Azure Scepter

Page 180

Although Futia was on foot, she moved with remarkable speed. Following her directions, the group quickly traveled south along King's Road, passing through Seven-Gill Town and entering the broader St. Ser's Foothills region. After continuing along King's Road for about half a day, Futia suddenly led everyone off the main road and headed towards the Grey Hills.

As the group left the main road, the once unchanging landscape began to change slightly.

The flat cobblestone path, the bushes, and the fir trees swaying in the breeze all slowly disappeared, replaced by undulating terrain, thickets of bloodthorn, and fir trees that were noticeably taller.

Time passed slowly, the sun gradually set in the west, and a damp mist began to rise. In the mist, some wandering blood plague zombies and ancient undead resurrected by the death wind brought about by a large number of deaths appeared vaguely. This place was quite far from King's Road, and the group had gone deep into the depths that they had never been able to reach when they were usually cleaning up the undead.

“It’s nearby.” Futia suddenly stopped. “There are tracks on the ground—it didn’t hide its tracks, it’s nearby.”

Chapter 342 The Fate of Aurelius (Part 4)

Trier looked down at the ground, where tangled, withered yellow grass and crimson thorns covered every inch of land, with only occasional glimpses of the gray earth visible through the gaps in the vegetation.

Without using magic or divine power, even with a perception level of 20 and some common sense about tracking, Trier couldn't find any "traces" here.

“The footprints are still fresh. If all goes well, we can find him before nightfall,” Futia said, taking out her scimitar and cutting through a clump of thorns blocking her path. “Stay close.”

However, just as Futia was about to push aside the thorns, she suddenly stopped.

“There’s a… strange undead over there.” Fatiya’s tone was slightly hesitant.

Since everyone present possessed formidable combat abilities, no one paid particular attention to the gradually increasing density of undead around them, as these undead were indeed unlikely to pose any threat to the group.

However, as Fythia spoke, Trier noticed an extremely strange undead not far to the west.

It was a naturally resurrected dwarven lich, wearing a rotten, pointed helmet adorned with a broken eagle image—meaning that this dwarven lich must have lived during the time when the Dwarven Mountain Empire still existed, more than a thousand years ago.

At this moment, the dwarven lich was wildly waving its staff, its movements utterly frenzied. Its bony paws were nearly flung away as it swung the staff and leaped about, like a shaman performing a ritual in a primitive tribe. However, due to its decaying body, with each leap, a part of its body would disappear...

If it weren't for the absence of any magical winds, Trier would almost have thought it was brewing some high-level spell.

"Is it casting a spell?" Edith asked uncertainly.

Trier observed for a moment, then shook his head: "No, there's no magical wind flowing at all, and I don't know what it's doing—it might be trying to attract our attention."

The dwarven lich had been staring intently at the group. As if sensing their complete indifference, the ghostly soul fire in its eyes suddenly flickered. The next moment, as if enraged, it raised its staff and pointed it at Trier.

Suddenly, a burst of light appeared, and a mournful groan swept across the fir treetops, like a ghostly figure walking in winter!

Trier's lips twitched slightly. This dwarf lich's actions had amounted to nothing more than a magic trick called "Light Spell," while the strange sounds were actually its own voice acting.

At the same time, two or three bare-handed skeletons with cracked bones seemed to be attracted by the light spell, and they staggered and trembled as they walked towards the group. Looking at the skeletons' swaying posture, Trier was even a little worried that they would disintegrate.

One of the accompanying knights could no longer bear to watch, so he drew his sword and volunteered to purify the distant undead.

“This is very unusual. Lichs usually control low-level undead to kill the living based on instinct,” Edith immediately stopped them. “That lich might be trying to lure us over there.”

“That lich is trying to lead us in another direction,” Faldia suddenly said. “Its direction is exactly opposite to the direction of Auris’s footprints!”

Trier watched the lich dancing wildly in the distance and fell silent.

Whether Aurelius was kidnapped or left on its own, it can now shield itself from divination, which means it at least involves divinity. But would a being of this caliber really send its minions to engage in such performance art?

The sense of unease he felt grew stronger, so he simply raised his hand and placed a "Bigbait Hand".

In an instant, the dwarven lich that had been hopping around in the distance was seized by an invisible force. With a gentle pull, the lich flew headfirst towards them, and the aftershock of the spell blew the skeletons that the lich had attracted into a pile of bone fragments.

However, when the lich was brought before Trier, Trier couldn't help but frown.

