Chapter 262 112. Ten years
on the vast ocean, the heavy rain was like the roar of Marcelan, hitting the vast sea hard and causing huge waves.
Dark clouds cover the sky and the sun, and the sea and sky are the same color, seeming to lose their recognition.
The wind was fierce, and the howling wind seemed to be blowing from all directions. The huge waves kept rolling, as tall as mountains, attacking towards the fleet. The hull of the plundering ship sailing in front of the Malevolent Temple was swaying unsteadily, under the impact of the huge waves. It kept bumping up and down, as if it was flipping and jumping like a fragile toy at the mercy of nature.
The raindrops of the heavy rain turned into sharp arrows, like overwhelming whips.
The Druchi sailors who were still moving on the deck struggled to hold on to the handrails and ropes and tried their best to maintain their balance. The sound of the howling wind mixed with the creaking of the hull formed a sad symphony.
In this dark and dangerous ocean, lightning cuts across the sky, illuminating everything in the heavy rain. Thunder sounded immediately, like the majesty of Marcelan reverberating in the air, making his followers feel small and fragile in this endless water.
"Ten years! From Ulthuan to Bretonnia, from Lustria to Naggaroth, ten years!" Darkus stood at the porthole and looked at the pouring rain outside and couldn't help but sigh.
"What Son of the Storm?" Darkus frowned after sighing. He thought about it for a moment. It seemed that the time when the Black Ark Fleet set off was slightly wrong. Perhaps it should wait until the sea of resentment melts away in the spring of Nagaroth. When it's time to set off, at least we won't have to face such bad weather. After all, typhoons or storms don't blow every day in the waters of Lustria.
At the same time, Darkus can also feel the power bursting out from the Holy Soul Reef on his chest. This power is stronger than when he was on the underground sea route! Maybe it was because he came to the sea, and coupled with this terrifying storm, he always felt that the Holy Soul Reef had some hidden uses or functions that Morayig Heg had not told him. But he doesn't want to go out to experiment now. The storm outside is really too big. The black ark, which still looks like an island, is still sailing calmly without any bumps.
Darkus turned around and smiled and waved to Ren's daughter, who was running and playing in the cabin. Ren's daughter staggered towards him with a giggle, and the maid who was looking after her closely protected her from falling down. . He knelt down and held Ren's daughter in his arms, and scratched Ren's daughter's nose with the index finger of his left hand.
Renn's daughter has just learned to walk and cannot speak yet. After teasing her for a while, Darkus carried her into the war conference room.
In the conference room, five admirals from the Black Ark, four trainee admirals from the Nagol, and instructor Lechkiel gathered around the chart. There were also a large number of retinues, adjutants, staff officers, and first mates such as Druch. They all saluted when they saw Darkus walking in with Ren's daughter in his arms.
Darkus didn't say anything, but raised his head to indicate to continue. He continued to hold Ren's daughter and stood outside the Druch Gate and looked at the sea chart. He knew what these Druchi were doing, because he was the one who called them together.
Although Darkus is the champion of Matheran and expressed his desire to take up the position of Grand Admiral of the Druchi Navy to Malekith, he does not even have basic navigation knowledge, even the simplest steps of rigging a sail and He didn't know how to use a rope, let alone how to command a plunder ship to fight.
What brought these Druchi who were good at fighting at sea together was that because he had to plan the next action, Malekith went back to the throne room to continue his isolation after pretending to be cool, but there were still many details to be finalized, such as The Black Ark Fleet is heading from the Broken Cape in the easternmost part of Lustria to the mouth of the Kuweizha River. Then the question arises, how to get the three fleets to arrive at the designated long and short deployment positions at the same time for encirclement. This is a skill. Profound knowledge.
There is also the need to cultivate the professionalism of trainee admirals and preparatory plunder ship captains. When sailing in the underground sea, they have been studying previous naval battles. The old admiral will tell about the last time he attacked Nagaryth with Assur's cousin. Experience in maritime combat and analyze the weaknesses of the Assur Cousin Navy to conduct simulated confrontations with command.
