Return to Plassen

Chapter 196 Return to Plassen

On a battlefield littered with corpses, a gaunt old man arrived at this desolate place, holding a staff made of a skull in his hand.

"Look... what a magnificent masterpiece! Great God of the Dead, this is the most abundant gift prepared for you!"

As strings of ancient and obscure incantations were chanted, the corpses, which lay motionless on the ground like small hills, underwent subtle changes.

A faint purple halo began to appear on their surface, then drifted towards the sky, turning into thin threads that eventually converged at the highest point.

After an unknown amount of time, the corpses on the ground began to move. Their hands and feet started to move, and with constant twisting, they actually stood up.

Those who had died so horribly that they seemed to be dead beyond any hope of survival actually stood up again, creating an extremely bizarre scene.

"Oh? There's even a corpse with extremely strong resentment?" The withered old man noticed something unusual; one of the corpses here was much more powerful than the others.

That's because the corpse harbored a very deep resentment, or rather, it was filled with a great deal of bitterness and unwillingness...

"Not bad, you will become a good tool for God, you should be honored for it!" The withered old man raised his staff, his broken teeth revealing a strange smile.

After a long journey, Plassen was almost there.

Luo Lan stopped and jumped off her horse. "Commander Lake, I'll take you this far."

Lake was taken aback. He looked at Loran with some confusion. "Brother Garen, what are you doing? You are a great contributor to this battle. It would be my dereliction of duty not to bring you back as a hero."

Loran shook his head. "I have no reason to go back to Plassen because... I'm wanted for something. I killed someone, a member of the Adventurers' Guild named Paul."

Lake immediately recalled Loran's performance on the battlefield, his scarlet eyes, and his ability to kill the Creator. This person in front of him was no ordinary person.

The only reason why such a person could live in Plasson without being discovered is that he has something special about him that makes it inconvenient for him to survive in Plasson's regular system.

"Paul?" Lake recalled for a moment, and soon he remembered who this Paul was. He was a figure with some influence in the Adventurers' Guild.

He usually works as an investigator, possessing a wealth of specialized intelligence, and is also a powerful retired adventurer.

He hadn't expected that the person Loran had killed was someone like this. It was indeed somewhat troublesome, but... that was all.

"Brother Galen, you may not understand the rules of Plasson yet. As long as your contribution is big enough and you demonstrate enough value, many rules can be relaxed."

"The events in Rockfall Town were a very serious disaster in the last hundred years. Many high-ranking knights in the Knights Order did not rely on their own strength and efforts, but on the glory of their fathers."

"Many hardworking soldiers may never reach their level in their entire lives because the recent era is relatively peaceful, and the conflicts are at most minor skirmishes and dealing with small groups of monsters."

"The reason their fathers' glory is so secure and can be passed down from generation to generation is because of their military achievements. Brother Garen, you have underestimated the value of military merit. I assure you, this time you will not only be able to return to Plassen, but you will be able to return in good honor. Your crimes will be wiped out."

"Of course, you can keep some of your secrets hidden. Although those things are not exactly respectable, as long as they do not harm the interests of the nobles or make them feel that they can use them, they will not make things difficult for you."

"Brother Galen, I'm sure you don't want to live a life of constant fear in Plassen. You have the right to a better life." Lake extended his hand, a smile on his face.

The complete annihilation of the legion was a huge blow to Lake. All he could do now was ensure that the heroes of this battle received the treatment they deserved.

He didn't want to comment on Lorraine's past; he only cared about the present.

Loran looked at Lake, a slight hesitation creeping into his heart. Just as Lake had said, he couldn't possibly never set foot in Berlin for the rest of his life.

Larsen, even setting foot there would be a cause for trepidation.

Now that I've earned this opportunity to make amends, I should cherish it...

But whenever Lorraine thought about how he had come from the Presbyterian Church, he felt inexplicably uneasy. Even if he could be exonerated of the crime of killing Paul, what about his identity as a member of the Presbyterian Church?

Loran only thought about it for a moment before putting the idea out of his mind. To hell with the Church of the Pre-Beginning, he now had only one identity: the adventurer Loran.

"Okay, thanks." Loran finally decided to go to Plassen.

Lake patted Loran on the shoulder. "I'm the one who should be saying thank you."

The first thing they did upon arriving in Plassen was not to report to the administrators of Plassen. Instead, Lake carried Roth to a magician's hut on a main street in Plassen.

Mysterious symbols floated in the small house, which seemed to be some kind of magical array, and looked quite magical.

"Oh? Commander Lake, what brings you here?" Inside the hut, an elegant man wearing a monocle greeted them, a look of surprise on his face upon seeing Commander Lake.

"There's no time to say anything more, Oko. Do you have a way to solve my brother's situation?" Lake placed the wooden-like Rote in front of Oko.

When Oko saw Lake turned into a puppet, he was first startled, then looked him over carefully. "What happened to him? Why was he corrupted like this? This is quite a terrifying level of magical damage."

"That's a long story. Anyway, can you cure him?" Lake swallowed hard, seemingly terrified of hearing a negative answer.

After pondering for a long time, Oko finally nodded with difficulty. "I think it should be possible, but it will take some time. Judging from his appearance, he has been corrupted too deeply by this magic. Ordinary methods are no longer effective. I need some rare materials to remove this magical curse."

"Can we buy those materials?" Lake asked, frowning and looking nervous.

Oko looked at Lake and shook his head: "You can't buy it with ordinary currency, but... the nobles of Plassen should have some reserves."

"I understand." Lake nodded solemnly. "Oko, please, when I get back, you keep him calm and stable."

