Warhammer

Rodrian thought that the other party had revealed a lot of information seemingly inadvertently, and it seemed that he also had some needs, so he nodded and said, "Of course, as long as I know it."

"So, can I ask you about...the South?"

"And the alliance you mentioned." Claude's eyes revealed a sincere desire for knowledge. For some reason, when Rodrian saw his eyes, he felt that this man could be trusted.

Seems like a very reliable person.

Chapter 119: Disaster in the Badlands, Black Tide

"That's it..."

Rodrian didn't know whether Claude's thoughtful look was a good thing or a bad thing.

During the communication during this period, he tried his best to talk about things that interested the other party, but it seemed that because of his Tyrell mother, Claude seemed very curious about his half-motherland that was related to him by blood. This could not avoid one thing - the Southern War, the major event that Tyrell was now invaded by a certain "horrible dwarf".

Frankly speaking, as an Imperial and a mercenary who is paid to do things, Rodrian has no political stance.

When Margarita triumphantly returned and Al was wearing the white robe, he and his team members also personally experienced this on the street, and they also cheered and jumped for joy. Otherwise, they would seem unsociable. They sighed in their hearts that this leader should now be called His Majesty, who is both civil and military, and is supported by the people, blah blah blah...

And then that was it, seeing that Estalia had no life, he quickly ran off to Tyrell.

He later terminated the commission and cooperated with the Two-Headed Eagle in a treasonous manner because he realized that the Tyrells were absolutely unable to contend with the opponent's power, so he simply preserved his strength. At the same time, he could not be considered a guide. After all, he did not run away from the battlefield, but compensated and left after prior communication. At most, he was a "cunning" and "cowardly" person, but some people would regard it as a "wise" move, such as his teammates.

Then he stayed and became a semi-royal mercenary because he considered that the competition from his peers in the border areas was too great, and the newly formed Southern Alliance was in a period of rapid growth and morale was high, so he planned to take advantage of the Clippers.

As for loyalty, there is some, out of simple respect for strong and wise leaders, and respect for the trust (not much).

But to say that I agree with it is nothing.

But Roderion still tried his best to portray "His Majesty Aiur" as a wise and powerful holy king supported by the people during the conversation. He also briefly skipped over the war with Tyrell and transferred some of the things he saw in Margaretta to Tyrell, showing that this war was not a conquest of one country by another, but a great process of a wise king who suddenly appeared and unified his own region.

At the same time, Rodrian Sea deliberately exaggerated the military strength of the Alliance. In fact, there was no need to exaggerate. After all, the strength demonstrated by the Alliance in the Southern War, which conquered a country in less than a year, was strong enough.

The purpose of doing this is also to gild their image and to enhance their momentum by taking advantage of the power of others.

Implicitly revealing that one has a powerful backer may eliminate some troubles, although it may also bring troubles, but in the end...it is better to show great strength than to be looked down upon for being weak.

......

"Thank you for sharing." Claude stood up from the box and thanked the mercenary leader. Rodrian supported the bed with his right hand, then spread it out to indicate that he was indeed unable to move.

The young man looked very happy, "I can tell these things to my mother."

"You're welcome. You told me a lot." Rodrian also thanked the other party. As an old mercenary, he had traveled a lot and was knowledgeable. Chatting with Claude, who he said had been in the Seven Cities Fortress since birth and had never left the dark land, he casually told some of his own experiences and knowledge, which could arouse the young man's great curiosity and easily influence the conversation. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, actively or under the guidance of Rodrian, Claude revealed to him a lot of information about the Seven Shields Alliance - the Seven Cities Fortress.

This information made the man feel heavy and relieved at the same time... temporarily.

After chatting for almost two hours, Stephanie prepared a bottle of water for each of them and came in to remind them that they had to get ready to set off and continue their journey in two hours. Claude finally did not stay any longer and said goodbye first.

Before he left, he looked a little hesitant. Finally, he stopped and turned around before leaving, saying, "If you don't plan to continue the mission, I suggest you try not to leave in the near future... Or, try to leave the wounded behind, let those who are not affected go first, and then come back with reinforcements after a while."

Rodrian kept his eyes on Claude, and saw that his expression did not seem fake, as if there was indeed a hidden story: "I am responsible for the lives of hundreds of people. I promised to bring them home. If there is anything related to these hundreds of lives, please speak frankly." "You have already helped us once..." He said frankly. Compared with the lives of hundreds of team members, nothing was more important at the moment.

