"The wolves here live dozens of years longer than wolves of other places.""Infinite Grotto? Where is that?" Adrian asked. "It's a cave at the top of Strider Mountain with this name engraved above it. There's a skeleton inside the cave, and the place is rather magical. There are many rocks I've never seen elsewhere inside the cave too. These rocks emit powerful energy, which I call aura essence. The wolves gained a lot more intelligence after absorbing these essences.""Rocks again?" Adrian mumbled.Mya turned toward him and asked, "Do you think they're the same meteorites from Isle 416? According to our research, the Isle 416 meteorites emit a similar sensation. Do you think the worms on them altered the wolves' DNA?"There was a chance that Mya was right. At this moment, Novemton knew little about the meteorites except that the worms on them could alter DNA and cells. Adrian turned to Strider and asked, "Were you also affected by the rocks inside of Infinite Grotto?""Yes. S
Mya heaved a sigh, lamenting how everything seemed to be connected to the meteorites. She wondered how many more people would be affected by those things. At that moment, Blue howled and collapsed. Strider ran over to her, but her eyes were shut. Her soul had left her body. He stood next to her and took a deep breath while Adrian and Mya walked over."Blue was my only friend. She saved me and protected me…""My condolences," Mya consoled.Strider proceeded to bury Blue's body near the den.Flint back at Knoxville had said that it was Strider's grandfather who had found this wolf den. Blue was probably protecting baby Strider at the time, and when he grew up and got injured, it was also she who took him to the cave. This was proof that Blue was an intelligent being.Adrian said, "Take me to Infinite Grotto.""That place is dangerous, sir. You might end up becoming like me if you go there. I suggest you forget about it."Mya suggested, "How about we head home first? I'll buy som
The cave was dark and moist, crawling with insects, mice, and even snakes.The trio entered with Strider leading the way. Adrian and Mya could not feel the energy inside the cave due to their protective gear. After about ten minutes of walking, they found large clusters of black rocks. The rocks covered the walls of the cave and were in piles on the floor. A skeleton sat behind one of these piles. The skeleton was in a meditative position, indicating that whoever it used to be had died a peaceful death. "Here we are," Strider said. "The rocks here look just like the ones back at Isle 416. We now know for sure these rocks are the same meteorites," Mya said after some observation. Adrian recognized the rocks too and walked toward the skeleton. "This deceased here must have been the ones to bring these rocks here. They believed they’d become a god. Yet, they died living in a fantasy," he said as he shone his flashlight on the skeleton. "This person’s situation was probably the sa
The trio left the cave.The engravings Adrian saw on the walls had been burned into his memory, which gave him a chance at entering the true Uduma Desert now that he had a complete map of the location. ***After leaving the cave, Adrian said, "Strider, I need you to come with me. I need your abilities to help me investigate this matter. This isn't about yourself anymore, but all of Novemton. Do you understand?"Strider stared at his hands. After a while, he said, "My grandmother and my sister… Who would care for themselves if I leave? We're really poor and they won’t have any source of income without me."Adrian patted his shoulder. "That's not a problem you have to worry about, neither is it a problem at all. Remember that this isn’t just for yourself but for them and everyone else. You've got a long road ahead of you."Adrian continued down the mountain.Mya nudged Strider on the shoulder and smiled. "Why didn’t you just listen to me before? You know that War Legate Draco’s a
“As you command, Your Majesty. I'll order for the villagers of Strider Village to be moved and issue the lockdown of Strider Mountain." ***Soon after, the Battle Warrior Department of Southern Swallowston received their orders, which were passed on to Candor City. The branch there personally oversaw the task. Adrian, Mya, and Jenny waited in Strider Village for three days. Finally, large buses, trucks, and hundreds of staff members arrived at the village to begin their task of moving everyone out. Jenny and Mya were excited upon seeing the vehicles’ arrival.Jenny said, “See those vehicles, Anita? They’re here to pick you up. You’ll all move to the city and live there very soon."Anita was clearly excited.The villagers came out of their houses at the sight of such a huge commotion.At that moment, a sedan drove over and a middle-aged man got out with a few subordinates. The man stood before Adrian and saluted. "Sir, my name is Angelo Lockheart. I'm the general of Candor City
Adrian could leave Strider Village now since he had done everything that needed to be done. With Strider now in their party, the group left after Adrian gave Angelo a few more instructions.Before they left, Strider looked at Anita and said, "Behave yourself in the city. I'll find you once I get back."Anita nodded. "I'll be waiting for you. Go ahead and focus on your mission with War Legate Draco."***Strider left, prepared to use his abilities to shoulder responsibilities. Adrian and the others arrived at the city in the afternoon. Adrian instructed Jenny to fly back to Swallowston as he was about to embark on to the outlands. As Adrian drove, he said, "Mya, tell the others to meet up with us at the Uduma Desert. We should be there in two days.""Are we not waiting anymore?" Mya asked."There's no time."Mya began to contact the helpers she had previously found as they left Novemton.Adrian could not get in touch with Nicholas. But as there was another month before their
"Otherwise, they'll be back for more.""Yes, sir. Wait here. I'll be right back."Strider leaped into the air as green light enveloped him. He then slammed the ground with a heavy punch. What followed was a series of explosions going off in all directions. It was as though a ball of energy had exploded from the ground. The retreating enemies sensed a threat coming from beneath their feet as more explosions erupted, sending them flying through the air as they were blown to pieces. In less than a minute, all the enemies were on the ground. Some were already dead, while others were struggling to survive. "Nicely done," Mya said with a smile.Adrian walked over to the enemies and spotted a middle-aged man who had suffered a severe hip injury among the bodies, struggling to stay alive. The man was wearing a Luposian battle suit that marked him as a Luposian general. Adrian walked over and bent over to hold up the man’s head. "What's your name?"The man trembled, unable to find the w
The journey Adrian was taking was possibly the most defining path the world had ever taken. Gostia's ruins were hidden somewhere within the Uduma Desert, and it would decide the fate of the world.The closer he got to the location, the more relief he felt.***The trio arrived at the inn twenty minutes later. However, the place had been destroyed. It was now nothing more than a shell of its former self. Despite how prosperous it was just two months ago, that luster was now long gone. "Did the outlanders do this? Why would they destroy the inn?" Mya frowned and looked around. Adrian had predicted that the inn was somehow in communication with residents within the desert, but he was not sure whether the inn had been intentionally built for this purpose. The Steedtens running the place were gone, so he would probably never find out the answer. It was getting late and daylight was quickly fading.At this moment, Adrian suddenly spotted a shadow moving inside the abandoned inn. St