Village Head's Debauchery

Knight Darian advanced slightly and bowed toward Orion and Fifi.

"If you find the comfort and arrangements of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled Territory unsatisfactory, please send us a message. My leaders and I will escort you to the Bastion of the Ashen Hope, where your treatment will be more satisfactory," he said.

He then returned and bowed respectfully toward Brane and Zara. "Please follow me, kind travellers. I will lead you to the Bastion of the Ashen Hope Territory," he said, turning around to lead the way forward.

Brane and Zara moved beside them with a nod to Orion and Fifi. The forces of the Bastion of the Ashen Hope surrounded them protectively as they made their way forward.

"Don't listen to anything that liar says, kind travellers. I assure you, our treatment will be far more than satisfactory," Knight Mayril quickly interjected, attempting to diminish Knight Darian's words.

Allowing such thoughts to linger could be dangerous; considering these travellers' strength, forcing them to stay at the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled would take considerable effort if they chose to leave.

"Please, follow me. I will lead the way," Knight Mayril continued, directing Orion and Fifi as she turned and moved ahead.

Orion and Fifi were encircled protectively in the centre of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled forces, with headless winged spawns surrounding them and pushing their way through the numerous tainted beings.

All six had split into pairs, joining the three different forces. Though the forces' members were of lower strength, their survival in this pocket dimension for so long demonstrated their capabilities, so Orion and the others held them in high regard.

According to Knight Mayril, the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled was located in the southern part of the sea, hidden within a massive forest of petrified trees beneath the water. Initially, Orion and Fifi had imagined it would resemble the tree nymph forests on the farm in Paradise, but they soon realized just how far off the mark they were.

The forest was composed of densely packed, giant underwater trees. The trees were ghostly white and eerily beautiful, with long, gnarled roots stretching for miles. They seem to wail and groan, bending under the pressure of the water.

It was unlike any forest they had ever seen.

Knight Mayril halted at the entrance and turned toward Orion and Fifi.

"Do you know how to return these tainted beings to your companions or command them to wait outside? Please, don't misunderstand, kind travellers. We just cannot enter the Forest of the Wailing Roots with tainted creatures, or we will face serious repercussions," she said hesitantly, glancing at the headless, winged spawns.

Orion frowned at her words. He was curious about what kind of repercussions they might face if they entered with the headless winged spawns, but he wasn't foolish enough to cause trouble upon his arrival. However, he remained sceptical about trusting her completely or if the spawns would even listen to his commands.

Before Orion could decide, the headless winged spawns gathered together, swimming towards one another. Their movements startled the forces of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled, prompting them to enter into a defensive formation.

Orion and Fifi were also taken aback by the sudden actions of the headless, winged spawns, unsure why they had reacted in this manner.

"Kind travelers..." Knight Mayril started to say, her face pale with concern. But something inexplicable occurred before she could finish speaking and before anyone could react.

The headless winged spawns swam uniformly and entered Orion's and Fifi's shadows. Their shadows rippled briefly before stabilizing.

||||

Orion and Fifi could only stare at their shadows in utter disbelief, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

'Is this a new Divine skill Aurora is practising?' Orion wondered, looking at his shadow with growing curiosity.

Aurora was still working on her first Divine skill, Eternal Chaos Legion, so it made sense that she was discovering new ways to utilize it while mastering its ins and outs.

Nonetheless, Orion could only imagine how powerful this Divine skill would become once she learned the laws of the universe and incorporated them into it.

Suddenly, a surge of new information flooded Orion's and Fifi's minds.

After processing it, Orion felt his heart warm with appreciation for Aurora's efforts to ensure their safety. Fifi felt the same as a fellow sister and warrior.

As Orion and Fifi gathered their thoughts, Knight Mayril and the rest of the forces of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled stared at them, wide-eyed and shocked, their expressions almost comical in their disbelief at the unprecedented turn of events.

