Pale Emblem

Chapter 171 Past
After all, Yog was young and naive, and he actually regarded the demon-blooded descendant as his life-saving brother.

Ingrid could only sigh in her heart. Although her little husband was favored by the heavenly spirit Donar and would surely become the king of the barbarians in the future, he still needed her care and guidance now.

Yog has no idea of ​​the evil and filthiness of the demon bloodline, and anyone who comes into frequent contact with them will not end up well.

Ingrid had heard from the sage Myne that among the three major forces in the Dragon Kingdom, the Goblin Kingdom and the Blackfire Tribe were bordered by powerful foreign enemies, but the north of the Disa Alliance had an extremely wide river as a natural barrier, so there were no foreign enemies spying on the north of the Disa Half-Elves. However, there was a cancer called the Dark Land to the west of the Alliance, and the shadows of the ancient demons in it had already infiltrated the Alliance, and the subsequent appearance of demon blood and cultists were the biggest hidden dangers of the Alliance.

The cultists want to create more chaos within the Disa Alliance, and the Broken Rock Clan can work with them.

However, Ingrid doesn't want Yog to have any contact with these devil worshippers.

"Their rescue of you is just a condition of cooperation we proposed... They can't even be considered half-elves, so you must not think of them as brothers." Ingrid warned carefully.

Yog nodded frequently out of habit. He was just about to explain to his wife that his former good friend Veltok was among the cultists.

Quelngra and his butchers and shamans had already approached, and an invisible pressure enveloped Yog, leaving him speechless.

Ingrid naturally turned his attention to the chief.

No one can ignore a sixth-level butcher, but the sixth-level butcher completely ignores Yog's existence.

Previously, Quel'Ngra had used the will to kill to mobilize the innate potential of the orcs and barbarians and maximize their blood rage power. Only Yog showed no reaction, which seemed to indicate that he did not have the blood rage talent that the orcs and barbarians were proud of.

Chief Rockbreaker didn't even look at this kind of rubbish, and asked Ingrid a series of questions:

"What on earth were those monsters just now?"

"...Also, how was your conversation?"

Chief Rocksplitting could not understand the Half-Elf language, so Ingrid calmed down and answered his questions seriously. Yog was thrown out of the circle by a strong Orc butcher, and no one cared about him anymore.

In fact, what Alchemy Demon Herman meant was very simple: as long as the Rockbreaker and Frostblade clans followed their instructions, they could easily capture Echo Town. If the orcs disagreed with their plan, time would not stand on their side, because the elite reinforcements from Fallen Leaf City were about to arrive.

It was clear that these demon-bloods were competing with the Broken Rock Clan for dominance in cooperation, but Ingrid tried to explain the tricks and make Quellngra understand, which was definitely not an easy task.

Yog, who was being excluded, felt very upset when he saw a group of high-level orcs and wild fighters surrounding Ingrid and listening to her teachings. He looked up at the silver moon in the sky, and was surrounded by the cold moonlight. He felt depressed and suddenly lost interest in talking. He didn't plan to share the situation of Veltok with Ingrid anymore.

Even if he told her, Ingrid would not believe that Veltok had become another person.

*************
On the other side, after Victor and his companions left the dead forest, they ran all the way, trying to get away from the Rock Splitting Chieftain Quellengla as quickly as possible.

This high-level killer is powerful and dangerous, and is the most uncontrollable and lethal factor. If you come into contact with him, you are at risk of having your head chopped off at any time. Unless the vampire Christine is present, she should be able to control the opponent for two or three seconds with her special move "Desire Abyss", which is enough time for Victor and the Alchemist to kill him several times.

Their current lineup is too much of a challenge to deal with Quillengra and his elite troops, so it is better for them to move away.

After running for more than 50 kilometers in one breath, everyone was still energetic, but the Ranger Sisters suggested to Victor that they find a place to rest for a while. Because they were close to the edge of the battlefield, if they went further, they would most likely encounter a raiding group of orcs and barbarians, and it was very likely that a battle would break out with them.

Of course, they might also encounter a group of half-elf adventurers, so they couldn't show their true colors in front of their own kind.

Victor didn't want to fight with the warriors of the Rocksplitting and Frostblade clans at all now, at least he shouldn't weaken their manpower for the time being.

