Alicia stood on the bow deck of the Sky Demon Ship, staring at the receding earth below.
The majestic city walls of the imperial capital, the tall Imperial Power Mountain and the city's spiers have disappeared into the distance. The mountains, rivers, forests, and huts scattered on the plains in the mountains and forests are retreating quickly.
After leaving the Imperial Capital Plain, the land quickly became barren.
The trees have become sparse, and the rolling hills are yellow-brown and covered with dry sand and gravel. In many places, there is no grass growing. In order to survive, people live on the edges of mountain streams, on river beaches, and even on steep mountain walls where there is a little bit of soil.
Everyone planted crops wherever possible.
Viewed from the air, this pitiful bit of green is like a few dots of paint thrown off a huge tawny carpet. It looks so inconspicuous.
The further south you go, the poorer the land becomes, and in the end, not even this bit of green can be seen.
To the east, the huge Broken Sky Mountain Range occupies half of the sky.
Under its huge shadow, many places are covered in darkness and ice and snow. Except for a few bitter cold plants, no crops can survive. The black, intertwined demonized forest has turned the entire land into a
It became a gloomy hell.
This is the Redemption Continent, where mankind has been surviving for more than three hundred years.
Because of the barrenness, the human race is said to have counterattacked the God-given continent, and cannot even restore the strength before the final battle. Whether it is culture, economy, population, military strength or the research of magic, it is only ten times less than its peak period.
one-third level.
At that time, the human coalition was still unable to compete with the demons. Now...
Alessia couldn't help but frown.
The Pompeii Empire has been in chaos due to the invasion of the demons. As the demons spread, a huge war quagmire with a radius of hundreds of kilometers has formed in the northeast of the Pompeii Empire.
Thousands of soldiers died in the battle with the demons. More civilians were forced to leave their homes and join the fleeing army. The flow of tens of millions of refugees left a mess wherever they passed. Originally
The fragile mainland economic system is on the verge of collapse.
Today, the price of food in the imperial capital has tripled. This is the result of the royal family's vigorous crackdown on hoarding, the deployment of large amounts of food from several provinces with relatively abundant food production, and the use of part of the food reserves.
Aleshia didn't know how long she could persist in doing so. But she knew that once the demons crossed the Solan border, the price of food might skyrocket tenfold or more.
This is true in the imperial capital, and one can imagine the current situation in some of the more barren provinces and regions.
As far as Aleshia knows, grain stores in many places have been closed. Tragedies of people dying for a piece of bread are endless. Even some bandit groups have begun to attack heavily guarded towns. These are the places they originally feared to avoid.
Less than.
A terrifying scene of troubled times is slowly unfolding before our eyes.
But now, the Duke of Lulian, which was originally the largest grain-producing area in the imperial capital and the safest rear area, has been invaded by abyssal demons. This is simply adding insult to injury.
"Princess," Susan's voice came from behind. "The wind is strong, you'd better go into the cabin. It will take a whole day to get to Lulian."
Alessia shook her head.
Susan sighed. She turned her head and looked into the distance without any further persuasion.
She understands Alessia better than anyone else. Even though she is gentle and approachable, and doesn’t lose her temper with anyone, she is very opinionated in her heart. If not for this, she would not have decided to join the Temple of Saints, and neither would Edward I.
You will gain time and opportunity to fight back.
but……
Susan gritted her teeth with hatred when she thought of the Holy Lady's Temple.
The princess had a wonderful time after joining the Saint's Hall. However, this did not last long. In just less than two years, her situation in the Saint's Hall took a turn for the worse.
This is not because she did anything wrong, but because of changes in the external environment.
Especially after Augustus stepped into the Holy Land, the annoying voices in the Holy Lady's Temple suddenly became louder. It seemed that everyone had determined that if they could not form an alliance with the Langris family, then in the future the Holy Lady's Temple would
's position will become precarious.
This world is ruled by the strong.
An extraordinary strong man may make the mainland have to listen to his voice for decades or even hundreds of years in the future.
