The Ring: Sell Dung Beetles in Junction

Chapter 457 Loan
Colin felt that he was trudging through darkness.

Every step felt like a thousand pounds of weight, and the stinging pain in the soles of my feet went all the way up, connecting with the stinging pain in my chest when I breathed.

It was dark before my eyes, and no matter how hard I tried to open my eyes, I couldn't seem to see the road ahead.

The light of life faded and dissipated in his body, until he could no longer move and fell to the ground.

Until that ray of light illuminated his way forward.

The light brought him strength and made him feel the warmth of a mother. Colin raised his head and looked at the destructive golden light.

What you see is a golden tree shrouded in flames like a torch.

The flames spread and burned me. Looking back, I saw countless people being burned to ashes by the flames.

"No!"

Colin exclaimed, sitting up.

Sweat had soaked his eye mask and was flowing down it. It was hard to tell whether it was sweat or tears.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Wuming sat aside and patted his chest.

In the carriage, Wuming sat in the main seat, Colin huddled in a corner of the carriage, and Greg huddled in another corner.

"I should have prepared two carriages earlier." Wuming twisted his body, disliking the crowded carriage.

Originally, we were heading to Shadow City, and we asked Laylana for several horses and carriages. We let Patch and the others ride the horses, and we rode the carriages ourselves. Everyone has a horse to ride, and everyone has a lazy thief.

Wuming kept a distance from the horses and used reins to separate them from the carriage so as not to scare the war horses.

As a result, Colin couldn't see the road, and Greg was disabled and couldn't ride a horse, so they had to squeeze together with Wuming. The two horses were left idle.

Wuming looked at Kelin, somewhat dissatisfied:
"You sleep in the middle of the day, and then you can't sleep at night. Your schedule is reversed. You will realize your mistake when you grow up."

Colin was still in the afterglow of his dream and was too stunned to respond.

Wuming pointed at Kelin and said, "Since you've had enough sleep, you must not be sleepy anymore. It's decided that it's you - you'll keep watch at night."

After saying that, Wuming looked into the distance at the carriage.

No longer as hurried as when we went to Ensis City, this time the carriage and horses were not moving very fast.

As evening approaches, an orange-red light is reflected from the direction of the shadow tree, a raging fire burns the clouds, and the rosy clouds are ready to bring silence to this scarred land by bringing the night.

Wuming stretched and prepared to have a good rest.

"Consume your energy and go to Zhao'an Meisemuo." Wuming said.

Colin spoke, as if he had finally come to his senses:
"Are you really going to persuade Messermo?"

Colin asked Wuming, his words full of worry:

"Didn't you hear? That guy's essence is snake and fire."

"Snake and fire, what's wrong?" Wuming didn't care, "The snake may have a broken mouth, but there are good snakes."

Colin said: "It's too taboo, too filthy. We can't let him leave the Shadow Land, or he will burn the Golden Tree."

"Are you so sure?" Wuming said, "You haven't even met her, how can you be so sure?"

"I am a seer," said Colin. "I have seen the ominous fire that will burn up the golden tree."

"Are you a prophet?" Wuming was in awe. He now respected prophets like Jiezhi and would go to worship them from time to time.

"Then can you help me calculate my fortune?" Wuming said.

Colin's eyepatch showed disgust and he glanced away, as if he didn't want to talk about such a vulgar topic.

Colin said, "You shouldn't do this. You should leave here as soon as possible. The Master of the Golden Mask is still waiting. To liberate the filth? That's ridiculous and stupid. They are abandoned by the Golden Tree. Isn't it better to let them stay in this shadow land?"

"Your attitude is not good." Wuming said, "I was counting on you to contact Father Golden Tree at the Shadow Tree, and this is your attitude?"

"I will not associate with filth, because the Golden Rule excludes filth." Colin raised his chin proudly.

"Then get out of here," Patch said suddenly beside the carriage.

