One could imagine how terrifying they were.
At present, Linley’s group of four was standing by the banks of the Stellar River.
“So many years have passed. I’ve always been on this side of the Stellar River. Our military headquarters is located on the opposite side,” Reisgem said with a laugh. “Let’s go… it’s time to visit our main camp. On this side, there is no way we will be able to participate in the final battle. I want to acquire a few extra commander badges.”
As he spoke, Reisgem was the first to enter the Stellar River.
It was much like when Linley had first come; they had to fly through crooked little paths of safety!
Reihom, Bebe, and Linley all immediately followed.
Originally, when they passed the Stellar River on the way to other side, Linley and Bebe were both rather nervous, afraid that they might accidentally slip into a spatial rift. This time returning, however, Linley himself felt quite relaxed.
“The Stellar River is indeed beautiful.” Linley could even leisurely enjoy watching the surrounding spatial rifts, as well as the giant boulders and small mountains that hovered in the middle of the Stellar River.
As they passed through the river, given Linley’s control over space, he was able to clearly sense which places were safe and which parts were dangerous. Even if he touched a spatial rift, given Linley’s current power, there was no way he would be sucked within.
Linley’s group of four quickly passed this distance of a thousand kilometers.
Every single Planar War would last a thousand years. For the vast majority of this period of time, ordinary soldiers had no assignments; they could safely stay in their side’s headquarters. But when a thousand years passed, the soldiers began to grow busy. At this moment, in the Planar Battlefield, in each side’s headquarters, everyone began to move towards the banks of the Stellar River.
They gathered around at each side of the two corridors of the Stellar River. The two sides arrayed themselves by the banks.
The camps stationed alongside the Stellar River were fairly long. At the same time, there were quite a few patrolling soldiers who moved about nearby. Their current mission was… receive commander-level experts!
After all, during the final battle, some scattered commanders would also regroup with them. The armies would naturally welcome the commanders to join them; after all, the strength of a commander was far greater than an ordinary soldier, and they would be of great use during the final battle.
A hundred or so soldiers were casually seated in the meditative position next to an earthen hill. Others were resting lazily against the hill, or standing and watching their surroundings. This was one of the patrol squads for one of the military camps of the Divine Darkness Plane’s side.
“Captain, someone just came to our side of the Stellar River. There are four in total,” a silver-haired, violet-eyed soldier called out hurriedly.
“Oh? Probably a commander. Let’s get a closer look.” This captain of his hundred-man squad was a bald, hook-nosed man. He immediately led his squad to move closer. They weren’t too worried, because not too far behind them was their military camp. In addition, they didn’t go too close to the four.
When they reached a distance of two or three hundred meters.
“They belong to our side!” The captain let out a sigh of relief. They could sense the badges of the four.
Immediately, the hundred-man squad drew closer.
“Hey, who are you?” a youth wearing a straw hat called out.
The bald, hook-nosed captain immediately bowed respectfully. “Milords, we are here at the orders of the commanders to receive you.”
“Let’s go, Linley.” Reisgem laughed. “It was like this in the past as well. Towards the end, the military camps would all invite us to join them, whether to watch or to actually participate. Within the military camps… there are groups of commanders who are familiar with each other. It also makes coordinating easier.”
Linley nodded. “Then let’s go.”
“Please follow me, milords,” the captain said humbly.
Linley’s group of four, following the captain, moved forward, with the hundred soldiers following. They arrived at the nearby military camp. This military camp had many stone houses built, and soldiers could be seen everywhere.
“This is our headquarters, and these are the houses that were made just for commanders. Commanders can select any vacant house.” The captain pointed to the front. “There are 20 houses, three of which are occupied and seventeen of which are empty. Just by looking at the courtyard gate, you’ll know if there is anyone present. Vacant houses have locked gates.”
One plain, unadorned stone manor after another had been built in the empty space up ahead. There were 20 of them.
“Someone else came?” Two figures emerged from one of the courtyards, one a youth who was as skinny as a bamboo rod with strange, sinister, cold eyes. By his side was a white-haired, white-bearded elder whose face was wreathed in smiles.
“Oh, Reisgem,” the skinny youth said with a light laugh.
“Woodridge, didn’t know you came as well.” Reisgem snickered, then said to Linley, “Linley, don’t pay this fellow any mind. Let’s go in.” Reisgem seemed to be very disdainful towards this skinny youth.
“Right.” Linley couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to this person either.
“Linley? I heard that a Linley emerged within the Four Divine Beasts clan in the Infernal Realm. So that’s him?” Woodridge looked towards Linley and chuckled. “I looked at that scryer recording. Your strength is quite average. It’s one thing for you to kill a few ordinary Seven Star Fiends, but coming to the Planar Battlefield is just suicide.”
Linley turned to give him a sideways glance. Woodridge was startled, but then Linley immediately followed Reisgem into the courtyard.
“Woodridge, the genius expert of the Goldeye Bats? What’s that look on your face?” Bebe glanced at him, giving him a disdainful smirk, then followed Linley into the courtyard.
