Chapter 1352: Everlasting Camp, Middle Domain, and Decision I
Chapter 1352: Everlasting Camp, Middle Domain, and Decision I
"Look at you... You always said that you would protect me, didn’t you?"
Isabella lowered her head. Her fingers trembled as she held Erkigal’s cold hand.
"You promised that we would make the Heavenly Potion Pavilion the greatest potion establishment in the Immortal Land. We haven’t even accomplished that yet..."
Her voice gradually became unsteady.
"How am I supposed to do that without you?"
A tear rolled down her cheek.
She had seen many people die throughout her life. She had witnessed battles, experienced the cruelty of the world, and understood that death was something everyone eventually had to face.
But knowing that didn’t make it any easier.
Especially when the person lying before her was someone who stood beside when she thought she lost everything.
Isabella squeezed Erkigal’s hand.
For a long time, there was nothing but silence inside the room.
The Heavenly Potion Pavilion had lost one of its pillars.
And Isabella had lost someone she could never replace.
Even though they only known each other for a few months, Erkigal became important to Isabella. She treated her like her real older sister.
...
In the Dream Realm, within the Nightmare Realm.
The Middle Domain was an enormous expanse of land, far larger than the current Blood Realm. Countless creatures inhabited this vast territory, and many of them had formed their own groups and factions, establishing themselves as rulers of different parts of the land.
In this place, everything revolved around strength.
Wars were a common occurrence, with seemingly endless conflicts breaking out among the various inhabitants. The strong preyed upon the weak, while those without sufficient power could only struggle to survive.
In a certain part of this land, near its outskirts, stood a small village with a population of several hundred people. Its inhabitants all had gray-colored skin. They belonged to a race of demi-humans commonly found throughout the Dream Realm.
The village was small, and there weren’t any particularly powerful experts among its inhabitants. Surviving in this place without sufficient protection was extremely difficult, as almost anything lurking beyond their village could take their lives.
Even securing their daily necessities was a struggle. They had no capable warriors who could protect their settlement, leaving them vulnerable to the countless dangers lurking in the surrounding territory.
Right now, a small group of people was having a discussion with the village chief.
"I agree to your conditions. I just hope you can keep your promise not to harm me or my people."
"We won’t harm you as long as you follow our rules. Moreover, you won’t have to worry about food or shelter once you arrive."
"I hope so..."
"Well, I’m sure you’ll like it there." The man wearing exquisite black leather armor shook his head.
He knew the old man still didn’t trust him, but he understood where the latter was coming from. If he were in their position, he wouldn’t trust a stranger so easily either.
"Then, tell everyone to pack their belongings. We’ll wait for you here, Village Chief."
The old man nodded before turning around and leaving.
The man watched the old man’s retreating figure before turning to face his five subordinates.
"Captain, it seems the deal is done. All that’s left is to escort them back."
"A few hundred people... That’s quite a lot of contribution points for us."
"We should have a drink after we return."
A smile formed on the man’s face as he listened to his subordinates. He knew that successfully escorting those villagers back to their camp would earn him a considerable number of contribution points.
His name was Henry, the captain of Squad Seven, Third Company.
"Quiet. Our mission isn’t complete yet. Stay alert. We know there are plenty of powerful creatures roaming around this place." Henry addressed his subordinates, although the smile on his face didn’t disappear.
"We understand, Captain. Still, it’s all thanks to you learning the basic language of the Dream Realm that we managed to communicate with the locals."
"If you reach my level, remembering simple things like this will be easy. Besides, their language isn’t as complicated as a Tier 3 spell, so it wasn’t particularly difficult for me." Henry replied.
The King had once told them that if they had the time, they should consider learning the basic language of the Dream Realm. It would prove useful when interacting and establishing relationships with the locals.
...
Inside the village, the old man spoke with his family before informing the other families about their decision.
They had discussed migrating to another place several times in the past, but they never had the opportunity to do so because of the dangers lurking in the forest. They had even attempted it once, but twenty of their men had lost their lives at the hands of monsters.
