N-A-A Chapter 85 Until I took an arrow to the knee
Chapter 85 Until I took an arrow to the knee
The white-haired, blue-eyed figure was none other than Luo Lan.
After leaving the underground city-like rift in the border mountains of the Holy Kingdom, they traveled day and night without stopping, without any rest.
Three days later, on this night, Luo Lan finally set foot in this place, the edge of a place called [Gray Rock Canyon].
Before hearing Luo Lan's seemingly "friendly" greeting, Rom emerged from the bushes.
Now that Roland has revealed Rom and Ollie's hiding place, there's no point in continuing to hide in the bushes.
Guided by instinct honed through years of battle, this burly man suppressed his wariness towards Luo Lan:
"Outsider, are you an adventurer or something? Why are you near our village in the middle of the night?"
This question may sound like a casual remark, but it is actually a sophisticated interrogation.
Rom was probing Ro Lan's background: confirming his identity, ascertaining his affiliation, and incidentally assessing whether this unfamiliar powerhouse who could instantly kill more than a dozen ghouls was after Grayrock Village.
Roland's gaze swept over Rom and Ollie, and the [True Sight] panel then displayed their extraordinary ranks:
One is [Gold-], the other is [Iron+] – the opponent's raw strength is inferior to Luo Lan's.
With [Optical Camouflage] activated, Luo Lan, using the [Semi-Liquid] "face-shaping" technique, calmly and confidently revealed his name:
"Luo Lan, a solo traveler. Simply passing through and looking for a few days to rest and recuperate."
Located in the Grey Rock Canyon, this place is geographically adjacent to the three major powers of the Holy Kingdom, the Emerald Council, and the Sky Empire, yet it is a completely "no man's land".
Because it is located in a rugged canyon, the road is not smooth, and even if ordinary people cross the border of the Holy Kingdom, they will not take this road.
Thousands of years ago, this canyon was famous for its abundant "Fire Marrow Magic Crystal" mineral, and the town of "Gray Rock," built around the mineral vein, was once very prosperous.
But as time went by, the mines were depleted and the ruins in the wilderness increased, and most of the people in the town fled. The once prosperous "Gray Rock Town" gradually declined into "Gray Rock Village".
In recent years, for some reason, the Holy Kingdom's leadership has become increasingly conservative and xenophobic in its actions.
The church's knights and priests have almost disappeared beyond the borders, let alone in a remote corner like "Gray Rock Village" where even birds don't bother to come.
In other words, the probability of encountering Holy Kingdom officials in this place is extremely low.
This also means that Luo Lan can slow down a bit, as she has been on edge and rushing around since she came out of the underground palace.
Therefore, Luo Lan simply revealed her real name to Luo Mu.
Anyway, in the Holy Kingdom, you're after "Roland," what does it have to do with me, "Roland"?
Moreover, the current Luo Lan and Luo Lan are not only different in soul, but also in appearance. Apart from the [Sinful Mark - Remnant], who can say that the two are related?
Not to mention an old soldier from a remote area who has never even seen a wanted poster from the Holy Kingdom, what could he possibly associate it with?
Hearing Luo Lan's frank answer, Rom carefully examined the expression on Luo Lan's face and slowly nodded.
When Rom killed the ghouls, the flash of red light under his helmet and the way he used strange mental fluctuations to freeze all the ghouls in place did indeed send a chill down Rom's spine.
The feeling was like the skill of a chaotic monster, rather than a human skill.
But Rom stared at Roland's face, which was openly exposed to the air, and after a while, confirmed that it was a living human face.
It had warm breaths and normal skin texture, unlike those deformed variants disguised as humans in the [Flesh-Burning Rotting Nest].
Rom's nickname "veteran" is well-deserved.
He had been living on this central continent for so many years, and he had dealt with all sorts of madmen, outlaws, priests of the Holy Church, and chaotic mutants...
Rom has his own confidence when it comes to judging people.
