Chapter 179: Scenery of Mountain and Lake

The morning breeze blew coolly, and the dawn sky blushed crimson.

Blackrock Fortress buzzed with activity.

Yesterday’s battle had been utterly one-sided. Nearly four thousand elite Blackrock soldiers clad in armor had died fighting throughout the fortress. Now, aside from blood pools and corpses, fallen weapons and armor lay scattered everywhere. The newly freed slave miners from Shampoo City, regaining their strength, wasted no time. They stripped armor from the enemy dead to wear on their own bodies, armed themselves with enemies’ sharp blades, and became fully equipped. Then, they gathered every scrap of loot they could carry from the fortress, filling more than a dozen horse-drawn carts.

Though the long years of torment had left most of their bodies in poor condition, they were all high-spirited. They had miraculously survived a disaster and been saved by the Holy King of Xiangbo descending from the heavens. Hope was finally before them. Under Lampard’s leadership, they formed orderly lines, prepared to depart. The Azeroth Continent revered martial prowess, so most men knew how to ride. Mounted on the spoils of war, the former mounts of Blackrock cavalry horses, they protected the few women within the carts. Raised blades and spears gleamed, their menacing aura quite imposing.

As the groups prepared to part ways, Lampard and the others paid their respects to Sun Fei before beginning to organize the ex-slaves for their journey back to Shampoo City.

For a time, the cold, late-autumn square echoed with the sounds of farewells and blessings.

At that moment, the thin young man Modric, supporting the old man Zola, appeared before Sun Fei.

After the old man performed the grand salute of a vassal to his king, kneeling on one knee, he volunteered earnestly: “Your Majesty, please allow me to join the expeditionary force! The Scorching Sun Mountains are remote and treacherous, shrouded by bewildering mists and countless dangers. Dense forests cover precipitous peaks. Without a guide, the army could easily become lost. I was captured and brought here as a mining slave at twenty-six. I’ve lived on this land for twenty-one years. I know the direction of every path, the location of every mine, and have seen the fiercest beasts haunting these mountains. I swear I can help King Chambord’s army traverse the forests of the Scorching Sun Mountains at the quickest speed…”

“But your body…” Being a chronically directionally challenged person himself, Sun Fei understood the agony of getting lost profoundly. The old man’s suggestion made his eyes gleam with hope. Old Zola’s reasoning was sound; navigating vast, perilous mountains did indeed require a pathfinder. Yet, this elderly man before him was just recovering from severe injuries. Though aided by the miraculous medicine from the World of Diablo, his body remained weak. A long, arduous journey could worsen his condition.

“Your Majesty, do not worry. This old bone is still sturdy…” The old man declared fiercely, his white hair swirling in the wind. He pushed aside Modric’s support, bent down, and hoisted a nearby chunk of black rock weighing about a hundred pounds. Lifting it like a trophy, he boomed, “Your Majesty, see? This old wretch can still heave great stones! Please, allow old Zola to contribute, while he still walks, to the rise of the Shampoo Kingdom!…” His voice cracked with emotion as he almost shouted, “Twenty long years! I’ve waited far too long for this day!”

The old man’s unyielding spirit and fervor deeply moved Sun Fei.

“Very well. So be it,” Sun Fei agreed. “Oleg, bring a Blaze Beast over for our experienced guide…” His gaze then fell upon Modric, who was watching him with hopeful, eager eyes. Sun Fei continued with a smile, “You too, little guy. Ride with Uncle Zola. On this journey, his care rests entirely upon you!”

“Huh? R-really? Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!” Little Luka jumped up in excitement. He had already wanted to beg the King to let him follow, never imagining His Majesty would anticipate his wish. Ever since awakening from his unconsciousness that day, the first sight of Sun Fei – the smiling face in the sunlight, the hands radiating warmth – had been etched onto the thin, blonde youth’s soul. Staying close to the King was, for him, the happiest thing possible.

Prison Warden Oleg soon led over a powerful and imposing Blaze Beast.

