by Zhuang Bifan
Hence, in Sandev's opinion, the Gilded Kingdom had to have sent that army to target the Cartia Family. They probably would take away everything belonging to the Cartia Family and even annihilate them. Compared to the Malfa Family, the Cartia Family was slightly inferior, and there were even very few Legendary powerhouses. They could not withstand the attacks of the Gilded Kingdom at all.
However, despite Sandev's painstaking efforts to plead with them, only the leaders of a few neighboring forces of the Cartia Family helped to speak up for them, while the rest remained unmoved.
Actually, others could not be blamed for being selfish. After all, the Gilded Kingdom's army was simply too powerful. They had more than 1,000 powerhouses that were above level-15 and dozens of Legendary powerhouses. That level of power was not something that ordinary forces could contend with.
Besides, Elvis had yet to tell them that there were Sanctuary powerhouses in the Gilded Kingdom's army. If news about it were to get out, the alliance would probably collapse.
At this moment, the sounds of footsteps shuffling quickly could be heard coming from outside the door. Everyone in the conference hall had already gotten used to hearing it because they would hear it once every two or three hours. They knew about it because they had received some news beforehand, and thus all of them fell silent.
As expected, a mage of the Mithril Alliance hurried in from outside, holding a crumpled note in hand. He walked to the leader of the alliance, Elvis.
After getting the note, Elvis glanced at Sandev, but the latter crumpled onto the chair before he even asked about the content of the note. Judging from the progress of the Gilded Kingdom's army and the direction of their advancement, they could tell that they had to have already been standing on top of the ruins of the Cartia Family. Thinking of this, Sandev seemed to have lost all his energy as he muttered with a look of dejection, "Is it over? Is the Cartia Family going to be ruined under me!?"
However, after taking a look at Sandev, Elvis remained silent, and frowned a little with a look of puzzlement.
When he saw Elvis' expression, Abrad from the Caesar Family couldn't help but ask in puzzlement, "Elvis, what exactly were you told? Did the Gilded Kingdom's army do something to the Cartia Family?"
"That's what I've been puzzled about," Elvis said with a confused smile. He did not say anything further, and handed the note to Abrad.
After Abrad took a look at the note, he looked just as confused as Elvis was. "How can it be? Could those kids have made a mistake!?"
Their conversation immediately aroused the curiosity of the people below as they eagerly wanted to see what information it was that made Elvis and Abrad look so puzzled. On the other hand, Rojet of the Taylor Family immediately exclaimed, "What are you two doing!? There are so many people waiting here, what exactly is written on that note!?"
Abrad shook his head and passed the note back to Rojet while Elvis said to everyone, "According to the information that we've just received, the Gilded Kingdom's army did not enter the area where the Cartia Family is located. Instead, they're on the road that leads to this place." After saying that, he pointed at a spot on the map with his rod.
"What!? Are the people of the Gilded Kingdom fools? Or do they not know the way at all!? Why would they go to the Blackwater Swamp!?"
"Haha, the people of the Gilded Kingdom are in for trouble this time. The Blackwater Swamp is a place of death even Sanctuary powerhouses do not dare to easily set foot in!"
"If half of the Gilded Kingdom's army can come out alive this time, they have to thank the gods for blessing them."
Seeing the location pointed out by Elvis on the map, the people in the conference hall immediately got into a commotion as the leaders of the various forces clapped and rejoiced. It seemed that they could already see how the Gilded Kingdom's army would bleed in the Blackwater Swamp and leave with heavy losses.
As people of the Breezy Plains, how could they not know about the Blackwater Swamp? It was the most famous place of death in the entire Breezy Plains. In the Blackwater Swamp, there was an abundance of miasma, poisonous swamps, and poisonous gases. The poisonous magical beasts were not the most terrifying ones. The poisonous bugs were what was truly deadly.
Unique to the Blackwater Swamp, the poisonous bugs might have a simple name of Blackwater Poisonous Bugs, but their power was definitely not simple. Firstly, they contained deadly poison, and the toxins of the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs contained a blend of death, filth, corrosion, curse, and other characteristics. Even a wyrm would not last more than three minutes after being bitten by one of them.
