Chapter 426: The Clouds of War

The Clouds of War

The dark clouds of war hung over the sky of Lei Ming City, yet the morale of the Campbell people was higher than ever before.

A few dark clouds were nothing.

After all, long before they arrived, the black smoke billowing from the chimneys had already filled their sky.

And just as a group of ragged people donned neat clothes, shouldered flintlock muskets, and prepared to devote themselves to a righteous cause, another group of ragged people finally saw a dim glimmer of light from their bleak future...

It was on the muddy road leading to Dusk City, where a strange procession was slowly moving forward.

At the front of the procession was Thomas's caravan, with dozens of cargo-laden covered wagons and carriages carrying people moving slowly. And right behind the caravan, a group composed of hundreds, if not thousands, of ragged refugees was also advancing in silence.

They did not get close, nor did they fall behind; they simply followed in silence.

Everyone maintained a distance that was almost stubborn, like a silent pilgrimage, moving forward unwaveringly on the dust-choked road.

The atmosphere of the entire procession was solemn and eerie, even carrying a hint of the incredible.

After all, never before had a cargo-laden caravan been able to escape unscathed from the presence of refugees as vast and numerous as locusts.

They had actually managed to keep out of each other's way without fighting; at least in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng, where the starving were everywhere, this was unimaginable.

And no one would have guessed that all of this was because of a "nun" named Saintess Kalian.

"Saint Xisi above... are we a caravan or a pilgrimage army?" Looking at the vast procession behind them, a mercenary holding a long spear couldn't help but click his tongue.

Just a week ago, one could see the end of the procession at a glance; now, he couldn't even see the shadow of the tail.

Standing beside him, a young mercenary named Ben suddenly said in an excited voice.

"I have a premonition."

"Oh, what premonition?"

Looking at his uninterested companion, Ben said mysteriously.

"Our 'nun' lady, that is Miss Saintess Kalian, she might actually have something special about her!"

Something special?

The mercenary paused for a moment, then laughed out loud, saying in a mocking tone.

"Stop talking nonsense. She escaped from the Yingyan Fief; even if I assume she hasn't committed any blasphemy, is there a single good person there?"

He actually had half a sentence left unsaid.

If he were Saint Xisi, it would be considered merciful just not to kick this person into the Netherworld to reflect; how could he possibly entrust a sacred cause to her?

Although there seemed to be few priests in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng, that was relative to its vast area; ignoring the farmland and forests, there were still many in the castles and churches.

Even ignoring these realistic factors, she was just a busty, brainless, and perhaps slightly fanatical village girl.

She probably didn't even realize what she was doing.

However, Ben was different; having been helped by Saintess Kalian, he was incredibly optimistic about this kind-hearted girl.

"I know everything you said, but aren't we also from there? Who in this world can say they are absolutely clean?"

The mercenary chuckled.

"I don't have time to discuss philosophy with you; I'd rather know what's for dinner today."

"This isn't a question of philosophy!"

Ben looked at him seriously, and with an unprecedentedly earnest tone, expressed the excitement in his heart.

"We might be witnessing a new legend! Not in the mouths of bards, but right before our eyes!"

A legend...

Haha.

The mercenary curled his lip, the smile on his face becoming playful.

This word sounded truly incredible, but unfortunately, it couldn't be turned into bread, nor was it worth a few copper coins.

At the same time, in a carriage moving within the caravan, the caravan owner Thomas was looking backward through the gap in the carriage window.

Looking at the ever-lengthening procession, he felt a headache and couldn't help but sigh.

"Saint Xisi above..."

What on earth am I doing? If it weren't for the thick stack of ledgers in front of him, he would have almost forgotten that he was a merchant.

Thomas's thoughts returned to the afternoon a few days ago.

At that time, they were passing through a dilapidated village; there were no cattle in the empty barn, only a few corpses covered with gray cloth.

The scent of death rushed toward them.

Out of concern for the plague, he was about to lead everyone away when a group of villagers surrounded them.

Just like the village they had passed before, the people here asked him if there was a priest in the caravan. If there was, they begged the priest to pray for the departed souls.

The old man who appeared to be the village chief also said that just a few days ago, several dead villagers had turned into undead. The village was in a panic, everyone suspected they had been abandoned by the gods, and everyone was in despair.

Thomas had wanted to say it was none of his business; he was just a businessman, and if they didn't want the corpses to turn into undead, they could just burn them with a fire.