Though multiple generations of selective breeding in the Redwater Kingdom had tamed these Tier 4 Magical Beasts, reducing their wild nature had also diminished their fearsome Tier 4 abilities. This was part of why they’d been overwhelmed by Shampoo City’s strong-arm knights clad in Heavy Knight Armor previously. Recently, however, after consuming feed mixed with the Hulk Potion, they seemed to be undergoing a regression. Much like the fat warden Oleg himself, they were experiencing a secondary “growth spurt”. Their running speed, carrying capacity, and charging strength had greatly increased. Faint crimson flames, magic fluctuations typical of wild Blaze Beasts, even flickered around their hooves again. Their tusks grew sharper and more lethal. Their wildness returned, making them fierce and aggressive, yet they remained docile and obedient to their masters.

Young Modric eagerly rushed forward to take the reins.

Who knew the Blaze Beast, seeing a stranger approach, would suddenly turn ferocious? It reared its fiery front hooves with a savage roar, threatening to stomp down. Fortunately, at that moment, the Big Black Dog fixed its gaze on the beast and barked a furious “Woof! Woof! Woof!”. An almost comical scene ensued – like an elder disciplining a youngster. The Blaze Beast lowered its threatening hooves, still looking very displeased, and stubbornly refused to let Modric or Old Zola come near.

Sun Fei felt instantly embarrassed. This creature dares disrespect me?

He prepared mentally to switch into Druid Mode and have a serious “chat” about life and ideals with the obstinate beast. But then, a beautiful figure approached from behind. Slender, pale-as-peeled-spring-onion fingers gently tapped the Blaze Beast’s forehead. Angela pointed gently towards Modric and Old Zola and made a few simple gestures while smiling. What happened next was jaw-dropping. The previously furious Blaze Beast obediently walked over and knelt before the two, its earlier arrogance and ferocity vanishing completely.

“Angela, how exactly do you tame these beasts?”

As the Shampoo Expeditionary Force set off beyond Blackrock Fortress, Sun Fei rode the Big Black Dog with his betrothed held close in his arms. Her warmth filled his embrace, the faint, intoxicating fragrance unique to a maiden hovering at his nose. The biting morning breeze suddenly felt gentle and warm, enveloping him in a profound sense of peace and comfort. He chuckled and asked her question.

Despite the sharp chill of a late-autumn morning, Angela had refused the offer to rest in the carriage. She wore a slightly thin, pristine white short dress, its flowing skirt ending at about two-thirds down her long, shapely thighs. Below was a distinctively designed pair of black leggings. The contrast of black and white created a unique shimmer and allure. Her cheeks flushed, she’d bravely requested to ride with Sun Fei on the Big Black Dog. The young maiden wasn’t concerned about how swiftly she seemed to have fallen. Nor did she mind the well-meaning but blush-inducing smiles and glances of those around her. All that mattered was that the strong, steady arms encircling her waist grounded her, filling her heart with tranquil sweetness.

“I… I’m not sure,” Angela answered, slightly wrinkting her delicate eyebrows in thought. “They just… seem to understand my intentions? So friendly, obedient… like little children…”

Just as I suspected, Sun Fei thought, smiling inwardly. He’d guessed earlier that for some mysterious reason, Angela possessed an extraordinary natural affinity with animals. Lately, while training the Blaze Beasts and the warhorses, this innate gift had poured forth like floodwaters breaking through a dam. It was remarkably clear – no matter how fierce the animal, facing those pure, beautiful eyes transformed them into docile lambs.

Evidently, however, Angela herself remained unaware of the reason for this power.

As they conversed, the Expeditionary Force exited Blackrock Fortress through the rear gate.

“We can’t leave this fortress intact for Blackrock Kingdom and that schemer king of theirs!” Sun Fei declared resolutely.

