"...Yes, here, in their eyes, we are just an unreasonable minority. Maybe they don't understand why we make such a choice and why we stand with those people. But yes, we do exist
There is a difference - when they fall into the excitement, madness and boredom, they hate everything and want to monopolize everything; but we always believe in justice, honor, self-sacrifice, and... love."
"...Yes, they are very powerful. I admit that they can destroy all resistance. They can even push me, us, and even our friends into the abyss of darkness. However, we will not feel a trace of fear. I hope you understand
——In the most desperate darkness, people can still pray for light!"
"...Yes, this is just a game; but what we love...is a world."
"...They had a dream and would soon wake up."——
Canaan Forum, the best pinned post "Praying in the Dark"
In the early years, darkness swept up from south to north like a tide, the light of justice was extinguished little by little, and despair gradually dominated the new order.
At the end of April, Ciburg fell, the Southern Alliance was completely destroyed, and the Knights of the Heart of the Griffin, which had been extremely powerful for four hundred years, also disappeared; and the two players who wrote this history, the Black Knight Soth, and he
The off-hand Book of the Sunken carries the Melody of Magic.
In early May, the war continued to spread northward. The Black Knights of the Hand of Despair entered the lower reaches of the Grass River and Dragon City entered a state of war readiness. In the same month, more than 100,000 war refugees poured into the Shield of Truth and Dragon City front lines. According to incomplete statistics, another
The same number of lives were completely wiped out in the flames of war.
Three days later, the 15th and 12th columns of the Hand of Despair, with more than 4,000 black knights, launched an attack on the Dragon City Lord's first line of defense on a 100-kilometer-deep front in the North Quiltai alluvial plain. That day
, fourteen towns were destroyed by war.
On the 7th, the Dragon City infantry group was forced to shrink its defense line to the north under a fierce attack. The 14th column composed of NPCs seized the opportunity to insert into the flanks. The Dragon City side was completely passive on the main battlefield.
On the 11th, the lord of Dragon City decided to give up the first line of position and began to implement the second set of defense plans; on the same day, Dragon City's mage army joined the attack sequence, and the player army of the Hand of Despair joined the attack sequence.
On this day, Plastor, a nameless and ordinary town in Canaan, suddenly became the center of the war.
Plastor, May 11th -
The quilt was folded quite evenly and placed gently on the clean bed.
The attic was very quiet. The sunlight after noon shone on the paper windows, and beams of golden light hung down through the window leaves. The dust rose and fell gently and slowly in the tranquility, and a few beautiful diamonds fell on the wooden floor.
Light spots. On the desk, the wood-grained tabletop has been wiped spotless, neat and bright. In addition to the inkwell and quill, there is a book on it - a biographical novel with a beautiful title page...
The guard of faith scanned everything in the room one by one, with a trace of nostalgia and a hint of memories of the past.
Sixteen years ago, he walked into this game for the first time with a bystander mentality; but he never thought that on this day, such a world would open to him. He still remembers,
I remember that in the baron's castle, in front of the beautiful lady, he knelt down and swore an oath to his sword, choosing to become a glorious knight. From then on, honor, loyalty, humility and justice were with him.
Accompanying each other day and night...
Also sixteen years ago, in order to earn some money for leveling, he became an apprentice at the grocery store here. At the same time, he had his first NPC friend - an uncle who was kind to others and always smiled.
, is also his boss - and since then, he has had the right to live in this small attic. At the same time, it has become his second home.
Sixteen months. Even in the game, it is only a little more than a year; but for the Guardian of Faith, everything in this world has penetrated into every inch of his memory. This attic, this shop,
As for this beautiful, medieval-style town, it left him with too many memories to count.
Whether it’s the grocery store owner who smiles all day long, or the cunning adventurer’s guild president; whether it’s the kind old priest who always provides them with free treatment, or the funny poet who travels around several nearby towns all year round—
- Even the security captain who had been causing trouble for them all year round made him feel reluctant to let go. He almost regarded these people as his real existence in this world.
The Guardian of the Faith also knew that he was not the only player who had the same idea - and when he thought of these comrades who had known each other for a long time, the uneasiness in his heart for the past few days inexplicably faded away a lot.
"Yes, we will not give up all these because we choose to protect them." He pulled out his long sword and thought silently in his heart.
The door was closed gently, leaving only a series of clear and powerful footsteps. In the forest——
The clear sound of metal colliding behind him woke up the black-robed mage. He came back from his meditation and raised his head, just in time to see Ke'er leading a man wearing a light blue chainmail and hanging a long ink
The ranger in green cloak walked towards him. Behind them was a petite paladin. At first, the mage thought she was a little girl, but when he got closer, he realized that she was not.
But at this time, his attention had fallen on the male half-elf ranger, and he raised the corners of his mouth slightly. He had learned from Xue before that this ranger was the leader of the players left behind by the Southern Alliance.
And he seems to be a pretty capable player.
Xiao Fen stood up supporting the rules of dark secrets. A brief meditation could not replace sleep. However, he pulled off his hood without leaving a trace to cover the tiredness on his pale face. Then the mage vomited lightly again.
