Chapter 1184 — Adventure

"Looks like our cooperation with Typhon has been finalized," Hedy stepped forward and helped smooth the wrinkles from Gao Yang's coat, then her brow furrowed slightly. "I just never expected the final 'door-opening' site to be Covenant Keep... That 'temporary fortress,' built solely for the signing of the peace accord between Anzu and Typhon, has stood to this day, to everyone's surprise..."

"And it will stand in the history and political science textbooks of later generations too—who knows how many passages will be devoted to it: 'Please briefly discuss the several famous historical events that occurred at Covenant Keep and their subsequent impact.'" Gao Yang laughed, using the joke to lighten the somewhat solemn, oppressive atmosphere. "Countless students will probably dream of that castle finally falling..."

The Xuanmai Sect's way of thinking was truly unpredictable at times. Hedy could not help laughing as she listened, and she even considered it rather seriously. "Then they'll be disappointed. Even if a building like Covenant Keep fell, it would only become a new essay question—something like 'State the time, cause, and historical background of the collapse of Covenant Keep'..."

That the ordinarily serious and earnest Hedy could actually keep up with his jokes now was a pleasant surprise to Gao Yang. Then he cleared his throat lightly and steered the conversation back on track. "When we get back, let Kamael know—our cooperation with Typhon is about to begin. The arcane energy source he created may not yet be able to unravel the mystery of magic's essence... but perhaps it can be used to blast open the secrets of the gods."

...

The cold, dry polar gale swept across the rugged wilderness strewn with crystalline rock formations, drawing from between the jagged stone pillars a low, drawn-out moan like the whimper of some enormous beast. The wind carried the pungent, distinctive smell of toxic substances volatilizing from deep within certain ruins, and the coldness of the air itself made the young huntress Lora shiver despite herself.

Though she had the double protection of a breeze shield and insulated clothing, and had just drunk a mass-produced frost-resistance potion issued above before setting out, the frigid weather of this northern region still constantly challenged her endurance as a southerner—at this moment she even regretted it a little. Had she known places far from camp could be this cold, she would have bought some higher-quality frost-resistance potions at her own expense no matter what—say, those premium fifty-two-proof sauce-aroma luxury goods from Cecil...

Having turned over some idle, aimless thoughts, the huntress reined her mind back in and began to focus entirely on watching for movement along the route ahead—losing focus is the greatest taboo when carrying out a mission in a strange and hostile environment, and she had just been distracted for far too long. She knew it was the ceaseless howling wind and the overly repetitive, monotonous wilderness scenery that were interfering with her judgment, but that was no reason to let her guard down.

Fortunately, this time she was not operating alone; there were quite a few reliable companions around her.

Lora raised her head and, while keeping watch on her surroundings, glanced at the companions before, behind, and to either side. She saw the several swordsmen who had set out with her and another hunter, and she saw the two druids in the party who were the most carefully protected. Finally, her gaze settled on the mage at the very center of the group—Old Master Mo Jin, who looked to be eighty or older, was striding briskly along among them, his expression one of great cheer.

Mages—that fragile yet powerful transcendent profession—should at all times, during operations, be protected at the very center of the marching or battle formation by teammates with stronger defenses. This was common sense that any adventurer should know and observe. But looking at that spirited old gentleman in the middle of the party... Lora really had found herself doubting her professional understanding more than once.

Did this elderly gentleman really need protection?

"We've drawn near the boundary of this squad's patrol zone," said a two-handed swordsman walking in front and serving as temporary leader, suddenly stopping—which also cut off Lora's train of thought. He took out a map imbued with enchantment effects and, using the flickering lines and points of light on it, confirmed the current positions of himself and his teammates. "Once we cross that low slope ahead, we'll reach the endpoint of this patrol. The area further on is the responsibility of other squads, so we can head back."

Lora breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her taut nerves did not yet dare relax completely. Keeping watch on the spaces between the stone pillars around her, she reviewed the mission she and her teammates bore: operating on the surface as support for the Tarlond dragon warriors, patrolling and confirming the routes the dragon warriors had opened up along the way, eliminating wandering monsters that had been lucky enough to escape the dragons' breath, and observing at all times whether new elemental rifts had appeared within the temporary safe zone, reporting them promptly.

And their entire series of tasks had only one goal: to assist the dragons in opening a safe route between New Agundor and the Crystal Rock Hills.

Unlike what Lora had initially expected, this was not a one-time job but a relatively long-term mission. The dragons could hardly open the road from Agundor to the Crystal Rock Hills in a day or two, so the entire task of clearing, securing, and pacifying the frontier might last many days.

"Honestly, I think this route is already safe enough," a one-handed swordsman could not help grumbling. Probably the days of continuous patrolling and the sparse, meager skirmishes had finally worn on him. "In all these days we've only run into a few wandering elementals—fewer than we'd get clearing monster nests around camp..."

The temporary leader could not help glancing back at the one-handed swordsman. "This is, after all, an area the dragons have already cleared once—it's only natural it's relatively safe. If you don't find it exciting enough, you can push on ahead; there's no shortage of monsters to practice on in the areas the dragons haven't gotten to yet..."

"On second thought, never mind—I'm not one of those sea sirens who can get sucked into a mechanical ship's engine and still crawl out of the cooling pool without a scratch..."

Listening to her companions' spirited banter, Lora felt her own mood relax a little. But just as a faint smile appeared on her face, a strange smell drifting suddenly into her nostrils made her frown again.

It smelled like sulfur, yet not so pungent; like scorched rock, yet more intense and vivid than that. Lora could not help sniffing hard again, and an inexplicable thought suddenly surfaced in her mind—

This smell—it smelled like pure flame.

Pure flame, of course, had no smell to speak of, and yet this bizarre association simply sprang into Lola's mind. Almost at the very moment the thought took shape, her companions nearby finally began, one after another, to notice that strange odor as well, and someone could not help but pinch their nose and mutter, "What is that smell... it's like something's burning..."