Chapter 698 - 687
Chapter 698: Chapter 687
Bella had grown thin.
The harsh voyage at sea, the fierce battles on the Archipelago pulling back and forth against the Mist over and over again, none of that had managed to weaken her.
But ever since they landed, on the road from the harbor to Oath City, she had seen Fungal Mats everywhere, mushroom forests rising like columns.
Whenever she used [Realm of Truth], the sky was still the sky, but the earth was no longer the earth—the whole world turned into a seething, writhing expanse of Chaos.
Especially every time she ate, seeing others with faces full of enjoyment stuffing that kind of thing into their mouths, she completely lost her appetite.
The best way, of course, was to not use the ability.
However, whenever Bella encountered an existence that posed an extreme threat, her body would almost instinctively use this ability.
Every time she faced something highly dangerous, her body would automatically trigger it, bypassing her brain, bypassing judgment, more natural than breathing.
Priest Samuel had said this was proof that she had a talent for battle.
In the past, this instinct had helped her discover monsters disguised as allies, see through Demons hidden underground, and avoid invisible curses.
Yet now, this instinct was almost killing her.
She had basically been vomiting from the start of the journey to the very end; her whole body was drained.
There was no doubt that these Fungal Mats were extremely dangerous.
During this time she had more or less asked clearly about the reason why Fungal Mats and Puki covered everything, and she knew that things turning out like this was an unavoidable result.
Fortunately, after retching and puking all the way, she had finally grown somewhat used to it.
Not used to that Chaos itself, but her body seemed at last to accept the fact that "this world is like this now," no longer reflexively triggering the Realm of Truth every time she encountered Mycelium.
And Bella’s party finally arrived at Oath City.
From afar, Oath City already looked very different—it had become the central node of the new defensive line.
The city walls extended further from their original foundation, stretching all the way to the edge of her sight, their faces densely carved over with runes.
She recognized some of them: those were standard United Kingdom defensive runes—reinforcement, anti-magic, vigilance—most of this knowledge had been taught to her by Priest Samuel.
Of course, all she could do was recognize them; Bella had no magic talent.
Still, mixed in among them seemed to be runes from other systems that she could not identify, but by feeling she guessed they came from the Elves.
"If only the Archipelago had this kind of defense..." Thinking of those tiny defensive systems there that could only protect a slave master’s manor, she could only sigh.
Those hateful slave masters had nothing in their heads but their own profit and safety, never once considering the others on the islands.
Luckily, they had already disappeared.
Some had disappeared into the Mist; some were considered to have disappeared into the Mist.
...
Duke Lorenzo personally greeted Bella at the city gate.
Seeing the haggard Bella, he froze for an instant, then stepped forward with sincere concern: "I heard you went to the Archipelago—are the conditions over there really that harsh? If the Hero and the others have any material needs, just speak up. We will do our utmost to assist."
"No... Your Grace, it’s not like what you’re thinking..."
The official in the party hurried up and quickly, in a low voice, explained the situation to Duke Lorenzo.
After that, Bella was arranged into a tidy residence.
What they called "tidy" here meant there wasn’t a trace of Fungal Mat nearby; even in the garden outside the house, everything was normal plants instead of all kinds of mushrooms.
This sort of environment nearly brought Bella, who had suffered so much along the way, to tears.
Here, Bella and Lorenzo began to discuss serious matters.
During the Human-Demon War, the Mist had constantly advanced, even surging over the land; the situation at the Archipelago went without saying.
However, the Archipelago hadn’t been directly wiped out. Although the losses were heavy, relying on long years of experience wrestling with the Mist, the people on several islands had driven it back time and again, barely surviving.
After the war, when the Mist retreated, these people had lived, but the Archipelago had almost become a wasteland.
Worse still, from time to time worms from the sea would erupt forth to attack.
It was at this time that Sofia came to the Archipelago, and in the name of the Hero, gathered the remaining people around her.
Originally, Priest Samuel had wanted to rebuild the Archipelago, turning it into a force that could assist the Hero; this was far safer than returning to the Kingdom.
Yet the heavens rarely follow human wishes. The reconstruction had only been halfway done when the Mist, which had already retreated, pressed forward once again.
Though the Mist’s advance this time was not rapid, everyone could see that the Archipelago was no longer suitable for habitation; they still had to consider returning to the Continent.
And to guard against traitors selling out intelligence on the Hero’s whereabouts, Bella had come alone this time to secure a means of direct communication with Duke Lorenzo.
The official discussions went smoothly. Lorenzo also mentioned in passing that the Elves wanted to send people to assist Sofia; Bella said that when she returned she would convey this to the Hero.
After the serious talk, Lorenzo suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, the skill that has been making you physically unwell on the way—it’s called ’Realm of Truth,’ isn’t it?"
Bella nodded.
Lorenzo continued, "In that case, there is someone who might be able to give you some useful advice."
"Useful advice for me? Who?" Bella was puzzled.
"Her name is Solalin, a Warrior of the Wing of Judgment of the Bright Church. Like you, she possesses the Realm of Truth skill. She should be able to help you somewhat."
Bella’s eyes immediately lit up. She remembered that Priest Samuel had indeed mentioned that the Church now had someone with the [Realm of Truth] skill. Seeing her now, this person was Solalin.
"I’d trouble you for the introduction, Your Grace. Thank you."
...
Not long after, Bella met Solalin—and that pair of eyes, like her own, shimmering with silver light.
What shocked Bella was that Solalin actually kept her silver eyes active all the time, even before entering this clean manor.
You had to know, outside was full of Mycelium!
After exchanging greetings, Bella couldn’t help but ask this question.
Solalin listened, then broke into a bright smile: "If I may be so bold to ask, Bella, your Realm of Truth hasn’t reached Level 8 yet, has it?"
"It... shouldn’t have."
On the Archipelago now, there was no way to test one’s own skills; Lady Sofia couldn’t possibly inform her at all times of changes in skill levels. Therefore, Bella didn’t know the exact level of each of her abilities.
But she had only obtained [Realm of Truth] a few years ago; clearly it was impossible for her to have trained it beyond Level 8 already.
Solalin leaned closer, her silver eyes fixed on Bella: "Use the Realm of Truth more. It will lead you to see everything clearly! Believe me, what you see is not filthy defilement—it is salvation bestowed by the Lord, embracing all things!"
"Everyone shall receive salvation."
Solalin left, but Bella felt a chill run down her spine.
She thought the other woman might already have been driven mad by those infinite blocks of chaotic color.
Would she become like that herself someday?
...
After that, Bella met many more people.
Envoys of the Elves, scholars of the Relic Association, commanders who marshaled armies...
All of them were people who might cooperate with the Hero in the future.
And in the end, she met Inanna, the Duke’s Daughter hailed as a heroine of war.
At the very instant she shook hands with Inanna, the [Realm of Truth] once again triggered subconsciously.
And she saw Inanna’s color, pink deepening to purple, and the red that wrapped around her entire body, as if ready to burn away everything around her.
Bella instinctively took two steps back to open up some distance. When the silver glow faded, she saw no raging flames.
Faced with Bella’s discourtesy, Inanna took no offense, merely said, "Bella, I have something to tell you."
Bella was still somewhat shaken. "Is it about the Hero..."
"No, it has nothing to do with the Hero. I came for you." Inanna said this and, following the boss’s instructions, handed a Memory Crystal to the bewildered Bella.