Arcane Journey

Chapter 265
Thousands of years ago, when a falling meteor plowed a scorching streak 150 kilometers long and [-] kilometers wide along the entire elven forest, this catastrophic accident guaranteed the future prosperity of Misty Valley.

Trees could no longer grow in the cracks left by the falling meteors, but when the residents of Misty Valley cultivated land here, they found that the land in the cracks was surprisingly fertile.

Misty Valley is such a lucky valley.

Enemies such as Zhentil Keep and Sembia are kept out by other valleys or Elven courts, and occupy larger areas, as well as the best-positioned trade routes between Cormyr and the Moonsea.

It is also for this reason that all the territory around the Misty Valley is occupied by the Dark Elves, Zhentarim and the City of Shadows, but it is able to stand alone due to its own geographical advantages and become the last place of resistance in the Valley.

On the second day after leaving Mokou Town, Brian stayed in Tifington for a day. After learning the details of how the city's consul eliminated the forces of the Temple of Shar hidden in the city, he left with confidence and headed towards the valley. Depart from Misty Valley.

However, after arriving in the town of Misty Valley, he did not see the person he wanted to find immediately. After being reminded by the guards, he learned that Storm Silverhand, the leader of the Harper Alliance, was in a refugee camp in Misty Valley , he offered to ask a Misty Valley knight to guide him towards the refugee camp.

There is no doubt that the refugees here are almost all civilians who fled here from other places.

The camp stinks so badly that Brian nearly throws up.

"Your Excellency Brian, this place is full of smog, you shouldn't be here."

A Misty Valley knight who was leading the way standing beside him wrinkled his nose and said respectfully, "I think it's better to go back to the city and wait."

"It's okay." Brian shook his head slightly, declining his kindness.

He naturally understood what the other party wanted to express.

Because this is not an ordinary refugee camp, the civilians who fled here from Sambia were more or less infected with the death plague that transforms undead creatures. Their final fate, apart from being burned, is transformed into mindless immortals biology.

Of course, for Brian who has a "natural barrier", he doesn't care at all.

After all, these abilities can make him immune to poisoning and diseases caused by any man-made or non-man-made means such as magic and magic.

"What is Lady Storm doing in the camp?" Brian asked curiously.

"Since the floating city of the ghosts destroyed the capital of Sembia, the plague of death cast by Shar priests has destroyed most of the kingdom's army." The knight of Misty Valley said deeply, "Even the civilians have not let go." However, Lady Storm is distributing food to refugees fleeing here."

Hearing this, Brian nodded thoughtfully, and continued to walk deep into the camp.

Soon, he saw the figure of the harper leader Storm Silverhand in front of him.

The lady rode on a silver steed, and the Rangers of the Vale surrounded her closely to keep the sick and dying from getting too close.

Fifty heavily armed Valley Knights followed closely behind, responsible for escorting the grain carts. What this group of knights had in common was their distaste for this task.

In Brian's view, this is completely understandable, because most of the refugees here have fled here from the commercial kingdom of Sambia.

The grievances between the valley people and the Sambia kingdom established by pirates can even be traced back hundreds of years ago, so naturally they will not have any good looks towards these people.

You must know that when Sembia was not yet subjugated, the favorite thing for their merchants was to unite with the Zhentarim people to squeeze and plunder the wealth of the valley.

This is like if people in the small days of subjugation appear on the land of the Celestial Dynasty and receive relief.

One can imagine their fate, and they will even suffer countless contempt and disgust like street rats.

And the people in the valley here not only want to build refugee camps for them, but also provide them with food. If you were anyone, you would instinctively resist doing such a thing.

Bryan looked from a distance and found the sickly Sambians staggering behind the grain escort truck. Every few meters they advanced, the 'tail' at the back of the team swelled.

Many held out their hands to the leader of the Harpers, or knelt in front of the convoy as she passed.

"Ms. Merciful." These refugees kept calling in the common language, "Madam, please...Mrs. Merciful, help my child, she is very sick...give her something to eat...please Please, help her... help me..."

With nowhere to go, the Sembians were stranded outside the thick walls of Misty Valley by the thousands—men, women, old people, children, young girls, and newborn babies.

Many people were infected with the plague of death, starving and dying.

The defenders of Misty Valley did not dare to let them enter the city, so they could only do their best.

They sent healers, priests, druids, and priests, but these priests tried their best, but they couldn't slow down the pace of death, and some people were even infected.

Moreover, the idea of ​​isolating the sick from the healthy turned out to be impractical.

A week ago, the guards in Misty Valley forcibly separated the husband and wife, mother and child, regardless of the crying, kicking and throwing of stones. However, a few days later, the sick died one after another, and the healthy people would still get sick. Effect.