He lowered his head and looked at his palm. His eyes followed his pale and slender fingers, and then he gently squeezed his hand - as if this could refresh himself.
There was no way. After all, the mage was physically and mentally exhausted from the fierce battles all night long. In fact, the female elf ranger was also yawning at this time.
Not just them, there are actually players lying everywhere in the clearing of the woods. They have all entered a dream arranged by the game system - these players are snoring softly, or even talking in their sleep.
These wonderful sounds came together and turned into a rhythmic ditty.
As for whether the sleeping appearance is elegant or other similar things, these guys can no longer care.
"Hello, Mr. Palin," the ranger had already walked to him at this time, and he said politely: "It's an honor to meet such an outstanding player like you."
"No need to say that, thank you for your selfless help." Xiao Fen smiled slightly, and a slightly upward arc was revealed under the shadow of the hood.
"No, we are very proud to be able to fight with the Shining Gold Coin." The half-elf man's face showed a trace of reminiscence, as if he was remembering the previous battle. After a while, he added, "Such an outstanding and brave person.
Fighting with such comrades makes one proud." He said in a sincere tone.
Then he handed over a piece of parchment and said, "These are the details of the distribution of the spoils that Miss Cole and we have agreed upon together."
Xiao Fen took the list and glanced at it. The Shining Gold Coin obtained an artifact in this battle. A legendary item and four high-level magic items, as well as some scrolls; the players left by the Southern Alliance also got it.
The same quantity of things, but the quality is slightly worse. The most advanced equipment is just an artifact.
As for gold coins, the Southern Alliance received much more. After all, their losses were relatively large, and the pension alone was a large amount.
However, regarding this list, the mage only paid attention to the name of the artifact - Anuka, the Death Embrace of the Lord of Hell. In fact, this pair of artifact gloves was not dropped by the Soul Seal Demon, but was originally dropped by Nesas.
What came out is just that it has now naturally become part of the mission reward.
As for the secondary artifact, it is a real trophy. It is a light energy dagger, which is the nemesis of some canned professions in terms of attributes.
As for the rest, Xiao Fen did not look at it carefully. After all, he absolutely believed in the ability of the female elf ranger in negotiation. The mage handed the list back casually. He was waiting for a reply, but at this moment he suddenly felt a burning sound next to him.
His gaze was directed on him. He was stunned for a moment. Looking to the side, he happened to notice the little paladin girl next to him whom he had just mistaken for Sophia.
"Who is this?" He asked the half-elf ranger while sizing him up.
There is no doubt that this little girl is a beautiful girl. Although she is very short, only a little over five feet, she has a very cheerful and sunny beauty all over her body, especially when the other person smiles;
Her skin is slightly dark, and she has long curly hair, but it is tied up and formed into a bunch at the back of her head, like a beautiful ponytail...
This little girl wears a piece of finely crafted full-body armor full of magical power, and wears a sheathed long sword on her waist. The long sword is covered with an eagle shield printed with a personal emblem. With the help of arcane vision,
With the power, the mage could tell at a glance that these three items were legendary equipment, and the other equipment on her body, including magic rings and necklaces, were at least high-level magic items, not even ordinary items.
Observing this situation, Xiao Fen couldn't help but smacked his lips. He was wondering what the origin of this little girl was, and she actually had such a set of equipment that was unique among players, even better than the one on the team members with shining gold coins.
The equipment isn't that bad either.
However, he soon saw that the little girl did not have a guild emblem on her chest like the other paladin next to her - usually the guild emblem could not be removed - so it could be seen from this that she was not from the south.
Alliance people.
In addition, Xiao Fen also noticed that this little girl was not as serious as ordinary Paladins, and seemed quite restless. Her small body was always swaying, and her eyes were wide open, full of curiosity.
In fact, she is now casting such eager and curious eyes on Xiao Fen.
"That... that..." Before the Confederate Ranger spoke, the little girl had already begun to mutter; her voice was quite low, as if she was organizing words, but in fact she only said one very simple sentence in the end:
"Excuse me. Are you really the mage Palin?"
Xiao Fen still focused her gaze on the half-elf ranger next to her. In fact, he just raised his head slightly, so that the other person could see the blurry outline of his face hidden in the hood, deep in the black shadow.
"This lady is our friend." The ranger immediately replied, using a rather respectful tone towards the mage, "She insists on coming with me."
The black-robed mage nodded slightly, "I am Palin." He replied.
When he saw the chocolate lady, his eyes lit up.
"Ah, ah!" She shouted with stars in her eyes, "Are you really Palin? Really? Great. I finally see you in person! Master, do you know? I am also in Yong.
Born in Dark Town, I grew up listening to your stories! My teammates and those NPCs are always talking about you! You are so awesome. Besides my sister, you are the one I admire the most!"
Xiao Fen frowned and looked at the little girl, understanding what she meant by "from small to large", that is, from low to high... However, the young lady's reaction almost shocked him.
"Ah, ah!" Miss Chocolate screamed again. "That's right! I haven't said my name yet! I said I'm not African," she said boldly.