Darkus inquired that Druchi's previous operations at sea were usually carried out alone, with the Black Ark as the core, leading the plundering ships and sea beasts to conduct operations or interceptions in designated sea areas. This kind of operations required simultaneous coordination. It rarely happened, and when acting, they made a lot of mistakes because of various subjective and objective problems, and gave full play to Druch's characteristics to blame each other and shirk responsibility.
"Here!" Lechkiel said, pointing to a position on the chart with his putter.
Darkus looked at the location pointed by the putter. It was located in the sea area southeast of the City of Rebirth, Huta, and the northeast of the Giant Snake Smoke Island. It’s okay to call Huta the City of Awakening. It means the same thing. .
After waiting for the eyes of the Druchi present to look there, Leshikiel moved the putter and rowed across the strait between the Giant Snake Smoke Island and the Giant Snake Breath Island, and the final location was locked on the Lustria mainland and the south. Between the straits of the giant snake smoke island.
"It seems we have to set off first." Dastan nodded and looked at the admiral of the Mogar family standing next to him.
"Yes!" The admiral of the Mogar family put his hands on the table and said seriously after looking at the chart for a while.
As the admiral's voice came out, the low-ranking Druchi present began to make calculations. They had to calculate the time it would take to get there based on the speed of the fleet and the sea. Coupled with the harsh sea conditions, they also had to calculate where the fleet waiting there would reach before setting off.
Darkus calls it art! Instead, he is like an administrative bureaucrat general sitting in an office with a very high military rank. He has no professional skills and only knows how to give orders.
——While
Darkus was watching and studying, Egerethe opened the door to the throne room of the Temple of Evil and walked in.
"Your Majesty, the informant in Nagarond has received news that the fear lord Sirsis suddenly disappeared in his mansion." Aijerese said cautiously with his head lowered and his body hunched over.
"What? Say it again?" Malekith, who was freed from memories and pain, did not react at first. At that moment, he thought he was sitting in the throne room of his own black tower in Naggarond.
"Your Majesty, the fear lord Sirsis has suddenly disappeared! The specific reason for the disappearance has not yet been found out." Aijerese repeated it again.
"No need to check! Go and convey this news to Darkus." Malekith clenched his iron fist on the throne and roared, his Midnight Armor burning like an open furnace.
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Aijerese bowed even lower. He knew the anger of His Majesty the Witch King at this moment, and he did not want to bear His Majesty the Witch King's anger for no reason. He said tremblingly.
"Come back!" Just when Aigirethe was about to walk out of the throne room, Malekith stood up from the throne and roared. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. At this moment, he really wanted to vent his anger by killing people.
"Your Majesty?" Egilese asked, knowing that he was going to be in trouble. He might not be able to get out of the throne room, or he might be carried out of the throne room in another way. But at this moment, he had changed from trembling to Fear from the depths of his soul trembled.
"What are you afraid of? Am I that scary?" Malekith walked around the throne room, as if venting his anger. He walked up to Aigirethe and grabbed Aigirethe with his iron hand. Se asked the collar of the aristocratic robe, and after finishing speaking, he loosened the collar.
Aijerese lay on the ground and curled up into a ball. At this moment, he did not think that he was going to die, but he envied Darkus. He didn't have a trace of jealousy. He really admired Darkus now!
"Go and check! Is it just that Silses has disappeared? Or has the affairs that Silses presided over also been destroyed? You don't need to tell me the result! Just tell Darkus!"
"Why are you still lying here? Waiting for me to kill you?" Malekith knew that this was the fault of his restless mother. In order to avenge Drusala, he prophesied during the Battle of Goronde. He stole things from the treasure house of the tower, but he knew that Drusala's behavior was not important. What was important was that he and Anna Sarala's deviant attitude angered his mother.
Malekith also knew that Darkus once gave Silses a magic item. Since Silses is missing instead of dead, it means that Silses may have arrived earlier than the Black Ark Fleet. Lustria? Either it was attacked by some magic and the bones were gone, or it was dissolved by Kane's assassin's corpse water.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Your Majesty!"
