Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

Rem the hunter scrambled down the hillside, almost impatient to get back to Riverbend and report the news to them.

'Luckily, there's a shortcut! It'll definitely get me to the castle faster than those outsiders,' he thought.

He ran for quite a while, but luckily he didn't encounter any monsters.

Finally, the newly cultivated fields outside River Bend Castle, reclaimed by the survivors, came into view.

There were still people working in the field. Seeing Rem scrambling around like this, they couldn't help but smile, and even their slightly pale faces seemed less hungry.

"Rem? She got chased by a wild boar?"

Scattered laughter echoed from the fields.

Rem didn't bother talking to them at all; he only had one thing on his mind.

Absolutely! This message must be delivered to Lord Tieyan immediately!

Outside the castle, a dozen or so simple wooden shacks resemble a pile of ruins surrounding its base.

There were three or four ragged, short children squatting down, poking at earthworms with small sticks. When they saw Rem running past, they couldn't help but look up and glance at her a few more times.

Rem arrived at the castle gate, which was only slightly ajar, just enough for two people to pass through.

Two thin, wary soldiers stood at the castle gate.

"Is Lord Iron Rock... inside?" Rem asked breathlessly.

"They seem to be discussing food matters in the South Hall." A soldier glanced at Rem, seemingly finding him odd.

"Why are you running? Did a monster crawl into your bed?"

Rem simply waved her hand.

"Let me in, I have an urgent matter."

Rem passed through the slightly ajar gate and entered the dimly lit castle.

The place was littered with repair stones, miscellaneous items, scattered sleeping bags, and tattered clothes hanging haphazardly to dry in high places.

At this time, all able-bodied people were cultivating the land outside the castle, while those inside were either elderly, weak, or injured and unable to move.

They lay on their tattered sleeping bags, their empty eyes staring at the castle's broken ceiling, coughing and groaning incessantly.

They lay there, waiting to die.

Rem walked past these people and headed towards the South Hall—which had originally been the lord's dining room but had now been converted into a conference room.

As soon as Rem stepped through the broken wooden door into the south hall, she saw four or five people sitting around what used to be the dining table, now the conference table.

A map made of animal hide was spread out on the table, next to a pile of small pebbles for calculation.

One of the elderly men, whose face was covered in wrinkles, said, "Because of the consumption throughout the winter, our food reserves have run out. Although we have planted some cold-resistant seeds, it will still be a while before the harvest. In the meantime, we must find other food."

Another tall, middle-aged man, with his back to Rem, said in a deep voice, "Then let's go hunting in the forest!"

"But it's a monster..."

The middle-aged man raised one hand.

"I know, I will lead the team."

Seeing that their discussion was not going to end anytime soon, Rem deliberately raised her voice.

"Lord Tieyan! Lord Tieyan, I have an urgent matter to report."

The middle-aged man turned his head.

He was probably in his forties, with gray hair that looked somewhat messy due to neglect.

His facial features are firm and strong, and you can tell that he was a handsome young man when he was young.

But all of that was ruined by a wound that cleaved down his forehead and through his left eye. That wound took away his left eye, leaving only a sunken crater.

His face was full of wrinkles, making his other good eye look deep and tired. His worn-out half-armor was almost covered with dents and repair marks left by battle.

He is Edmund Ironrock, the current leader of the Reach Survivors.

"What is it? Speak."

"They're back! I see the Earl's banner... red background, black griffin..."

Rem quickly reported everything she had just seen, using gestures and explanations.

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Edmund did not immediately fly into a rage. When he heard "the count's banner," "a young man of extraordinary status," and "more than twenty guards," his pupils merely contracted slightly, indicating that he was thinking.

Then, that contemplation was enveloped by a deep chill.

"Are you sure you saw it clearly? Red background, black griffin?"

"I see it clearly! It's true! There are three more silver points underneath," Rem added.

Three silver triangles on a family flag typically represent the family's heir.

"They were well-equipped, with shield bearers, spearmen, crossbowmen... Oh, and a clergyman and a knight... They seemed to have come prepared."

