A different world game? A different world game!

abyss.

Battlefield 1121.

The newly formed Blood Pit Fortress stands tall and imposing.

The sky remained as murky as ever, a dark, blood-red, and filthy canopy clinging to the horizon like a sticky stain, exuding an eternal sense of oppression.

The orange-yellow and slightly reddish light shone coldly on the parched, barren, and lifeless abyss below.

The air was constantly filled with a strong, pungent smell of blood, which was almost solidified into a physical form. A desolate and destructive atmosphere permeated every inch of the scorched earth.

This is an eternal furnace of chaos, a battlefield where bloodshed never ceases.

Looking around, the changes at Blood Pit Fortress continue unabated.

The original heavy and cold fortress has now become the core area of ​​the inner ring.

On its periphery, an even larger, rougher, and more menacing new city wall is rising from the ground.

The materials of this city wall look unusually mixed and chaotic, as if they were randomly piled up and forcibly fitted together from scrap metal, dark red mudstone, and various huge, twisted, and strangely shaped bones.

Its surface is uneven, covered with spikes and edges, forming a stark contrast to the orderly, heavy, and solid style of the inner ring fortress. The difference between the two is as great and irreconcilable as order and chaos itself.

On the rugged walls inlaid with bones, one watchtower after another stood like sharp fangs, exuding a chilling aura of vigilance.

At the top of the watchtower, almost every one of them is inlaid or suspended with a crystal ball, which slowly rotates and continuously projects beams of dark blue scanning light.

Like searchlights, they vigilantly and tirelessly surveyed the desolate land in front of the city walls, a land covered with scorched pebbles and lifeless.

Some standard space supply boxes were neatly stacked behind the top of the wall or close to the inside of the wall base.

However, the amount of supplies here is obviously much less than that of the Blood Pit Fortress in the inner ring, which resembles a mountain range—in the inner ring, supply boxes are piled up almost like rolling hills.

But this makes sense, since this is only the first fragile line of defense against the demon horde. Storing too many precious resources here will eventually lead to their destruction or being plundered by the demons when the city walls fall.

This is a valuable experience gained from one fierce battle after another, and from one bloodshed and sacrifice after another.

Therefore, these supplies were placed here in a precisely calculated and just-right quantity, enough to support the initial consumption of the outer defense battle, without causing unbearable losses during the retreat.

Based on the brutal experience accumulated from countless bloody battles, when these supplies are exhausted, it will be the time for the defending troops to retreat in an orderly manner to the real fortress.

This newly built, inevitably short-lived outer wall is often temporarily abandoned and rebuilt during a counterattack to recapture it.

Just as this oppressive calm continued, strange lights suddenly flashed across the murky sky, like shooting stars streaking across the sky.

These lights are not harmful; they are more like a specific type of signal beam, which stands out conspicuously in the dim light.

The Night's Watch warriors patrolling the city walls, along with the taciturn Avengers, merely glanced up expressionlessly before immediately lowering their heads and continuing their patrol routes.

Obviously, we are already used to this kind of signal and there is no need to be surprised.

As the signal beam struck, a group of riders on massive flying mounts pierced through the thick, murky sky and slowly landed on a specially cleared open space behind the city walls.

The team members are of various races—muscular dwarves with thick beards, tall and handsome elves, and other humanoid races of various shapes and sizes.

They rode bipedal dragons clad in heavy saddles and gleaming metal armor.

These birds of prey, flowing with thin dragon blood, possess formidable combat abilities and powerful carrying capacity; their broad wings flap, creating gusts of foul wind.

However, their intelligence is far inferior to that of true intelligent life, and their eyes reveal more of a wild instinct. In the air force of the Bloodbath Fortress, they are an important part of resisting the invasion of flying demons.

The landing point for this Flying Dragon squad was a temporary camp behind the city wall, with a conspicuous flag hanging there.

On the flag, the Night's Watch's distinctive torch emblem burns brightly, and below the torch, a scale symbolizing fair trade is clearly depicted.

This is the unique symbol of the Night's Watch [Merchant Guild], signifying that this place is an important temporary base for them to trade with other forces.

With heavy thuds and the deep roars of the dragons, one after another, the enormous creatures descended.

The Night Watchman Merchant Guild leader, a middle-aged man with shrewd eyes and dressed in the guild's distinctive uniform, who had been waiting there for a long time, immediately led several assistants to greet them.

