It must be said, the addition of these helmets instantly seemed to maximize the combat effectiveness of these heavily armored soldiers. They indeed looked more mysterious and intimidating. However, Hao Yun couldn't help but worry about these soldiers; he wasn't sure if they could see the road beneath their feet while wearing such fully enclosed helmets.
Seeing Hao Yun's interest in the soldiers, Selwyn explained, "These soldiers are Lady Eliana's personally selected guards. To maintain confidentiality, they must wear this heavy armor while on duty. But rest assured, the helmets crafted by our Light Elves, though they appear fully enclosed, actually have excellent transparency and breathability. So, there's no need to worry about their ability to breathe or see ahead."
Hao Yun didn't express any doubt about Selwyn's explanation. After all, these soldiers were Eliana's personal guards. Who knew what kind of shady deeds they might be involved in at her behest? Wearing fully enclosed helmets would naturally prevent enemies from recognizing them and seeking revenge.
As for the technology Selwyn mentioned, used by the Light Elves to create these helmets, Hao Yun thought it wasn't surprising. Since such a fantastical world of elves existed, their ability to create amazing items was no longer shocking.
Selwyn led Hao Yun and Dao Lao, flanked by the eight soldiers, out of the residential area. They wound through a craftsman district and passed several checkpoints before finally entering the military zone at the rear of Misty Town. Hao Yun and Dao Lao couldn't help but marvel at how expansive this so-called camp was, more like a military base. It was now clear why Eliana chose this place; it wasn't just for the protection of the Misty Forest.
The atmosphere in the military zone was markedly different from the rest of the town, exuding a constant state of readiness. In their line of sight, Hao Yun and Dao Lao saw at least two or three hundred cavalry. Besides the cavalry, there was an area designated for giant war eagles to rest. As they passed the eagle camp, all the eagles turned to stare at them with such sharp, unsettling gazes that Hao Yun felt like prey, ready to be torn apart at any moment.
Shortly after passing the eagle camp, a purely wooden building, five stories high but at least seven stories tall in actual height, loomed ahead. As they drew closer, Hao Yun and Dao Lao could finally see it clearly.
The building resembled the mini castle where they had stayed the night before, but much larger in both height and area. Unlike their residence, which was guarded by a few soldiers, this building had at least dozens of heavily armed guards, giving it an air of authority and importance. Clearly, whoever lived here was someone of great significance.
Selwyn pointed to the building ahead and respectfully said, "Sirs, that is Lady Eliana's residence and our temporary command center."
He then began to talk about the building's history and notable Light Elves who had lived there, providing information of little interest to Hao Yun and Dao Lao. Soon, they reached the steps of a side door on the building's left side. The soldiers escorting them took positions on either side of the door, while Hao Yun and Dao Lao followed Selwyn up the steps.
As they ascended the steps, they noticed a cart unloading goods at the right side door, with soldiers in similar guard armor carrying items wrapped tightly in white cloth. They moved these items into the building.
Hao Yun looked at the goods being carried and whispered to Dao Lao, "Those goods—don't they look like bodies?"
He sniffed the air, catching the breeze from the right, but detected no unusual odor.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Selwyn, overhearing Hao Yun's comment, laughed and said, "Haha, sir, you have quite the imagination. This isn't a morgue; there's no way they'd bring bodies to the command center. However, there is a cemetery for fallen soldiers in another part of the camp. If you're interested, I could show you around tonight."
Hao Yun quickly waved his hand, "No need for that, I'm not into such morbid sights. I just thought those white-wrapped things really looked like bodies."
Selwyn hurriedly explained, "Haha! Now that you mention it, they do resemble bodies. But those soldiers are actually unloading a delicacy we Light Elves love called 'wind-dried fish.' We catch fresh sea fish and treat them simply at the shore, coating them with a sauce made from Crawl Vine and Mint Wine, then hang them to dry for several days. This makes a delicious 'wind-dried fish.'"
“After the wind-dried fish are prepared, we wrap them in a layer of white shao-de cloth. This cloth, woven from natural spiritual herbs, locks in the delicious flavor of the fish and has preservative properties. However, because we use large sea fish for this process, they might look a bit odd when wrapped up.”
As Selwyn continued explaining how the sauce for the wind-dried fish was made, he led Hao Yun and Dao Lao into the building. The interior was identical to their previous residence, so there was nothing noteworthy to see. Following Selwyn, they ascended the spiral staircase to the central hall on the third floor, where they once again encountered Eliana, seated at a round table in the center of the hall.
“Haha, did you two have a good rest last night?” Eliana, dressed in a black robe, greeted them with a slightly wicked tone.
“Hahaha! Thanks to your hospitality, Lady Eliana, we had a decent rest. We appreciate your concern!” Dao Lao responded courteously but unceremoniously sat down across from Eliana.
“Haha, that’s good. Yesterday was hectic, so I didn’t prepare any fine wine or delicacies for you. Please forgive me,” Eliana said, bowing slightly. “However, I had a sumptuous breakfast prepared this morning. If you don’t mind, consider it my official welcome banquet for you.”
With that, she warmly gestured for Hao Yun to take a seat.
“Hahaha, since Lady Eliana insists, I won’t be polite!” Dao Lao thanked her, but Hao Yun noticed his gesture was the same as before—left hand as a fist, right hand covering it.
Eliana didn’t seem to mind and nodded to the servants outside the hall. All but one servant, who stayed to serve tea, left to prepare the meal. These servants, also in black robes with hoods completely covering their faces, moved silently and gracefully, resembling ghosts and adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Dao Lao didn’t share Hao Yun’s unease but grew more vigilant. To him, such controlled and balanced movement indicated these were no ordinary servants. He ordered the Misfortune Energy Tracking System to check them, finding their misfortune level was only two stars.
“Selwyn, you may rest now. If I need you, I’ll call,” Eliana said politely to Selwyn, showing no superiority.
“I’ll be waiting outside. Call me if you need anything,” Selwyn replied humbly, bowing before leaving the hall without looking at Hao Yun and Dao Lao.
Once Selwyn left, the hall's atmosphere became tense. Hao Yun and Dao Lao stared intently at Eliana, who smiled and sized them up.
“So, how do you like it?” Eliana finally broke the silence. “My camp, it’s nice, right?”
“It’s nice enough. But why call this place your camp when it’s clearly named Misty Town? Have you forcibly taken it over?” Hao Yun, filled with questions, decided to be direct.
“Humph! Taken over? Am I so crude?” Eliana coldly retorted. “This is indeed called Misty Town, an important military outpost of the Light Elves. Unfortunately, they were attacked by a Dark Elf undead legion, catching them off guard.”
“To hold off the enemy, the town sent all capable elves to the battlefield, hoping to buy time for reinforcements. As you saw, almost all the living forces of Misty Town perished.”
Eliana referred to the battle Hao Yun and Dao Lao had seen near the cliff. However, they were now more intrigued by her mention of the 'undead legion.'
“So, those zombies are part of the undead legion,” Hao Yun murmured.
If they were just zombies, their threat would be limited. Zombies are mindless, but an undead legion implies they are controlled and directed, turning them into more terrifying killing machines. This thought made Hao Yun shiver.
“You must have noticed the many zombie soldiers in yesterday's battlefield ruins. They are the main combat force of the Dark Elf undead legion. These elves were unfortunate; even in death, they were forced to resurrect as zombies and continue fighting,” Eliana said with regret.