"This is a conspiracy by the City of Shadows." The Misty Valley Knight who followed Brian said angrily, "They deliberately infected these civilians with the plague of death, and then opened a gap to drive them here. Their purpose is to consume us vitality."

Brian nodded slightly, without contradicting his words.

Along the way, he had already learned about the specific situation of Misty Valley Town from this bearded middle-aged knight.

What surprised him was that the Necromancers in the City of Shadows were able to research such a remarkable plague of death, even the priest's magic had little effect.

If this disaster befell the Kingdom of Cormyr, Brian couldn't even imagine it.

Moreover, this disaster has lasted for two weeks, and the priests in Misty Valley have not yet researched the potion to relieve the plague of death.

Brian had a faint feeling that there must be other evil forces involved.

"It's becoming more and more difficult to feed these damned refugees now." The Misty Valley Knight complained again.

"Ms. Storm is trying her best to raise food every day, but the number of refugees is increasing day by day. The food reserves of the Golden Wheat Sheaf Monastery are shrinking every day. It is becoming more and more difficult to find people who are willing to distribute food. Many people who went to the camp fell ill when they returned. Someone was attacked on the way back to the city. Yesterday a van was overturned and two escorting knights were killed."

In the complaints of the knights of Misty Valley, Brian saw children with swollen bellies trailing the procession, too weak or too frightened to even beg.

Two women fought over a charred bone, and a ten-year-old boy was standing next to him eating a mouse, eating it with one hand and holding a sharpened stick tightly in the other to keep others from stealing his food loot.

Corpses were strewn all over the field, Brian thought to himself, the tragic scene in front of him was even worse than the Cormyr kingdom that was invaded by orcs two months ago.

He saw a man covered with a black cloak, lying on the ground, when he rode past, the cloak instantly turned into countless flies, and a scrawny woman sat on the ground, tightly hugging the dead baby.

Everyone looked at the leader of the harper, and still had the strength to shout: "Ma'am... Please, ma'am... bless you... save us..."

Lady Storm raised a hand, the carts behind her stopped one after another, and the knights scattered to prevent the Sambians from looting food.

As soon as the line stopped, the crowd swarmed in, and more and more sick people limped around. The knights stopped them and shouted: "Stand in line! Don't crowd! Back! Back! People Everyone has bread! Stand in line!"

"These supplies are reserved for the Misty Valley defenders." The Misty Valley Knight sighed and said:
"We are likely to face a long-term siege. The knights from Myth Draenor may be able to suffer from the ghosts, but they will definitely not be able to retreat from the enemy. If the floating city of the ghosts is repaired, it will be a blessing for the entire valley. disaster."

"If we must fight, I would rather stay in the city and let the undead of the ghosts try with the city wall first, but the Sambian refugees carrying the plague of death come here in a steady stream, eating the food we used to resist the siege... ..."

Hearing the knight's complaints, Brian ignored them. He saw an old man sprawled on the ground moaning, his eyes staring at the gray clouds. The leader of the harpists, Lady Storm, was kneeling beside him. The sour smell made her cringe. frowned.

But she pushed back his dirty gray hair with her hands, sprinkled holy water on his body, and asked the priest beside him to perform the purification spell.

The priests also joined in, separating the living from the dead and piling up the corpses.

In just a moment, under the effect of the purification magic, more than a dozen fires were lit, and the black and greasy smoke plume went straight up to the ruthless blue sky.

"Before the antidote is found, the plague of death is everywhere." The Misty Valley knight looked at the smoke column and said to Brian, "Here, hundreds of people die every day and are burned."

Brian glanced at the leader of the harpist who was stained with stains and soot on his riding clothes, leading the priests to shuttle between the corpses and the living, constantly busy.

He knew that it was inappropriate to meet them at this time, so he said to the knight beside him, "Let's go, let's go back to Misty Town."

He and the Misty Valley Knight turned their horses and walked, recalling the information about Lady Storm.

Storm Silverhand, one of the Seven Sisters of the Northland, leader of the Harper, bard, and voter of Mystra.

She is the most famous of the Seven Sisters and a free-spirited adventurer, who all adventurous girls dream of becoming, and who all single men long to meet.

When many people saw Storm for the first time, they were shocked by her appearance and personality.

The current storm is no longer adventurous like she was when she was young, and her harper alliance in the valley is too busy with the daily affairs of the harper to go out for adventure.

Like her sister Alustriel, Storm is loved by the local people, and because she is not a ruler, people are more willing to be close to her.

The people of the valley were healed by the storm when they were sick, and helped by the storm during the busy farming season.

Storm always smiles at people, and even the children in the valley regard her as their best partner, play games with her and listen to her stories.

