The Last Refuge

Alan's return was the best news Roger had received since his recovery.

This means that Paramount Manor has regained its owners.

The secrets of the Serra River will then be revealed.

In Alan's usual old-fashioned tone.

Roger then gained an understanding of the whole story.

Alan's research on the Serra River began many years ago.

Through the verification of numerous ancient legends.

He gradually discovered that the "Guardian of the Boundary" version was the closest to the truth.

The Serra River and its upstream Bondrey River, including the Scar of Death in the Primitive Forest forest—

They were like an unbreakable border, preventing creatures from the north from moving south.

Anyone who oversteps the bounds.

They will die a violent death like those warthogs.

This looks like a boundary that has been set up by humans!

Only the legendary Guardian of the Boundary of the boundary have the authority to open and close the boundary.

But the Guardian of the Boundary of the Serra River have long since disappeared.

This led to the complete closure of the north.

at the same time.

Extinguishing Cloud, symbols of destruction, began to appear frequently in the north.

Town after town was reduced to ruins: the nameless Underground City, Tongma Town, Greyrock City...

Following this trend

All settlements in the north will be doomed.

This directly led Wellington to build the Skeletal Behemoth Boat in an attempt to break through the Serra River barrier.

Before the Extinguishing Cloud and the Boundary River.

Necromancers and warthogs are not actually superior or inferior to each other.

To completely solve this problem.

On the eve of Roger's decisive battle with the Skeletal Behemoth Boat, Alan abandoned everything and rushed to the source of the Serra River.

Roger had no idea what he had encountered there or what price he had paid.

But when he returned...

He has become the Guardian of the Boundary of the Serra River.

He is still Alan.

But he's different now.

Roger's Sixth Sense reminded him that the man before him no longer possessed a complete soul.

He still stood up straight, just like when we first met.

But his slightly drooping shoulders suggested that what he was carrying now was probably ten thousand times heavier than when he was the lord of Dawn Town.

In response to this.

Roger was filled with a thousand emotions.

He actually had many questions for Alan.

But Alan smiled and told him, "The Guardian of the Boundary have their Guardian of the Boundary rules."

"I can't tell you anything outside the rules."

Roger asked directly:

"I want to know the truth about the ' Boundary River.' Is it really as the legends say, that all the creatures north of the Serra River are descendants of sinners?"

Alan shook his head, then nodded, his expression conflicted. Finally, he said tactfully:

"The sinner's claims are debatable, but as for the truth about the Boundary River, I can only tell you two things."

"The first sentence states that the further south you go, the higher the Magic Abundance becomes. This phenomenon is not unique to the area north of the Serra River; it is true throughout Mystra."

"Secondly, Mystra has more than just this one Boundary River."

Roger's expression changed slightly.

These two sentences contain a lot of information.

He understood a lot.

But there's even more that I don't understand.

However, he didn't press the matter, but instead changed the subject. "What about the Extinguishing Cloud?"

In the past six months.

Roger appears to be focused on health and wellness.

But he never stopped investigating the Extinguishing Cloud.

He had been to Greyrock City, the Underground City, and had also returned to Tongma Town.

He wandered around the foot of Cloud Terrace Mountain for a long time, but found no clues.

One sensitive piece of information is that Roger did not find any bodies!

Let alone corpses.

There wasn't even a trace of blood.

Although all the buildings were destroyed, the people inside seemed to have vanished into thin air.

in this case.

Roger would not make any hasty judgments about the nature of the Extinguishing Cloud.

Unfortunately, Talia remained in a state of severe autism, Roger was unable to learn from her what exactly happened on the day the Extinguishing Cloud descended.

Therefore, he was eager to learn the truth about Extinguishing Cloud from Alan.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

Alan said with a hint of apology, "The knowledge inherited by the Guardian of the Boundary only contains a few words about the Extinguishing Cloud."

"When a region loses its Guardian of the Boundary, the Extinguishing Cloud will appear frequently; and when a new Guardian of the Boundary appears, the Extinguishing Cloud will disappear."

"This is a very reliable rule."

Roger nodded slightly.

Alan's words gave him a lot of inspiration.

His thoughts became increasingly clear.

In Roger's view

The Extinguishing Cloud appears to be a passively triggered mechanism.

The relevant factors that trigger this include the "survival status of the Guardian of the Boundary" and the "Magic Abundance in the area".

The problem is...

Who set up so many complex mechanisms on this planet?

Combining the doomsday legends with the accounts of sinners.

Roger had a bold guess!

