Chapter 1 【Order】 Domain! 【Seeking Recommendation Votes】
2016-11-21
Author: Floating Tower
“Am I going to die?”
The flames of the campfire could not dispel the cold in his body. Zoe hugged his ten-year-old brother tightly. Hunger had drained most of his strength, but at this moment, he still kept his younger brother sheltered beneath him, closing his eyes and waiting for the pain of being torn apart.
“Perhaps death is a release,” Zoe thought in his heart, feeling his younger brother tremble faintly.
He tried to comfort his brother but didn’t know what to say, only murmuring, “Soon we’ll be able to see Father and Mother!…”
The anticipated pain did not come. A shrill scream pierced the darkness, followed by a thud as something fell to the ground.
“Eh?”
A tall figure appeared in the darkness. Frowning, he glanced at a ghoul that had just fallen to the ground with a single arrow, then looked back at Zoe, saying, “Captain. There are still two living people here!”
Saved.
Zoe opened his eyes in surprise, his expression a mix of lingering despair and ecstatic joy. He turned around and saw a corpse.
It was an exceptionally ugly ghoul, once his companion named Shinov, originally from Southern Wind County, who had been a stableman. The ghoul’s limbs were very thin, its head’s skin caved in, as if it had suffered from hunger for a long time. The only somewhat special feature was its belly, which was unusually swollen, looking as if it were stuffed with stones. Such characteristics were also evident in Zoe and his younger brother; both of their bellies were slightly swollen, not from food but from bark, roots, leather, and even some kind of soft soil stored in their stomachs. These extremely difficult-to-digest foods could temporarily stave off hunger but could not provide the nutritional needs they required. One by one, their former companions fell. Many had turned into ghouls from the torment of hunger in their past lives, including their father and mother.
They were refugees lost in the wilderness, having heard of the wealth and stability of the Southern Coast, hoping to cross the wilderness to reach Spearwind Hills.
“Here.”
The young Wanderer tossed over a small package but remained alert, saying, “Eat something first.”
Food.
Zoe’s eyes lit up instantly as he lunged for it, pulling out the black bread inside and taking a bite. The familiar taste made him tear up; it had been a long time since he had eaten real food. As if remembering something, he hurriedly broke off a small piece of the bread, chewed it a few times, then held it out in front of his weak brother, whispering, “Joy. There’s food. Bread, hurry and eat a little so you’ll have strength.”
“Water.” The Wanderer saw his action, his gaze softening a little, then threw over a water flask.
In the wilderness, he had seen many refugees who had completely lost their humanity and reason. The young man before him was far better than many he had encountered.
“Are there any other living people?”
A middle-aged man with a stern expression appeared, followed by two bare-chested warriors. The middle-aged man glanced at Zoe and then said, “Have they been checked?”
The young Wanderer shook his head.
The middle-aged man glanced over and said in a deep voice, “Prepare some food for them. Then take them to the temple and give them to the priest. This area has been infected by the plague.”
After speaking, he quietly told the person beside him, “Send them off now, be careful they don’t turn into ghouls on the way.”
“You!”
After eating, Zoe suddenly regained some strength. He looked up at the man before him with reverence, suddenly seeming to recognize something, he exclaimed, “You!… You are from Modo City, right?…”
The middle-aged man nodded but did not respond to the young man.
He had many things to do. Nearby water sources had been contaminated, and many starving refugees would turn into ghouls with just a little bit of death energy. Some of the initial batches he received had turned into ghouls on the way, not only biting many refugees but even killing three of his subordinates.
These were all skilled individuals from Modo City!
Thinking of this made the middle-aged man’s face pained. The guard squad at Spearwind Hills was too weak; he had brought twelve people from Modo City, only to lose a quarter due to a mistake.
Damn ghouls!
The young Wanderer came over as he saw Zoe recovering a bit, saying solemnly, “How many of you are left?”
Zoe thought for a moment and replied, “Some fell behind. We encountered a group of goblins on the way. Some have already turned into… become man-eating monsters… I don’t know… There were more than a hundred of us when we set out… Now only the two of us are still alive…”
The young Wanderer fell silent.
At this moment, Zoe finally noticed the sharp ears of the other person; he was a half-elf Wanderer.
“Follow me.”
The Wanderer seemed uninterested in talking and said solemnly, “I’ll take you to a safe place first.”
The food had given Zoe some strength, and his words filled him with hope. He helped his younger brother to his feet, stumblingly following behind.
All along the way, the Wanderer led the way while keeping his distance, his eyes still holding a hint of caution. Zoe didn’t know why but could somewhat guess it might be fear of him suddenly becoming one of those ‘man-eating monsters.’
Zoe had seen many of those man-eating monsters.
They were called ghouls.
Including Zoe’s parents, they too had turned into these monsters after death. He still remembered the scene; if not for an adventurer in the group killing it, his parents would likely have bitten him and his brother to death at that time.
Hunger tormented their souls and will, and when death came, many turned into the undead.
………………
“Captain.”
A tall woman emerged from the darkness, addressing the middle-aged man, “There are no more living people ahead. All remaining have turned into ghouls, and those who haven’t were eaten.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze was calm as he said, “Prepare for cleanup.”
“This is an important route to Spearwind Hills; we cannot let ghouls occupy it. Notify the Andrei Guard Squad to prepare for action. The order from Modo City is to clean it up within three days.”
“Yes.” The woman bowed and retreated, disappearing into the night.
The wind howled.
