The Krokuun Country Boy Returned to His Loyal Homeland

Dawn had barely broken over Oronaar City when Dick finished packing and prepared to depart.

He had put on the "Lightforged Armaments" gifted to him by K'ure. This fine armor was not actually the standard equipment worn by the elite soldiers of the Army of the Light in Dick's memories. In this era, the concept of "Lightforged" had not yet been born. Even the Naaru themselves probably could not have imagined that, in the brutal war of primal forces, even the gentle Holy Light would become more aggressive than ever before.

The armaments he wore had merely been given the title "Lightforged." Their actual craftsmanship still came from the master Eredar smiths.

Purple magical gemstones were embedded in the bright silver armor, granting the already sturdy plate better magical conductivity. Combined with K'ure's blessing, which had become golden Holy Crests adorning every part of the imposing armor, it gave the set the power to amplify the Holy Light.

In fact, Dick discovered that his Character Card "system" came with an "equipment appraisal" function. For instance, the moment he put on this impressive armor, he could inspect its attributes in the supplementary section of his character profile:

Name: K'ure's Blessed Armor

Quality: Fine [5/5]

Set Traits: Minor Holy Light Amplification · Minor Blade Resistance · Minor Mana Absorption

Set Effects:

[3/5]: Slightly increases the effects of all the wearer's Holy Light abilities.

[5/5]: Grants the additional passive ability [Protective Aura]. All friendly units within thirty yards of the wearer receive a slight increase in defense.

Equipment Description:

[Although K'ure truly wished to reward outstanding Holy Light Walkers, the Naaru's simple way of thinking was clearly not clever enough—at the very least, not clever enough to understand the complicated daily social dealings and secret personal preferences of the temple quartermasters.

Unfortunately.

You should have received a cooler, flashier epic-grade armor set as a reward for your heroic deeds.

But who told you to ruin Sarkir's plans and anger that quartermaster who secretly sympathized with the Awakeners' Cult? So either accept your bad luck or go back and report him immediately, brother.]

"???"

Dick's eyes widened, then he sighed.

He had to admit that his Character Card system was good in every way, except that it always liked to tack on a bizarre comment after a perfectly serious item description.

Damn it! Did some bored higher-dimensional being take this for a video site? What, are they posting scrolling comments now? Isn't that stupid?

"I like blue and green gear! So what if I like eco-friendly gear? Wearing a full set of orange gear and accomplishing great things isn't impressive. Accomplishing great things in blue and green gear—that's real skill!"

Dick stubbornly grumbled.

Feeling a little wounded inside, he mounted his war Talbuk, pulled up his hood, gave Commander Malderan's lavish little estate one last look, then set off into the morning mist.

He did not alert anyone.

On one hand, saying goodbye so early in the morning was rather inconsiderate of other people's desire to sleep in. On the other, this was a secret operation, and the Assassin Court people were still waiting for him.

He had no desire to offend a group of people who had the authority to report directly to the Grand Executors.

With his loyal Talbuk racing beneath him, Dick soon arrived at Oronaar City's defense command headquarters. His nominal subordinates were already waiting for him in the military camp.

Captain Neri was yawning as she checked the luggage for the journey. Her sharp-tongued assassin subordinate Yura and that yes-man Malas were still recovering from their injuries and could not come, so she had only brought the rookie Twins along for some new recruit experience.

On the other side, the five young heroes, each carrying a pack, were gathered together eating breakfast.

Dick had specifically requested these five!

They had earned the title of "Champion" through their accomplishments. Although they had also received the rank of formal defenders ahead of schedule, they could not enlist yet because their courses at the Arcane Academy had not ended. And since the academy was about to undergo a strict investigation, they could not even attend classes for the time being.

Rather than wasting time playing cards and entertaining themselves in the dormitories, they might as well follow Dick to Krokuun on official business and gain some field experience.

Those eight people, plus Dick, made up the Holy Stone Explorers team.

Their numbers were somewhat thin, but considering this was an expedition deep into "myth and legend," too many people would not be suitable either.

When they saw Dick jump down from his Talbuk, the five young heroes immediately rose to greet him. Dick encouraged and praised them one by one, making the five recruits stand even taller.

But Captain Neri, an old hand, was not so easy to fool.

Leaning against the railing beside her, she drawled teasingly, "I thought we were at least friends, but whenever something good happens, you never call me. Both times I've run into you, you've been doing troublesome things. This time is even better! Now I have to follow you into Krokuun's deep mountains and forests. I've never even been there before. I hear the locals are incredibly fierce."