He was not riding a horse, but crawling on the ground at a speed no slower than a horse. He approached unintentionally, and when Colin was about to speak, he spoke back bluntly, and then sneered:
"Oh, but you can't leave. You have to go with us filth. After all, you don't want the Master of the Golden Mask to be brainwashed by Michaela, right?"

Colin hesitated, his face distorted:
"You are just faders. The Golden Tree has already called back the faders. Faders cannot be considered filthy."

"Because you and the Golden Mask are also considered Faders." Patch sneered, "Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Messermo soldiers, you are still just filth."

With that, Patch sped away. The carriage couldn't catch up with his speed at all and it quickly ran to the front of the team.

Colin was shaking with rage, but he couldn't see Patch's direction, so he could only huddle in the carriage and sulk.

Wuming asked casually:

"How did you start to believe in the golden tree? And did you predict that you would see chaos? That is the prophecy that Chapolili said. Everyone is melted together."

Speaking of prophecies, Wuming remembered the prophecy that Chapolili made before his death. Speaking of this, he wanted to ask Colin.

Colin did not reply to him. He seemed to be lost in thought, his body trembling slightly.

When he finally came to his senses, the carriage had stopped beside a wide avenue.

It was finally dark and everyone decided to rest where they were.

They ate, drank, chatted, and then fell into a deep sleep.

Wuming actually left Colin to keep watch and fell into a deep sleep.

Facing the darkness, Colin was at a loss.

Is it dark?

His vision was always in darkness and he couldn't tell the difference between day and night, which was why he would fall asleep during the day.

Colin had never done such a night watch before, and he wanted to wake up someone who was awake to take his place, but it was difficult for him to tell when people were lying down to sleep, and if he shouted loudly, it would disturb others' rest.

In the end, Colin had no choice but to sit quietly beside the warm campfire, surrounding it and paying attention to the sounds and movements around him.

The only sounds around were the slight crackling of wood in the campfire, the quiet breathing of people, and the rustling of insects at night.

It seemed as if I was the only one still awake in the world.

Colin suddenly recalled his past pilgrimages and journeys.

He once sat in the wilderness like this, following the prophecies and guidance.

He once was not afraid of the shackles around his neck, and now he still adheres to that great guidance.

A slight crunching sound came from a distance, as if something approached and stepped on a twig and broke it.

Colin's ears twitched and he stood up:

"Who's there?"

In such a desolate wilderness, it could be a pack of wolves, or more likely those horned men hiding everywhere, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Thinking that the other party might be a Horned Man, Colin's lips trembled slightly, but he still raised his two fingers to form the Holy Seal and shouted what he wanted to say:
“May the Golden Rule be with you.”

The holy light glowed slightly, illuminating the surroundings.

Then he took out his shield and covered it with a layer of golden light, then hid behind the shield, waiting for the movement from the opposite side.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, and silence seemed to return to the surroundings. Colin wondered if he had heard it wrong.

A hand fell on Colin's shoulder.

Colin suddenly shrank back, and a spark appeared in his palm that was tightly holding the holy seal.

"You're doing a good job." Wuming's voice came from his ear, "I'm going to go out for a while."

"Get up at night?" Colin asked.

"Go find a way to salvation." Wuming said mysterious words.

"Then you should learn the Golden Rule." Colin responded subconsciously, "The path to salvation lies in it."

The nameless voice was silent for a moment, and then a laugh came out:

"That's fine, but I've learned a lot from Michaela's live broadcast."

"That guy is not talking about the Golden Rule!" Colin was angry.

But Wuming was no longer able to make any sound, as if he had already gone far away.

Colin sat down dejectedly, and became more determined to go back quickly and ask Michaela to turn off the crappy live broadcast.

Colin stroked the shield, feeling the surging and endless divine power attached to the shield, and continued to keep watch. As he touched the shield, Colin felt something was wrong.

========
Wuming took advantage of the night and used the tower and tree in the shadow as coordinates to locate himself, constantly correcting his direction, as if he had a clear goal.