With Augustus' talent, no one would doubt his future achievements. Coupled with his status as the heir to the Langleys family, the future head of the Knights Templar, and the godson of Pope Nicholas II, not to mention the future, even if he is
Now he is one of the most powerful people in the human world.
No one wanted to offend Augustus.
In the opinion of many people in the palace, instead of being an enemy of such a person, it would be better to push Alessia, who is envied in every aspect and has taken away too much favor and resources, to Augustus in exchange for
The friendship between him and the Lanlith family towards the Holy Lady Temple is more in line with their own interests.
You don’t need to pay anything anyway, right?
As for what Alessia thinks... In the presence of the Holy Emperor, are there still women in this continent who are unwilling to marry Augustus? Alessia's nonsensical attitude towards Augustus is simply unreasonable. She should
I'm happy, I should be glad that she has a pretty face that Augustus likes.
Moreover, as a disciple of the Holy Lady Temple, she should make sacrifices for everyone. Anyway, she will definitely become Augustus's woman in the imperial capital competition in a year's time. In this case, why can't she be more straightforward, at least
It can also bring some benefits to everyone.
As a result, the Holy Lady Temple began to contact the Langlis family. And they almost succeeded if Roy hadn't beaten Scarlett later.
Thinking of this, the image of the black-haired boy with a big head appeared in Susan's mind again. She also remembered the scene where he knelt in front of Alessia and was canonized as a guardian knight.
Susan was a little sad.
She turned her head and looked over. Alessia looked calm. Her profile was like a white jade sculpture bathed in the sun. Every line was so graceful and charming.
But Susan knew that every meter closer to the south made her miss the black-haired boy more.
…………
Roy walked up the stairs leading to the second floor.
The staircase is spiral, winding upward along the curved wall of the hall. Walking in it, Roy feels like he has entered a black world. This feeling is very similar to that of him walking in the space passage of the Judgment. There is no distance.
There was no sense of direction, and everything was pitch black.
The only thing that can be seen is a light that is constantly magnifying in front of me.
"I didn't expect this kid to actually go up to the second floor," Long Ba said, "Do you think he can go up to the third floor?"
Long Qi shook his head, but Long Jiu nodded.
"Do you think he can survive?" Long Ba looked at Long Jiu in surprise, "The second level is a series of traps. Not only are there seventy-two death knight statues, but there is also a magic pattern array from the Flame Hell..."
As it spoke, it shook its head and said: "Impossible, this kid is the weakest among all the passers-by. He has no chance of passing this pass!"
"You said you passed the level normally," Long Jiu said, "but you forgot one thing. He was brought by Bastad. Moreover, he passed the first level perfectly."
"Of course I know he was brought here by that damn sycophant..." Long Ba frowned. As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and widened his eyes, "Wait, you mean..."
Before Long Ba finished speaking, Long Qi on the side seemed to have thought of the same thing and shouted in shock: "The road to redemption! He has opened the road to redemption!"
Long Jiu nodded and said: "It is the road to redemption."
These few words seemed to have some kind of magic power. The palace suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
In the picture, Roy continues to move forward.
There was a sudden fluctuation in the black space. Immediately, where Roy could not see, a dark purple vortex suddenly appeared in the middle of the stairs. As Roy, who was unaware, stepped in, the vortex was like a tunnel.
Silently, Roy was led in another direction.
Long Ba and Long Qi in front of the screen jumped up at the same time.
"Is it him?!"
"This human boy is the one we are waiting for?!"
The two bone dragons were trembling with excitement. They stared at Roy in the picture. Look at his eyes, his eyebrows, and his nose. They have been waiting for this face for more than six thousand years!
But soon, they calmed down.
"Although the road to redemption has been opened. However," Long Ba looked at Long Jiu with squinting eyes, and said with some suspicion, "Are you sure the person we are waiting for is such a... rookie?"
Long Qi also said: "Yes, although the road to redemption is different from normal challenges, we have all experienced it personally. Not only is the difficulty not low, it is actually higher than normal challenges to a certain extent. This kid can
Can you pass?"