"The scenery there is quite nice. Krokuun people are warm and hospitable, and the herders make specialty grilled fish and roasted lamb ribs. They're all top-tier delicacies. Don't pout, little Neri. Once we get there, I'll treat you to a proper feast."

Dick smiled and soothed her for a few words before looking at the Twins, only to discover in despair that the two girls were still touching up their makeup with little mirrors.

Sigh. Refined Eredar girls were just like that.

They had already chosen the promising line of work known as assassination, where they had to cover their faces most of the time, yet they still could not let go of their pursuit of beauty?

"Ahem."

The more mature Oreses noticed Commander Diakum's subtle gaze and hurriedly put away her mirror, bumping her sister's wrist. The latter straightened up as well, then said ingratiatingly, "If you need it, Commander Diakum... ah, no! Commodore Diakum, my sister and I can use a Teleportation Spell to send you and your followers directly to the Krokuun Great Plains. We recorded the coordinates of the Arcane nodes there from the Teleportation Court.

"We guarantee it'll be fast and stable."

"But don't you know that although the Awakeners' Cult coup had its main battlefield in Mac'Aree, they had people throughout every governorate in the nation, even in the territories across the sea?"

Commodore Dick shook his head and explained sternly, "The investigation of spellcaster teams in the other governorates has only just begun. If you do not want to risk a failed teleportation and be exiled into the Twisting Nether to face a pack of demons, then you'd better obediently take the navy's aircraft.

"Don't worry. It won't take long.

"We'll leave in the morning and arrive at Nathraxas Castle on the Krokuun coast cliffs by afternoon. That's where I grew up. It is also the only major city in this remote land of Krokuun and the administrative center of the governorate."

The others were immediately convinced by Dick's explanation, but the Twins still hesitated. The more outgoing Saloras muttered, "But it's an overseas flight... It's not that I don't trust the Technology Court's work, but I heard there's a certain chance their aircraft engines can overheat and break apart during long flights. The odds may be low, but I still prefer magic, which is both safe and quick."

"Then you two can go ahead and serve as our messengers."

Captain Neri curled her lip and said, "Commodore Dick is the operation commander! He's not just your physical training teacher anymore. This is an official operation, so there's no room for bargaining! You two are still on probation with the Assassin Court, so give me a proper performance!

"Unless you want 'unqualified work ability' written on your evaluation forms."

As expected of Neri, an old hand who understood workplace rules. With a single sentence, she had the two interns who desperately wanted civil service qualifications firmly in her grasp. They no longer dared make trouble openly.

Since this operation had been registered with the Grand Executor, the Military Affairs Court was extremely cooperative. The specially assigned aircraft did not make them wait long. Soon, a "round and plump" aircraft descended into the military camp.

The thing was clearly made in imitation of the Naaru's distinctive spacecraft design.

It was essentially an oversized "energy gemstone" with a crude, simple cockpit shoved inside. One could even see specially processed energy clusters exposed at the back of the aircraft. When it flew, those energy clusters released propulsive force.

For other races, even if they could find such an enormous spire-like gemstone, the subsequent enchantment process would still be a major problem. But that was no obstacle for the Eredar, who were born with a talent for "gemcrafting."

The entire gemstone aircraft had been almost entirely hand-crafted by artisans. Since it was not produced on an assembly line, there were still relatively few of these aircraft.

Argus's most famous mineral products were these gemstones with outstanding magical conductivity.

Open-air deposits of enormous gemstones could even be found in the mountains of several governorates on the Antoran Wastes. Such massive gems were easy to acquire, and after studying and imitating Naaru ships, the technicians of the Technology Court had managed to build this atmospheric aircraft by copying the shape without understanding the principles.

It flew quickly. During its maiden voyages centuries ago, it could circle the world in two or three days. Now, technological breakthroughs had reduced overseas travel to only a few hours.

Of course, it was still far inferior to the Naaru ships' faster-than-light black technology. After all, the power source of a Naaru ship was the Naaru themselves...

That was right. When those gemstone starships capable of crossing the stars were launched, they required demigod Naaru to serve personally as navigator, pilot, and "energy furnace." Thus, during long journeys through the sea of stars, the Naaru often became extremely exhausted and could even suffer irreversible "illness from overwork."

That was also a secondary reason why the fleeing Draenei later "crash-landed" on Draenor.

Fatigued driving kills.

