Soul of Burning Steel

In the year 831 of Starfall, on November 2nd in winter, the northern plains were heavily snowed.

"Here we are." In the desolate wind, Joshua took off his hood and looked into the distance on his horseback. He patted the head of the poor animal that was about to foam, and then hid himself in the wind before his eyes. The Great Ajax Mountains in the snow said with emotion: "Seventeen days."

After hearing that Earl Winter had died, he set off from the Northwest Plains. After seventeen days of traveling alone, Joshua finally crossed the vast and sparsely populated northern territory of the empire and returned to his hometown.

This vast wilderness covered with frost and snow.

Turning over and dismounting, Joshua let the nearly exhausted horse rest for a while, and squatted down to grab a handful of ice and snow: "It seems that this is the first snow, and the snow is not thick enough, so it won't affect the movement."

"Soon, we can go back." Standing up slowly, he took a deep breath.

What pours into the lungs is the breath of the bitter north wind, which comes from the remote extreme arctic ice field, passing through the vast sea of ​​broken ice, bringing the taste of cold winter, and the cool feeling calms the restless heart slowly.

Berouo de Radcliffe, the father of this body, a tough, stubborn and stone-like middle-aged man, he does not occupy much place in Joshua's memory, compared to the majestic lord My lord, the old housekeeper and the knights of the family are the ones who get along with him the most. As for his mother, she passed away many years ago, and the cause of death was an irreparable wind and cold.

Although he was an incompetent father, upon hearing the news of his death, Joshua still felt extremely angry, but then he calmed down.

revenge?

not.

There is no need for this word in the man's dictionary, and since the day he knew about the mutation of the guarded land, this possibility has been lingering in Joshua's mind, and this time it was just the worst outcome.

To die in order to fulfill one's duty is the most glorious end of a soldier. For that stubborn man like a stone, perhaps such a death is a dream?

But still feel uncomfortable.

Very upset.

Joshua recalled that cloudy day, the fierce battle on the Naya Fortress and the quicksilver blade piercing from behind. The most venomous curse poured into his body, disintegrating his strength from the root.

This is an unforgivable betrayal.

And the uncle who jumped out immediately after the death of the old earl, taking advantage of Joshua's absence and eagerly trying to grab the title, was undoubtedly a traitor, and both were equally disgusting.

As a time traveler, Joshua has ten thousand ways to make himself stronger. For the former legendary warrior, the territory is not something that must be inherited. Compared with being a lord, an adventurer who travels alone may be more suitable for him character.

However, this is not a question of need or need, but a question of whether he is happy or not. He just wants to hack this cheap uncle to death.

"It's almost time to go." Patting the horse's head, Joshua stuffed a large amount of food soaked in wine into its mouth, and the war horse chewed happily, as a war horse with the blood of an earth dragon , it not only drank but also ate meat, Joshua kept catching wild game to feed it, and this horse did not disappoint him, its physical strength recovered very quickly, otherwise, he would have come back a little slower.

After getting back on the horse, Joshua was still a little dissatisfied: "Peak silver at level 28, my strength is still too weak. If I can advance to gold, then I can come back in a few days."

The levels in Continent of Disputes are clear and simple, mortal 0~5, black iron 6~15, silver 16~30, gold 31~50, elements 51~75, legend 76~105, gold is a dividing line.

Generally speaking, adult men generally have five levels of strength. If it is a trained militia, it is probably black iron, and elite soldiers and officers are basically silver level. In the first version, the player's strength limit is the peak of silver. As the version is updated, the upper limit is gradually unlocked. In the fourth era, powerful players can even become legends, truly affecting the progress of the game.

Now he only has the strength of the 28th-level silver peak, and he still belongs to the human category. He has not leaped beyond the limit of transcendence. Under the limit of his strength, his normal running speed is slightly faster than that of a horse. The mobile tool dragon car is not as good. At least the ground dragon can move around day and night, and won't take detours because of certain terrains, but Joshua still has to dismount and walk slowly in certain places, leading the horse.

"Time is running out." Recalling this, Joshua shook his head: "It's the end of the first edition, and it's still peaceful, but when the second edition starts, a great tide of demons descends, and several gods of the evil camp are blasted down. In the world, the ensuing disputes will flood the world, and wars and killings will never stop."

This is only the second edition, let alone the third, and even the fourth edition of the Chaos Demon. Before crossing over, Joshua was fighting against them. They were the scariest race he had ever seen.