88
BEBE’S REQUEST
If Woodridge was unhappy with the way Linley looked at him, he was absolutely livid with the disdainful look Bebe had given him and the way Bebe had spoken to him.
“That straw hat wearing brat!” Woodridge’s face sank, and he was about to bark back at him.
“Woodridge, don’t be impulsive,” the nearby white-haired elder sent mentally.
“What is it?” Woodridge turned to look at the white-haired elder. “It’s one thing for Reisgem to be so arrogant in front of me, but that brat with the straw hat, who the hell does he think he is? I’ve never even heard of him.” For someone to survive in the Planar Battlefield until now was proof of one’s strength. Woodridge wouldn’t so easily allow others to insult him.
If he heard a single displeasing word, he would want to kill the speaker!
“You didn’t go to the other side of the river, so you have no idea who that youngster with the straw hat is,” the white-haired elder said solemnly. “The reputation of that youngster with the straw hat is known throughout the headquarters of the Divine Light Plane!”
“Oh?” Woodridge’s pupils contracted. “Who is he?”
“The second Godeater Rat, aside from Beirut!” the white-haired elder said solemnly.
Woodridge’s face changed. “What? Godeater Rat?! How can that be? Isn’t Beirut the one and only Godeater Rat? Where did another one come from?”
“I was adventuring on the other side of the river. Of course I know this news. You can ask anyone; any of the commanders who went adventuring on the other side of the river will definitely have heard of this Godeater Rat, a youngster who wore a straw hat. You had best be careful.” The white-haired elder gave him a sideways glance. “If something goes wrong, don’t say no one warned you!”
After speaking, the white-haired elder returned to his own residence.
“Godeater Rat?” Woodridge watched Linley’s group enter their courtyar
d, and then, with a low snort, departed.
The manors that the military camp arranged for each commander were all very large, with many rooms.
“Not bad, not bad!” Reisgem stepped into the main hall, glancing around before sighing with satisfaction. “It as though the members of this military camp bought quite a few decorative items before entering.” The main hall had a number of decorative items; even the tables and chairs were made of wood. At a single glance, one could tell that they weren’t made from the materials of the Planar Battlefield.
“Linley, we no longer need to do anything. Just rest. Later, I imagine the commander of this military camp will come pay us a visit. The commanders living nearby will probably come visit as well. All we have to do is accompany them! As for the final battle, there’s more than a month left before it arrives.” Reisgem immediately headed to a nearby room. “During this period of time, I’ll live here.”
Linley and the others all selected their own residences.
Indeed, as Reisgem predicted, soon after they moved in, the commander of this military camp came to pay them a visit. Afterwards, Linley’s group received visits from the nearby commanders as well. But of course, Reisgem and the others didn’t openly publicize Linley’s strength.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Within the courtyard. Linley and Bebe were seated, facing each other.
“Bebe, why the frown? If there’s something you want to say, why hold back? Just say it.” Linley could immediately tell that Bebe had something on his mind.
Bebe took a deep breath.
“Boss, actually, I feel quite conflicted.” Bebe looked at Linley.
“Eh? About what?” Linley asked.
Bebe lowered his head, resting it against the table, staring at it. In a soft voice, he said, “Boss, actually, there was another reason why I wanted you to come participate in the Planar War. In my heart, I’ve been hesitating… about whether or not to let my mother and father come back to life as well.”
Linley was stunned. How could he have forgotten?
The ever-carefree appearance Bebe had put on over all these years had caused Linley to not think about certain things… but Bebe’s thoughts weren’t necessarily the same as Linley’s.
“I’ve never met my parents. I don’t know what they are like. My mind is very chaotic right now. I have no clear image of them in my mind. I don’t really think about them that much. I became accustomed long ago to not having parents, but… I still feel regret over it.”
Bebe mumbled softly to himself, “I didn’t think too much about it, but Boss, for the sake of saving your family and friends, you came to the Planar Battlefield. That moved me. Should I find my parents as well? But I know that it’s really hard for you to collect commander badges, Boss. I don’t want to add to your burden. And so, I’ve been hesitating about whether or not I should search for my parents, which is why I didn’t plan on saying anything.”
“But, Boss, now you are so powerful. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to collect two more commander badges. That’s why I am starting to think about this again.”
Bebe lifted his head up to look towards Linley.
“Bebe. I’m sorry,” Linley said apologetically.
He truly felt ashamed. He and Bebe were lifelong brothers, and Bebe had risked his life to battle with him here in the Planar Battlefield. But he himself had actually forgotten Bebe’s parents!
“Boss, don’t say that.” Bebe shook his head. “Actually, I’m still a bit hesitant over whether or not I should look for my parents. After all, I’ve never met them… and I have no idea if the undead my parents were transformed into are dead or alive. If I were to be able to meet my parents, what should I say to them? They probably wouldn’t even recognize me if they saw me!”
Bebe’s mother didn’t get to see Bebe grow up and transform into human form. Even if she regained her memories, she wouldn’t recognize Bebe on sight.