"What nonsense is this!" After Egerethe rolled out of the throne room and crawled out of the throne room, Malekith angrily smashed his iron fist on the wall of the throne room to vent his anger. With.
——On
the other side, in the City of the Sun, in the Southern Star Pyramid Square of Hesiota.
"One of our own! One of our own! Don't attack!" Renne ran over quickly, shouting in lizard language as he ran.
The lizard-scar veteran who was standing guard and patrolling in the command square turned his head to identify the sound when he heard the sound. He found that he seemed to know the hot-blooded species in front of him, and he stopped the lizards' next actions.
Renn has now seen clearly that it is Silsis! Although he didn't know why Hirsis suddenly came here in this way, when he saw Hirsis's body covered in blood, he knew that things were definitely not simple. There was no time to say hello, so he blocked Hirsis. Si was negotiating with the lizard man in front of him.
Silsis ignored the lizardmen who were about to besiege him and looked at Renn with a confused expression. He knew before that Renn had followed Darkus back to Krakarond and never appeared again. He didn't even participate in the battle of Golond, nor did he have Dacus's sister. He didn't expect that Renn would actually come here. Thinking of this, he turned his head, and sure enough he saw Colonia, who was still walking slowly towards this side. .
Then Sirsis turned his attention to the majestic pyramid in front of him and the strange lizard man beside him. He kept looking at it, and sometimes looked at Renn, listening to Renn's strange voice saying that he didn't understand. if.
Ren's speaking speed slowed down, and the negotiation turned into small talk. He knew several of the Skinks who came to watch, and he had painted portraits of two of them. After waiting for a while, he was currently responsible for managing Hesiota. The skink priest Piqiboqi rushed over after hearing the news.
"Why are you here?" Pikipochi turned his head and looked at Renn and said hissing. Although they had not had much contact with each other, he knew Renn and knew that Renn was Umak's servant.
"Praise the Ancient Saint! I came to see Lord Mazdamudi on the order of Umak." Ren explained to Piqipoqi. When he spoke, he noticed the change in Piqipoqi's eyes. He knew that Mazdamudi Lord Damudi was watching him, and then he bowed his head to Pichipochi and said, "I am very happy to see you again. Dear Lord Mazdamudi, the servant of Umak sends you my warmest greetings." ."
"Come with me. The place where you rested before last time is still empty. You can rest there for the time being. My noble master said that there is something going on at Spicazuma, and he needs to receive you later." Pichibo After Qi said that, he turned around and left.
Ren raised his eyebrows and glanced at Pikipochi's pretentious back. He didn't say anything. He knew that each skink was an independent individual with a different personality.
To put it bluntly, Ren is not familiar with Peach Pochi, but he is good friends with Peach Pochi's brother Chupa Coco. His lizard language was taught by Chupa Coco, and Chupa Coco's Elvish language was taught by him. . Although Chupa Coco is also a good friend of Darkus, this does not hinder the friendship between him and Chupa Coco. After all, there is no distinction between races, and there is no dispute of interests.
"Follow me." Renn nodded to Sirsis and said.
It was still the same small pyramid where Ren had stayed before. When he returned here after a few years away, it was still dry and seemed to be very clean. There must have been skink waiters coming to clean it frequently.
Ren and Piqipoqi explained something. Piqipoqi straightened up and moved his head back, as if he was confirming something to Renn. After seeing Renn nodding, Piqipoqi also nodded, and then Just left.
"This is our temporary resting place. Maybe we need to stay for a while or a few days?" Renn said to the Druchi who looked at him. When he said this, he spread his hands and shrugged. After finishing speaking, Just about to start disassembling his armor, his mouth did not stop because of the movement, but continued, "It is very safe here, you can sleep safely, and you don't have to worry about mosquito bites. The wood will be brought over in a while, we You can dry the clothes."
Then Ren turned his eyes to Sirsis, and Colonia also turned his eyes to Sirsis. They seemed to be waiting for something.
Silsis didn't say anything, but looked at the guards of the Hell Calamity Family.
The family guards looked at each other in confusion after being noticed, and they quickly reacted. They also knew that there must be a reason for Sirsis's strange appearance, and they knew that it was time for them to leave temporarily.