However, they were operating openly as a half-elf adventure group and were in a war zone, so the orcs and barbarians would not show them mercy if they met them.

If you want to avoid encounters, ranger sisters need to plan the route in advance and do reconnaissance work, and not rush around recklessly in pursuit of marching speed.

Victor accepted the advice of the ranger sisters and found a small forest nearby to hide his body.

Ruth and Jessica fed their animal companions water and food, rested for a while, and then hurried out to explore. Although the professional characteristics of the ranger are unlikely to be attacked by others, Victor still assigned Burning Dalina and Stinky Livdel to assist them.

The rest stayed in the grove to rest and wait.

It was late autumn, and the colorful forest began to wither. Under the Elaeagnus angustifolia tree where Victor sat, ripe wild fruits were scattered everywhere. At this time of year in previous years, wild boars, forest deer, and badgers would visit here and eat every Elaeagnus angustifolia that fell to the ground. However, due to the war, the nearby animals should have moved away, and those that did not leave may have been eaten by orcs or half-elves.

Victor picked up a deep red sand date beside him, wiped it on the sleeve of his cotton armor, and put it into his mouth to taste. The taste of the wild sand date was surprisingly good.

He picked up a few more and handed them to the gladiator slave not far away: "Kent, I'll give you one to try."

After hearing this, Kent was flattered. He quickly turned over and knelt down, crawling on the ground, lowering his head and stretching out his left hand to receive the wild fruit given by his master.

Victor frowned, but still placed the sand date in the palm of the gladiator slave's hand. After a pause, he said, "You don't have to be like this... I mean, you are too humble, which bothers me a little."

Kent felt overwhelmed and was silent for a moment before he said, "Master, I cannot forget my identity."

Victor was not sure if what Kent said had a deeper meaning, such as whether his past gladiatorial experiences were related to his "dream shadow", because the condition of "not forgetting one's identity" came first, and then there was the reality projection in the dream realm? Before, when Kent was fighting Chief Rockbreaker, maybe it was not his dream, but more like Kent's past memory?
After all, Kent used to be a gladiator slave, and the fighting and slaughter in the arena were his most profound memories.

The past cannot be changed, the future is unpredictable, in any case Kent's growth experience is closely related to his "Dream Shadow".

Victor's eyes flickered repeatedly, and his expression gradually became tangled. If his guess was true, then the "Dream Shadow" involved the laws of time and the laws of the mind, corresponding to the water element and the fire element respectively. With his current awakening knowledge, he had a little understanding of the laws of the mind, but not enough to understand the laws of time, so he was not qualified to analyze the mystery.

However, Kent usually behaves taciturn, but he likes to show off in front of Victor. He speaks when everyone discusses issues, but when he speaks, he can only say a few words. In short, Kent is the kind of person who is not very smart and is not very smart.

Victor felt that he might have thought too much. Even if Kent had mastered the "Shadow of Dreams", he was probably not some "sage" who usually kept his talents hidden. How could his words have so much profound meaning?
If you have any questions, just ask him directly.

"Kent, what ability did you use in front of the Orc Slayer? It seems to have given us the same hallucination..." Victor asked, and then he continued to add: "Don't rush to answer me, and don't say 'I don't know'. I believe you are also confused now, but it doesn't matter. You can think about it slowly and say whatever you think of. Tell me when you think of it. Let's not set a time limit for this topic, okay?"

Kent nodded blankly. He really didn't know what he had done or how he had done it. And it was not until now that he had the leisure to think carefully about what had happened not long ago.

Victor was not in a hurry. It should be said that he was not in a hurry. Kent had received gladiatorial training since he was young, but no one had taught him any theoretical knowledge of martial arts. He was not even literate. Under such conditions, it was impossible to expect Kent to accurately describe the mystery of "Dream Shadow", even if he had acquired this extraordinary ability.

Victor can only hope to learn some details about the "Shadow of Dreams" through Kent, and then combine it with the theoretical knowledge he has mastered, for comparison and deduction.

Fortunately, with Kent as a living material, they will be able to fully master the mystery of "Dream Shadow" sooner or later.

Sure enough, Kent pondered for a long time and still looked confused. He looked at Victor for help and said, "Master, can you give me some hints?"

Victor nodded, and he was ready to help Kent sort out his thoughts through questions and answers.

