Chapter 145: Reactions of Various Factions

At this very moment, the players didn't know that their act of activating the teleportation array had already attracted the attention of nearby Chaos forces.

Just as Xinuo was hurriedly standing on the teleportation array preparing to leave, a certain labyrinth on another planet was also in an uproar.

On the ninth layer of the labyrinth, deep in the "War Corridor," the "War Palace," a burly Orc sat on a granite throne.

His name was Gelake, titled "Blood Blade Demon General," once the right-hand man of Regi Delagong, and after the latter fell, he became the ruler of the sixth to ninth layers of the labyrinth.

As one of the fiercest vanguards under Regi Delagong, he not only had Platinum-tier strength but also possessed the blessing bestowed by the God of War during the Classical Era.

However, even as powerful as he was, after hearing the news that the Gate of Chaos had opened again, his jaw still dropped.

Not only that—

Especially when he learned that this gate was right above his head, he bounced off the throne as if his butt had been scalded.

"The Gate of Chaos opened again?! Didn't it just close? How could another one come so fast?! And what is that bastard Kashen doing?!"

He roared incoherently, his eyes half-filled with panic and half-filled with astonishment.

Not long ago, he still favored that guy Kashen to end the chaotic situation on the upper layers of the labyrinth and become the "Fifth Demon General" of the Lei Ming County labyrinth, but he didn't expect that after only a few months, this guy would poke such a big hole.

In front of Chaos, even the temptation of power was much smaller, so much so that he even had the urge to flee to a foreign land.

Anyway, Orcs aren't discriminated against on the surface as much as demons or the undead; on the east coast of the Whirlpool Sea, there are even kingdoms ruled by Orcs.

He could completely take his subordinates to go there, open a new tribe in the name of "Blood Blade," and write a new epic.

Anyway, this place isn't a good place either...

"I, I don't know... My Lord. Kashen Skull-Crusher has no news, as if he disappeared, and he has no response to your will. Moreover, I saw many things I haven't seen before outside the camp of the Skull-Crusher tribe; they are as strong as us, but they don't look quite the same... Oh, right, those guys crawled out of that rift!"

The Orc scout kneeling on one knee said tremblingly, reporting what he saw and heard on the fifth layer of the labyrinth to his leader.

Gelake was silent for a long time after listening, and finally looked at the strategist he trusted most under his command, saying in a deep voice.

"Zake, what do you think?"

The Orc named Zake pondered for a long time, and finally opened his mouth with a heavy tone.

"What Kashen provoked is likely 'Kalman Des,' the Flame Giant who destroys everything in legend..."

Gelake's pupils contracted slightly.

Kalman Des!

He had heard this name!

It is said that the Chaos army ravaging the Dimensional Desert is exactly under Kalman Des's command.

If the other side of that Gate of Chaos also connects to an army of similar scale, let alone him not being able to block that surging torrent, even if all the forces of the entire labyrinth were added together, and even if the human kingdom on top of his head were counted in, placed in front of Kalman Des's army, it would probably be like ants.

The threat of the Flame of Destruction is the most intuitive and easiest to detect.

But it is also the most difficult to defeat!

"... This is troublesome." Gelake paced back and forth in front of the throne, his flickering eyes flashing more and more, repeatedly weighing whether staying was worth it.

Seeming to see through the leader's thoughts, the strategist named Zake lowered his voice and said.

"I have never heard before that the same place encountered two Chaos invasions in such a short time... from a rational point of view, this place is indeed not worth staying in for long."

When he got to this point, he paused for a moment and changed the subject.

"But from another perspective, our world may be experiencing an unprecedented impact, and that is precisely why the once-in-ten-or-even-hundred-year tide would appear so frequently... If this is the case, it's the same wherever we run; the trouble we should encounter will eventually be encountered by us."

"Since that's the case, it's better to face the threat in a familiar place... is that what you want to say?" Gelake stared into his eyes, a cruel smile cracking on the corner of his mouth.

The strategist named Zake lowered his head and said.

"After all, we can't keep running forever... and those who have been targeted by Chaos are very likely to be targeted again."

Gelake seemed to accept this statement and sat back on the granite throne that made him feel like his butt was being scalded.

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"We should contact the other dominators of the labyrinth as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures together..." When he got to this point, Zake paused for a moment, his eyes flashing with meaningful light, "Including that Demon King from the Netherworld who is temporarily ruling the upper layers of the labyrinth..."

Following the chaotic situation after Regi Delagong's fall, the labyrinth of Lei Ming County once again stood at the crossroads of fate.

Just as the dominator of the War Corridor was indecisive, the other three Demon Generals dominating the lower layers of the labyrinth were also facing choices about the future.

At the same time, on the wasteland of the fifth layer of the labyrinth, the patriarch of the Graywind tribe, Tieriel, was looking toward the Skull-Crusher tribe with a worried face.

