## Chapter 228: The Burning Village

## Chapter 228: The Burning Village

The Western Kingdom has a total of five Waypoints. Unlike the Waypoints outside the Rogue Encampment, which are so hidden that even rats can't find them, within the entire Western Kingdom, including the Main City Lut Gholein, there are four major Cities: the Main City Lut Gholein City, and the three branch Cities—Highland City, Oasis City, and Lost City.

These four major Cities are distributed from north to south, winding like a centipede. The northernmost Lut Gholein is located in the Gobi, bordered by the Lost forest to the west, which is the Rogue Encampment, and the Gemini Sea to the east. Across the vast Gemini Sea lies the boundless green desert—the tropical Jungle, known in ancient times as Kurast, the Kingdom of Knights and Sorceresses. It is deeply hidden within.

Outside Lut Gholein City is the Stony Field, a large expanse of Gobi where traces of green are rarely seen. Walking south from here, it takes about two days at a fast pace to reach the dry Highlands. Arriving here means you've already stepped halfway into the Desert, and Highland City is located precisely here.

If you continue walking south for a few more days, you will see the Far Oasis. This Land is quite peculiar. Although arriving here means officially entering the Desert, the Far Oasis is unexpectedly more verdant than Lut Gholein, which is located in the Gobi. Large and small Oases are scattered everywhere here, providing abundant water sources for Oasis City. It is precisely because of this that people decided to build a City in the Far Oasis; otherwise, who would idly run into the Desert to live? However, although Oases are everywhere, these Oases are not as favored by the local residents as imagined...

Further south from the Far Oasis is the Lost City. This is already considered the inner area of the Desert. During the day, scorching heatwaves rage here. It is said that if you crack eggs onto a stone, they will be roasted instantly. At night, water freezes into ice here. If you urinate, it will freeze as soon as it comes out, so you must be especially careful...

In a Place with such drastic and fluctuating day-night temperature differences, Ordinary People simply cannot adapt to survive. Therefore, the Lost City is mostly inhabited by Adventurers and Merchants, with very few Civilians settling here. Another point is that the Lost City is an ancient Battlefield. A large amount of sealed ancient equipment is buried Underground here, so many Paupers who are not afraid of death also gather here, lingering around the outskirts of the Lost City. They have to contend with the harsh weather while also guarding against the appearance of monsters. Even Desert Bandits frequently appear here. This perilous environment has not deterred these greedy individuals blinded by gold—because picking up just one piece of equipment is enough for them to squander for several years...

Besides these four major Cities, countless Villages are scattered near each City. These Villages are mostly built by Civilians who are unable to afford housing in the Cities but are unwilling to degenerate in the Slums. Even the Western Kingdom, known as the Kingdom of Commerce, doesn't mean everyone has enough to eat and drink. The wealth disparity here is huge, with big Merchants like Ryan, who can make tens of thousands of gold coins with a flick of a finger, and Paupers like Toorc, who live by gathering information and working as a part-time Tour Guide.

These Villages attached to the Cities gradually prospered. In the beginning, the Guardians didn't pay much attention, but now, the population of the Villages attached to the major Cities is even greater than the population within the Cities. This forced the King and City Lords to consider the safety of these Villages. After all, population is the key point to a Country's prosperity; they still had this common sense.

Thus, the safety of the Villages received better protection. Under this positive cycle, more and more Villages appeared, and even many wealthy people began building Villas in the Villages, calling it: experiencing the rural charm and crafting a high-quality life.

However, even with dispatched Soldiers for protection, there are simply too many Villages. There will always be Places that cannot be looked after or are beyond reach. Just like now...

This is a Small Village near the west side of Lut Gholein City, about a day's journey from Lut Gholein. The Village was located here probably because there is an Oasis a few miles away. Because of its existence, the moisture in the nearby Land is very sufficient. If the method is right, it's not impossible to plant some non-drought-resistant food and fruit on it. You should know that the price of these things in the Western Kingdom remains high.

And in fact, this is the case. Orchards and Farmland like this are spread around the Oasis. It is currently harvest season, and the branches are laden with ripening fruit, conveying a joyful atmosphere to passersby, making it clear at a glance how self-sufficient and even prosperous this Village is.

However, just a few miles away from the Oasis, the Village, when viewed from afar, flickered with a red light. Even under the blazing sun, the towering dense white smoke was clearly visible...

From the Gobi far away, several white figures flashed past. Protagonist clenched his fists. Under Xiao Xue's full charge, he rushed into the Village in just a moment.

The merciless great fire had engulfed the entire Village. Sparks filled the Sky like fireflies, dancing everywhere amidst the crackling roar of the flames, dyeing the entire Sky a dazzling crimson, as if even Space was twisting in this Sea of Fire. Tall Houses continuously collapsed under the raging fire, raising wave after wave of heatwaves.

What dyed the Earth red was not the firelight filling the Sky, but the crimson blood like puddles. Hundreds of corpses, men, women, old, and young, lay on the ground with expressions of terror and despair. Blood flowed from their wounds, intertwining with the firelight, dyeing the entire world crimson. From the distribution of the corpses, it seemed they were not trapped together and then massacred collectively, but rather subjected to a sudden slaughter.

As for why Protagonist could instantly find this information like an experienced Detective, it's because—this wasn't the first time.

"Xiao Si, Xiao Wu, you two search inside and see if there are any survivors."

Following closely behind Xiao Xue, Poison Creeper and four Guilang also followed. Protagonist ordered two of the Guilang. The next moment, they rushed separately into the blazing Houses without stopping. This fire was nothing to them, having already reached Mutation Level 2.

That's right, over the past few months, they have successfully improved to Mutation Level Two. And Lǎn Wū Yā, who clearly did nothing, even more unreasonably reached Mutation Level Three.

