MM Racing Chapter 342 River Front
Chapter 342 River Front
Chapter 342 River Front
Along the way, Grelando recounted in detail the changes that had taken place on the entire continent since the start of the War of the Gods.
The earth corrupted by divine power, the statues that fell from the dark red sea of clouds, and countless souls who have been unable to escape death due to mutation and pollution.
The entire world is in chaos. Dragons lurk in caves, giants flee into the mountains, and the war that has affected the entire world is poisoning every life living here, haunting everyone like a nightmare.
No one knows when the war began, and no one can predict when it will end. The war between the gods has been burning for a hundred years, and it is very likely that it will continue.
No one is safe; even ordinary people living in this remote area cannot sleep soundly in such an environment.
Because no one knows when new fragments of war will fall from the sky, destroying and polluting everything around them, and utterly destroying the few remaining pristine places on this continent.
Everyone living here has long since lost hope for the future. For them, inheritance, learning, and sentiment... have become luxuries. Apart from the church members and noble lords, the only dream of everyone else is to live to a ripe old age.
Ideally, someone who won't crawl out of the ground after they die.
Time passed quietly amidst the idle chatter of the crowd, and as dusk settled, the steam train finally came to a slow stop not far from a city-state.
"Let's stop here. If we go any further, the defensive runes will probably give us a warning. I can't fool that thing from this distance," Chang Lei said softly, gazing at the outline of the city-state in the distance.
"Alright, let's walk the rest of the way. We're so close to the human city-states, we shouldn't encounter any threats." Tang Zijun nodded, then turned to Katie. "You stay here."
"I want to go with you," Katie said stiffly.
"I know, but you can't be too far from the train, and you can't pull too close to it, it'll scare the people there." Hearing this, Tang Zijun, who had anticipated this, gently rubbed her head. "Good girl, listen to me."
Looking at Tang Zijun's smile, Katie bit her lower lip lightly.
Although her understanding differs from that of normal people, it doesn't mean she's immature. On the contrary, she's very smart and can understand the current situation; she just doesn't want to be left here alone.
Tang Zijun tried to soften her voice as much as possible. "...Don't worry, we'll be back as soon as we're done. I'll bring you a present then."
"Really?" Katie blinked.
"Of course it's true, so you have to be a good boy/girl," Tang Zijun said with a smile.
"Me too! I want a present too!" Hearing this, Curly Ears couldn't sit still any longer and hopped over. "Wait a minute, it's not like I can't leave the train, haha, I'll go with you!"
Tang Zijun grabbed her by the back of the neck and lifted her up. "How can a spirit beast leave its partner? You stay here and aren't allowed to go anywhere."
"Ahhh, no! I don't want to! I want to go too! I want to play!" Curly Ears kept struggling in Tang Zijun's hands.
"Cough cough."
At that moment, a low cough sounded.
Hearing the sound, Juan Erduo turned his head and saw Chang Lei looking at him with an unfriendly expression and a mysterious smile on his lips.
Seeing this, Curly Ears immediately quieted down, behaving like a child who had just made a mistake and been caught doing something wrong.
"Okay, okay, I'll stay and keep Katie company, alright..."
"Don't worry, I'll take you to play sometime in the future. But this time we have serious business to attend to, and we don't know this city well enough. As Gloriand just said, it's a mixed bag here, with all sorts of people, so the situation is quite complicated."
As she spoke, Tang Zijun placed the curly ear in Katie's arms.
"I understand, brother." Katie nodded gently, then looked up and said, "Be careful, and contact me if anything happens."
After saying goodbye to Katie and Curly Ears, Tang Zijun and her two companions quickly headed towards the front lines of the river region. As for Hyacinth, it hid in Tang Zijun's pocket.
Without this little translator, Tang Zijun and Chang Lei wouldn't be able to communicate with the locals. However, because of Hyacinth's special status, they couldn't let her be exposed, so this was the only option.
Outside the front line of the river basin, the three were quickly stopped by the guards at the city gate.
The guards here are well-equipped, far superior to those of Grelando and her mercenary group. While the three members of the Fire Fox mercenary group couldn't even get a full set of equipment, the guards here are all in full armor, and even their warhorses are covered in protective gear.
It's no wonder that this is the largest human settlement in the area; its defensive capabilities far surpass those of Black City.