The lead elven knight nimbly flipped and leaped off the dragon, his movements light and graceful.

He strode forward, a slightly apologetic smile on his face, and warmly extended his hand to the head of the chamber of commerce. The two clasped hands tightly, then gave each other a light hug and patted each other on the back.

This is a common greeting among comrades on the battlefield.

"We're here to pick up the goods."

The elf captain released his grip, explaining with a sincere apology, while subconsciously dusting off the dust from his armor.

"I just dealt with a group of troublesome demons on the way, which took up a bit of time. I'm really sorry."

Upon hearing this, the head of the Night Watchmen Merchant Guild chuckled twice, waved his hand heartily, and said with an understanding expression: "This is the Abyss, my friend. Demons are never-ending; they grow back like weeds after being cut down."

"In a godforsaken place like this, who cares about precise timekeeping? That would be too inhumane! Just arriving safely is all that matters!"

"Haha, that's so true."

The elven captain was amused by the other party's words and burst into laughter. He affectionately put his arm around the shoulder of the Night's Watch leader and pulled him toward the tent, his movements natural and practiced.

"Come on, come on, don't stand outside, let's go inside and talk. I haven't tasted your Night's Watch's special brew in a while, and I've been missing it terribly. In these bitter days in the Abyss, this is what I'm looking for."

The Night's Watch leader chuckled and humbly said as he led the way, "Fine wine? The Night's Watch's wine is hardly a local specialty or delicacy. It can't compare to the fiery, mellow spirits of the Asgardians."

"It's nowhere near as exquisite and elegant, full of natural flavor, as your Elven race's fine wines. It can only be considered as having some of our own rugged characteristics. It's okay for relieving fatigue."

The elf captain immediately stopped, turned around, and with an unusual seriousness on his face, shook his head very seriously, staring intently at the other person.

"No, no, no, my friends, you are seriously underestimating the good things you produce."

His tone carried an undeniable certainty.

It is an indisputable fact that the Night's Watch's food and beverage products, especially various drinks, are extremely popular on the resource-scarce and harsh battlefields of the Abyss.

Those marching rations were undoubtedly delicious and packed with energy.

Their unique drinks have unexpectedly become very popular.

These drinks originally came from byproducts or failed experiments of the apothecaries in the Night's Watch alchemy labs.

While it cannot be used as a true healing or enhancing agent, its unique ingredients and taste unexpectedly make it very suitable as an everyday beverage. These inexpensive "potions" with certain special effects are then given to halfling chefs renowned for their skill and creativity.

Through their ingenious blending and improvement, star drinks like [Iced Brain Drink] were born, leading the market by a wide margin.

Its cool and stimulating taste can effectively resist the whispers of the omnipresent chaotic magic of the abyss, allowing the warriors' tired, tense, and buzzing nerves, exhausted from long battles, to gain a rare moment of clarity and relaxation.

When they first encountered the Night's Watch supplies at Bloodbath Fortress, they bought all kinds of goods, thinking they would try them all out and experience something new.

After comparison, the "Iced Brain Drink" was ultimately highlighted and became one of the core products on both parties' transaction lists, with huge demand.

Of course, the Night's Watch also produces a variety of uniquely flavored and differently effective beverages, which are quite popular.

Especially for veterans who are tired of their own or the dwarfs' unchanging and monotonous taste, the novelty and unique experience is a huge attraction in itself.

“However,” the elven captain changed the subject, a hint of long-held curiosity on his face. He put his arm around the Night Watch leader’s shoulder again and asked as they walked into the tent.

"There's something I've always wondered about. Why do you Night's Watch people always refer to us as 'Astral Dwarves' or 'Astral Elves,' with such a broad prefix as 'Astral'?"

“Usually, when we distinguish ourselves, we use more specific prefixes, such as Molten Dwarves, Blackrock Dwarves, Green Elves, and Moonbrook Elves. Simply using such a broad name as ‘Astral Plane’ feels a bit… um… vague and strange.”

The head of the night watchman was visibly taken aback upon hearing this. He stopped and asked in surprise.

"Didn't you notice that there's also a group called 'elves' within our Night's Watch? They're active right here in the fortress."

"I've found it."

The elf captain shrugged dismissively and casually lifted the tent flap: "What's so strange about that?"

His tone was matter-of-fact.

"The astral plane is vast and boundless, and the branches of the elven races have long been scattered everywhere like stars; this has long been common knowledge in the astral plane."