The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, murmuring, “Staying in Modo City for so long, I haven’t felt much of the outside world. I never expected that the once wealthy south has now turned into a hell on earth.”
On the way, they passed several villages, all plagued with gnawed white bones.
“Prepare to move.”
Excessive sentimentality had no meaning; their mission could not afford any delays.
………………
Zoe felt drowsy all the way, walking and stopping without knowing how long had passed.
In the end, his entire consciousness had blurred. When he regained his senses, the first thing he saw was a middle-aged priest in a white robe, who smiled gently at him and then said to the Wanderer beside him, “It’s all right now. The plague has been dispelled. We can do a full disinfection before sending them to the resettlement camp.”
Zoe turned his head and saw his brother sleeping.
Then fatigue washed over him, and he fell asleep again, feeling as if he had been transported onto a cart, half-dreaming amid the bumps.
When his consciousness fully recovered, he found himself in a stretch of more than ten miles of shelters.
“Name?”
“Place of birth?”
“How old?”
“Do you have any other relatives?”
A cold expression, looking like an official, asked him a few questions and then handed him and his brother over to a squad of soldiers.
There seemed to be many people like them, thousands of them being escorted forward, some with blank expressions and some filled with hope. They walked like this for the whole morning until a patch of green appeared ahead.
“Wheat fields?!…”
Zoe gasped in surprise; it was winter now, and there shouldn’t be any wheat fields. Even winter wheat should have just been sown.
A gasp of astonishment arose.
However, they were soon urged to move forward by the soldiers; they had escorted many people, each time met with a shout of amazement, and had grown weary of it.
“Look at those people!… Those people are Druids…”
Beside Zoe, a small man whispered, “Legend has it that they have the power to revive the earth and make all things grow.”
Some Druids appeared near the wheat fields, with many farmers busy around them. They occasionally looked up but then lowered their heads to continue working. The temperature nearby seemed to be rising, and after passing through the fortress ahead, Zoe felt much warmer.
By noon.
Zoe and the others reached their destination, a medium-sized town where they were resettled to the south.
Those with special skills were selected out, while those without special skills were gathered near the cottages.
That night.
Zoe slept on a soft bed filled with hay. After a day of walking, Joy fell into a deep sleep, but faintly, there were still sobbing sounds. He got up, walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky, and murmured to himself.
He didn’t know what the future held.
But for now, they were safe; their parents were gone, yet his younger brother still lived.
No matter what the future holds, he could only persevere.
Disaster had taken too much from him, but hope had also given him the motivation to keep going.
…………
City Hall.
A man resembling a clerk entered swiftly, then addressed Adele Isabella at her seat, “My lady. The sixth batch of resettled refugees has been tallied.”
“The current population received is nearing two hundred thousand.”
“Among them, eighty thousand have been resettled in the southern towns, which are now nearing saturation. The remaining population will likely need to be settled in the east and west.”
Upon hearing this, Adele Isabella raised her head and softly said, “Understood.”
“How’s the harvest for crops?”
The clerk pulled out a notebook, glanced at it, and quickly replied, “With the help of the Agricultural Church, currently a third of the land has been sown. The Druids have made some crops grow early, and the first batch of grain is expected to be harvested next month.”
“At present, according to the supplies from Modo City and the Agricultural Church’s assistance, we can maintain for about six months.”
Now, the refugees from the entire southern region were gathering towards Spearwind Hills.
Because Modo City, far away on the Overseas Islands, faced the least disturbance, it had instead become the greatest support for Spearwind Hills, with both supplies and personnel relying on Modo City’s aid.
“Send this document to Modo City.”
Adele Isabella picked up a document and handed it to the attendant beside her, then said, “Notify the temple to arrange actions.”
Population is faith.
Most of the refugees in Spearwind Hills had suffered greatly; the gods they once believed in had become very weak. At this time, as long as they provided a little guidance and offered a new life, Soren could harvest a large number of believers.
………………
In the Year of the New Moon 1677, early November.
Just as the seventh batch of refugees was being settled in Spearwind Hills, far away in Modo City, Soren suddenly seemed to sense something and instantly returned to his temple.
A golden pillar of light rose up.
Accompanied by the prayers echoing automatically around the temple, a massive force of faith converged toward Soren’s body. At the same time, this power also drew upon the energy of laws existing within the multiverse, and in an instant, a new Domain Ability was mastered by Soren.
A row of data appeared before his eyes:
“Ability Enhanced!”
“Faith Converted!”
“You’ve forged a new order for the Southern Coast!… During the chaotic times of the Saint’s Cataclysm! You created laws for Modo City! And reinstated order in the chaos of the Southern Coast!… You have obtained partial information regarding the 【Order】 domain!…”
“Divinity Converted!…”
“You have gained a new ability—【Order】 domain! From now on, believers of certain lawful factions will be able to access your 【Order】 domain and receive enhanced abilities!…”
Divine power descended.
A hint of golden brilliance integrated into Soren’s body, granting him 5 points of Divine Power and 5 points of Divinity. At the same time, the force of faith enveloping the temple rapidly depleted, transforming into a new Domain Ability grasped by Soren.
The order of Modo City had not brought about real change, but when Soren brought order to the Southern Coast…
Quantitative changes finally led to a qualitative change.
Soren grasped the 【Order】 domain, which other deities would take hundreds of years to possibly obtain.
And to achieve such a powerful domain, one either had to comply with order over hundreds of years or could only reshape order in turmoil.
……………… (To Be Continued ~^~)
