Cataclysm King

Chapter 619 The Bard and the Black Mage

"Everyone, go and have a look! The mercenaries that Lord Dorne hired from the capital are outside the city!"

"Are we finally going to deal with that evil dragon? Oh, great Monliod God of War, please protect your devout believers and pray that those mercenaries can successfully rescue the kind-hearted princess."

"I heard that the leader of the Dawn Mercenaries is very powerful, a 'magic swordsman' who is proficient in both physics and magic. He will definitely be able to get rid of the evil dragon."

"Oh, that's hard to say. Lord Dorne's knights went to the dragon's lair these days and were burned to death by the dragon."

"."

The Duchy of Dorne is a small country with a population of only a few hundred thousand. It belongs to the Kingdom of Ossien and is located on the northwest coastal border of the kingdom.

This is a magical continent blessed by gods.

There are seven powerful kingdoms, namely the Scarlet Kingdom - Kielan, the Frostwolf Kingdom - Fama, the Black Rose - Atria, the Insect Witch Tribe - Rockhammer, the Kingdom of War - Ossien, the Gondor Pharmacist Union, and the Magic City - Sedris.

The Kingdom of Osien is the most powerful of the seven kingdoms on the continent.

The seven kingdoms have their own patron gods, and everyone believes in the same supreme god, that is, "Baal, the Titan God".

This day, outside Blackrock City in the Principality of Dorne.

A well-equipped mercenary group was riding on horses, heading slowly towards the city marked as a pile of black stones on the sheepskin map.

Black Rock City is built on the shore of the blue sea, where there is plenty of sunshine and gentle sea breeze, and where the best grapes and wines in the Kingdom of Ossien are produced.

On the gravel-paved official road, this team of mercenaries with torches and flags were walking and chatting.

"Everyone, the Black Rock City is ahead."

"Hahaha, it is said that the girls and wines in Black Rock City are the best in the kingdom. I can already see them waving at us."

"Robert, don't be careless. This mission is not easy. It is said that the evil dragon Marodis is a mutant dragon. It is not a metal dragon nor a five-colored dragon. It is very powerful. Even the Knights of Lord Dorne can't do anything to it."

"Tsk, how can the strength of our Dawn Regiment be compared with those hereditary knights who can't even hold a knight's lance? What's more, there is also the captain."

"That's right. No matter how powerful the monster is, Captain Ji Xun will always be able to deal with it."

"I heard that the Dorne lord's little princess Sophia was captured by a dragon while traveling. We don't have to kill the dragon this time. We just need to rescue the princess."

"Hey, what do you think the dragon wanted to do? If it wanted to eat people, the princess wouldn't be tastier than the others, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because dragons like to collect valuable and beautiful treasures? Maybe those big lizards also know that the princess is the most precious property in the human world."

"Hahaha"

"I heard that the dragon's lair is full of gold coins and treasures, but I don't know if it's true."

"Who knows? I haven't seen a dragon yet. I hope it's real, so I can kill it in one fell swoop."

"."

This mercenary group consists of only eight people.

Captain Magic Swordsman Ji Xun, Heavy Knight Robert, Magician Gwyneth, Priest and Apothecary Xina, Archer Xival, Assassin Ran, Hunter Trapper Yifa and Lolota.

Each of them is a strong person who can stand on his own.

Although the target of this mission was an evil dragon, there was not much worry in their tone.

Because they are one of the few individual mercenary groups in the entire kingdom that have received an S-level rating from the Mercenary Union.

Captain Ji Xun is a young-looking swordsman.

But actually he is not young anymore.

He himself doesn't know how old he is.

The memory began twenty years ago, when I was caught as a deserter by scavengers on the battlefield and sent to a slave camp.

He lost his previous memories, didn't know where he came from, or whether he had any family. He only remembered that his name was "Ji Xun".

Later, he worked as a war slave in a slave camp for ten years. Because of his bravery, he earned enough money to redeem himself.

