novelden Chapter 169 The King of the Red Earth and the Three Pilgrims
Chapter 169 The King of the Red Earth and the Three Pilgrims
The Hall of Divine Manifestation, the slumbering place of the God-King of the Desert.
Buried beneath the yellow sands are countless secrets of the past. Those who crave power regard this place as a forbidden Pandora's box, while those who believe in divine might revere the mausoleum as the sacred site of the Sand King.
The eternal sea of flowers and the other side of the golden dreamland were buried here with the fall of the gods. The ancient authority stood silently on the altar, waiting for the usurpation of its successors.
The God King's Legacy, who already controls most of the power in the desert and is known as a loyal follower of the Crimson King, is currently stationed here.
"Hey, did you guys hear that?"
"The group from the Legacy of the God-King killed the messengers sent by the Rainforest, and now it seems that war is about to break out."
On the sandy path leading to the Hall of Divine Transformation, a well-equipped, gilded brigade was slowly making its way toward its destination, but the members' expressions revealed a hint of nonchalance, as if they were not so enthusiastic about reaching their target base.
The one who spread the rumor was a very young-looking mercenary in the team.
However, his teammates were clearly not very enthusiastic about the extra assignments.
"Hmph, I think those guys from the Legacy of the God-King are a bunch of complete lunatics."
The last mercenary in the group, wrapped in gold-embroidered red silk, sheathed his polished longsword and let out a cold laugh, expressing his undisguised contempt and sarcasm.
"They're just a bunch of clueless idiots who actually dare to try and drag the entire desert down with them."
Although the members of the brigade next to the mercenary did not say anything in agreement, their expressions, whether mocking or disdainful, clearly showed their attitude.
They were not affiliated with the Legacy of the God-King, so of course they had no reason to obey the other party's orders.
"Alright, Fuad."
Seemingly sensing the discontent of the group members, the burly mercenary leader spoke in a deep voice, stopping Fuad from further mocking him.
"Now that the power of the God-King's Legacy is immense, and the conflict between the desert and the rainforest is becoming increasingly acute, it is still necessary to maintain a superficial unity."
The mercenary called Fuad curled his lip. It wasn't that he didn't understand the principle, but he simply couldn't stand the arrogant attitude of the God King's Legacy group.
"Yes, Boss Rahman."
The group continued along the sand path, but the atmosphere was much more somber than before.
Rahman looked at the outline of the Hall of Transfiguration that had already appeared in the distance, shook his head helplessly, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Personally, he completely agreed with Fouad's views.
He was a devout follower of the Red King, and therefore he loathed Mishaal and his gang who acted recklessly under the banner of the God-King. He also despised the God-King's legacy for controlling his subordinates through despicable means.
The people of the desert should defeat their opponents fairly and squarely with absolute strength, instead of resorting to underhanded schemes and tricks like the people of the rainforest.
Two days ago, the Legacy of the God-King suddenly summoned all affiliated guilds and sent letters to all the independent gilded guilds in the desert, inviting them to a gathering at the Hall of Divine Manifestation.
To ensure that all the major forces in the desert could gather, the Legacy of the God-King surprisingly provided supplies for all the various guilds.
In Rahman's view, Mishal's actions, given his long-standing obsession with money, were very likely a harbinger of war.
Frankly, he had no confidence in this conflict. At this point, the desert mercenary group, which was like a disorganized mess, was going to war with the rainforest, which would be tantamount to suicide.
Not to mention, the rainforest also has its own gods.
As for the plan to resurrect the Red King mentioned by the God-King's legacy, Rahman scoffed at it.
To casually touch the realm of the gods is nothing but the wishful thinking of ordinary mortals.
However, they cannot simply sit idly by.
The rainforest people defeated the remnants of the god-king and completely took control of the desert, which was a disaster for the desert's inhabitants. The best-case scenario would have been for both sides to back down, but now it seems too late.