"Adreze! I was attacked. There are assassins from Morathi in my mansion!" Sirsis said in an almost roaring tone, and then he told Ren and Colonia. What happened after they left, including Darkus's recruitment of the transport army, the process of the Battle of Grond, and the conflict between Darkus and Morathi, and then the fact that Darkus had told him that he needed to pay attention. It's a matter of safety. Xiersis took every precaution, and the number of retinues and guards was tripled when doing business. He was not afraid of others saying that he was showing off or being cowardly. He didn't care. His power came from His Majesty the Witch King and the Witch King. Not those idle words! But he took all precautions and fell into Morathi's trap. Among the Druchi servants in his mansion, there was actually an assassin belonging to Morathi! And there’s more than one! There are actually three!
After a desperate battle and being besieged, Sirsis could only crush the amulet given to him by Darkus on his chest at the last moment. Fortunately, there was no one else in the mansion. Dorian and Julian's His mother had passed away long ago, and Julian was not in Nagarond either. His Majesty the Witch King specified that he would take Julian with him before setting off. At this time, Julian was on the Black Ark Fleet.
"It seems that we missed a good show, but maybe your throat should be treated."
Hilsis glared at Colonia. Although the scar on his neck was his glory, he didn't like others. Joking about his scar.
"She's right. The Lustria continent has the best life mage. Do you know Baine?" Ren saw Sirsis's eyes and he said casually, still taking off his clothes as he spoke. When it comes to clothes, there is no big defense between men and women. Except for important occasions, there is no difference between a female druchi wearing it and not wearing it, and she is still going out now.
"The black tower master with a broken arm? Yes, his arm has recovered to its original state. I saw him when I was in Grond, and he also killed a Chaos Demon! I thought he died somewhere before He was in a corner. I didn’t expect that after his hand was broken, he went to Krakaronde to find the Hand of the Witch King. Then he must have been cured here! The sorceresses of Naggaroth are not good at this. They are only good at secretly Manipulate people's hearts and engage in some conspiracies!" Hirsis said decisively, and then started to become angry, and even glanced at Colonia when he said it.
When Darkus was away, these Druchi fully exposed their true nature.
Colonia snorted and said nothing, but began to take off the outermost silk robe.
"Why are you here? Were those lizardmen just now?" After Sirsis saw Ren and Colonia taking off their clothes, he also began to take off his noble robe, and asked casually as he took it off. .
"We are here because of the order of the Witch King's Hand. As for the rest..." Ren said, but he did not say the last words. He paused and continued, "The lizardmen outside are all the Witch King's." Hand... Friend? Yes, friend and partner."
"Although you are here too, my brother repeatedly told me before departure that I must listen to Ren in everything." Colonia stopped moving. , watching Sirsis say seriously, she didn't want her original actions to go astray because of Sirsis's appearance, one was for her brother, the other was for herself, her curse began to intensify again.
"Hey, respect me, okay? I'm the Fear Lord! I'm not that stupid! I know what's appropriate! Also, our interests are the same as those of the enemy!" Silsis released his true nature. After all, there is no such thing here. As an outsider, he doesn't need to maintain any personality.
At first, Hirsis was still taking off his noble robe, but in the end he simply tore it up. There is no need to wear the noble robe here, and the noble robe was already in tatters during the battle. Without the innermost sea dragon skin, Kaitan blocked it a few times, but he couldn't get here.
"I still have two spare robes." After Ren finished speaking, he walked out and called back the family guard standing outside the pyramid.
After waiting for a while, a group of skink waiters arrived, carrying wood, food and fur rugs. One of the skinks handed Ren a heavy satchel and a bag of insect repellent powder.
"Is this Holoto's weaving handicraft?" Renn carried the satchel, weighed it, and looked at the skink waiter and asked.
"Yes."
After the skinks left, the family guards raised the fire. As the gas from the bonfire was discharged through the ventilated intersection, the Druchi sat around the bonfire and warmed themselves up.
Renn took out a red guava from the fruit basket and threw it to Sirsis.
