"Weiergalun." He read out the name. Slowly, word by word, as if he was tasting the bitterness and sweetness of a fruit.
"Are you sure?" asked another man in white robe standing behind him. The voice was younger, speaking faster, and with a hint of uncontrollable eagerness.
The man in white robe did not answer immediately. He looked down at the few lines of charcoal written in the notebook, which were densely packed and had been scratched by fingers in some places.
The ink spreads on the paper, forming irregular, dark ink marks.
"Confirmed." He said, "That is the information we obtained from Forbidden Land at the cost of the lives of fourteen colleagues."
The breathing behind him became heavier.
"Weiergalun." The man in white robe read the name again. He searched for all the memories related to it in his mind, those memories accumulated by Silence Society for hundreds of years, copied on parchment, and stored in a secret cabinet that can only be opened by Scroll Keeper.
Those memories told him that Weiergalun was not a strange name. In some ancient myths, He was called "The First Evil", "Father of All Evil", "Calamity of the Gods".
Legend has it that He is the most primitive, despicable and dangerous evil. He slaughters all living beings and leads His army across the continent, leaving no grass growing wherever he passes.
Until later, a god appeared and died with him at the cost of his life.
"Forbidden Land of Vagrian is the place where He fell." The man in white robe closed the notebook and pressed his fingers on the cover. The edges of the cover had been worn and turned white, revealing the gray-white cardboard inside.
"So, will the new emperor of Vagrian find us based on the clues?" The person behind him asked again. The man in white robe shook his head, his movements were so light that it was almost invisible.
"No." He said, his voice was very calm, as if he was stating a fact that did not need to be confirmed. "They... are no longer human beings."
In the main hall, King Ghidorah's three heads poked down from the throne, and six golden vertical pupils focused on Valerirus.
"So, are you afraid that Evil God will come back to life again?"
Valerirus nodded. "Yes. That Evil God still has many believers. Those believers have never stopped looking for the place where he fell and have never stopped trying to resurrect him over the long years.
Forbidden Land's seal has been loosened many times over the long years. Every time it was loosened, my tribe and I would go to reinforce it.
The attacks by those believers have never stopped. The most recent one was thirty years ago. They broke through the outer defense line and almost entered the core area."
King Ghidorah listened for a while and asked a question, "Then why don't you send someone to guard it?"
Valerirus smiled bitterly. "Because that place... is not a place that mortal things can approach.
The magic power released when Evil God fell contaminated the entire area. After ordinary people entered, they would become insane at best, or die suddenly on the spot.
Even professionals, if they do not have enough mental strength to resist that kind of pollution, will become that filthy thing within a few days."
"What kind of thing will it become?"
Valerirus raised his head, his dark red eyes reflected the golden reflection of King Ghidorah. "It will... turn into an irrational monster that only knows how to kill and devour."
I have personally executed three of my own tainted people. Before they entered Forbidden Land, they were warriors of the empire.
After seven days, they no longer recognized me. To them, I was just something that needed to be torn apart."
King Ghidorah's three heads fell silent, and he was thinking about another thing - no wonder this guy is so strong, but he stays here instead of conquering the mainland.
According to what Apekus said and his own observations, in this era, the strongest human being is Karelia Empire's Ninth Tier.
But this red dragon is also Ninth Tier, even stronger than that human being, and can definitely sweep through most countries.
He stayed here not because he didn't want to expand his territory, not because he had no ambition, but because he was waiting. Waiting for that Evil God to die completely, waiting for that seal to be completely solid, and waiting for that contract to be completely ended.
He can't leave because he is the only person in this land who has the ability to protect Forbidden Land.
"Then." King Ghidorah retracted his thoughts and refocused his golden vertical pupils, "Go and take a look at that Forbidden Land later."
Valerirus bows.
"Yes, thank you Your Majesty."
Weierna On the official road east of the city, the water has receded quite a bit, but the road is still muddy, making a squeaking sound when stepped on. Nuoyaji stood on a high ground, looking at the gray, flooded city in the distance.
Weierna City, he passed by here before the storm. At that time, the city was still there, with people and carriages on the streets, the shouts of merchants and the laughter of children.
Now there is nothing left, only some roofs and second-story windows that are higher than the water surface, like the stiff arms stretched out by a group of drowning people.
He turned around and looked at the "team" behind him.
The little lolita with white hair and red eyes put the last bite of bread into her mouth, her cheeks were bulging, and she was chewing hard. She ate very quickly, but it was not ugly when she ate. At least she remembered to catch the falling crumbs with her palms.
Her white hair was very long and scattered around her shoulders, with some knots at the ends. The broken hair on her temples was blown to her face by the wind, pricking her eyes. An old couple next to her were bending over to help her arrange her hair - the old man's fingers were thick and clumsy, but they were gentle so as not to hurt her.
The old woman took out a wooden comb with missing teeth from her pocket, dipped it in some water, and slowly combed out her knotted hair one by one. The wooden comb passed through the hair, making a subtle rustling sound.
"Does it hurt?" the old lady asked.
"It doesn't hurt." The little girl answered vaguely, with some bread still in her mouth.
A little boy was leaning next to the carriage wheel, holding a branch in his hand and drawing circles on the ground.
His clothes were stained with mud, and he lost one of his left shoes at some point. His bare feet were stuck in the mud, and his toes were red from the cold. He was so focused on painting that he didn't notice that Nuoyaji was looking at him.
A slovenly man was leaning on the other side of the carriage, with his hands in his trouser pockets, squinting at the distant sky. His coat was rumpled, and the collar was open, revealing a collarbone and an old, whitened scar.
The stubble on his chin is longer than when he first appeared, and his hair is messier, but his eyes are not as blank as others - there is light in those dark brown eyes, not the light of hope, but the kind of light that "no matter what happens, I can get through it."
Several guards and mercenaries were scattered around the team, some sitting, some standing, some checking weapons, and some observing the surroundings vigilantly.
Their expressions were a little more relaxed than in the past few days - they had enough food, and although the road was difficult, they did not encounter any major dangers. Although there were old and young people in the team, at least they were not held back.
Nuoyaji looked at this lineup - a little girl with white hair and red eyes, an old couple, a little boy, a slovenly man, a few guards and mercenaries.
Nuoyaji sighed. It's not a complaint, it's a helplessness. The helplessness of "things always go in the direction you least expect", and the helplessness of "but you can only accept it and find a way to move forward."
"Let's go." Nuoyaji looked away from the ruins of the city and breathed back the sigh, "Go to the west."
The little girl with white hair and red eyes swallowed the last bite of bread and raised her head to look at his face.
"Where are we going?
Nuoyaji has no answer.