And as for "environmental protection" and "clean energy," we Holy Light primal-force users were truly a hundred thousand years ahead of the cosmos. Amazing! The Burning Legion, which flies Fel warships around polluting the stars all day, should learn from us!

"This place is pretty spacious."

The five young heroes were seeing a military aircraft for the first time, so everything felt fresh. Imira hugged her staff and remarked like a country bumpkin, only to be immediately mocked by the two troublesome junior students.

"Senior sister, is something wrong with your brain? Can't you see such an obvious spatial expansion effect? The space inside this aircraft is at least five times greater than the aircraft's actual volume. Clearly, it's a troop transport.

"At full capacity, it can carry at least several hundred people at once."

Saloras wagged her tail as she teased Imira, making Imira glare at her furiously. Dick, following behind them, could not stand seeing the Twins bully such an honest child, so he said lightly, "I don't think you two have very good eyesight either, girls. Their spatial expansion isn't fully activated. Under normal circumstances, the military's transport capacity for this aircraft is over three thousand people. Of course, that is the maximum transport efficiency achieved at the expense of safety.

"That is also a characteristic of Naaru ships.

"I heard that the gemstone starship Genedar, which His Excellency K'ure and His Excellency Lura took when they came to Argus, could transport nearly a hundred thousand lives at maximum capacity. And that was merely a small vessel in the Naaru's spacecraft lineup. I hear they even have 'fortress-class' starships.

"They are said to be capable of relocating several million people at once!

"The warm-hearted Naaru often use these fortress-class starships to provide disaster relief to their followers or crisis-stricken worlds in need of aid.

"Setting aside some of the Naaru race's inherent 'inborn issues,' in terms of sheer ability to act, they truly deserve to be called the most warm-hearted group of 'mythical creatures' in the physical universe."

Everyone else was dumbfounded.

That included the technicians sent by the military to pilot the aircraft. Every Eredar in the cockpit stared at Dick with uncertain, astonished eyes. Neri could not help asking, "How do you know so much about the Naaru? Is this really the sort of secret a high-ranking defender should know?"

"The Awakeners' Cult gathered intelligence on such matters, and I spent several years undercover among them. Besides, I'm a commodore now! Captain Neri, my rank is two grades above yours, so please use the proper form of address."

Dick casually made up an excuse, then slipped in a workplace joke. No one could find any fault in it. The Awakeners' Cult was finished anyway, and no one could jump out to accuse Dick of impersonating them for his own benefit.

"Can we depart, Technician?"

Dick walked to the control console and asked the technician who was adjusting it.

He noticed the nameplate on the man's chest, which read "Romul." His eyebrows rose, and he could not help marveling again at how wonderful Eredar civilization was in this era.

He could encounter a "big shot" like the master engineer among the Draenei refugees ten thousand years later just by going on a random mission.

"Of course, Commodore."

Romul, who was still merely a high-ranking technician, had none of the confidence he would possess ten thousand years later. He tried his best to look professional, activated the aircraft according to procedure, and carried the group toward the coast.

Dick wanted to learn how to pilot an aircraft himself, but Romul awkwardly explained that if the Commodore wanted to operate one, he would first have to obtain an advanced pilot's license from the Technology Court.

That was basically a tactful way of saying that a defender whose brain was full of muscles should not bother learning such advanced skills.

The polite rejection left Dick deeply disappointed.

Since this was a secret mission and no one else was aboard the aircraft, Dick did not want to waste time. He found a place and began training with the five young heroes on the spot.

Martial training required constant practice. One could not go even a day without it, especially when the proficiency of some of his combat skills was still only "Skilled." That did not give him much of a sense of security.

Everyone knew that if skill proficiency was not raised to at least "Mastery," then what was the difference between that and being terrible?

Old hand Neri found a lounge and went to sleep, leaving only the Twins sitting in the passenger cabin, constantly worrying that their luck would be bad enough for them to encounter the legendary aircraft breakup. Even though Romul repeatedly assured them that the odds of that happening were lower than an angler fishing up an abyssal whale shark from the Eredath Sea.

Yes, that was a bad joke.

Its essence was that there were no "whale sharks," those legendary creatures from another world, in the oceans of Argus at all. Truly hilarious.

In any case, after more than half a day had passed, the aircraft completed its mission swiftly and smoothly. After Dick and the five young heroes finished the complimentary "airline meal," they finally saw the iconic Petrified Forest of the Krokuun Governorate from the observation deck.

