunned, and her chin trembled as she spoke. "Oh... Lady Ophra is here!! Greetings, Your Excellency. Your Excellency, may you live a long life. Your Excellency, may you be blessed... I... I'm Becky. Do you still remember me? I... I'm looking for the Orb of the Holy Synod... "
Hao Ren was really worried for the girl. He reached out and pressed Becky down. "Your Excellency, I'm... the leader of the mercenary group. We have returned the Orb safely."
Ophra looked at the group of people in front of her, a little surprised. Becky's presence had left a deep impression on her. At this time, she had already remembered their previous encounter. "So it's you guys... I heard the news when I was outside the town. I didn't expect the Orb's guardian heroes to be your new mercenary group. Well done. "
Becky immediately felt dizzy and grabbed Hao Ren's arm. "Hehe... Hehehe, did Marshal Ophra praise me just now..."
Vivian pressed her hand to her forehead and thought of something that she could not bear to remember. "God, it's hard to communicate with die-hard fans..."
Ophra soon ignored these strange and unreliable mercenaries. She greeted the four ascetics one by one. "Masters, long time no see. I'm glad to see that you're still healthy. Is the Orb with you? "
Ophra looked like a decisive person. The first thing she asked was about the Orb. Big Beardy nodded. "I have it. But we have not decided what to do next. According to the rules, the Orb should be stored in the Church of the Holy Lake after it is returned. But it seems that place is not safe anymore. "
"We can store it here," Gelton said. "This is the sanctuary closest to the Holy Land. The current situation is special. Storing the Orb here is in line with the doctrine. We can deal with the monsters..."
"Allow me to say a few words." Ophra found a place to sit down and looked at Gelton majestically. "Sir Bishop, it's not that I don't trust your knowledge, but I don't think you can find the cause of the split in the mountains in the short term. It's not appropriate to leave the Orb in the Beinz region. I suggest that the Royal Knights and the Church send their elites to escort the Orb to the Royal City Church. This will calm the people down. News of the battle in the Beinz region has reached the Royal City, and the pampered people are already panicking."
Gelton did not say anything. Ophra waited for a while and showed an impatient expression. "Also, Sir Bishop, I suggest that the Royal Knights' help 'you clean up the area around the Holy Lake. Half a month has passed and the stone monsters are still wandering around the Holy Land. I can see that the Church Knights are very tired and they need rest. I brought a few reinforcements from the interior of the Kingdom but they are only circling around the mountains. I have too many troops on my side. This is not the time for pride. The Royal Knights are also believers of the Goddess. Even if they do not have the mark, they can still fight in the Holy Land. This is in line with the doctrine. "
Gelton stood up shakily. "This is not a matter of pride, Marshal. But I really should seriously consider your suggestion. Before that … let these guests who came from afar rest for a while. Masters, please wait here for a moment. Her Excellency Ophra and I have some questions to ask. "
Hao Ren understood: it seemed that the next discussion was not something that an outsider like him could listen to.
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