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

The people here are all high-ranking members of the remnant population, and they have all had contact with the Conalon family, who ruled this area thirteen years ago.

To be honest, they hate it to the core.

When the rift suddenly appeared in the Reach, that selfish count chose not to resist or command, but to flee!

He fled with two hundred knights and all his immediate family, taking with him the wealth his family had accumulated through generations of plunder in the Reach!

Only a few knights who were unwilling to leave remained.

Edmund Ironrock was one of them.

Due to the lord's inaction and the fact that he took away most of the organized fighting force, this place quickly degenerated into a living hell and a hunting ground for monsters within two years.

Edmund, as one of the few survivors, led the living to retreat to the high ground of River Bend.

But after this damned lord disappeared for thirteen years, you say he's back?

And he brought a small team with him?

Edmund didn't speak; there was a full minute of silence. No one knew what he was thinking; only a deathly stillness filled the air.

Then he laughed.

It was a cold, indignant, powerless laugh, even filled with mockery of fate.

"Ha... thirteen years."

"Thirteen years, four months, and nine days."

He raised his hand, rubbed his temples, and stared at the castle ceiling with his intact eyes, as if glaring at some absent ghost.

"You mean after so many of us died, after we even ate grass, tree bark, and drank urine during the toughest times! After we survived wave after wave of demonic tides like rats in the sewers..."

"Conaron is back? Its heir is back?"

"Why come back? To take his gleaming guards, step over the corpses of our brothers, and raise his flag on that pass we failed to defend!"

He turned around, slammed his fist on the table, and his tone instantly turned as cold as steel.

"He didn't come to save us, he came to take! To take the treasure his father failed to take thirteen years ago—perhaps a pile of gold coins in some basement we don't know about!"

"Lord Tieyan, then what about us..." the old man who had just been analyzing the grains asked in a low voice.

Edmund turned around, his gaze sweeping over every numb, angry, and perhaps like him, abandoned face struggling to survive.

"Close all city gates! Double the number of sentries!"

He commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"From this moment forward, everyone retreat to the castle! Everyone who can move, take up arms! No one is to enter or leave without my order!"

"As for that 'successor'?"

Edmund walked to the weapon rack and picked up a relatively intact, sharp sword.

He stared at the sword, its blade reflecting his cold, sharp single eye.

"I will go to 'welcome' him. I want him to know that the River Reach is no longer a backyard that can be occupied by simply planting a flag."

"Every inch of this land where we can live was bought with our blood and lives!"

"He and his 'noble' father owe this place a blood debt, and there must be an explanation."

Upon hearing his words, Rem ran out without looking back, relaying Edmund's orders as she ran.

"Retreat to the castle!"

"Close the city gates!"

…………

……

Vittorio and his group walked along a dirt road in the mountains, where the air was thin and carried a faint miasma.

They set off from Raven Pass at dawn, and it is now almost noon.

Vittorio stood on the road halfway up the mountain and looked down, where he saw an abandoned village.

The name of the village was very vague in his memory, but he could vaguely recall that it seemed to be a village that fished and made pottery.

Now, however, the place is filled with a persistent black mist.

That's "black miasma," an existence that coexists with monsters. Where there is black miasma, there are monsters, and where there are monsters, there is a high probability that black miasma also exists.

Similarly, prolonged inhalation of black miasma can also lead to infection and mutation.

Looking down from here, Vittorio could clearly see that the black miasma in the center of the village was not peaceful, as if it was being stirred up by something—there was a restless creature and a huge behemoth in the middle.

Therefore, the road below, close to the valley, is absolutely off-limits.

Because the area was mostly mountainous and valley-filled after they entered the territory, they chose to leave the carriage at the pass and proceed on foot with only two horses.

Given Vittorio's physical condition, this kind of walking gradually became difficult for him, and he had to cough twice after taking just a few steps.

Vittorio noticed that Eileen, who was much thinner than him, did not seem tired at all, and was not even sweating.

Vittorio cursed inwardly, "This body is far too frail."

The hike was tedious, so Eileen struck up a conversation.