Especially the villagers' shifty eyes, which made it hard for him not to suspect that looking for a priest was just an excuse, and that they wanted to get their dirty hands on his cargo boxes.

Just as Thomas was about to order the mercenaries to drive those guys away, Miss Saintess Kalian took the initiative to step out, expressing to him in a gentle tone that she could handle this trouble herself.

"... When our feet tread upon the Netherworld, we cannot fantasize about gaining salvation from the gods while saving no one. Please let me pray for them; this is also for our own sake."

She seemed to really think of herself as a nun, believing in the so-called sacred duty.

Thomas couldn't persuade her and could only watch her step forward to pray for the corpses lying on the ground.

Then—

An incredible scene occurred; it was as if sacred light had truly descended from the sky, smoothing away the despair on the ground.

Thomas could hardly believe his eyes, yet what happened before him was a fact.

That corpse, which had already shown signs of turning into an undead, had actually stopped its transformation and returned to eternal peace.

Everyone's face showed an expression of disbelief, except for Saintess Kalian, who stood before the corpses with her usual expression.

She spoke to the villagers in a calm and gentle tone, as if she knew exactly what she had done.

"... Please bury them; they will no longer struggle to wake up."

After speaking, she returned to the caravan, leaving the crowd, who were unable to calm down for a long time, standing in place.

Later, the villagers buried their compatriots, and the caravan lived in peace with the villagers for the night.

The next morning, just as the caravan was preparing to leave quietly, those villagers brought their only belongings, led their emaciated cattle and sheep, and followed behind the caravan with their families.

Just as Thomas was bewildered and didn't know what these guys wanted to do, the village chief who had spoken to him yesterday stood out and explained the situation.

"The lord has already abandoned us, and the army will be here soon, either the King's or the rebels'..."

"Either way, it's death, so we want to leave more decently; please let us follow behind Lady Saintess Kalian!"

"We are willing to serve as her guards; we don't want any reward, we only ask that she not abandon us and that she pray for us when we die!"

Thomas stared at them, dumbfounded, as if looking at a group of lunatics talking in their sleep.

Following behind Saintess Kalian was one thing.

This person, who had been acting all mystical since being saved, didn't even know where she was going herself!

Just as Thomas was about to open his mouth to refuse, Mr. Prince Kelin, who had not shown himself from the beginning, walked behind him for the first time.

With a gentle smile on his handsome face, he said in a voice so low only he could hear.

"Let them follow."

"But..."

"It's interesting, isn't it?"

Mr. Prince Kelin's single word "interesting" blocked all of Thomas's reasons and complaints in his throat.

Since the mage had agreed, he couldn't say anything to refuse.

After all, if this gentleman were to leave them behind and take this group of people away himself, the result would be the same.

In the end, they were not in an employment relationship; he hadn't paid that gentleman a single penny, so that gentleman naturally didn't need to care about his feelings.

"If you insist on doing this..." Thomas squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying, and thus tacitly allowed those villagers to follow behind the caravan, moving together toward the direction of Dusk City.

Thomas comforted himself in his heart that those villagers would at most follow him to that point. After all, strictly speaking, they were fugitives, and no feudal lord would easily let these guys go, let alone allow them to enter their territory.

However, things were not as simple as he thought.

Not to mention that the nobles, big and small, on this land had all run off, even if they had stayed, they wouldn't be able to handle the tricky mess before them.

On their way to Dusk City, the scenes that met their eyes could only be described with the word "miserable."

If one could still see complete corpses in the villages they passed before, later on, only pale bones were scattered on the ground.

This time, Thomas also felt a bit of compassion; he was, after all, a devout believer, at least he felt he was quite devout.

Facing those emaciated refugees, he no longer stopped Saintess Kalian from praying for their families, delivering the bones that were unwilling to sleep, and tacitly allowed those refugees to follow behind the caravan.

Just like that, a few days passed, and when he began to notice, the refugees following behind the caravan had already expanded to an unimaginable scale, like a snowball rolling down a mountain.

Night fell.

The caravan set up camp as usual, and the refugees following behind the caravan followed suit and set up their own camp.

But calling it a camp, there wasn't even a decent tent here; people slept on the ground, sitting or lying down, and in the distance, one could faintly hear the howling of wolves.

However, surprisingly, those starving people were not in despair; on the contrary, they were orderly.

Some were responsible for picking up firewood, some for starting fires, some for taking care of children, and others for cooking porridge, as well as distributing the porridge, which was as thin as water, to the believers standing in long lines.

