Traveling through the game world

Looking at the dilapidated city before him, Lian Yang asked, "Is this Huttonmar ahead?"

Huttonmar was once the capital of the Principality of Belmar, and looking at the endless ruins before me, it's easy to imagine that Huttonmar must have been a bustling metropolis that rivaled Dark City in its present state.

Nodding, Celia said sadly, "Beelmar was once the center of the continent's economic circulation and a paradise for adventurers. However, the catastrophe brought by the Destruction Era destroyed it, turning the once prosperous capital of the Belmar Principality, Huttonmar, into ruins. But there are still strong humans who tenaciously survive here."

Although Celia was unaware of her elven origins, she was as kind as the legendary elves and was always sentimental.

Sensing Celia's sadness, Lian Yang whispered, "Everything will be alright. One day this place will become as vibrant as it once was." In fact, the sentimental Celia was always everyone's little sister, so everyone took the initiative to care for her.

Continuing onward, we soon arrived at the entrance to Huttonmar.

"Halt! No entry without permission!" Imperial soldiers guarding the entrance to the ruins of Huttonmar stopped Lian Yang and his companions. Adventurers from all walks of life flocked to the ruins of Huttonmar, leaving Hyde no choice but to seal the entrance.

Before Lian Yang and the others could say anything, Hyde, who happened to be walking over, saw this scene. He thought that some reckless adventurers were trying to enter this monster-infested ruin. Thinking of the despicable behavior of some adventurers, he felt very displeased.

He muttered angrily, "I wonder where these scoundrels came from again!" Without turning his head, he ordered the novice knight Reni beside him, "Hey! You! Go and take care of them!"

René, a novice knight with pink hair and an imposing presence, received Hyde's order and saluted, saying, "Yes, Vice Commander! Leave it to me!"

Hyde was known for his stubbornness and unyielding nature, his harsh words, and his lack of favoritism towards his subordinates. He was an oddity in the army, but his integrity and strong sense of honor earned him the admiration of many in the Knights. René, a novice knight, was one of them.

He quickly ran up to Lian Yang and the others, and shouted, "The Imperial Knights have taken over this area. No one of unknown identity is allowed to enter!"

Upon seeing René's arrival, Lian Yang pinned the Iron Wolf Squad Leader's rank insignia to his chest and said in a deep voice, "I am Lian Yang, Squad Leader of the Iron Wolf Knights' Hope Independent Squad! I'm here to carry out a secret mission!" In reality, Lian Yang was using a fallacy; while he did have the authority to act freely, he didn't actually have permission to enter areas already under Imperial control.

"Yes, sir! I'll report to my superiors!" As a proper knight, she wasn't some wild monk like Lian Yang. Reni had a strong sense of class. Lian Yang's rank was real, but she needed to confirm with her superiors whether he had actually received a mission.

"No need for your report!" Seeing Lian Yang put on his rank insignia, Hyde approached. He said sternly, "Kid, you're the Lian Yang who was recruited into the regiment by Barn, right?!" Barn had already informed Hyde of Lian Yang's identity in a letter, so Hyde didn't bother playing the villain.

"Yes, Vice Commander! I'm here to investigate the Black Nightmare!" Hyde wasn't like Barn; this guy was straightforward and honest, and he paid great attention to the hierarchy between superiors and subordinates. Lian Yang's impression of him was that it was best not to try to outsmart him and to maintain a serious demeanor.

"Black Nightmare?! You dare to come in if you're not afraid of death! Let me through!" Hyde wasn't surprised at all when Lian Yang mentioned Black Nightmare, because Barn had already said that Lian Yang's purpose was to investigate Black Nightmare. At the time, he had been somewhat disdainful; was it so easy to investigate Black Nightmare sweeping across the continent? However, seeing that the brilliance on Lian Yang and his group's weapons was clearly enhanced, he figured their strength was considerable. Considering that there weren't any truly powerful monsters in Huttonmar right now, and not wanting to be the villain, he turned around and let them pass.

Albert, who was in the distance, vaguely heard Lian Yang's name and began to rush towards the entrance. When he saw Lian Yang, who had just put away his military rank insignia, he asked, "Are you Lian Yang from Silver Village?"

Lian Yang nodded: "Yes, Paris told you about us?" Lian Yang's question was obviously redundant; being familiar with the plot, he knew that Paris must have mentioned him to Albert.

Albert nodded as expected: "Paris mentioned you to me. I vaguely heard your name and came to check on you. I was just about to find a way to let you in, but I didn't expect you to be here already."

Led by Albert, they soon arrived at Paris's residence, which was not far from the entrance to the Huttonmar Ruins.

Upon seeing Lian Yang and the others, Paris exclaimed happily, "So it was you who made all the noise? Did Albert help you get through?" It was clear that Paris also knew that her pass was useless.

Albert shrugged. "While I'd love to say I helped them get through, that's not the case. They had their own methods. And you're not from the Empire, are you? Accommodation is very expensive for people from the Empire!"

Lian Yang chuckled and said, "Although I really want to tell you that's not true, we actually joined Barn's Knights when we passed through Dark City." The issue of their identities couldn't be hidden, so it was better to be straightforward. Lian Yang also knew that the relationship between Paris and the other natives of Huttonmar and the Principality of Belmar was actually quite complex.

