Summer nights always bring rain that comes exceptionally quickly. As a raindrop was blown past the castle window and landed on a Little Green leaf, Ed opened his one eye in the darkness.
Soon, the sound of rain began to patter outside. Although it was natural white noise, Ed no longer needed to rest.
He had just dealt with the hackers from another world who wanted to "go through the back door," and had used the free-roaming souls in the network to carry out a prank that brought him both pleasure and amusement.
Ed now plans to take this opportunity to further optimize his game content, since he had previously opened the feedback function, which already had a lot of feedback from players.
With thirty new players joining the game every day at dawn, optimizing the game content will surely make players feel more sincere and thus become more steadfast supporters of " World of Disorder ".
A dozen kilometers away, in the wilderness.
Looking at the intermittent lightning in the sky, Gray couldn't help but feel proud of his foresight.
His fortress wasn't fast, but it could move without stopping. He had just passed a barren, grayish-white mountain riddled with holes, which looked like the dwelling place of some large magical beast—perhaps a rather large fire lizard?
Although Gray wasn't particularly afraid of the dangers inside, he chose not to go in because he preferred interacting with civilized people.
Feeling the cool night breeze, Gray was glad that he had chosen to evacuate as soon as he noticed the change in the sky; otherwise, the fortress would probably have sunk into the mud again by tomorrow.
He gently tapped on the trapdoor at the top of the mobile fortress, and an annoyed roar came from inside.
"Sigh, the power unit needs replacing."
A raindrop landed on his face, then a second, then a third.
It seems they weren't able to completely escape the rain zone, but this amount of rain was still acceptable to Gray.
He sighed and re-entered the secure interior of the fortress. Rainwater collected from the roof flowed along a groove into a trough on the second floor of the fortress. The water flowed and struck a light metal component in the groove, making a crisp and pleasant tinkling sound.
He picked up a golden container, scooped up some rainwater, and poured it into a small bottle on the table. The dried blood inside began to dissolve again, thread by thread.
Gray sat at his desk, took off the leather gloves he had never removed in front of Ed and the players, revealing a right hand with a distinct mechanical structure.
He removed his glove with his left hand, then forcefully pulled off the first knuckle of his right index finger, revealing the metal nib of a dip pen.
The small bottle was now refilled with dark red liquid. He lightly touched the surface of the red ink with his index finger and then began to write smoothly on the yellowed paper.
Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to start writing a report on his business trip.
It was only then that Gray realized a problem: he had forgotten to ask Ed the name of the settlement.
After some internal reflection, he recalled the self-proclaimed title of those active, civilized people—" Soul Returner."
Let's just call it "[Residence of the Soul Returner ]" for now, and ask again next time we go.
With that in mind, he continued writing his work report.
An hour later, Gray's fortress drove along the predetermined route, leaving the Tree Worship Church's controlled territory and entering a desolate wasteland.
His report was finished, and Gray was now on the top floor of the fortress, admiring the dark scenery he had seen countless times, toying with the sapling ornament Ed had given him.
Gray was unaware that the fog of war in Ed's view was gradually dissipating, and he had unknowingly become the enemy's scout.
As he moved, Ed saw views further east than the hills of Seraphina, and many good photos have already been reserved for the next promotional video.
The Demonic Tide brought chaos to this world, and also created many uniquely devastated landscapes beyond imagination.
Many areas are inaccessible even to major powers like the Graycast Corridor, so Gray, a mere underling, could only choose to avoid them.
Places like the waterfall flowing backwards, the dead zone that randomly deprives one of their senses, and the canyon with surging lava were all things that Gray's master had mentioned but never seen in person. Gray planned to find an opportunity to see them after he became more powerful, which could be considered as fulfilling the old man's dream.
But his daydream was quickly shattered when a knight appeared on the only path leading to the mobile fortress.
He raised his long, finely crafted iron lance, pointing it at the approaching fortress, and roared without a trace of fear in his eyes:
"Monster, halt!"
You think you can just stop like that?
Gray was already quite annoyed that his fantasy had been interrupted, and he completely ignored the man's words.
Anyway, my fortress is fast enough now. If you really want to intercept me, go ahead and try. Let's see who ends up as the speed bump.
However, the next moment, a long spear was thrown and landed on the rooftop floor next to Gray. Although the spear was not thrown very fast, it still successfully enraged Gray.
Gray put down the sapling ornament and the brass goblet and looked towards the front of the fortress. In the still-rising sun, he saw a knight standing with his back to the dawn.
He was dressed in full suits of fine iron armor, with even his face covered by an iron mask, leaving only a slit-like observation opening.
The Hoofed Beast beneath him had four symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing legs, and its body showed no signs of Aberration. This reminded Gray of a creature that existed before the outbreak of the Demonic Tide —a "horse."
This armored steed not only carried a fully armed knight on its back, but also his seven or eight javelins and three lances. The beast's strength made Gray somewhat envious. If he could replace the consumables in his fortress's power structure with this, the movement speed might double.
Finally, his gaze settled on the knight's gleaming breastplate, where an infinity symbol was drawn.
Within the endless, mercury-colored symbols, flickering incantations seemed to surge. Gray's pupils suddenly trembled. Everyone in the Graycast Corridor knew the meaning of that symbol; it was the emblem of their new enemy in recent years—the [ Eternal Domain ].
Following the shock came a deep sense of bewilderment. Gray simply couldn't understand why someone from the Eternal Domain would come here, nor could he comprehend why they would attack him.
Although the Graycast Corridor and the Eternal Domain were at war, they tacitly refrained from sending anyone to attack the other's rear.
The war between them was essentially caused by the difference in ideology between the upper echelons of the two sides. The war was only to stop the other side's actions and gain the initiative in fighting the demon race, not to annex the other side.