This remote land was the birthplace of Eredar civilization.

Legend had it that, in ancient times, the earliest Eredar ancestors had been born from this Petrified Forest.

Back then, it had been a true primeval forest. It was now called the "Petrified Forest" because the legendary Primordial Sorcerer Augure had unleashed an "Arcane Storm" that swept across the world after taming the World Elements.

It was said that the face of the entire world had been permanently changed by that storm.

It was said that Krokuun and Mac'Aree had once been connected by a narrow mountain ridge, but the two continents were now separated by the Eredath Sea. The primeval forest that had nurtured the Eredar had also been transformed into its current state by the surging Arcane energy.

Vast stretches of woodland had turned into something like ironwood and stone, changing the green forest into a gray wonder.

Those plants were still alive.

But energy had changed their forms, and the Eredar had therefore lost the possibility of returning to their "ancestral land." The terrain within the great forest had also been permanently altered, and they could no longer find the path back to the legendary Elemental Holy Land.

Eredar myths and legends were not complicated, but nearly every one of them involved the "Primordial Sorcerer." He was a mysterious figure no Eredar could ever avoid.

As a transmigrator, Dick naturally knew that this Primordial Sorcerer had truly existed.

Sarkir had personally admitted that he was the last inheritor of the Primordial Sorcerer's lineage. And judging from the information Sarkir had provided before, the Primordial Sorcerer's sealing of the Eredar ancestral land tens of thousands of years ago had been done for his own reasons.

He had done it to conceal the Holy Stone that could directly communicate with the World Soul.

But it had not been to monopolize the secrets of power. It had only been to protect Argus's greatest treasure from being discovered and exploited by Ambitious Persons.

Unfortunately, the Primordial Sorcerer of tens of thousands of years ago probably could never have imagined that, for the soul of Argus, the true threat had never been within the planet, but among the stars.

"We're here."

Dick gathered his thoughts and turned to those behind him. "Welcome to Krokuun, everyone. Welcome to my homeland..."

The moment his words fell, the aircraft, which had been skimming low over the sea, accelerated and climbed higher. It crossed the cliffs that stood several hundred meters above the water, revealing the full expanse of the Krokuun Great Plains before them.

"Wow!"

Imira gasped in amazement, and everyone else's eyes lit up as well.

From high above this vast remote continental governorate, they could see lush green grass carpeting the broadly level hills. Natural pastures lay everywhere between the mountains, with great herds of grazing Talbuk visible in the distance. The herders' towns were scattered like sparkling gems along the narrow water sources.

As Dick had said, there were no giant cities like Oronaar City here, but the place possessed an equally breathtaking natural beauty.

Only one magnificent Eredar fortress stood among the mountains by the sea cliffs. That was Nathraxas Castle, the seat of the Krokuun Governor and the political center of this border region. It was also where Dick had grown up.

Under Romul's control, the aircraft descended and eventually landed in Nathraxas Castle's dedicated docking area.

As the group stepped off the aircraft, they saw a squad of Eredar light cavalry riding fierce war Talbuk galloping toward them from nearby. Neri's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "What incredible riding!"

"Of course. Krokuun people are the finest light cavalry in Eredar civilization. The Talbuk riders here and the thunder elephant heavy cavalry produced on the Antoran Wastes are two complete extremes, but both are equally deadly! The early chaos among the nations during the Second Co-Governance was swiftly pacified by ranger legions made up of swift Talbuk cavalry."

Dick was in a very good mood after returning to his homeland, and he casually bragged about his people.

Although this was Diakum's homeland, Dick could still feel joy welling up from within his heart. He strode forward, placed his fingers in his mouth like a young shepherd boy, and let out a long, rhythmic whistle. The squad of light cavalry soon answered with a hunting whistle.

As they drew near, the lead light cavalry captain in leather armor leaped down before his Talbuk had even slowed. He rolled to disperse the force, sprang up, rushed forward a few steps, and approached with a smile.

He reached out and embraced Dick, saying happily, "It really is you, Diakum! Old Father Hutton received word this morning, and I've been waiting for your return ever since. It's been over thirty years since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

"To be precise, it's been thirty-seven years since that bastard Archimonde took me away, Jaide, my good brother who grew up with me."

Without any trace of unfamiliarity, Dick patted the burly Eredar cavalryman before him, who was just as tall and imposing as he was. Then he turned and introduced him to those behind him. "Other than you all, he's my only friend. He's the adopted son of Governor Hutton of Krokuun and the most formidable chief captain of the light cavalry, Jaide. We grew up together in the orphanage. We spent more than ten years sleeping in bunks above and below each other."

