Dark Land
Roy took a shower, and the scabs on his wounds fell off under the warm water, leaving his skin smooth and without any scars.
Having suddenly broken through to become High Priest, Roy had not yet fully mastered his abilities, so much so that he could see even the smallest details around him. For example, when he was standing in the bathroom, he saw a gray gecko hiding in the shadows on the edge of the ventilation window, and its beady black eyes startled Roy.
The Sacred Tree appeared behind him without warning, and Roy felt water droplets falling around him like raindrops, as if he were floating in mid-air.
A mosquito flew in through the air vent, and the gecko suddenly opened its mouth wide...
At this moment, in Roy's vision, time and space seemed to gradually freeze, and countless holy lights were like shackles, locking the flow of time.
In Roy's eyes, the gecko was like a slow-moving old tortoise, opening its huge mouth and flicking out its tongue. The fleshy, sticky tongue accurately caught the mosquito, and then suddenly retracted into its mouth.
The next second, Roy felt countless holy lights melt away.
Everything started to return to normal, and warm water from the showerhead began to pour down from above again.
The gecko hiding in the ventilation window hesitated for a moment before disappearing into the shadows, and everything returned to normal.
Could this be the ability he gained after advancing to the next level? Roy spread his hands, looking around somewhat helplessly.
Just as he was intently sensing the changes in his body...
The nagging of Jillian in the next yard, the rustling of small rodents grinding their teeth in the yard, the babbling of the Da Nei River across the street, the howling of the cold monsoon winds blowing from the Frozen Sea across the rooftops—all the sounds around him amplified infinitely in his ears.
Roy also noticed that the once radiant Sacred Tree was gradually fading, and the dozens of Light Flower blooming on its crown were withering one after another.
Roy quickly snapped out of his concentration, and everything around him returned to normal.
Clearly, after advancing to the next level, Roy's Holy Light Power has significantly increased, and his body has become more compatible with holy aura.
Under the healing Holy Light Art, the wounds on my body healed completely in just a few hours...
Moreover, his perception has also improved significantly. He can even enter a state that is almost like time freezing when he is focused, which surprised Roy even more.
He wondered if High Priest Reed had possessed such an ability, or perhaps some other special ability.
Among her friends, only Sabrina has advanced to the first job advancement as a Sword Dancer, but she rarely mentions it.
Roy took a bath towel from the shelf next to him, dried himself off, went back to the bedroom, closed the window and drew the curtains tightly, and then Roy breathed a sigh of relief.
The Magic Inscription Construct hung on the clothes rack beside the bed, while the Hammer of Judgment Book and the Holy Scepter were placed within easy reach.
Lying down in bed, although the image of the Black-Clothed Assassin would still linger in my mind when I closed my eyes, I quickly drifted off to sleep.
When I got up in the morning, I saw that the Deep Water Pier of Castleton Harbour was empty. Apart from a few medium-sized sailing ships, all the Imperial Merchant had left the port.
A group of Half-Elf laborers were still standing on the port docks, waiting to start work.
Some Wooden Box filled with supplies were also piled up on the port dock.
The unexpected turn of events forced everything that had already been planned to be put on hold...
The Half-Elf laborers at the port docks gathered together, discussing the matter animatedly.
Now, these goods are transported to Imperial Merchant, and then rely on Flying Fish Boat from the port to reach the deep sea.
Clearly, the captains did not reveal the mastermind behind it all. It's evident that these Imperial Merchant are quite united; they must have done some communication behind the scenes, and the merchant groups made some compromises.
Francis the merchant stepped down from the carriage. He looked unwell, with large dark circles under his eyes, clearly overwhelmed by the situation.
After all, this matter concerned his interests; those Imperial Merchant who wanted to harm Roy were trying to grab a slice of the pie that rightfully belonged to him...
He stood hesitantly outside the courtyard, and after a moment's hesitation, he knocked on the gate.
Roy went out and opened the courtyard gate, and the merchant Francis gave Roy an apologetic smile.
Before he even spoke, Roy knew what he wanted to say...
It was clearly not the businessman Francis who did it, and it was clearly an infringement on the businessman Francis's interests, yet in the end, the businessman Francis had to come out and mediate.
