?662 Arrival Of The Four-Eared Elves
Orion was instantly stunned as he processed the warrior's words before him.
Witnessing Orion's stunned reaction, one of the warriors sighed audibly, "The Village Chief has asked for your response, so the quicker we leave, the better," he said.
"Give me a few minutes to freshen up," Orion replied.
The warriors nodded their heads in response and waited for him outside as he returned to his home to take his bath and then leave immediately.
Meanwhile, outside the Third Border City, thousands of boats steadily halted their movements on the river before the large wooden walls.
At the forefront, on a boat slightly larger than the rest, several four-eared elves stood outside, staring at the incredibly massive walls before them.
"Hey, Princess, are you sure that we are at the right place?" Leif asked, turning his head to look at Isadora, standing beside him with a raised brow.
From what they had been told, they were supposed to meet a village run by a few people, not a fortress that seemed to have been built by several hundred thousand individuals.
No matter how Leif looked at it, this place didn't resemble a village but rather a damned kingdom in the middle of nowhere.
"I don't know," Isadora said with a frown as she observed the large structure before her.
Even she was starting to feel sceptical about the information that her father had shared with them or if his injuries had affected his memories.
"Hey, don't you guys think there is something strange about this place," Lyndon said. He narrowed his eyes at the massive towering walls before focusing on the river and the land around him.
"From the looks of it, it seems like the structure was newly built, but with the Vylkr vines running around, how could such a massive structure be built without interruption?"
"Since such a massive structure had to be built by many people, how can they feed and fend for themselves and survive in a terrifying, terrible place in the middle of nowhere?" Lyndon added. "From the way I see it, a village with several hundred individuals who can utilise the Vylkr vines seems more believable than the sight before me."
Leona nodded in agreement with Lyndon's words, "You are right," Leona said, "However, I think we should first focus our attention on what happened to the Vylkr vines. Also, I don't think I should be the only one who strangely hasn't noticed their appearance, right?" Leona narrowed her eyes as she looked at the calm river below her before stretching her eyesight to the land at the river's edge.
Though she might not have noticed it during the night, as she looked at the vast, cleared lands outside the towering walls, she couldn't help but be utterly stunned.
Leif nodded at Lyndon's and Leona's words as he also realised that the number of times the Vylkr vines had attacked them had drastically reduced throughout the night until now, along with the strangeness of their surroundings.
"Still, there might be various other settlements in these lands, and we just happened to stumble upon one by mistake," Lyndon said, trying to lighten up the atmosphere when he noticed how depressing it had suddenly become.
Leif exhaled tiredly, "It seems that things will not be as easy as we had thought," he responded with a frown.
"Everyone, calm down. I'll go and bring the Patriarch so that he can confirm if we are really at the correct location or somewhere else," Isadora said.
They nodded in response, understanding that bringing out the Patriarch was the best way to understand what was happening.
"Everyone, be prepared and stay on alert…" Leif said.
However, before he could finish his sentence, a massive shadow emerged out of nowhere and hovered over them, blocking the sun that shone down from above.
"What the—" Leona said, snapping her head upwards and immediately sealing her lips shut when she noticed the massive flying beast above them.
They all became frozen.
The beast was a mix between a winged tiger and a creature with scale-like hind legs, giant claws, and a scorpion tail. It hovered above them with its head staring down at them.
Suddenly, the beast raised its head, producing a gust of wind as it flapped its wings and flew forward over the towering wooden walls before disappearing.
When the beast vanished from their eyesight, everyone breathed in relief as though an immense pressure had been lifted off their shoulders.
"Hey… are we sure that the Patriarch didn't make a mistake because I am sure that we can all agree there's no way humans are living in there," Leona said, sitting down on her haunches, taking deep breaths in and out.
Leif also took a deep breath before exhaling, "It seems that we will meet our benefactors earlier than expected. Everybody, get ready and gear up in case of anything. I will go and get the Princess and the Patriarch so we can better understand what is going on," Leif said as he immediately turned around to walk into the ship."
"Ummm… Captain," a voice suddenly sounded behind him, causing him to halt his steps. Leif turned around and looked at Ronan, who had just spoken up, "What is it? Didn't you hear my orders?" Leif asked, his brow furrowing at Ronan's hesitant expression.
"...Captain, our benefactors are already here," Ronan responded, taking a deep gulp.
When he heard Ronan's words, a foreboding suddenly emerged in Leif's heart. He followed Ronan's line of sight and instantly froze when he saw the scene before him.
Above the towering wooden walls, he could see several beasts; some were smaller, while others were larger than the creatures that had just hovered over them, making the situation seem even more menacing and untamed in comparison.
Meanwhile, atop the towering wooden walls, several figures stood there, staring down at them, with a few even jumping and sliding from the imposing structures.
Leif took a deep breath as he looked at the beast flying above the wooden walls and the humans atop them, momentarily failing to understand what was happening.