Chapter 12

Originally, Rod had planned to rest for a moment near the Moonlight Lake before continuing his journey. However, after encountering the giant wolf, he had to change his mind. Considering that the smell of the corpse might attract more unnecessary trouble, Rod ultimately chose a relatively flat highland upstream of the Moonlight Lake as a campsite when the sun set.

After dinner, Rod took on the role of a sentry again. Although this was harsh on his body, he had no choice. Among the three of them, only he was most familiar with the environment of the Silver Moon Forest, and only he possessed combat skills. Although the fat merchant Mace had volunteered to help, seeing his obese body, Rod and Rijie did not say much, but their eyes clearly revealed their attitudes. Thus, the fat merchant, who was on the verge of tears, had nothing to do but sit aside and idly organize the luggage they had salvaged from the wreckage of the airship.

Of course, Rijie was not idle either. At that moment, she was kneeling beside Rod, placing her hands on his left shoulder.

"Aliymia." (Dragon language: Heal)

As the girl's clear chanting sounded, a faint white light emerged from her palms and slowly enveloped Rod's body. In the Dragon Soul Continent, spellcasters generally used Dragon Language to cast spells. This was because, since the creation of the world, almost seventy percent of magic had been passed down in the form of Dragon Language and was widely adopted by humans during the Great Magic Era. The remaining part consisted of Angelic, Elvish, Demonic, and Undead languages. As the races created and protected by the Ancestral Dragons, they inherited the dragons' magical talents and long lifespans. This also became the dividing line for the social hierarchy on the continent. Whether in the Night Kingdom (Dark Dragon Kingdom), the Light Kingdom (Radiant Dragon Kingdom), or the Law Kingdom (Judgment Dragon Kingdom), regardless of their political systems, the highest rulers were always Dragon Soul holders who inherited the souls of the five great dragons. The next tier was composed of non-humans, primarily angels, elves, demons, and undead, followed by humans.

Of course, due to different political systems, the class compositions of various countries were not entirely similar. In the Night Kingdom, which was ruled by a monarchy, the class system was relatively strict, and there were no humans among the upper echelons. In the Light Kingdom, which practiced a parliamentary democracy, half of the high-ranking members of the parliament were humans. In the Law Kingdom, the upper class was composed of angels, elves, and humans in a balanced ratio of one-third each, as the Law Kingdom, ruled by religious authority, believed in the path of balance, considering it the most perfect choice.

Rod was well aware of the situation on this continent. He knew what was going to happen next, which made him somewhat worried. In the game, players were just players; if they couldn't handle it, they could simply take off their helmets and walk away. But now, things were different. He had become a part of this continent, and in the face of the impending disaster, what should he do?

"Mr. Rod... Mr. Rod?"

"What is it?"

Rijie's voice snapped Rod out of his thoughts. He looked up and gazed at the girl in front of him. After that, Rijie finally returned to her usual self, although a hint of worry still occasionally appeared on her face. Compared to the gloomy expression she had before, which made it seem like the world was ending and she might commit suicide at any moment, this was much better.

"It's like this."

Rijie shook her head, cautiously glanced at Mace, who was sitting by the fire with a look as if he had been bitten by a snake, counting the supplies in his pocket, and then lowered her voice, speaking seriously and earnestly.

"During the battle with the wind snake, I felt something."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Rod raised an eyebrow.

"What did you feel?"

"I sensed some dark aura from that wind snake lord."

At this point, Rijie bit her lower lip.

"But, this aura was very faint, not like what a dark attribute creature should have... Mr. Rod, wind snakes are not dark creatures, right?"

Of course not, wind snakes were wind element creatures, and they had nothing to do with dark elements. However...

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure."

Hearing the girl's confident and definite answer, Rod fell into deep thought. He knew what had happened during this period in history. The wind snakes had continuously attacked cargo ships on the Wind Tide Trade Route, causing significant losses. After investigating, the Light Kingdom claimed that this was orchestrated by the nomadic tribes in the disputed area of the southern border of Pafeld, which was under the rule of the Night Kingdom. Soon after, the Light Kingdom launched a military attack on that area and expelled and massacred the residents. In response, the Night Kingdom quickly retaliated, not only sending troops to attack the Light Kingdom's garrisons and reclaim the land they claimed as their own but also using this as a pretext to launch a full-scale invasion of the Light Kingdom.

