Rhode had originally planned to rest for a while near Moonlight Lake before continuing on, but after their encounter with the giant wolf, he had no choice but to change his plans. The stench of blood from the corpse might attract more trouble, so at sunset, he chose a relatively flat patch of high ground upstream from Moonlight Lake for their campsite.
After dinner, Rhode took up watch again. It was a little too much for his body, but of the three of them, he was the one most familiar with the Silver Moon Forest, and the only one who could fight. There was no other choice. The portly merchant Mace had also volunteered to help, but when Rhode and Lize looked at his fat body, they didn't need to say a word. Their expressions made their feelings perfectly clear. So the tearful merchant had nothing to do but sit off to one side, bored, sorting through the belongings they had salvaged from the wreckage of the Airship.
Of course, Lize wasn't idle either. At that moment, she was kneeling beside Rhode, both hands resting on his left shoulder.
"Aliymia." (Dragon Language: Heal)
As the girl chanted in her clear, ringing voice, a soft white glow appeared in her palms, then slowly enveloped Rhode's body. On the Dragon Soul Continent, spellcasters generally used Dragon Language to cast spells. Ever since the dawn of creation, nearly seventy percent of all magic had been passed down in Dragon Language, and it had been widely adopted by humanity during the Age of Great Magic. The rest was made up of Angelic, Elven, Demonic, and Undead languages. As the races first created and protected by the Primordial Dragons, they had inherited the dragons' magical talent and long lifespans. This also formed the dividing line between the continent's social classes. Whether in the Kingdom of Night (the Dragon Kingdom of Dark Night), the Kingdom of Light (the Dragon Kingdom of Radiance), or the Kingdom of Law (the Dragon Kingdom of Judgment), regardless of their political systems, the highest-ranking figures were always Dragon Soul Bearers, inheritors of the souls of the Five Great Dragons. Next came the nonhumans—angels, elves, demons, and the undead—and humans came after them.
Of course, the composition of each country's social classes varied with its political system. The Kingdom of Night was ruled by a monarch and had a relatively rigid class structure; there were no humans among its upper ranks. In the Kingdom of Light, which practiced parliamentary democracy, half the senior members of parliament were human. In the Kingdom of Law, the numbers of angels, elves, and humans in the upper classes were evenly balanced, each making up a third. This was because the Kingdom of Law was governed by religious authority and believed in the Way of Balance. To them, balance was the most perfect choice.
Rhode knew this continent like the back of his hand, and he knew what was going to happen next. That worried him. In the game, a player was still just a player. If they got fed up, they could take off their headset and walk away. But things were different now. He had become part of this continent. So what could he do in the face of the disasters to come?
"Mr. Rhode... Mr. Rhode?"
"What is it?"
Lize's voice brought Rhode out of his thoughts. He lifted his head and looked at the girl before him. Since then, Lize had finally returned to her usual self. A trace of worry still occasionally crept across her brow, but compared to the gloomy look she'd worn before—like the world was ending, and she might kill herself at any moment—she was much better.
"It's just that..."
Lize shook her head and cautiously glanced at Mace, who sat beside the fire wearing an expression as if he'd just been bitten by a snake as he counted the supplies in his pockets. Then she lowered her voice and spoke with a serious, solemn air.
"During the battle with the Wind Serpent, I sensed something."
"Oh?"
Rhode raised an eyebrow.
"What did you sense?"
"I sensed a trace of dark energy from the Wind Serpent Lord."
As she spoke, Lize bit her lower lip.
"But the energy was very faint. It didn't seem like something a creature of the dark element would have... Mr. Rhode, Wind Serpents aren't dark creatures, are they?"
Of course not. Wind Serpents were wind-elemental creatures, and they had no connection whatsoever to the dark element. But...
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
Hearing the girl's confident reply, Rhode fell into thought. He knew what had happened during this period in history. Wind Serpents had launched repeated attacks on merchant ships traveling the Wind Tide Trade Route, causing significant losses. After investigating, the Kingdom of Light had declared that nomadic tribes living in a disputed region along Paffield's southern border, under the rule of the Kingdom of Night, were directing and controlling the attacks. Not long afterward, the Kingdom of Light sent troops to attack the region and drove out and slaughtered its inhabitants. The Kingdom of Night quickly responded. Not only did it send troops to attack the Kingdom of Light's garrison and reclaim the land it claimed as its own, it also used the incident as a pretext to launch a full-scale invasion of the Kingdom of Light.
