Chapter 130: Combat Readiness Status
2015-11-24
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
City of Radiance.
A group of knights clad in silver-white armor were galloping on their horses, the paladins’ armor seemed to radiate light under the sun. The farmers by the roadside could not help but lower their heads in respect upon seeing them. After advancing south for more than twenty kilometers, a figure of a cleric quickly appeared before the knights, respectfully addressing the middle-aged man at the forefront, “Your Excellency, Silver Hand!”
The neighing of the horses sounded.
Silver Hand pulled the reins, gazing solemnly at the cleric before him, and said in a deep voice, “What’s the situation?”
The cleric answered rapidly, “The enemies have been eliminated.”
“Bishop is checking the nearby surroundings; the appearance of these enemies is truly too strange.”
This was the City of Radiance.
It could be said to be the stronghold of the good faction in the material plane. The Church of the Lord of Radiance had absolute control here, and for countless years, no demons or devils dared to tread on this land. However, recently, it was unknown why demons had appeared near the City of Radiance, with devils also frequently showing up. Moreover, these were not low-level devils; in a nearby town to the north, even the priest in charge of the temple had been lured and fallen into depravity by the devils.
If it weren’t for high-ranking paladins passing through there, people might still be unaware that this town was harboring an evil, fallen desire demon.
“Take me to see!”
Silver Hand looked around, then said solemnly, “The matter here must be reported to His Holiness. You must immediately send someone to notify him.”
A young paladin next to him responded, “Yes, Your Excellency, Silver Hand.”
………………
Meanwhile.
One hundred kilometers north of Leaffall City, a graceful figure was leaping through the jungle. She had a slender stature and pointed ears, and it was obvious that she was an elf. This elf had strange tattoos on her arms, and upon landing, she suddenly transformed into a pitch-black panther, cautiously prowling through the grass. Soon she discovered the source of the bloodstains.
There were signs of battle all around, with scattered body parts lying on the ground.
“Demon? Or devil?”
The black panther transformed back into the tall elven druid, and the young woman picked up the strange horn and the dark red-skinned body fragments left on the ground, murmuring, “No! I must immediately report to His Excellency, the Earthwalker!”
………………
Across from Leaffall City.
Eugene’s sturdy body stood outside a recently completed village, feeling much better due to the departure of the half-elves. This meant they had abandoned this land, and as long as he could lead his clan to manage this place well, the half-elves would find it unlikely to reclaim it in the future. With the advent of winter, the half-orcs were also having a hard time, so the clan members wanted to gather as much food as possible before the first heavy snow fell in the south.
But!
A very bad thing happened.
A hunting party dispatched by Eugene was almost completely wiped out; the only survivor returned in a daze, continuously shouting, “Demon! … Damn demon! … Kill them all! … Hahaha! … Come! … Come eat me! …”
He had gone mad.
Excessive rage combined with a mental shock could drive a half-orc insane, and the message he brought back cast a shadow over Eugene’s heart.
………………
With the arrival of winter.
Before this cold season completely enveloped the world, some irreversible changes were slowly eroding everything. The lower-class civilians were largely unaware of it, but the high-level rulers had already realized this fact.
Demons had appeared.
They were not only surfacing in their own domains but also frequently appearing around the world.
Overnight.
The evil cults lurking in the material plane suddenly became active, especially those demons and devil duke followers attempting to expand their influence. They were now engaging in activities in the shadows, using the power of fear to lure and recruit fallen followers.
Modo City.
Soren slowly set down the intelligence he had just received and then gave a deep command: “Dispatch all dark sentinels; Modo City must not allow the presence of fallen followers.”
“Kill one on sight!”
The drow warrior standing outside the door responded to the order: “Yes! Your Excellency, Soren!”
Demon followers have surfaced.
They manipulated fear to deceive ignorant civilians, telling them that terrible demons were about to descend into the mortal realm, and only by joining them in serving the powerful Demon Lord would these mortals be spared from the demons’ attacks. In a sense, they were not entirely wrong; demons indeed might not attack these fallen followers.
However!
To join these fallen ones, one must undergo a very evil and bloody sacrificial ritual. At that point, they could no longer be considered human.
They were quickly growing in power using mortals’ fear of demons, and traces of the fallen even appeared on the Southern Coast in a very short time.
Tap tap tap.
Soren’s fingers lightly tapped on the table, contemplating whether to inform the public of this news.
In fact!
After the frequent demon appearances, many in Modo City had already learned of the news, especially those well-informed merchants who had spread the word to many places, but no one had yet officially brought the news to light.
Revealing this matter would inevitably cause a certain level of panic.
What Soren was contemplating now was whether to inform the ordinary civilians in advance, which could help avoid casualties in the future, as once the new year arrived, it would be impossible to contain the news.
In the end.
Soren decided to gradually inform the lower-class civilians, starting by making some of the more perceptive ones aware of the situation.
This world is not lacking in clever people.
Thus, Soren issued a decree, ordering Modo City to enter a slight combat readiness status.
—Militia Training!
The decree from Soren was quickly disseminated throughout the entire island via the city hall, and news quickly reached other places on the Southern Coast.
Modo City had entered a combat readiness status!
The decree explicitly stated that all adult males in Modo City (aged 16 and above) must undergo militia-level combat training every three days.
Training every three days had already reached the intensity of support troop-level training.
It is well known that Modo City has a very large army, whether composed of pirate fleets or militias made up of civilians, their numbers far exceeded most of the principalities on the Southern Coast. Now that Modo City had entered a combat readiness status and began militia-level training for all adult males, the implications hidden within this were worth pondering.
Perhaps even ordinary civilians could sense something was amiss!
Is a war about to break out?
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