"Have you ever had the same or a similar experience before?"

"no?"

"Hmm? Not sure? Then there is one. Tell me about it."

"Well, a long time ago, I once encountered an orc butcher in the arena. At that time, there were 12 half-elf gladiators fighting against the butcher... I remember that whoever he stared at would become weaker. There were even gladiators who were so terrified that they could not move and were killed by the butcher directly... Every time he killed an opponent, his skin would turn red, and he would become stronger and faster. It was difficult for our weapons to hurt him."

Kent continued, "The more Orc butchers killed, the stronger they became, and we became weaker and weaker... At that time, I was still a young novice, participating in the gladiatorial contest for the first time. After all my companions were killed, the butcher wanted to kill me in the end. His eyes were fixed on me, like a poisonous snake pointed at my neck. I didn't dare to move. I still remember the cold and stiff feeling very clearly."

The gladiator slave was in a low mood, and Victor was affected by him and couldn't help asking, "Then how did you survive?"

"I was doomed to die, but someone saved me."

"Afterwards, I learned that the 12 of us rookie gladiators were all 'sacrifices' for the official competition, and were appetizers before the meal... The master of the Butcher Gladiators paid for us, and used our lives to help the Butcher reach his peak state, and then face his true opponent."

At this point, Kent suddenly smiled and further explained: "Master, you may not believe it, but the butcher's opponent is a disabled half-elf gladiator. He has no left arm, and his two ears are deformed. There is no ear tip, just an oval."

Victor was stunned for a moment, and said to himself unsurely: "... Oval ears, would that be weird?"

Kent nodded immediately and said, "It does look strange, but the gladiator was very handsome. Even with his deformed body and ears, he was still very handsome and strong. He kicked the iron door of the arena corridor away, and the orc butcher was frightened. He thought a terrible giant monster was about to rush out, so he was on guard and didn't bother to kill me."

"The half-elf gladiator entered the arena. The butcher was extremely nervous, but his opponent was very relaxed, holding a big sword and walking around the arena. The audience in the stands were shouting his name crazily. Some called him 'Great Knight Peter', and some called him 'Grand Duke Peter'... The famous gladiator turned out to be the legend of the Blackdale Arena, the gladiator champion Peter who won all 99 games!"

"I was so shocked that I even forgot that I was scared to the point of peeing my pants. I huddled in a corner, watching the gladiator champion Peter fight against the Slayer in his prime."

"That butcher was very strong. He roared in anger continuously, drowning out the cheers of thousands of spectators, leaving only his own voice in the arena. Relying on the blood rage to protect him, the butcher leaped more than ten meters away, four or five meters high, his body bent like a fully drawn bow, holding the giant axe in both hands and slashing straight into the air with all his strength!"

"Peter blocked the butcher's blow with one hand and one sword. Miraculously, the stone slabs of the arena were like iron blocks under his feet. Not even smoke or dust was produced, let alone cracking or sinking. It is rumored that Peter is the favorite of the goddess of the earth, and the mud under his feet will turn into stone, so he cannot be repelled or knocked down."

Victor listened with great interest, and the others gathered around to listen. Harvey even shouted, "It is said that real rock elves can absorb divine power by stepping on the ground. Could it be that the champion Peter is from the Tower Cave Clan?"

Victor warned Harvey and said, "Don't interrupt...Kent, you keep talking."

"Yes, Master." Kent nodded and continued, "The Butcher's Blood Rage can withstand blows and reduce damage. He was not afraid of the rebound when his jump slash failed. But there was light on Peter's sword. I saw it with my own eyes. He swung out an orange-yellow sword light and struck the Butcher's Blood Rage three times in a row. The fourth sword chopped off the head of the high-level orc."

"And then?" Victor asked again.

"Peter won his 100th match, and he actually noticed me. He saw that I had wet my pants, and before he left the field he told me that I had to overcome my fear and weakness to have a chance of surviving in the arena."

"I always remember his advice and never forget it!"

Victor was inexplicably agitated. He took a few deep breaths before saying, "It seems that this incident has had a profound impact on you... However, I am curious why the audience in the arena called the champion Peter 'Grand Knight Peter' and 'Grand Duke Peter'?"

"What do the Grand Knights and Grand Dukes mean?"