She likes to help others very much, and she really enjoys helping others.

It is said that the previous king of Cormyr, Azen V, once asked his counselors 'what is the storm wants', and the answer he got was 'love from all in the kingdom', perhaps this is why the storm is so popular reason.

At dusk, Brian, who was waiting in the hall of Misty Town, finally met the Harper leader who had returned from the refugee camp.

The mature and beautiful woman was clearly groomed and groomed before meeting him.

She looks young, but she is mature and stable. Her white arms and clean face are smooth and flawless. Starlight shines in her bright eyes, which are as gray as a cloudless night. There is a wealth of knowledge and thoughts in her gaze, which represents her past experiences. The vicissitudes of life.

There were silver hoops in her silvery hair, but her soft gray robe was plain, with nothing but a belt of silver leaf.

"Welcome to the valley as a guest, Lord Protector of Cormyr, Mr. Bryan." Storm walked up to him, stretched out his white right hand, and smiled softly.

Observing closely, Brian found that although the leader of the Harpist Alliance was hundreds of years old, her status as a voter of the goddess of magic did not show any signs of decline in her appearance.

The tiny crow's feet at the corners of her eyes will not destroy her overall beauty, but instead bring out her stable and mature temperament.

Regarding this, he had to lament that the most popular voter for the goddess of magic on the mainland deserves to be the character jokingly called by their players as 'the most suitable to be a married woman' and 'the voter with the loosest belt'.

Brian also only recently learned about the leader of the Harper from Hesaiah, which even their players have not picked up.

Cormyr's royal mage, Sandra Cotter, was Storm's lover when she was young. The two tried desperately to have a child, but when they tried many times to no avail, they finally broke up.

Even King Yazen V of Cormyr has an unclear relationship with her. Because of this, Hisaiah's mother was even teased by some nobles in Suzall, "Long night guarding the empty boudoir, Qingsi blowing the palace', to describe the romanticism of the previous king.

It was also for this reason that Hesaiah's mother ran away from home in a rage, and took her two children to live in Mokou Town.

It turned out to be just in time for the Red Dragon to wreak havoc, leading to a catastrophic scene.

At the same time, Brian also understood why the female lord of Araby City claimed that she would never set foot in Suzar City again.

It is said that when the king of Cormyr confided in the royal mage about his relationship with Storm, the old mage didn't pay too much attention, and claimed that the two had long since parted amicably.

Regarding this situation, Brian couldn't help sighing secretly, he deserved to be a voter who inherited the fine tradition of the second-generation Goddess of Magic.

In fact, if you think of these voters as the kind of lustful men who can't walk when they see a beautiful woman, you can understand their approach.

This is like a strong man can have three wives and four concubines to open a harem, why women can't.

Among the Seven Sisters of the Northland, Elastra and Storm are the voters who most vividly embody this tradition.

It is a pity that because of their status and status, or their strength, no player can win the hearts of these voters and let them climb onto their beds.

Even so, there are still players who come and go in and out of the valley area one after another, tirelessly increasing their favorability.

"Hello, Ms. Storm, I am deeply sorry for what happened to you. The gods are cruel." Brian held the hand of the leader of the Harpers, "May the blessings of the Mother of All Magic be with you and help you through the current crisis." disaster."

"May the blessings of the goddess be with you, sir, I have learned of your intentions from the oracle of the goddess." Storm smiled slightly, paused for a moment, and said: "However, before that, you need to meet an old friend , she has been waiting in Misty Valley for a long time."

An old friend?

Brian let go of his hand and looked up at the storm. When he noticed her half-smile eyes, he subconsciously looked towards the door of the hall.

In the hazy light against the dusk, he saw a drow girl appearing in his sight.

Slender as a human maiden, the young drow looked delicate and fragile, her dark forged skin making her seem like a living statue, and her tight black leather suit and mail armor made her look like a fine painting.

Even in the eyes of otherworldly elves, she is extremely beautiful, with delicate and distinct facial features, and long white hair as thick as clouds, as if the new snow glows under the moonlight.

The ever-changing face is naughty like a child at one moment, and becomes an iceberg beauty in the next second. In a pair of big blue almond eyes, there is wisdom and mischief exuding all the time.

"Brian!"

When this cheerful drow girl saw him, she showed a look of surprise, and the corners of her slightly raised mouth were filled with a smile that symbolized the brilliance of life.

In Brian's view, even if he lived in the depressing dark area for a long time, this smile could not be erased.

The smile was like a wave of well-prepared warm wine, flowing through his body, making him irresistible.

"Remember me? Bryan, I am Santilla of Ancient Orens City."

When he came back to his senses, the slightly petite body of the drow girl had already thrown herself into his arms happily.

…………

(End of this chapter)