This bizarre lich was merely a puppet, devoid of any independent consciousness. As he seized the lich with magic, the spell that had been controlling it was shattered. Freed from the unknown necromancer's control, the lich resembled an ordinary walking corpse, baring its withered yellow teeth as it tried to bite Trier's fingers.

“Never mind it, just keep following the footprints,” Trier said.

He was about to crush the strange lich's head when a rustling sound suddenly came from the thicket of thorns, and the connection between the lich and its controller tightened once again—the lich's controller had come over in person.

Trier looked in surprise at the thicket of thorns not far away.

What does it mean when a necromancer suddenly appears in front of you?

A moment later, a giant sword suddenly emerged from the thicket of thorns.

"By the radiance above, you vampire bastards of Count Bortard, your enemy is me!"

A burly man wearing tattered plate armor and a helmet covered in mushrooms suddenly pushed aside the thorns and slowly walked up to the group.

With each step he took, a pool of wet pus would appear on the ground, emitting a pungent, putrid stench, and within it, one could vaguely see translucent blood plague maggots wriggling.

This person was clearly in the late stages of the plague infection, but he appeared to be quite lucid.

Behind this strange man, in the thicket of thorns, one could vaguely see a dozen or so people holding pitchforks, hunting bows, and wooden spears. They were dressed in tattered cloaks, looking like the bandits that could be found everywhere these days. However, their trembling figures, like quails, revealed that they had neither the courage nor the experience to fight.

"If you monsters have any honor left, then fight me in a duel of honor," the man covered in pus said in a deep voice. "What, are you afraid?"

“You’ve misunderstood,” Trier said amiably, taking the initiative. “We have nothing to do with Count Bortard. In fact, I’d love to chop off his head—have you seen a dragon nearby, or a particularly emaciated man with scars on his face? We’re here to see him.”

The man, covered in pus, paused for a moment, then immediately became alert: "Don't even think about using dark magic to affect my mind! I've never seen anyone with a scar on their face—since you're not Count Bortard's lackeys, you should leave here immediately."

Although Trier maintained a friendly demeanor, he was constantly observing the other person. The moment the other person hesitated upon appearing, he realized that the other person was lying.

—This man knows where Auris is.

The knight who had just volunteered to clear out the skeletons couldn't stand it anymore. He looked at Trier with eager anticipation, but Trier shook his head.

“I can cure the blood plague,” Trier suddenly said. “Completely.”

The man, covered in pus, looked up in surprise, but after a moment, he took a deep breath and said coldly, "I'm afraid that will cost me dearly."

“You won’t have to pay any price,” Trier said calmly, taking out his holy emblem. “I am a paladin.”

The Oathbreaker is also a variant of the Paladin class. He thought to himself.

The moment they saw the holy emblem, the man who had been filled with hostility seemed to relax suddenly, and the armed peasants behind him who were trying their best to hide their fear also visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry." The burly man infected with the blood plague lowered his head. "I was just... a little too nervous."

Trier took a diamond out of his backpack and then cast a healing spell on the burly man: "Bear with it, it might hurt a little."

In less than half a breath, the diamond turned to ashes, while the man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, the pustules all over his body burst open, and in an instant, the area beneath him became a pool of putrid blood, in which countless translucent maggots writhed and twisted.

He slipped and fell into his own pool of blood. The moment he hit the ground, his helmet flew off, revealing a terrifying face.

The man's face was completely rotten, with large and small pustules and pitted holes covering the little skin he had left. One after another, translucent maggots emerged from those crater-like holes. Between these skin patches that could trigger trypophobia, there were whitish, adherent fascia—his entire face was about to fall off!

It's hard to say this person is still alive. Trier even suspects that the other person has long been tormented by the blood plague and has become some kind of half-dead thing. The reason he can still move now may be because the blood plague provides energy in return—which could also explain why the other person can control the lich.

Seeing their leader acting strangely, the armed peasants behind them were terrified. None of them tried to attack the fully armed elite knights; instead, they scattered like birds and beasts, running away into the distance.

If it were before defeating Losevie and Saint Seir, Trier might have stopped casting the spell immediately, since once the blood plague was completely dispelled, the person would most likely die instantly; however, now, he only used a little bit of divine power again.

Being half-dead isn't a big problem; as long as the soul remains, death can remove the negative effects, and then resurrect the individual...

Half a second later, the blood plague was completely eradicated. All the blood plague maggots turned into pus under the effect of magic, and layer upon layer of viscous black liquid gushed out from every pore of his body. At the same time, this strong and healthy man finally died.