Even though they were starving, they still maintained basic order; there was no looting or fighting, let alone stealing.

After all, they didn't even have the strength to argue, and there was nothing here worth stealing.

Of course, the most critical thing was that they had regained "faith."

It was precisely because of this faith that they did not become bandits and robbers, becoming like the Green Forest Army.

However, it is worth mentioning that rather than saying they believed in Saint Xisi, it would be better to say they believed in Lady Saintess Kalian, who gave them food.

These refugees were very realistic; whoever could keep them alive was their god.

As for where Lady Saintess Kalian's food came from? Although no one had ever cared about this question, it was clear that the grain didn't just appear out of thin air...

Just as Thomas stepped off the carriage, the mercenary leader carrying a flintlock musket walked toward him.

"Boss, we need to talk."

Guessing what this guy wanted to say, Thomas sighed and said.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

The mercenary leader said immediately.

"We are a caravan, not a relief army! I mean, I only collected money for escorting the caravan, but I never told my brothers that we had to protect an army!"

"I know, I don't want this either, but don't I have no choice?" Thomas responded with a worried face.

"Think of a way, quickly!" The mercenary leader glanced at the direction outside the camp, his face filled with solemnity, "With so many people following, I won't even mention the consumption of water and food; the key is that it's too conspicuous!"

Looking at the silent caravan owner, he continued in a serious tone.

"Forgive my bluntness, we are like a torch in the dark right now! Whether it's the provincial viceroy of Dusk City or those chaotic bandits who call themselves the Green Forest Army, I bet they don't look at us with kind eyes!"

Thomas swallowed.

"We have Mr. Prince Kelin; even if they don't like us, they wouldn't..."

The mercenary leader said in a low voice.

"Yes, but don't think those people don't have their own tricks! A group of real mud-legged people can't beat a lord's army; when have you ever heard of a group of farmers overthrowing their lord with pitchforks? Not to mention failed uprisings, every successful uprising almost always has a devil standing behind it!"

Thomas's face changed instantly, and his voice began to tremble.

"You mean... there's a devil from the Netherworld standing behind them?!"

The mercenary leader shook his head and said with a bitter smile.

"A devil from the Netherworld would be fine; I'm afraid it's... Chaos. You should have heard about the Huang Tong Pass incident, right? It seems something went wrong a while ago, and even the Great Sage was alarmed!"

When he mentioned the word Chaos, he couldn't help but shiver, as if the word itself carried incredible magic.

He forgot which senior he had heard it from; devils from the Netherworld were nothing to be afraid of; those guys were just after faith, or at worst, they would just scare people, and they would never do thankless work.

However, Chaos was different; for example, the "Flame of Destruction" currently attacking Huang Tong Pass, that was clearly intended to bring the fire of doomsday to the world.

They didn't want anything, didn't need anything, just to turn the world west of Huang Tong Pass into something like the Dimensional Desert! The "Crown of Arrogance" and the "Mist of Deception" were probably the same, and his vague intuition told him that what was ravaging the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng was probably the most vicious "Claw of Eternal Hunger"! Hearing the mercenary leader's statement, Thomas couldn't help but feel a hint of fear in his heart.

"Then what do you think... we should do?"

The mercenary leader said in a cold, hard voice.

"... If it really comes to it, parting ways is also an option. The longer we drag it out, the harder it will be for us to separate from them."

Thomas couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this.

"I don't think that's a good idea; you've also seen that Mr. Prince Kelin seems to support her cause... I mean, he might not choose to go with us. Having the mage's protection is better than not having it; honestly, if I had known the situation here was so bad, I should have brought more people."

This was also the part that gave him the biggest headache; that mysterious mage didn't know why he favored this "nun" he had picked up halfway.

Clearly, he hadn't bothered to pay attention to that woman at first, but things changed after a funeral.

His appreciation wasn't limited to words; he even began to actively fund "Saintess Kalian's" charity cause.

No one knew where her grain came from, but Thomas knew very well—

All that grain was bought from him by the generous Mr. Prince Kelin at a price higher than the market rate.

Not only that, he even bought the covered wagons used to transport the grain and cleared out one of them to lend to Saintess Kalian as her mobile prayer room.

Thomas didn't know what had happened between the two, but for a long time, that Saintess Kalian had often run to that mage gentleman's carriage; this wasn't something that had just happened recently.

He actually understood.

Apart from being a bit rustic, that girl's appearance and figure were not bad, otherwise, she wouldn't have been chosen by Lady Lina as a precious "commodity."