"No need to be so polite. Your friends are my friends, Commodore Dick."

Jaide smiled teasingly.

He displayed all the frankness of a local. It was easy to tell from his words that news of Dick's promotion had already reached this place. The other cavalrymen were also very enthusiastic toward Dick, their respect and admiration completely undisguised.

The reason was simple. Dick, an orphan by birth, was almost certainly the first "commodore" Krokuun Governorate had produced since its founding thousands of years ago.

This was Eredar civilization's true frontier. Though the climate was pleasant, its isolated terrain was not suited for civilizational development.

The entire Eredar population of Krokuun was not even half that of Oronaar City. Among the several governorates of Eredar civilization, this was also the most backward region. In truth, if this land had not been the birthplace of Eredar civilization, it probably would not even have been designated as a governorate.

After all, its nomadic social structure could hardly contribute much economically, so it was only natural that it received little attention in the administrative system.

When Dick modestly called himself a "country boy," it was not merely false humility. Compared to Dick's wretched origins, even the Twins, who came from a small town on the Antoran Wastes, could call themselves "city girls."

"Come with me. Old Father is delighted to know you've returned. The castle's chefs have already prepared a welcoming feast and have started slaughtering Talbuk."

Jaide warmly invited everyone.

They had brought enough riding Talbuk, and the group soon returned to Nathraxas Castle, where Governor Hutton, the local ruler, greeted them at the castle entrance.

This old Eredar was about the same age as Velen and Kil'jaeden, but his attire was rarely seen in Mac'Aree. Rather than a spellcaster's robe, he wore clothes stitched together from animal hide and cloth.

It represented his identity.

He was a shaman priest who followed the ancient path of the elements, a spellcasting profession that had now fallen into decline, though it still carried considerable influence in Krokuun.

"Governor Dad, I'm back!"

Dick strode forward and gave a deep ninety-degree bow, displaying his respect for the governor before him. In fact, when he was little, he had called him Father.

After all, the orphanage where he had grown up had been established by this very governor.

"Ah, my child has returned. Krokuun's wandering son has come home."

Governor Hutton possessed the rustic sincerity and magnanimity characteristic of the Krokuun people. Smiling, he stepped forward and patted Dick on the shoulder as he praised him.

"Good lad. I heard of your experiences from my old friend Velen's letter. Though you took the wrong road, you ultimately returned to the right path and did Krokuun proud! The first Commodore of the guard in this grassland's history—and you're still so young.

"Perhaps this land will be entrusted to your care someday.

"Today's banquet was held for you as well!"

"I don't mean to spoil your mood, Governor Dad."

Dick hesitated for a moment, then quietly explained his mission.

"We can attend the banquet, but we must depart for the Petrified Forest tonight. This concerns the future of our civilization. Please understand."

"Yes, Velen told me in his letter."

Governor Hutton, the current leader of the Eredar shaman community and Velen's friend of many years, grew serious when the matter turned to business.

As he led the group toward the rough-hewn banquet hall of the great fortress, he said to Dick, "In truth, over the past few years, I have often heard the world's groans while communing with the elementals... I used to hear them occasionally, but they have become more frequent in recent years. Perhaps it foretells that something truly is about to happen to this world.

"And Diakum, there is something I have kept buried in my heart. More than a decade ago, Sarkir the Enlightener secretly visited Krokuun's Petrified Forest..."

The governor hesitated, then lowered his voice and said to Dick, "I personally led him in search of the legendary Holy Stone back then. But if I had known he harbored evil intentions, I never would have helped him!"

"So you do know the Holy Stone's exact location, don't you?"

Dick's eyes lit up as he pressed the question.

Governor Hutton shook his head. "I only learned the general direction of that place from our ancient traditions. But the elementals protect it. I will personally lead you there once more, but whether you can find the Holy Stone will depend on you, Diakum.

"The ancient elemental legends make it clear: only the 'chosen one' can find the Holy Land! And only the chosen one has the honor of speaking with the World Will.

"I do not wish to discourage you, child, but do you think you are a chosen one as extraordinarily gifted as Sarkir?"

"To be honest, I don't know."

Dick sighed, then said with complete frankness, "But I have to find that stone! Because fate is whispering to me: the storm is coming. For Krokuun and all of Argus... I must seek an audience with It, whether It wishes to be disturbed or not."