Chapter 257: Protagonist?

Allen generally referred to the third script he opened as the Magic Continent. In fact, its full name should be "Calradia Magic Continent, the Era of Dark Invasion."

And this somewhat long name actually exhausted everything about this script. This was a land with magical power, and also a turbulent era that was about to suffer or had already suffered from dark invasion.

On this continent, also called Calradia, there was constant war. Five kingdoms with hatred for each other waged war against each other to fulfill the king's ambition, causing civilians who originally had a short period of stable life to be displaced.

And the most direct manifestation was that the originally safe roads had become increasingly dangerous in recent years due to the increase in outlaws, especially the You River near Zendar. The water bandits who robbed merchant caravans here were like leeks harvested by a sickle; a wave would be harvested, and they would grow again very quickly.

A battle that took place near the You River and was nearing its end blocked Allen's way to Zendar. On the wide dirt road that was not particularly easy to walk, as well as the grassy hillside east of the road and the pebble-filled riverbank to the west, dozens of outlaws wearing simple clothes lay in disarray.

Some could barely make some groans, while others had no movement, leaving their lives, which had experienced hardships but could not get the slightest stability, forever in the early autumn of this year.

The winning side was a team of well-armed bounty hunters riding fine horses. In Zendar, any team that had registered and hunted outlaws could be called bounty hunters.

As for whether the predecessor of this team was a mercenary army, deserters, or some other strange armed force, in general, no one cared at all.

As long as you don't cause trouble, it's fine.

But the winning team in front of him was a bit different. Even with just a brief observation, Allen could see that they were composed of two distinct members.

One wave, judging by their attire, should be mercenaries recruited in Zendar. These well-armed guys who were proficient in combat were almost equivalent to Zendar's regular army. Count Arassis protected them and provided quite good-paying jobs to maintain the lives of these people.

For any young man who didn't want to farm and wanted to come out and venture, Instructor Kai in Zendar would provide initial training, and it was free. It was precisely because of this incense-burning friendship that the vast majority of mercenaries from Zendar were willing to extend a helping hand when Zendar was in crisis.

This part of the people was clearly directly led by the young man wearing the badge.

And the other part of the warriors was equipped with armor that was not particularly common on this continent. Most of them had gloomy expressions, and they often talked to themselves while fighting and busy. Allen, who was watching silently from the side, naturally couldn't know what they were saying.

But it could be clearly seen that these people were not the subordinates of the fair-haired youth. They should be under the orders of an old man in a gray robe, and this old man with gray hair and beard was standing beside the young man saying something.

This situation made Allen feel inexplicably familiar. If the metal scepter in the old man's hand was changed to a wooden one, and there was a wizard's hat on his head, then this scene might be even more nostalgic.

It was just that the somewhat eerie scene that followed interrupted Allen's memory.

Those victorious soldiers gathered all the captives who could still move together, and provided simple treatment, food, and clear water. This scene was very normal on this land, because these captives had become the property of the victors.

Here, selling the defeated as slaves was a legal business recognized by the king.

Not to mention these bounty hunters who basically relied on their own conscience, even the private armies raised by nobles and the regular troops under the king were doing this kind of business. Any warrior who didn't want to become a slave would leave a sum of money for redemption before the battle to get rid of the fate of possibly becoming a slave.

Of course, outlaws who robbed houses basically didn't have this awareness. Their fate was only to become slaves. Zendar had a slave trader named Ramon, who could be said to be the most famous businessman in the city.

It was just that the gradually piling up firewood on the field made things gradually move in a strange direction.

At first, Allen thought they were going to burn the corpses. Although burying on the spot was generally popular on this continent, burning was not impossible. The ultimate goal was to prevent the corpses from causing epidemics during the rotting process. How to deal with it was just dealing with it.

It was just strange that those who moved to pile up the firewood were all subordinates of the old man. Those mercenaries from Zendar just watched coldly from the side, and from time to time looked at their leader, the fair-haired youth who was smiling and talking to the old man.

And as time went on, the firewood pile became larger and larger, far exceeding the need for burning corpses. At this time, Allen vaguely sensed that something was wrong. These guys might not just be burning corpses; those captives who were still alive might also be unable to escape the fate of being burned to death.

It wasn't just Allen who had this thought. Some of the captives who were not tied up also saw this point and took the risk to escape, but how could two legs run faster than four legs?

Even if the rushing river was only a few dozen meters away, the escapees didn't have the opportunity to obtain that slim hope of escape. They were knocked unconscious with a stick and then dragged back to the side of the firewood pile.

Being burned to death alive was called a living sacrifice on this continent. In Allen's memory, most of these cruel and bloody activities were held only when evil cults made sacrifices.

And the cult most keen on this activity was Allen's greatest enemy, the Druid Sect that believed in the Dark Lord. These blind followers believed that people burned to death were the best sacrifices offered to the Dark Lord, and they would also receive rewards for their contributions.

Thinking of this, Allen's face suddenly became serious, and then he quietly said something to Momucha beside him.

Before long, Momucha, who received Allen's order, nodded, rode his own brown horse and slowly approached the other side, and at the same time shouted loudly: "Warriors who have just won the victory, my leader, Allen, known as the Guardian, hopes to make a deal with you. I wonder if these captives can be sold to us?"

The title "Guardian" was a name Allen made for himself when he was a mercenary in the five kingdoms, because he was very willing to accept some tasks of fighting against outlaws, and the success rate of the tasks was 100%. In this process, he protected countless merchant caravans and farmers harassed by bandits, so this name was genuinely loud among the people.

It was just that when those nobles mentioned the name Allen, there was always some teasing meaning in it. In their view, this kind of person was a fool with idealism and could never stand at the same height as them.