Of course, when it came to bugs, the first thing that many would think of doing would be to burn them with fire. In fact, that was what most of them did too. As long as there was a mage who could cast fire magic spells, the team would probably not be in any danger. However, the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs were different from other bugs as they were not afraid of flames at all. In fact, they would even be able to devour the Flame Energy in the fire, which was the reason that no one had tried to burn the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs with fire.
More importantly, the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs were not only fearless towards fire, they were also immune to all kinds of magical damage. It would be easy to kill the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs as one would just have to slap them hard and turn them into mud. However, if there were more than 1,000,000 poisonous bugs, even 1,000 hands would not be enough. Besides, as long as one got bitten by a bug, there would be no other outcome apart from death.
No one knew how many Blackwater Poisonous Bugs there were in the Blackwater Swamp. They only knew that black fog often rose in the swamp, and it was caused by the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs. Anyone who entered the Blackwater Swamp would not be able to guard against it at all as they would inhale a few Blackwater Poisonous Bugs with every breath they took. They would not be able to come out alive at all. Fortunately, the vicious poisonous bugs completely could not leave the Blackwater Swamp. Otherwise, all the living beings of Anril would be annihilated.
That was the reason that the forces of the Breezy Plains were no longer worried even though the Gilded Kingdom was incredibly powerful and could dominate the Breezy Plains. They didn't believe that anyone would be able to walk out of the Blackwater Swamp alive.
"I didn't expect that that terrifying place would actually help us so much this time." The people in the conference hall each had a relaxed smile on their face. They were waiting to hear the footsteps again, and the good news that would come with it.
"Everything's fine now, haha, that bunch of bastards actually went the wrong way, they must be out of luck." Sandev, who was already desperate, immediately perked up as he could not stop smiling at all.
However, Elvis and others did not seem too happy at this moment. Instead, they were frowning, and the bewilderment on their faces was getting even more obvious. They didn't think that the people of the Gilded Kingdom would make such a low-level mistake. Even though the Gilded Kingdom was an external force, there was no way that they wouldn't know about what happened in the Blackwater Swamp.
Hence, the people of the Gilded Kingdom did not really go the wrong way, and they were simply heading for the Blackwater Swamp instead. That seemed to be a possibility, but it confused Elvis further. The Blackwater Swamp was the deadliest place in the Breezy Plains, but unlike some other dangerous and forbidden areas, the Blackwater Swamp had basically nothing of value because everyone knew that the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs enjoyed devouring mana, and thus anything of some value would have been devoured by the Blackwater Poisonous Bugs.
If there was anything valuable in the Blackwater Swamp, it would probably be the infinite amount of Blackwater Poisonous Bugs. After all, their toxins were of some value to pharmacists. However, did the Gilded Kingdom go to such great lengths just for the sake of catching a few bugs? That explanation obviously did not make sense.
Elvis and others did not voice their doubts, but everyone in the conference hall almost popped cha
mpagne to rejoice immediately. If they thought carefully, they would naturally be able to find what was amiss. However, they had been too stressed out by the matter of the Gilded Kingdom, and were more willing to believe that things were in their favor.
Besides, in their opinion, regardless of whether the Gilded Kingdom's army had taken the wrong path or not, it was a matter of fact that they had entered the Blackwater Swamp. Given the horrors of the Blackwater Swamp, it would be impossible to get out of it in one piece no matter what the agenda of the Gilded Kingdom's army was. Hence, there was no need to consider what the Gilded Kingdom was getting up to this time.
After an hour since the news was spread, the sound of footsteps outside the conference hall began to ring again, causing everyone in the hall to fall silent. The fact that the news had come so quickly made the people in the conference hall more confident about the conjecture in their hearts. Therefore, each one of them craned their necks to look at the door, waiting to hear about the losses of the Gilded Kingdom's team.
