Chapter 1216 - Veronica (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After he checked his physical condition and Dimensional Pocket, Hao Ren decided to explore the temple.
Of course, he was worried about where Lily had gone to, but before that, he had to figure out what place he was in. From what he could see, he was sure that he was no longer in space, so where was he now?
He first examined the statues between the pillars. They had been badly damaged. The temple built by mortals could not compare with the real temple of the gods on the Star of Creation. After thousands of years of weathering, the once solid statues were now unrecognizable. All the patterns on the pillars had been chipped away, and most of the statues of heroes or great men had been destroyed. Only pedestals were left. Hao Ren stopped in front of a statue, which was barely recognizable. It was of a warrior in armor. Facing the center of the temple, the warrior was holding his sword and looking up slightly. His eyes were focused on the empty space above. That should be where the pulpit was.
If the pulpit represents the voice of the gods, then the statues represent the greatest warriors in history or something like that , Hao Ren reasoned with his logic.
Apart from the statues and pillars, there was nothing remarkable there. Hao Ren looked around and found nothing else. Then, he came to the gate of the temple.
After he stepped over the debris of a collapsed wooden door, the view outside the temple greeted Hao Ren’s eyes. Although Hao Ren had made a lot of speculations and assumptions before his departure, he was still surprised to see the situation outside. The world was enveloped in chaos.
The temple was located on a mountain, occupying almost the entire summit. Jagged rocks stretched at his feet, growing darker as they went. The foot of the mountain was almost entirely covered in darkness. There was no life on the mountain, only withered and twisted shrubs as well as dark boulders scattered all over the hillside.
Hao Ren tried hard to concentrate, and he was finally able to see through the darkness in the distance. He saw a barren wilderness spread out at the foot of the mountain. Twisted plants and strange shadows stretched across the area. Thick fog hovered over the wilderness, making it harder for him to see the distant landscape. Meanwhile, the sky was engulfed in endless darkness and chaos. There was no sun, no moon, no stars, and no clouds; only large, shapeless black patches rolling in the grayish-black background as if doomsday was coming.
In any case, it did not look like normal “weather” or even any kind of atmospheric landscape, which any planet would see.
“What the hell is this place…” Hao Ren grunted as he looked at the absolutely unnatural landscape. Nonetheless, he was still relieved. It was much better than wandering in space.
If Lily had also landed there, then she should be safe.
While Hao Ren thought about how he would look for Lily, a little light suddenly appeared on the plain and caught his attention.
The light emerged from the chaotic desert in the distance and gradually drifted towards the bare rocky mountain. The light was weak, but where the light shone, the darkness and fog receded. Hao Ren stared at it carefully and finally saw some dim figures in the light… There was something else amid those figures.
…
A dozen weary soldiers were carrying broken armor, notched swords, and a tattered golden flag. That was all the squadron of the once-glorious Taros Royal Guard had left. Under the faint light of the golden battle flag, the shield of light only covered a distance of 100 m. Walking numbly in the hopelessly narrow light shield, Veronica’s heart was sinking bit by bit.
The brutal battlefield in the Darkshadow Thicket still lingered in their minds like a nightmare. More than 2,000 brave veterans died in the bloody meat grinder. Servants of Chaos poured out from all directions and devoured precious lives, leaving noble knights to howl and die without dignity. The entire battlefield was smeared in foul blood. And Princess Veronica, the most treasured pearl in the kingdom, who led the battle for the first time, had been defeated. They were about to be engulfed by the forgotten dark wilderness.
However, Veronica’s greatest fear was not the assailment of her defeat by the kingdom’s inept aristocrats, or the carving up of her land and wealth by others after she left. She was not even very worried about her fate. All she could think of was this: the largest den of the Chaos in Darkshadow Thicket had finally broken through the blockade. The Servants of Chaos could reach the kingdom’s borders in half a month. Who could send them an early warning?