Later, he gathered a group of teammates and formed a mercenary group.

Another ten years passed before the now famous "Dawn Mercenaries" came into being.

Although Ji Xun knew that he did not look old, he had to admit that his energy and blood were beginning to fail at this age.

That is a kind of aging that both the soul and the body have to acknowledge.

When he was a slave in his early years, he trained too hard and depleted his energy and blood, and had already accumulated a lot of hidden injuries.

I guess after this mission, I'll consider retiring.

Ji Xun doesn't like riding horses, he prefers lying on a horse-drawn carriage.

Because this way I can lie down and read leisurely.

At this moment he was flipping through an ancient book.

The archer Sibal was riding a horse beside him and asked curiously, "Captain, what are you looking at?"

Ji Xun pointed to the books in his hand and said, "These are the ancient books found in the basement when Earl Filmer got rid of the evil spirit in the ghost castle last time. This is the travel notes of a bard named 'Faro'. It's quite interesting. That guy traveled all over the continent and even went overseas three thousand years ago."

Before he could finish, the assassin Ran, who was wearing a black corset not far away, laughed and teased: "Oh, our leader with limbs stronger than a bull actually likes reading?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.

Ji Xun also smiled.

In this world, only nobles and the church teach people to read and write, and the literacy rate among common people is very low.

Ji Xun only started learning the common language of the continent in the last two years because of the arrival of the new member, the magician Gwyneth, in the team.

Originally he thought he only liked to learn martial arts, but recently after accidentally coming across some books, he found that he liked it more and more.

But in people's impression, reading is something those weak magicians like to do.

A swordsman who likes reading is like a farmer threading a needle and embroidering, which gives people a great contrast.

The teammates started to make fun of him.

Of course Ji Xun didn't care.

He continued to look at the travelogue and said, "Don't underestimate these books. I think that guy named 'Faro' might be a very strong adventurer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the chance to travel to so many places alive. And that guy's understanding of the world is very interesting. The book says that the world operates in a regular pattern, but it is not completely regular, but has a hint of chaotic order."

He said, wanting to share some of his own thoughts.

However, after hearing this, everyone lost interest in travel notes.

Instead, the archer Sibal asked, "By the way, Captain. You have been stuck at the Grand Knight level for ten years. When can you be promoted to Legendary Knight? Your strength is no worse than those Royal Grand Knights in the capital. If you break through to Legendary Knight, I'm afraid there will be few rivals in the entire kingdom."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone nodded in agreement.

They are well aware of the powerful strength of their captain.

It is no exaggeration to say that this man is more powerful than most of the legendary mercenaries in the Mercenary Guild!
This is also the most important reason why they dare to take on this "dragon hunting mission".

When Ji Xun heard this, he sighed slightly and said, "Maybe there is no chance. The priest of the Holy See said that my faith in God is not devout enough, so I cannot obtain the extraordinary power blessed by God."

Although it is a bit regrettable, it is nothing to be ashamed of.

Along the way, my life has been very wonderful.

After these words came out, Pastor Xina, a devout believer of the Seven Pillars, asked curiously: "Ah? Captain, why don't you believe in God?"

"."

Ji Xun doesn't know either.

Maybe it’s because I lost my memory twenty years ago and forgot my belief in God?
All in all, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong.

He always felt that believing in the sword in his hand was more reliable than believing in any god.

Thinking of this, Ji Xun took a look at the "parchment" that he used as a bookmark.

This is a strange piece of paper the size of a palm. It is what he had been hiding against his chest since he woke up from his coma.

It is a strange piece of paper that cannot be burned or torn.

There was clearly nothing recorded on it, but it seemed to have a magical power that made Ji Xun look at it, as if his intuition told him that it contained very important information about him before he lost his memory.

So over the years, he has kept it by his side, taking it out from time to time to stroke and look at it.

The paper is the same as it was twenty years ago, without any yellowing, but it has aged.

