If one looked at Fort West from a distance, the white megalithic fort between the mountains was spectacular . When one stepped into it, the fortress appeared even more magnificent .
Hao Ren was not uneducated . From Holleta and Tannagost to Helcrown and Aerym, he had seen grander architecture and had a set of aesthetic standards of his own . But whichever way he looked at it, Fort West was a fantastic spectacle . The walls of the city were towering, and the white stones were glittering in the Light of the Order as if the fort was made of light . The huge magic runes spread from the top of the Kindle Tower down to the wall, forming a transparent energy shield with many blue letters on it . Everything seemed to embody one fact .
It was a shield that represented the confidence and courage of mortals . It stood here in glory, guarding the frontiers of the World of Order .
Princess Veronica and her knights were getting a grand welcome . But many fortress garrisons had not yet figured out who this group of reinforcement coming from the wilderness was . It was already more than half a month since Veronica and her Royal Knights' defeat in the Twilight Forest . Everyone thought that this brave princess had died on the chaotic border with her soldiers . No one thought that she would carry out an epic feat of crossing the realm of Chaos so that few people could make a connection of the reinforcement forces with the princess .
And more importantly, there was this man—Hao Ren . When a small group of 30 people flanked the monsters, the first thing the fortress guards noticed was the powerful artillery bombardment and bomb explosion . Hao Ren was alone, and his combat style had skewed the appearance of the entire team entirely . No one knew who they were .
However, after these knights entered the city, news of Princess Veronica's survival quickly spread throughout the fortress .
They had received an invitation by the fortress commander, the general of the west of the kingdom, Marcus .
Ordinary knights were brought to a lobby on the first floor while Princess Veronica, Hao Ren, and Morian were taken to a special room on the second floor . It was a large stone room with almost no decoration but only an oval table and wooden chairs . There were maps of the western mountains, and the Shadowy Forest hung on one wall . On the other wall were all kinds of swords and protective gear . Other than that, there were no other furnishings in the room .
A robust old general had long been waiting in the room . Hao Ren was stunned when he saw the general: he was a giant at 2 . 5 meters tall, even slightly taller than Y'zaks in human form . His hair was white, but he still looked powerful with his sharp face and muscular build, which even his combat suit could not hide .
Nonetheless, the white hair, eyebrows, and the vicissitudes on his face were a giveaway to his age . Despite that, Hao Ren was a little confused with that incongruence: was he an old man, he asked himself .
“Your Royal Highness,” the old general quickly came up and bowed to Veronica . “It's the only good news for a long time to see you live . The goddess is protecting Taros!”
“General Marcus,” Veronica hurriedly held the general up, but the scene looked a bit funny—the old general was almost as tall as Veronica even with him kneeling . “You are the general of Fort West; you don't have to bow to me . ”
The old general got to his feet . As they took their seats, the general asked, “Your Royal Highness, how did you survive in the Shadowy Forest? I heard that the Chaos had swallowed your troops, and that had been more than twenty days ago . ”
“We crossed the entire Shadowy Forest and half of the wilderness,” Veronica said . “We arrived at Mount Cassouin, with goddess of creation's protection, the guardian of Mount Cassouin saved our lives . ”
While saying, she looked at Hao Ren and solemnly nodded .
General Marcus had already noticed the stranger, who dressed in odd costumes, around the princess . Earlier during the siege, he had seen the stranger in the battlefield—it was not just flames and explosions-kind of magic that left an impression, but also Hao Ren's pretty good combat skill . Hao Ren was wielding a blue-light spear fighting a dozen monsters alone . He was valiant, not something with regular training or courage could do .
It was an aura that formed when one had been through unimaginable challenges .
This aura was called reckless on Earth .
Had the general seen the battle between Hao Ren and the demon-god Vivian MK-II, then he would understand how this kamikaze came about .
In most cases, the enemies that Hao Ren faced were not something that he could win with sole tactics and safe approaches . As Raven 12345 once said that inspector's life rested on three things: 3% of luck, 7% of effort, and 90% of foolhardiness .
“Nice to meet you,” Hao Ren said as Marcus was silent . “General, Veronica has been all praise of you . My name is Hao Ren . The name is a bit unique, so it is easy to remember . ”
He was using the identity of an ancient guardian as cover, and he felt that it came in handy while roaming in the human kingdom . So his words and actions had to blend in too .
Marcus looked at Hao Ren; he was suspicious . “So you are?”
“I am the guardian of Mount Cassouin that Veronica has mentioned,” Hao Ren replied . “As you all have said, I seem to come from the past generation . Well, that was how Veronica described me . ”
Marcus slightly squinted .
He was distrustful of this ancient guardian that came out of nowhere . Unlike the young and somewhat careless princess, the battlefield veteran was not only combat-capable but also cautious and skeptic .
In the worldview of the old general, many things have set in his mind . He had long passed the age of believing in legends and prophecies without checking the fact . In Collow, myths were as common as dirt . If they were real, the world would have ended a thousand times over .
An ancient guardian who guarded an ancient sacred mountain—a mountain that only existed in legend—for millenniums in the realm of Chaos sounded like a grotesque and doubtful . The suspicion of the old general made sense . In the wilderness of no man's land ruled by the chaotic forces, it was not that desolate in the past .
Why had no one discovered Mount Cassouin before the Chaos swallowed the wilderness?
To take a step back, Marcus also knew that there were indeed some areas where the Chaos shrouded permanently . In Collow, they called it the tearing point . Assuming that Mount Cassouin was in one of the tearing points, then what was in the mind of the last generation that they had built a temple in such a wicked place? It was not that the temple could protect the territories in its surroundings .
The background of this ancient guardian became suspicious .
However, the old general did not say anything but just quietly watched Hao Ren for a while . He then turned to Veronica . “Your Royal Highness, have you brought any news from the hinterland of the Chaos?”
“Of course,” Veronica replied . “We found that some changes are taking place in the realm of Chaos, those festered monsters, and signs that some unknown forces have modified the furnace . There are other things too . But before that, I would like to ask what the last siege was all about? If I remember correctly, their last attack came less than a month ago . The attack this time was uncharacteristic of their pattern of the Chaos . ”
Marcus nodded . “It is true . The attack of the Chaos was very sudden . There has been more than one attack . The battle you saw today was the seventh since the past twenty days . ”
Veronica was stunned .
The old general waved his hand and continued . “Your Royal Highness, there are too many things to say . I have ordered meals to be served . It is better for us to eat while we talk . ”
Chapter end
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