Chapter 147: Pray!
"These refugees are powerless to change the status quo. Their fate is fixed and difficult to change."
"Hugo's approach is to give them a chance."
"A chance for them to make their own choice, whether to pay a price, to change the fate of themselves and their families."
"You may think this is a bit cruel."
"But for them, it is truly cruel to watch their predetermined fate gradually descend upon them."
"As long as there is a chance to change their fate, no matter how high the price is, someone will have the courage to try."
"No matter where, there is never a shortage of gamblers."
Miranda listened to Gale's explanation and fell into deep thought.
She needed some time to think carefully.
...
The next day.
Early.
As the golden sun rose, the border exit of Ceylon's No. 3 defense line gradually became popular.
Teams of adventurers and mercenaries, carrying their own weapons and equipment and bags, lined up to pass through the exit of the defense line.
There was no laughter or joking around, and most people looked very serious.
At most, they would nod slightly and say "take care" to each other when they saw other adventurers.
After passing through [Past Glory], they faced the threat of the evil god's pollution, and often they never came back after going out.
If they are lucky, perhaps the later ones can find his remains outside the dark forest.
Once they cross the border, they must always stay focused.
Everyone will be highly vigilant, and they can only relax after the monster hunting is over and they return to the kingdom safely.
When Pate and his team, a huge team of 30 people arrived at the exit of the defense line.
Many adventurers were shocked when they saw this scale.
The number of adventurers in a normal monster hunting team will be between 3 and 5 people, and the number cannot be too much or too little.
If there are too few, they will be weak and prone to accidents;
If there are too many, the target will be too big and they will be easily discovered and besieged by monsters.
To be able to organize a team of dozens of people, this must be the posture of the top mercenary group in Ceylon Territory to carry out a big action for some rare materials after obtaining some important intelligence.
But after carefully observing the situation of Pete and his group, the adventurers found that something was wrong.
Most of them were truly "old, weak and sick".
There were also ordinary people who went to the Dark Forest. Some mercenary groups would bring a few ordinary people to carry luggage and spoils when they were on the move, but those were all strong young people who could serve as half of the combat force in an emergency.
These were what Pete and his group brought.
They were all old and not very strong. Even the outer area of the Dark Forest, where the density and strength of monsters were slightly lower, was a life-forbidden zone for them.
"Who are these guys?"
"Are they... going to die?"
The adventurers exchanged puzzled looks with each other, but Pete ignored their reactions and even had the leisure to shout:
"Everyone in the queue in front, don't just stand there and watch, hurry up!"
The queues started to flow again.
The soldiers of the King's Army who were responsible for guarding the border defense line did not pay much attention to the strength and identity of the people who applied to cross the border. They would simply record the number of people.
Only when they returned to the kingdom would they be subject to stricter inspections, mainly to determine how serious the symptoms of the evil god pollution were in the people who returned.
Those in a worse state would be forced to stay at the border defense line for a period of time, and could only leave after the pollution was purified and dissipated.
As for who was going to go out and what they were going to do, they were too lazy to care.
As long as there was no problem among the people who returned, it was fine.
...
Pet reached out and gently touched the [Past Glory] light wall in front of him.
When his fingers touched it, the light wall without a physical body seemed to have waves like water waves, and he could vaguely feel the peaceful warmth from his fingertips.
He took a deep breath.
He took a step forward and passed through the translucent light wall!
A repressive breath instantly hit him!
Even the air he breathed seemed to become a little turbid!
After he passed through the light wall, it seemed that there was a dangerous existence that immediately cast a vague gaze at Pete.
However, this feeling of being watched only lasted for a moment and then disappeared, so that Pete was not even sure if it was his illusion.
The faces of his companions who followed Pete through [Past Glory] were not very good either.
Without the protection of the miracle magic, the contrast was obvious.
Miranda showed the biggest reaction, and she couldn't help but retching.
"What a bad breath, I seem to feel that something evil is being born in the depths of the forest!"
The situation of the 25 hired "stand-ins" was even worse.
Sudden impacted by the evil god's polluted breath, many people's facial features wrinkled together in discomfort.
They were already suffering from various diseases, and after being affected, the symptoms became more serious.
One of the men covered his chest, tried to suppress the feeling of nausea, and forced himself to assure Pete:
"Don't worry, Mr. Qinar."
"We can hold on, and we won't drag you down."
Despite all kinds of severe discomfort in their bodies, they were all refugees who had suffered all kinds of hardships. After adapting for a few minutes, they gradually regained their ability to move.
[Main quest, target location has been updated! ]
[Outskirts of the Dark Forest, Misty Valley, Current Distance: 27KM]
The oracle from Nowen appeared in the minds of Pete and others.
Pete calmly compared the map drawn by Baron Qinar.
As expected, he found the area marked with the words "Misty Valley" on it.
There was also a line of notes left by Baron Qinar next to it:
"The periphery of the valley is filled with gray fog that exists all year round. The situation inside is unclear. Adventurers have tried to enter it to explore, but have not returned."
The target location has been determined. The next step is to carefully avoid the group of monsters on the road and find a way to lead people to the creation altar required by the main task.
However, before setting off, Pete has another very important thing to do:
He boasted that he "hired" these substitutes and spent most of the 50 gold coins he had obtained from Cunning Shadow·Small Stone. Of course, it was not for these people to waste on exploring and dying.
If you want to open up a territory belonging to the civilized territory outside the border, the population of the people is indispensable.
These people in front of me are not afraid, not running away, and are even ready to die outside the border of the kingdom... Aren't they the best candidates for pioneering people!
After taking them a little away from the entrance and exit of the border defense line and making sure they are far away from other adventurers and mercenaries, Pete began to preach:
"Everyone——"
"I hope to introduce you to a truly great and supreme existence now!"
...
