The high priest scooped up the so-called "holy water" with a bone bowl inlaid with obsidian, turned around, and swept his cold eyes over the survivors who were slumped on the ground or standing frozen:
"Distribute the 'holy water' to every soldier, every slave, and every person who can still move.
Tell them that this is a blessing from Black Goat, which can give them the power to fight against the dragon."
There was no warmth in his voice, "Drinking it is their only chance of survival, and it is also our... only chance."
Opportunity? What opportunity? A chance to become a monster, or a chance to become part of a sacrifice?
No one dared to ask. Under the gaze of those inhuman eyes, everyone felt that their bone marrow was freezing.
The order was quickly executed. Like the most efficient spreaders of the plague, the Black Goat believers packed the "holy water" and began to "distribute it for free" throughout the Qohor city.
Countless soldiers and slaves who did not know the truth and were shrouded in fear of war, in despair and bewilderment, took the bowl of "pure" water and drank it.
They didn't know that what they drank was not hope, but something more terrifying than Dragonfire - a cursed contract that tied their lives and souls to some ancient and terrifying existence.
Qohor, this city-state famous for its craftsmen and magic, is sliding step by step towards the entrance of the inhuman abyss under the crazy decision of its ruler.
The journey north was unusually peaceful, so peaceful that it was almost unreal.
Dothraki The sound of horse hooves disappeared, and the cold phalanx of Unsullied did not appear again.
This abnormal smoothness only made the vigilance string in Redd's heart tighten even more.
Sure enough, the anomaly appeared in the weirdest way.
In the beginning, only a few soldiers would leave their posts after nightfall to perform tasks or meet physiological needs, but they never returned.
The other comrades-in-arms didn't pay too much attention to this, just thinking that these people might have sneaked away or unfortunately encountered ferocious beasts.
However, on the second night, the situation took an alarming change - the number of missing people suddenly soared to dozens!
What's even more strange is that these missing people are distributed in different camps and teams, and there is no fixed pattern or rule at all.
Waiting until daybreak on the third day, when the entire army was assembled and ready to rectify military discipline,
Those empty positions were particularly dazzling, as if hideous wounds lay across the middle of the team.
At this moment, an unspeakable fear spread quickly and silently throughout the entire army like a bone-chilling cold current.
"Were there any unusual movements in our camp last night?"
Redd pulled Marcus to him with a solemn expression, staring at him with eyes as sharp as two extremely sharp knives.
Cold sweat broke out on Marcus's forehead. It was not that he didn't increase his vigilance last night:
"Reporting to Your Highness, the patrol team stayed up all night, and the sentry posts were doubled. No enemy was found approaching, and no fighting or cry for help was heard.
They... just evaporated out of thin air."
Evaporated out of thin air? Redd doesn't believe this statement.
He stared at Marcus and issued an unquestionable order, "Tonight, you personally lead the most elite guards and search for me inch by inch, round by round.
I want to know what it is that is stealing people under my nose."
"I obey! I will find out the culprit!" Marcus gritted his teeth and accepted the order, feeling tremendous pressure.
Night falls again.
Like a hound with a keen sense of smell and extreme vigilance, Marcus leads a team of loyal and reliable confidants.
Holding a torch, he carefully carried out patrols around this large-scale camp according to the prescribed time and route.
Not only that, Marcus would also break into certain tents unexpectedly from time to time to check whether there was any missing personnel or other abnormal situations.
This frightened the soldiers who were sleeping soundly, and they all looked sleepy and confused.
On the surface, the entire camp seemed orderly, and everything seemed to be under the firm control of Marcus and his men.
But in fact, behind this seemingly calm and peaceful appearance, a thrilling and bizarre drama is happening quietly...
At this moment, Redd did not fall asleep, but sat cross-legged and upright in his personal tent.
And he continuously releases his extremely powerful spiritual power - these spiritual powers are like a ball of invisible and intangible liquid metal.
It gradually spread outward at an extremely slow and steady speed, and finally successfully covered the core area of the entire camp.
At the beginning, Redd could only detect very subtle and almost negligible fluctuations in magic power.
They are like undercurrents hidden deep under the water, erratic and extremely elusive.
But soon, he "saw" it - not with his eyes, but through the perception of magic.
It is an extremely rare and mysterious magical-like creature. Its appearance is like a flat black round shadow that is constantly twisting and changing.
By just clinging to the ground or moving forward slowly in the dark corners projected by the camp, you can easily hide your body and perfectly blend into the surrounding environment without being noticed at all.
These strange beings would often take advantage of the dark and windy night to crawl onto the bodies of the sleeping soldiers without anyone noticing.
And with lightning speed, it completely enveloped them, as if these poor people were covered with a magical cloak that was all-pervasive and absolutely hidden.
Once the "possession" is successfully completed, the soldiers who should have been immersed in sleep will suddenly sit up from the bed without warning,
But at this moment they have lost their sense of autonomy - their eyes are closed, their expressions are dull, their movements are slow and mechanical;
However, the most incredible thing is that despite this state, they can still miraculously and accurately bypass various obstacles and move straight away from the camp!
What's even more shocking is that as black shadows pour onto the surface of the soldier's body like a tide,
The latter's body also began to undergo a series of unimaginable changes - first it gradually became looming, then became increasingly transparent, and finally disappeared without a trace...
Even the guards responsible for patrolling at night held up burning torches and those two sharp beams,
Even with a vision as sharp as an eagle, it is completely impossible to discern what kind of magical means this strange force has used to achieve such a shocking effect!
"Shadow manipulation? Or mental induction?" Redd felt awe-struck.
This is definitely not an ordinary scout or assassin method, but a capture behavior with strong magical properties.
He remained calm and did not alert these "shadow thieves", nor did he immediately notify Marcus who was patrolling in vain.
A thought arises, and part of the consciousness is like a light bird, leaving the body, crossing the distance in an instant, and landing on the demon dragon Aegon, which is crawling and resting outside the camp.
Aegon's molten gold eyes slowly opened in the darkness, without any trace of sleepiness, only the absolute calmness belonging to Redd.
The huge dragon body slowly stood up with a lightness and silence that was inconsistent with its size, and its broad fleshy wings slowly opened without causing much airflow or sound.