Unlike Tang Zijun and Chang Lei, who were visiting for the first time, Glolando was not surprised by the guards' obstruction. She took the initiative to greet them and said, "I am the leader of the Black City Fire Fox Mercenary Group. This is my mercenary badge. I am here to purchase supplies."
"Commander Xiao?" A guard smiled, seemingly recognizing Gloriand. "You're here again. You've been coming quite often lately, huh? struck it rich?"
"The refugees in Black City need food. As the commander, I can't just watch them starve to death," Glolando said, pretending not to hear the question.
"Hmph..." The guard understood the other's meaning but didn't dwell on the matter, only giving Tang Zijun and Chang Lei a curious, wary look. "These two look unfamiliar. Where's Desk?"
"He couldn't come because of something. These two... are new recruits in our mercenary group. They came with me," Gloland immediately said.
"A newcomer?" The guard looked Tang Zijun up and down, then chuckled softly. "This is the first time I've seen someone with such clean clothes. Saying they're a newcomer to a mercenary group is a bit of an exaggeration. That fair face and that appearance clearly indicate they're not from around here."
"You've misunderstood him."
Hearing the guard's pointed words, Grilando became somewhat anxious, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by the guard opposite her.
"You should understand the regulations of the River Front, Commander Xiao. Although this is a human settlement, people of unknown origin are not welcome here. A cultist tried to infiltrate earlier. If the church hadn't reacted quickly, it would have caused a lot of damage. Living in Black City, you should know the dangers of cultists better than I do."
"So I'm sorry, gentlemen, I can't let you..." The guard turned around righteously and waved to his colleagues behind him.
"Open the door and let them in."
"what?"
Just as she was about to explain something, Grilando's mind went blank, and she almost strained her back from the other person's smooth change of expression.
"Welcome to the front lines of the river region, friend from afar." The guard nodded warmly to Tang Zijun and then stepped aside slightly.
The guards behind him also put away their weapons and formed two rows to the left and right, leaving a passage for the three of them to pass through.
Grilando was still in a daze. She stared at the guard for a long time, still not understanding why he suddenly acted as if he were under a puppet spell.
However, Tang Zijun was not surprised by this. He just glanced approvingly at Chang Lei beside him, then grabbed the still dazed Ge Lilando and took the first step.
Let's go.
"Huh? Oh..." Grilando paused for a moment, then quickly followed Tang Zijun, but her gaze remained fixed on the guard.
As Tang Zijun and the other two entered the city gate, the guard continued to wave enthusiastically.
"May you find divine protection here."
Grelando looked back almost every few steps until the guards were out of sight, then she couldn't help but look at Tang Zijun, who was holding her hand, and asked in a low voice.
"What's going on? Did you cast a spell on him? But I didn't hear you chanting any spells!"
"It's just a simple psychological suggestion," Chang Lei said with a smile.
"Psychological...suggestion?" Gluttony was completely bewildered. "What's that?"
"You can think of it as a kind of witchcraft that doesn't require incantations." Chang Lei clearly wasn't going to explain too much; as a con artist, concealing his information was key. But Gloria frowned slightly and reminded him, "Although I don't know what it means, you'd better be careful when using your power. There are runes everywhere here; it'll be troublesome if you're detected."
Grelando wasn't joking about this. Tang Zijun had also observed it when she came in. The front line of the river region was definitely not as simple as the city walls being slightly higher than those of Black City. The energy here was mixed, and different runes were inscribed everywhere.
In the past, Tang Zijun would have been quite worried. Of course, he wasn't worried about the power of these runes, but rather that if he used the power of the belt here, the aura of the Greedy One might be detected by the runes, just like when he first approached Black City.
However, Tang Zijun is no longer worried at all.
If those runes really worked, they probably would have started calling the alarm when they got close, since there was a genuine greedy person standing next to them.
But there's been nothing unusual so far, which can only mean one thing... Thinking of this, Tang Zijun turned to look at Chang Lei.
Immediately afterwards, he saw Chang Lei raise his eyebrows at him with amusement.
A slight smile played on Tang Zijun's lips as she withdrew her gaze and softly asked Gloriand, "Now that we're inside, what's the next step?"
Gloria thought for a moment and replied, "If you need more biological remains, you can go to the market. They have almost everything there, and it might provide you with some useful clues."
"Then please lead the way." Tang Zijun had no objection and nodded.
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