About half a second later, the holy energy transformed from divine power began to slowly repair his heart, which was already only half full, his kidneys, which were riddled with sores, and his brain, which was almost hollowed out. The next moment, the man opened his eyes again.

He took a deep breath, and his unfocused pupils gradually became clear.

“By the light above, I am still alive.” He slowly stood up. “For a moment, I even thought I had been tricked. Thank you, generous and merciful paladin… Wait, where are the others?”

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself first?” Trier said in a deep voice. “You fled from the territory of Count Bortard?”

"As expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch," the healed man laughed.

Trier shook her head, but kept staring at the man: "It's entirely voluntary. If you're willing, you can leave right now."

“You’re right, we are all refugees from the Earl of Bortard—that earl is an extremely powerful vampire.” The man was silent for a moment, then gave in. “Because of the blood plague, that vampire beast’s blood tax became increasingly exorbitant. In a fit of rage, I killed his blood collector and then fled with the villagers who were willing to follow me.”

“Wait a minute, you mean a vampire can openly serve as an earl?” Edith asked incredulously. “That’s... insane.”

“What’s so new about that?” the man scoffed. “Before I fled into the mountains, I heard that Princess Edith, who was always fighting against the Silent Whisperers, was a demon worshipper who was proficient in black magic.”

"..." Everyone present fell completely silent.

"So now can you share the whereabouts of the person with the scar on his face?" Trier broke the awkward silence. "You can rest assured, I am his friend, and I have no ill intentions towards him."

"I..." The man tried to keep his gaze fixed, but his eyes kept darting away uncontrollably. "I... I told you I've never seen him before."

“Honesty, my friend, honesty,” Trier said softly. “I don’t want lies, that’s my only request.”

The man hesitated greatly, his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently. After a moment, he took a deep breath and then clenched his fist.

“You saved my life, and I’m willing to believe that you have no hostility toward him—come with me.”

After saying that, he turned and walked into the depths of the thorn bushes, but the path was not in the same direction as what Futia had pointed out.

“Those traces were deliberately misleading,” the man said. “The master said that there might be terrifying undead coming to hunt him down, so he deliberately created these misleading clues.”

A dozen minutes later, the group, led by the man, arrived near a secluded cave.

PS: I estimate there will be two more chapters of this storyline.

PS2: I want to postpone tomorrow's update until the morning after tomorrow.

Chapter 343 The End of Aurelius (The End)

The cave entrance is quite hidden, located at the bottom of a ravine covered with thorns and weeds. If no one leads the way, it would probably take Futia at least half a night to find it by herself.

Although the cave entrance is quite hidden, a small village has been built nearby, overlooking the cave entrance from a high vantage point. It serves as both a guard post and a settlement for refugees hoping for protection within the cave.

Fir logs were bound together with heavy hemp ropes, forming several makeshift wooden walls. On top of these walls, Trier spotted several armed peasants who had just fled. Seemingly realizing their leader was still alive, one of the armed peasants, carrying a crossbow, immediately opened the wooden door and rushed down.

"By the radiance of light, you're still alive!" the man exclaimed excitedly. However, as he spoke, he glanced at Trier with a hint of fear. "I thought he had murdered you..."

"Show some respect!" the former peasant chieftain, now covered in pus, snapped. "This man is a true holy warrior. I am now taking you, my esteemed guests, to find the master. You should have Bernard prepare a proper feast and make sure my savior is not treated poorly."

Trier didn't speak; he peered into the village through the open wooden door. A cluster of wooden houses stood crookedly arranged, and piles of debris littered the chaotic roads. Cows wandered about, and manure lay scattered in the dust. There were very few able-bodied men on the roads; most of the people were elderly, weak, or disabled.

Amidst the chaos, several children could be seen chasing and playing with each other. Although they were thin and bony, they were laughing quite happily. One child even raised his hand and cast a light spell behind him to avoid being caught—in this village, a sorcerer was teaching the children magic tricks.

Aurelius has so much free time? Trillen was immediately puzzled.

Next, the chief, whose body was covered in pus, obtained several bundles of rope from the village and then led Trier and his group to the top of the cave.

Fearing the horses would be stolen, Edith assigned a knight to stay near the tree where the horses were tied, while Pegasus Nina, taking advantage of Edith's absence, made a big face at the knight...

The remaining people, led by the refugee leader, rappelled down to the vicinity of the entrance. After a full day of tracking, the group finally stood before the finish line.