"Red guava, it's very sweet. It tastes soft and sweet when chewed, but it needs to be cut into pieces." After Xiersis took it, Ren said while chewing the dried insects. He found that dried insects were really hungry. Since he had no sense of taste or smell now anyway, he didn't care anymore.
After speaking, Renn took out a piece of gold from the satchel on his body and handed it to a family guard beside him.
The family guard looked at the gold in front of him in shock. He could no longer hold the food in his hand and dropped it directly to the ground. Although he was greedy and eager in his heart, he did not dare to pick it up. This piece of gold was too big and precious.
Silsis, who was holding a serrated dagger and preparing to cut into Red Guava, also stopped.
"Take it, this is the loot you got all the way from Krakarond." As Ren said, he tossed the gold in his hand, then forced it into the hands of the family guard, and then took it from the satchel He took out a ruby the size of an egg and handed it to the family guard.
Ren knew that Idacus's generosity would give more rewards to these family guards after the mission. He did not do this to win people's hearts. He just wanted to appease these family guards who had seen the gold and had low morale. Come on, he knows all too well about Druchi's passion and love for gold. Nothing can boost Druchi's morale better than gold. He doesn't want to make any mistakes in the last step of the mission and cause some embarrassing troubles for him.
"Miss? This?" The family guard held the gold and gems tightly in his violently trembling hands, but his only remaining reason stopped him there. He didn't dare to put them in his arms. He asked for help when he said He looked at the eldest lady of the family with longing eyes.
"Is there a lot? Haven't you seen the gold decorated everywhere on the buildings after entering the city? Those lizardmen are not wearing brass, they are all gold! This is Lustria, not Naggaroth. This is the least beautiful place. What’s missing is gold! With Lord Darkus’ generosity, he will give you more than this when the matter is over!” Ren said nonchalantly.
"You deserve this." Colonia just glanced at it and said casually. She then looked at Sirsis and said, "Shall we make a bet?"
"What bet?"
"I bet on this. After several of them complete their missions, my brother will give them generous rewards, but this is not important. What is important is that I bet that my brother will let them break away from the Hell Calamity Family, serve as Ren's followers, and become Takai. A retainer of the Ya family." Colonia said with a smile.
"No gambling! Sorry! Not interested!" Xiersis rolled her eyes and refused three times in a row, then lowered her head and continued to deal with the red guava in her hand.
Sirses also knew Darkus. He knew that Darkus was generous. There was a high chance that Darkus would do this. So why would he take such a losing bet? And Colonia is obviously teasing him, and he doesn’t need to maintain a good relationship with Colonia. The Witch King’s Hand is Colonia’s younger brother, not Colonia. He is not a fool; Even a fool would not be able to achieve his status today.
Colonia shrugged boredly and continued to eat food while watching Ren continue to take out gold and gems from the satchel. At the same time, she was also feeling the rich magical wind in this city.
Although they are only guards of the Hell Calamity Family and can only stand guard and train when they are not fighting, they are all carefully selected from Krakarond's troops. They are not fools. Anyone who can get to this point is Very smart, all they lack is an opportunity!
At first, the family guards were panicked when they heard the eldest lady saying that they would break away from the Hell Calamity Family, but then they became ecstatic. They knew that the rewards for their efforts along the way were so rich, and they got a valuable opportunity. They all know who is the core and who is influential in the family. It is self-evident that Ren is a close confidant around Master Darkus, and along the way, they have also recognized Ren's ability and character.
Nothing happened overnight. Although it was safe here, Renne still arranged a night watch rotation out of caution.
Ren may have eaten too many bugs and couldn't dissipate the heat. Unable to sleep, he leaned against the smooth wall of the pyramid corridor and thought. Sometimes he looked at Hesiota, which was washed by the heavy rain, and sometimes he looked at nothing. As far as he reached, the voice in his head called him to go in that direction.
Perhaps because of following Darkus, Ren now feels that he really doesn't care about money. He really cared about it before. He lived in poverty and embarrassment before he turned 100. It seems that the powerful family of Krakalond Just like the Takaia family, if their other uncle had not been related to the Hellscourge family and could follow the Malevolent Temple to participate in the raid, perhaps the Takaia family would have perished long ago.
