Chapter 27.3

Kevin abruptly remembered the row of stone statues in the kitchen.

"Wait," he said to the people leaning against the stone statue. "Can you turn the stone statues behind you around? I want to see their faces."

His sudden words caused a ripple of unease to spread through the room. The generals were stunned for a moment, but then they got up one after another and turned the row of stone statues around to face the crowd.

The statues were realistic enough to be mistaken for carvings, but the expressions on their faces were anything but serene. They were terrified, dazed, and confused, as if they had been frozen in the midst of a great struggle.

The yellowish light of the worm sacs cast an eerie glow on the statues, making their expressions even more lifelike. Everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spine as they gazed upon the frozen faces of the dead.

The realism of the stone statues was uncanny. They looked so lifelike that it was difficult to believe that they were not carved.

Kevin spoke up. "I mentioned to Nick earlier that someone must have broken into this place before us. You can see that the swords scattered on the ground outside are completely inconsistent with the style of this place. They must have been taken from the captives by the dryads. Some of them are ours, but the others..." He paused, his eyes falling on the stone statues.

Oswald whispered, "You mean, these stone statues are the first batch of captives they captured?"

The frozen expressions of the statues surprised everyone and prompted Kevin to suggest that they were likely the first batch of captives that the dryads had taken.

Kevin nodded. "The bumps and bruises on their bodies turned to sand and petrification, and it spread from there. Eventually, they became like this."

Dan's large, white eyes stared at the row of stone statues for a few seconds, and his entire body trembled.

He took a deep breath and said to Oswald, "If you are interested in finding a way to help us, I will send someone to deliver a letter back to the palace for you."

The giant orcs were not easily petrified, and this was a significant discovery. It was not clear whether this was due to their size, blood, or something else. If it was the former, then there was nothing that could be done, but if it was the latter, then there might be a way to help them.

The kitchen cave was crowded with the wounded, so Oswald and Kevin did not stay there for long. They asked someone to move the row of stone statues so that they could carefully inspect them and make more room.

Oswald reached into his bag to find some paper to write a letter to the medical officer's hospital, but he realized that he had forgotten to bring any. He turned to Kevin and said, "Write a letter for me. Just say..."

He stopped in mid-sentence, remembering Kevin's astonishing painting skills. He simply reached into Kevin's bag and took out a pen and paper. He started writing without even finding a place to put the paper.

Kevin froze for a moment, crossed his arms and said hesitantly, "Are you a little too self-conscious?"

Oswald did not respond. He simply finished writing the letter and handed it to Kevin.

After he put down, he sneered without turning his head, "Do I need to explain imperial power to you? According to the code, everything you own belongs to me, including yourself. I can take whatever I want. Do you have any objections?"

Kevin took the letter and read it. His face turned red with anger, but he did not say anything.

Oswald turned and walked away, leaving Kevin standing there fuming.