Chapter 271: Chapter 270: Dual-Line Operation

Chapter 271 -270: Dual-Line Operation

At the same time, closer to the northeastern edge of the Old Continent, another airplane glided out of the clouds and stealthily entered Thistlefort’s airspace.

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In fact, the plane had arrived before sunset, but to avoid being spotted with the naked eye, it waited until after sunset to descend, which made it easier for the passengers to land.

The passengers were none other than Chaoyang, Ailuodi, and Leisk.

“Let’s go down,” Chaoyang nodded to the Angel.

The latter opened the cabin door, took one hand of Chaoyang and another of Leisk, unfolded its wings, and jumped directly out of the cabin.

Even with mental preparation, Leisk couldn’t help but close his eyes and scream.

In less than half a minute, the three of them landed in a deserted alley within the town.

“Next time you fly slower, look how scared they are.”

Chaoyang feigned calmness as he patted his sleeves, his heart still racing—not from fear, but from the natural discomfort that terrestrial life feels when plunging at high speed due to the loss of gravity. Falling directly from a height of two thousand meters to the ground before the Angel finally slowed down was more thrilling than any roller coaster on Earth.

“Sorry, I thought Divine Envoys were strong,” Ailuodi said with a smile and a wink, her tone devoid of any real apology. Though she was apologizing to Leisk, her attention remained fixed on Chaoyang’s heaving chest, clearly not fooled by his feigned nonchalance.

“Fragility is a characteristic of mortal bodies.”

“Slime” also emerged from Chaoyang’s collar at this time.

“Shut up.”

Because it didn’t count as a person, Chaoyang had never considered it a passenger to begin with.

“This city… something’s not right.”

Having barely recovered from the excitement of the free fall, Leisk suddenly spoke in a hushed voice.

“Have you been here before?” Chaoyang asked.

“No, it’s my first time.”

Thistlefort was the nearest human stronghold to the City of Defense on the Old Continent, about one hundred and fifty kilometers apart, surrounded by dense forests. It seemed that the name “Thistlefort” was derived from this. Chaoyang’s knowledge of this place was entirely from Glaik Academy; its main industries were forestry and animal husbandry, including logging, wooden products, acorns, and breeding goats and deer, etc… It was a typical primary resource town. Before the City of Defense was engulfed by mist, Thistlefort also served as a transportation hub connecting it to the inland, and its commerce was fairly prosperous. Moreover, with a population of around three hundred thousand, it could be considered a third-tier town.

“You mean it’s in decline,” Chaoyang observed his surroundings… Compared to Magnificent Castle, the first impression here was bleak. It was just past 7 in the evening, yet there were hardly any people on the streets, and the surrounding silence was eerie.

Even after 9 o’clock, the commercial streets of Magnificent Castle were still bustling—this had nothing to do with the Paradise Sect. When he had first arrived at Magnificent Castle, he had felt it to be a city full of vitality.

Here, although the ground was paved with bluestone, many places were cracked and sunken. The alley walls also bore spreading patches of moss, and few of the old two-story buildings showed any light, as if everyone had a habit of going to bed early.

“Without the City of Defense, it became the de facto border of the Kingdom. Merchants no longer pass through here often, so decline was inevitable.”

“No, I’m not talking about it being backward,” Leisk shook his head. “This place feels dangerous to me… The scent of the mist is so distinct, as if it’s eager, ready at any moment to swallow it up. I don’t know if there are followers of the Mist God here watching, but if there are, I need to contact them quickly; otherwise…”

He didn’t continue, but the implication was quite clear.

“The corruption of the Evil God?”

“Yeah.”

According to Leisk’s previous description, the Mist God was born out of human prayer, its purpose being to conceal and to forget. What it conceals is the erosion by Evil Gods, but what it causes to be forgotten is human wickedness.

He boarded this airplane because Chaoyang had asked him about the potential consequences of dispelling the fog—after learning that the Paradise Sect planned to dispel the City of Defense’s fog, he was extremely shocked and uneasy and persuaded Chaoyang not to do so.

“The fog exists to protect humanity. If the power of an Evil God still lingers there, the aftermath of removing the fog is unimaginable!” That was how he had tried to dissuade him at the time.

And Chaoyang’s response was simple, “Evil Gods have also appeared in Magnificent Castle, but the ones ruling the frontier lands are still normal people, not followers of the Evil Gods.”

The power of the Paradise Master is capable of defeating the Evil Gods.

Leisk couldn’t refute it because he had witnessed first-hand how that godlike radiance could pierce through the boundless fog. Despite being unable to refute, he still requested that Chaoyang take him along on this trip, just in case any accident occurred that he might have a chance to rectify.

“You see, it’s good that we came,” Chaoyang shrugged his shoulders, “Those fools beguiled by the Primordial Gods wouldn’t only set their sights on one City of Defense; I guess this place is definitely their next target. Shi Yin, you’re part of the Causal Sect too, can you sense the presence of your kind?”

“Hah? Don’t slander me!” “Slime” was greatly displeased, “What does that primitive and ignorant worship have to do with me? Would you care how ants praise you?”

Its voice was transmitted directly into everyone’s minds.

“Is there or isn’t there?” Chaoyang pressed on, ignoring the remark.

“There isn’t.”

“Thanks. It seems that the Causal Sect isn’t behind this.”

“I must remind you, I sense divine power, not the actions of individuals,” it replied.

Chaoyang patted its head, “Without the support of an Evil God, aren’t those heretical followers just live targets for bullets? It’s the same principle.”

“But we can’t rule out the existence of other Heretical Cults, right? After all, there’s more than one named Evil God,” Ailuodi analyzed.

“Other gods are the same… I mean the Primordial Gods you talk about,” Shi Yin added, “The Primordial Gods themselves are full of contradictions, each wishing for the others’ disappearance, especially the Rot God—its nauseating stench I can smell from eight hundred miles away!”

“Then why could Leisk sense that the fog is restless?”

Leisk didn’t answer the question, his expression simply turned very grim.

“Let’s focus on the main thing first,” Chaoyang coughed to redirect their attention, “If we want people from the Old Continent to travel to the new lands by ship from the City of Defense, we must ensure this transportation hub operates smoothly.” This was also the reason they came to Thistlefort, “Dan has been spreading the news for more than a day or two, we have plenty of time to thoroughly investigate this city.”

According to the plan, they would establish a caravan under the guise of a new company development or perhaps outright rent a train to handle the transportation of voluntary migrants. This would undoubtedly require building good relations with the local management, sorting out the necessary documentation, and it would also allow them to inquire about the Kingdom’s internal warfare. If there really were Heretical Cults causing trouble here, he wouldn’t mind lending a hand to the authorities to sweep away these madmen.

Chaoyang was fully confident about this—compared to when he started with nothing, the resources of Paradise were now incomparable. Not to mention he was accompanied by Ailuodi and Leisk, even money was sufficiently handled. In the face of monetary power, what worldly matter couldn’t be handled?

“Anyway, let’s find an inn to rest for the night and act tomorrow,” he stepped towards the mouth of the alley, then suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Ailuodi immediately became vigilant.

“Someone is praying…” Chaoyang murmured.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The Angel didn’t catch on at once.

“I heard it, someone is praying to me—” Chaoyang said with surprise, “Sending out prayers to the Paradise Master.”

The person was within this Thistlefort!