A terrible chill ran down their spines, and even some with icy skin couldn't help but shiver at what they had just witnessed.

Some had counted the number of tainted beings protecting them-about three hundred. All those tainteds had vanished into the shadows of the two mysterious travellers. If those tainteds could emerge as they had seen before, did that mean each of these travellers now had more than a hundred taints protecting them?

As this realization dawned on some of the nymphs, their expressions paled with fear and

hesitation.

Knight Mayril also realized this and couldn't stop her body from trembling. She held her hand out, staring at her quivering palms.

That's right! She had just invited such powerful individuals into their territory!

Knight Mayril tightened her grip on her wrist, trying to steady herself.

"Is something wrong, Knight Mayril? I can't help but feel as though we are no longer welcome in the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled Territory," Orion asked, his tone laced with confusion and mild indifference.

Orion sensed the fear, caution, and hostility in the nymphs' gazes around him and felt slightly amused.

Aurora might not have intended it, but her actions had further heightened the inhabitants' wariness toward them. From what he could deduce, their presence filled the nymphs with as much dread as the tainted creatures themselves.

On one hand, this was a good thing, as it would make them think twice before trying anything foolish. It would also save time learning about this Pocket Dimension and its current state and establish a formidable presence in the hearts of its inhabitants.

This would be the foundation for bringing them out of this hellish pocket dimension and into the outside world under Paradise's rule.

However, it could also backfire on them. Nonetheless, Orion believed that once they revealed Paradise's existence and the world outside this pocket dimension, extending an olive branch, they might be able to prevent any negative consequences.

It was still unknown whether the forces' leaders knew they were trapped within a pocket dimension, but it would facilitate his plans considerably if they did.

"I..." Knight Mayril quickly regained her composure before continuing, "Did they enter your shadows?" She glanced at Orion's and Fifi's shadows, waiting for their response.

Orion and Fifi nodded.

"You said that if we wanted to cross into the Forest of Wailing Roots, we needed to put them away, so we did. Yet, it seems there are more problems to encounter before making our way in," Orion said, his voice tinged with displeasure.

"We haven't even arrived at the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled yet, and we're already feeling unwelcome. Perhaps we should have gone with the Bastion of the Ashen Hope Territory from the beginning," Fifi said, her tone indifferent.

Hearing their response, Knight Mayril gulped. She tried to speak, but her words was stuck in her throat as they continued. She was tongue-tied, unsure of how to respond. Should she, a respected figure within the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled Territory, who had sworn to protect their territory from the tainted and the harbingers and fight for survival, allow such terrifying figures into her home?

Or should she foolishly let them leave, giving another territory a chance to form a relationship with them, thus sparing them from an unknown potential crisis?

It was like holding onto the tendrils of a docile tainted, inviting it into your home, hoping it wouldn't go insane and destroy everything.

At this point, she either had to take the risk or pull back completely.

After a few seconds, Knight Mayril bit her lip, feeling the pain in her chest as her emotions

surged turbulently. She exhaled and made her decision.

Knight Mayril bowed respectfully toward Orion and Fifi. "I apologize for showing you such an

unsightly display. Please, let's continue," she said.

Orion nodded at Knight Mayril, then glanced at Fifi and said, "We shouldn't rush to the Bastion of the Ashen Hope. They might not be much better than the Bastion of the Wailing

Gnarled."

Fifi nodded silently.

After receiving their response, Knight Mayril's heartbeat slowly calmed, her emotions stabilizing. She turned around, signalling her forces to resume formation, then drew her sword and led the way.

The rest of the forces circled around Orion and Fifi in a protective formation, drawing their weapons. Although they doubted the two mysterious travellers didn't need their protection, they kept their thoughts to themselves and continued to advance.

Orion and Fifi observed curiously, wondering why they had drawn their weapons if they were entering supposedly safer territory.

Suddenly, a root from a nearby tree shot in their direction, answering their question.

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