On the back of a flaming bird were a worried-looking orc and a gloomy-faced Auster.
“Chief, Ferdinand is dead, and now Connie has become the chief of the Falk Tribe. There’s also a Hairless Monk now. Our plans are completely ruined. What should we do now?” the orc asked.
“Rex only has brawns, no brains. He’s not a threat at all. As for that lass, she’s even less of a worry. However, if word of Flerken appearing spread, she would gain some prominence, and that would affect our plan to subdue the other tribes.” Auster frowned. He thought for a while, and said, “Let’s still go according to our original plan. Just spread the word that this lass is brash, and cannot take up the responsibility of the chief of the Falk Tribe. After that, get close to Darryl and Kurt, give them a little something, and tell them to start another rebellion.”
“Yes,” the golden-armored orc answered.
***
Gary’s death and Connie’s succession were major events to the Falk Tribe, but Flerken’s appearance minimized the negative impact they had.
Everyone believed that Lord Flerken had made the wisest and noblest choice for the Falk Tribe. As Isaiah’s daughter, Connie would become the new chief of the Falk Tribe, and continue to protect Tatari.
Of course, there were still voices of objection.
However, most of them chose to keep their mouths shut in front of the Hairless Monk.
Those oppressed and maligned orcs who were locked up were set free, and Gary’s accomplices were put in jail.
Many things happened in the night, and everyone knew that when day broke, Connie’s era would officially begin.
“So… the mission that the organization gave me is completed just like that?” Hannah walked back to her small courtyard slowly. She was still in disbelief. Everything was set into place before her wine had the chance to be put into use, and before she could use the other things that she had prepared.
“But… What exactly was the mission that the organization gave him this time? To rescue Ferdinand? Then if Ferdinand is dead… is his mission considered complete?” Hannah stopped in her tracks. She was a little confused. “Then can I leave this time? Grandpa said that I can leave as long as I complete the organization’s mission. After waiting for so long, it isn’t all a lie, right?”
***
In the run-down room, Rex stood quietly amidst the floor of shattered ceramics. He could even spot a few familiar pieces.
Now that the person was gone, he could only use these things as a form of remembrance.
“I thought that as long as I left, you would be able to forget the events of that night slowly…” Rex sighed. He fell silent for a very long time.
“Don’t worry, I will watch over Connie for you. This time, I’m not leaving.” The low voice echoed around the room. It sounded like a mumble, and also like some sort of promise.
Footsteps approached, and two figures appeared at the door.
Rex slowly turned around and saw Irina and Mag, who had a mask on, at the door. He did not seem very surprised by their arrival.
“I want to understand more about the devil and evil gods from you,” Mag said in a different tone. He reached his hand out to remove his black and white mask at the same time.
Under the mask was a chiseled face filled with righteousness. There were a pair of thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a scar at the corner of his eyebrow.
“Alex, right?” Rex looked at Mag. There was finally a slight change on his face.
“I am.” Mag nodded slightly.
“It’s obvious that you’ve already understood some things, and could see where the problem of Ferdinand’s issue lies.”
“Yes. A few months ago, the same thing happened first to Borg, an elf. It was way more serious than what happened to Ferdinand. We realized that the Holy Light had a restrictive effect on the black fog. After that, it happened to Alfred, an abyss demon. The black fog appeared on a small island in the Boundless Sea Realm. All the animals there were hysterical because of the black fog. We saw them eating and tearing each other apart, so we knew the possible effect of the black fog on normal living things,” Mag said calmly. “After that, it was Ferdinand and Gary. Their condition was very mild.”
“There have already been three cases of the black fog within just a few months?” Rex raised his voice a little when he heard that.
“Yes.” Mag nodded. “We’re worried that this might be a negative signal. If the black fog starts to appear in different parts of the Norland Continent, and we aren’t able to get timely information to remove it, once it reaches an uncontrollable scale, it might mean destruction to the Norland Continent.”
“A tribe covered in black fog meant that the entire tribe was wiped out. If the black fog covers the entire Norland Continent, that would mean that the entire continent would be on a frantic killing spree… That would be way scarier than a war between races,” Rex said softly as his expression turned grave.
“Have you seen what’s within the black fog?” Irina asked Rex.
Rex’s eyes darted a little, and he appeared hesitant.
“If we want to stop all this from happening, we need to understand it more.” Mag looked at Rex, and said, “When I was at the Boundless Sea Realm, I was once entranced to enter a stone statue. Inside, I saw a huge stone temple, a throne made up of skeletons, and a man whom I could not see clearly…”
“Back then, when we’ve just arrived at the Urba Tribe, we happened to see them in the midst of a scary ceremony…”
Rex told them everything that happened back then. It was an unforgettable night. Even though he had not mentioned the events of the day to anyone for a century, he could still recount the details of the scene.
“…they started frantically killing and biting each other, pulling children’s hearts out to eat. And within the black fog, we… we saw a horrifying thing that we could not name. It was just like a huge mountain. Even a giant dragon would be as small as a mosquito before it…” Rex’s voice was shaking as fear showed through his eyes.
“We lay low on the top of the mountain, afraid to move, all the way until day broke and the black fog dispersed, together with the unnamed thing, before we went down the mountain.” Rex looked at Mag. He paused for a while, pulled out a black stone box from his pocket, and passed it to Mag.
“This is?” Mag reached out for the stone box that was the size of his palm. It was unexpectedly heavy, and he almost dropped it.
“We found this at their altar. For all these years, I’ve never opened it,” Rex said.