“The master is inside,” said the refugee leader. “He should be treating little Sirona right now. Please come in, everyone.”

“I’ll stay at the entrance,” Edith said softly, drawing her sword. “If there’s an ambush inside, my presence outside will make things less passive.”

Trier nodded and then walked into the cave.

As they walked, a long, familiar, and nagging monologue came from the depths of the cave: "Let me tell you, exercise is good for mental health, and mental health leads to physical health, so exercise is great. You have to exercise, exercise more, run and jump more, and maybe you can even become a knight when you grow up. But then again, while exercise is good for the body, it's unlikely to be exceptionally good. So in addition to exercising more, you also need to take some medication. But you can't be superstitious about treatments. I tried everything to cure myself in the past—flying things, swimming things in lava, even bleeding myself for fun—I searched everywhere, but nothing worked. But guess what? The illness healed itself—so luck also plays a role in healing diseases."

"You mean my illness can heal itself naturally?" a childish voice asked timidly.

"I didn't say that. Try this. Drinking this will alleviate your illness a lot, but it's still a long way from a complete cure. Wait a few more days, and I will find you a real medical expert who can cure all your illnesses."

Is he more capable than you?

"That's much more impressive. He even took down the terrifying undead that made you sick—wait, let's not talk about this anymore, it looks like someone's coming. Remember to take your medicine first."

"I will remember!"

Just as Auris finished his conversation with the child, Trier and his party appeared at the entrance of the stone chamber.

Just then, Trier saw Aurelius, still in human form, force a bottle of "Potential Life Potion" onto a little boy who was clearly infected with the plague.

"Is this something a dragon would do?" The Trier people were dumbfounded by Aurelius's actions.

Unlike the "weak life potion", the "strong life potion" is extremely expensive. The raw materials for this potion are extremely precious, and the production process is extremely complicated. Only masters of alchemy are capable of producing it. Its effects are also quite remarkable, almost comparable to the healing spells cast by high-ranking priests. Therefore, the price of this potion can even reach 1 gold dragon.

Logically speaking, all dragons are extremely greedy, and their nature dictates that they would never give away such an expensive potion for free.

In the game "Azure Scepter", there is even a special way to deal with dragons - if you steal all of a dragon's treasure, the dragon will be severely damaged in its soul. If it cannot recover its treasure for a long time, the dragon may even die.

From a certain perspective, wealth is even a dragon's life value. To make a dragon willingly give away its wealth is as absurd and ridiculous as making it commit suicide.

In utter shock, Trier even forgot what he was going to say for a moment.

Aurelius seemed equally startled. He turned and saw Trier, and was so frightened that he jumped up. But soon, the dragon regained his composure.

“Trier, I wanted to come to you, but I was just too terrified of Laurence Rosé. The psychological trauma she left on me was too great—can you imagine? Even now, when I close my eyes, I still see that terrifying axe. But you actually did it! You really destroyed that immortal monster!”

Aurelius rambled on and on, talking incoherently and without any clear purpose.

“I simply cannot express my gratitude better. Trier, you know, I thought I would live in Rhodesville’s shadow for the rest of my life, but you have now saved me from fear! I no longer have to worry that every shadow will turn into an undead, terrifying ghost. Now I can finally control my emotions, and I can finally sleep peacefully. Now I feel truly alive. Ah, the sun is shining brightly again, and even the dust in the air seems to carry the fragrance of flowers. I thought I would have to hide in a cave and eat dirt and ore to survive from now on, but now I can eat some real food again.”

"Stop!" Trier was dizzy and his scalp tingled. He quickly stopped the other person from continuing. "Do you remember my promise to you? I came to heal you. Now that Rosevie is dead, the wounds on your face can be completely healed."

“Don’t be in such a hurry. I can finally speak freely now. You have no idea what kind of torture it is for someone like me who loves to talk to be unable to speak.” Aurelius shook his head. “Uh, never mind, I’ll get to the point. Trier, thank you for keeping your promise, but there’s really no need for you to keep your word now—with Lothaway dead, the wound on my face will heal on its own, and I’ll never hear her whispers again.”

At this point, Aurelius stood up, revealing the dragon tail beneath his robe: "Little Sirona, you go out first. I have important matters to discuss with them."

The little boy nodded, clutching the potent life-saving potion, while the refugee leader, covered in pus, tactfully led the boy away from the cave. The elite knights of the survey team also voluntarily left the room.