Gloria packed some clothes for Adrian, while Jenny grabbed all the medication he would need for the trip.The trio left for Strider Mountain an hour later, a place fabled to be one of the ten immortal mountains of Navia. It was said that many become immortals atop Strider Mountain a long time ago, and these people were recorded in history as legends with their own unique stories.The mountain was located on Navia's southern border. Surrounded by numerous mountains, this place fell under the jurisdiction of Knoxville. At the foot of the mountain sat Strider Village, and there were fifty kilometers of mountainous roads between the village and Knoxville.About fifty families lived in Strider Village, and the place only obtained electricity after Crystal became the monarch. Living a life of poverty, the people there got by as rock excavators and sellers.Before leaving for Strider Mountain, Adrian had Mya bring along a few more people with them to meet Strider.***Jerome was sitting
Sage said, "Mya has been searching throughout Novemton for people of various talents. It does look like War Legate Draco has been forming a team to head out to the Uduma Desert and Mount Shangspar."Crystal nodded. "We think so too. Based on the information we currently have, we suspect Gostia and Partingia are somehow related to the events that took place at Isle 416.""Are you saying the meteorites at Isle 416 exist at these ancient ruins too?" Sage asked."Exactly.” Sage turned to Jerome. "We've got all the meteorites on Isle 416 locked up in storage. We can’t allow the outlanders to get ahold of something similar before we get to the bottom of its secrets. Otherwise, they may come up with something that could harm this whole world."Crystal said, "Correction. The outlanders will surely put whatever resources they can into researching these meteorites should they get their hands on them. This isn't a matter to be taken lightly." She looked at Jerome. "What do you think? Should
Jerome fell silent.The threat posed by Mount Shangspar was imminent. Coupled with the emergence of the Gostia and Partingia ruins, the events of the past were now public knowledge. There was a chance the tragic events that took place in the two countries would spread to the rest of the world. Someone needed to stand up and stop this from happening.Jerome hoped this someone would be himself and not Adrian. "It'll be suicide for you to go to Shangspar in your current condition, so I've come to stop you. I'll help you finish this mission instead. Please go home!" he pleaded.Adrian patted Jerome's shoulder. "You've only just taken over Wyvern Peak, and the battle warriors have only just been appointed. Now isn't the time for you to leave Novemton. You should focus on leading your men instead." He then shot Mya a signal, to which the latter picked him up and placed him inside the car. Mya turned around and said, "Adrian’s right, Jerome. Your foundation isn't strong enough right now,
His plan was, of course, to eliminate Luposia. This was an objective he had set for himself when he became the legate. Everyone in Novemton was affected by Jerome's motivation, with several teams getting ready for an event that would shake the world. It was not long before this plan came into effect. ***Adrian, Mya, and Jenny arrived at Knoxville that afternoon and decided to grab something to eat. Knoxville was not a large place, but it had a market with traders selling all kinds of rocks purchased by people who needed them. As such was Strider Village’s livelihood. These traders were mostly old men who stored and transported their products in tattered trishaws, waiting for buyers to come by. There were a few clean-looking buyers looking through the rocks, asking for prices and inspecting the quality of their selected rocks. Most tradesmen had samples on display for their buyers to choose from. Whenever there was a demand, they would return to the village and instruct their me
"Little monster?" Adrian was taken aback by the nickname the locals gave Strider. "What's your name, sir? Why do you call Strider a monster? Is that what you and the other locals call him?"The old man sighed. "My name's Flint Gray. Strider's a pain, a monster. He caused his grandfather's and adoptive parents’ deaths. I hear he's about to get his grandmother killed too."Adrian frowned. Strider was an immortal living in the suburbs, where the locals were poorly educated. It was not much of a surprise for simple-minded people to think of Strider as a monster.Mya whispered, "They're not as open-minded since they’re not highly educated.""Why is Strider called a monster, Mr. Flint?" Adrian asked again.Flint sighed as he lit another cigarette. After taking a puff, he said, "Strider’s grandfather found him among a pack of wolves, who then became very sick after. The man’s son and daughter-in-law too died in the mountains later on.“Strider can jump up to a hundred meters and destroy
As Strider got older, the number of strange incidents surrounding him grew as well. At first, he was like any other human, but the villagers soon noticed that he could leap to the tops of mountains and crush boulders. He was also often spotted radiating with a faint light.All of this caused the villagers to feel frightened and spread rumors that Strider was the she-wolf's offspring that took on a human form to seek vengeance on the villagers. Thus, no one dared to get close to him.After Strider's grandfather passed, his adoptive parents met their demise too, further solidifying the villagers' assumption that Strider was a wolf on a revenge spree.***Adrian was silent after hearing Flint's story. It was indeed easy for the uneducated to think of Strider as a monster after those series of events. Yet, this only made Adrian more interested in Strider."Adrian, as interesting as Flint's story is, there's no way Strider's a wolf's offspring. Someone must’ve deliberately placed him i
Adrian believed this was all a conspiracy the moment immortals came into play. However, he knew nothing more about the matter, and his only choice was to start his investigation at the time of their births.***The trio approached Strider Mountain at four in the afternoon. They could see the village of fifty families from afar. Their houses were all built out of stones, reminiscent of the old times."That's Strider Village," Mya said.Adrian nodded in response.They soon arrived at the village. After parking their car at the village entrance, Mya got Adrian out of the car and placed him into his wheelchair before the trio strode in. Strider Village was mostly quiet, with a few elderly men sitting on the porches of their houses as children ran around. None of them noticed the trio's arrival. Mya pointed at a house on the village outskirts. "That's where Strider lives. Let's go." Strider's house was about six hundred meters away from the village. It could even be considered not
“Who are you and why are you here?" Anita asked in perfect Navillian. Adrian gazed at the beautiful, innocent-looking girl in tattered clothes. This indicated to him that her conditions were not great. Even her house did not have electricity. After a moment of silence, he said, “Hello, my name is Adrian Xander.”Adrian reached out her hand to shake her hand. However, it was customary for the local girls to not have any contact with any men who were not their husbands, especially unmarried women. Thus, Anita did not shake his hand and instead asked, "Who are you?"Adrian smiled. "I've come from Swallowston to see your brother, Strider Hicks. Here's my working license.” He behaved accordingly when he saw how cautious Anita was. "War Legate Draco? Wait, you're War Legate Draco?!" Anita asked in shock. Adrian nodded. "Yes, I am. I've come here for two reasons. The first is to meet your brother, and the other is to help you and your family overcome poverty.""Overcome poverty?" D