The ranger next to him turned his head strangely, looking miserable.
"I'm not African?" Xiao Fen looked at the dark-skinned chocolate lady and suddenly wanted to laugh, but he politely pursed his lips to restrain himself, so that the corners of his mouth drooped weirdly.
"Yes, yes! I chose Warlock at first, but they kept saying that I was African. I reiterated many times: I am a player from China - I am a player from China! But they always said
I don’t believe it, damn it!” The little girl immediately explained rashly, “So I got so angry that I deleted my account and started practicing again!”
"How many levels were you before?" Ke'er beside him couldn't help but ask; you must know that growing up in Canaan is very difficult, and those who really take the initiative to delete their accounts are still quite rare.
"At that time, it was level 5. At that time, it was very high! But this time I made my skin whiter. How about it? Am I smart?"
"You're not just smart. You're simply too talented!"
The mage clearly saw Ke'er grunting. Although he didn't hear what she said, he could tell it was from the shape of her mouth.
In fact, Xiao Fen himself also has this idea in his mind now.
"Okay, Miss African," Xiao Fen had just said the first half of the sentence when he saw the latter's big eyes that suddenly turned gloomy and resentful. He shuddered and quickly changed his words: "...not Miss African.
, why do you come here all the time to see me?"
"Well..." This question caused Miss Chocolate to fall into troubled contemplation. After a long while, she raised her head with her little eyebrows knitted into a ball, "I just wanted to see Mr. Palin first, and now I want to see you too."
After that, I have another idea!"
"Lord Palin, I wonder if you can sell me those artifact gloves?" She said while carefully observing the mage's expression.
"Buy an artifact?" Xiao Fen was stunned. It seemed that there was no precedent for buying and selling artifacts in Canaan, because this thing seemed impossible to value at this stage. He thought for a moment, became curious, and asked, "So the Africans...
...No, not Miss Africa, what are you going to buy it for? And it seems like this thing is from the lawful evil alignment, do you really need it?"
Miss Chocolate nodded quickly, "Of course, my sister can use it! As for what to buy... Well, I don't know if Lord Palin can wait for a while. If you are willing to meet my sister, she will definitely give it to you.
Offer a satisfactory price!”
"Who is your sister?" The mage raised his eyebrows. Buying an artifact? It will surely satisfy him? A player who can say such big words will definitely not do it in obscurity, right?
"Her name is Roman, Tanasha Roman." The non-African lady said proudly.
"Ah!" Ke'er next to her let out a low scream. She fell into a panic mood. The footsteps of war were almost close to her ears, and there seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the air...
Gradually, some players or NPCs began to leave here to seek refuge in the north. However, more people chose to stay because this is their home and hometown for them.
The guard of faith looked at the fat middle-aged man in front of him with a complicated look. He was the owner of the grocery store. He always smiled and looked optimistic, even in today's current situation.
It cannot affect his mood.
"Uncle, are you really not going to take refuge in the north? Do you know that the Black Knight will attack here soon!"
He pondered it in his mind for a while, and then finally managed to squeeze out a dry sentence.
"Okay, little guy, you - you can all stay and protect this place, why can't I?" The grocery store owner smiled and patted his shoulder with his big fat hand, "You are just a passerby, and I am here
After living here for forty years, my father has lived here for sixty-seven years, do you understand?"
"But, we are different..."
"No, we are the same." The uncle smiled, "Little guy, you have been an apprentice with me for more than a year, don't you understand yet? You adventurers, and us, we are the same, so
We can still be friends."
"You will really... die!" the guard of faith became anxious, "Please let the Baron take you away, it is enough for us players here!"
"Okay, little guy, don't let us have any regrets," the uncle also took a deep breath, but he still had the same smile as before, and once again patted the young man in front of him on the shoulder.
, "Well, there is no such thing as a feast that never ends, little one! Although I don't want to admit it, it's time to say goodbye - but anyway, I am very happy to get to know you and a group of different friends like you!
"
Hearing these words, the young knight's whole body trembled. He gritted his teeth and stared at the kind elder in front of him, choking so hard that he could no longer make a sound. However, his eye circles finally turned red.
Outside the house, the players gathered in a circle fell silent. Many girls buried their heads and sobbed quietly...
A deep sadness slowly rose from everyone's heart.
"Don't be like this, everyone!" However, at this moment, a paladin player raised his head, "Don't be depressed! Believe in yourself, we will still win!"
"If we want, we can do all this!" He stretched out his right hand to everyone, and then looked at each of his companions with a firm look.
"Yes, because we have our friends here..." Another voice continued the sentence, and placed one hand on the paladin's right hand.
"Our memories..." said the second voice.
"And, our love..." This is the third voice.
"We choose to protect it and never give up!"
Many hands stretched out, and they were heavily folded together.
"It will definitely succeed..."
"Even in the darkest moments..."
"Don't give up hope either!" This is paving the way for the end of this volume; next, of course, it's still the old rule, the multiple-choice question on the name of the next volume. I don't know if I can choose that from the starting point now); Oh, if it's correct
If the answer has the highest number of votes, well... there will be a reward.