Chapter 298: Smoke and Ashes
After departing from the Imperial Capital of the Verdant Empire, Yuliya sat up straight, her eyes darting around like a hummingbird on caffeine.
“What are you doing?”
“Reading.”
“Reading? Where’s the book?”
“It’s from the library. I have this ability to save images of things I’ve seen before.”
In simple terms, she can screenshot things.
This ability isn’t unique to her; every player has it.
Back in the library, she flipped through pages at a speed that could make a tornado jealous. Even with super-speed-reading skills, no one can look at ten pages at once; she was just matching her speed with her screenshotting.
With such a long and boring journey ahead, it was the perfect time to get some reading done.
Their party left the Verdant Empire and crossed the boundary into the Smoke and Ashes Realm.
As the name suggests, it’s all about smoke and ashes here, baby!
This place is always in a state of war, which, let’s face it, is not great for tourism.
It’s full of minor countries, and merging or splitting nations happens faster than you can say “chaotic mess.” In one day, a territory can change hands three times: the East takes it in the morning, the West snatches it back in the afternoon, and by evening, someone just declares independence. Talk about a rollercoaster!
Now that they were in this wild place, Edward couldn’t help but remind Yuliya yet again, “Things are pretty chaotic here. Keep an eye out and definitely don’t run off. Stick by me, and you’ll be fine.”
“Yes, Teacher,” she replied, rolling her eyes for effect.
They donned the emblem of the Verdant Empire, hoping it would spare them some trouble. This move was sanctioned by Griphis, so they felt a bit safer.
Being a good distance away from the Jade Emperor Kingdom, most folks didn’t have a clue what it was. But being next-door neighbors with the ostentatious Verdant Empire? Well, that was familiar territory.
Even with the emblem, the impact would be minimal at best. Here, if the Verdant Empire wanted to meddle in things, it would take quite a bit of effort.
The group headed towards the location of the Teleportation Array marked on the map.
Along the way, they encountered a few refugees and bandits; however, upon seeing the group decked out in such flashy gear, everyone gave way, making a beeline in the opposite direction.
Yuliya sighed, watching the emaciated figures stumbling around as if they’d just come out of a zombie apocalypse.
Back in Blue Star, she was someone who never had to worry about food or comfort. In the Jade Emperor Kingdom, she met friendly folks, living a peaceful and stable life.
But others’ misfortune always tugs at the heartstrings, doesn’t it? You see suffering, and it’s hard not to feel something.
But what could she really do about it?
There were countless similar situations, both here and back on Blue Star.
Edward, noticing Yuliya’s glum face, asked, “Do you want to help them?”
“I do, but I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have the ability to truly help them.”
“You have some capability now! Giving them a piece of bread would be a massive help!”
Yuliya shook her head, “That’s just a band-aid fix; it doesn’t tackle the root issue. Besides, it would cause me trouble.”
Edward chuckled softly, ruffling Yuliya’s hair, “Stop overthinking it. You can be spontaneous! I’m here; you won’t get into trouble.”
“No thanks, it’s pointless. Let’s just keep moving.”
“Well, that’s true; it wouldn’t do either of us any good.”
Edward waved it off, urging everyone to pick up the pace.
But Yuliya wasn’t ignoring the suffering she saw.
She was pondering what she would do if she had the means to resolve this chaos.
An ancient philosopher from Huaxia once said: “When in hardship, one should strive to perfect oneself; when successful, one should help the world.”
Once, she might have clung to this idea, but now, this world was far more complicated than that.
Does that philosophy still hold water in this reality?
She wasn’t sure.
The group passed through the first Teleportation Array and continued westward.
Deeper into the Smoke and Ashes Realm, the sights and sounds were even more frenzied.
Smoke, fire, ash, and wreckage.
The horrors here were so much worse than in the Ruinous Country that even Yuliya felt seriously uncomfortable.
The mingled scents of bl**d and burnt flesh assaulted her senses.
As a modern individual, Yuliya had seen reports about battlefields on Blue Star and had even studied famous historic wars from Huaxia’s past.
But those words and images paled in comparison to the gruesome spectacle before her.
This was a different world, where m*rder was far more direct and personal.
This was a lawless land where morals could take a backseat and decency was as rare as a unicorn.
Edward pulled down the curtain that had gotten Yuliya all riled up, waving to create a barrier.
“Don’t look. There’s nothing to see. We’re just passing through.”
“Mm…”
Yuliya leaned back, shutting her eyes as if trying to will away the nightmare image of what she had just seen.
After what felt like an eternity, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
“What’s going on?” Edward questioned, brow raised.
“Report, Your Highness! It seems our Teleportation Array has been damaged!”
“Damaged? It’s completely out of commission?”
“Yep!”
“Great. Just great.” Edward pulled out the map, scanning it, “Guess we’ll take a detour. There’s a backup.”
It wasn’t unusual for Teleportation Arrays to malfunction or get wrecked along this route, especially in this chaotic corner of the world.
Even the most hidden spots will eventually be discovered, either by refugees or search parties.
“I’ll go check it out; maybe I can fix it.” Yuliya stood up, determination in her eyes.
“You sure you’re okay? Physically, I mean?”
“I’m fine. Just needed a moment to adapt. I’m good now!”
“Alright, go take a look.”
Yuliya was competent with a Teleportation Array, and fixing one was a piece of cake for her.
They got out of the carriage, Edward guarding Yuliya as they approached the Array.
Yuliya knelt down, inspecting the damage before announcing, “This is pretty messed up, but the other side is intact. It can be repaired; once I fix it, it’ll work as usual. Just will take some time.”
“How long?”
“About ten minutes.”
“What about materials?”
“I’ve got some on me.”
“Great.” Edward nodded, then turned to bark orders, “Everyone, defensive formation! Keep a lookout while the princess repairs the Teleportation Array!”
The team formed a circle, facing outward, on high alert.
Edward stood by Yuliya’s side.
Yuliya began her repairs.
Time ticked away, each second stretching like a bad joke.
Then, suddenly, an explosion blasted through the air.
Everyone froze, even Yuliya looked up in shock.
In the next moment, people rushed in from all directions, surrounding the group in a circle tighter than a drum.
The newcomers appeared to number at least five hundred.
A hearty laugh echoed from the back, in a language reminiscent of eagle-speak or maybe the sky-blue dialect, “Hahaha! I told you guarding this place was a goldmine! Look at this big catch!”
The crowd parted to let the speaker through on horseback, and everyone saw a massive man in armor, sporting a goat-like beard and a rather fierce expression.
“Brilliant, General!”
A slightly leaner fellow rode behind him, echoing the praise.
