Volume 3: Artifacts Chapter 32: The Fallen Angels
Nightingale accepted Luke's employment. After the three of them had eaten and drunk their fill, they did some shopping at the Scorched Wood Camp and then rode on camels and led their pack animals to continue their journey.
Luke's first destination was Sun City. Nightingale consciously rode a camel in front to lead the way, leaving space for Luke and Fast Legs to talk.
Fast Legs told Luke about the current situation in the West.
A large number of sand bandits changed their professions and became merchants. With the financial support of Nutao City, they formed a direct trading network between the Western Barbarians and the Empire. Although the Western nobles still controlled some commodity transactions, it was far less lucrative than being a middleman before.
As Luke expected, the nobles in the Western Territory, whose income had been greatly reduced, laid off part of their troops. With the Moonlight Court at their side, the entire Western Territory was generally stable.
Of course, when progressive forces drive social development, there will inevitably be reactionary forces.
"Zai Mie is very active right now. I heard that a group of nobles have formed a partnership with Zai Mie and established an organization called 'Yigumo' with the ultimate goal of destroying the World Tree.
The Demon Hunters have fought against the 'Legacy' many times, and the opponent has not only not been weakened, but has become stronger and stronger."
Luke said: "The 'Legacy' organization is backed by the Abyss Temple, and is in league with a group of Western nobles and the Disaster Reaper. Its potential strength must be very strong.
I got the information that the first apostle of the Abyss Temple, Victor, has arrived in the West and is very likely to attack the World Tree. The main reason I came to the West this time is to solve this problem. "
The fast-legged man suddenly realized: "No wonder the 'Legacy' has developed so fast that the Demon Hunting Group is a little overwhelmed. My Lord, if you want to deal with the 'Legacy', where should you start making arrangements?"
Luke shielded his eyes from the light with his hands and looked toward the undulating sand dunes ahead. Nightingale was about 300 meters ahead, and behind him was a trail of camel footprints.
"Let's go to Sun City first to find out the news about 'Yihan'. Is Maeve Siman in Sun City?"
The fast-legged man replied: "I sent someone to contact Maeve Siman after receiving your message. She should be waiting for you in Sun City."
"Yeah!" Luke nodded and asked, "Are there any other special things happening?"
Fast Legs thought for a moment and said, "There is another strange thing that has not been confirmed. It sounds a bit like a ghost story, but there are many witnesses."
Luke asked casually, "What's strange?"
"Some people saw a large group of black swans flying through the sky. Some said they were black vultures, and some said they were people with black wings. They hovered over a desert for about a month, and seemed to have lost their way. They suddenly disappeared not long ago."
Luke became interested: "The one with black wings?"
The fast-legged man smiled and said, "Aren't those people with black wings fallen angels? But since the end of the ancient war, there has been no trace of fallen angels. And if they were fallen angels, they shouldn't have been lost in the desert for a month.
Maybe they really were a group of black swans, or large vultures.
I have sent people to investigate, but I am afraid it will be difficult to find the answer. "
Luke knew that some fallen angels survived until the end of the ancient war. But the end of the war meant that they lost the opportunity to retake Sky City. At the same time, the war ended and the fallen angels became outsiders rejected by the devils in hell, so the fallen angels hid in the depths of hell.
The demons in Hell were scattered, and even if they wanted to attack the World Tree, they couldn't organize the corresponding forces. But the fallen angels were different. Having lost their homes and living under the protection of others, they were extremely united. If the fallen angels also got involved, the level of this crisis would be raised to a higher level.
Luke said to Fast Legs, "Swans have a strong sense of direction and will not wander in a waterless desert for a month. Large vultures have a sense of territory and will not appear in groups.
Send more people to look for witnesses and find out what those things are."
"Yes, sir." The fast legs asked, "Are those really fallen angels?"
"I didn't see it, so I can't be sure. But if they are really fallen angels, they will definitely use the World Tree to stir up trouble and reignite the ancient indecisive war."
If anyone didn't want the ancient war to end, it was definitely the fallen angels, but they couldn't stop the trend of the war ending. For thousands of years, the five ancient civilizations had been in seclusion, leaving them no chance to start a war again.
Now...the opportunity has come!
In order to fight for the quasi-artifact, the World Tree, five ancient civilizations will gather in the Moonlight Court. This is definitely the best time to reignite the war.