After the last person emerged, he tapped into the brute power of the Barbarian. With mighty blows, he directly demolished key sections of the fortress’s curtain walls and collapsed numerous internal structures. The Blackrock Kingdom’s military stronghold, painstakingly built over several generations, shuddered and crashed down, becoming ruins amidst billowing clouds of dust. Its once-intimidating, rigorous defenses became a mere memory of the past. Sun Fei judged that given Blackrock Kingdom’s depleted state, restoring the fortress to its former formidable condition would take them at least three years.

…

The day progressed smoothly for the Shampoo Expeditionary Force.

The deeper they went, the more formidable the Scorching Sun Mountains revealed themselves to be. Everywhere was jagged stone and sheer cliffs. Centuries-old trees clung stubbornly to cracks in the rock and sparse patches of soil. The terrain dipped and climbed so sharply, and the trees were so densely packed, that sunlight barely reached the ground. After noon, visibility dimmed significantly. By evening, thick, white fog had rolled in, plunging visibility to almost zero. Their path meandered through fields of ragged stones and ancient, gnarled trees, more than half leafless and seemingly dying. The ground lay thick with damp, musty-smelling leaf litter and fading yellow moss. Clear landmarks disappeared, making it perilously easy to lose all sense of direction in the sheer vastness of the mountains.

Thankfully, the Expeditionary Force had Zola — a tireless, human GPS navigator that required no batteries.

As the old man himself had stated, he knew every path within the Scorching Sun Mountains intimately. Even long-abandoned trails utterly overgrown with weeds were as familiar to him as the wrinkles on his own face. Time after time, just as the path seemed to vanish entirely, he would push aside overgrown thickets and find the right track hidden beneath. This invaluable knowledge spared the directionally challenged King Sun Fei and his Shampoo Expeditionary Force immense trouble.

Along their march, they came upon several Blackrock Kingdom’s mine entrances and tunnels. Without hesitation, Sun Fei dispatched Prison Warden Oleg, who lumbered like a bloodthirsty giant towards them. With ruthless efficiency, Oleg crushed the pitiful Blackrock resistance they found. He slaughtered the guarding soldiers, tore down the mine structures, and freed the multitude of slaves forced to toil within the grim mines and tunnels.

The Blackrock King had already gathered all the imprisoned Shampoo City residents deep within Blackrock Fortress, intending to execute them before their rescue. Unsurprisingly, none of the slaves freed from mines they encountered now belonged to Shampoo City. Without needing to worry about safeguarding former countrymen who might slow them down, the Expeditionary Force handled the rescue swiftly. Among the liberated miners emerged several “old horses who know the way,” similar to Zola. Eager to return to their own homes, they knelt and poured out gratitude to Sun Fei. Then, jubilant, they gathered their compatriots from shared homelands and quickly disappeared into the dense mountain fog.

They trekked forward for over three more hours. Though the sun had not fully set outside the mountains, the interior of the Scorching Sun Mountains was shrouded in suffocating darkness, making onward travel dangerous.

“Your Majesty, I recall a small lake ahead,” Old Zola called out, urging his Blaze Beast forward. “Close to its shore lies a large open area amidst stone forests. The ground is flat, stony, and low on moisture — perfect for setting up camp. Perhaps we could rest there tonight?”

“Agreed,” Sun Fei answered quickly, glancing down at Angela, fast asleep in his embrace.

True to Zola’s memory, after trekking about half an hour further through the gloom, a beautiful, crystal-clear little lake unveiled itself. Its grassy banks, tinged with the golds and browns of autumn fading into winter, lay like a magnificent tapestry unfurled upon the earth. Nearby stood a striking cluster of weathered limestone pillars — not imposing in height, but with level and hard-packed stone spaces surrounding them, clearly resistant to night’s damp chill.

The vista of the mountain lake bathed in the fading light held an intoxicating, serene poetry unique to late autumn.

Yet, Sun Fei slightly frowned.

Flickering lights gleamed at the lake’s edge. Chaotic voices reached his ears. Other parties were already encamped here — and from the sounds and lights, it seemed like quite a number of people had arrived first.