The group of people left the forest and headed towards the camp in the middle of the wilderness.
Bell was holding the soldier who attacked him before and was at the front of the team. He grabbed the man's wrists that were tied behind his back with one hand, and held a scimitar in his right hand, placing the blade across the opponent's waist - for the Belon people
It was a difficult task to reach the warrior's neck. The other four were guarded by Elio, not far behind Bell; An walked beside the boy, holding the writing book in his arms.
No one spoke. Only the sound of falling soil and dead branches, and the gasps of injured soldiers could be heard from time to time.
The sentries in the camp quickly discovered them. One person quickly ran to somewhere in the camp, while the other two sentries walked out of the camp gate, silently leveling their spears and aiming at the slowly approaching people.
An took two quick steps, patted Bell's arm, and signaled him to stop. Then she returned to her original position, waiting quietly, rehearsing the possible confrontation in her mind for a moment. Elio put his hand on the hilt of the sword,
His body was straight and his eyes were fixed on the sentry opposite.
About two or three minutes later, another group of people came into her sight from behind the camp.
Four guards armed with swords, shields, and heavy armor surrounded a young male officer and approached slowly. The officer was not much taller than her, had no beard, and his short hair was neatly combed from the middle, revealing
He had a smooth forehead. Unlike the generals of the Violet Empire in An's memory, he was wearing a military uniform with a stand-up collar and tight trousers instead of any kind of armor. His eyes passed over Bell and Elio, and quickly settled on An.
on the face.
That is the portrait of Kylo Russell when An saw this man more than twenty years ago when he was the marshal of the Kingdom of Hulun. The portrait has more lines than the face in front of him, and a short beard has grown on his chin.
Those pair of deep eyes filled with wisdom were just like this.
"Tell me your purpose." The man spoke calmly. For some reason, she felt that the other man's expression was somewhat satisfied, "Or stay here forever."
An opened the book in his hand and showed the handwriting he had already written to the other party. "Please release Elena and Grum. In exchange, we will return your five outstanding soldiers."
"Okay." Kailo turned to a guard beside him, "Call them two over."
The guards immediately complied. Not long after, Elena and Groom were led by the guards to the opposite side of the crowd. The two were not tied up, their expressions were relaxed, and there were no signs of injury or weakness. Lan
The hair-haired nun raised her hand and waved to An, saying hello to her with her mouth.
"As you can see, I didn't imprison them." The man turned to look at Elena and said calmly, "They stayed here voluntarily."
This was a little bit beyond An's expectation - no, maybe it was not unexpected. She met Elena's eyes and got a positive answer from the nun's expression. Then she lowered her head and quickly wrote a line of words.
"What is your purpose? If you want to stay away from the war, the land in the south should be more suitable, right?"
"As a "deserter" from the Imperial Army, I really wanted to go there." Kailo replied calmly, "until I heard something from this nun that opened my eyes, but I couldn't.
Until the “facts” are denied.”
"What does the fact mean?"
"The origin and planner of this war, and how it should have unfolded." The man narrowed his eyes, with a hint of amusement in his expression, "And...it is no longer consistent with the history "you" know.
reasons."
Ann took a breath. Of course she understood what Kailo meant. It was a question she had often thought about before, and it seemed that the man had already gotten the answer - from Elena and Uncle Groom.
"Ariel and I left the Theocracy together, and she...went to Fimmel." The blue-haired nun said softly, "She wanted to help him."
"Not only that, the surviving soldiers from the front line brought back another news." Kailo chuckled, with no trace of joy on his face, "After the vanguard army was defeated, there were also those who slaughtered the imperial soldiers together with the dragon's army.
A giant silver wolf more than ten meters long."
"In addition." Before she could fully digest what he said, the man continued, "A businessman from the Phil Federation once saw a brown-haired girl with wolf ears walking together with the new senator of the Federation.
If I'm not mistaken, that elder... is Fermir Stark."
——How is that possible?!