This history occurred during the beta test period. At that time, Rod and other players were busy familiarizing themselves with the new environment, new systems, and leveling up, so they did not delve deeply into this background. By the time the beta test ended and the game officially launched, the Light Kingdom and the Night Kingdom had already erupted into a full-scale war. As for what exactly happened, players had various theories. Some believed it was a tragedy caused by the Light Kingdom's failed attempt to reclaim its territory, while others, who were conspiracy theorists, thought it was a deliberate provocation by the Night Kingdom to start a war for expansion. Many others believed that the Night Kingdom had long been eyeing the Light Kingdom, and this was a result of the Light Kingdom's mishandling of the situation—of course, players had no stance, relying entirely on their personal preferences to speculate.

Regarding these theories, Rod believed they all had some merit—the southern border region was rich in crystal mines, an important resource for any country, and the Light Kingdom had no reason to let it go. The current ruler of the Night Kingdom, the Dark Night Dragon Iyon, was indeed a very powerful leader. Even during the middle of the war, even the notoriously cunning and unscrupulous players found it difficult to gain any advantage against him. There were even rumors that he was not an NPC but a member of the game company playing the role. As for the last theory, the performance of the Light Kingdom's parliament during the war was so poor that it could only be described as a pig-like ally, with many brainless orders causing players to grumble. In the end, some players from the same faction even defected to the Night Kingdom to fight against the Light Kingdom, a bizarre situation that highlighted the tragic state of affairs.

However, from the current perspective, the second conspiracy theory seemed closer to reality.

Rijie's feeling was not wrong. As a light element creature, angels were very sensitive to dark elements, and with her half-angel heritage, she should not be far off. So, the wind snakes' attacks on the Wind Tide Trade Route were indeed a premeditated move by the Night Kingdom, a precursor to a full-scale offensive against the Light Kingdom?

The situation was not simple.

"Rijie, don't tell anyone about this."

"Okay, Mr. Rod."

Hearing Rod's response, Rijie nodded. She withdrew her hands and carefully examined Rod's injuries, a smile appearing on her fair face.

"Your injuries have improved a lot. At this rate, you should be fully recovered in about five to six days."

"Thank you."

Rod nodded slightly to the girl in gratitude. Then, he lowered his head and looked at the system information that appeared before him.

The part of his health that had started to recover was gradually turning green. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could move freely again. Now, there was a lot of work for Rod to do.

What should he do first?

Rod frowned and fell into deep thought...

Meanwhile, at the site where the airship had crashed, two figures slowly emerged from the forest.

"Is this the ship you mentioned?"

The leading man spoke coldly. He wore beautiful, streamlined white armor with patterns etched in glowing gold threads. If Rod were there, he would recognize this as the emblem of a border defense officer of the Light Kingdom.

The person standing behind the man was completely wrapped in a black cloak, and his appearance was not visible. In response to the man's question, he nodded slightly.

"They killed my messenger."

A hoarse voice echoed through the forest under the night sky, giving a chilling and cold feeling.

"To be killed by such a group of dirty, incompetent mercenaries, it seems your pet is truly useless."

"It's not my fault!"

The voice of the man in the black cloak suddenly rose.

"If you could have provided me with a higher-level... a dominion-level... no, a mastery-level lord, I wouldn't have had to use such a low-level creature!"

"What a joke, a dominion-level?"

The man snorted coldly.

"What do you take us for? We only provide resources; your business is your own responsibility. If we could handle everything, what would be the point of having you?"

At this point, the man paused, then softened his tone.

"How long will it take you to start again?"

"At least two weeks. Do you think it's easy to find a wind snake swarm to control?"

"I'll give you ten days, and we'll double the reward."

Hearing the man's complaint, the man's face darkened. He reached into his pocket, took out a money bag, and threw it over.

"In ten days, I want you to start again."

The money bag hit the ground with a heavy metallic sound. The man in the black cloak bent down, extended a withered hand to open the bag, and then quickly closed it.

"Fine, ten days, I'll keep my promise."

"I hope you understand that no one else should know about this."

"Of course, I understand... By the way, looking at the state of this ship, it seems a few rats escaped. Should I help you deal with them?"

"No need."

The man waved his hand.

"I have my own way."

Hearing his response, the man in the black cloak laughed coldly.

"Very well, then I'll see what you can do."

A dense shadow appeared on the ground, enveloping the man in the black cloak, and then he disappeared. The man watched where he had vanished, a clear look of disgust on his face.

"Greedy undead, one day you'll turn to ashes!"

After a cold snort, the man turned around, his face thoughtful as he scanned the surrounding forest. Then, he placed one hand on his sword hilt and the other in his mouth, whistling loudly.

Soon, a griffin circled down from the sky and landed on the ground. At the same time, three figures quietly emerged from the depths of the forest. The man glanced at them, then mounted the griffin.

"Find those three rats and eliminate them."

Then, he coldly issued his order.