"Those people left last night. They have completely abandoned trade in Castleton Harbour. Please do not pursue this matter further, Boss Roy. The Merchant Shipping Association guarantees that such an incident will never happen again."
After saying this, the merchant Francis gave a bitter smile.
Roy paused for a moment before speaking:
"This matter cannot be left like this. If it weren't for my good luck, I would definitely be the one lying dead on Brown Street last night. But now that they've left, I'm too lazy to continue investigating. I remember what they looked like. I hope I don't see them in the Elf Sea again, otherwise I will bring my people and let them taste what it's like to be prey."
"..."
Perhaps thinking of Roy's background with the Silver Pegasus Legion, the Imperial Merchant Francis said nothing, only sighed softly.
He delivered some messages to Boss Roy, and that was enough to complete his mission.
Originally, he wanted to expose those merchant group leaders, since he was also a victim in this incident. However, the situation in the Grimm Empire was somewhat special. With the outbreak of the Plane War, the war was gradually becoming uncontrollable. There were not many Imperial Merchant had arrived on the Elf Continent to begin with, and this time they also bore the heavy responsibility of transporting the Magic Herbs and Magic Metal back.
Losing any caravan would be a major loss. That's why the Imperial Merchant in Castleton Harbour gathered last night and voted together. They decided to help those fools through this crisis, while also expressing to the Silver Moon Elf that the Imperial Merchant would stand together through thick and thin.
Of course, the Imperial Merchant Association also showed great sincerity in order to get the merchant Francis to agree.
His visit this time was actually to express his sincerity.
Merchant Francis knew of Boss Roy's strength. Not only did he possess the eleven Three-Masted Sailboat of Pattington Island, but he also learned from the Half-Elf Warrior on Pattington Island that Boss Roy had a very high reputation in the Pattington Plane and commanded a Half-Elf force under the Silver Pegasus Legion.
'Those idiots sent assassins, thankfully they failed. If they had actually killed Boss Roy, the Silver Pegasus Legion would probably have been able to fly back from Empress Ivini Islands. These merchant ships wouldn't have been able to escape, let alone leave the Silver Moon Elf territory...'
The businessman Francis snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Roy.
Roy was taking a pot of steaming Lemon Tea and two cups out of the kitchen.
Looking at the cup of steaming white vapor in front of him, the merchant Francis didn't know how to drink it. Didn't they add any ice? "To show our sincerity in apologizing, the Merchant Shipping Association has gathered the remaining Floating Device and Propulsion Device from other caravans, which we can supply to you ahead of schedule," Francis said slowly.
Roy's eyes lit up. He had originally thought that it would take at least two more years to convert these Three-Masted Sailboat into Magic Airship.
It seems that the entire renovation can be completed in about six months at most...
Roy gave a soft hum. "I hope they don't show up in front of me. I can promise you I won't go looking for trouble with the Imperial Merchant. As for the port Guard Squad, I can't help you with that. You'll have to smooth things over yourselves."
When the businessman Francis heard Roy say this, he knew that Roy had made a final promise.
They had originally planned to ask Boss Roy to see if they could get the merchant ships back into port, but now Roy had already shut down that idea.
The two then discussed the order for Elementary Magic Herbs before the Imperial Merchant Francis left Roy's residence with a gloomy expression.
Woods was speechless with shock when he heard that the Imperial Merchant at Castleton Harbour had sent assassins to Roy's house to carry out an assassination attempt...
"Don't they know your official identity? As the regional governor of the Pattington Plane of the Silver Pegasus Legion, if you were really assassinated at home this time, these Imperial Merchant would probably face the most severe blows from the Silver Pegasus Legion..."
"My God! What are these Imperial Merchant thinking?"
Woods watered the plants on the Ship Building and said this to Roy in an exaggerated manner.
He turned around, placed his hands on the railing, and asked Roy on the deck, "Are you just going to leave it at that?"
"What else can we do? Find the masterminds among these merchants and send them to Parraram Island to serve their sentences?"
Roy stood at the foot of the mainmast, stroking the bark growing on its surface. He climbed up the mainmast step by step along the iron footstools, stood on the Lookout Platform tower, and looked up at the umbrella-shaped canopy above.