"24 years, there are still 24 years before the chaos demons invade. This time seems very long, but it is actually very short." Joshua thought about the countermeasures: "In half a year, the tide of demons will come, and then the whole world will usher in a wave of chaos." In the period of explosive strength, completely entering the world of disputes, in this case, one person is not enough."

Indeed, although Joshua believes that he will be stronger this time than in his previous life, no matter how strong a person is, he will feel invincible in the face of an army of demons pouring in like a tide. What he needs is a group of powerful comrades-in-arms Take the pressure off him.

Whether to form a battle group as before, or to create a private army, Moldavia, his territory, is undoubtedly his initial capital. Now Joshua is no longer the head of the largest battle group in the Far South, and there is no Many like-minded friends helped him, and now he was alone, but even so, whether it was a fallen god or an invader from another world, Joshua would not allow the other party to hinder his life or destroy the world he lived in.

Of course, the first step is to kill that cheap uncle first.

Not far ahead is a guiding signpost like a sentry tower. Walking along the signpost, you will soon see a masonry avenue, which leads directly to the main city of Moldavia.

"Go!" Hearing this urging, the war horse began to run quickly, even if there was a layer of ice and snow on the ground, it did not slow down at all.

Snow clouds covered the sky, shadows covered the wilderness mountains, and palm-sized snowflakes scattered in the air, flying wildly. In this heavy snow that obscured the view, several caravans were walking slowly on the avenue, some were going, Some are leaving. These dragon chariot merchants who drive docile dragons are important channels for the four northern lands to trade with the outside world. Before the popularity of airships, this is the only way to transport materials on a large scale in harsh environments.

"I finally saw someone."

Seeing this scene, Joshua couldn't help sighing with emotion. It's not that he didn't see other travelers during the seventeen days of traveling alone, but since he entered the territory of the Northland, he really never saw other human beings again.

In fact, except for adventurers and explorers, the vast majority of human beings will not leave the city too far. You should know that there are countless monsters inhabiting wastelands, forests, and caves. Then one or two 'dark currents' from the 'black forest'.

The Black Forest and the Kuroshio have always been the biggest problems for all races and forces on the Mycroft Continent. Just like the Empire, the Empire has an extremely vast territory, occupying the entire northern part of the Mycroft Continent. The frontier extends all the way to the center of the mainland. If it weren't for the black tide in the black forest in the center of the mainland, at the speed of the empire's expansion, it would have bordered on the Far South Alliance long ago.

"Hey, the one in front is riding alone."

Suddenly, Joshua heard someone greeting him.

Looking sideways, he found a caravan that was about to leave stopped, and a middle-aged man who looked a bit tired stepped out of the car and said loudly, "Are you going to Moldavia?"

"Yes." Joshua asked the horse to slow down and approach the convoy, "What's wrong?"

"It's dangerous, don't go!" The middle-aged businessman's voice was hoarse.

"Why?" Joshua asked curiously.

There was a wound on the middle-aged businessman's throat, which seemed to be a knife wound. He frowned and said, "The day of snow is coming soon, and the black tide is about to start. Most of the knights in the main city went to the fortress to strengthen their guards, but most of them A few months ago, from nowhere, a large group of knights who had never seen before ran over and declared martial law."

"I'm not bragging. I'm indeed an old businessman who has been running this line for more than ten years. Even the lord has seen it once. If those knights say they haven't seen it, then they haven't seen it... Now that people in the city are panicking, I guess there must be someone If something important happens, leave immediately."

He looked very serious: "I saw that it was not easy for you to walk alone, so I remind you, don't go if there is nothing urgent, the atmosphere in the main city is very strange now, and several famous wandering warriors have also been recruited by them. I started patrolling the streets, but all my old acquaintances disappeared, I am afraid there will be major changes in a few days."

This guy has good judgment, and he's a nice guy.

After thinking about it, Joshua understood what was going on. More than half a month ago, it was the day of his father's death. Most of the high-level officials knew about the news, but it hadn't spread among the common people. In addition, it is indeed the time when the Kuroshio is about to start recently, and it is normal for the guard knights to withdraw part of it, so the defense of the main city is empty.

That large group of knights must have been brought over by my uncle at the right time to occupy a good position in preparation for robbing the title. Now the city must be full of their people.

But there is one thing that is very strange - although Joshua doesn't know his cheap uncle, he also knows that he doesn't have much strength at all. Knights, or a large group of knights, how can he afford to support them? With his status as a businessman? Do not make jokes.