Luke was considering the changes in power between the enemy and us that would be brought about by the appearance of the fallen angels. At the same time, he notified Qingkong, who had already arrived at the Moonlight Court, to use the perception spread by the World Tree to search for the traces of the fallen angels.
The three continued their journey in the desert.
At this time, on the edge of the ancient grassland, a camel caravan was marching in a line.
The leader of the camel caravan was an old man with white hair and beard, and walking side by side with him was a young man, who was also the fallen angel Garland.
The other fallen angels were flying high in the sky, slowly following the camel caravan.
As they officially stepped into the grassland from the Gobi Desert, the leader of the camel caravan said to Garland, "I will take you here. This grassland is the grassland of the ancestors, and the Moonlight Royal Court is in the center of the grassland. There are many barbarian herdsmen on the grassland, and you can ask them for directions at any time."
Garland did not let the camel caravan go: "I asked you to take us to the Moonlight King's Court, but I didn't say to take us only to the Prairie of the Ancients. Keep going. When you see the World Tree, you can leave..."
Garland didn't finish his words. He straightened his back alertly and looked ahead with sharp eyes.
About ten meters ahead, a black shadow rose from the ground. Even with the blazing sun, the shadow was still as dark as ink.
Soon the shadows gathered into a person wearing a black smock , and the shadow under the hood was like a black hole.
Garland asked, "Who are you? Why are you stopping us?"
"My name is Victor, the first apostle of the Abyss Temple and the most loyal follower of the Abyss." It was Victor who stopped Garland. He bowed and saluted, then said, "The fallen angels entered the ancient grassland in such a swaggering manner. Aren't they looking down on the World Tree?"
Garland smiled, his expression showing murderous intent: "You know we are fallen angels, and you have the guts to stop us?"
"I am just reminding you kindly. The current World Tree is not the World Tree you know. The previous World Tree gave its authority to an elf. The World Tree you are about to face is not a harmless thing.
If you enter the Ancient Grassland without any disguise like this, you will discovered by the World Tree, and then... the angels in the Moonlight King's Temple will be happy to hunt you down."
Garland realized that he had indeed been a little careless.
"Thank you very much for your kind reminder. We will prepare our disguise immediately. If there is nothing else, you can die."
A fallen angel suddenly appeared behind Victor, sweeping across with a sword burning with black flames.
Victor did not dodge, but said: "Don't you want to know how I found you?"
The black sword stopped at Victor's waist.
Garland waved his hand, and the fallen angel behind Victor turned into burning ashes and disappeared.
"Thanks for reminding me. I indeed forgot to ask this question." Garland asked politely as if the attack just now had not happened at all: "How did you find us?"
Victor replied: "It was not you that I found, but another great being. His name is Zai Mie. He is a power that emerged with the revival of the World Tree, and the destruction of the World Tree is the only basis for his existence.
Disaster found you and asked me to wait here."
"Zai Mie?" Garland heard this name for the first time. He asked, "Zai Mie wants to destroy the World Tree. What does it have to do with us?"
"Then why are all of you fallen angels here? Disaster is about to launch a war to attack the Moonlight King's Court. In the chaos, you can do whatever you want."
Destroy the World Tree!
This was originally the purpose of the fallen angels going to the Moonlight Court. The best outcome would be to reignite the ancient war, and at the very least, it would prevent the angels from obtaining new artifacts.
It was all because the demons of Hell were too incompetent. The angels and the Shining Gold had already set up bases next to the World Tree, but the demons couldn't even organize a decent army. They were even worse than the Shadow Clan, who had already successfully assassinated a Shining Gold elder.
Garland didn't know whether the other party knew about the World Tree and the artifact, so he didn't reveal any information about it.
"That's a good suggestion. Where is the disaster you are talking about?"
"He is in Sun City now."
"Take us to Sun City."
Victor saluted and said, "It's my pleasure."
The leader of the camel caravan saw that they had finally gotten rid of the plague gods, and immediately said, "Lord Garland, since you are not going to the Moonlight Royal Court, let's part ways now."
Garland smiled and said, "I've changed my mind. You can only keep the secret if you die."
Before the leader of the camel caravan could react, a fallen angel appeared behind him. The black flame sword swept across, cutting the leader in half from the waist. His body was enveloped in black flames and instantly burned to ashes.
