The camps are continuous, with military flags fluttering. The military camps made of heavy and sturdy northern stone and camphor wood stretch along the mountain, as if plowing a dark ravine on the snow. Soldiers wearing the unique "Winter Wolf" armor of the Northern Army are between the barracks.
Running around, like busy worker ants, they strengthened the newly established camp.
And above the camp, a shimmering magic shield is gradually taking shape. The magisters from Icewind Dale are working overtime to erect barrier pillars all over the camp in an effort to complete this magic before the snowstorm comes.
barrier.
This is the elite army of the six northern provinces, the northern army that the empire is most proud of. Until half a month ago, it was a solid barrier in the north of Dragon, blocking the empire from the Gorgon Abyss in the far north.
The evil spirits invaded, but now they set up a new camp far away from their original defense line, pointing their swords in the direction, preparing to launch an attack on the imperial capital.
A figure wearing heavy black steel armor came to the hillside, looking down at the military camp below and the busy officers and soldiers in the military camp. Although this figure wearing armor was impressive and quite tall, the figure was not as tall as the wearer.
The specially-made armor still makes the commander's limbs significantly slender than those of ordinary male soldiers, and the rose lace decorated on his cloak seems to hint at the true gender of the man wearing the armor.
The sound of crunching snow came from behind, and a gray-haired old general also came to the hillside. The old general looked like a lion, and even had his arms bare in the wind and snow. His body was so strong that it almost made people feel uncomfortable.
Doubting whether he had barbarian blood, he stopped behind the black-armored figure and said in a respectful tone: "Your Highness, you should go back and rest. The snowstorm is coming soon."
The black-armored figure did not look back. What came from under the dark helmet was a low but obviously feminine voice: "Grand Duke Owen, what do you think of this war?"
The old general looked into the distance, which was the direction of the imperial capital: "Since the formation of the Northern Army, we have only had these two missions, to seal the Gorgon Abyss and to complete the change of the era. Your Majesty has given us this mission. You will lead us.
Fulfilling this mission is the meaning of the existence of the Northern Army."
Constance Dragon shook her head, and her armor made a scraping sound: "Apart from the sense of mission, what do you think of this war itself? Our victory or defeat, the future of the empire, and... what this war will lead to
as a result of."
"The warriors of the north can fight against the erosion of the Gorgon Abyss in ice and fire. We don't have those mechanical swords or ancient inheritance. What we rely on is only the tempered will and bravery, and the generals who have not been completely frozen.
"I think the Northern Army is enough to fight against the Knights of the Black Sword, and we also have your Knights of the Broken Sword, so the chance of victory is already on our side."
.As for the consequences of this war..."
The old general was silent for a moment: "Your Highness, many things are destined."
A slight sigh came from under Constance's visor, and then she raised her head and looked in another direction.
On the horizon further north, a faint red line jumps between the sky and the earth. The sky around the red line shows faint signs of distortion, as if there is a powerful force entrenched there, waiting to invade this world.
world.
"The Gorgon Abyss has responded to us. It will be silent for two years. Within two years, we must end this war."
"The warriors of the north will not let you down, Your Highness."
Constance nodded slightly and slightly retracted her gaze towards the Gorgon Abyss. She saw that on the edge of the Cold Wind Hills, a new snowstorm was gradually taking shape.
She took off her helmet, and her long black hair flew up in the northern wind and snow. The oncoming snowflakes and cold wind made the princess with a resolute face and deep eyes couldn't help but squint her eyes.
An old and hollow voice sounded:
"There is no eternity in a dynasty. The gods will die, the Holy Spirit will die, the sages and dragons will also die. We don't know the beginning of all this, but we can see the bleak future, in which the world sinks in eternal night.
, everything turns to ashes in the smoldering, and all great souls can only witness this end in helpless wails, and are torn apart together with the whole world. Those who are ignorant of this are lucky, and in their limited lives and
In cognition, the world is full of light and peace. Except for those born in years of chaos, most people can enjoy a peaceful life, but those who live forever must bear the pain caused by facing the truth. This is the price of eternal life."
Constance took steps towards the camp.
"Father, please wait a moment, I will inherit your throne right away."
…
Some changes have indeed taken place in the lodgepole pine forest, but depending on the observer, the so-called changes may simply reveal the truth.
The convoy is moving forward on a forest road that has never been set foot on. The neat petrified lampposts and seemingly endless black pine trees on both sides keep retreating as the vehicle drives. At this moment, the three caravans have switched forms, and the carriage protection
After the board is lowered, it becomes a circle of low bunkers, and the crew sits inside the bunker to observe the outside world. This is more conducive to having a panoramic view of all the disturbances in the forest. Anyway, these three vehicles rely on shield generators to provide protection.
