allendalepharm Chapter 337 The Distant Sound of a Steamer Siren
Chapter 337 The Distant Sound of a Steamer Siren
Chapter 337 The Distant Sound of a Steamer Siren
Things are starting to get interesting.
Tang Zijun stroked her chin, her expression becoming somewhat serious.
He already had some guesses about the dream world, and now, after hearing Grelando's explanation, he found that many of his guesses were correct.
The Great Old Ones, the Nightmare Gods, and the Void Gods—these three factions took turns on the stage, bringing unprecedented impact to this world while also leaving behind many secrets.
What is certain at present is that the gods of the Void Realm live in a dimension called the "Void Realm," which can be described as a divine realm. The Great Old Ones, on the other hand, exist outside the Dream World. Tang Zijun finds this outside somewhat difficult to assess, as he cannot be certain what lies beyond this world.
However, Tang Zijun quickly recalled the desert she had entered when she accidentally entered the dream world for the second time.
He originally thought that place was part of the dream world, but judging from his subsequent experiences entering the dream world, he would no longer be teleported to other strange places after arriving near Black City.
In other words, I must have found an anchor point in the dream world. Where I was awake last time, I will appear in the same place next time I enter this world.
If that's the case, could I also interpret the desert that I visited back then, which looked like an alien planet, as not actually a "dream world," but rather a dimension outside of the dream world?
Recalling that towering, formless, terrifying "creature," a chill ran down Tang Zijun's spine for no apparent reason.
So, I had just met some Great Old One, or one of his descendants, or perhaps one of his retinues?
Tang Zijun took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Dealing with such ethereal and idiotic guys is really troublesome. Why can't there be a few who can compete with him in terms of stats? For some reason, Tang Zijun suddenly started to miss the heretical demons. Ever since he got the belt, he had never fought such a comfortable enemy.
There's no need to constantly doubt that your senses are being deceived, no need to be wary of the enemy's schemes and plots, and no need to test whether the enemy possesses some incomprehensible abilities.
The only thing to do is fight, fight desperately, and attack the enemy's real body with real fists and weapons. That's what I've always dreamed of.
Looking at Tang Zijun, who sat silently with her expression constantly changing, Gloriand hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Actually, I don't know much about that period of history. If you want to know more clearly, I suggest you go and ask the church on the front lines of the river."
"I've heard you mention the River Front before, what kind of place is that?" Tang Zijun asked casually.
"It was a port, a confluence of rivers flowing into the sea. Originally, that place was ruled by fish-men, and sometimes by river bandits. But with development, it gradually became human territory. At the same time, it was one of the few places that wasn't affected by the divine war."
Gloria gave a brief introduction to the Riverfront, then added frankly, "The Riverfront is home to knightly orders and several churches; perhaps they can provide you with information about the gods of the Shadow World."
After being told this by Grelando, Tang Zijun finally remembered what the topic she had started was.
He was so engrossed in listening to the story that he almost forgot about the person in the shadow world.
"Actually, the god in the shadow world isn't an Old One. His existence... how should I put it?" Tang Zijun pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then continued, "That guy is different from all the gods you know. He... wants the shadows to cover the entire world."
"Grilando's face froze, she looked frightened.
The idea of having one's shadow over the entire world was still too much for a small mercenary like her.
After a moment, she cautiously nodded. "Listen, listening to you say that, he is indeed different from the gods I know..."
"I have to say He almost succeeded, or rather, we ruined His plan. What I want to figure out most right now is to find His true identity, which might help us completely resolve this problem."
Gloria swallowed hard. She couldn't imagine how the knight in front of her could so easily say that "the gods' plans have been ruined by them," let alone what kind of mood he was in when he said he wanted to get rid of the gods.
Calling gods a nuisance made Grilando feel uneasy, as if a god might unleash divine punishment at any moment.
But after spending so much time with Tang Zijun, Grilando had gotten used to the occasional terrifying remark the other woman would utter.
After a brief pause, Gloriand spoke. "My lord, I would like to know, since you say that this god is completely different from my understanding, why do you still believe that you can obtain clues from me?"
"This?" Tang Zijun said, then started rummaging through her pockets. "Wait a minute... I remember putting it here, I even brought it with me when I came back... Ah! Found it, in the inner pocket."
It didn't take long for Tang Zijun to take out an irregularly shaped black crystal from her pocket.
It was a crystalline substance that resembled fragments, but despite being crystalline, it was incredibly strange. It didn't reflect light at all, even when illuminated, giving the impression of devouring light.