"The Catastrophe has descended again... I thought there was only that one time."

The withered wooden staff held in his hand slowly cracked its wrinkled bark, from which a hoarse and slow voice came out.

"I also thought that was the only time... but now it seems, perhaps that didn't count at all."

Tieriel looked at it in surprise, his expression solemn.

"What do you mean."

That branch, which had weathered the wind and frost of time, did not answer his question directly, but threw down a meaningful prophecy.

"Perhaps it never ended, perhaps it hasn't begun."

It's not just the Great Graveyard that is precarious.

The fate of the living people living outside the labyrinth and the dead buried deep underground have always been firmly tied together.

The reopening of the Gate of Chaos not only made the priests of Lei Ming City furrow their brows but also made the Knight Commander Charles, who served as the "Demon Hunter" chief, tighten his nerves.

Ever since Knight Commander Meier passed away, he had been designated by His Highness Edward as the captain of the Trident Knights' "Demon Hunter" squad.

This unit was originally created to prevent Chaos corrosion from spreading within the Knights, but until now, the work they had done seemed to have nothing to do with guarding against Chaos.

And just at this time, the church priest found him and told him that the Gate of Chaos had opened again, and it seemed to be in a position similar to before...

In Campbell Castle, the capital of the Campbell Principality, about a hundred kilometers away from Lei Ming County, the Duke, lying unconscious on the bed, suddenly clenched his withered hands.

The servants surrounding him were pleasantly surprised, and the chattering voices quickly spread to the surroundings.

"The Duke has woken up!"

"Saint Xisi is above!"

"Quick, quick, go notify Young Master Edward!"

A servant ran out the door in a hurry, while the butler called the palace physician and the priest and sat beside the bed.

Holy light can heal most wounds, but it cannot make those whose lifespan is exhausted return to youth. The palace physician and the priest exchanged a few words, then looked at the Duchess and shook their heads slightly.

Having realized something, the Duchess covered her mouth in grief, trying hard not to let the sorrowful crying sound out.

The atmosphere of sadness began to spread.

Looking at the furrowed brows of her father lying on the bed, the young princess rushed to the bedside in distress, wanting to hold her father's hand.

However, just as she stretched out her hand, she was gently pulled by a maid standing on the side.

"Miss Ailin Campbell, your brother is on his way here... let him come first, okay?"

This is a custom of the Kingdom of Ryan, and also an unwritten convention set to ensure that the succession is indisputable.

To prevent the elderly lord from talking nonsense at the time of death and making a will that shouldn't be made, it is usually the legal heir who sends him on his last journey under the witness of the clergy.

And before this, no one is allowed to talk to him without authorization.

Even if it is the closest flesh and blood.

However, rules are rules, and standing here are living people after all.

Ailin Campbell raised her head, looking at the maid with teary eyes, then looked at her mother who was crying with her face covered, and endured the sobbing sound.

"I, I also have many things I want to say to father..."

A flash of intolerance flashed across the Duchess's face, but she still said in a gentle tone.

"There will be a chance."

In order not to let her daughter endure the torment of that sadness, the Duchess signaled the maid beside her to take the little princess out of the room to wait first.

However, just at this time, the Duke lying on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and coughed.

"Stop!"

The maid walking toward the door stopped her steps.

Everyone looked at the Duke lying on the bed in surprise.

Including the priest sitting by the bed.

The priest just wanted to say something, but was stopped by the old Duke's raised hand.

Looking at those incomparably clear pupils, the priest finally said nothing, just nodded slightly, expressing respect to the Duke.

Aaron Campbell is a Chosen One.

If this is God's instruction, as a servant serving Saint Xisi, he naturally has no reason to stop it.

Ailin, who stopped at the door, turned her head, flew to the bed like a gust of wind, knelt by the bed, and held her father's hand.

"Dad!"

Those eyes filled with tears were full of reluctance.

Still young, she couldn't understand why her father, who was in good health a few months ago, suddenly fell ill on the bed and became what he was now.

That seemed to be something that happened overnight.

Looking at his lovely daughter, the face of the Campbell Duke, full of majesty, rarely showed a kind smile.

However, not long after, that kind smile was replaced by a look of intolerance and heartache.

The ordeal of the Campbell Principality did not end because of the Demon King's death, and even the real catastrophe was hidden in that hazy dawn and dusk.

If possible, he still wanted to continue fighting, ride his warhorse, and clear the chaos for his descendants once more...

However, not far away, Saint Xisi was already beckoning to him.

His time was running out...

The Campbell Duke took a deep breath and looked at his daughter with a firm gaze.

"Ailin... how is your swordsmanship?"

"Swordsmanship?" Ailin was slightly stunned, not knowing why her father asked this, but still showed a smile on her teary face and said in a bragging tone.