"I'm not sure," Long Jiu shook his head and said, "But I have always had a question in my mind. We all know that back then, His Majesty once performed a great prophecy before his soul returned to the sea of stars. It was that great prophecy.
, spent the last hundred years of his life..."
Long Qi and Long Ba both nodded.
Long Jiudao: "...No one knows what His Majesty saw in the mirror of time. But from that day on, His Majesty decided to leave his legacy and inheritance. He used his Beast King's Armor to create a pair of armor.
Made a treasure map. Then sealed us and the three kings in the Star Tower, Moon Palace and Sun Castle respectively."
"And more importantly, he left a path to redemption."
Having said this, Long Jiu looked at his two companions: "What I want to ask is, why?"
"You must know that whether it is the Star Tower, the Moon Palace or the Sun Castle, they are the crystallization of His Majesty's lifelong efforts. They are more powerful than any magic tower, more majestic than any palace, and stronger than any castle. And among them
The traps and magic patterns set up are beyond the imagination of ordinary people."
"If you want to test the successor, the magic circle of the Star Tower alone is enough. Look at the so-called [Chosen Ones] brought by Bastad, which one can reach the seventh floor? Even if they are
The strongest one relied on all the secret weapons and elixirs in his body to reach the sixth level. But...why does Your Majesty leave a more difficult road to salvation?"
After a moment of silence, Long Jiu continued: "Just as we guessed before, the road to salvation was specially prepared for a certain person. Your Majesty saw this person in the great prophecy, so he left this road.
However, now that I think about it, we seem to have made a mistake."
"Which point?" Long Qi and Long Ba asked at the same time.
"Although the road to redemption is to some extent more difficult and dangerous than normal challenges, this does not mean that the person who challenges the road to redemption must be a super strong person. Your Majesty will never do the same thing twice.
.The reason why he left the path of salvation is because this path is the most suitable for this person!"
Long Qi and Long Ba's eyes lit up at the same time.
Long Jiu turned to look at Roy and said, "I'm not sure whether this guy is the person His Majesty asked us to wait for. However, in the past six thousand years, he was the first person to start the road to redemption.
At least this is a hope, isn't it? I have a hunch that he might create a miracle."
The expressions of Long Ba and Long Qi changed with Long Jiu's words.
However, after looking at Roy again and again, Long Ba still shook his head: "No matter how I look at it, this kid doesn't look like he can pass the road to redemption. His strength is really too low."
As he spoke, he asked: "Do you still remember when His Majesty completed the road to redemption?"
Seeing his two companions nodding, Long Ba snorted and said, "Then you don't remember what we tasted then? We couldn't even get past the second floor!"
Seemingly remembering something that left people with lingering fear, Long Ba gritted his teeth and said, "At that time, I had a total of ninety-seven bones broken! If His Majesty hadn't stopped the magic circle, I would only be left with a pile of bones and dregs now!"
Long Qi and Long Jiu both laughed.
"I still remember the way you were dragged out." Long Qi laughed loudly, "Long Yi said, you look like a dead dog."
Long Jiu smiled and said: "You deserve it. You are a warrior-type dragon, not a spell-type dragon. If you challenge the road to salvation, aren't you asking for death?"
Long Ba became angry and argued: "What about that guy Long Si? It's not the same!"
As it said, it looked at Roy in the screen fiercely and sneered: "For this kid, it's just a dream to pass the road of salvation. He can pass the first level just because of his bad luck. This kind of thing
I can kill a hundred rookies in one bite. If he wants to be my Master Long Ba, he will never get a chance in his next life!"
Long Qi looked at Long Jiu, then at Long Ba, and shouted excitedly: "Bet, bet!"
"I bet two, no, five gold coins!" Long Ba looked at Long Jiu provocatively, "Do you dare?".
"I'm just like Long Ba," Long Qi shouted, "two gold coins!"
Long Jiu looked at his two companions, then at the human young man in the magic circle screen, nodded and said: "Okay!"... (To be continued...)