"This is..." Grelando looked at the crystal in Tang Zijun's hand with some surprise.
"This thing is a creation of the god in the shadow world; we call it Shadow Shards. Take a look."
Tang Zijun placed the shadow fragment on the placemat next to Grelando's wine glass, and then continued speaking.
"Through scientific... wizarding research, we detected residues here that seem similar to some substances here, so I decided to come and try my luck."
"And the materials here... I've never really come into contact with anything like this before." Grilando frowned.
She didn't touch the Shadow Fragments directly. Her years of experience as a mercenary had taught her to rationally control her curiosity. In this line of work, anyone with curiosity was dead, especially when encountering such strange things. Touching them rashly would definitely not end well. These were bloody lessons left by countless predecessors.
Moreover, Grilando wouldn't lower her guard just because Tang Zijun took it out so easily. She clearly understood one thing: just because the other person could do it doesn't mean you could too.
After observing carefully for a while, Gloriand looked up and asked, "My lady, in what aspect are you referring to the similarity of materials?"
Bioinformatics.
Tang Zijun answered, but then felt that he might not have been clear enough, so he added more.
"Simply put, it's the limbs of various creatures. I previously preserved some body tissues and blood from cavemen and zombies, and subsequent research showed that the shadow fragments also contained similar substances."
"You, you mean, this stone is alive?" Grilando's eyes widened, and she subconsciously leaned back, distancing herself from the shadow fragments.
"Uh, no, what I mean is, Shadow Shards are also something we obtain from living beings, so we suspect that those Shadow Creatures carrying Shadow Shards may have some connection with the creatures here, but I don't know whether it's a common ancestor or an energy connection."
Tang Zijun could swear that he had tried his best to describe things in a way that the other party could understand, but when faced with these medieval-like guys, he really had a hard time explaining certain technical terms.
Gloria, on the other end, seemed to have a vague understanding as well, but she quickly realized something and said softly, "Although I don't know what you mean, I do know a lot about extracting live organisms. We often hunt monsters, butcher their carcasses, and sell them for money. Perhaps I can help you buy some monster carcasses so you can take them back for further research."
"Where are we going to acquire them? Is it also on the front lines of the river basin?" Tang Zijun asked.
"Yes, that's the largest human city-state in the area. We used to buy our supplies from there. The road wasn't easy to travel before, but it's become much safer since you drove away those zombies," Gloland replied truthfully.
"Then let's go. I'll go myself."
Tang Zijun put down her cup and stood up, her head resting on the hyacinth.
To be honest, Tang Zijun was quite curious about the civilization here, especially the strange creatures in this world, whether they were elves or orcs, who were creatures that only existed in fiction in the real world.
Now that these guys are alive and well in this world, Tang Zijun really wants to see them.
Moreover, Grelando's previous words reminded Tang Zijun that if she really wanted to understand this world, then the Church was definitely something she couldn't avoid.
About ten minutes later.
Tang Zijun followed Grelando's footsteps to the north gate of Black City.
This is the gathering place of the Fire Fox mercenary group, and also a place to store mercenary equipment and all kinds of war supplies. Civilians are not allowed to enter here.
Since the Fire Fox Mercenary Group recaptured Black City with a group of refugees, the rule of this place has been in the hands of the Fire Fox Mercenary Group.
Looking at the flatbed carriage with only two wheels in front of her, Tang Zijun remained silent for a long time.
Noticing Tang Zijun's expression, Gloriand was also a little embarrassed, blushing as she whispered, "Um, sir... our conditions are indeed quite ordinary."
"Is this really the only vehicle you have here?" Tang Zijun pointed at the flatbed truck in front of her, which didn't even have a canopy, her lips twitching.
"Yes...why don't you ride a horse?" Grílando asked tentatively.
This time, it was Tang Zijun who felt awkward.
In fact, Tang Zijun could not ride a horse. The last time he rode a horse was because it was a fusion of bones and under his control, it was impossible for him to fall off.
Tang Zijun glanced at the few unruly white horses not far away and waved her hand helplessly.
"Fine, this will do. There's no way we can find a better car anyway, so we'll just have to make do."
As they were talking, Tang Zijun suddenly sensed something.
His pupils contracted in disbelief.
The piercing wail of the steam horn seemed to echo from nothingness, or perhaps from the distant horizon, and slowly materialized in Tang Zijun's ears.
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