Seeming to feel that his own attractiveness couldn't compare to a young and beautiful nun, the mercenary leader was silent for a while and finally sighed.

"... You're the boss, you decide."

Watching the mercenary leader walk away, Thomas shook his head, sighed, and walked to the campfire.

Although he was the caravan owner, there were some things he couldn't decide.

The fate of this caravan was no longer something he could control...

Just as he was squatting by the campfire, a pair of eyes in the darkness was watching his back.

Having taken in the conversation between these two humans, Sarah silently hid her figure and disappeared into the darkness.

On the other side, in Prince Kelin's carriage, Saintess Kalian was devoutly holding a book of Holy Words, seriously listening to Mr. Prince Kelin, who was sitting opposite her, explain the scriptures in the book, and incidentally learning the words in the book.

It's shameful to say.

Although she considered herself a devout believer, she didn't even know what Saint Xisi actually was.

There was a priest in her hometown, but it wasn't easy to see that priest; daily prayers were mainly conducted by the deacon leading the villagers.

A village girl like her had no chance to come into contact with the real doctrine, and she had never seen the original text of the Holy Words.

It was precisely because of this that she didn't even realize that the book of Holy Words she was holding in her hands right now was not the real book of Holy Words, but a "New Chapter" based on the "Old Testament" by a devil from the Netherworld.

"Incredible... the Demon God and Saint Xisi are actually not enemies." After listening to Mr. Prince Kelin's lecture, Saintess Kalian sighed softly, with an expression of wanting more on her face.

If anyone else had said this to her, she would probably have thought that person must be crazy.

However, this gentleman was different.

That voice clearly drifted into her ears, yet it seemed to penetrate through her skin and into her heart.

Luo Yan smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone.

"A thousand years ago, they were of course each other's enemies, but now it's a thousand years later; the Demon Gods in the Netherworld have changed for three generations, and they haven't hated each other for a long time."

Saintess Kalian blinked in confusion.

"But since that's the case, why does the Empire still fight the Netherworld?"

"That is of course because they both need an enemy."

Looking at Saintess Kalian, who was still confused, Luo Yan continued in a patient voice.

"Farmers' desire for land is endless, just like merchants' desire for money, herdsmen's desire for pasture... but those nobles who truly hold power are different; they don't lack land, nor do they lack money, and they don't lack cattle and sheep."

Saintess Kalian asked in confusion.

"Then what do they need?"

"Ruling power, or power. But they already got it; rather than saying they need it, it's better to say they don't want to lose it."

Luo Yan paused for a while and continued.

"As for land, money, honor, even extraordinary power, and even faith itself... are all just tools to achieve the goal, not the root of the goal."

Even, the gods are too.

Looking at the clear and stupid eyes of the village girl in front of him, Luo Yan smiled slightly and ended the topic.

"We seem to have drifted far?"

Saintess Kalian shook her head gently, a hint of faint worship written on her devout face.

Or rather, longing.

"No, Mr. Prince Kelin... I really like listening to you talk about these things. It's just that every time I finish listening to your teachings, I have a confusion; if things are really as you said, doesn't that mean the book of Holy Words in my hand is not that... glorious."

"There are many glorious things: the sun in the sky, the moon in the water, this lamp in the carriage, and the campfire outside the window, as well as the hope in people's eyes..."

Luo Yan cast his gaze outside the window, looking at the fireflies drifting in the grass, and said in a very low voice.

"The book of Holy Words in your hand is the same; it is undoubtedly glorious, yet human desire is endless. This is also why priests choose to shine in the castle, while Saint Xisi's people struggle on the ground."

Saintess Kalian lowered her head, seemingly enlightened in her heart, just like a saint truly yearning for the light.

After a moment of silence, she said softly.

"I want to save those poor people, but I don't know what to do... I beg you to show me a way."

Luo Yan smiled slightly and offered a word of encouragement.

"You're doing quite well right now."

Saintess Kalian raised her head in confusion.

"Now? But... they follow me, and I don't even know where I'm going myself."

"That's not something you should worry about; you just need to walk on your own path, just like this lamp in the carriage... it just needs to emit its own light, without having to replace the traveler to finish the rest of the road."

Looking at those eyes soaked in mist, Luo Yan used a gentle voice to smooth out the confusion in her heart.

"Since you have decided to become a nun, just do what a nun should do. A shining soul will eventually find its own way; you just need to light up those who have fallen into despair."

