Chapter 499
The materials science technology in this world is extremely advanced. Those red-roofed, white-walled buildings look exquisite, but their strength far exceeds that of concrete. A 155mm shell could probably only penetrate the roof, and an ordinary monster-level player couldn't destroy them even if they worked themselves to death.
But for him, a single slap could wipe out half a block with overwhelming force.
"Crown?" For some reason, Hathaway felt a chill run down her spine.
"Oh, this city is nice, but why don't I see the Abyss Grade?" Yuki pointed into the distance; all he could see was the azure sea with white seagulls fishing.
"The Abyss Grade is beneath the sea surface. I've heard from the elders that it's about several thousand meters deep, and it's guarded by the dragons. Our Abyss Fortress is only responsible for catching the ones that slip through the net."
The people here are quite simple and honest; she answers whatever Yuki asks, but Yuki old fox, immediately senses something is off.
The Sea Demon might break free from suppression and come ashore, which definitely needs to be prevented, but what's needed is a highly mobile patrol team, not a Steel Fortress. The Sea Demon can't be stupid enough to just run into an impenetrable wall after escaping from the Jail, can they?
"No, do a few escapees really need a fortress? Do they need to be heavily armed?"
Hathaway was stunned, as if she hadn't thought about the question at all, when at that moment, a hearty and loud voice rang out.
"Hahaha, as expected of an Ascended God, you immediately saw the true purpose of the Abyss Fortress."
"Commander." The maids curtsied, and the warriors on both sides of the steps knelt on one knee. Yuki hesitated for a moment, feeling the pressure behind him, before turning around.
He saw a Giant over three meters tall, wearing a purple cloak and golden armor covered in runes. A large sword, nearly two meters long and two hands wide, hung at his waist, with an exquisite sculpture at the end of the hilt. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than the fish-headed, human-bodied strongman from before.
Like the soldiers, the armor only protected his chest and abdomen. His bronze arms were thicker than Yuki's thighs, and every muscle line seemed to have been sculpted by a master. Looking at his angular face, the only adjective that came to Yuki's mind was 'steel'.
His jawline was like a war-forged steel cliff, with three parallel scars extending from his cheekbone to his Adam's apple. His eyes, like Hathaway's, were azure blue, and at this moment they were perfectly calm, but who knew when they might turn into a raging storm.
Feeling Yuki's piercing gaze, the War General wasn't angry. He stroked his messy stubble and said, "Crown Crowne, I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to admire me like this. It seems I made the wrong choice in sending Hathaway to greet you; I should have sent one of those handsome young men from the army."
"Father!" Hathaway blushed instantly upon discovering her identity and slapped him, but the slap landed on his unarmored armpit.
With a loud thud, the ground beneath the burly man's feet cracked, and his smile instantly turned into a painful expression.
I misjudged her; she's at least a monster-level female warrior. Even her coquettishness has been honed into a fighting instinct.
Yuki withdrew his gaze, offering no explanation of his orientation, but simply smiled and said, "Seeing you reminds me of an old friend, who was also a commander."
That's right, Yuki had just thought of the commander-in-chief of the Defense Force, the generous man who gave him the spark of Fire Seed.
"Just as handsome?"
"No, he's not as narcissistic as you, but he's just as generous."
"Good eye! It's a pity I can't get to know that person, otherwise we could have a good drink together." Zhan Shuai strode over, followed by a group of guards carrying tables, chairs, benches, and wine jugs. "Hahaha, I've been waiting for you at the Command Headquarters for a long time, so I came out on my own. Since you like to enjoy the scenery, let's drink and talk here."
"Father, have you forgotten Mother's order to abstain from alcohol for a month? Abyss Fortress takes orders as its highest duty," Hathaway reminded him sarcastically from the side. The man with the dragon-like stride suddenly stopped and turned around stiffly.
"Uh, well, Lord Crown is a guest, how could I, as the commander of Abyss Fortress, not personally entertain him!?"
"But Crown didn't say he wanted to drink. Even if he did, he wouldn't be holding a wine jug like you."
Yuki's disguise makes him look quite old; in his forties, he's more like someone who enjoys fine tea than someone who drinks strong liquor.
An interesting person—this personality can't be faked, nor does it seem like it's being faked.
Yuki saw the mighty War General frantically winking at him, and within three minutes of their meeting, he had already drawn a basic portrait of him.
Generous, strong, and resolute, yet also henpecked, this type of person values family highly and poses a relatively low threat.
"Miss Hathaway, it's fine to have a drink now and then." Yuki took off his monocle, losing some of his elegance and gaining some of his sharpness. He was also very simple in his dealings with people. If you want to play dirty tricks, I'll play along. If you want to be generous, I won't be a petty person who keeps guessing.
"Ha, did you hear that? Hurry up and go home, your mission is complete." Zhan Shuai immediately became smug, making his daughter puff out her cheeks in anger.
"Whatever, drink yourself to death."
The girl ran off in a flash, seemingly to fetch reinforcements. Zhan Shuai stroked his spiky, short, golden hair, took the wine jug from the guard, walked over, crushed the seal, and tilted his head back to drink.
