Chapter 54: Calamity Echo – Guardian of the Mist
Rast’s consciousness sank into the increasingly dense night.
It was unclear how long had passed when his awareness revived again, and the first thing he noticed was the cold metal floor.
Rast opened his eyes and surveyed the world before him.
Surrounding him was utter darkness, the only source of light was an oil lamp.
Compared to the electric lights commonly found in the present world, the illumination from this oil lamp fell considerably short; the dim light could only illuminate a very small area around him.
This appeared to be a lighthouse, a common sight in coastal regions, and he found himself in a dark and narrow room inside the lighthouse.
In the distant darkness, the outline of a wooden ladder was faintly visible, seemingly leading to the higher parts of the lighthouse, where the optical lens system for guiding ships was located.
Whether it was the oil lamp or the manually maintained optical lens system atop the lighthouse…
These were all technologies long obsolete in the modern era.
In other words, the lost history corresponding to this Calamity Echo… the level of civilization was not modern, at most, it was from a little over a hundred years ago, akin to the civilization level of the era in Deep Blue Harbor.
As such a thought arose.
“Rast?”
A familiar call echoed in his ears.
Rast turned around and saw the girl with a slender sword emerging from the darkness, her chestnut hair shimmering like flames under the light.
Her right hand rested on the hilt of the “Flickering Morning Star,” maintaining a stance ready to draw her sword at any moment.
Upon recognizing Rast’s face, Hiltina’s stern expression slightly eased.
However, her grip on the sword’s hilt remained unwavering.
“Rast, don’t come any closer. Although the probability is low, there have been similar cases during the previous Calamity Echo exploration…”
“After entering the Night World, what originally seemed to be companions was replaced by a certain foul creature from a Calamity Echo, disguised as comrades.”
“Due to the peculiar nature of the Calamity Echo, the rules prohibiting the natives from being informed about the existence of the Night World also partially become ineffective… And not just in appearance, that impersonator could even match the voice perfectly, remaining undetected throughout the exploration until the final point of the Calamity Echo, when its true form was revealed.”
“In the end, it resulted in the tragic annihilation of an entire exploration team.”
Hiltina’s voice echoed in the silent space: “Answer my question.”
“When we first met at the bar, what two drinks did you mix for me? How much did you charge for the service?”
“I only mixed one drink for you at that time, the ‘Fiery Sand of Sin,’ originally I recommended ‘Amber’s Love’ as well, but ultimately, I didn’t make it.”
Rast replied: “Also, I didn’t charge you any service fee.”
He smiled: “After all, at that time, Miss Hiltina was just a penniless fool in Deep Blue Harbor.”
Hearing Rast’s answer, Hiltina breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But then, she saw Rast raising his iron crescent-like revolver, aiming it at her.
“Now it’s my turn to ask.”
“Miss Hiltina, how many hamburgers can you eat in one sitting? Ten or twenty?”
Hiltina was taken aback, the tuft of hair on her head visibly twitching.
“I don’t even have hamburgers in my usual diet…”
“And don’t you think it’s rather rude to say a lady can eat ten hamburgers in one meal?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Rast pondered for a moment and holstered his revolver: “This serves as another layer of verification, after all, aside from the impersonator who replaced the identity of a companion, there’s the possibility that the current companion is actually a manifestation created by some illusion, derived from my memories.”
“Before entering the Night World, I placed a mental suggestion on my shallow consciousness, telling myself that Miss Hiltina is actually a super glutton who can eat ten hamburgers and twenty pieces of fried chicken in one meal, and drink ten cups of soda.”
“If you truly are a character born from my illusion, then you should admit you’re a glutton.”
“Of course, just issuing a mental suggestion without completely modifying the corresponding memory details… this mental suggestion will soon conflict with the original memories, leading me to notice inconsistencies.”
Hiltina: …
Although what you said sounds quite reasonable, why do I have this impulse to hit you?
And just as Rast and Hiltina expended some effort to confirm each other’s identities.
Rast saw lines of deep blue text flashing across his mind.
[Night World Mission – “Calamity Echo: Guardian of the Mist” has been activated]
[Era Introduction: Nearly a hundred years have passed since the disaster known as the “Iron Cross Plague” broke out in Deep Blue Harbor and swept across the continent.
Even though for unknown reasons, the tide of the Iron Cross rampaged for over a decade, establishing a civilization belonging to this new race before being curtailed.
However, starting from the Iron Cross Plague, evil gods, natural disasters, pollution, corruption, beast tides… various disasters, large and small, have continuously descended upon this once-prosperous continent.
The originally rapid pace of civilization development came to a halt, countless prosperous kingdoms were shattered by calamities, and millions of civilians became displaced. To this day, compared to a hundred years ago, the level of human civilization has not only stagnated but has regressed, with the population reduced to a fraction of its peak.
The remaining humans can only cower in scattered survivor nations, struggling to survive.
Land transportation has long been blocked by the Iron Cross and beast tides. The sea routes have become bridges connecting survivor strongholds, enabling each settlement to communicate and allowing the skeleton of human civilization to persist, without completely disintegrating.
And at the coastline, guarding the last navigable routes…
Under the watchful eyes of other races, cult organizations, and evil gods, there exists a mysterious organization that maintains the flicker of civilization.
Its name is—
“Guardian”]
[Mission Introduction: Frozen Water Town, an unremarkable coastal town, located along the former “Golden Coastline,” now the “Broken Coast,” is one of the important nodes connecting human civilization today, where the “Guardians” have long stationed members.
However, a month ago, this town was shrouded in thick fog, and the “Guardians” members stationed there went missing.
As a member of the “Guardians,” you and your companions have been dispatched here by your superiors to investigate everything happening in this fog-enveloped Frozen Water Town]
(End of Chapter)
