The Creators: From Night City

Page 434

"In the process of searching for a cure for our physical defects, my elder brother managed to obtain information about the twins. Legend has it that they were born with deformed horns all over their bodies and were regarded as 'children of bad omens.' They were abandoned in the sewers of the royal city from a young age and were put in prison and kept under strict guard."

"So this Blood King Munger is currently in the sewers of that royal city?"

"The royal city of Rodel has been largely destroyed in the War of Shattering, and these two deformed members of the royal family have long been released on the orders of Two Fingers."

"Two fingers again? What exactly is a two-finger?" Jiang Bing's question wasn't very polite.

"The two fingers are the preachers of the supreme will, His messengers at the borderlands, and every royal family possesses its own two fingers."

Marlenia, equally unconcerned, offered her explanation.

It's clear she doesn't respect these so-called 'two fingers'.

Jiang Bing followed up on her question, "So you also have your own two fingers?"

"Of course, there's also my brother and Princess Lani of the Moon. The three of us are the only three gods in this era, each possessing our own special dual-wielder. However, due to concerns about the dangers of the 'Crimson Corruption' law, I haven't had any communication with it for a long time. It's probably still on my divine tower."

"It seems this 'Supreme Will' is keeping a close eye on you," Jiang Bing concluded initially.

Even though Malenia was a demigod who defied convention, she still couldn't joke about 'Supreme Will' as easily as Jiang Bing could, and could only remain silent.

"However, if these two are released by Two-Finger, things will get complicated."

“No trouble at all, Your Majesty,” Marlenia straightened up.

“Although Mung has been missing since the start of the War of Shattering, his brother Mungert was bestowed the title of ‘Blessed King’ by my mother’s two fingers and is still guarding the capital. I think he must know Mung’s whereabouts.”

Jiang Bing sized up Marlenia, who was filled with hatred, and reasonably speculated: "With your current aggressive and impatient manner, as if you can't wait to kill someone, are you sure he'll obediently tell you?"

"At worst, we can fight another Shattered War." Since she can be called a Valkyrie, Malenia is naturally full of martial spirit.

She wasn't just talking; once the three Venerable Knights recovered, she immediately dispatched them by ship back to the Sacred Tree to bring back Michaela's whereabouts and to notify the army in the Sacred Tree to prepare for war immediately.

To be honest, Jiang Bing didn't care about these trivial matters, but this "Blessed King" also possessed a fragment of a magic ring, which piqued Jiang Bing's interest in him.

Moreover, he also wanted to meet Marika's two fingers, the messenger of the 'Supreme Will,' in the royal city.

So the three of them paused briefly before setting off again.

Jiang Bing's previous battle with the 'Mother of Truth' completely changed the landscape of Sunshade City.

The once green poisonous swamp has now turned blood red, and the smell has become even more pungent.

On top of the original stench, it also carried the strange smell of decomposed blood. The combination of the two completely cemented its reputation as a cesspool.

The entire city's exterior walls, buildings, and ground were stained crimson with blood, and a unique, pungent stench of blood permeated the entire city.

There were no living creatures left in the city. Whether they were rebels or prisoners of war from the original guards, they had all been sacrificed to the Invisible Mother by Elonmer. Even the roof of the city's best-preserved inner fortress had been ripped off by Jiang Bing.

The city has become a de facto ruin.

So when the three of them encountered Maremare, the former lord of Sunshade City who was in exile, their expressions became somewhat subtle.

Jiang Bing had a feeling that a victim had come knocking on his door.

Chapter 884 The War of Shattering

Maremare's career as an executioner was not particularly successful.

As an executioner, he was frail and sickly; as a city lord, he lost his castle and became an exiled nobleman; as the head of the Mare family, he lost his family's treasure, the Mare execution sword.

Calling him a good-for-nothing is not an exaggeration at all.

But even if he was a good-for-nothing, he was still a well-traveled 'high society person' who had seen it all. His bowing posture was impeccable, and his compliments to Marlene were just right.

"Greetings, Lady Malenia, by the golden tree. I never expected to meet you under these circumstances. I am ashamed of my current state."

This useless city lord wore a neutral white robe, and his entire face was covered by a metal mask, revealing only his eyes.

"Your city has been liberated, Lord Mare. You can now go and clean up the mess."

It was only when outsiders were present that the true prestige of the Marlene family was revealed.

She didn't even need to speak during the conversation; Finley took the initiative and handled everything.

But the head of the executioner family kept trying to talk to Marlenia, and his eyes behind the mask kept glancing in the direction of the Valkyrie.

Even after Finley awkwardly finished exchanging pleasantries with the other person and the three had walked quite a distance, the other person remained standing in the same spot, watching their retreating figures.

“This Maremare seems to be quite infatuated with you, Marlenia.”

Only Jiang Bing dared to say that. If it were anyone else, they might have been chopped into mincemeat by His Highness's executioners.