Just as I was thinking about it, someone suddenly shouted in front of me: "We have arrived at Black Rock City!"

Walking up the hillside, under the sunshine, it was a beautiful coastal city. The sea breeze blew on his face, the blue sea came into his eyes, and Ji Xun's deep pupils were faintly shining.

Seeing the endless sea, he suddenly remembered the words written in his travel notes: Where is the end of the sea? And what is outside this world?

It is a kind of profound thinking about exploring the world.

Ji Xun had a very strange feeling in his heart. Many of the words of the bard named Fa Luo seemed to resonate with his inner thoughts inexplicably.

At this moment, an idea suddenly occurred to him: "After this mission, it would be nice to travel around the world as a bard for the rest of my life, right?"

Black Rock City is a very prosperous commercial city.

The cobbled roads are lined with pointed-roof buildings made of rough stone.

The air was filled with the smoke from burning wood, mixed with the aroma of roasted wheat from the bakery and the original smell of the leather workshop.

The most intense aroma is the fragrance coming from the wine shop.

Ji Xun and his group of armored men entering the city were extremely eye-catching and immediately attracted the attention of the city's residents.

"Why is there only so few people in this mercenary group?"

"Oh, you don't know that. Did you see the seven stars on their emblem? That's a stone medal that only S-rank mercenaries have. There aren't many such powerful mercenary groups in the entire kingdom."

"Wow, is it really that amazing?"

"."

Adults and children alike are very interested in mercenaries like Ji Xun.

No matter how small the Duchy of Dorne is, the lord is, after all, a top noble.

Princess Sophia has been abducted by the dragon for more than a month, and the lord is of course extremely anxious.

Ji Xun and his companions originally planned to rest in the city for a day and taste some local wines.

But as soon as they entered the city, they were taken to the Mercenary Guild by the lord's steward and received detailed information about the mission.

An hour later, everyone appeared outside the city again.

The evil dragon's lair is a hundred miles northwest, in a deep mountain forest where magical beasts are active.

They need to resolve it as soon as possible.

The generous remuneration also made everyone have no complaints.

Since we have to deal with the trouble anyway, there’s nothing wrong with leaving early.

"Ah, the mission is worse than expected. It is said that there have been no less than ten groups of people who wanted to rescue Princess Sofia, but none of them returned. Among them was an A-level veteran mercenary."

"Yes. The power of that evil dragon may be higher than expected."

"We don't have to attack by force. The mission is just to rescue Princess Sofia. When the time comes, the captain and we will hold back the evil dragon, and you, Ran, will secretly go to the dragon's lair to see if you can rescue the princess. Also, if there are treasures in the dragon's lair, take them out as well."

"Right."

"."

Although they knew that this dragon hunting mission was very dangerous, the members of the Dawn Group did not back down.

They have handled many dangerous missions before.

Strength is their greatest source of confidence.

The magician Gwyneth is the intelligence analyst of the team because she is proficient in the languages ​​of seven countries and various secret books.

While everyone was walking and chatting, she was carefully examining the information she had obtained from the Mercenary Union.

But as she looked at it, the magician lady actually showed a strong interest in several rotten and unrecognizable stone slabs.

Suddenly, she seemed to have understood what was on the stone tablet and exclaimed, "Oh, Captain, look! I found something in the clues of the Mercenary Guild!"

This exclamation attracted everyone.

Ji Xun looked over.

The heavy knight Robert took a quick glance and said, "It's just a few rotten stone carvings."

Gwyneth could not hide her surprise on her face and corrected him, "Oh my god, this is not an ordinary stone carving! This is a lost secret text of black magic. If I deciphered it correctly, this is the magic notebook left by Nan Shenyu, the 'first black magician in the plane' three thousand years ago!"

After hearing this, everyone in the Dawn Group began to take it seriously.

You know, on the mainland, the status of magicians is extremely high!

