webnovelvip Chapter 341 The Smoke of the War of the Gods
Chapter 341 The Smoke of the War of the Gods
Chapter 341 The Smoke of the War of the Gods
On a vast, boundless plain, a golden steam train is speeding along.
Steam billowed from the locomotive, spreading freely in the dim environment, which seemed to be the only breath in this desolate world.
The wheels made a rhythmic "clanging" sound as they rubbed against the rails. When the train passed, the rails below instantly turned into a faint golden light and disappeared without a trace. Then, they were laid out and converged into rails in front of the train.
Rhythmic sounds echoed across the silent plain, occasionally startling a few wandering monsters.
The monsters were enormous, towering like small mountains. They had human-like features, but their bodies were covered with strange, fleshy growths.
Several monsters raised their heads, their noses twitching slightly, as if searching for the source of the sound, but soon, a grayish-white light flashed in their eyes.
The light seemed to blind all their senses, making them not only unable to see the steam train speeding past in the distance, but also slowing their movements considerably, making them appear somewhat mentally impaired.
Inside the train, Chang Lei hummed softly, then slowly withdrew his gaze and turned back to continue pouring wine for Tang Zijun.
Tang Zijun and Katie sat together, with an exquisite silver plate on the table in front of them, on which were several pork chops and fish fillets, and some broccoli and carrots as garnish.
Chang Lei stood quietly next to Tang Zijun, pouring red wine for the two of them like an excellent butler.
Across from the three, Grilando was practically shrinking under the table.
She had never dined at the same table with a noble family before. Just boarding this exquisite train was enough to make her nervous, and now, witnessing this scene, she was even more uneasy.
Desk and the other mercenaries had previously complained to her that Mr. Wolf Rider didn't seem like a nobleman at all, but rather more like a mercenary. Gloria didn't refute them at the time because she herself had thought so before.
In their eyes, noblemen were high above, aloof and different from others, and unwilling to even breathe the same air as them from the lower classes.
But Tang Zijun was different. He was not only very polite to them, but also had no airs at all. He didn't treat them like they were from the bottom class, and they could even joke with him occasionally.
You should know that this would be completely impossible for other nobles!
This also caused the Fire Fox Mercenary Group and the refugees of Black City to somewhat overlook Tang Zijun's identity as a knightly noble.
At this moment, this unspoken pressure once again weighed on Grelando. Just kidding, if she's not a noble, who is?
The food on the table alone was enough to amaze her. She had never seen such exquisite food in her life, and the aroma was so enticing. She felt that even the man-eating flower that used illusions to lure victims was no better than this.
And then there was the blood-like drink that Mr. Hax was holding. Judging from the smell, it should be some kind of alcohol, but how could Grilando, who drank beer without foam all year round, possibly recognize such a high-class product? Is this the daily life of the nobility? Grilando didn't know. She carefully looked away, trying to shift her attention away from the food, but soon, she was drawn to the interior of the train.
Before, she hadn't had the mind to properly observe the interior of the train, but now that she was inside, Grilando felt like she was having trouble breathing.
Of course, this doesn't mean the air inside the train was thin; rather, it means Grilando dared not breathe heavily, for fear that her voice would ruin the beauty of the place.
What a creation this was! It seemed as if every inch of it was made of gold. The scenery outside the window flashed by at a speed that completely exceeded her imagination. And the most outrageous thing was that there was not a single bump inside the car.
It's no wonder that this is something used by nobles; now, Grelando is increasingly convinced that it is a creation of the gods.
"Have something to eat."
Just as Grilando's mind was in complete chaos, Tang Zijun's voice suddenly rang out in front of her, pulling her back from her turbulent thoughts.
"Oh." Grilando licked her lips and responded. She had wanted to try it for a long time, but Tang Zijun hadn't said anything, so she hadn't dared to make a move.
"We're old friends who've been through thick and thin together, so you don't need to be so tense. Relax, just imagine we're in a bigger carriage," Tang Zijun said, taking a sip from her cup.
"Even if you say that, I'm afraid I won't be able to calm down for a while..." Gloriand shook her head with a smile.
"That's true." Since they weren't from the same worldview, Tang Zijun knew he was being a bit too difficult, so he changed the subject. "By the way, what were those things we encountered earlier?"
"Cannibal."
Grilando answered quickly, her voice even a little louder, as if she were talking about something she was good at.
