Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 794 - 41: The Eighty-One Tribulations on the Journey to Obtain the Scriptures
"On the first day of landing, we successfully arrived at the Dark Wilderness."
Charlie closed his notebook, bent down to scoop up a handful of powder-like sand and soil, and sighed.
There was truly nothing worth recording here.
The Dark Wilderness, also dubbed the Empire’s Shadow by Lanton media.
It is said that the newly enthroned Queen of Ming Country, with godlike power, buried the Thousand-Year Dynasty of the East in this eternal abyss where the sun never shines.
But he hadn’t found any trace of the ancient dynasty’s existence here.
Not that there was absolutely nothing—about an hour and a half ago, their team was ambushed by a group of nomadic raiders.
These raiders rode warhorses, which resembled corpses, moving freely in the dark fog.
Fortunately, the Pathfinder offered protection...
Charlie turned around, casting his gaze toward the massive figure at the rear of the team.
According to theory, this ship had already been completely dismantled and scrapped.
Yet under Mogred’s control, it stubbornly persevered, relying on twenty-eight pairs of load-bearing wheels to painfully trudge through the wasteland and rocky terrain.
The ship carried the team’s last reserves of fuel and supplies. Even its own components held valuable utility, so the captain wasn’t planning to discard it.
As for how far it could go... as the captain had said, they had to trust in Alpha’s guidance.
Other than placing faith in that, there seemed to be no other options.
Those relentless Imperial Sea Guard forces trailed a few kilometers behind them, ready to charge forward and attack at any moment.
Their flesh-and-blood bodies seemed tougher than steel; unbelievably, they suffered no damage during the crash, and their units remained intact.
Good news—it seemed they too had been attacked by the nomadic raiders.
Bad news—the raiders failed to stall their advance in the slightest and were easily torn to shreds upon charging.
The team’s available combat power included only the surviving crew and mechanical servants aboard the Pathfinder, twenty-nine Holy Defenders, ten mechanical cultivators (including himself), plus the captain, Mogred, and the ship.
The Imperial Sea Guard squad should have fewer than twenty members.
The two sides were locked in a bizarre equilibrium.
They couldn’t flee, couldn’t fight back, and couldn’t gain the upper hand.
The People of Ming seemed to be waiting for reinforcements, while the captain was searching for traces of Alpha.
Now, it was a matter of who would act first.
"Light! I see light!"
A mechanical cultivator at the front suddenly shouted.
Charlie followed his pointed direction, seeing a dot of light expanding amidst the gray, foggy sky in the distance...
That was definitely not the sun or moon.
Charlie quickly opened his notebook.
"Detected: Platinum Dragon Paladin... Correction: Detected Golden-Winged Garuda Paladin."
"The Golden-Winged Garuda is a mythical creature documented by the Far East Empire’s Buddhism, residing in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Legend has it that it possesses the bloodline of the Lord of Ten Thousand Buddhas, feeds on dragons, and can traverse ten thousand miles in a single wingbeat..."
As rows of text surfaced on the notebook, the distant radiance streaked across the sky like a comet and descended before the team.
"You all..."
The giant dragon—no, now it was a golden-winged Garuda with feathers covering its wings—lowered its fierce and enormous head, about to speak, when its peripheral vision caught sight of the Imperial Sea Guard trailing the team.
It hesitated for two seconds, then turned and fled.
"Reinforcements?! Where are the reinforcements?!"
The Sea Guard squad leader angrily slammed his helmet to the ground, turning to glare at a rookie struggling to type with thick fingers: "Do you even know how to use that newly issued device?"
"Commander, don’t rush me... The Astronomy Bureau says the lines are busy, responses are slow..."
"Busy with what? I’m just asking for reinforcements! One sentence! Reinforcements, reinforcements, reinforcements! I don’t care who or what! Just send someone!"
"The Astronomy Bureau is asking for our coordinates."
"No coordinates! Damn it, if I knew the coordinates, why would I be stationed as a garrison soldier?"
"Commander! The dragon’s flying back!"
"Prepare for combat!"
The commander raised his Liuyun Rifle, aiming at the gold-colored giant dragon speeding toward them from the horizon.
He clearly understood that their forces were insufficient. Without the firepower of naval artillery, relying on the weapon in his hand to kill a dragon dozens of meters in length was unrealistic.
Dragons without intelligence had already been exterminated.
Surviving dragons capable of roaming the Thousand-Year Dynasty World were all vicious and cunning.
It had undoubtedly retreated earlier out of caution. After confirming that their side consisted only of a small garrison squad, it turned back.
Villainous flair, setting, and dialogue—such theatrics held no meaning on an actual battlefield.
It was only a matter of life and death here.
"Form the array—!"
Just as this shout escaped his lips, the rushing dragon breath loomed over them, and the Liuyun Rifle in his hand instantly exploded in the raging flames, exceeding three thousand degrees Celsius.
The commander grabbed the flying bayonet in reverse, bellowing as he charged directly toward the giant dragon.
Boom—!
Just as he leaped, an enormous shockwave sent him tumbling backward.
It was naval artillery!
Reinforcements had arrived!
A wave of joy flashed through the commander’s heart, but he quickly recognized that the explosive force wasn’t something his own military fleet’s caliber could produce.
Turning his head, he spotted a smuggling merchant ship two kilometers away, rising up and aiming its cannon toward them.
The cannon wasn’t particularly powerful, utilizing even ancient solid rounds. Yet it inflicted significant damage to the dragon, tearing a deep wound into one of its wings and forcing it to stagger, altering its flight path.
The dragon emitted a furious roar. With no desire for a prolonged battle, it turned in a sharp climb, brushed past the Sea Guard’s position, and fled toward the distance in panic.
"The People of Ming hold grudges for a long time, but they repay kindness in equal measure,"
In the captain’s quarters, the captain explained to Mogred in a low voice: "That one cannon may have provoked the Dragon Worship Church, but it also earned us a favor from those Sea Guards. They won’t pursue us as relentlessly anymore."
"However, we’ve also revealed the Pathfinder’s last card."
"A cannon that kills is called a trump card. A cannonball that doesn’t kill is just fireworks—for show only."
Mogred remained silent for a while, his face revealing a faint, human-like wry smile.
"Captain, your insight is impeccable."
The Sea Guard indeed stopped their pursuit.
Compared to the infamous Dragon Worship Church, the obscure Mechanical Sect held little value in the eyes of the Imperial Sea Guard.
"This is Alpha’s test for us. It’s the hardship we’re destined to endure."
The captain spoke decisively: "This is a blessing."