"That's normal. The men of the Mare family are born with disease, and Mare Mare doesn't believe in the Golden Tree at all; he's a believer in Crimson Corruption."

Marlenia felt no pity for this suitor whatsoever; all she felt was disgust and aversion.

"No wonder you made such a mess of your house." Only Jiang Bing dared to say this to Marlene.

The reason this world is called the Borderlands is, as the name suggests, that it is a region that intersects with many other worlds. On this land, there are magnificent landscapes, grand buildings, abundant species, and all sorts of strange tribes and creatures.

Putting aside other factors, the Alpine Plateau alone is filled with diverse terrains such as forests, inland lakes, rocky beaches, seas, and plains.

Similarly, a wide variety of creatures also live on this plateau.

Thunder sheep, blue sheep, fox-tailed squirrels, armored boars, giant octopuses... all sorts of animals that Jiang Bing found strange and unfamiliar filled the jungles and fields on both sides of the road.

The world under the Golden Law not only has no death, but also has unbelievably high productivity.

Crops don't even need to be sown. Under the light of the golden tree, seeds can be scattered along the roadside and survive. If you don't want to sow seeds, you can simply pick up some wild fruits from the bushes and shrubs to fill your stomach.

More importantly, under the grace of the Golden Law, the inhabitants of the border region actually do not need to eat.

The blessing of the Golden Tree will provide a continuous supply of energy, keeping all believers in perfect physical condition.

Eating is a hobby for people in this border region; they are truly capable of 'photosynthesis'.

The breaking of the Elden Ring greatly diminished the blessings of the Golden Law, but the world's accumulated wealth over thousands of years still keeps the world vibrant.

At the very least, both are examples of world order imbalance, but compared to Dark Souls, the world is like the Sahara Desert compared to the Amazon rainforest.

All three were incredibly fast walkers, so as night fell, they had already reached the Yatan Plateau and arrived at the pilgrimage road leading to the royal city.

Although it's called a main road, this neatly paved stone road is indeed enormous.

The road is over a hundred meters wide on both sides, and if lanes were to be divided, it could easily be divided into at least 30 lanes in both directions.

The stone slabs were cut neatly, and the gaps between them were so small that even a sword blade could not be inserted, which shows the exquisite skills of the artisans of the Golden Dynasty.

However, this magnificent road is now riddled with potholes, and abandoned camps, rotting supplies, broken military equipment, and tattered flags can be seen from time to time on both sides of the road.

"Oh"

As a direct participant in the war of shattering, Malena Adam transformed into a tour guide, explaining to Jiang Bing the common knowledge of the border region and secrets that only people at her level could know.

"This is the military camp where the royal alliance of 'Jointed' Gofua once stationed. Look, those storm eagle banners represent the auspicious beast symbol of Nymgford since ancient times."

The three walked and stopped frequently, and along the way they saw no less than a dozen abandoned camps of different styles. However, these camps had been abandoned for a long time and were overgrown with weeds. But from the remaining engineering equipment, tents and the size of the camps, it was still possible to infer that the army that had once been stationed here was of a huge scale.

This is quite normal. In a world where natural productivity is extremely advanced, everyone is immortal, and there is no logistical pressure to obtain basic survival supplies such as hunger, and even reincarnation is possible after death, Jiang Bing would not be surprised if the proportion of soldiers in the total population is higher than 50%.

The three continued walking, and so did Marlenia's narration.

Through her words, Jiang Bing was able to glimpse the causes and consequences of the devastating war, and the entire past.

The War of Shattered Souls, as the name suggests, is directly related to the Eternal Queen Marika shattering the Elden Ring.

But it all started with the assassination of "Golden Eldest Son" Godwin during "Black Knife Night".

This almost certain successor to the leadership of the Golden Dynasty, the Golden Dynasty's top combat force, and a theoretically immortal demigod, died in a hasty and comical manner.

A group of assassins known as the Black Knife Assassins sneaked into the royal city of Rodel and, right under the nose of the most powerful Queen Marika in the entire border region, used the 'Destined Death' law, ruled by the Night-Eyed Queen who had once been defeated by Marika, to kill Godwin's soul.

Marlenia spoke of this history in a calm tone, but Jiang Bing knew with his toes that there must have been a huge amount of power struggle involved. Without even investigating the details, he knew that things were definitely not as simple as she described.

Marika was devastated by Godwin's death, to the point that she suddenly destroyed the Elden Ring.

Of course, this is just the most widely circulated speculation. As for why Marika suddenly smashed the French Ring, probably only Marika herself knows the truth about the reasons in the entire border region.

The Crown Prince died suddenly, and the Emperor destroyed his own empire. Her two fingers punished the 'Supreme Will' by sealing and imprisoning him in the Golden Tree, forcing him to abdicate in a rather undignified manner.

And then, for some unknown reason, this two-finger distributed the fragments of the Dharma Ring, which were essentially fragments of the Imperial Seal of the State, to all the feudal lords who were stationed outside the capital, including those who held actual military power.