"Those guys originally lived in the valley and would occasionally attack passing merchants, but now, the war of the gods has spread to the whole world, and everyone is hiding in their city-states. These ogres must have expanded their range of activity to the plains because they have no prey."
"An cannibal... It's a bit different from what I imagined," Tang Zijun muttered.
"Don't you see these creatures where you live?" Gloria asked curiously. "No," Tang Zijun shook her head. "Why do you ask?"
Grilando simply shrugged slightly. "Ogres are highly adaptable creatures, and they have very long lifespans; they can be found in almost every part of the world."
"Maybe it's because our place is a bit remote." Tang Zijun didn't explain much. All his impressions of ogres were still from the Warcraft expansion packs.
After a pause, just as Tang Zijun was about to say something, he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye, which made him exclaim in surprise.
Wow!
Upon hearing the sound, everyone followed Tang Zijun's gaze and looked out the window.
Soon, the remains of a huge statue collapsed on the plain came into view. With the help of the wide view of the plain, they could clearly see the whole picture of the ruins. The statue was estimated to be more than 60 meters high before it collapsed. Its head rolled to the side, and half of its face was buried in the soil. The statue's expression was frozen with pain and resentment, and its tightly closed eyes seemed to be about to open at any moment.
Broken limbs lay scattered on the surrounding land, as if displaying to the world their former glory and present decay, while around the ruins of the statue lay a scorched earth stretching to the horizon.
Some power seemed to linger on the scorched earth, constantly corroding everything around it. The entire land was filled with deathly silence and desolation, and even birds were unwilling to approach it.
Everyone in the car was drawn to the sight, and Curly-Ear pressed against the car window, looking somewhat surprised.
"Such a strange power, it has an indescribable feeling. It doesn't seem like an evil creature, but... it gives people a very oppressive feeling. "That's divine power."
At this moment, Grilando spoke.
She looked at everyone and then said softly, "Divine power is an energy that transcends all other powers. The destruction this energy causes to the world will be permanent. Similarly, this power will be rejected by the world. This thing has been here for many years, but divine power is still eroding this land."
Upon hearing the word "divine power," Tang Zijun couldn't help but turn to look at Chang Lei, only to find that he was also looking at her with a wary expression in his eyes.
After a pause, Tang Zijun turned her gaze to Gloriand. "Is that stone statue one of the gods of the Void Realm?"
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, I don't know." Gloriand shook her head slightly. "The Church remains silent about the origin of this statue. There are rumors that it is a demigod from the Void Realm, and some say it is a warrior created by a god, but no one can say for sure."
"How did it get here?" Curly-eared Grilando asked. Instead of answering directly, she pointed to the sky.
Curly-eared creature looked up at the sky with curiosity, but all it saw was a dark red mist, which looked like a huge dome made of clouds, tightly covering the entire sky.
"Is the sky always like this here?" Chang Lei couldn't help but ask.
"It has been like this since the War of the Gods. Some people speculate that it is the flames and smoke from the battlefield of the gods, while others say that it is the blood of the gods when they died, which turned into a blood mist that covers the sky," Gloland replied.
Tang Zijun paid no attention to the anomaly in the sky; his focus remained entirely on the statue. "So, this thing fell from the sky, just like the Demon Eye from back then?"
"Well...yes." Grilando nodded gently.
"The gods reside in places inaccessible to mortals, just as we believe in the Void, the Realm of the Sky. We believe that the gods dwell high in the sky, where even dragons cannot fly."
"And the battlefield of the gods is naturally in the divine realm. No one can fathom the location of the battlefield, not even the greatest prophet. We cannot control the outcome of the battles between the gods. Occasionally, some strange things fall from the sky; this is just one example."
"You know what, it really does feel like going back to the mythical era." Chang Lei chuckled twice as he listened to Grilando's story, his expression shifting between light and shadow as he spoke in a low voice.
"Didn't you try to touch those fallen objects? They belong to the gods; they should grant you great power, right?"
"We would never do anything blasphemous," Grilando replied instinctively.
She then noticed that Tang Zijun was staring at her silently, and sighed heavily again.
"...It's not that we're unwilling to come into contact with them, it's just that the power of the gods carries a pollution we can't even imagine. Remember those ogres from earlier?"
After a pause, Grilando said in a deep voice.
"They didn't originally have tumors on their bodies."