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't make a sound, Ann would have almost screamed out. Few people know better than her that Lily's hostility towards "Earl Stark" has turned Luglan Forest into a dead place, trapping the soul of "mother" Shisa
, and even froze the villages and people she was once familiar with at the moment of death in the forest. No matter what happened, it was a hatred that could not be eliminated easily - or in other words, it could not be eliminated at all.
Maybe as Ariel said, Fimmel Stark and "Count Stark" are two people. But Ann still can't imagine that the female mercenary voluntarily formed an alliance with the possible mastermind of the "Gray War"...
situation.
"What happened?" she wrote quickly in disbelief. "Why is this happening?"
"I don't know." The traveling nun replied softly, as if she was as confused as An. "But An... it is indeed our responsibility to cause such a result."
Ann bit her lip. Elena's words were only half right, but now was obviously not the time to debate that. She turned to Kailuo, and the charcoal pen could not help but tremble slightly, "What do you want to do?"
"The enemy has got help, so we need more strength. Otherwise, history may slide into another unknown abyss." The man stared at her with sharp eyes, "The empire, theocracy, and even more camps must
Let's unite to fight against the coming darkness. The first step is to use the influence of the 'Messenger of God' to make the people of the Theocracy - and even the leaders - agree with our goals."
It's simply a crazy idea, An Xin thought. As a member of the Empire, gathering forces in the nearly hostile Theocracy of Saint Leon is something that no normal person would consider. However... Kylo Russell, also
A general known for his cunning tactics, even as a young man now.
"Elena is willing to help me. She wanted to find her lost companions first, but three of them came at once." Kailo's voice returned to calmness, "I need any possible help. Bell, Elliot
, you are all excellent soldiers. And An - you have excellent observation, judgment and analysis skills, and you are a good candidate for a commander."
Is this recruiting them? The girl looked at Kailuo, and the man responded with a calm smile. She couldn't help but feel a little moved - it was always a happy thing to be recognized by a celebrity in history.
"So, I will bring the oracle and disaster to everyone at this time." The man paused for a moment and spread his hands, "I am waiting for your answer."
Elio was the first to express his position, saying that no matter what Ann chooses, he will always follow her. Bell walked up to Elena and clasped his hands nervously.
"You're all right...just fine." He looked around, hesitated for a moment, and punched his right palm with his fist, "I don't like that Huluman. I want to understand why Lily...the leader is willing to help him.
Busy." The Veron turned his head and stared at Kailuo's face, "Can you let me see her?"
"I will try my best." The wise general of the empire stared at Bell seriously, "The history that has not happened yet is uncertain. But I hope that it will be better than what you see in the history books."
Bell nodded, exhaled forcefully, and seemed to have made up his mind. "Okay, the earth elf, I will leave me to you for the time being!"
"Uncle Grum, what is your choice?" The girl walked to Elena and looked at the older and experienced warrior.
"I promise to go with her until I find your traces." Grandfather's former guard glanced at Elena, then turned to her, his eyes full of expectation, "Now you are the employer, and everything is up to you."
In this way, An was the only one who needed to make a choice. No one urged her, and everyone present understood that this was a somewhat difficult decision.
She is indeed still hesitating. Choosing to join Kailo's camp means that she will face countless challenges, encounter various overt or covert dangers, and even become enemies with her former companions. But on the other hand, being able to walk with a famous wise general
, she also yearns to learn the other party's strategies and knowledge.
The girl raised her head and looked at the crystal clear night sky.
'Tess' has just risen from the east side of the zenith. It is exactly in a semicircle at this time, which means that autumn has completed a quarter. According to the current season, it should pass through the constellations of Albuquerque, Stag and Crystal.
constellation, and then disappeared in the morning light of a new day. Following the predetermined trajectory of the silver moon, Ann easily found the brightest star in the crystal that represented Atias.
The distant stars have no actual connection with gods. Compared with the astrological rumors circulated among the people, An believed more in the astronomy books written and compiled by wizards that she read in her grandfather's study. This was her preparation for the adventure.
