Chapter 622: Roland’s Demise (2/2)
“Hehe…” Xinran let out a giggle before humming in thought for a moment. Then, she said, “Actually, I do have a quest you can do. It’s very difficult though.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Xinran gazed to the distance and started, “When the old Silver Moon Alliance crumbled into nothing, a powerful country called the Roland Empire had appeared on the continent. Back in the days, it was one of the most powerful countries in the world, one that was charged with the heavy responsibility of protecting the continent. However, one day an incredibly powerful divine weapon called the Blade of Thunder emerged from the purgatory, and any human who was seduced by its power would find themselves lost to its influence. That was why the greatest swordsman of the Roland Empire, a man named Thunder, willingly turned himself into a devil to obtain it. He had walked into the palace himself, killed his own king, and led an army of Corpse Eaters to slaughter the entire city.”
Xinran let out a long sigh before continuing, “Today, all that is left of the great Roland Empire is a forgotten ruin. If it’s okay with you, I want you to travel there and seek out the body of Mengchuan, the Imperial Knight Captain of the Roland Empire. I have found his soul in the purgatory, and I plan to reforge his body with its power to resurrect him back to life. But for that, I need his body. This ancient brave possesses incredible strength, and I am sure he’ll be of great aid in the human resistance against the Night Creatures.”
“Mn!”
The moment I nodded, I received a quest notification—
Ding~!
System Notice: You’ve accepted the quest [Roland’s Demise]! (Current Quest Rank: SSS-)
Description: Head to the ruins of the Roland Empire find the body of the Imperial Knight Captain, Mengchuan, and bring it to Xinran the Wind Singer. But be careful, the Roland Empire is now a land of devils and undead creatures after it has been transformed into a purgatory entrance. Countless braves who were once famous throughout the continent had ended their lives there.
……
I rubbed my palms excitedly after seeing the rank and the description. Hehehe, a triple S-rank quest is the equivalent of a divine quest at this stage of the game, right? Xinran must think highly of my abilities if she gave me such a difficult quest. Should I find a couple of helpers before I go?
Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that was possible. The quest couldn’t be shared with anyone.
Oh well, I supposed that was better for everyone. Even I couldn’t be sure I could survive this quest, and I wasn’t in the habit of dragging my friends to their graves.
I opened the map and checked the location of the Roland Empire. It was located in a desolate jungle to the south of Sky City, Floating Ice City and even the Violet Empire. Moreover, the region was almost fully occupied by the Night Creatures and swarming with the undead. The visuals on the map alone made it clear just how difficult the quest would be.
Technically, I could hire a priest to accompany me on this quest. However, Murong Mingyue was traveling to Changzhou with He Yi, so she couldn’t help me unless I delayed the quest until nighttime. As for everyone else, I couldn’t bring myself to trouble them for a personal quest, and that included my good friend Yamete, who was the chief priest of Bloody Mercenaries. In the end, I decided that I would solo the quest as intended.
“Alright then, I’m going, Xinran!”
“Mn. Be careful, big brother!”
Xinran gave me a sweet smile before grabbing the Winged Silver Dragon by its broken horn. Then, she ordered, “Come on, we’re going to the hills in the west to murder some mermaids there!”
Akachi hurriedly replied, “Oh, my cute master, this little one shall fly as you commanded!”
……
I shot Xinran a dumbfounded look as I pulled out a return scroll. Xinran isn’t suffering from a split personality disorder, is she? The way she treats me and that dragon is night and day...
I crushed the return scroll and returned to Sky City. After taking out some Saint Spirit Potions from the warehouse, I teleported to Floating Ice City. It was way faster to travel to the ruins from there.
Swhoosh!
It had been a long time since I was last here. I exited the city and started running through the forest that I once fought in. Not far away, I saw a bunch of new players fighting with all their might against my old friend, the Green Praying Mantis.
The new players couldn’t hide their envy when I passed by them. Clearly, they saw me as a super expert. Ah shit, I forgot to turn off my equipment’s visual effects. I wasn’t someone who enjoyed flaunting my superiority in the norm. No, I was the kind of person who lay low in the norm and shone only when the time was right. When that time comes, hah, I will shine like the sun that wakes the entire world!
……
The trekking lasted almost an hour before a coniferous forest finally appeared before me. However, the ground was crawling with purple, diseased air, and I couldn’t sense any life anywhere. The undead’s strongest weapon had always been their poisonous corruption, and the plague was how they attacked. Through the plague they transformed the living into their brethren. Bit by bit, they corrupted the land and enslaved everything in their wake.
In comparison, the undeads of the Violet Empire were much more peaceful. Despite being a Night Creature herself, Queen Sophia made sure to clean up the pestilence within her domain completely. Her undead civilians didn’t only give up their blood thirst and cruelty for more peaceful ways of living, they were even trading with the merchants of Floating Ice City and Sky City. Violet Empire was a living miracle and one of the reasons Princess Karinshan decided not to attack them after reclaiming her birthright.
Of course, the Violet Empire was a powerful force in its own right, and Sophia was able to assemble large groups of undead cavalry thanks to Xinran’s support. A military force made of tens of thousands undead itself was a powerful deterrent.