As expected, the figure of the mage who delivered the news soon reappeared in front of the door of the conference hall, holding a note in his hand as well. However, the mage ignored the crowd who was full of anticipation, and instead quickly walked towards Elvis with a look of astonishment on his face.
The crowd did not care much about the mage's expression, and they simply thought that he was horrified by the Blackwater Swamp. All their eyes were on the note in the mage's hand as they stared at it until it reached Elvis' hand.
However, what made them feel confused was the fact that Elvis merely took a glance at the note without immediately announcing any exciting good news to them. Instead, his face was instantly full of disbelief, just like that of the mage who had delivered the news.
A few of them couldn't help but ask Elvis, "Master Elvis, what is the news about? Has the Gilded Kingdom's army been annihilated?"
"No, it's the Blackwater Swamp." Elvis shook his head and took a deep breath before saying with a grave expression, "From today onwards, there will no longer be a place called Blackwater Swamp in the Breezy Plains."
After Elvis said that, the people in the entire conference hall immediately got into an uproar as they dared not believe their ears at all. Some even forgot Elvis' identity, and repeatedly asked him if he had read wrongly or if there was a mistake in the relay of the message.
Elvis did not explain much, and simply passed the note around. In the end, almost every person who saw the contents of the note immediately became dumbfounded as they fell back into their chairs, and muttered incessantly about how it was impossible.
At this moment, the scouts who had just relayed the news finally stood on the ground of the Breezy Plains after the Gilded Kingdom's army left. Actually, it could no longer be called the Blackwater Swamp, which no one had stepped into for thousands of years, as it had already become history.
At this moment, the black fog that emitted the aura of death and erosion had become completely different in appearance. The black fog had already dissipated, and was replaced by a salty odor, as if it was just the seaside.
The decayed trees and various swamp plants in the surroundings were scattered all over the ground, covered in a thick shell of salt as if they had been carved in crystal. The ground that would have sunk deeper when stepped on was now covered with a hard layer of salt. Even a weapon would not leave an obvious trace in the ground.
Is this the Blackwater Swamp that was once known as the deadliest land of the Breezy Plains? The scouts looked at their surroundings in disbelief, unable to imagine what kind of power could actually reduce the Blackwater Swamp to such a state.
"This is the power of the gods!" a scout exclaimed in astonishment and horror, as if he had become deranged because of the changes.
However, none of their peers dared to mock his seemingly crazy words. Instead, they seemed to agree, and they recalled the shocking scene that they had seen previously. Shortly after the Gilded Kingdom's army entered the Blackwater Swamp, boundless seawater suddenly surged out of nowhere, and flooded the entire Blackwater Swamp. By the time the water subsided, the Blackwater Swamp turned into its current state. Such a drastic change was obviously done by something with the power of the gods.
Chapter 1055 - Levidan Canyon
"Wait, where did the army from the Gilded Kingdom go?" asked a scout who finally remembered what he had to do after being amazed.
Although the entire Blackwater Swamp had turned into a world of salt, the scouts were best at tracking, and the army from the Gilded Kingdom was not small, either, and did not deliberately try to hide its tracks. Thus, the scouts soon managed to track down the Gilded Kingdom's army, and carefully followed it while continuing to send new information to the alliance.
In the conference hall of the alliance, everyone finally stopped doubting the change of the Blackwater Swamp after receiving several messages in a row. However, their festive emotions were replaced by immense fear and horror. The power of the Gilded Kingdom was completely beyond their imagination.
Although they did not see the shocking transformation of the Blackwater Swamp with their own eyes, they could tell how terrifying the Gilded Kingdom was from the news that was constantly sent to them. Some of them even began to doubt whether the power of this alliance was really enough for them to contend with the Gilded Kingdom.
However, Elvis and the other three Sanctuary powerhouses knew that the change of the Blackwater Swamp was very likely to be the doing of the Sanctuary powerhouse of the Gilded Kingdom. While making them feel horrified, it also made them feel somewhat grateful that they hadn't lost their temper at Port Tim back then. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Seeing that everyone's heart began to waver, Elvis was feeling just as helpless. That was the problem with an alliance like theirs. Unless their survival was in danger, they would all flock towards benefits and vie with each other for them. Whenever there was trouble, they would flee as fast as possible.