"Don't mind them, these women are just all talk and no action. With such a beautiful view, why not have some drinks instead of just chatting like this?"
The rich aroma of wine dripped down my chin. A small table was already set up, laden with fish. Facing the sea from this mountaintop, the scenery was absolutely stunning.
Zhan Shuai swallowed half a pot of wine, sat down on the ground, and saw Yuki Cheng standing solemnly beside him. He frowned, then raised his fan-like hand and patted his forehead.
"You idiots, don't you have any sense at all? Why aren't you pouring Mr. Crown's wine?"
The guards looked at each other, and finally a rather handsome young man stepped forward.
"Commander, you said you drank all ten jars of fine wine yourself? Just now, the brothers reported that Mr. Crown didn't seem like a warrior, and you were overjoyed, saying you could take the opportunity to drink..."
"Nonsense, when did I say that?" Zhan Shuai glared at the young man, making him swallow his next words, and smiled slyly, "Go get a wine glass, uh, the smaller one. If Crown doesn't drink, how am I supposed to drink?"
Well, so you planned this all along. I drink one cup, you drink ten jars, and you call it sharing ten jars with me.
Yuki, but seeing the War General taking his second big swig, he stretched out his right hand.
"The Hermit Crown"
The man paused for a moment, then put down the wine jar and grasped it tightly.
"Commander, Dias."
Chapter Two: Abyss Fortress
Sitting cross-legged atop a thousand-meter-high mountain, gazing at the boundless sea.
Before me lay a clean and tidy city, where I could see simple and hardworking people, men, women, and children all smiling brightly. Despite this epic level of awareness, I couldn't find a single crime.
The soldiers were alert and disciplined, yet not at all cold. Some took off their armor to go home for lunch, while others put down their spears to help on the dock. The phrase "close as fish and water" between the army and the people came to mind long ago.
The sea breeze carried a hint of wine, and as he listened to a slightly tipsy man boasting, Yuuki entered the Yuki for the ninth time, but for the first time, he felt a sense of beauty, like the sunshine overhead.
It's not intense, but it gives people a sense of comfort and warmth.
"Ha, you guessed right. The Abyss Fortress's true purpose is to monitor the dragons, and only they need such an impregnable fortress." Zhan Shuai, with a salted fish in his mouth, finally finished recounting his glorious resume, how many Sea Demon he had slain, and so on.
"That's easy to guess, but have the dragons ever come to invade?" Yuki held his wine cup, taking only a small sip. He had only drunk half a cup, while Zhan Shuai had already downed five jars, seemingly having been holding back for too long.
"No, at least not after the Great War. They were suppressed by the Supreme God in the seabed fissures, and they had to obediently guard them no matter how unwilling they were. But it's better to be prepared, as powerful Sea Demon occasionally come ashore."
Yuki nodded, he understood more or less. The dragons were actually imprisoned as well, and the Abyss Fortress was there to prevent them from escaping. If nothing unexpected happened...
They will definitely get out of trouble.
"You seem to trust me?" Yuki asked again.
"Anyone who embarks on the path of trials is worthy of respect. My eldest son also passed the trials and became a god." He looked very proud, then lowered his voice. "You all come with your own trial qualifications. Even if you eventually leave, you can still be of great help. To be honest, my grandfather's generation had people from your group who helped him. They fought side by side and hunted a Sea Demon, saving us from a crisis."
Yuki experienced his senior's kindness for the first time, which made it all the more ironic.
Unlike my predecessors, this time I've been given Destruction Mission; all this beauty before me must be destroyed.
"Of course, everyone is different, but I felt an instant connection with you when I saw you. You must be a warm-hearted hero with a strong Justice. Don't worry, I will fully support you." Dias patted Yuki's shoulder loudly.
Am I kind-hearted? Justice?
Yuki found it even more ironic, but seeing the epic praise of the War-Ender and the Night Watchers, he couldn't refute it.
Do you have a world map? I'd like to study it.
"What are you standing there for? Open my military map." Zhan Shuai waved his hand, and the black-haired youth from before immediately took out a triangular device, lightly squeezed it in his palm, and projected a beam of light.
The entire Hero Continent unfolded before Yuki's eyes. Just as he had predicted, the blue dots representing human city-states were scattered across the continent, separated by great distances, representing vast uninhabited areas. Meanwhile, Abyss Fortress was located at the easternmost point of the continent.
Scattered among the city-states were some red dots.
What are these?
"The demon settlements we've discovered, the larger ones, don't worry, they all abide by the rules set by the gods and are thinking about how to become gods through trials," Zhan Shuai said nonchalantly, taking another bite of dried fish.
Oh, players are randomly assigned to these light spots, so there can't possibly be that many.
"And this one?" Yuki pointed to the white dot of light in the very center of the continent, which was the most dazzling.
"The Gate of the Divine Realm, the abode of all gods. If you wish to continue your trials, you must first report there. At the start, only you are qualified to participate in the trials." The war commander immediately became serious, even refusing to eat his dried fish.
"How do I obtain the qualification for the trial?"
"Punishing evil and promoting good, killing evil demons will qualify you. Of course, you don't have to go. Someone as awesome as me couldn't leave these kids behind, so I didn't go." Zhan Shuai puffed out his chest.
So that's how it is. The so-called path of trials is simply about constantly killing demons and eventually becoming a god.
Yuki understood something more, and there was no way to ask any more questions.
This Hero Continent is actually a flat earth with a round sky.
This is normal in a fantasy world, but Yuki felt something was off, because it involved a subtle detail.
Before ascension, the dungeons were generally limited in area, and he didn't know what the whole world looked like. But after ascension, everything followed the laws of physics, and he did missions on planets.
Forget about the Cosmic Insect Disaster; Yuki witnessed the Green Star firsthand, and later at the Wizard's Tower, Nighttime Murder, and the Race Game, the curvature of the earth could be observed. Only this place—
He looked out at the perfectly smooth sea; on such a clear day, he could see hundreds of kilometers away with his eyesight.
This place is flat.
This kind of dungeon world, which defies physics and has a purely fantastical structure, can only be confirmed to have existed once.
"Calamity of Blood, the area outside the city was shrouded in Blood Mist, and this instance is a nightmare second only to the Bloodthirsty Red Moon."
"Why do you seem a little nervous?" Zhan Shuai glanced at him sideways. He was no weaker than an Epic II, so he could still detect this change in emotion.
"You feel there are many challenges ahead, don't you? The Hero Continent may seem calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath."
Dias moved his lips, as if knowing it would be pointless to ask, and could only nod silently. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a considerable amount of wine spilled out.
Is there a murderous aura?
Anyone could see that Zhan Shuai was nervous. Yuki turned around in surprise, thinking to himself, "Who has the guts to make a move?" Then he saw an extremely beautiful blonde woman.
She bore a striking resemblance to Hathaway, wearing a light blue dress and possessing an even more exaggerated figure, only with an added touch of heroic spirit and the sharpness honed by war.
"Dia-s, what did you promise me?!"
Like a tigress pouncing, the warrior instantly sobered up, turning his head with a deathly pale face. None of the guards beside him drew their swords; instead, they seemed to be afraid of blood splattering on them and ran away as fast as they could.
"Madam, please, please let me explain. I only had one drink; the rest was all drunk by Crown."
"Enough talk, I've been watching you for a long time!"
Like a tigress pouncing, a loud 'thud' was heard as the woman disappeared a hundred meters away and suddenly reappeared in front of him. Yuki, who had just been inexplicably framed, turned his head and saw the illusory image of the tide rolling, moving in slow motion within a hundred meters.
Within the tides, epic powers that can easily reach supersonic speeds become accessible to ordinary people, and give both sides in battle ample time to react.
'The rules of the Divine Torch? No, it's more like using some kind of energy to forcibly thicken time, making every movement full of resistance.'
Yuki raised his hand to cover his face, feeling as if time and space were a quagmire, like being on a turbulent seabed, except that was physical resistance, while this was a delay in time.
With a thud, a fair hand slammed into Zhan Shuai's chin, sending him sprawling to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head. The woman grabbed his ankle and dragged him back, then twisted her body and delivered a straight punch to his abdomen.
Bang--
The golden armor was flattened, and the war commander rolled his eyes. The viscous time returned to normal, and the guards seemed unfazed. In their eyes, it was just like a network delay.
The woman rushed over, and Zhan Shuai immediately lay down on the ground before being grabbed by the foot and dragged away.
0.01 seconds.
Yuki glanced at the time; it was the total battle time, which was normal for an epic-level battle, but visually it looked more like two mortals fighting.
This is amazing! It has completely different rules from the Divine Torch. If I had this, fighting the Garou would be much easier.
He recalled the battle in the Hero Kingdom, where both players were Epic-level and their speed was too fast. In melee combat, some of their exquisite moves were too fast for him to react to. However, learning these skills would require a lot of time.
The Torch of the Gods can achieve a similar effect, but even ignoring the usage requirements, it can only establish one rule.
More details would have to be asked of the user, but of course, he wouldn't dare provoke this tigress.
"You flatter me, Crown." The woman dragged the war general a few steps away, then, as if remembering something, returned and nodded to Yuki.
"Uh, oh." Yuki could only nod stiffly, not knowing what expression to make, as he watched the war commander who had just been chatting and laughing with him, boasting about how awesome he was, being dragged away like a dead pig.
Silence reigned until the black-haired youth asked a seemingly random question.
Is Mr. Crown married?
What's it to me?
Yuki turned slightly to the side and shook his head gently, only to see several hands simultaneously land on his shoulders.
"Excellent, excellent!"
The party came to an abrupt end, and the couple went into the Command Headquarters, leaving Eiffel behind her husband.
"Madam, I just had a little wine. Is it really necessary to use the Sea God's Blessing?" Zhan Shuai shook his head. This was really heavy-handed, but fortunately, he was already used to it.