"If Mystra is the 'prison' among the Nine Great Planets, then all of this makes sense!"

"The prisons are filled with the descendants of the most vicious people, the so-called descendants of criminals."

"The biggest criminals in the prison are probably Ancient Evil like the Icadore."

"The destruction of the world by the gods is to strike at Ancient Evil and eliminate the descendants of criminals."

"Alan is implying the existence of multiple Boundary River. Haha, each Boundary River is like a fence, dividing Mystra into different areas; and each independent area is like a prison cell!"

"Hmm, if we reason it this way, the Guardian of the Boundary are the jailers."

"When a prison is no longer guarded, an ' Extinguishing Cloud ' will appear. The function of the Extinguishing Cloud may be destruction, which is the most refreshing way to end things once and for all; or it may be relocation. The people in the cities destroyed by the Extinguishing Cloud are transferred to other 'cells'..."

"As for the Magic Abundance... lacking clues, we will not engage in invalid reasoning."

In a short time.

Roger's thoughts went on and on.

"If that's the case, then the obstacles to leaving this planet will be even greater."

"Upon leaving the starting village, I discovered that I had actually been imprisoned in the past, and now I need to prepare for a prison break."

"It was pretty sudden..."

Thinking of this, he scratched his head, a flash of excitement crossing his eyes.

Ultimately, however, these are just Roger's analyses and speculations.

The truth still requires more clues.

The clue lies in the south! Right now.

The gates of the South have been opened to him.

After Alan becomes the Guardian of the Boundary, the Serra River Bridge will be open to the public as usual.

Gem City is now within reach.

"So."

Alan drew out the last syllable seriously:

"Do you need me to arrange a trial for you?"

"Adventurers?"

Roger quickly shook his head in refusal.

He is now just a weakened warrior.

It can't withstand too much stress.

"About two weeks later."

I made an appointment with Alan.

Roger returned to Senluo Farm in high spirits.

Preparations for the trip to the south began.

Two days later.

In the Warehouse next to the main house.

Roger carefully dripped a drop of blood onto a miniature coffin.

The coffin was jet black, with a simple and ancient shape, and was about half the size of a person.

This thing looks unlucky.

But it is one of the two Transcendent Item left behind by Wellington!

"The Final Sanctuary (Storage Items/ Transcendent Item)"

Rating: SS

Mode 1: Refuge Mode

In Refuge Mode, you will be given a 200*200*80 (meter) refuge space with powerful defensive capabilities, capable of withstanding a continuous attack from an extraordinary squad for 240 hours.

Limited to one use per year

Mode 2: Normal Mode

In normal mode, you will gain additional storage space, including a main room, an armory, and two Warehouse.

"Activation Requirements: Kun Clan Blood Curse (169 days)"

Today marks the 169th day since Roger's blood was spilled.

After a strange tremor.

This coffin finally belongs to Roger.

Although this item doesn't look particularly impressive, it truly lives up to its SS-level Transcendent Item rating.

Not to mention the near-invincible Refuge Mode.

The standard mode alone is enough to make one's mouth water.

Unlike other storage items.

This coffin is habitable! The main room of the shelter is a 10*8*6 (meter) space, which can not only be used by the owner, but also to invite guests to visit.

With proper renovation and arrangement, this space can not only serve as a bedroom but also be developed into more functional areas.

The Warehouse on both sides are simply storage spaces.

Roger could take things directly from the Warehouse from inside the room, but he couldn't walk inside.

Each Warehouse has 24 slots, for a total of 48.

Each compartment has storage space equivalent to the size of a wardrobe.

This means Roger can bring a lot more things.

It is worth mentioning the separate "Arsenal".

Roger did some research.

The armory containing this thing is like a quick equipment slot; with just a thought, the items inside will appear directly in your hands.

However, this process has a delay of about 2 seconds, which is not as good as the Sword Hiding Technique, but it is still very practical.

The armory currently has 8 slots, which can hold a large number of Roger's favorite items: Smoke Bomb, Stink Bomb, Flash Bottle, Elemental Bottle, Hand Tumor Bomb, blinding powder, and so on.

After the shelter was established.

The crucible has been freed up and can now be used peacefully as a tool for alchemy.

The only flaw is...

This thing is even bigger than a crucible when it's placed upright.

Roger was struck by the thought that what he would carry when he went out in the future would change from a tortoise shell to a coffin.

I feel like the level of sophistication has dropped a lot.

Wellington's other extraordinary piece of equipment was a "Philosopher's Stone".

As the name suggests.