Paris waved her hand casually, "Barn's Knights, huh? Not a bad choice. Anyway, you're welcome to come and have some fun. Although I invited you, the fact that you actually managed to come to the most chaotic ruins in Arad right now, Huttonmar, is something no ordinary person could do." While she disliked the Delos Empire, Paris didn't have any prejudice against Barn and his knights; after all, Barn was a hero renowned throughout the continent.

Baron casually found a place to sit down and said, "Life without adventure is so boring. Thinking about how your hometown was also destroyed by the Black Nightmare, we thought of coming here. Maybe we can find some clues! It would be even better if we could help you solve the Black Nightmare problem." Of course, Baron wasn't very confident, because while the Black Nightmare in Silver Village was just beginning to emerge, it had already become rampant in the Ruins of Huttonmar.

Paris nodded. "The storm of the Cataclysmic Era destroyed this place, but it's still a large city. The sheer size of the city makes it countless times more dangerous than Silver Village. Terrifying monsters abound here; I think it'll give you plenty of excitement." Paris was genuinely pleased that Lian Yang had come. The situation in the ruins of Huttonmar was becoming increasingly critical. The relatively powerful Lian Yang and his companions had been a lifesaver for Paris in her immediate crisis.

Alice tidied her beautiful hair, her eyes shining as she stared at Paris. "Don't worry, my darling Paris, I'll definitely find a way to help you solve the problem of this black nightmare!" Alice had indeed come to the Ruins of Huttonmar specifically for Paris. Paris was known as the "Stinky Gutter Princess," the "Stinky Gutter" referring to her humble origins in the slums and her low social status. "Princess" described her beauty, comparing her to that of a princess. How could Alice, with her boundless love for beautiful women, let Paris go?

Feeling uneasy under Alice's gaze, Paris took a step back and said, "What are you doing? Let me tell you, you can mess with Celia all you want, but don't even think about hitting on me!" Clearly, having spent some time with Alice, Paris knew about Alice's unusual fetishes, so she couldn't treat Alice as a fellow woman.

After teasing Alice for a while, Paris continued, "Speaking of adventure, I can't help but think of adventurers. Since the ruins of Huttonmar were invaded, the endless stream of monsters has attracted countless adventurers here. However, the adventurers are of varying quality, so you must be extremely careful when you explore. The most terrifying thing in the ruins of Huttonmar is not the most powerful monster, but the adventurers themselves."

Nodding, Lian Yang said, "I understand. I'll leave Celia in your care for now. The three of us will go to the ruins of Huttonmar to scout things out."

Emerging from Paris's residence, Lian Yang found Hyde already waiting there. Hyde spoke first, "Kid, have you met Paris?" Before Lian Yang could reply, Hyde continued, "The ruins of Huttonmar are incredibly complex now: Black Nightmare, mutated monsters, opportunistic adventurers, lurking revolutionary forces, and the ambitious Imperial Army. Your strength is utterly insignificant, but your identity is truly unique." Without waiting for Lian Yang's reaction, he turned and left.

Lian Yang neither explained nor pressed for an answer; he knew what kind of person Hyde was. Hyde was the epitome of a seemingly cold but actually warm-hearted and reserved man.

And indeed, as Hyde said, the Ruins of Huttonmar were extremely complex at that time. The Black Nightmare and the monsters invaded by it constantly threatened the safety of the residents of the Ruins of Huttonmar. Then there were the adventurers who flocked there for profit (experience), which was also an unstable factor. Adventurers of all kinds were capable of doing anything for profit.

The people of the Principality of Belmar, tragically destroyed during the Annihilation Era, were naturally unwilling to accept their nation's demise and the occupation of their land by the Delos Empire. The people of Belmar had been lurking in the ruins of Huttonmar, trying to persuade adventurers to join the revolutionary army dedicated to Belmar's restoration. Meanwhile, the Delos Empire's army, also eyeing the immense profits and intending to monopolize the area, had their eyes on this prize. All it took was a trigger to seize control of the entire region.

The opportunity lies in the fact that once the Black Nightmare is completely eradicated, like the Anofa Forest, the vast number of monsters remaining there will become a natural leveling ground for adventurers, a source of recruits for the revolutionary army, and a training ground for the empire. However, currently, all three factions are tacitly agreeing not to touch this prize, as none are confident of monopolizing it. If they cannot quickly and completely occupy it, it will inevitably attract the attention of more forces.

However, Lian Yang's identity is very special. He is Agamemnon's apprentice. The Four Sword Saints have an extremely high status in Arad, especially Agamemnon, who does not have a clear power to command. No one wants to offend Agamemnon, who has the strength to kill the Apostles.

Lian Yang, as Agamemnon's only disciple, joined Barn's Knights, a fact no secret among the continent's elite. However, ordinary adventurers were completely unaware of Lian Yang's identity, treating him simply as one of their own. The Revolutionary Army, knowing Lian Yang's true identity, could only try to win him over, as they lacked the courage to confront the Sword Saint and his allies head-on.

Therefore, Lian Yang did not encounter any resistance when he went to investigate the Black Nightmare. However, after the Black Nightmare was resolved by Lian Yang, who was in a state of confusion at the time, the three parties would definitely have to divide the benefits of the Huttonmar Ruins, either through negotiation or force. Lian Yang was definitely a key figure in this process.

Shaking his head, Lian Yang said, "Never mind, let's investigate the extent of the chaos here first!" He didn't care how the three parties divided things; Lian Yang only wanted to increase his strength and then kill the evil dragon Spitz sealed in Dark City.

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