Claude looked at the mercenary leader with a sincere and serious look, and was touched by his magnanimity: "You came at a very unfortunate time. The 'Black Tide' may erupt at any time. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be. By then, there will be many groups of beastmen roaming and wreaking havoc on the ground and underground. Once they discover us, thousands of these evil creatures will quickly gather to chase us down."

"The undead will also take the opportunity to start a war and harvest souls and corpses. The entire dark land will become very dangerous."

He glanced at the four people in the tent, and finally his eyes fell on Rodrian, the only one lying on the bed with injuries: "If your people encounter the 'Black Tide', there is absolutely no way to get out. The best choice is to stay in the fortress and wait until the beastmen return to their previous state."

"But in that case, those who can handle weapons will also have to help guard the fortress and stronghold."

"So I say, if you really want to leave, it's best to leave those with disabilities behind first, and divide the healthy people into several teams, and try to pass through the tunnels and the ground as quickly as possible. As long as you reach the outer area of ​​the Dark Land, the chance of encountering the black tide will be very small, and you may successfully return to the outside world."

Rodrian couldn't help but wonder, "How long will this 'black tide' last?" He didn't ask questions like there was really no way to cross it. After all, just a threat during their normal journey almost wiped them out, not to mention the disaster that the "locals" like the Seven Shields had to guard against.

Claude's words shattered his fantasy: "It's not fixed. Only when the black tide begins will His Highness the High Priest make a prophecy to judge how long it will last. If it's short, it may end in a month or two... The longest one lasted for nearly ten years."

"With the expansion of the blood domain as a sign, the filthy creatures will collectively riot. They will come out of their nests, devour and swallow each other, and then attack all life including themselves. Every time this happens, we must shrink our forces and rely on the power of the fortress to defend."

"Those warlike greenskins will also form warbands and go deep into the dark land to fight the beastmen. The two filthy races will kill each other, which will save us a lot of effort."

Seeing that Rodrian looked serious and seemed to be still thinking, Claude added, "At that time, without the protection of the gods, as long as they step into the bloody mud, the vitality and will of mortals will continue to decline, and even become further distorted. Even if they can avoid the beastmen, they can't wade through this disaster. I have seen with my own eyes that a patrol team was delayed in the bloody domain for three days..."

"They finally came back. There were only six left out of the nine... but they were not the same people as before." Claude's words made everyone present tremble slightly. His tone was heavy: "'They' were just like usual. They lit torches, walked to the other side of the Bridge of Rebirth, rang the bells, and asked the watchers to guide them... We can only kill them with fire arrows and burn them, and ask the priests to purify the relics and then recycle them."

The four veterans said nothing.

After saying all this, Claude felt a little depressed, and he said goodbye and said he was going to prepare to break camp. If everything went well, they would arrive at the Seven Cities Fortress the next day, and they could communicate again then.

Then left in a hurry.

His words caused a moment of silence in the tent.

The youngest Potter finally couldn't help but break the silence first and said, "Captain, we..."

Biers held his shoulder. This fugitive slave from the border who already had a family in Tyrell but insisted on joining the Legion for "the last foreign commission with the team members" looked at the thoughtful Rodion.

"Let the captain think it over, we are not in a hurry." After saying hello, he walked out with Potter. Stephanie looked around and put the kettle next to Rodrian's hand: "No matter what, I believe in you." Then she boldly grabbed the man's hand, kissed the back of his hand, and then walked out of the tent, leaving the mercenary captain alone in there to think.

"The Seven Shields... Guarding Order..."

"Badlands... Black Tides..."

The old soldier had a splitting headache, but he could only rack his brains, trying to find a way for the entire regiment to survive in this confusing and dangerous situation.

120: Bridge of Rebirth, Silver Gate

The mercenaries finally arrived at what the Seven Shields called the "Seven City Fortress".

After another day of rest, Rodrian regained the ability to move freely. Only after he arrived at the place and saw with his own eyes what the so-called "Seven Cities" looked like did he understand.

Why did Claude describe the "Black Tide" as so terrifying:

Filthy creatures are active in the blood realm, and the living will be corrupted as soon as they set foot there. In this situation where they can only passively defend and cannot take the initiative to attack, the people of the Seven Shields have been able to persist in the dark land for hundreds of years.

What kind of building can stand tall in the Kuroshio Current?

The team stopped in front of a cliff.

The light of the blazing torch illuminated the surroundings, but it was unable to reach the farther and deeper places.

