46 Chapter 45: On the Day of Glory, The Shield of Protection Disappears

After seeing the powerful attributes of the undead soldiers a few more times, Richard fell into a deep sleep.

Early the following day.

After washing up, he chose and wore a black robe from the wardrobe.

Today, he would hold a funeral for the resident soldiers who had sacrificed themselves.

A few tailors in the territory had sewn many clothes for him over the past few days, so he did not have to worry about wearing clothes.

As the ruler of Twilight City, the entire territory was his belonging. All the good things were given priority to him.

Richard, dressed in a pure black robe, walked out of the Lord's mansion. A black, dense mass of heads appeared before him.

Other than the small teams that had yet to return from their exploration, the entire territory's residents had gathered.

Everyone's faces were solemn. They did not speak, and the scene was exceptionally tranquil.

The carpenter had worked through the night to prepare the coffins. He collected the resident heroes' bodies and arranged them in the back open space.

Although it was slightly rough, it was also extremely rare.

When Richard stepped out of the mansion, he immediately became the crowd's focus.

"Lord."

"Lord..."

His gaze swept across the crowd, and he silently walked forward step by step through the passage they had left behind.

Wherever he passed, everyone held their chests and saluted.

After he walked past, the crowd slowly followed behind him and gathered around him.

Richard's expression was solemn as he walked to where the coffins were. His gaze lingered on the coffins for a long time.

The atmosphere became more and more delicate.

He suddenly let out a long sigh. Then, under the gaze of the residents, he slowly bowed to the six coffins.

He stood up, stepped forward, and grabbed a corner of the coffin on the far left.

The surrounding residents were stunned. It took them a long time to react. They immediately rushed forward and lifted the coffin with him.

When the crowd saw this scene, they felt as if their throats were blocked by something, and their hearts surged.

Lord Richard had personally lifted the coffin...

What an honor! What an honor!!

At this moment, his honorable gesture shook countless people. With such a lord, what else could they complain about?

No matter how much they said, it was better to do it personally.

Richard's example, coupled with his exceptional skill—Leadership—had an intense personal charisma.

At this moment, his status in the hearts of the residents of Twilight City had reached an exceptional height.

In the special atmosphere, Richard carried the coffin before him.

Step by step, he and the others carried the heroic residents who had sacrificed themselves outside the territory.

The cemetery had already been chosen in the southwest corner of Twilight City—about 5 kilometers away. A low mound was mixed with gravel.

In the desert, Richard, who had carried the coffin personally, was in front, and all the residents followed behind him.

At this moment, the sadness in the people's hearts changed because the ruler of this land joined in.

The crowd followed behind like a pilgrimage, looking at the figure carrying the coffin with teary eyes.

The coffin was like a torch that illuminated and guided the road ahead to the land of hope.

Sacred and noble…

Small gravel hills…

Richard placed the coffin in the tomb with his own hands.

Then, he silently picked up the shovel next to him and began to bury the soil, shovel by shovel.

The others also followed him.

Other than the sobbing of family members and friends, the only sound in the air was the sound of the shovel digging.

When the tombs were formed and everything was completed.

Richard put down the shovel and swept his deep gaze across the crowd around him.

He spoke in a deep voice.

"Everyone faces the day when they die. Some people die worthless, and even make people despise. There are those people who die with great honor and glory in sacrifice for others. Just like the six heroes before your eyes. They died for Twilight City, and they died for each one of us. They are heroes. They are heroes worthy of our remembrance and marked forever in our hearts. The Twilight City will never forget them. I will never forget them!"

At this point, Richard suddenly stopped in front of six empty tombstones.

"Green."

"Nard."

"Reema."

He called the heroes' names.

From the first tombstone, every tombstone they passed would shout a name.

And when the crowd heard those names, it was as if a battering ram had struck their hearts.

Their eyes turned red.

This scene became something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

In front of the unremarkable tombstones, Richard called each a hero and even wrote down each of their names,...

How glorious was this?!

Adele covered her face with both hands as the names stabbed her heart like a sharp knife.

Tears slowly slid down between her fingers and even wet her sleeves.

If it weren't for her, these people might not have gotten into this...

After reading everyone's names, Richard looked at the crowd again with a firm and forceful tone.

"From today onwards, every dead hero in Twilight City will be buried in this land. This is the Land of Glory, the home of heroes. Furthermore, I have set May 8th as the day of glory yearly to commemorate our dead heroes. Every year on this day, Twilight City will hold a memorial ceremony to pray for them."

The day of glory?

To commemorate the dead heroes?

When the residents heard this, they could not hold themselves back anymore.

Their eyes were red.

Karu seemed to have regained his youth. He suddenly raised his right hand and shouted in a hoarse voice.

"The Twilight City will live forever! Long live Lord Richard!!"

At this moment, this shout became everyone's outlet. Each one shouted crazily to vent the surging emotions in their hearts.

"Twilight City will live forever! Long live Lord Richard!"

"Twilight City will live forever! Long live Lord Richard!"

"..."

At this moment, they recognized their lord from the bottom of their hearts.

After the hero's funeral in the Land of Glory ended, Richard returned to his territory.

The others could immerse themselves in the atmosphere, but he needed to steer the ship.

After breakfast, he planned to go out and scan the map again.

But at this time, he suddenly saw a conspicuous red prompt on his stats panel: [On May 8, 7600, the protective shield in the game "Shining Era" would break in two hours.]

Richard was slightly in a trance.

The shield would break?

In seven days…

He had been in this game world for seven days.

For some reason, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

It was as if modern life seven days ago was already a very distant thing.

This territory that ultimately belonged to him already had an unbreakable bond. It became an inseparable part of him.

It was as if this place made him feel more at ease than anything in the modern world.

"Good day, Lord Richard. Are you going out today? I...I have something to talk to you about."

Because Richard was slightly absent-minded, Adele quietly entered the hall.

Hearing this, he was jolted awake.

He collected his thoughts and looked at the girl with a ponytail and leather boots before him. He smiled.

The copper hammer taller than a person on the back of this slender girl was particularly eye-catching.

She looked heroic and brave.

"There's no need to be so polite, Miss Adele. Please speak your mind."

Adele looked straight into the eyes of the handsome young man in front of her. Her expression was grave as she spoke solemnly.

"I beg you to let me join Twilight City."

Richard's heart relaxed as he recalled the system notification that he had completed the hero recruitment mission last night.

He looked straight into Adele's eyes and spoke in a deep voice.

"Miss Adele, have you thought it through? Twilight City is located in the desert, and there aren't many resources around. Likely, we won't be able to give you what you want."

"In addition, we will face sorts of dangers in the future, such as hostility from other forces, siege by robbers, attacks by sandstorm...and so on.

"To protect Twilight City, I need you to forge weapons for the troop and even go into battle to kill the enemy. Is your mind ready for this?"

Adele's gaze was adamant.

"When you were willing to take the risk for a few civilians that the other lords think were lowly, and even sacrifice your troop to bring their corpses back. I am ready. Lord Richard, I am willing to serve Twilight City and be your subordinate."

As she said that, she placed her right hand on her chest and knelt on one knee.

She lowered her head which had been initially held high.

[Ding~ Hero Unit Adele Thorin has been conquered by your charisma and is willing to submit to you. Do you accept?]

Richard nodded and said solemnly.

"Adele Thorin, in the name of the lord of Twilight City, I accept your allegiance. From today onwards, you are a member of Twilight City. From now on, Twilight City is with you. You will no longer be alone. I will always be your strongest protector."