Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Darkness
Translator: 549690339
Due to Captain Kaimon’s enormous size, his mount was also quite large.
Once Kaimon planned to leave the city, it naturally created a stir.
Usually, this meant that the Knight Regiment was about to set out to exterminate a demon nest, or prepare for an expedition against a city-state occupied by demons.
Given the secrecy of the current operation.
Captain Kaimon didn’t participate in this training, and the leader was someone else.
A knight more suited to lead the Apprentice Knights outside the city.
Time was up.
The members of the Kaimon Knight Group gathered at the city gate, surrounded the several carriages carrying the Apprentice Knights, ensuring the safety of these young people before they reached the “camp”.
Mia intentionally moved closer to Han Dong in the carriage and pointed at the knight outside the window.
“Wow! The Behemoth Knight Group the wild troops!”
“The most formidable terrestrial forest combat force, the vanguard among the Thirteen Knight Orders Under the leadership of Captain Kaimon, this troop would become the most ferocious beast group in the Holy City, capable of devouring and tearing the enemy apart in an instant.
At present, it is only part of the Behemoth Knight Group.
But escorting us is more than enough for them.”
“Such savagery!”
Members of the Behemoth Knight Group were noticeably different from the general perception of knights who rode horses, used swords and shields, and wore armor.
Their appearance and armor, mainly made of animal skins, were very rough and violent.
The biggest difference was their beast mounts giant wolves, grizzly bears, male lions, black panthers, goats, etc.
To join the Behemoth Knight Group, one of the strict requirements is to tame a sufficiently powerful beast to serve as a mount symbolizing their identity and power.
However, among these wild and violent beasts, there was one unique mount.
Its master was the leader of this operation, Deputy Leader Heidler of the Kaimon Knight Group.
A slender woman with a snake head mark on her eyebrows and waist-length black hair.
From her scarves, nose rings, and midriff-baring attire, she appeared to be from India.
And her mount was a 13-meter-long black python.
Upon closer inspection, you would notice that Deputy Leader Heidler had a pair of terrifying snake eyes – pale yellow sclera and elongated pupils. Being swept by her gaze would send chills down anyone’s spine.
Heidler raised an arm tattooed with intertwining snakes, and a sharp voice reached every member gathered around the west gate:
“All units, attention!”
“Put on your goggles!”
“Wear your protective gear!”
“We are about to leave the city!”
In the large carriage where the six newcomers were seated, everyone was doing something.
Mia first took out a piece of black cloth.
As witchcraft spread on the surface of the black cloth, it transformed into a black robe of wizard that covered her whole body, and she also put on a wizard hat.
Since the right side of Mia’s face was covered by a mask, she just needed to put on a single copper goggle to cover her left eye.
The berserker Dawu and the blacksmith Winry simply put on the goggles they carried with them and did nothing else.
Captain Abe, on the other hand, had a subtle change in his aura when he put on a simple white goggle.
Through Han Dong’s special vision, the white aura around Abe could be seen undergoing subtle changes.
This white aura would condense into an owl’s head, apparently greatly enhancing his alertness.
“Owl Protection” – in active state, it increases individual alertness and reduces the chance of being mentally contaminated.
Among the six newcomers, the one with the simplest action was Dumps Martin.
This young man, known as a young Magician, merely lightly touched his wire-rimmed glasses with his fingers.
With a flashy, colorful glow fading across the lens, the ‘Goggles’ mode was activated.
As for Han Dong, he remained unchanged.
Upon touching the Crow’s mark on the back of his hand, a flurry of black feathers fluttered about, wrapping him in the ‘Crow Doctor’s Outfit’.
“The Crow Could it be that Prophet?! No wonder it’s so powerful, wow!”
Winry, the blacksmith already intrigued with the deputy, became even more interested.
However
She temporarily gave up on the idea of chatting with the deputy while looking at Mia, a fellow student with Han Dong and a close friend.
“I’ll wait till we reach the ‘Camp’ to discuss it.
If he really is a student of the Prophet, we might have a chance to become ‘good friends’ according to my master.
If I could enter the ‘Door of Fate’ with a student of the Prophet in the future, my chance of death would significantly decrease.”
The gate opens, the beasts rush in.
All members exit the city.
The metal carriage carrying the six newcomers was at the end of the line, a fierce vulture perched on top of it.
It was strange.
The moment the carriage crossed the city gate, Han Dong surprisingly felt a sense of ‘homecoming’.
As for the perpetual darkness outside the city, Han Dong felt no discomfort rather, he felt invigorated.
Due to the appearance of demons, darkness befell the world.
Two hundred years ago, the world was shrouded in dense mist. Sunlight could no longer reach the ground, marking the start of the ‘Dark Age’.
Only the Holy City and a few city-states worldwide remained unaffected, experiencing normal day-night cycles.
The moment anyone left the city, eternal darkness would engulf them. All mysterious investigators had to operate in the dark.
A variety of plants worldwide underwent genetic changes due to the influence of the ‘Mist’.
They no longer underwent photosynthesis.
Instead, they developed a large number of ‘Miniature Suckers’ on their bark and leaves. They absorbed the mist from the air to replenish their vitality, enabling all manner of plants to thrive.
As their basic structure did not change significantly, plants that absorbed the mist still released oxygen after a series of cellular reactions.
The oxygen content in the air remained unchanged.
But after the plants absorbed this ‘Mist’ for a long time, it caused their appearances to change drastically.
Twisted shapes were just the initial changes in plants.
Larger trees would develop ‘grooves’ on their trunks, giving them monstrous countenances.
Not just visually terrifying, these grooves housed numerous miniature suckers that would catch and ‘eat’ small creatures, supplying the trees with nutrients.
Furthermore, plants that absorbed enough nutrients would ‘semi-activate’.
They would perform simple twisting or tangling movements showing a degree of aggression towards nearby creatures.
During the carriage’s trip through the Gain Forest, occasionally one could see monstrous shadows writhing amongst the trees, which were just these semi-activated plants.
These frightening tree faces sent chills down the spines of newcomers leaving the city for the first time.
“Ah so terrifying!”
Taking this opportunity,
Mia feigned a trembling fear, clutching tightly to Han Dong beside her and even resting her head on his shoulder.
“Don’t make me say ‘Get off’ Sit properly!”