After finishing this task, it pulled Munga from the sewers and, without further ado, placed him on the throne, naming him 'King of Blessing', in order to stabilize the situation in the capital.

It should be noted that before this, the existence of the brothers Mongot and Mongo was kept secret as a 'family secret', except for Marika and a very few others.

As a result, Mongot was hastily put on the throne. What would Gofua, the bloodline of the first king Gofure, think? What would the other demigods of Marika's bloodline think?

The result is quite obvious.

The kings gathered in the capital to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Chapter 885 Peeping from the Golden Tree

Royal city of Rodel, the core hub of the Golden Law, the place where the towering golden tree takes root.

As the capital, political center, and cultural center, Rodel was a very large city with towering walls reaching forty or fifty meters high, and exquisite sculptures adorning the walls and entrance gates.

The endless life force fostered the development of art. The liberation of productive forces and the authority of the gods endowed these sculptures with a certain divinity. They took the sculptors a long time and exhausted their experiences, so they naturally look very awe-inspiring.

Of course, what's even more impressive is Rodel's gate and the two giant guards on horseback standing at the entrance.

Both were encased in pure gold.

Under the Golden Law, the most sacred substance is naturally gold, which is equally pure.

Two heavily armed, tall and muscular knights, resembling small tanks, stood guard at the city gate.

The towering city gate was cast from gold mixed with other metals.

The knights at the gate, along with their magnificent warhorses, were encased in heavy golden armor from head to toe, including their horseshoes.

"It is the big tree that guards it."

Finley revealed the other party's identity.

Jiang Bing could tell from their names that the main duty of these two magically heavily armored cavalrymen must be to guard the golden tree, and from this, it could be inferred that they were likely the direct armed forces of the Eternal Queen Marika.

Having endured five or more wars and lost the cycle of resurrection through the Tree of Life, the once bustling royal city was now desolate. Many ordinary people had either fled the city at the beginning of the war or were now holed up inside, leaving the once lively and crowded entrance to the royal city deserted and pitifully quiet.

Malenia's last visit to the royal city was in the early stages of the Shattered War. She, along with the "Limb Relay" Gofua, the "Judge" Lakad, and the "Shattered Star General" Rataen, formed a royal alliance to defend the capital. Unfortunately, they were unable to capture the city due to the defenses of the royal guards led by the "Blessed King" Mongot. In addition, the Sacred Tree was suddenly attacked, and Michaela, who was far away at the Sacred Tree, was kidnapped. Malenia had no choice but to hastily withdraw her troops, and the royal alliance collapsed from within.

Therefore, strictly speaking, Marlenia is the most wanted criminal in the royal city, an absolute outlaw.

But she still dared to stand brazenly in front of the royal city gate, revealing her presence.

Aside from the confidence that comes from her abilities, her own background is also an undeniable factor.

She is not only a descendant of Marika and a demigod of the Golden Dynasty, but also the actual commander of the Winged Legion and the Mikaela Sacred Tree Legion. In addition, she has come to hold them accountable. If Mongot does not want to fight another battle for the royal city, he must treat her with courtesy.

Of course, more importantly, Jiang Bing was following her. Having witnessed Jiang Bing's true combat power, the Valkyrie was somewhat acting as a figurehead.

The three who had come from afar quickly came into the sight of the tree guardian.

Stop

The royal knights stood ready with their weapons drawn.

"The royal city is sealed off; leave immediately."

Without any preamble, Marlenia gripped the long, narrow prosthetic blade in her palm, took a step forward, and darted in front of one of the tree guards wielding a large golden shield, unleashing a fierce slash.

As Malenia's weapon, that prosthetic knife can definitely be called an extremely excellent legendary weapon. Putting aside its lethality, its toughness alone is enough to prove that it is no ordinary item.

The massive golden shield, four fingers thick, was slashed and a deep dent was carved into it. Marlenia moved like a rabbit, and before the opponent could raise his golden halberd, she sheathed her sword, changed her stance, and stomped heavily on the opponent's shield. The power from the demigod caused the opponent and his horse to slide backward several meters.

She did not pursue them; her actions were merely to identify herself.

As expected, after witnessing Marlenia's unique prosthetic knife and equally distinctive swordsmanship, the battered tree guards did not dare to retaliate. The first thing they did after regaining their footing was to continue defending with their shields.

Throughout the entire border region, everyone knows that Valkyrie Malenia's offensive is renowned for its relentless onslaught.

"If you don't want to fight another war of destruction, quickly bring out your 'Blessed King' to see me."

"Greetings, Your Highness Malenia. May I ask what brings you here?"

The tree guard's voice was as deep as his size, but it sounded very polite.

He couldn't be impolite; Marlene was still holding a knife.

The Valkyrie held her weapon level and continued to repeat her request.

"Get Mongot out here, or I'll storm in."