"Teacher said I'm progressing very fast, and it won't be long before I can break through to Steel-tier."

Breaking through to Steel-tier before sixteen.

This speed is not outstanding in the Campbell family, but looking at the sequence of nobles in the Kingdom of Ryan, it can be considered a leader.

"Worthy of being my daughter."

The Campbell Duke showed a smile as if he was relieved, then his expression became serious again, looking at his daughter and saying.

"Dad is going to a very far place soon..."

"No! You can't go! You will get better, right?" Ailin interrupted his words with a sobbing voice.

The Campbell Duke held his daughter's hand with a little force and said in a kind voice.

"Everyone will have such a day, whether it's a mortal or a Chosen One. So don't feel sad for me; I'm just taking off the armor on my shoulders and going to the next journey. Perhaps in the next reincarnation, we will meet again..."

When he got to this point, he paused for a moment, and then, under the gaze of countless surprised eyes, said that sentence.

"I gave my principality and the Knights to your two brothers respectively, but forgot to leave anything for you..."

"Now, I have decided to give you my sword."

Leaving this last sentence, Aaron Campbell finally closed his eyes and went to another world with a smile without regrets.

Looking at the Campbell Duke who lowered his hands, the people around rushed forward, kneeling by the bed with teary eyes, calling his name and title.

"Master!"

"Wake up, Master!"

"Duke Campbell! We cannot do without you..."

"Merciful Saint Xisi is above... please have mercy, please give him some more time!"

The crying filled the whole room, and only two people didn't cry.

One was Ailin standing by the bed.

She stood like a wooden chicken, looking at her father with his eyes closed, having forgotten to cry.

That face with closed eyes overlapped with the memories in her mind, playing continuously before her eyes, just like a broken puppet show.

The other person who didn't cry was his brother.

Edward, standing at the door, happened to hear the last words left by his father, and grief and joy condensed into ice on his face together.

He finally got everything he dreamed of, but seemed to have lost the affirmation from his father that he wanted most.

The Campbell Duke did not hand over the ancestral sword "Song of Light" to him, but gave it to his sister.

Why?

Edward couldn't understand.

Looking at the man who had passed away, he couldn't help clenching his fists, biting his lips tightly, and his nails pierced deeply into the flesh.

He could feel that his father trusted him, but seemed not to trust him that much.

That man clearly cultivated him as the heir to the principality, but handed over the Trident Knights, which symbolized the strongest combat power of the Campbell Principality, to his brother.

He tried to do something to prove himself in front of that man to gain that man's trust.

But now it seems that until his father took his last breath, he hadn't succeeded in making him believe that he could continue the glory of the Campbell family...

At this time, someone finally discovered this new Duke.

The elderly butler walked up to him and said in a sorrowful voice.

"Young Master... please mourn."

"Hmm."

Edward nodded with a heavy expression and walked to the bedside.

Looking at his father who had closed his eyes, he took a deep breath, held the hand that had lost its temperature, and said in a gentle and light voice.

"... I will shoulder the responsibility you gave me; I swear by the name you gave me, I will continue the glory of the Campbell family."

That magnetic voice made the sorrowful crying around gradually subside a little.

Except for the Duchess and her maid who were still immersed in sadness, most of the servants in this castle gradually switched their moods and accepted the new master.

Aaron's era is over.

The next fifty years belong to Edward Campbell.

Bathed in everyone's gaze, Edward gently let go of his father's hand, then glanced at his sister beside him without a trace, and said gently in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Congratulations."

Ailin, who hadn't recovered from the sadness, was stunned, turned to look at her brother, but only saw the back of the latter walking toward the door.

Congratulations...?

This sentence seemed a bit untimely.

Before she could react, a knight in heavy armor walked to her side, knelt on one knee, and offered a simple and gorgeous long sword to her with both hands.

Looking at the stunned Princess Ailin, the elderly butler standing beside her said softly.

"According to the Master's last words before his death, this Song of Light now belongs to you."

"Although there has never been a precedent for this in the history of the Campbell family, since it is the Master's instruction, I believe he must have received the instruction of Saint Xisi."

"Ailin Campbell, I hope you keep it properly..."

"And, treat it cautiously."

On the official website of "Catastrophe OL," the players who had been looking forward to it finally ushered in the long-settled a07 version.

Beyond the expectations of the vast majority of players and cloud players, this freshly baked a07 version can be said to be the largest update since the game opened.

Even in terms of content, it is already comparable to the expansion pack of a general MMORPG!

【a. 0.7 Update: Expedition of the Undead!

1. Expedition to "Kao Planet": The distant Kao Planet has fallen into Chaos corrosion, and now this dirty corrosion is trying to pass through the starry sky above our heads and reach out its dirty hands to our land! Instead of sitting and waiting for death, it is better to take the initiative. This time we will place the battlefield on their turf and let those invaders who came from afar regret their rash decision!