For a certain amount of money, this stone can enchant unenchanted equipment.

There's no limit to the amount of enchantments you can create as long as you pay enough.

However, the effect of the enchantment is random.

Roger excitedly used the Red Moon to test it.

As a result, he became addicted after trying it.

"You used the Philosopher's Stone to enchant the Red Moon (Normal)."

"Your enchantment was successful! Red Moon's Sharpness +1"

"Would you like to use 100 Copper Coin for a second enchantment?"

Roger gave it a try without hesitation.

"You used the Philosopher's Stone to enchant Red Moon (Sharpness +1)."

"Your enchantment was successful! Red Moon's durability +1."

"Would you like to use 500 Copper Coin to perform three enchantments?"

Roger hesitated for a moment, then chose to continue.

"You used the Philosopher's Stone to enchant the Red Moon."

"I'm sorry, your enchantment failed, and your Red Moon is damaged."

"Would you like to use a small amount of Copper Coin to enchant other items?"

With a loud clang.

It wasn't just the sound of the Red Moon shattering.

It was also the sound of Roger's heart breaking.

He finally understood. This wasn't the Philosopher's Stone at all; it was Kelly's money-shredding machine! The first enchantment of the Philosopher's Stone only cost 50 Copper Coin.

But the subsequent costs increase exponentially! Crucially, the failure rate also rises dramatically.

A demon deep within Roger's heart told him:

Strengthen it, strengthen it! As long as you spend enough money, you can definitely strengthen it into a "never-damaged" Red Moon.

Fortunately, he managed to control himself.

In the end, Roger spent most of his money to enchant all the Red Moon and some ordinary items in a single session.

In this way.

He then possessed 106 Red Moon weapons with different attributes.

There should actually have been 126.

Apart from Transcendent Item.

Wellington left Roger a large amount of money, materials, scrolls, and books.

For the time being, there's no need to worry about spending this wealth.

And the remaining equipment.

He picked out a few useful items to replace: a "Purple Scale Inner Armor" with +18 defense replaced the tattered Mithril Heart Armor.

He wore a wristband on his left wrist that could summon wolves, named "Call of the Wild".

There's also a "Merchant's Boots" which significantly increases Movement Speed and comes with five "Grease Soles" treatments per day.

The rest can only be temporarily stored in the Warehouse.

One week later.

Roger carried "The Final Sanctuary" on his back as he walked across the Serra River Bridge.

The early autumn wind brushed against his face, feeling exceptionally cool.

Behind him.

It's a massive and powerful team of tough guys.

The gargoyle rested its head on his right shoulder and made a fawning sound.

Not long after.

They then arrived at the other side of the bridge.

The distant scenery is on full display.

Roger quietly activated his Sixth Sense.

A flood of images rushed into his eyes and mind.

On the plain at the edge of the horizon.

A towering mountain peak rises into the clouds, suspended in mid-air.

Mid-air at the foot of the mountain.

Six floating islands are on tracks at different heights.

They orbit around each other in an orderly fashion, like satellites.

A waterfall cascades down the floating island.

Under the sunlight, the waterfalls shimmered like the most dazzling gems.

Below the floating islands and mountains.

It was a scene of devastation and ruins.

It is a collection of farms scattered like stars in the sky.

It was a hazy, indistinct gray fog.

It was a deserted graveyard.

Roger closed his eyes, and Alan's introduction echoed in his ears:

On that distant, unreachable floating island.

The descendants of the first order-makers after the world's destruction are striving to maintain their power and authority.

Various open and covert struggles have never ceased.

And below the floating island.

A large number of living beings and monsters gathered here.

They are fighting too.

The only difference is that the theme of the struggle has become survival and reproduction.

This is Gem City.

Different people will have different definitions of him.

As for Roger...

His only worry was whether his future brothers and sisters were doing well, how they were thriving, and whether the population was too small. "They can't be an endangered species by the time I arrive!"

That's what he was thinking.

Suddenly, he started running rapidly to the southwest.

The instant I activated my "Complete Sixth Sense".

He sensed that someone ahead was being harmed by a monster!

As expected.

Before long, he saw a lone white house standing by the roadside.

Right now.

A giant Treant had already wrapped itself around the entire house.

The faint sound of a woman sobbing could be heard coming from inside the house.

"It's time for us Hidden Hero to uphold justice!"

Roger suddenly branded the Treant with Sin Mark.

Then he called his underlings to go.

A moment later.

"You have killed a Treant."

"The hair on both sides of your pubic area has become slightly thicker."

"Damn it!"

Roger was furious.