Ren thought of his parents, and then of the crazy uncle who was killed by the three brothers and sisters. Their other uncle knew about the situation of the uncle who was killed by the three brothers and sisters, and did not blame them. Instead, he thought that they were the hope of the family's revival. The family's only remaining Sovereign was devoted to the upbringing of the three brothers and sisters, and even the family's ancestral home was unable to be properly restored.
Renn had never even participated in the Harksier trial voyage as an adult, let alone the family trial. The first time he took a boat trip was with Darkus. He clearly remembered his brother before setting off. Putting on him the only good armor left in the family, that armor seemed to dispel his inferiority complex, give him infinite courage and pride, and allow him to raise his head in front of Darkus. After that?
The ten years following Dacus were the most meaningful ten years of Ren's life. He felt that the gods had favored him and the Takaia family. He learned a lot from Dacus, and in his In his eyes, Dacus is not Druchi in the traditional sense. He feels no pain or hatred in Dacus, and Dacus has qualities that Druchi does not have, such as generosity, kindness and He was so kind that he had never even seen Darkus vent his anger on his followers. He would take the lead in battles and lead them to fight bravely. He would also consider them and reward them with a large amount of property and magic items.
This is the first time that Darkus has confessed something so important to Renne. Just like Darkus said, this is a trial about him. If he wants to succeed, he must succeed! He didn't want to be the first to face Darkeus' wrath. He couldn't bear it, nor could the three brothers and sisters, nor the Takaia family.
"I'm not interested in money."
What Darkus once said became a reflection of Ren's heart. He was numb. He had seen a temple city whose buildings were all made of gold. He saw an inexhaustible supply of gold. Although he could only get a little bit of the inexhaustible gold and gems, it was enough. The Takaia family now has no shortage of wealth at all! There is no shortage of power. It would be better if Darkus could like his sister, but it's a pity!
The sound of footsteps behind him interrupted Ren's thoughts.
"Can't sleep?" Xiersis sighed as she leaned on the other side of the wall.
"Can't sleep!" Ren turned his head and looked at Sirsis and said, he thought of something else, and then asked, "Have you converted?"
"Yes, I now serve my lord, the Lord of Blades, Azerei. Germany." Hirsis puffed up his chest and said proudly, and then sighed, "After the battle of Grond, I suddenly realized that that person is not that important? Don't you also believe in the Lord of Blades?"
" No! I used to believe in the God of Bloody Hands, and occasionally praised the God of Deception, but now I believe in the Ancient Saints, and the Ancient Saints responded to me!" Renn pointed at his head and said with a smile, he turned around and patted Xiersis shoulder, then said, "Rest, I have a feeling that there will be something big tomorrow. There are three such magnificent cities in Lustria, and I have been to two of them. It's raining so hard that I can't see anything. We've arrived."
Ren said as he walked into the passage, his voice getting weaker and weaker in Sirsis' ears.
Sirsis looked at Hesiota in the heavy rain and sighed, then turned around and went back to rest.
The next day, after the Drukhi had breakfast, Pichipochi asked them to go to the square of the South Sky Star Pyramid.
"It will be the end of this journey soon! No matter what you see next, don't lose your dignity! Remember! When we get here, we are all servants of the great ancient saint Ichi'umak, don't embarrass yourself at the hands of the Witch King! "Ren stood there and looked at Sirsis, Colonia and the family guards and said seriously.
After standing for a while, a teleportation magic flashed through.
"The rain has stopped?" Ren put his hands in front of his eyes. He couldn't adapt to the dazzling light for a moment, and he couldn't help thinking.
City of Lenses, Spikazuma, and the Great Pyramid of the Ancient Saint Ichi. Lord Mazdamudi sat on the throne and looked down at the Drukhi who were teleported to the square. To his left is the City of the Moon and Talax. The second-generation Slann lord Adohi Tehega of Lan, and on the right is the third-generation Slann lord Hua-hua of Mist City and Slannwupeck.
(End of chapter)