The cliff is thousands of feet high and bottomless. Looking down, one can only see darkness. It gives one a chilling feeling that a predatory terror is lurking in the darkness.

The only road ahead was a bridge, but unlike ordinary ones, this one seemed to be made entirely of steel, connecting the top of one end with the other - a mountain land that seemed to be suspended in the air!

A magnificent fortress is located on this isolated flat-topped mountain, which is separated from the land by bottomless cliffs and protected at the same time.

It is surrounded by mountains, but there is a sunken part in the middle, which is the land where the Seven Cities Fortress is located. Therefore, it can also get sunshine, rain, dew, and fresh air...

The members of the mercenary group were amazed at the sight of this wonder. If it was created by human power, what kind of investment must have been put into it to hollow out the mountain in this desolate and dangerous dark place and create such an excellent fortress foundation that was almost impossible to collapse geographically.

If it is the wonders of nature, it would be even more shocking.

Without much hesitation, the people of the Seven Shields took the lead and walked onto the iron bridge. They did not give any instructions about how many people could cross at a time. The wide bridge was large enough for seven or eight people to walk side by side. They even took the initiative to help guide the pack animals that were carrying the vehicles loaded with supplies forward.

There was a place that left a deep impression on Rodrian. When they first arrived, there was no bridge here. The men of the Seven Shields lit torches and did something else. He heard a bell ring. Now the iron bridge under their feet "stretched" out from the other end of the fortress. It stretched from far to near, and finally seemed to be inserted into a mechanism somewhere under the cliff on their side and was fixed.

"Exquisite craftsmanship".

He thought to himself that the distance from the cliff to the flat-topped mountain was at least four or five hundred meters, so it was not surprising that such a cliff bridge could be built, but the fact that it could be scaled freely was amazing, showing the ingenuity of the craftsmanship.

He thought that there seemed to be some Children of the Mountains among the Seven Shields, and this was also a bad place, once the territory of the Mountain Kingdom, so he thought, "Maybe it's the technology of the dwarves?"

Soon, the mercenary group passed the bridge and was about to step onto the land of Pingdingshan. They were greeted by a huge silver door on both sides of the passage, and two columns standing in formation on both sides of the passage.

Their military appearance was neat and tidy, their faces were solemn, and the swords, spears, halberds, bows, crossbows and arrows in their hands were shining coldly, giving people an invisible sense of oppression.

In a trance, Rodrian felt a hint of hesitation.

He didn't know what would happen after he went in, but it seemed that there was no reason to turn back halfway.

There is a heavily guarded and geographically absolutely safe civilized fortress in front of them, which may be the only "safe" place in the badlands for rest and recuperation. Instead of entering, they turn around and go back the way they came. Even if they can continue to avoid the threats on the surface through underground passages, I am afraid that not many people in the mercenary group will be willing to do so.

While he was thinking, the men of the Seven Shields had already begun to pass through the silver door, but a familiar figure retreated instead of advancing and came to Rodrian's side.

"That's the Gate of Rebirth. Everyone who comes back from outside has to go through it. The sacred power contained in it will help us detect those hidden evil lackeys and filthy people." Claude seemed to see the uneasiness in the old soldier's heart and comforted him: "As long as you pass the screening of the Gate of Rebirth, you can get the treatment of ordinary residents in the fortress, but the scope of activities can only be limited to a certain fortress."

“If not…” “If anyone fails to pass, they can choose to leave before they step through the door.”

Claude's words revealed a very bad fact for Rodrian. The captain's pupils shrank unnoticeably: "Wait, you didn't tell me beforehand! And the identification method of that door is..."

But the handsome young man shook his head, his eyes firm: "There is no room for negotiation in this matter. The Seven Shields cannot allow even the slightest threat of corruption to enter. We are responsible for the fate of the world. Please understand."

Rodion was speechless.

The form is stronger than the person.

There is no turning back for them.

But as the team leader, he must inform his team members about this.

Soon, everyone in the Veteran Mercenary Group started clamoring.

"Why didn't you tell me before that I had to go through a broken door!"

"Is it really a holy object? Could it be that these people are trying to take advantage of us?"

"Captain, let's go. These people are not honest at all!"

Despite this, Rodrian still relied on his prestige to suppress the whole audience, explained the current situation to everyone, and pointed out that he believed in the Seven Shields Alliance.

This mysterious force, which they said had fought in the badlands for many years, would not harm them without reason, because if it did, they could just sit back and watch the mercenary group being wiped out in the canyon, or wait until both sides were exhausted and then come out to drive out the wild beasts and kill the remnants of the mercenary group.