"I have also heard of the great name of the River Reach. It is said that this place was once a major trade route between the Kingdom and the Iron Bay Alliance. I never expected that it would also be tainted by filth."

"I didn't notice the church along the way; God's glory no longer shines here."

Vittorio recalled that his reason for bringing Eileen here was that there was a convent in the Reach, where she could freely practice asceticism and even become a full-fledged nun.

But now... I'm afraid the promise will fall through.

Vittorio could only solemnly defend himself, saying, "Eileen, my sister, when you came, God's light shone into this forgotten corner, and that is all thanks to you."

Eileen clasped her hands together and grasped the triangular emblem.

"I've heard that the nightingale is the bird with the most skillful tongue, but I think even the nightingale's tongue can't compare to yours."

"You can call black white, and you can turn white into black."

"By Paradion, forgive every unfaithful tongue."

Vittorio simply shrugged.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

They traveled for a while longer, taking a break along the way.

We finally arrived near the castle around 2 p.m.

River Bend Castle, the castle where the Conalon family has lived for generations.

If it weren't for the demonic tide, I might still be living there.

Now, on the high ground rising up along the winding south bank of the river, all that can be seen in the distance are its pitiful ruins and walls covered with vines.

John wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Sir, shall we continue exploring?"

"It looks like this place is similar to Raven's Pass; perhaps the people inside are already..."

He swallowed hard, not uttering the words "all dead".

Someone in the group let out a soft chuckle. John turned around and saw it was Hans, who had been standing next to him the night before.

"John, keep your breath and say less. There might be some 'big stuff' in the castle you didn't see last night!"

The others in the group chuckled softly.

The story of John wetting his pants in fear of the rotting dog last night has already been widely circulated among them.

John shut his mouth in annoyance.

Vittorio gently stopped him.

"Be quiet."

He stared silently at the castle in the distance.

"Be prepared, whether it's Warcraft or... whatever."

Turning out of the old oak grove, the only path to the castle was already in sight—a not-so-sturdy wooden bridge.

The wooden bridge spans a naturally formed canyon, the bottom of which is filled with rocks and dead trees, making it difficult to pass.

John seemed to have seized an opportunity and wanted to be the first to rush across the wooden bridge to prove his bravery.

"Listen up, you inside! The rightful owner of the Reach, the Earl's son, has returned! Open the door and welcome him!"

However, the other side of the bridge was quiet, the castle gates were tightly closed, and there was no one on the walls.

"See! I told you there was no one there. The door might be worn out from being looked at. I'll go check it out first."

As he spoke, he quickly ran towards the wooden bridge.

However, in the woods on the other side of the bridge, a hidden eye had already locked onto him.

Aim, fire!

Just a second before John's foot was about to step onto the wooden bridge, an arrow shot towards him like a meteor and stopped precisely half an inch in front of him!

The arrow's fletching trembled violently, emitting a chilling hum!

John froze for a second, then was so terrified that his face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed to the ground, backing away repeatedly.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen or so people suddenly stood up and walked out from the seemingly empty woods on the other side of the wooden bridge.

Most of them were ragged and emaciated, but their eyes were full of hostility and vigilance.

The leader walked slowly to the bridgehead and stood still, still holding a bow and arrow in his hand; he was clearly the one who had just shot the arrow.

He was blind in one eye and was tall.

Vittorio's team immediately went on high alert.

Isolde's hand was already on the hilt of her sword, subtly shielding Vittorio behind her.

"This road is blocked."

The person on the other end spoke, their voice rough and grating, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Stranger, state your name!"

Vittorio stepped past Isolde and took a step forward.

"I am Vittorio Edmondo Aurelio Connarón, heir of the Connarón family, and the sole rightful heir to the Reach!"

To Vittorio's claim based on legitimacy, the tall man opposite him simply laughed rudely.

"Who do we have here? Ah, it's the traitor!"

Then, in front of everyone, he let out a loud shout and spat on the ground!

He raised his bow and arrow, pointing it at Vittorio.

"The least welcome people here are Conalon."

"Get out!"