Until he saw a crooked tree, Wuming stopped, looked around, and found that there were several sheep around, and the horns on the sheep's heads were quite large.

Wuming followed the shape of the sheep's horns and waved his hands over his head. The light and shadows distorted, and the illusion of several large horns appeared above his head, lifelike, majestic and magnificent.

Wuming walked around the crooked tree and took a few steps towards a cliff, then he saw a cave hidden in the shadows.

A small settlement of Horned People is hidden here.

When Wuming deceived the old woman of the Horned People by posing as a brave man, he also asked about the approximate location of the Horned People's settlements.

The old woman of the Horned People said that the Horned People would fully support her and help him accomplish his great cause and kill Messermo.

So now, he came to look for those horn men.

But we are not here to gather combat power to attack Shadow City.

When they saw Wuming's figure, the horns were nervous at first, but when they saw the big horns on Wuming's head, they relaxed.

"Fellow tribesmen, welcome." The horned people hugged Wuming.

"I've ended up here," Wuming said, "Do you have scorpion soup?"

"Yes." The horned people kindly served Wuming soup, "My tribe, what is the situation outside?"

Wuming always felt that this group of people were kinder than the ones he had met before. Their expressions were generally more relaxed and full of joy.

This place is close to Shadow City, so it should be more strict.

"What's so happy about?" Wuming took a sip of the soup and found it quite fresh.

"You come from outside, haven't you heard of it?" the horn man asked back.

"I don't know what you mean specifically." Wuming said, "Messermo and Laelana are both still alive and well. I haven't heard of any other good things."

The horned people were happy and confident:
"Brother, Messermo is going to die soon."

"Oh? How come?" Wuming asked, "Yaoto appeared?"

"You know it!" The Horned Man said happily, "The old lady has already told us. She sent us news that the beast has answered our prayers and the brave man has appeared!"

Wuming's eyes flickered: "The old lady is not in her right mind anymore, is what she said true?"

"It must be true." The Horned Man was certain. "In the past few days, there have been reports from all over the place that a very powerful Horned Man has appeared. I heard that the city of Ensis was in chaos because of this and had no power to fight back."

"Is the news spreading so fast?" Wuming muttered.

The Horned Man continued, "The news has spread to the people of the Tower, and everyone is eagerly waiting. The warriors hiding in various places have begun to prepare, ready to take advantage of this great opportunity to launch a general attack!"

The horn man's clenched fist was shaking with excitement:

"It's time to fight back!"

Wuming grinned and let out a light click of the tongue.

"What's wrong?" The horned man was a little confused when he heard Wuming's voice.

"It's okay. I'm smacking my lips while drinking the soup." Wuming smiled and chewed the scorpion liver in the soup again and again, making loud noises.

Wuming asked: "When is the final attack?"

The Horned Man replied: "We haven't said anything yet. We are waiting for the signal. The Brave Man, our new king, will definitely give us the signal. Then, we will rush forward together."

"Oh..." Wuming nodded, feeling a little relieved.

"By the way." Wuming said, "I wonder if Ensis City has seen the power and seems to be ready to let go of the tribesmen who were pierced and burned. Shadow City may also be afraid of us and slow down its attitude."

"Ensis City? A bunch of cowards who only bully the weak and fear the strong." The Horned Man sneered, "But it's a good thing for us. Our people can finally get rid of the fire and rest in peace."

The Horned Man stroked his chin and said, "We'll have to find a way to get the bodies away and give them a proper burial."

Wuming nodded and wiped his tears: "They died for the Horned Man, they must be buried honorably - buried in a spirit tomb."

"You're right." The horn man nodded, "We'll contact the horn man over there to collect the body."

Wuming hesitated for a moment, brewing his words, and asked:

"What if we lose again?"

