Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As their strength increased, the lives of cultivators became prolonged. In the span of such long years, a separation of one or two years hardly seemed significant.
However, when considering the ten years spent in Immortal City, it could indeed be said that it had been a long time since they last met.
The Robe Mage was a deer, and beside him stood the Armored Man, Tifet.
"Garen..." Tifet's face was filled with shock. Back in Blackstone Town, they had searched multiple times afterward but never found Garen's body, concluding that he had been burned to ashes by Sundgoth.
Yet now, Garen stood alive before him, exuding an inexplicable pressure that weighed heavily on Tifet.
"Boss, do you know this guy?" Besides Tifet and the deer, there was also a Bald Man and a Stalwart Man. At that moment, the Bald Man lowered his crossbow and cast a doubtful glance.
Tifet did not respond; his gaze toward Garen was complex. After all, he was an elite knight of the Holy Empire, and just from the pressure alone, he could tell that Garen had likely reached Third Tier status... This realization shocked Tifet even more than the fact that Garen was alive.
It made him recall two years ago when this warrior had still been at First Level and had slain a Second Rank Fallen Black Dragon.
"What a coincidence!" Tifet, being an elite of the empire, quickly regained his composure and smiled. "If those kids knew you were still alive, they would be very happy."
"How are they doing?" Garen asked softly.
Both spoke in calm tones, completely devoid of any indication of a long-awaited reunion; it felt more like casual conversation between acquaintances. In a war-torn world, every reunion seemed so mundane.
"Those Novices? They're doing well," Tifet thought for a moment and replied. "Dostodoro and Rody have already qualified as knights. By next year's assessment, there should be even more successes."
As he recounted this, Tifet felt a sense of nostalgia. The prospects for these Novices in the imperial capital were very promising; many had been recruited by several influential figures at the Knight Training Camp. Especially after Rody claimed the title of the youngest knight at just thirteen years old, this group of Novices was regarded as the most promising reserve knights.
They had experienced the misfortune of losing their homes and endured countless hardships. Perhaps their talents were not the best, but their diligence surpassed anyone's imagination. They were brave, fearless, resilient, and faced challenges head-on without retreating.
Yet only Tifet and a few others knew that the achievements of these Newbies today were all thanks to this warrior.
Garen nodded slightly. "Not bad."
He turned and walked deeper into Ahn'Qiraj.
Tifet paused for a moment, frowning as he called out, "Isn't it dangerous here? Shouldn't we stick together?"
It wasn't that Tifet wanted to leverage Garen's strength; rather, due to the peculiar nature of Dead Man's Gorge, most powerful individuals traveled in teams. Tifet and his companions lacked a truly strong ally, and Garen was clearly new to Ahn'Qiraj and needed a guide.
"No need, good luck to you all."
Garen waved his hand and continued walking away without stopping.
"What an arrogant guy," Bald Man scoffed, displeased by Garen's refusal.
"Yeah, doesn't he know the situation here?" the lean man shrugged, sneering. "To turn down the boss's invitation. I bet he won't even make it half a mile!"
At that moment, their voices fell silent as Tifet made an unexpected decision. He waved his hand, and Deerheart understood immediately, setting off to catch up with Garen.
...
Inside Ahn'Qiraj, ruins were everywhere. Unlike the Immortal City of Chaos, Dead Man's Gorge was not only filled with relics from a bygone era but also bore countless traces left by Harbingers over endless ages. The ground was littered with broken weapons and armor, as well as bleached bones.
"Sir Garen!" came a startled exclamation as Deerheart caught up.
Garen turned and asked, "What is it?"
Joining forces with Tifet and the others was indeed a good option, but Garen's purpose for this journey was to find Tastandin, while Tifet clearly represented the Holy Empire in seizing resources. The differing objectives would impose many constraints on their actions.
Garen was not someone who liked trouble; when potential complications outweighed convenience, he would decisively abandon the situation.
"Recently, some anomalies have occurred in Ahn'Qiraj. Lord Tifet sent me to assist you," Deerheart said breathlessly with a smile.
Anomalies?
Garen suddenly realized something and focused his gaze around him. Before long, he sensed that something was amiss.
Indeed, this desolate plain was not vast at all. Just a short while ago, Garen had seen the distant abandoned town, but after walking for so long, it seemed that the distance to the town had not decreased at all.
Looking back, he found that the path he had taken was now hundreds of meters away to his right! This was quite unbelievable; Garen was sure he had been walking in a straight line!
At that moment, Lu explained, "Someone triggered the Arcane Crystal early. Now the interior of Ahn'Qiraj is filled with barriers. Just like the barrier in front of us, unless we can break through its weak point, we will never be able to cross over and can only walk along its guidance."
Garen examined it closely and realized that there was indeed a faint membrane in front of him. In normal circumstances, Garen could easily slice through such a barrier, but now that his powers were suppressed, it became very difficult.
"Where's the weak point?" Garen asked.
"Well... that's also why we've been stuck here," Lu said awkwardly, scratching his head. After all, none of the four of them were skilled in barrier magic. "But I've found some clues over the past few days. I believe we will be able to break through soon."
As he spoke, Lu led Garen along the edge of the barrier. His eyes glowed a bright white at that moment, as if he could see through anything. However, he needed to rest every so often since Lu was primarily a healing-type warrior and barrier magic was not his specialty.
During this time, Lu told Garen about the core of Dead Man's Gorge, which was the Arcane Crystal located deep within. It was said that this crystal had been opened by chance; it hadn't appeared during the last Magical Armor contest. Moreover, it had been confirmed that the power value of the Arcane Crystal far exceeded that of the Magical Armor, which was one of the main reasons for the fierce competition in Ahn'Qiraj this time.
Yes, it was quite brutal.
Theoretically speaking, this layer of barrier could only be considered as the outskirts of Ahn'Qiraj. Yet even just walking here for a short while, Garen had already seen no fewer than seventy corpses that had recently died, encompassing powerful beings from various races.
"In terms of barriers, Dog should be more skilled at it. Hasn't he come?" Garen recalled that among Deer Lion Dog's three Holy War forms, Lion had the strongest combat power while Dog symbolized wisdom; Lu was more balanced.
Lu's expression darkened. "Dog is missing."
Garen was taken aback; he hadn't expected this answer.
"Actually, we originally had twelve people," Lu said after a moment of silence, his tone complicated. "But as soon as we entered, we were ambushed by unknown attackers. We never found Dog's body; he must have gone missing."
Garen suddenly thought of something and hesitated before deciding not to ask further questions.
Deer noticed it carefully and shook his head, saying, "Hmm, the lion is dead."
"I'm sorry." Garen fell silent for a moment; it was clear that mentioning this had brought Deer down.
"No need to apologize!" Deer smiled lightly and said wistfully, "We are all achieving our goals in our own ways. As long as we succeed in the end, death is just a stop along the journey. As for them, they will surely be remembered by many!"
Seeing Deer's sincere smile, Garen couldn't help but smile back.
Cataclysm was inevitable, and chaos was unavoidable.
In chaos, death was the most common occurrence.
But there was still a long road ahead. Rather than dwelling on bitter memories, it was better to cherish those who had passed within one's heart, after all, everyone had fought side by side on this journey.
Some chose to give up, and others would never return.
But still, one should be grateful for their companionship in this desolate world.
At that moment, Garen felt a sudden warmth from his left pocket. He looked down to see that the black stone was emitting a faint glow.
Heart of Agou,
Something was stirring!
Comment 0 Comment Count