For Roy, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Not only did new branches sprout from the mainmast, but the entire ship somehow became connected to the mainmast, forming a new living entity...
Roy could clearly feel the vibrant life emanating from the ship.
To make it easier to get in and out, Roy had built a door at the damaged spot on the bottom of the ship when he was repairing it. Recently, Roy has noticed that some new branches seem to be growing at that damaged spot.
Standing on the Lookout Platform, facing the sea breeze, you can see a great distance out to sea, and even the area where Imperial Merchant are anchored.
Roy possessed Woods and said:
"I've noticed that my Holy Light Art seems a bit stronger."
Woods put down his water bottle, tilted his head back, and shouted in response:
"I believe that if an army has a squad of Priest, that army can at least double its combat power..."
In the afternoon, Roy and Woods entered Brown Street Pub one after the other. Woods found a seat in a corner of the pub and ordered only a glass of Tree of Life Sap.
Roy walked to the bar and finally saw Byron Phil on the other side, near the window.
He was wearing a linen robe and looked like an ordinary Half-Elf fisherman on Brown Street, even smelling strongly of fish.
There was a bottle of Orange Wine on the table Byron Phil saw Roy walk in, he waved to Roy.
Roy sat down opposite Byron Phil.
Byron Phil poured Roy a glass of orange liqueur and asked Roy, "Roy, do you know the Dark Land?"
Roy nodded, then shook his head somewhat blankly.
"I've heard High Priest Reed mention that place, I know the name. He told me that the Goddess of Freedom might be imprisoned there, and all the Priest of the Goddess of Freedom Temple will go into the Dark Land to find their god. I heard it's a dark place, a place without light," Roy said. "But I've never been there."
Byron Phil smiled and shook his head slightly.
"Actually, there is also day and night in the Dark Land, but everything there is exactly the opposite of what we have here. There is a Black Sun in the sky there. When the Black Sun rises, night will come. When the Black Sun sets, the world will be as bright as day, but the daytime is very short."
"For the Priest, there was almost no sacred atmosphere there. Even though it was as bright as day, the surrounding world was still deathly silent."
"For us, the Dark Land is devoid of any hope of survival. Without supplies sent from the rear, we simply cannot survive."
"For the creatures of the Dark Land, they are incredibly powerful in the darkness. There is a Shadow Demon that can almost move freely in the dark; only light can imprison their bodies and make them materialize, allowing us to defeat them..."
"In the pitch-black night, the light of a torch can only illuminate a space of about one meter in size. The light cannot spread at all. Only holy light can dispel the surrounding darkness and prevent Dark Creatures from getting close."
"When the Goddess of Freedom Temple organized its army to enter the Dark Land, it spent all the wealth it had accumulated over the years. Attracted by the high commissions, the Goddess of Freedom Temple assembled a huge army and entered the Dark Land through the Darkness Gate."
"The Mercenary Group I was in couldn't refuse the generous reward and went into the Dark Land with the Expeditionary Force of the Goddess of Freedom Temple."
"I bet you know that the Priest ' divine power cannot be replenished in the Dark Land. They can only replenish their Holy Light Power by using the holy relics they carry with them, such as the Heroic Spear Solarian, the Sword of Justice Saint Feather Radiance, or the Hope Rope Amyas in Auriel's hands, the Fate Scroll Tarusal, and the Wisdom Holy Grail Karadar."
"Actually, these holy relics of light that the Priest carry with them are not true divine artifacts, but imitations made of Magic Metal. However, they have been bathed in holy light in the temple for a long time, and the Priest have always prayed in front of them. Gradually, these relics have absorbed a trace of divinity and possessed a source of holy light."
"The Priest use these creatures of light to restore the Holy Power they have lost in the Dark Land."
"Every time we fight against the Dark Creatures of the Dark Land, we dedicate a significant portion of our forces to protecting the Priest in our army. The battles in the Dark World are endless. We don't even know where they come from, and they don't even leave behind corpses after they die. Once they die, they instantly turn into wisps of black mist and dissipate. Only the White Soul Stone left behind after their death prove that they ever existed."
"..."