Chapter 221: Despair

Chapter 221: Despair

Adam wasn’t sure how others felt when their dreams came true. From childhood, he dreamed of taking over his father’s position and becoming the master there. Now, that childhood dream had finally come true…

Northlanders always kept their promises, especially when their arms weren’t as thick as others’. It wasn’t really a promise, just him losing control in anger.

Adam hid back in his bedroom and slapped himself repeatedly. After feeling the pain, he realized a truth: his arms were too thin. If this happened to Lily or Bran, would they dare? They’d be coaxed and persuaded, so why dig a pit for me?

And Aki—I had taken so many blames for him since we were kids, and he just ran off! The more Adam thought about it, the angrier he got. At that moment, he felt like the whole world had abandoned him.

After the anger, another Northlander trait—resignation—saved him. Since it had happened and he couldn’t escape it, he had to face it.

Adam slowly calmed down. He wasn’t someone who wallowed in self-pity. As the eldest son, this place would always be for him to inherit. From the moment he was born, this burden had landed on him. He just didn’t expect it to come so soon, thrown to him early while he was preparing to build his career.

After a childish act, young Adam became the new master of the Castle. He sat in the old study, bringing a hint of youth to the place.

Now, the Northlands environment had become more complicated. All kinds of people—the old but strong, the young and capable, the passionate—started flooding toward the Western Territory. Just like they once flooded into the Castle, but this time, the crowd was messier and their purposes varied greatly.

Those left behind to care for family businesses were mostly a group of unwilling unlucky souls. Now, the center of the Northlands followed Lily’s steps, shifting toward the Western Territory, and beyond it. They heard that Lily and Bran had turned into Deities, building a sacred city in just days, receiving worship from the Demon Clan.

And they could only sit idly at home, filled with longing and envy.

After the initial reserve, facing huge gains, sharing issues had to be brought up. And Vincent, acting without proper authority, was slowly unable to control things. Luckily, Lily, the true owner, raised no objections because she couldn’t be bothered with the noise behind her.

Now her followers were strong and fearless, everything went as she wished. The Demon Clan outside Twinwing City saw her as a Deity, the Little Wizards inside saw her as their Clan Leader, and the Insect Swarm beside her were her most loyal servants. Her expected troubles didn’t appear, Kehan’s ability surprised her.

Under his command, everything outside was orderly. A small town started taking shape on the north side of Twinwing City; it wasn’t grand but was neat. As servants of a Deity, they naturally needed to know her likes and dislikes. They could be poorly clad, but they had to be clean.

Luckily, the Deity wasn’t harsh, but her tolerance wasn’t an excuse for servants to slack off. Kehan, becoming a fanatic, was no longer extravagant, but found a new dignity in simplicity—holiness.

The Deity approved of him, so Kehan could now enter and leave Twinwing City freely. Though he still couldn’t ascend the High Tower where she lived, just facing the two Divine Statues in the square daily gave him great satisfaction.

Here, he listened to the Deity’s commands and reported his work.

Lily sat atop the High Tower, golden wings slowly spreading in the sunlight. Several butterflies flew out from her wings now and then, fluttering briefly before merging back in.

Bran’s deeds in Anya, passed through many hands, finally reached her. A city? She murmured softly. Was it like that?

With her murmur, a mist of light rose from her body. A wave of light spread out from the High Tower, forming a huge ring in the sky. When the wave reached the edge of the city, the light mist poured down like water, gradually covering the whole city.

Only when Night fell did the curtain of light slowly fade away with the setting sun.

Twinwing City showed no change, but the eyes of the Little Wizards inside shone brighter, and the prayers outside became more devout.

Kehan led the praying crowd. He felt he understood the essence of the Deities: Light and Darkness. The Divine Statues faced the dawn and back to the sunset; the other did the opposite.

But he had a bigger question: what did the Black Cat embraced by darkness represent? Their rituals and prayers seemed to forget it, making Kehan break into a cold sweat.

…

It wasn’t just Kehan trying to please the Deity; Rio was striving too. After resting for two days in Twinwing City, his group of Cannibals marched west again. Now he saw a better chance: in Twinwing City, the Insect King stayed by the master’s side; maybe he could too.

An extra group joined the march: Nicole led the former Sitong Town defenders, now Twinwing City’s Redemption Army, into the western campaign. She didn’t expect her proposal to be approved so easily, then weapons and gear were handed back to them to share as they pleased.

Only the Deity would dismiss them so lightly. But the Deity gave them an opportunity, a chance for Redemption. From the Cannibals’ tales, they learned how the Deity had destroyed the Demon Clan’s army and taken Silverpine Town. They began feeling lucky that the Deity showed them mercy, and now it was their time to repay that kindness.

In the ranks, big flags waved in the wind, each with a pair of wings dancing. The Deity’s statue was placed on a large cart—it was the symbol of their Faith. With the Deity by their side, they had nothing to fear.

Rio envied that Redemption Army; compared to them, the Cannibals were too ragged. Both were captured enemies—why such a big difference? They had barely survived near-death struggles.

The Cannibals’ eyes slowly turned deep red, showing bloodlust and madness when they looked at the Redemption Army. But the flags among the Redemption Army and the Divine Statue made them too afraid to step over the line.

Finally, the Cannibals shook off the Redemption Army. They marched ahead quickly to continue fighting for survival on the battlefield. The grasslands were too vast—there were always stragglers to rob and kill. Instead of coveting here, they sped up.

Rio quickened his pace, which clearly riled the Redemption Army, and competition began.

The battle-hardened survivors were no match for the Redemption Army; they weren’t on the same level. For the first few days, the Redemption Army could only choke on dust behind them.

Seeing it was hopeless, Nicole adjusted their marching route quickly. Nicole knew this place better than Rio and his gang. Since Rio had left them behind, they didn’t need to follow those madmen.

With the route change, the Redemption Army started having successes. Compared to the Cannibals’ inhuman cruelty, they gave targets a choice: surrender or Death!

The Deity had given that choice at first; now they were acting in her place.

…

Unlike people with complicated minds, the Insect Swarm was much simpler and more efficient. Already, scattered insects appeared below Yong’an City. After watching for a while, they slowly vanished from the view of the Demon Clan above. The Bloody Plains’ last major Demon Clan town had finally welcomed its enemies.

News of the front lines had reached them long ago. After Bran cleared the Anya Defense Line, he ignored it, and soon the strangeness was noticed by the Demon Clan. Reports were sent back to Yong’an City. Then, Sitong Town lost contact too. All this showed that the Demon Clan’s defense was completely broken.

Occasionally, fleeing soldiers appeared, most looking wretched. The lucky ones made it to the city wall, pulled in by ropes; more vanished into roadside grasses.

Days after the Insect Swarm reached the city, Rio led his group to Yong’an. After showing off beneath the walls, he left with his men to keep searching the grasslands.

A few days later, Nicole arrived with her large army below the walls. Unlike the first two, this was a standard, proper force.

Nicole’s coming brought relief in Yong’an City. Compared to the threat outside, the forces inside Yong’an might not be strong enough to attack, but they could hold the city.

With the Redemption Army camped and held below the city, a standoff began. The fleeing soldiers on the grasslands lost their escape path, and the Cannibals’ feast became more wild.

Nicole knew her task wasn’t to attack cities; it was just to gain the Deity’s favor. She looked at Yong’an City guarding the pass, watched the flags change on the opposite wall, and guessed what lay behind it.

Soon, the Deity would come. She started her regular prayers.