And in the city of Zendar, Allen's name was even louder, because to some extent, the "Guardian" was also a hero who walked out of this city of freedom, and naturally had a certain favorability bonus.

The fair-haired youth who was talking to the old man was immediately attracted by Momucha's words. As a young man who also walked out of Zendar, he had also heard of the great name of the "Guardian."

"Lord Allen? His prestige is as loud as summer thunder. I am Tacias from Veluca. I am very happy to meet such an upright hero at this joyful moment."

When he said this, Tacias looked back at the old man beside him, and said with some apology on his face: "It's just that these captives cannot be sold to you. My teacher told me that their hands were once stained with the blood of the innocent, and the dirty souls in their bodies need to be purified by fire. Now we are preparing to perform the ritual, which cannot be interrupted."

Hearing such absurd words, Allen rode his horse to Tacias's side. In his view, this young man wearing the hero badge should be the protagonist of this era, but he didn't know why he was so easily bewitched by others and said such ridiculous words.

"Soul purified? Do you know how cruel it is for a living person to be burned to death? Even a warrior who has been through many battles and is extremely tough cannot tolerate such cruel pain. You actually say this is purification?"

Allen, looking down from above, responded to Tacias's words, but his gaze looked at the gray-haired old man standing on the other side, that is, the "teacher" in Tacias's mouth.

The gray-haired old man also looked at Allen, and there was a trace of resentment hidden in his eyes that flashed with essence. As the high priest of the Druid Sect, how could Gayev not have heard of the name "Guardian"? That was an enemy that the entire cult had been chasing for a long time on this continent.

Suddenly, an extremely ethereal voice suddenly appeared in Allen's ears, and gradually became clear, but this voice did not bring any substantive content, just like countless flies dancing in Allen's brain.

"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz"

This annoying sound instantly ignited the anger in Allen's heart, and his right hand immediately gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. And just as Allen was about to draw his weapon, the annoying buzzing sound disappeared, replaced by a majestic and solemn voice.

"You should believe in the Dark Lord. He will grant you supreme glory, much wealth, eternal life, true peace. You should believe in the Dark Lord."

This voice was layered and came from all directions to Allen's ears, expelling all the thoughts in his mind in a short time, leaving only one thought.

"Believe in the Dark Lord"

"No, absolutely not." Allen, who was talking to himself, showed a trace of pain in his eyes, and his originally calm face also looked a bit ferocious, and his body shone with dazzling white light in broad daylight.

"Woo, woo woo woo woo.."

A vicissitudes and simple horn sound rang in Allen's heart, instantly driving away all the sounds surrounding him. At this time, Allen finally got rid of the state of being controlled, and then a bright silver light flashed, the sharp curved sword at his waist was drawn out, and slashed towards the old man holding the scepter at the moment the horse galloped.

Even if Allen thought with his heels, he knew where the voice that could bewitch others' minds came from. After all, the scepter in the old man's hand was still emitting faint black smoke that was not easy to detect, and his eyes were full of red light.

If it wasn't his trick, Allen would eat the Star Horn in his arms.

The sudden attack clearly exceeded Gayev's expectations. He could feel that the divine art he prayed for had received a response, and he also saw Allen's abnormality. The sudden attack at this time made him inevitably fall into panic.

It was just that some rumors were indeed true. When burning living people for sacrifice, the Dark Lord would indeed grant rewards, increasing the host's physical fitness and even lifespan. And Gayev had performed countless living sacrifices, even his age exceeded most people's imagination.

Therefore, even in panic, Gayev still barely raised the metal scepter in his hand and slid away the sword that slashed his head. It was just that the left hand holding the scepter lost the three middle fingers in this confrontation.

Seeing that the high priest and the outsider suddenly fought, the dark cult warriors who were still preparing firewood reacted extremely quickly, drawing their weapons one after another and rushing towards Allen on the horse, and at the same time, bursts of black energy emerged from their bodies.

Even if they couldn't catch up with the enemy with their legs, they had to save the injured Gayev from the curved sword, even if they had to sacrifice their own lives.

However, several dazzling lightning bolts lit up from Allen's hands. With the sound of "crackle," those soldiers emitting black energy were all unable to escape, their bodies twitching and falling to the ground. And the mercenaries who were watching coldly from the side stopped their steps one after another, and the originally somewhat gloating faces showed panic.

They indeed couldn't stand Gayev's trick of burning living people to death, and they were even more dismissive of the words of purification. The most important thing was that the people were burned to death, and there was no money to sell the captives. Their income during this period could be said to have plummeted.

So when this group of people saw that the old man who had been bewitching the captain lost a few fingers, they naturally felt a trace of pleasure in their hearts.

But they couldn't watch an outsider bully their captain's "teacher." After all, those burned to death were just bandits, and those people deserved to die. What's more, Tacias was beside them, and they also needed to rescue their leader.

It was just that these several dazzling lightning bolts made everyone on the field stop their steps. And Gayev, who lost three fingers, had a look on his face that was more distorted like seeing a ghost, and then changed into a look of determination. A burst of black smoke covered his body and took him away from here at high speed.

That speed, I'm afraid even Allen's mount in Middle-earth, Gray Shadow, couldn't catch up, let alone the ordinary horse he was riding at this time.

However, he didn't dwell too much on the enemy who had already fled, just took out the Star Horn from his arms and stuffed it directly into Tacias's hand.

Based on his own experience, Allen immediately thought that this young man who was the protagonist should have been bewitched, so since the Star Horn could wake himself up, it should also be useful to Tacias.

It was just that when Allen sent out the Star Horn, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a red light, and then he picked up a gem shining with fire from the place where Gayev left.

It was precisely the "Fire Stone" burst of flames. This scene made Allen mutter in his heart.

"Who exactly is the protagonist?" ===== CHAPTER 258 =====