The man before him was definitely stronger than himself, and his abilities were strange and inexplicable, but he did not possess the mad malice that belonged to evil beings.
Since the other party claimed to be just passing through and asking for lodging, it was best to avoid trouble in this desolate wilderness when facing a powerful stranger.
Rom relaxed his shoulders and shoved the iron sword back into the clasp on his back.
He turned sideways, grabbed his apprentice by the back of the collar—who was still cowering in the bushes, looking dazed—and dragged him out like a radish. He then pointed to the bewildered boy beside him:
"Luo Lan, right? Okay. My name is Luo Mu, and this brat's name is Oli."
After giving his name, Rom turned and pushed aside several thorny vines blocking his way, pointing towards a faint light visible deep in the woods:
"That's Gray Rock Village. There's only one tavern/inn in the village. Don't expect to stay in one of those big city rooms with a hot tub and a soft bed, but the landlady's cooking is decent. As long as you don't cause trouble, Gray Rock Village welcomes any guest."
Luo Lan put the blood-stained helmet back on with one hand and thanked the two of them.
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way."
Rom walked ahead on the dirt road covered with fallen leaves, his steps steady, but his right leg always landed a little slower than his left.
He glanced back at Luo Lan's full-body heavy armor, which was stained with blood and even had bits of flesh stuck to it:
"Speaking of which, those ghouls you just casually cleared away did save us a lot of trouble."
Rom lightened the mood by starting a conversation, and the tense atmosphere among them immediately dissipated considerably. His tone carried a hint of wistful resignation, typical of old-school adventurers:
"This forest has become increasingly unsafe lately, with all sorts of strange monsters swarming here. It's probably related to the recent unrest in the rift in the western mine."
Ollie, who had been following his master without daring to utter a sound, immediately perked up upon hearing this.
The boy had already sheathed his short sword and darted forward in a few steps.
"But Master! Didn't you used to brag to me all the time... no, tell me, that you could single-handedly take on a whole swarm of crazed cave spiders?"
Ollie spoke very quickly, with the boundless energy typical of a young man.
"In terms of extraordinary level, a swarm of cave spiders is far more powerful than a few ghouls. Even without this uncle's help, you could have torn those skin and bones apart, right?"
Exposed to his face by his apprentice, Rom's old face stiffened. He sighed and slapped Ollie on the back of the head.
"Tsk, that was back when your master was an adventurer. You show-off kid, stop bringing that up in front of outsiders."
Hearing the conversation between the master and apprentice piqued Luo Lan's interest.
Since leaving the underground palace, Luo Lan has encountered Shadow Assassin Thieves of the Gold Rank and killed Evil Monsters of the Gold Rank+.
However, this was the first time Roran had encountered the "Gold Rank-" following Rom's name in the "True Sight" panel.
[Rank+] means that your overall strength has basically reached the peak of that rank, but what about [Rank-]?
Judging from Rom's poised stance in the bushes, this man was definitely a seasoned veteran, but there was always an inexplicable sense of stagnation in the extraordinary energy flow emanating from him.
So, Luo Lan casually asked:
"Then why didn't you become an adventurer?"
Most adventurers who manage to climb to the Gold rank have a crazy drive for thrills deep down.
Even if they get too old to fight, very few people would willingly stay in a desolate village and do the arduous task of patrolling every day.
When Rom heard this question, he paused and looked up at the night sky, which was fragmented by the tree canopy.
"well……"
Rom let out a long breath and brushed aside a drooping leaf.
"Who hasn't been young and reckless? Back then, I always felt like I had a sword in my hand, and I could cut down all the monsters in the world..."
The veteran shook his head, seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer.
"I used to be a seasoned adventurer with some reputation... until I took an arrow to the knee."
Now, Luo Lan understood what [Golden Rank -] meant—someone who had once reached the Golden Rank but whose strength had declined due to injuries and illnesses.