They are not only polymaths, but also the most powerful extraordinary profession.

Moreover, almost every official magician has a more powerful old magician and a complete inheritance system.

Gwyneth is from the magical capital of Sedris, and is a legitimate descendant of the great magician "Red Wizard Ewans" who lived three hundred years ago.

It was by chance two years ago that Ji Xun rescued this traveling young magician, and their "Dawn Mercenaries" now had such a teammate that was envied by other mercenary groups.

She was so amazed.

That is to say, those stone slabs are really amazing.

Heavy Knight Robert was confused and touched his head: "Dark magic? Number one in the plane? Gwen, what are you talking about?"

Gwyneth realized it belatedly, looked around, and said, "Shh, this is a taboo, it is not allowed to be discussed."

Ji Xun also became very interested after listening to this.

Apart from learned magicians, no one knows this secret.

And he also felt like it was a coincidence, oh, three thousand years ago?

The travel book I've been reading recently was also written by a bard named Faro three thousand years ago.

Gwyneth looked at her teammates with great interest, and explained in a low voice: "It is said that three thousand years ago there was a powerful magician named Nan Shenyu. The reason why she is said to be the number one magician in the plane is that in a historical truth that has been covered up, the Church and the Seven Kingdoms joined forces to encircle and suppress her. But in that battle, eight great magicians and four legendary knights died. In the end, the dark magician Nan Shenyu simply disappeared. It is said that she disappeared in the eastern sea. And that earth-shattering battle was also regarded as a shame by the Seven Kingdoms and the Magic Guild, and was erased from the history books."

Then she added weakly, "I also learned about this when I was a child. I accidentally found an old diary in my teacher's library."

As these words were spoken, the members of the Dawn Group became more and more excited.

Ji Xun was also extremely surprised, as if a new world had opened up: Are there really such powerful humans in this world?

Pastor Xina also asked: "Ah, since you are a magician, why is it taboo?"

This is what everyone is curious about.

Magicians have a very high status and are highly respected even by nobles. How could it be considered a taboo?
Gwyneth hesitated to speak, as if the secret conflicted with what she believed in.

But looking at the people's burning gazes, she hesitated for a moment and said what she knew: "Because... it is said that the great magician Nan Shenyu created some powerful black magic that can be released without the need to believe in gods."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood.

Extraordinary divine gift, this is the common understanding of everyone.

Only by devoutly believing in the Seven Pillars and the great Titans can one gain powerful strength.

After hearing this, the members of the Dawn Group even began to doubt whether this was just a "story."

How is it possible that someone who doesn't believe in gods can possess such powerful powers?

However, Ji Xun had a strong intuition that this story was true!

He said that even though his faith was not firm, he also had great attainments in the art of magic sword. Theoretically, he could be even more powerful.

Magicians fear God.

Likewise, they also fear the truth.

Gwyneth looked at her teammates' suddenly bored expressions and guessed that they didn't believe in the taboo figure she had admired so much in her childhood. She then said, "It is said that the reason why Nan Shenyu's lineage is considered taboo is because she is so powerful that she is almost on par with gods. The black magic system she created is still circulating today. Most of the evil black magicians who appear from time to time are from that lineage."

And the facts are right in front of us.

If the text on this stone tablet is correct, it is the text of the black magic system.

That is to say, there may be
Gwyneth looked at Ji Xun and said her own conclusion: "Captain, these are the 'clues' that the mercenaries brought back from the vicinity of the black dragon's lair at the risk of their lives. So if I'm not mistaken, there is an ancient relic related to the black magician near the dragon's lair."

When Ji Xun heard this, he also looked thoughtful.

Although his expression remained as calm as ever, he was actually deeply interested in the erased history of three thousand years ago.

Can humans really stand on equal footing with gods through their own strength?

and also,

Could it be that the evil dragon that suddenly appeared in the Principality of Dorne was heading for those dark magic relics?
(End of this chapter)