New map "Kao Planet": There is a teleportation station on the first layer of the labyrinth; players who meet the "Black Iron-tier" rank can enter the "Outpost Fortress" of the Kao Planet through the station and participate in the a07 version main quest to fight against the Chaos invasion!

Note: Killing Chaos creatures can earn experience and drop materials 'Blood Crystals'; the latter can be exchanged for Nether Coins according to quality, and completing quests can earn contribution points! More game content and rich rewards, please explore by yourself in the game! For players who discover the history of the Kao Planet, posting on the forum will receive extra rewards based on the quality of the post!

2. Added 1000 closed beta qualifications!

3. More optional races:

d. Elemental system: Stone Man 8/8/5/2/2 (Initial attributes 8/8/5/2/2) (Talent: Petrified Body, Silicon-based Life) (Minimum soul level requirement: Black Iron) (Reincarnation cost: 2000) (Initial resurrection cost: 200)

Note: Creatures other than the undead have a reincarnation limit and a longer resurrection CD, please choose carefully.

...】

Less than a minute after the update announcement was released, the traffic on the official forum increased several times, and the discussion wave was like a chain reaction; every section was as lively as a festival.

"Holy crap! They really updated a whole planet?!"

"Developers are awesome!!!"

"Are you kidding me! Where is my closed beta qualification?! Didn't win again?!"

"MMP! It must be fake! Unless the development team sends me an activation code on the spot!"

"Dog developers, I am your father!"

"The closed beta qualifications haven't been sent out yet... this time it seems to be distributed over several days, what are you rushing for? (Sweat)"

"Sorry, I typed it wrong just now; I wanted to say the developer is my dog-day father."

"???"

"..."

Just as the players were flooding the screen on the forum, Luo Yan, who was far away in the Magic Capital, was also happily browsing the posts, sometimes raising the corners of his mouth, sometimes twitching.

Although there are many people who offend him, in general, players are still very interested in the content of the a07 version.

The monsters in the labyrinth can no longer satisfy the players whose levels are constantly rising.

In the past, a cave spider was enough to keep his little players busy for half a day; now, even the weakest life-profession player can easily solo this thing.

Now is the time to open a new map!

In addition to mobilizing players to enter the Kao Planet to hunt monsters, Luo Yan also sent a batch of Lizardman acolytes to the Outpost Fortress on the Kao Planet to place the Demon King statue.

And just as Luo Yan expected, the Kao Planet is also rich in magic resources, which can charge the faith crystal!

Although the faith power harvested on an alien planet cannot be directly recharged into his system, it is enough to bring back the full faith crystal through the portal!

Many Demon King territories on the front line, when paying "faith tax," basically use empty faith crystals to extract faith power from their Demon King territory core, and then send it back to the Demon God Temple in the Magic Capital through teleportation arrays or other channels.

The Outpost Fortress located on the Kao Planet is like his colony on an alien planet!

Using scientific and technological knowledge from the late Renaissance and early Industrial Revolution to colonize outer space...

This feeling is really subtly funny.

Just as Luo Yan was feeling emotional in his heart, the "Goli Cart" he was riding finally arrived at its destination and stopped at the entrance of the Magic Capital's slave market.

Tall and mighty demon statues stood on both sides of the market entrance; passing through the gate, there were bustling streets and endless shouting.

Everything is sold here.

There are Goblins sent by the Goblin chieftain to exchange for Kaila, and human knights, priests, and nuns captured by the front-line troops.

There are even low-tier succubi looking for internship units.

This market is said to have a history of hundreds of years.

Even though it was his second time here, Luo Yan was still severely shocked by the scene here, not knowing where to put his eyes for a while.

By the way, the reason he was wandering around here was mainly to look for thugs he could use.

Regarding the mercenary group, there was no news from Mia's side for the time being, and he planned to look for suitable ones himself.

Although he didn't have an intelligence network like the Partridge family, Hearing You You, who was floating beside him, could see soul levels that ordinary people couldn't see.

Maybe he could pick up a leak.

Some people, although not strong, have a high enough soul level. And as everyone knows, the soul level determines the upper limit of strength; as long as the acquired training keeps up, becoming stronger is just a matter of time!

With this idea in mind, Luo Yan wandered back and forth in the slave market several times.

However, it is a pity that this leak is not as easy to pick up as he imagined.

The vast majority of slaves sold here have strength that is about the same as their own soul level, with a difference of at most ten levels.

Just when Luo Yan was about to give up the idea of picking up a leak, a familiar figure suddenly caught his eye.

Interestingly, that guy also noticed him, and just at the moment he met his eyes, a look of surprise appeared on that person's face.

"You... why are you here?!"

My schedule is messed up again; this birthday is destined to be slept through. I'll post it in advance today, and it will still be at 10 o'clock tomorrow. =. =

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 146 =====