, lowering the carriage will not affect much of the protective performance.
The third caravan originally located at the end of the team was now moved to the front of the team and became the lead car.
Leah was lying on the front of the caravan, staring at this wonderful forest with wide eyes. The fog and chaotic time and space in the forest were meaningless in front of her eyes. This forest was showing its truest side.
"I am certain that what we are walking on now is the real black pine forest road. It is what it should be like. The forked roads and broad roads you know that have been explored by explorers are just illusions," Hao
Ren said to Charlemagne and Alvina, "I can also make a bold guess. Over the years, explorers have just circled in the gaps between the virtual and the real outside the black pine forest. People think they have passed through the black pine forest through the forest road, but in fact
Maybe he passed through some kind of space passage, or maybe he was deeply hypnotized while walking around the outside of the forest. The real scene inside the forest has never been seen by anyone."
Evana was so surprised at this moment that she didn't know what to say. She looked around with wide eyes, and then looked at Leah who was lying in front of the car: "This hypothesis is really appalling... Who is this little girl? Why are you so powerful?
Confident?”
Leah shouted without looking back: "Don't call me little girl, I'm older than you!"
"Her identity is a bit complicated to explain, but she has a magical ability, which is called seeing through so-and-so... Well, no, she sees through everything," Hao Ren explained perfunctorily, "She can see through all the lies in the world, so precisely because
With her in the team, we can enter this area that no one has ever set foot on."
"What kind of organization is your World Tree Temple?" Charlemagne hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask.
Hao Ren thought for a while: "Basically, it's about saving the world."
"Okay, I overstepped, please don't mind."
"...I mean it seriously!"
Here, Hao Ren was emphasizing that he was an honest person, and Lily suddenly poked his arm next to him: "Landlord, landlord, look, there's another one over there."
Hao Ren looked in the direction of Lily's finger, and was shocked to see several vague figures suddenly condensed in the mist behind the side of the motorcade. Those figures shook twice, and then they became indistinguishable from real people.
A "phantom" wearing civilian clothes, with golden-red pupils, silver-colored hair and up to two meters tall. They are both male and female. They are just as leisurely as ordinary people walking in the forest, chatting slowly.
Walking into the mist in the distance, their conversation could be heard faintly:
"The army has been mobilized very frequently recently. I heard that there is fighting on the border... The Patriarch often goes to the Great Temple recently. Could it be... The Seven Kings Conference is about to be held. I really don't want any trouble at this time."
Those phantoms disappeared, and Vivian frowned slightly: "This is the seventh time, and this time there is a meeting of the Seven Kings."
Ever since the convoy moved deep into the black pine forest, those phantoms had appeared more than once.
And their contents are also different.
The first time, Hao Ren and the others saw soldiers who had an encounter with pollution monsters on the road. The second time, they saw a group of scarred refugees retreating under the cover of soldiers. The third time, they saw a group of
The prisoners were escorted deep into the forest, but the fourth time they saw a group of simply dressed craftsmen gathering at the intersection, pointing towards the forest, seeming to be planning some kind of construction project...
So far, this is already the seventh time.
The appearance of phantoms is irregular and does not seem to be arranged according to the timeline. Sometimes they appear as refugees in times of national crisis, and sometimes they appear as pioneers pioneering and building in the wilderness.
Leah initially speculated that these phantoms were "another possibility that the world has not realized", but now this speculation has basically been rejected. Hao Ren suspected that what was shown in the black pine forest was actually a section of the "old world"
History, and a history that even Leah has never seen.
That should have been the memory of the past, but it turned into a "false world" for some unknown reason. Hao Ren speculated that this so-called unknown reason was the destruction and rebirth that Lahirien had experienced.
The only thing that can't be explained is that this world was reborn under the influence of Leah's dream. What part of the process went wrong that caused such an "reverberation of the old world" to be preserved, and it was named after the black pine forest.
What form does it take to appear in this world?
Looking at the dark trees around her, Evana felt a little uneasy: "Are we...really going the right way?"
As if to respond to her, Leah, who was lying in front of the carriage, suddenly patted the cover of the carriage and pointed to the fork in the road ahead: "Ahead, go left."
"Trust her judgment," Hao Ren said with a smile, "Her intuition and true vision can lead us to find the truth about this forest."
Evana almost cried: "But we don't want to find the truth about this forest. We want to get out quickly..."
Hao Ren remained calm: "Oh, then her intuition and true vision can lead us out of this forest."
Evana suddenly felt despair, feeling that the group of chatty guys in front of her might not be planning to go out...
At this moment, Vivian suddenly raised her head and shrugged her nose: "I seem to smell... the smell of blood."