674 Intimidation (1/2)
The abyssal gap was northeast to the Stroop forest and far away from Nature's Residence. There was also the space disorder caused by the unsteady gap. Therefore, they were not teleported over but flew towards the destination.
Looking at the ocean of trees below and hearing the singing birds, Natasha suddenly asked as if her soul of a musician had been awakened. \”What is nature?\”
It was one thing to learn from books that elves would turn into trees after they died, and it was a whole different thing to observe it in person. She had a lot of mixed feelings.
\”Yes, what is nature?\” Lucien repeated and looked at Malfurion and Lankshear.
What is nature?
Malfurion suddenly had no idea how to answer the question. Every elf and every druid had their own definition of nature. Whether they followed Abhorrence or Balance, they all considered themselves to be nature's guards. Also, it was exactly because their definitions and opinions on nature varied that the 'Nature's Hearts' that druids formed and the powers they were capable of were different.
\”Nature is the world, including both plants, animals, humans, elves and other lives and volcanoes, swamps, fog and other phenomena. All those things constitute a balance system where everybody is interdependent with each other. Once the balance is lost, nature will decline into a lifeless wasteland.\” Considering for a moment, Malfurion spoke of his understanding about nature, in which balance and life were the core.
Lankshear had the unique pride of the elves. Although he was not exactly a follower of Nature's Abhorrence, he was not interested in discussing the question with humans. He merely stressed, \”Nature must include life; a lifeless desert cannot be called nature.\”
His eyes closed, Atlant said with a smile, \”We're arriving at the abyssal gap.\”
The five of them were all legends. Even though they had intentionally lowered their speed in case of dangers, it did not take them long to finish the journey.
At the center of the forest down below, the bloodstained dust enshrouded a fairly large territory. A giant crack that was as hideous as a centipede could be found at the center. Through the crack, the bumpy, Scarlet Plain could be vaguely seen on the opposite side, spreading out the intense air of blood and slaughter.
In the middle of the dust, a rather prosperous town stood at the edge of the crack.
It was exactly Town of the Anonymous.
......
During the long history when the abyssal gap was steady, demons which were chaotic and bloodthirsty in nature had been attacking the gap and hoping to arrive at the main material world to transform this world into a land of mayhem and destruction like abyss.
As for the human adventurers, although demons were horrible, their body parts were precious materials. It was not a bad choice to capture demons without entering the abyss. Therefore, many adventurers had gathered in this place and set up a town.
After that, the grand knights and the radiant knights realized that it was a perfect battlefield to improve themselves. They had often come from thousands of kilometers away to gain battle experience. For the senior-rank knights, unless they had extraordinary blood powers and gifts, they could only find opportunities of breakthrough in fighting.
The situation on the continent was relatively steady, and adventuring in the Dark Mountain Range or the Swamp of Dragons, where level-nine magic creatures were frequent, could prove very dangerous. The gap in the Stroop forest, on the other hand, capped the strength of the invading demons, relieving the senior-rank knights of their concern that they might run into Demon Lords or Demon Dukes. Therefore, the town was more and more prosperous and became one of the places with the highest population of senior-rank experts.
Of course, the battles here were not entirely risk-free. Many radiant knights and senior-rank sorcerers had died here. The adventures below the senior rank often had huge casualties, too. Therefore, the town had been named as 'the Anonymous':
\”You will leave with glory, or die without a name!\”
Mason, the Azure Dragon, looked at the wood plate that had stood in Town of the Anonymous for hundreds of years. He sighed yet again and said anxiously, \”When can we leave?\”
The elves who watched over the gap had always been indifferent to the adventures, but the strangers' operation did save a lot of their work. Therefore, they had been turning a blind eye to Town of the Anonymous.
The young, brown-haired man next to Mason took out a special cigar made in Brianne and lit it. Taking a deep breath, he said, \”Brother, stop upsetting yourself. Until they figure out why the gap is expanded, the elves won't let us go.\”
\”I feel that my lungs are full of sand and filth.\” Mason accepted his friend Fred's cigar. \”You know that I promised my family that I would return in half a year, but I'm now already two weeks late. If they come to look for me, they will be hurt in this crazy place.\”
Fred exhaled smoke and smiled bitterly, \”We should've left earlier… Elves forbid us from leaving because they fear that we will expose the change in the abyssal gap to the sea clans. Until they figure out a way to resolve the problem, or the sea clans obtain intelligence through other channels, we will have to stay here.\”
\”If the abyssal gap loses control again…\” As a level-six radiant knight, Mason couldn't help but feel scared when he remembered the swarming army of demons and the frightening Demon Lords and Dukes. They were the nightmare that he would never forget. If it were not Malfurion, Mentor of Night, who guarded the place at that time, many radiant knights including himself would've died!
Hearing his words, Fred couldn't help but tremble, too. He remembered the 'Sovereign of Blood' who had two heads, crimson scales, and gold and cold eyes. \”I hope that elves ask for reinforcements as soon as possible…\”
\”Elves are a proud people. They will never ask for help unless they really can't handle it on their own.\” Mason often praised elves' pride, but he couldn't have hated it more at this moment.
Then, he moved his eyes back and looked at the half-burnt cigar in his hand. \”Something is wrong in the town…\”
Fred squinted. \”Yes, something is indeed wrong…\”
......
Lucien, Natasha and Malfurion descended and approached the abyssal gap. At this moment, two figures, one green and the other brown, flew over from down below and stopped before them.