For now, we can only adapt to the situation.
Rahman took another deep breath, his rough hands gripping the hilt of his sword.
At the very least, he had to save his brigade.
……
However, the actual development of events was almost entirely beyond Rahman's expectations.
On the day all the guilds gathered, Mishal appeared on the high platform of the God-King's headquarters and publicly burned all the "evidence of crimes" of the affiliated guilds controlled by the God-King's Legacy.
Just as all the mercenaries present were shocked, Mishal issued another order.
He claimed to have received a divine oracle, so he personally led the remnants of the God-King and the rest of the mercenaries to a ruin near the Hall of Manifestations.
The ruins are ancient, with the marks of time etched mottledly on the brick and stone structures. Mishal skillfully avoided the traps, as if he had practiced them countless times.
Finally, they came to a tree, a verdant tree growing in the yellow sand.
Beneath the tree stood a majestic fox-wolf statue, looking down upon the crowd, its purple gemstone eyes seemingly filled with sorrow.
All the desert people bowed and paid their respects. The fox-wolf priest represented the dream of the hot sand and the lightning of judgment.
The fox-wolf remained silent, but the stone tablet beneath its feet spoke volumes, telling of a priest who lay buried there.
It says that on that day, the mistress of the flower sea departed during an eternal feast, saying that my king, in order to bring back her life, brought "knowledge" that did not belong to this world to the desert.
It said that on that day, it heard murmurs echoing in its mind, and scales covered its back.
It says, "God of the rainforest, she summoned the priests, and a temple rose from the ground. The merciful king used the power of his life to stop the spread of disaster, and the flame of civilization was able to continue in Aru."
It says, "My proud king, he finally buried the taboo with his life."
"For the rest of my life, I will guard the temple until this responsibility ends today."
"I recalled the noble goddess and saw her body degenerated into the form of a child because she had overdrawn her strength."
"I suddenly stopped fearing death, because the breath of life will accompany me in my eternal sleep."
"I warn future generations that civilization is born from knowledge, and knowledge can also destroy civilization."
"Children of the desert, there is no need for you to hold any more grudges."
"But this one kindness must never be forgotten."
The priest, now asleep beneath the tree, can no longer speak, but the high-ranking fox-wolf looks down upon the desert people, its gaze seeming to say:
Children of the desert, look at what you have done!
In the moment of faith collapse, some people hysterically questioned, some people pounded their chests and cried, but most people just sat there, their eyes filled with confusion.
When hatred is gone, faith is gone too.
Where will they go from here?
In the deathly silence, Mishal stood beneath the statue of the fox-wolf and told the bewildered mercenaries that the successor of the rainforest, their benefactor, was being imprisoned by ignorant scholars.
The people of the desert are never afraid of their mistakes; now it is time for them to pay for everything.
Rahman watched as the lifeless mercenaries seemed to be ignited in an instant, their gleaming blades raised high in the air. Although he was moved by this, he also felt a sense of fear.
Yes, it was fear, a fear that went deep into your bones.
He knew that from now on, the vast majority of mercenaries in the desert would obey Mishal's orders wholeheartedly.
Not only did he prevent the desert people from repaying kindness with enmity, which they hated most, but if possible, he would also bring a real opportunity, an opportunity for the desert and the rainforest to connect.
The mercenary groups that were acting independently and distrusting each other just the day before, and the remnants of the God-King who were each harboring their own ulterior motives and at odds with each other, will miraculously work together towards a common goal.
He accomplished all of this in just one day.
Rahman pushed through the crowd and glanced at the scarred, menacing-looking man. Despite the outcome being favorable to everyone, he still felt a chill run down his spine.
This was not the brutal person he remembered, nor the mercenary who was greedy for money.
He seemed to see a hand, an invisible hand, with transparent threads hanging from Mishal's body, the threads extending upwards, firmly grasped in that hand.
Who exactly is he?
……