The rest of the camel caravan suffered the same fate and were all attacked and killed by the fallen angels.
After silencing the witness, Garland said to Victor, "Let's go to the Sun City you mentioned to meet the so-called Disaster."
"Please follow me closely."
Victor turned into a black shadow, then gathered into a crow, flapping its wings and soaring into the sky.
Garland laughed: "Finally I can fly."
He opened his smock, and his black wings spread out. The wings flapped gently, and he left the camel's back and rushed into the sky.
The other fallen angels chased after Garland who was moving away.
Only the camels and pack animals were left, completely unaware of what was happening.
Moonlight Court.
The crown of the World Tree was like a canopy, covering the entire ring-shaped Moon Mountain in its shade. The canopy was not dark because the sunlight was blocked, because every leaf on the World Tree was emitting a faint light, and the leaves rustled in the wind, and the light flickered like stars in the sky.
Some more points of light sprinkled down from the crown of the World Tree, forming a rainbow that could be seen from any angle.
The Moon Lake under the tree was as calm as a mirror. Qingkong stood on the water, facing the World Tree with his eyes closed, meditating.
In the spiritual starry sky, Luke and Clear Sky looked at this miraculous giant tree together.
Above the starry sky, the sun lit by Luke grew bigger and brighter, making the moon no longer the only protagonist in the starry sky.
Luke said: "I have a sense of crisis in my heart. The World Tree may encounter a large-scale attack. The opponents are not only the Disaster, but also the Abyss Temple and the Fallen Angels."
Qingkong always had a smile on her face. In response to Luke's worry, she replied, "Big trees are bound to experience wind and rain. They are either destroyed by the wind and rain, or they continue to grow after surviving the wind and rain. You see, the World Tree is very happy about your arrival. Now it not only has the protection of the moon, but also the sunshine of the sun."
Luke asked: "If our current strength cannot stop this attack, can the Starry Sky protect the World Tree?"
"The starry sky never gives shelter to anything. It is the source of order. Birth and death are all in order. The power to protect the World Tree is in your hands. You are responsible for protecting the World Tree, and I am responsible for protecting you."
Luke asked again: "The Temple of the Abyss believes that Disaster was given divine authority by the Abyss. Is this true?"
"The divine authority is granted by both the starry sky and the abyss, but the divine authority has different tendencies."
Qingkong gave the answer.
Luke thought of something and couldn't help but smile and said, "Why are the starry sky and the abyss so similar to the yin and yang I know."
Qingkong has some of Luke's memories, and couldn't help laughing when he heard this analogy: "Now that you mention it, they are really quite similar. This is the same destination in different ways. If we extend it a little further, we are also quite similar."
Luke suddenly felt a headache, as if something in his mind had been awakened, and there were many insights that he wanted to grasp but could not grasp. He endured the pain and tried his best to think, but he did not gain anything until the headache ended, and the awakened thing fell asleep again.
Taking a deep breath, Luke sighed and said, "I now understand why you keep so many secrets. Some things are indeed not something I should know now.
I'd better just be my ordinary self and do ordinary things.
Have the fallen angels been found?"
Qingkong smiled and replied, "The World Tree discovered them. But just as they reached the edge of the Ancient Grassland, they were taken away by a ball of abyssal energy. They must have gone to seek disaster."
The thing I least wanted to see happened.
Luke said to Qingkong: "Gather the Moonlight Knights to prepare to defend the World Tree, speed up the cultivation of tree people, and let the ancient tree people from all over the First People's Grassland move to the King's Court.
Inform the angels and the shining gold people that a group of fallen angels have emerged from the depths of hell and they want to destroy the new world tree.
..."
Luke quickly spoke of countermeasures and mobilized the forces to defend the World Tree.
But Qingkong said lazily: "It is agreed that I will only be responsible for fighting, and you will be the one dealing with people. I have already given you my body...
Theresa is here, and I'll leave her to you. This angel is just a piece of cake. If I had known she was so difficult to deal with, I wouldn't have messed with her."
After saying that, Qingkong pushed Luke.
The meditative clear sky over Moon Lake opens its eyes.
Next to her, Theresa slowly flapped her wings and landed on the lake, creating ripples at her feet.