Guilang: Skill Level: Level 10 (Mutation Level 2): Mutant creature evolved from accumulating experience through long-term combat, Mutation Level Two. +40 Life, +% Defense, +% Speed, +% Damage, +% All Resistances, additionally increased by 10 Strength and 15 Dexterity modifiers. 15% Chance to apply Open Wounds during attack, +100% Damage.

Raven: Skill Level: Level 8 (Mutation Level 3), Mutant creature evolved from accumulating experience through long-term combat. Mutation Level Three, Life +%, Defense +%, Flight Speed +60%, All Resistances +%, additionally increased by points Dexterity modifier, has a greater chance to interrupt the enemy's attack (chance related to the enemy's strength), possesses a certain low-level intelligence.

Protagonist looked around. He discovered one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The bad news was that the Culprit seemingly left no survivors and had already left. The good news was that judging by the extent of the burning, the Culprit's time of departure should be less than an hour ago.

He flicked the head of Lǎn Wū Yā, who was standing on his shoulder, with his finger. Its plumage was now increasingly black and shiny. Upon closer inspection, these feathers actually vaguely resembled black gems, revealing a mysterious and alluring luster. If he plucked a few and made them into a Feathered Helm, it would likely look very good.

Seeming to sense Protagonist's thoughts in his heart, Lǎn Wū Yā, in a half-asleep state, trembled. It hastily flew up from Protagonist's shoulder, screaming. Its soybean-sized black eyeballs rolled around, looking at Protagonist warily a few times, before reluctantly flying into the Sky. Its sharp gaze could take in the area within a few miles at a glance; not even a fly could escape.

"Xiao Xue, it's up to you now."

Riding on Xiao Xue's back, Protagonist leaned down and stroked its head. Xiao Xue, as if already prepared, confidently let out a "howl~~" and charged straight out towards the outside of the Village.

A few kilometers away in the Gobi Desert, under the glare of the hot sunlight, three figures were moving unhurriedly. The figures belonged to three Desert Warriors dressed as Mercenaries, who walked with loose strides, toying with the gold coins in hand with sinister grins.

"Damn it. That was so exciting." Mercenary A on the far left gripped his big hand hard, and the few gold coins inside were compressed into a lump.

"We actually encountered a fat sheep." Mercenary B in the middle carefully rubbed the gold coins in his hand. You could tell he was a money grubbler at a glance.

"However, I heard that the Adventurer's Alliance recently dispatched a Master. Many Brothers have already fallen under his hand," Mercenary C on the far right said with a frown, not as optimistic as the other two.

"Let's lay low during this period. Anyway, we have enough money for a while. After the dust settles, we'll act again."

"Hmph, those scoundrels from the Adventurer's Alliance. If I ever encounter that person, I'll definitely chop him into meat paste."

Mercenary A spat a glob of phlegm and said disdainfully, but in his heart, he knew better than anyone that if he really encountered him, it's not certain who would chop whom. So he didn't object to Mercenary C's proposal.

"No, no, no, how can that be? We should strip him naked and tie him to the Clock Tower in Lut Gholein. Tsk tsk—" Mercenary B chuckled.

"Not bad, not bad. I really want to see the expressions of those people from the Adventurer's Alliance then. We Brothers will also make a great name for ourselves." Mercenary A's eyes lit up. He was already imagining the Adventurer's Alliance leader's expression, paler than a pig's liver.

Mercenary C smiled and nodded. He was the most steady one in the Party, so he didn't echo along. He knew these two guys were just boasting. He estimated that if they really encountered the Master dispatched by the Alliance, they would run faster than anyone.

"Is that so? Then Protagonist is actually looking forward to it."

A voice not belonging to them slowly rang out from behind.

"Who?"

Mercenaries A, B, and C instantly drew their weapons, standing back to back and warily looking at their surroundings. From their swift movements, it could be seen that the cooperation between the three was very good.

Then, in Mercenary A's line of sight, a black figure slowly appeared amidst the dust—a wide cape enveloped the entire body, making it impossible to determine the specific equipment and class. But just the helmet revealed was enough to astonish people—a silver streamlined full-face helmet, flashing with sharp radiance under the glare of the fierce sunlight. From the crevice at the eye position, two chilling gazes full of Killing Intent were vaguely revealed. The most peculiar thing was the decorations extending from both sides of the helmet, resembling bull horns. No, not decorations. Those sharp horn tips could easily pierce through iron plates.

Just this helmet alone was enough to make these three Mercenaries despair. An Exceptional Helmet, a blue Exceptional Helmet. A minimum Strength Requirement that must reach 63 points. Is a Warrior who can wear this kind of helmet someone we can handle?

"Listen up everyone, immediately run in different directions. Let's see our luck. If we're still alive, gather at the old Place."

In Mercenary C's trembling voice, there was a hint of sadness. Among the three people, at most only two could escape. From those eyes full of Killing Intent, Mercenary C saw the resolve for slaughter—the other party truly wanted to put the three of them to death and would not leave any room.

Since falling, starting from the first time slaughtering Civilians, Mercenary C already had this realization. One day, he, whose hands were stained with countless blood, would be hunted down like this, then flee in a sorry state, and finally die on a certain Sand Dune, his corpse becoming one of the countless sands in the great Desert.

He clearly already had this realization, clearly thought he had put life and death aside, but when this moment truly arrived, he still couldn't help but tremble, began to fear, began to regret—if he hadn't taken that step back then, how good would that be?

Protagonist don't want to die!!!!

His face twisted violently, struggling, and then, without waiting for the other two to react, he had already taken off, fleeing towards the opposite direction without any regard for posture. The other two Mercenaries looked at each other in astonishment, and also separated left and right in two opposite directions, running with all their might.

(end of chapter)