hotmtlnovel Chapter 58: The Shandians
Chapter 58: The Shandians
Chapter 59: The Shandians
"So, this is the content of the trial, Lord Orikum."
Gan Fall tapped the ground with his scepter, and a simple map, outlined in the air by wisps of cloud, appeared in the hall.
The map clearly shows the path from Angel Island to the giant vine in the center of Apayado.
"Crossing the River of Clouds, reaching the giant vines of Apayado."
Gan Fall's voice was powerful, and he still tried to maintain the dignity of God: "This path is guarded by the four priests under my command."
"Traditionally, you must rely on your own strength to break through their defenses and prove that you have the strength and qualifications to match your ambitions."
Oro glanced at the cloud map; the path was winding and looked like a waste of time.
"Can."
Auro agreed, turned around and led Gails out of the shrine without hesitation.
Mondado and the other members of the white beret team quickly followed, preparing to guide them to the starting point of the Cloud River.
However, Oro stopped on the empty cloud shore outside the Shrine of the Gods.
"Olog, aren't we going that way?"
Gails looked in the direction Mondado was pointing.
"No need. It's not far from here to Apayado. Let's just go there."
As he spoke, Auro raised his right foot and gently stepped onto the white sea of clouds.
Then, centered on the soles of his feet, a dazzling gold color quickly spread out!
The liquid gold reacted and merged violently with the solid "island cloud" beneath his feet, emitting a deep hum.
The structure of the clouds was forcibly invaded and modified by gold atoms, and the originally soft and white clouds slowly condensed and took shape.
Finally, it transformed into a massive ship shimmering with dazzling light. In just a few minutes, a sleek golden ark took shape!
This pointed-bottom ship without sails is more like a mobile golden fortress.
Auro put his arm around Gals's waist and easily leaped onto the ark deck.
"We'll go first."
He addressed the stunned white-beretted soldiers below: "Tell those four priests that I will leave a token at the end of Apayado, enough for them to get by."
As soon as he finished speaking, the propulsion device at the tail of the Golden Ark started up with a roar, instantly unleashing a powerful airflow.
Completely disregarding the predetermined winding course of the Cloud River, the Golden Ark, like a golden arrow released from a bow, tore through the pure white sea of clouds and headed straight towards Apayado.
Mondado and his team stood there, watching helplessly as the illogical golden creation swept across the sky, their minds blank.
Is this correct? It completely violates the rules of the trial!
The Golden Ark, with an almost brute force, pierced through the defenses of the four high priests, rushed straight into Apayado, and came to a steady stop in front of the giant vines.
The moment his feet touched the ground of Apayado, Oro's body trembled slightly.
The golden resonance reached an unprecedented peak here, like billions of invisible threads winding around from every corner of the island, frantically pulling at his senses.
It's not just about quantity, but also about a kind of ancient, heavy, and historically resonant call.
He "saw" that at the top of the giant vines was a huge golden bell and a massive stone tablet that carried the information of countless years.
"Aurorgo, this is it—"
Gails felt the solid ground beneath her feet, a stark contrast to the soft clouds of Angel Island, brimming with primal vitality.
"Whoosh—!"
A spear with explosive feathers tied to its tail shot out from the depths of the dense forest with a sharp whooshing sound, its target Oro!
Then came the second one, and the third one!
More attacks came from all directions, including invisible gas blasts generated by the impact shell and explosive stone arrows with lit fuses.
"You have the courage to launch an attack, but unfortunately, your strength is far from sufficient."
Oro opened his eyes and came to his senses. Ha, trying to ambush him in a place where gold is everywhere?
Even the naval admirals of this era couldn't do that.
With a wave of his hand, Auro raised a massive golden barrier that rose from the ground, blocking all the attacks and unleashing a series of booming sounds and dazzling sparks.
"Bang! Boom!!"
The spear slid limply after striking the golden wall, and the shockwave exploded on the golden wall, creating ripples, but it could not shake it in the slightest.
Even the exploding stone arrows could only leave some charred marks on the golden wall.
The attack came to an abrupt halt, followed by a suppressed commotion in the dense forest. Clearly, the attackers were stunned by this unbelievable defensive method.
After a moment of silence, a dozen figures emerged from behind the trees and rocks.
These people had healthy bronze skin, wore simple leather armor and clothing in a tribal style, had battle paint on their faces and bodies, held various weapons in their hands, and their eyes were full of vigilance and hostility.
The man at the head had a headband tied around his head and was tightly gripping a strangely shaped incendiary cannon, with wisps of gunpowder smoke still lingering around the muzzle.
He stared intently at Oro and the enormous golden ark beside him, and roared, "Intruders! Get out of our holy land! Apayado doesn't welcome the White Sea people, and it certainly doesn't welcome the Blue Sea folk!"
Oro then withdrew his gaze, looking at the hostile Shandians, and finally fixing it on the leader: "Put away your weapons. I am not an enemy, nor am I a thug hired by the Angels."
"Montblanc Nolando, the man your ancestors called a friend, and the man the whole world smeared as a fraud."
"His descendant, Montblanc Nondomar, is my friend."
The name "Nolando" replaced the hostility on the faces of some Shandians with surprise.
This name, passed down through generations in their tribe, symbolizes a friendship and regret that has been buried in the past.
Is what this Blue Ocean Man said true? Does that person named Montblanc Nondoma really exist?
The leader still gripped his weapon tightly, his vigilance undiminished. However, the defensive measures the other party displayed and their lack of retaliation made him suppress the urge to continue attacking.
"lie!"
At that moment, a young Shandian behind the man shouted excitedly, "Every invader says the same thing! But in the end, they only want to take our land!"
"I am different from those Sky Island people, and also different from all the Blue Ocean people who came here before me."
Oro ignored the young man, his gaze fixed on the leader: "My name is Orikum Oro, from Gaya Island in the Blue Sea below."
The words "Gaya Island" once again changed the expressions of several older Santya people.
Meeting their complex gazes, Auro continued, "I have come to this land to keep my promise, to bring an end to this four-hundred-year war between you and the angels."
He raised his hand and pointed to the top of the giant vine, declaring firmly, "I have come here to fulfill the promise Noland and his friend Calgra, to restore the glory of Shandora to the world."
"Let the bells of the Golden Land ring once more through this sky and sea!"
Map of Apayado and Angel Island: