The appearance of Fort West in the distant mountains was like dawn light at the end of darkness. The Light of Order had dispelled the exhaustion and frustration of the knights for the last few days. Everyone could not wait to run to the foot of the mountains where the light column was.
Veronica did not lose her calm. She ordered the knights to temporarily camp on the open field outside the Shadowy Forest to wait out the effect of the power of Chaos, and then they would only go into the fort.
This seemingly time-wasting break was necessary. Because the knights had been in the area where the power of Chaos was most strong for too long, the effect of the power of Chaos was still lurking in their bodies even though they had the protection of the sacred items. This erosive power had not changed their bodies, but it had entrenched in their spiritual world. It might not be evident in the dark, but when the light shined on them, the evil energy in them would be nowhere to hide and turning into a scar.
People spending a long time in the Realm of Choas must not return to the land of Order immediately, because the powerful guardian energy of the land of Order would purify the corrupted indiscriminately. This effect of this purification would manifest in the form of mental collapse and the loss of control in humans. In the early days of the war, it was common for soldiers returning from the battlefront in the Realm of Choas to commit suicide as a result of the guilty feelings and fears of the eroded mind. Today, people knew how to deal with this deadly psychological problem: making a short adaptation period in the buffer zone between the realm of Chaos and the land of Order.
The knights were resting in the temporary camp, where the veterans of the war finally had a chance to catch their breath. They gathered in twos or threes, some were eating, some were talking about the war and life in their hometown in a low voice, and some people gazed blankly at the campfire while waiting for the princess to issue her next command. Hao Ren had also found a place to sit down quietly. He appeared to have zoned out but was testing a new mental communication link.
This channel was activated earlier today when he suddenly received a short contact request from the MDT. The contact was interrupted quickly but had left behind a frequency. If it was not mistaken, this frequency should be the only vulnerability in the full-band interference layer that hung above the world of Collow. At this moment, he focused on fine-tuning his brainwave frequency and strengthening the signal. The ping from the depths of the mental connection was gradually improving. If all goes well, perhaps he could resume contact with the outside world today.
Just when he was immersed in his spiritual world, a knight came over. Hao Ren looked up and saw a young girl with flax-colored curly hair and freckles on her face standing in front, staring curiously at him.
Hao Ren tried to recall and finally realized that she was one of the guardian knights following the standard-bearer. In the army ranks of Collow, the flag-bearer was even more important than the lower-ranked commander. They were fearsome warriors themselves, who could fight off monsters while holding the Golden Flag. And they even had their guardian knights, who were also masters of combat. Standard-bearers’ only duty in the army was to guard the battle flag. When the situation called for it, they were even allowed to watch the commander fighting to his death on the sideline without coming to his rescue. Because the army would not necessarily fall when its commander died, but once the heart of the standard-bearer stopped beating, the Chaos would swallow the entire army.
The rustic-looking girl was the guardian knight in the team responsible for protecting the standard-bearer. But Hao Ren had never spoken to her and did not know why the girl came to him suddenly.
“Hi,” Hao Ren said to her. “I remember that you are guarding the battle flag, your name is…”
“Lavinia, Your Venerable Guardian,” the guardian knight said. She was excited and at the same time, nervous when Hao Ren talked to her. “Ahh…, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I ‘m just… just…”
“Just what?” Hao Ren asked. When he saw the freckled girl alternating her steps on the spot, he could not help but smile. He knew from Veronica that the guardian knight was ace of the knights, not only concerning skills but also education. They were usually the children of aristocrats, and well-respected and envied in the military. But Lavinia did not seem to meet those characteristics. “Relax, I am not going to eat you.”
“Ahh,” Lavinia responded. It was not known whether she had listened but was nodding profusely. With an anticipating expression, the girl asked, “Your Venerable Guardian, did you come from a thousand years ago?”
Hao Ren was a bit embarrassed at first, but like a quack, he still had a pretty thick skin. “Ya, sort of. I couldn’t explain it, but I’m sure I’m not from your generation.”
“Do you know what the world looked like a thousand years ago?” Lavinia looked even more excited. “I heard that the tide of Chaos a thousand years ago was the most powerful, but the mortals at the time were also the strongest ever and lived forever. They could build a castle floating in the air to attack the realm of Chaos. A castle called Hodir fell on the Gray Sea, and the roar in the sea was the sound of the castle’s magic-powered furnace constantly rebooting…”
Hao Ren could not have known where the Gray Sea was, but he still put up a smile and nodded. Now he seemed to have finally figured out: Lavinia should be an idol chaser. The girl must have been a guard for the standard-bearer for too long; she was worshipping the power of the Order. At this time, she was probably idolizing the ‘guardian’ from the ancient times.”
But after a while of expressing her inspiration of the ancient times, Lavinia made a quick turn to the topic. “Your Venerable Guardian, what are your plans after you come to our country?”
Hao Ren’s brows knit together. “What do you ask?”
“I’m just curious,” Lavinia said with an embarrassed smile.
Hao Ren thought for a moment, and then said, “First of all, looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone?” Lavinia suddenly put up a wacky face. “Who are you looking for?”
“A friend in my team.” A big furry tail flashed across Hao Ren’s mind. “She was separated from me, but I think she wouldn’t go far, most likely she is still in your country.”
Lavinia looked at Hao Ren’s eyes with an even weirder face. “Your venerable Guardian, allow me to remind you that it’s been a thousand years, the person you are looking for has…”
Lavinia thought that Hao Ren had lost his sense of time after a long nap. Her voice even had a hint of sympathy. But Hao Ren had expected her reaction, and said chucklingly, “I know, but I am sure she is still alive. Didn’t you say it? The people of my generation are immortal if they did not die on the battlefield, wouldn’t they still live now?”
“But…” Lavinia appeared a little embarrassed.
Suddenly, a voice in Hao Ren’s head interrupted his conversation with the Miss Guardian Knight. “…over. MDT is calling Hao Ren. If you hear this message, please reply…”
Hao Ren was startled and overjoyed as the communication had finally resumed!
He waved his hand under Lavinia’s puzzled eyes, and then immediately focused his mind. “Roger that. Roger that. At last the connection works! How is the situation outside?”
“I’ve got him! I’ve got him!” Hao Ren first heard the MDT was shouting at the top of its lungs as if it was breaking the good news to others. Then he heard a round of loud buzz in the radio; Y’zaks’ voice was the loudest. “Hurry, ask him about the situation!”
“Buddy, everything is normal here. After you disappeared, nothing happened in space. We have been hovering in the same spot for more than a week.” The MDT’s voice drowned out those of the others. “How is your situation?” it asked.
“I am fine here. I fell in a strange place called Collow. I’ve no idea if it’s a planet or an alien dimension. There is a war going on here. Going it alone would be a bit difficult, so I have joined a local team.” Hao Ren said quickly. “But I lost Lily. The turbulence her away from me.”
The radio link was silent for a few seconds as if the MDT was adjusting the direction of the life detector. After a while, the signal came online again. “Don’t worry, she is alive, and feels even better than at home.”
The MDT was unable to speak to anyone other than Hao Ren, but it could detect the life characteristics of everyone in Hao Ren’s team. It was a back-up function that Hao Ren had specially installed in the MDT after his many missions. Now it seemed the function came in handy.
Hao Ren was relieved hearing the MDT’s voice. He had been worried that Lily might have fallen into the realm of Chaos, but knowing that the husky was even healthier than ever, he breathed a sigh of relief. Most likely, the husky had been flung into a place with no enemy but filled with food, Hao Ren figured.
She would not have become healthy without enough food.
A sudden burst of noise was drowning out the signal.
“What happened? I suddenly heard a noise.”
“The signal isn’t stable.” The voice of the MDT was a little distorted, and it sounded in a hurry. “This is a temporary channel… need to recalibrate it a few times… no way to break through the space blockade, on your side—”
“Hey, I haven’t’ finished yet…” Hao Ren was nervous.
While the voice of the MDT on the other end faded, Vivian’s voice suddenly cut in suddenly right before the connection was lost completely. “Hao Ren! You take good care of yourself! Remember: run if you can’t beat it!”
Hao Ren was struck dumb. “I know, I know. Don’t worry—”
And then the connection was lost.