"Don't worry," Oko said, giving him a reassuring look.

It's not difficult to obtain special materials from the Plassen nobles; Lake can apply for them by completing missions.

Thinking of this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Roth could be saved, everything would be alright.

Lake brought Loran to the core area of ​​Plassen, a grand and magnificent manor built by nobles.

Unlike other towns where manors are usually controlled by nobles, Plasson's manor is different; it emphasizes free trade.

The location of the manor is usually obtained through auction, and the owners can decide what kind of business they want to do. Of course, this is only said on the surface; no one knows the actual situation.

Passing through this bustling manor, we arrived at an even more magnificent castle. The armor of the guards here faintly shimmered with a holy light, suggesting that they, like the legion led by Lake, must use willpower-based holy light skills, an essential skill for the guards of the knightly order.

Upon hearing the news of Captain Lake's return, the nobles of Plassen rushed to welcome him. At the same time, the Plassen regional guild leader of the Adventurers' Guild, as well as the representatives of various organizations that support the operation of the capital, all sent their respective leaders to the event.

Upon first seeing Lake, everyone had the same question: Where is the legion that Lake leads?

Indeed, if Lake had led a legion to Plassen, the commotion would have alerted many people beforehand, but the fact that they were only now receiving this notification suggests something...

People couldn't help but start to think the worst.

Lake didn't explain much, but instead focused on the most important thing: applying for the precious materials.

Earl Plasson also gave Lake special treatment, allowing him to choose whatever materials he wanted.

Meanwhile, Loran, who came with Lake, naturally aroused everyone's interest as well.

After observing Loran for a while, the leader of the Adventurers' Guild suddenly realized something. He compared the information with that of the murderer who killed Paul some time ago.

This result was somewhat unbelievable to him; he hadn't expected a murderer to return with Lake...

This is something that really makes you think.

As the guild leader, he did not reveal his thoughts at this moment, but waited and saw what would happen.

After Lake finished dealing with Roth's materials problem, he began to report on the situation in Rockfall Town, while also emphasizing Loran's contributions in this battle.

"It's fair to say that without the help of the Garen brothers, not only would I not have been able to return, but the situation in Rockfall would be even worse now. I vouch for this in the name of the knight, and everything I've said is true."

At this time, Lake was the hero who led the expedition to resolve Rockfall Town. For a legion commander like him, whose words carry great weight, to say these things, it seems that Loran's contribution was extraordinary.

After noticing Lake's attitude, the leader of the Adventurers' Guild had a better understanding of the situation and decided to have a private talk with Lake.

The report lasted a long time, which was not something Loran was good at. Facing the condescending gazes of those nobles, he...

Some things are not quite right.

Moreover, many high-ranking mages were watching him, which made Loran quite uneasy.

He didn't know how the Creator had discovered that he was a descendant of the Church of the Pre-Arrival, but since it was something that could be seen through... it was possible that others had the same method.

If he were discovered at this time, then Loran would have no choice but to accept his bad luck.

Fortunately, that didn't happen. Everything was just as Lake had said. Not only was Loran unharmed, but he also received a reward from Plasson.

Loran could even receive the title of knight and own a piece of land, which could be a baronial territory, directly governed by the Plassen nobles, but not controlled by the baron.

All of this happened so suddenly that Loran was caught off guard; it was like a dream.

For nobles, nothing was better than land, because land not only generated a continuous stream of very high returns, but more importantly, it could be passed down to future generations.

If the father is a knight, then the son will also be a knight.

It was as if one person had changed the fate of an entire family, and many people were envious when they saw Loran receive such an award.

However, they didn't have much of a choice. After all, opportunities are earned, especially since the Rockfall Town incident was a matter of risking their lives for the knight's title...

"Brother Garen, oh no, I should say Brother Loran, my promise stands, right?" Lake smiled at Loran. Loran laughed heartily, "Thank you, but without the Legion's help, I wouldn't have earned this praise. I salute the entire Legion."

Lake sighed helplessly, "I'm sorry to them, Loran. Embrace a new life. I saw the skills you used on the battlefield, and some of your secrets, but I don't intend to delve into them. I just hope that you won't easily use things that are harmful to yourself."

"Nothing in this world comes for free; everything has a price to pay." With that, Lake patted Loran on the shoulder. "Go, get some rest. There's a lot of work to be done for you in your new territory."

"Commander Lake, what are your plans next?" Loran asked curiously.

Lake thought for a moment, then said seriously, "As for me... I have a premonition that the kingdom is about to be in turmoil. I will continue to fight for my fallen brothers."

"Perhaps my strength alone is a bit weak. I might consider merging into another legion and serving as a vice-commander, just like Roth did."

"Of course, I hope that Roth can enjoy a peaceful life after he recovers. He has sacrificed too much, and it's time for him to rest."

Loran and Lake talked for a while before parting ways.

At the same time, the Adventurers' Guild updated the latest announcement from the front lines, which detailed how Loran and Lake led the legion to successfully deal with the monster horde in Rockfall Town.

However, the announcement did not describe the creator in detail, only referring to him as "the ruler of monsters" or a madman who was good at communicating with monsters. It also did not mention that the creator could stitch monsters together.

There may be considerations on the part of Lord Plasson, or other reasons, but the contributions made by Loran and Lake are not concealed at all.

And all the benefits of the rewards were also shown.

In such a special period, generous rewards are undoubtedly the best way to motivate adventurers.

Being granted a title of knight and a fiefdom means that an adventurer who wanders from place to place every day can live the life of a nobleman. This temptation is not insignificant.

Lorraine is the best example of this kind of publicity.