1497 A Difficult Start

In the dead of night, the strange sound of nature echoed out, with some being familiar and others not so much.

Titarian was too strange, and even the ground there moved on could harbor a deadly beast using camouflage to sneak up on them.

But with their cheat, they scoured the sight, using night and heat vision goggles the instant they diverted off the main roads and stormed through the forest trails.

One should remember that they were just 30 minutes away by vehicle at high speed. On horseback, it might take on an entire morning or afternoon to get to the Capital.

Hmmm...

The distance they were at was smacked down in the middle between a town and the Royal Capital city.

On horseback, moving between both places would take 9~14 hours demoted on one's horse speed.

Of course, rather than stopping midway, they stopped 1/3 of the remaining journey, considering that the enemy camps might be within the perimeter of the Royal city.

Looking around, there were no enemy scouts anywhere, proving that they were at a far enough place out of reach.

Good.

.

Vrmmm!!!

In the vehicles, several people looked to the sky with a similar device one might see in submarines. Only this optical device allowed them to see not just their surroundings but also the sky once the dial settings that move the lenses turned.

Yes... They were still following the few flying dots in the air.

You see, Titarian's terrain was too strange.

Before, they didn't think of doing this during the night. But after traveling for just one day, they started sending up air forces the moment it got dark.

They would find a hidden site and send a few air forces up.

Have you ever seen land that moves on its own?

That's right. During their travels, they reached a particular place that nearly confused them silly.

The hills apparently moved on their own every 6 hours.

So one could get lost if they weren't familiar with the particular sight.

And wouldn't you know it, they spent 5 hours going about in circles. What's more, the shift also brought sudden dangers from heaven-knows-where.

Fortunately, it was almost dark. So they waited for the darkness to completely cover the land before sending a few air force teams to head up and show them the way.

Phew.~

Never again shall they branch off the main road without sending Air Force units. Who knows what other strange things they would meet in these bizarre regions?

It can be seen that only the people of Titarian knew best how to live in these places.

Tch.

To think hunters could enter these regions and come up as though walking through their backyards.

Now, driving away from the main roads, they stayed connected with the air force teams they sent up not too long ago.

.

[Reporting to ground command. Suitable campsite located. I repeat. Campsite located!]

"Roger that. Over."

Both air and ground teams worked in sync to find a perfect open plain deep within the forest.

Titarian was the land of the hills, with very different terrain, so it wasn't hard spotting one with open plains.

The land spotted was mainly filled with stones of all shapes, sizes, and structures.

It was odd, but it was their best solution for the time being.

What's more, some giant rocks perfectly shielded the vehicles, making it hard for anyone coming from afar to spot their hideout. But this also meant the other animals and enemies would be able to sneak up on them too.

So very quickly, they assigned scouts to hop on the tall rocks with blankets, weapons, night & heat vision goggles, and everything else needed to keep them comfortable up there.

Yes... The land was so strange, like an inverted hill.

The rocks were the only things filtering, while the land seemed to be going downwards instead

So even without the towering rocks, if one was to stand at a distance on ground level, they won't be able to see the vehicles that went down the deep dip.

As an inverse hill would suggest, it was like a crater, a massive hole made by an enormous commit.

And only the giant stones shot sky high to hill-top height.

If one accurately described the scene, they could say these towering stones looked like sharp teeth covering the deep crater's mouth.

But unlike a mouth with a tongue and smooth gums, the entire path was filled with rugged rocks.

.

~Vrmmm!

The vehicles drive down the rocky path, swaying left and right, dodging the small 4-6 sheet rocks scattered about the scene.

Well, compared to the giant rocks around the hill's perimeter, these rocks along the way seemed so small.

But wait. What was this?

Those scouting the scene within the vehicles quickly noticed several images picked up by the heat vision devices: some crawling, some resting, and some running.

And then it was clear.

Sure enough, not everything was as it seemed. Some rocks were animals in disguise.

Everyone quickly stayed vigilant, passing through the vast space.

Provided these animals don't bother them, they too won't bother attacking.

After all, some were the size of rabbits, others the size of dogs, while some were indeed quite large.

All in all, they weren't here to fight and drive these beings out of their territories.

It's clear that these beings chose this sight to camouflage themselves.

And the hill wasn't all fruitless.

It had flowing streams that ran down the craters and vanished into the ground at the very center of the hill.

And what's more, There were indeed sights of greenery... Though all were colored marble white like stones.

The fruits they bore were also white.

Peculiar... Very peculiar...

If Landon hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would've sworn that such things were impossible to exist.

But the facts were right before him.

What happened to science?

Sigh...

Landon shook his head wryly.

Nature in this world sure was strange.

In the end, the gang drove past the many strange beasts until they found a good enough spot that distanced themselves from the animals.

And using their vehicles to form a circular fortress, they created a line separating them from these nightly beasts.

Of course, a few vehicles broke out in all directions, heading to the towering Hill-heights stones at the perimeters.

They parked the vehicles directly under the stones, planning to rock climb to the top and begin their scouting duties.

They had to watch out for faraway-approaching enemies.

But that wasn't all. A few dogs were released and tasked with controlling the site very vigilantly, accompanied by their human counterparts

And just like that, their campsite was successfully secured.

Now, it was mealtime.

.

Using the moon's bright pale blue light, everyone gathered within the inner space surrounded by their many vehicles.

Many found seats on the rocks while being served their late last meal for the day from the books in the vehicles.

Whether it was the military doctors, soldiers, or marines, everyone stayed close, with some on top of the vehicles with weapons at hand.

Any animal trying to pull a fast one at them, kill!

As for the rest of the dogs, they took them out to stretch their legs and fed them well.

Landon sat alongside the lead unit leaders, eating his fill as they engaged in discussion.

"Your majesty, we still have 40 minutes for Air Force units to ascend. Before tonight is up, we must find the enemy's location. Time was working against us here!"

Right.

Because of the few inconveniences, they had lost 2 entire days. Their little moment of confusion within the area of identical changing hills wasn't the only thing that kept them from coming sooner.

And now, they had but just 1 more day before the coronation began.

Everyone's heart thumped with urgency.

They were already at a disadvantage, with the enemy knowing the terrain well enough.

They would have to squeeze in all 3-day plans into 1 day. They only had now till tomorrow's end to fit it all in.

Dammit!

One could only blame themselves for underestimating Titarian's strangest. For the land alone, they could score the mission rank high without hesitation.

It can be seen that they were even lucky enough to have made it on time, or else wouldn't they come after the target had been killed?

Landon was even more anxious than they were.

F***!

It was his life on the line here!

Anything happens to Gregory, and it would be game over for him.

Taking deep breaths, Landon calmed himself down, finishing his meal up fast.

They were right.

They didn't have time to dilly daily when the unpredictable T.O.E.P were still moving in the shadows like slippery eels.

Landon chuckled, thinking of what surprises Lucy was in for on her own mission.

This land...

This empire's landscape was far more tasking than they anticipated!

"Mealtime is over! All Air force teams line up!!"