The appearance of Fort West in the distant mountains was like dawn light at the end of darkness. The Light of Order had dispelled the exhaustion and frustration of the knights for the last few days. Everyone could not wait to run to the foot of the mountains where the light column was.
Veronica did not lose her calm. She ordered the knights to temporarily camp on the open field outside the Shadowy Forest to wait out the effect of the power of Chaos, and then they would only go into the fort.
This seemingly time-wasting break was necessary. Because the knights had been in the area where the power of Chaos was most strong for too long, the effect of the power of Chaos was still lurking in their bodies even though they had the protection of the sacred items. This erosive power had not changed their bodies, but it had entrenched in their spiritual world. It might not be evident in the dark, but when the light shined on them, the evil energy in them would be nowhere to hide and turning into a scar.
People spending a long time in the Realm of Choas must not return to the land of Order immediately, because the powerful guardian energy of the land of Order would purify the corrupted indiscriminately. This effect of this purification would manifest in the form of mental collapse and the loss of control in humans. In the early days of the war, it was common for soldiers returning from the battlefront in the Realm of Choas to commit suicide as a result of the guilty feelings and fears of the eroded mind. Today, people knew how to deal with this deadly psychological problem: making a short adaptation period in the buffer zone between the realm of Chaos and the land of Order.
The knights were resting in the temporary camp, where the veterans of the war finally had a chance to catch their breath. They gathered in twos or threes, some were eating, some were talking about the war and life in their hometown in a low voice, and some people gazed blankly at the campfire while waiting for the princess to issue her next command. Hao Ren had also found a place to sit down quietly. He appeared to have zoned out but was testing a new mental communication link.
This channel was activated earlier today when he suddenly received a short contact request from the MDT. The contact was interrupted quickly but had left behind a frequency. If it was not mistaken, this frequency should be the only vulnerability in the full-band interference layer that hung above the world of Collow. At this moment, he focused on fine-tuning his brainwave frequency and strengthening the signal. The ping from the depths of the mental connection was gradually improving. If all goes well, perhaps he could resume contact with the outside world today.
Just when he was immersed in his spiritual world, a knight came over. Hao Ren looked up and saw a young girl with flax-colored curly hair and freckles on her face standing in front, staring curiously at him.
Hao Ren tried to recall and finally realized that she was one of the guardian knights following the standard-bearer. In the army ranks of Collow, the flag-bearer was even more important than the lower-ranked commander. They were fearsome warriors themselves, who could fight off monsters while holding the Golden Flag. And they even had their guardian knights, who were also masters of combat. Standard-bearers’ only duty in the army was to guard the battle flag. When the situation called for it, they were even allowed to watch the commander fighting to his death on the sideline without coming to his rescue. Because the army would not necessarily fall when its commander died, but once the heart of the standard-bearer stopped beating, the Chaos would swallow the entire army.
The rustic-looking girl was the guardian knight in the team responsible for protecting the standard-bearer. But Hao Ren had never spoken to her and did not know why the girl came to him suddenly.
“Hi,” Hao Ren said to her. “I remember that you are guarding the battle flag, your name is…”
“Lavinia, Your Venerable Guardian,” the guardian knight said. She was excited and at the same time, nervous when Hao Ren talked to her. “Ahh…, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I ‘m just… just…”
“Just what?” Hao Ren asked. When he saw the freckled girl alternating her steps on the spot, he could not help but smile. He knew from Veronica that the guardian knight was ace of the knights, not only concerning skills but also education. They were usually the children of aristocrats, and well-respected and envied in the military. But Lavinia did not seem to meet those characteristics. “Relax, I am not going to eat you.”
“Ahh,” Lavinia responded. It was not known whether she had listened but was nodding profusely. With an anticipating expression, the girl asked, “Your Venerable Guardian, did you come from a thousand years ago?”
Hao Ren was a bit embarrassed at first, but like a quack, he still had a pretty thick skin. “Ya, sort of. I couldn’t explain it, but I’m sure I’m not from your generation.”