"Father, are you sure we’ll be alright?" The old man’s son, Feber, asked with concern.
"It’s fine. I rejected their offer before, but the monsters in this forest have been getting more aggressive. We have no choice but to take this risk. According to them, we’ll be given our own place within their territory." The old man reassured his son.
"Isn’t that suspicious, Father? Why are they trying so hard to invite more people into their territory?" Feber asked.
"Sir Henry said that their territory needs more people. They’re short on manpower for minor tasks, such as labor work, so they’ve been trying to recruit more people." The old man explained.
If they wanted to migrate from this place, they would need Henry’s help.
Although he didn’t know exactly how strong Henry was, he understood that anyone capable of traversing this area without much difficulty couldn’t possibly be weak.
Compared to the villagers, Henry and his subordinates were undoubtedly much stronger. The strongest individual in the village was the old man himself, the Village Chief, and he was only at A-rank.
Moreover, he was already old, and his strength was no longer at its peak. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to protect the village with his limited strength.
The old man watched as his son walked away.
There was no one capable of inheriting his position, not even his own son. Feber was only at B-rank, and reaching A-rank would require a considerable amount of time and resources. As for the other fighters in the village, they were either at B-rank or C-rank.
Not a single one of them had reached A-rank.
’Sir Henry can freely explore this area, so he must be stronger than me... Perhaps he’s already reached the Realm where one solidifies their mana pool.’
The old man pondered silently.
Soon, the villagers finished their preparations. They packed their belongings and gathered outside their houses, waiting for the Village Chief to lead them.
The old man eventually guided them into the forest, where they met Henry and his five subordinates.
The villagers gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity as they observed Henry’s group. It wasn’t their first time seeing these strangers, but this time was different.
They were about to gamble their futures by placing their trust in Henry and following him into unfamiliar territory.
"Is everyone ready?" Henry asked.
The old man nodded.
"Then let’s go. Stay close and follow me." Henry said as he gestured to his subordinates to take their positions.
One of the five men stayed at the rear while the other four positioned themselves on the left and right sides of the group. Their duty was to protect the villagers, so they needed to maintain a formation that would allow them to respond quickly to any potential threats.
Henry took the lead, guiding the entire group through the forest.
This forest was known as Ironwood Ridge. It was named after the trees that grew throughout the area, which reached heights of ten to twenty meters and possessed bark as tough as metal. According to legend, this entire region had been transformed into Ironwood Ridge by a powerful being using Dream Power.
"Sir, where are we going?" Feber suddenly asked.
The old man turned his head and gave his son a warning look, silently telling him to remain quiet. However, Feber ignored his father’s gesture.
Henry simply glanced at Feber before answering, "We’re going to Everlasting Camp."
"Everlasting Camp?"
For the old man, Feber, and the other villagers, this was their first time hearing about Everlasting Camp. They had no idea such a place even existed within Ironwood Ridge.
Henry smiled faintly before speaking.
"You’ve lived in Ironwood Ridge your entire lives, but have you ever considered that this forest is only a small part of the Middle Domain?"
"We know that, Sir, but we have no idea how vast the outside world really is. It’s simply too dangerous for us to wander through this forest alone." Feber shook his head.
"I see... The Middle Domain really is an enormous place. There are—"
Henry suddenly stopped speaking, his brows furrowing.
The old man and Feber immediately noticed the change in his expression. Feber wanted to ask what was wrong, but Henry raised his hand, signaling everyone to remain quiet.
A few seconds passed.
Then, a terrifying wave of energy swept across the entire group.
BANG!!
In an instant, the old man and the villagers were knocked off their feet. They crashed onto the ground, their faces turning deathly pale.
’This is... A Peak Third Stage?!’
Despair welled up in the old man’s heart.
The other villagers felt the same. A Peak Third Stage monster could slaughter them with ease. Even the old man, despite being an A-rank expert, knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance against such a terrifying creature.