In an instant, those eyes covered by mist were like torches relit, dispelling all confusion.

"So that's how it is..."

Saintess Kalian whispered softly, a smile of rain clearing up gradually blooming on her simple face, a smile that seemed to be shining.

She bowed deeply, then shyly scratched her cheek, and said embarrassedly.

"Thank you... although I still have many confusions in my heart, I feel much better after talking to you."

"You're welcome," looking at this simple girl who blushed easily, Luo Yan nodded with a smile, closed the book of Holy Words in his hand, and said, "It's getting late, go back to sleep quickly."

"Mm."

The nun nodded, her cheeks flushed like lanterns, clutching the book Mr. Prince Kelin had given her tightly in her arms, jumped off the carriage, and left in a hurry.

At the same time Saintess Kalian left, Sarah's figure quietly appeared in the carriage.

Because the carriage wasn't spacious, and she was worried about affecting the Demon King's unfathomable plan, she had quietly left when Saintess Kalian came over earlier.

Of course, she hadn't spent all her time killing time while not by the Demon King's side.

Besides keeping watch to prevent idlers from approaching, she had also been walking around the camp, collecting intelligence.

"My lord."

Luo Yan smiled gently.

"No need for formalities, sit."

"Yes."

Sarah obediently sat opposite him, then coughed lightly and told him about her previous discovery.

"The people in the caravan seem dissatisfied with the increasingly large refugee procession; they are worried about attracting the attention of the local lord or rebels. Besides that, the mercenary leader escorting the caravan also mentioned..."

She hesitated for a moment and said truthfully.

"He suspects that the rebels running rampant in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng are suspected of having the support of Chaos forces."

"Cha, Chaos?! Where?!" Ta Fu, who was dozing off, suddenly jumped, so scared that her entire dragon spine straightened up.

Of course, this little pig who could eat and sleep a lot didn't really wake up; after muttering a few dream words, she fell back asleep.

It could be seen that she had really been traumatized by the outer gods in the void; fear had been carved into the depths of her soul, and it hadn't faded to this day...

Luo Yan didn't show any panic; having studied the Void Realm deeply, he just asked calmly.

"Does he have evidence?"

Sarah shook her head.

"No... but famine is indeed easy to make people think of the Claw of Eternal Hunger, and some people have already made such associations. I'm worried..."

"The more people fear something, the less they can avoid it," Luo Yan was silent for a while and said in a low voice, "Regardless of whether it's Chaos or not, we must handle the situation here carefully; if Huang Tong Pass has a problem, it will be difficult for us to stay out of it in our territory in the Campbell Principality."

"What do you need me to do?"

Looking at the cat who couldn't wait to offer her loyalty, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile, reached out, and rubbed her furry head.

Clearly not expecting the Demon King to suddenly make such a move, Sarah, caught off guard when touched on the ears, let out a short "Meow?!"

That snow-white face instantly turned into a crimson red that seemed to be dripping blood.

She subconsciously looked at the sleeping Ta Fu, confirmed that the guy was indeed asleep, then restrained her killing intent, threw aside Ta Fu, who had shivered inexplicably, and looked at the Demon King in confusion and trepidation, waiting for his next move.

However, there was no next move.

Luo Yan just smiled and said.

"Don't always think about doing something; when I don't tell you to do anything, you just stay honestly by my side; when there is a need, I will naturally order you."

"Yes..." Sarah lowered her head and responded.

That voice was unusually gloomy, as if she was still brooding over the embarrassing sound she had made inadvertently just now.

Just as Luo Yan was pondering how to comfort his cat, his dog suddenly popped out.

You You: "Demon, Demon, Demon King! Something big is bad! The Campbell Principality has decided to send reinforcements to the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng! Your players have also signed up; looking at their discussions on the official website, it seems there is a battalion of troops!"

Luo Yan had thought it was going to say something incredible, but in the end, no ivory could come out of a dog's mouth; it muttered for a long time, and it was just this small matter.

So what if they went to be soldiers?

Some smart little players even ran to Lei Ming City to become capitalists! Is this a matter? "What kind of big deal is this... if they want to make a fuss, just let them make a fuss."

Wait until they become dukes and then come to find me!

Luo Yan just thought this in his heart, but You You's next sentence made him freeze on the spot.

"But but! The leader is Ailin Campbell! Is, is, is this really okay? You You remembers you said goodbye at the port!"

"…………?"

Holy crap!? ===== CHAPTER 427 =====