“Do you know what the world looked like a thousand years ago?” Lavinia looked even more excited. “I heard that the tide of Chaos a thousand years ago was the most powerful, but the mortals at the time were also the strongest ever and lived forever. They could build a castle floating in the air to attack the realm of Chaos. A castle called Hodir fell on the Gray Sea, and the roar in the sea was the sound of the castle’s magic-powered furnace constantly rebooting…”
Hao Ren could not have known where the Gray Sea was, but he still put up a smile and nodded. Now he seemed to have finally figured out: Lavinia should be an idol chaser. The girl must have been a guard for the standard-bearer for too long; she was worshipping the power of the Order. At this time, she was probably idolizing the ‘guardian’ from the ancient times.”
But after a while of expressing her inspiration of the ancient times, Lavinia made a quick turn to the topic. “Your Venerable Guardian, what are your plans after you come to our country?”
Hao Ren’s brows knit together. “What do you ask?”
“I’m just curious,” Lavinia said with an embarrassed smile.
Hao Ren thought for a moment, and then said, “First of all, looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone?” Lavinia suddenly put up a wacky face. “Who are you looking for?”
“A friend in my team.” A big furry tail flashed across Hao Ren’s mind. “She was separated from me, but I think she wouldn’t go far, most likely she is still in your country.”
Lavinia looked at Hao Ren’s eyes with an even weirder face. “Your venerable Guardian, allow me to remind you that it’s been a thousand years, the person you are looking for has…”
Lavinia thought that Hao Ren had lost his sense of time after a long nap. Her voice even had a hint of sympathy. But Hao Ren had expected her reaction, and said chucklingly, “I know, but I am sure she is still alive. Didn’t you say it? The people of my generation are immortal if they did not die on the battlefield, wouldn’t they still live now?”
“But…” Lavinia appeared a little embarrassed.
Suddenly, a voice in Hao Ren’s head interrupted his conversation with the Miss Guardian Knight. “…over. MDT is calling Hao Ren. If you hear this message, please reply…”
Hao Ren was startled and overjoyed as the communication had finally resumed!
He waved his hand under Lavinia’s puzzled eyes, and then immediately focused his mind. “Roger that. Roger that. At last the connection works! How is the situation outside?”
“I’ve got him! I’ve got him!” Hao Ren first heard the MDT was shouting at the top of its lungs as if it was breaking the good news to others. Then he heard a round of loud buzz in the radio; Y’zaks’ voice was the loudest. “Hurry, ask him about the situation!”
“Buddy, everything is normal here. After you disappeared, nothing happened in space. We have been hovering in the same spot for more than a week.” The MDT’s voice drowned out those of the others. “How is your situation?” it asked.
“I am fine here. I fell in a strange place called Collow. I’ve no idea if it’s a planet or an alien dimension. There is a war going on here. Going it alone would be a bit difficult, so I have joined a local team.” Hao Ren said quickly. “But I lost Lily. The turbulence her away from me.”
The radio link was silent for a few seconds as if the MDT was adjusting the direction of the life detector. After a while, the signal came online again. “Don’t worry, she is alive, and feels even better than at home.”
The MDT was unable to speak to anyone other than Hao Ren, but it could detect the life characteristics of everyone in Hao Ren’s team. It was a back-up function that Hao Ren had specially installed in the MDT after his many missions. Now it seemed the function came in handy.
Hao Ren was relieved hearing the MDT’s voice. He had been worried that Lily might have fallen into the realm of Chaos, but knowing that the husky was even healthier than ever, he breathed a sigh of relief. Most likely, the husky had been flung into a place with no enemy but filled with food, Hao Ren figured.
She would not have become healthy without enough food.
A sudden burst of noise was drowning out the signal.
“What happened? I suddenly heard a noise.”
“The signal isn’t stable.” The voice of the MDT was a little distorted, and it sounded in a hurry. “This is a temporary channel… need to recalibrate it a few times… no way to break through the space blockade, on your side—”
“Hey, I haven’t’ finished yet…” Hao Ren was nervous.
While the voice of the MDT on the other end faded, Vivian’s voice suddenly cut in suddenly right before the connection was lost completely. “Hao Ren! You take good care of yourself! Remember: run if you can’t beat it!”
Hao Ren was struck dumb. “I know, I know. Don’t worry—”
And then the connection was lost.