"Thank you so much."

Nodding sincerely to the middle-aged man in the caravan, Joshua smiled and said, "Actually, you don't need to rush away now. It's not hard to find out from the snow marks that your dragon cart has a high load. There are many The goods are not sold, right? It must be a big loss to go back this time."

The soldier looked very indifferent: "Wait for a few days, you will definitely get unexpected news and unexpected gains."

"Let's go!" After finishing speaking, without waiting for the middle-aged man to react, Joshua rode his horse and galloped towards the main city.

"Ah... young people nowadays." The middle-aged caravan couldn't help but sigh, "I said that the place is very dangerous now, so why don't you listen to people's advice... No!"

He suddenly frowned, rubbed his chin and tried to recall something: "This guy, looks so familiar... Hiss, could it be?!"

After being stunned for a while, the middle-aged man looked into the distance in shock: "It's him?!"

And Joshua is now far away from the caravan.

"Is it the black tide in the Black Forest? After careful calculation, it is almost at this time. My father and uncle will seize the opportunity and kill each other. What a coincidence."

The so-called black forest is a forest blessed by magic and nature. They grow extremely fast and have extremely tenacious vitality. Even if only a stump is left, they will sprout new shoots within a few days, and rely on the black forest The number of wild beasts living in the Warcraft community is also very amazing.

The Kuroshio is the result of the black forest temporarily stopping its growth for some reason, and a large number of wild beasts and monsters plundering outwards due to lack of food. They attack human cities and fortresses, fearless of death, and have no hesitation in smashing their bodies to pieces. A single traveler bumps into it, and it is difficult to run without the strength of the gold level.

A white-robed wizard from the Tower of Piercing the Sky once speculated that the Kuroshio was actually a means of expanding the Black Forest. The dead monsters carried plant seeds, and blood, bones, and internal organs would all become nutrients for the land, repelling After the Kuroshio, as long as there is no need to purify it with fire, a new black forest will appear in place within a few years, which in turn will breed a new generation of various monsters.

If Joshua inherits the title of Earl of Winter, he will be obliged to lead the knights and private troops to fight against the black tide, protect the people, and even break into the herds of beasts to kill powerful monsters that can threaten the walls of the fortress.

"Now the knights in the city that originally belonged to me should have gone to the fortress on the edge of the Black Forest. The remaining ones should not be the opponents of the group of people brought by my uncle. They must have retreated long ago."

Joshua was thinking on horseback: "So, I should be dealing with a group of knights on my own."

While thinking about it, he laughed.

He, Joshua, was never afraid of fighting.

Of course, the alien world is completely different from the game. Even if the Continent of Discord claims that you can do it in the game, if there is magic fighting spirit in reality, you can also do it in reality. Experience cannot be completely copied.

But there is one thing, he is completely incomparable to this group of outsiders, and he will not change too much because of time travel.

That is the experience of combat.

A warrior, even if he lives on the battlefield in his life, he will not have more than a hundred chances to fight. If he can behead more than fifty, he can be called a warrior among warriors, and the same is true for adventurers. A real adventure requires several plans. Months, counting the time on the way, it takes a few years to count one round trip, and only seven or eight big adventures in a lifetime will lead to retirement.

This is not the case for players. From the moment they start the game, they have to fight for experience, tasks, equipment, etc. Every bit of their experience, every level is soaked in the blood of fighting, every skill, Every piece of equipment is chosen for better combat practice.

Especially Joshua, he was a Martial Arts Gym Master in his previous life. He played this kind of game because almost no one practiced martial arts in Datong World. His purpose of entering the Continent of Disputes was to experience the fighting that could not be done in reality. And fighting, if other people occasionally travel and watch the scenery in the game, then he is purely fighting, challenging stronger and more difficult monsters.

In the list of players' achievements recorded in the game, the highest is usually the Platinum trophy, which is already very difficult to achieve.

But Joshua has a diamond-level trophy that is unique in the world.

[Diamond Trophy - Inscribed Number of Killed Enemies: 3197481]

Three hundred and ninety-seven thousand four hundred and eighty-one.

This is the number of enemies he has killed.

"How many of my uncle's knights are there?" The former legendary warrior's eyes were burning with flames: "How long will it keep me happy?"

No one answered these questions, Joshua laughed and drove the horse, galloping forward.