——Whether at sea or at night, the stars are one of the best road signs. However, gods...or divine messengers still exist in reality.
The girl prayed softly in her heart. If the "Lord of History" could see everything in front of her, could he tell her what the best choice would be?
No one answered. The question was returned to herself.
Many people's eyes were surrounding her, and An could feel the concern from them without confirming them one by one. An closed her eyes and used her photographic memory to replay the scenes since she left home in her heart.
That was Elena's promise to help her find a drug to treat the loss of voice, it was Alphonse who used his body to block the giant scorpion's blow for her, it was Bell who often complained but always did his job well, and it was Grum's solid support.
The arms, and Elio’s sunny smile. What connects all of this together are the words of the “leader”——
"One day, we will become the strongest mercenary group in the entire continent! Before that day, we will never give up. Is it the same for you... too?"
The nun's words are still half right. After this journey, maybe she will leave the mercenary group and start a new adventure with Elio and Grum. But at least for now, as a member of the 'Lilinono Group',
It is their responsibility to confirm what happened to the group leader...
An pushed the long hair away from her forehead, took a breath, and felt her heart suddenly became clearer. She exchanged glances with her former companions, opened the book in her hand, and walked to Kailuo.
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
The wise general of the empire looked at her and nodded as if he had expected it.
"The people following you are not just the ones in front of you, right?"
"Of course." Kailo looked back at the camp, "Some of them went to the Theocracy, and others, as you said, are preparing to establish a stronghold on the south side of the Forest of Parting." He shook his head slightly, "I learned that
After hearing the news about the "Messenger of God", we sent people to look for them... Unfortunately, due to identity and communication reasons, there were some misunderstandings."
"Who told your subordinates to speak unclearly?" Bell muttered in a low voice. "They are also carrying weapons. They are looking for trouble no matter what."
Bell's words solved another outdated doubt of hers. An thought for a moment, then picked up a pen to write down the issue that she really cared about.
"What do you think Lily will do?"
"There is only one possibility." Kailo lowered his voice and said the same words as she expected, "Fimir Stark needs more than just Lily's power. Living in the northern forest, Ada
The children of...the "gods who live in this world" are enough to become an army as powerful as the dragon."
"Leader of a large group of Lily... Thinking about it this way, we always feel that our chances of winning are slim." Elio held his head and pretended to moan, "Ann, Kailo, you must have some ideas, can you
Let us win!"
That's hard to say. If everything can be determined, how can it be called the 'future'? The girl raised her eyebrows and looked at Kailuo, passing the question to him.
"I can't guarantee it." The wise general of the empire did not look worried, "but hope still exists. Every "unknown" on this continent may be our help in the future."
This was exactly what she had guessed. The girl closed the book in her hand and handed it to the other person with her right hand, palm facing up. The man also raised his hand and gave her a light high-five.
The power of an individual is mostly insignificant in a war. But for An, this is another covenant that can change her life after her grandfather's approval.
Although she couldn't be sure at this point.
"Let me tell you, General... and this lady." The voice came from behind, it was the male sergeant who claimed to be a 'hunter', "Can you let us go now? Look, Duncan has both arms.
It’s broken and I’m still waiting to pick it up!”
An quickly turned around and signaled Elio and Bell to let go of the others. At the same time, Kylo Russell's voice sounded, this time with a clear smile.
"Go to Mabel for treatment. Then, except for Duncan, each person will write a report. From accepting the order to your failure, plus a review and analysis of the reasons - no less than ten pages, please give it to me before noon tomorrow
.”
The exaggerated screams of several 'soldiers' were heard. An recalled the words she wrote in her grandfather's tower at the first moment, and there was a faint expectation in her heart.
"I want to travel. To become the greatest explorer."
She had always been wrong about something - the world in front of her was no longer history, but their "present". What was before the girl was an "adventure" that no one had ever experienced before, and that was beyond imagination.
".
If they work hard enough, what can she, Elio, Groom, Elena and Bell, plus Kailo and more people with ideals, achieve?
That was what she wanted to confirm, her true wish for this world.