"Since the Gilded Kingdom has no intentions of attacking us, we'd better do what we're supposed to, and stop wasting time here." After confirming that his family had escaped an ordeal, Sandev recalled the fact that he had been rejected by the other forces when he asked for help just now.
Sandev had lost his faith in such an alliance, and he felt that it would be better to simply go back and talk to the Gilded Kingdom about the mine. Although they would definitely lose some benefits, they would at least be able to take the opportunity to cozy up the Gilded Kingdom, which was at least better than wasting time here.
Elvis naturally wouldn't let Sandev go just like that. He knew that there were definitely many people in the conference hall who shared the same thoughts as Sandev. If Sandev took the initiative to pull out, half the people in the conference hall would leave. Fortunately, after Elvis' persuasion, coupled with the fact that Sandev did not want to fall out with the Mithril Alliance, they finally managed to make them stay.
"Since the Cartia Family was not the target of the Gilded Kingdom, and the Blackwater Swamp has been reduced to such a state, what is the real agenda of the Gilded Kingdom's army?" Elvis looked at the crowd whose minds were obviously somewhere else below. He had no choice but to turn to look at Abrad and Rojet, whom he started discussing the topic with. As for the others, he decided to leave them be as long as they didn't ask to leave.
"According to the latest intelligence, the team seems to be advancing towards the Levidan Canyon after passing through the Blackwater Swamp. Could it be that they found some precious resources there that we don't know about? Is that why they're creating such a scene to occupy it first?" Abrad said in bewilderment as he stared at the map.
"Levidan Canyon? That's the…" Rojet was just about to say how dangerous the Levidan Canyon was, but he immediately thought of the shocking change of the Blackwater Swamp, and was suddenly unable to finish his sentence.
"Resources that we don't know about? That's not impossible. After all,
the people of the Gilded Kingdom and the Illuminati had also moved from land to overseas. They might have passed some information down and recorded some things we do not know." Elvis knew that when the Illuminati had been developing on land, they had been even more powerful than the Tower of Dusk during their prime. It was not surprising if such a power had passed down some unknown information.
Of course, if the Gilded Kingdom's army just wanted to find some resources, Elvis and the others would be relieved. Anyway, even if they knew some precious information, they would have no means of obtaining the items.
In the Levidan Canyon, there lived demons named Levidan which were rumored to have originated from the bottom of the abyss. Strictly speaking, Levidan demons were not extremely powerful, and they were at most at the Legendary-realm. Most of them were near the Legendary-level, and only a few could have Legendary-level power.
However, the Levidan demons had immortal bodies, and even the most powerful demons would have no means to do anything to them. Hence, they could live comfortably at the bottom of the abyss. No matter what means were used and regardless of whether they were beheaded, cut into pieces, or burned with fire, they would not die. Even the power of purification of the Holy Light Magic would only result in a pseudo-death, and the Levidans would revive after being left alone.
In addition, Levidan demons also had the ability to shape-shift and produce clones at will, though there would not be much of an increase in strength. However, they could still spell trouble. Due to the fact that the replication was comprehensive, even their memories would be fully intact with no discrepancies at all. The mana would remain the same, just like the habits, so much that it would be difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.
The Levidan demons in the Levidan Canyon had scurried out of the canyon at some time, but anyway, everyone knew that there should be a group of Levidans at the bottom of the abyss, thus giving rise to the name: Levidan Canyon.
"Perhaps it is the treasure hidden there before the Illuminati left the continent? Isn't it true that no one has been able to figure out the origin of those Levidan demons?" Rojet suddenly asked, making a far-fetched conjecture. He thought that those Levidans from the bottom of the abyss had probably been released by the Illuminati back then, all for the sake of guarding the treasures that had been stored when the Illuminati left.