"There is no turning back for us now, we can only move forward towards life."

He then summoned the core members of the mercenary group, all of whom were teammates he had met in Marienburg and Bretonnia, and made a gesture to the later members to pass through the silver gate together.

Claude and the others did not notice anything unusual when they were passing by, but perhaps because they were outsiders, when Rodrian came within three steps of the gate, a white light that gave a burning sensation lit up above it. Rodrian suddenly felt his wrist getting hot, and several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but his body instinctively continued to move forward.

When the light faded and Rodrian regained his sight, the first thing he saw was a handsome face with messy blond hair and a hint of childishness.

"Welcome to the Seven Cities, friends from the outside world."

He opened his arms to Rodion, and the two of them embraced politely.

On the other side, in the middle of the road, the somewhat arrogant female elf and the taciturn man were also standing there, with the seven shield warriors standing behind them. When they saw Rodrian's gaze, the arrogant immortal elf actually gave him a kind look that was barely softened.

It seems to be because they passed the "gate" test.

Claude then signaled to Roderian that he could go into the city first to settle down, but he shook his head, saying that he had to wait until all his companions had passed.

Seeing that the captain and commanders had set an example, the mercenaries behind them soon lined up to enter. The white light was not as hot as before, but became softer. There were two long lines with people passing by every few seconds.

Some people closed their eyes, bit their teeth, and charged forward. After walking out of the white light, they took a deep breath, showing their relief for having "survived the calamity"; some people had poor psychological quality, and were very hesitant when facing the Seven Shield Army standing on both sides with swords in their hands. Faced with such a thing, no one urged them, and they could only wait for them to be mentally prepared. Those who were bold and confident that they "had nothing to do with filth and corruption" could directly bypass the queue.

Everyone who passed through the Silver Gate after Rodrian had the same reaction. He didn't know how the "inability to pass" would manifest itself, whether it would be other strange phenomena that would appear directly, or whether the marking of the "corruptor" had actually been completed silently. It was just that they had no way of knowing it on the surface. Would the people from the Seven Shields take action soon?

Rodrian was anxious.

In this situation, it would be fine if everyone who passed the door passed, but he was afraid that the people from the Seven Shields would suddenly turn against them and attack them, saying that most of them were "corruptors" who needed to be eliminated. Then he would personally push all the team members to death.

While I was thinking, something strange happened.

121: The First Fortress

A young man, who seemed to be a scout or ranger judging by his attire, walked to the front of the Silver Gate. The light shining on him suddenly turned into a strange purple. There were two other people of almost the same position as him, but everything was normal for them. Only he was covered in purple light.

He seemed to be completely unaware of the abnormality and kept walking forward.

"Whizzing!"

While Rodrian was thinking, before he could even form a complete thought, two arrows pierced the face and chest of the young wanderer one after another.

"what!"

His screams echoed on the Bridge of Rebirth, and he covered his face and wailed.

A warrior in silver armor strode forward and with a thrust of his spear, pierced the wanderer's body into the air.

In his left hand he held a kite-shaped shield that was carved with various patterns and was very gorgeous, with a round mirror decorated in the middle. He raised the young man who was impaled on the spear and wailing in front of the shield.

The shield mirror immediately emitted a strong purple light that reflected onto the young man's body. In the light, it seemed that there was a pair of sharp corners on his head, and a long forked tongue appeared in his wide-open, wailing mouth.

"Lustful follower!" Claude whispered.

It seemed that the silver-armored warrior was simply confirming the specific situation of the young man. Soon, two people wearing priest robes and tall square hats walked out of the columns standing on both sides. They were holding a scripture wrapped with iron chains in their left hands, but one of them was holding a scale in his right hand, and the other was holding a war hammer.

They did not make any specific movements, but just walked to the back of the silver-armored warrior and stood there, chanting some scriptures that Rodrian and the others could not understand. The young man who was impaled on the spear suddenly let out a shrill howl, and then his body suddenly caught fire and soon turned into a charred corpse.

The warrior lifted the charcoal-black corpse to the edge of the cliff and threw it straight down.

"He is a follower of the evil god of desire. One of you must have had sex with him." The female elf commander stood up and said coldly, "If you feel that you have not committed serious sins, such as engaging in forbidden pleasures that are extremely harmful to the body, bestiality, and heterosexuality, or helping the evil god's followers to invade others, then you can come out and you will have another chance."