"Then we will continue to lie dormant, wait, and look for opportunities to attack their supply teams and patrols. The worst case scenario will be the same as before." The Horned Man said, "If we don't kill the Golden Tree, we won't be saved."

"Will there be no redemption if you don't kill him?" Wuming asked.

The Horned Man looked at Wuming in surprise: "What else? The evil woman Marika has become a god. Now is the era of the Golden Tree. Do you think that evil woman will let us go? Only by killing them, and killing them all, can we usher in the future."

Wuming thought thoughtfully: "I see, that's what you think, this is not surprising..."

"What's not strange?" asked the Horned Man.

"Nothing." Wuming glanced at him. "I was actually out and about recently and heard some strange rumors. They're just too ridiculous to be worth mentioning."

Wuming's words aroused the curiosity of the corner man:
"What are these rumors? My tribe, we need to exchange information. This is the key to our survival."

Wuming said, "I heard that Messermo is ready to end the holy war."

"End the invasion?" The Horned Man was stunned. "How is this possible?"

"Yeah, I don't believe it either." Wuming smiled, "But it seems that I have heard something else - Queen Marica, something happened outside the Shadow Land."

"Really?" The horned man was surprised.

"Some people who are not from Shadow Land have appeared." Wuming said, "They should be the ones who have recently arrived in Shadow Land. They should be the ones who brought the news."

The Horned Man put his hands together, his palms shaking with excitement: "Our prayers, our curses, have finally worked! The beast has opened its eyes! This must be a sign, heralding the revival of our race!"

Wuming glanced at the corner man:
"If Messermo wants to retreat and leave our homeland, what should we do? Our great revenge has not yet been avenged. Should we stop them and not let them go back?"

The horned man, who was immersed in the fantasy of the end of the war, was brought back to reality by Wuming's question and was silent for a moment.

The horn man thought about it and felt a headache:

"Grandma will definitely make a decision. The High Priest and the Divine Beast will definitely make the right choice."

Wuming observed the horn man's reaction and nodded:
"It's almost dawn, and I am leaving too, fellow countrymen. May our people be redeemed."

Wuming left, his figure gradually dissipated, and when he reappeared in the distance, he had changed back into his original outfit.

When I came back, I found that most of the team members had woken up and were packing their bags, ready to set off again.

Wuming wrote a letter, tied it to the back of an unused horse, and patted the horse's butt:

"Go back, you old horse knows the way. Take the letter back and tell Lailana to put the man down from the spear."

"Where did you go?" Patch also woke up and asked Wuming while rubbing his eyes, as if he also knew that Wuming had disappeared in the middle of the night.

Wuming laughed and said:

“The loan was taken.”

"Loan?" Patch didn't understand and thought he was still sleepy. He rubbed his eyes and picked his ears.

"Let's spread the word first." Wuming said, "Sometimes, it's good to brag a little to attract sponsorship and investment. If you are sincere, your wish will come true and you will reach the future that is described. This is an illusion."

"Huh?" Patch still didn't understand. "Forget it, let's get on the road."

"Let's go, let's go." Wuming was in a good mood. "I got a lot of information, which was very useful. I am now more confident that I can convince Messermo. The probability is at least 70%."

"What percentage was it before?" Patch asked.

"Less than 30%." Wuming said.

"So low? Then why did you promise Laylana so solemnly?" Patch glanced sideways.

"What I lack in probability, I make up for in courage." Wuming said shamelessly, "Let's go."

After a moment, Patch looked up and looked ahead:

“What are the chances of success now?”

"It's less than one-tenth of the way there." Roger looked ahead in awe.

From afar, Shadow City came into view, a main city that was much larger than anyone could imagine, possibly even more magnificent and shocking than Rodel - not made of rock, but with iron-cast exterior walls that exuded a dark metallic luster, majestic and terrifying, with countless spears piercing corpses, emitting fear and lamentation in the flames.

On the road leading to Shadow City, a fire giant stood in front of them, rushing over with the momentum of destroying the world.

(End of this chapter)