"It is not uncommon for different elven groups in different worlds, or even in the same world, to be hostile to each other due to differences in ideology or resources, and to never interact with each other again. So it is not surprising that an elven branch within the Night's Watch has emerged."

The head of the night watch followed him into the tent, sat down at the simple wooden table, gestured for his assistant to pour wine, and patiently explained.

"Because they are not from any elven race in the known astral planes."

"They are a native race born in our world, sharing the same origin as us. They are very similar to you astral elves in appearance, physique, and even some talents and habits, and they also possess similar agility and affinity for natural energy."

However,” he emphasized, “if you study the bloodline and the deep origins carefully, the differences are huge, and they are completely different racial origin trees.”

"Therefore, in order to clearly distinguish between internal and diplomatic matters, we will uniformly and simply refer to other groups of elves and dwarves from the astral plane, who are distinctly different from our native 'elves,' as 'astral elves' and 'astral dwarves.'"

"This is a convenient internal practice."

The elven captain picked up the rough wooden cup filled with amber-colored liquor, nodded knowingly, and a relieved expression appeared on his face.

"I see, I understand now."

He took a big gulp of wine, smacked his lips, and indeed stopped investigating.

The astral plane is vast and full of wonders, with all sorts of strange races and phenomena emerging one after another. Compared to that, the way the Night's Watch addresses people is not really anything unusual.

The two sat down in the tent, drinking the Night's Watch's homemade wine with its unique herbal and spicy aroma, and talking about the recent battle situation and the need for supplies.

After a few rounds of drinks, the elf captain put down his glass, his relaxed expression turning serious as he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"Let's get down to business. The demonic flight squad we encountered on the road was well-equipped and acted suspiciously; it didn't seem like an ordinary patrol."

“I have carefully observed their pattern of action and suspect that they are an elite scout unit, spies sent to investigate the defenses of your new fortress.”

"Given the demons' habits, their large-scale attack will likely follow soon. You must make thorough preparations in advance and not let your guard down."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Night Watch gave a helpless yet habitual wry smile. He raised his glass and clinked it against the elf captain's, making a crisp sound, before tilting his head back and taking a large gulp.

"Don't worry, the combat masters should have already received the signal beam from the sky."

"These damned demons are so annoying, like maggots clinging to bones, they can never be completely eradicated, one wave after another, it never ends!"

"Hehe, who can argue with that?"

The elf captain responded with a bitter laugh, his eyes revealing deep weariness.

"I've been in this damned abyss for almost three hundred years, and the number of demons seems to have never really decreased."

"The corpses piled up like mountains, the blood flowed like rivers, yet they were still endless..."

He paused for a moment, then his tone turned to one of relief.

"But to be honest, the appearance of your Blood Pit Fortress has indeed greatly boosted our morale."

"Watching it rise from the ground day by day, becoming strong and solid, finally brought a bit of an encouraging new look to this lifeless place that was filled with only destruction and despair, and gave us hope to persevere."

"Hahaha, we have to thank our wise leader for this..."

The Night Watch leader beamed with pride, but before he could finish speaking, the elven captain swiftly raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Yes, yes, of course I know! My dear friend!"

The elf captain immediately interrupted him, his tone carrying an exaggerated helplessness and a hint of teasing, as he rubbed his temples.

"Your great, all-powerful Lord Kana, is it? I've heard so much about his fame that I'm practically sick of it."

Through this period of close contact and fighting side by side, he has come to deeply appreciate the almost sacred status that this Venerable Cana holds in the hearts of all the Night's Watchmen.

Initially, he and his companions thought the Night's Watchmen were the fanatical followers or believers of this Venerable Cana.

However, upon closer examination, the profound relationship between the two sides left some truly devoted warriors bewildered and even a little jealous.

Because their relationship with this Venerable Kana was not one of cold faith and deity, but rather like that of comrades-in-arms who shared life and death, colleagues who supported each other, and even a deep affection akin to that of family.

Combined with what he had witnessed or heard on the battlefield about the deeds and power displayed by this Venerable Kana, even this experienced and knowledgeable elven warrior couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration.

But while I admire him, there are also those who speak of how great, wise, and powerful Kana is.

He had heard it so many times from different Night's Watch members during this period that it had almost become a kind of "Night's Watch signature opening line." (End of Chapter)