“To meet again without recognizing each other…” Bebe had very complicated, mixed emotions in his heart.
Bebe had planned on just saying ‘forget it’; his parents had their own fate, and there was no point trying to force things. And, originally, it was indeed hard for Linley to collect enough commander badges. But now, things were different.
“Don’t worry about it. Let me handle this. I’ll get two more commander badges!” Linley promised.
“Right.” Bebe nodded.
“Whew!” Bebe sat up straight, letting out a breath. “Damn, forget it! They are my parents. I’ll meet them! Heh heh, I imagine that if they knew that they had a Godeater Rat for a son, they would be very proud.” Bebe seemed to have shrugged off his annoyances, becoming carefree once more.
Linley chuckled. In his heart, he had already made up his mind that during the final battle, he would acquire two more commander badges.
Linley and Bebe had travelled together their entire lives. Bebe was willing to sacrifice his life for Linley, and the opposite was true as well. In addition, given Linley’s current level, it would actually be quite hard to make him die.
“Knock!” “Knock!” Suddenly, a knocking sound.
Linley waved his hand, and a surge of divine power swept forward, pushing the courtyard door open. In walked a person, a black-haired youth with black-colored, gold-edged robes. “Linley. Bebe. Are Reisgem and Reihom here?” This was the commander of this military camp, ‘Walnut’. The commanders who came to the Planar Battlefield included both solitary commanders as well as commanders responsible for military camps.
“Hey, what is it?” a voice rang out from the main hall, then Reisgem flew out.
Linley and Bebe looked towards Walnut as well.
“Here’s the situation. Before the final battle begins, the commanders of the military camps and the roving commanders will all gather together once to discuss our strategy for the final battle. At the same time, everyone can get familiar with each other,” Walnut said with a laugh.
“When is it?” Reisgem asked.
Linley knew about this as well. A meeting before the final battle was a custom.
“Today!” Walnut nodded and laughed. “There are already commanders waiting outside. Reisgem, the four of you can go out as well. I’ll go inform each of the other commanders, and then we’ll head out together.”
“Fine.” Reisgem nodded, and Linley and the others all walked outside as well.
There were indeed three people outside already. When the three saw Linley’s group of four, then laughed and greeted him. “Reisgem, Bebe, Reihom, Linley!” They all walked over. Linley’s group of four welcomed them. As others saw it, Linley’s four-man squad should have been formed around Reisgem and Bebe as the core.
As for Reihom and Linley, they were somewhat ignored. After all, Reisgem’s reputation and Bebe’s reputation as a ‘Godeater Rat’ were simply too great.
Soon, the commanders of this military camp had all gathered here.
Including Walnut, there were a total of ten commanders.
“Alright, everyone, let’s head out,” Walnut said with a laugh.
“There are dozens of military camps. Each camp actually has ten or so commanders. Then the dozens of military camps combined… how many commanders is that!” Bebe said with a sigh.
“Not that many,” Walnut said with a calm laugh. “That’s because most of the military camps are centered around the ends of the two corridors connecting each side of the Stellar River. Thus… it’s always the outermost military camps that welcome commanders back! The military camps located deeper inside don’t receive any commanders.”
Bebe now understood.
“Thus, our Divine Darkness Plane’s side has a total of at most 50 or so surviving commander-level experts, all combined,” Walnut gave an estimated figure.
Over a thousand years, quite a few commanders had died.
The surviving commanders weren’t that numerous, but of course, amongst those who went roving about, the survivors weren�
�t necessarily all commanders; just commander-level experts. For example, although Bebe and Reihom were very powerful, they entered with the status of ordinary soldiers, and followed by the side of Linley and Reisgem, which is why they were allowed to rove about.
The military camp was divided into two wings, and Linley’s group was currently moving alongside the banks of the Stellar River, towards the direction of the Stellar River’s ‘port’.
The gathering place for this meeting was close to one of the corridors.
This was an estate that was slightly larger than the one in which Linley’s group was living in. The courtyard had multiple chairs and tables situated within it, and there were around 20 or 30 people located within the courtyard.
“Walnut, you came!” As Walnut’s group moved forward, quite a few people immediately noticed them.
“Haha, Ouville, aren’t you the lucky one. Still alive, eh?”
“Barnsley, you came to the Planar Battlefield this time? Haha…”
“Reisgem!”
Immediately, the group of commander-level experts began to call each other’s names out, chatting and laughing with each other. These supreme experts of their respective planes were fairly familiar with each other, and many were even friends.
Linley, Bebe, and Reihom knew very few people. And so, they moved to a corner of the courtyard, found three seats, and sat down. Taking out some cups and some wine, they began to drink.
A while later, after Reisgem was done socializing with some old friends, he returned as well.
“How festive,” Bebe said with a laugh.
Reisgem said with a smirk, “Festive? Some are happy, others are mocking. Those who are friends with you hope you will live; those who don’t like you hope you will die. You know very few people. In a bit, I imagine some people will come chat with you, and you’ll quickly become familiar with them.”
The Planar Wars: Book 7 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 71
