Bear School Astartes-Chapter 829 - 812: Plague City

This wind over Vizima Lake feels quite unusual.

Lann easily saw through this.

But he wasn’t very concerned.

After all, this is the domain of the Lady of the Lake, although as the Earth God of the Brook Leon Great Forest and the Silver-Eyed Queen—Aisne, she has been long pressured by surrounding human nations, compressing the forest area.

It seems that gods are quite an insignificant concept.

But the Lady of the Lake... Lann had confidence in her.

Ignoring the tiny sailboats scattered across Vizima Lake, Lann led the Qilin and the forlorn Rong Buqiu towards the Da Gun Temple.

As usual, the marble floor of the temple was beneath the lake’s surface, making the water cover one’s feet when stepped upon.

White lotuses and green lotus leaves floated above the shallow waters, radiating a refreshing fragrance.

The scene was one of tranquility and calm.

As if this really was a simple temple, established by some unknown race in the distant past.

But Lann knew.

Amidst the sound of gloves rubbing against a pocket, Lann took out an Elf Beacon from the alchemy pouch at his back.

Following Margaret’s instructions, he selected one of the two recorded coordinates on the Elf Beacon.

In Lann’s grip, the stone-shaped Elf Beacon gradually revealed the outline of a magic array.

Then, Lann waved the stone outside the Da Gun Temple.

It seemed to trigger something; a faint glow began to emerge beneath the lake surface.

Then, a familiar celestial convergence rift slowly rose from beneath the tranquil lake surface, stopping in front of Lann.

The view within was as blurred and distorted as shattered glass.

The closer Lann’s Elf Beacon got, the more chaotic the scene in the rift became, and the noisier the sound.

But upon reaching a certain point, it seemed to reach a threshold.

The scene on the other side of the celestial convergence, though still blurry, had stabilized.

The magic array engraved on the stone in Lann’s hand had completed its task, dimming suddenly after reaching a very high brightness.

Both Rong Buqiu and Qilin were brimming with excitement and curiosity, moving closer to observe.

The little cat jumped nervously around the outer edge of the celestial convergence, while the Qilin craned its neck forward.

"A world-crossing rift, huh? Last time, I didn’t get a good look, meow."

Rong Buqiu said, turning to look at Lann.

"Is this the path we’ll take to complete our tasks in the future? Are we going now, meow?"

The Demon Hunter shook his head: "It’s not time yet. I came early this time to accomplish something elsewhere."

He pulled a containment bottle from the alchemy pouch, giving it a shake towards Rong Buqiu.

Inside the bottle was a bundle of nerve tissues and glands, opened like spread leaves.

"Then I’m ready too, meow!"

Rong Buqiu was enthusiastic about new challenges, swiftly putting on the helmet it had taken off earlier due to discomfort, and tightening the buckle on the dual sword strap across its chest.

The action was somewhat similar to the Demon Hunter’s style.

The Qilin also neighed with keen interest. Though Lann suspected that it simply regarded world-crossing as a travel leisure activity.

"No need to be so tense; the scenery over there is quite nice, and there aren’t any particularly powerful creatures, just ordinary small animals."

Lann said this with a smile, telling Rong Buqiu there was no need to take it too seriously, while heading towards the celestial convergence rift.

Even though it was his first time entering a rift outside the tides of Chaos Magic Power, he was familiar with it nonetheless.

"There are some strong people there, but not many. You normally won’t encounter them. Plus, the sunshine is much better there, and there’s a white sandy beach. Just treat it like a vacation."

"Is that so, meow?"

Rong Buqiu nodded, seeming half-understood.

Still, due to trust in Lann, it maintained a relaxed mindset, climbing onto the back of the Qilin. It followed Lann into the rift, like shattered glass.

Perched on the Qilin, Rong Buqiu entered a state of dizzy disorientation.

However, this feeling was similar to the last time they crossed, an experience Lann had already mentioned to both it and the Qilin as normal.

As a fairly skilled warrior, Rong Buqiu wasn’t alarmed.

But as the dizziness faded and its vision reconnected with its brain, allowing it to assess the present situation, Rong Buqiu suddenly realized...

"Is this... ’vacation’, meow?"

The little cat was so startled that even its whiskers trembled continuously.

The yellowish sky initially appeared as a natural change, like the oppressive sky before a downpour.

The surroundings were low-rise houses, with few buildings above three stories.

Being an Elu Cat who had witnessed two worlds, Rong Buqiu had seen the architectural styles of the Star Base and the Magic Middle Ages.

The Star Base’s wildness relied heavily on material advantages, a style hard to ignore.

In the Magic Middle Ages, Northern Territory homes often mixed wood and earth, sealed off, and covered with thatch and wooden boards.

This was to combat the high-latitude cold climate during winter.

However, buildings here seemed to avoid confined spaces, as if fearing heat.

They had roofs, but a blanket always lay along the top, meant for napping under.

The buildings were ornamented in sky blue, feeling fresh and lively.

Meanwhile, the blankets and fabrics bore vibrant hues, reflecting the local residents’ common personality and style.

Looking further afield, Rong Buqiu couldn’t help but gape.

There was a striking sculpture as tall as a standing Molten Mountain Dragon, even taller—a massive bronze statue.

It depicted a female warrior, with spear and shield poised.

A sculpture of such grandeur, such significant metal usage, even Rong Buqiu the Elu Cat understood it symbolized area prosperity and might.

Yet everything before its eyes contradicted this conclusion.

Rong Buqiu tilted its head at Lann, who also frowned, clearly puzzled by the current situation.

"Uh ah ah!"

A man wearing a linen skirt, sandals with broken straps, emerged from the alley corner.

He leaned against the wall, his eyes glazed over, a look of weakness. Yet even in near-consciousness, his body reflexively hunched over, vomiting out a large puddle.

What he vomited mostly liquid, almost nothing ingested.

Having vomited, it seemed to sap the last of his strength, collapsing with a ’thump’ onto his vomit.

The man was beyond saving.

Lann’s biological knowledge quickly assessed; the man seemed to have drained all bodily fluids and electrolytes due to constant vomiting and diarrhea.

Although attempting to drink a lot of water, electrolytes weren’t replenished.

Over time, he reached a state of multi-organ failure.

Next, Lann gazed upwards at the yellowish sky over the city.

It wasn’t a natural change, not like the oppressive weather before island-nation storms.

... It came from burning too much outdoors, with ashes and black smoke rising, lacking wind to disperse, causing this hue!

This is Athens.

The origin of Western civilization, birthplace of democracy, leader of Mediterranean civilization, a great city.

But now...

She was just a Plague City.