This history had unfolded during the game's open beta. At the time, Rhode and the other players had been busy getting used to the new environment, the new systems, and leveling up. They hadn't looked too deeply into this part of the backstory. By the time the beta ended and the game officially launched, drawing in a flood of players, the Kingdoms of Light and Night were already at war. Players had all kinds of theories about what had happened. Some believed the tragedy had begun when the Kingdom of Light tried and failed to reclaim its own territory. Others, the conspiracy theorists, thought the Kingdom of Night had deliberately provoked the Kingdom of Light and started a war to expand its territory. Many more believed that the Kingdom of Night had long coveted the Kingdom of Light, and that the Kingdom of Light had simply mishandled the situation and brought disaster on itself. Of course, players had no particular allegiance; they speculated based on their own preferences.
Rhode thought all these theories had some merit. The southern border region was rich in crystal ore, an important resource for any country. The Kingdom of Light had no reason to give it up. And Ion, Dragon of Dark Night, who ruled the Kingdom of Night in that era, really was a formidable ruler. Even midway through the war, not even the players—famous for being cunning, shameless, and downright underhanded—could get the better of him. At one point, rumors even claimed he wasn't an NPC at all, but a character played by someone from the game company. As for the last theory, during the war, the Kingdom of Light's parliament had acted in a way that could only be described as having pig-brained allies. Their idiotic orders had left players grumbling bitterly, and by the end, some players from the same faction had even switched sides and joined the Kingdom of Night to fight the Kingdom of Light. That showed just how disastrous things had become.
But looking at things now, the conspiracy theorists seemed closer to the truth.
Lize's senses couldn't be wrong. As a being of light, an angel was extremely sensitive to dark energy. With half her blood inherited from that race, she should be nearly as sensitive. So the Wind Serpents' attacks on the Wind Tide Trade Route really had been a premeditated move by the Kingdom of Night—a prelude to a full-scale invasion of the Kingdom of Light?
This was more complicated than it seemed.
"Lize, don't tell anyone about this."
"All right, Mr. Rhode."
At Rhode's reply, Lize nodded. She withdrew her hands and carefully checked his injuries again. A smile appeared on her fair face.
"Your injuries have improved a lot. At this rate, you should be fully recovered in five or six days."
"Thank you."
Rhode gave the girl a slight nod of thanks, then lowered his head and looked at the system information hovering before him.
The part of his status marked "Healthy" was gradually turning green. At this rate, he would be able to move freely before long. And there was still a mountain of things for him to do.
What should he tackle first?
Rhode frowned and fell into thought...
Meanwhile, two figures slowly emerged from the forest where the Airship had crashed.
"So this is the ship you mentioned?"
The man in front spoke coldly. He wore beautiful white armor with a streamlined design, etched with patterns in faintly glowing golden lines. If Rhode had been there, he would have recognized the insignia of an officer in the Kingdom of Light's border defense force.
The person standing behind the man was completely wrapped in a black cloak, his features impossible to make out. In response to the man's question, he merely nodded.
"They killed my messenger."
The hoarse voice echoed through the night forest, sending a chilling, sinister feeling through the air.
"And it was a pack of filthy, useless mercenaries who killed it. Your pet really was incompetent."
"This is your fault!"
The cloaked man's voice suddenly rose.
"If you'd found me a higher-level one—a Dominator-class... no, a Master-class Lord—I wouldn't have had to use such a low-grade creature!"
"Are you kidding me? A Dominator-class?"
The man snorted.
"What do you take us for? We're only responsible for providing resources. You have to handle your own affairs. If we could take care of everything, what would we need you for?"
At that, the man paused, then softened his tone.
"How long will it take before you can act again?"
"At least half a month. Do you think it's easy to find a Wind Serpent swarm I can control?"
"I'll give you ten days. We'll double your payment."
At the other man's irritated complaint, the man's expression darkened. He reached into his coat and tossed over a money bag.
"Ten days from now, I want you to start acting again."
The bag hit the ground with a heavy metallic clatter. The cloaked man bent down and opened it with one withered hand, then quickly closed it again.
"Fine. Ten days. I'll keep my word."
"I hope you understand that no third person can learn about this."
"I understand... By the way, judging from the state of this ship, it seems a few rats escaped. Want me to help take care of them?"
"No."
The man waved a hand.
"I have my own way."
At his answer, the cloaked man laughed coldly.
"Good. Then I'll see what you can do."
A dense shadow appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the cloaked man. Then he vanished. As the man stared at the spot where he'd disappeared, clear disgust appeared on his face.
"Greedy undead. One day, even your bones will turn to ash!"
After a cold snort, the man turned around and scanned the surrounding forest pensively. Then he put one hand on his sword hilt and the other to his mouth, blowing a sharp whistle.
A griffin soon circled down from the sky and landed on the ground. At the same time, three figures silently emerged from deep within the trees. The man glanced at them, then swung himself onto the griffin.
"Find those three rats and eliminate them."
Then he gave the order coldly.
Before you continue