Chapter 453 - Shrouded in Mist

Zalanda couldn’t help but explain, "This is also why I’ve been preventing you from clashing with Lord Rogan, he is the only bloodline of Old Master Tessen."Upon hearing Zalanda’s explanation, Gaven, who originally had no qualms about plotting against Rogan, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

It wasn’t towards Rogan, but towards Baron Tessen. He might not have been a good father, but he was a good partner—at least to his own mother. He never failed to honor her trust from beginning to end.

Since everyone was well aware and the topic had come up,

Gaven directly asked, "There’s something I’ve never understood. My father was a powerful Transcendent Warrior, so why did he raise his two sons like pigs? Especially Rogan, becoming what he is now, he bears an inescapable responsibility."

Although the bond of blood was no longer there, the grace of upbringing remained, and Gaven had no intention of addressing him differently.

"I have also never understood this matter. I once asked my father, and he only answered with one sentence, ’Being a noble lord without power is quite good; at least you don’t have to face dangers beyond reason.’" Zalanda speculated, "I think, this may have to do with their past adventures. Perhaps during their adventures, they encountered something they couldn’t overcome with their abilities, and it led them to question their own power, and even the entire world. This is a syndrome many adventurers and mercenaries have. It has a specific name, Despair Syndrome, causing many adventurers and mercenaries to retire early, and many refuse to use their professional abilities for the rest of their lives."

Despair Syndrome was mentioned.

Gaven couldn’t help but think of the Arcane Catastrophe.

In the face of that world-ending calamity, it wasn’t just ordinary people who felt terror; even legendary warriors couldn’t help but harbor deep fear, followed by profound despair, leading them to doubt their abilities, questioning if they could ever gain the power to overcome it in their lifetime.

Besides, beings like Felen were not uncommon, and Gaven could list many—Ancient Evils, gods, Demon Lords, ancient Giant Dragons, and so on.

Thinking carefully about Baron Tessen’s way of handling matters, it really matched up with this syndrome.

Gaven couldn’t help but throw out an even bolder guess, "When my father led his troops deep into the Marching Mountains, it wasn’t simply to exterminate the Monster Tribes there, was there something we don’t know about? Something related to this series of events?"

"It’s not impossible." Zalanda thought carefully and nodded, "The campaign led by Old Master Tessen back then was very unusual. Although he was a bit rough, he wasn’t an impetuous person who acted without thinking. Before he set off, I tried to persuade him, and he lost control and roared a few times."

"What did he roar?" Gaven quickly asked.

"Don’t worry, let me think, it’s been a while," Zalanda began to search her memory. Although she had no clairvoyance or mental suggestion, she nevertheless possessed a Transcendent memory that still worked even for past events.

A few seconds later, Zalanda’s eyes lit up, "I remember now. He roared that it was their destiny, that he must personally put an end to everything. Originally, I thought he was referring to protecting Nort Castle, but now it seems, things are not that simple."

"They encountered major trouble during their time in the Adventure Group, one that persisted like a shadow even after the group disbanded," asserted Gaven with certainty. "My father’s talk about personally putting an end to everything might not necessarily mean killing the adversary, but rather being killed by them, because only in this way can the karma be severed, preventing the issue from affecting the family. If I’m not wrong, Uncle Carl didn’t die a normal death either."

Uncle Carl was Zalanda’s father, the former captain of the guard at Nort Castle, and also a Transcendent Warrior.

A Transcendent Warrior, without sickness or disaster, in the prime of his life, suddenly died in his sleep.

It seemed somewhat a matter of course before, without much thought.

But upon careful consideration, it became deeply suspicious.

The greatest question doesn’t lie here.

It lies with Baron Tessen, who was still alive at the time.

Not without connections or resources, he nevertheless did not resurrect his captain of the guard, his childhood friend, his former adventure teammate.

Isn’t this where the biggest question is?

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to resurrect them, but that he couldn’t.

Zalanda’s expression also turned somewhat ugly, as Gaven’s thoughts were obviously also on her mind.

There are many reasons one cannot be resurrected. The source of this content ɪs No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt

Those who die from old age and decay cannot be resurrected.

Those whose souls have reincarnated cannot be resurrected.

Those whose souls have dissipated cannot be resurrected.

Zalanda originally thought it was the second reason, but now it had become an unknown.

Zalanda’s expression grew serious, and she made up her mind, "I need to make a trip back to Nort Castle."

"No," said Gaven seriously, "I won’t allow you to do that."

"I could ignore it if I didn’t know, but now that I’m aware of the problem with their deaths, I can’t just sit idly by," Zalanda said with equal seriousness.

"I’m not stopping you from investigating this matter, but at the very least, let’s wait until we have sufficient capability," Gaven explained patiently. "To disband a Transcendent Adventure Group, with members disappearing or dying one after another, to the point where they even force a Transcendent Warrior to sever all ties through death,

Do you think that’s a trivial matter?

What will you do when your investigations lead you to face an Evil God or a Legendary existence?

Don’t forget that you’re not alone.

There are people behind you who depend on you to find a way forward for them.

You are Zalanda of Darama first, and then you are yourself. Don’t betray their trust."

This matter was completely outside of Gaven’s expectations.

Everything belongs to the realm of the unknown.

That is what’s truly terrifying, because you have no idea who the enemy is.

Or rather, what is the enemy?

From the state of these people, Gaven had a rather unsettling speculation.

They were definitely not dealing with just an ordinary legendary monster.

It was more like one of those terrifying, malicious entities capable of psychic assault and corruption.

Such beings were truly the most difficult to deal with.

Even for a legendary figure, engaging with such an entity without utmost care could lead to their downfall.

If it were up to him, Gaven would not delve into such matters unless necessary.

However, the problem was that while he could maintain a clear head, Zalanda might not be able to; this involved matters of kin, and it was impossible to remain completely rational.

The only thing Gaven could do now was to leverage Zalanda’s sense of responsibility, to delay this matter, preferably until they had strength surpassing that of legends.

By that time, their power base would have largely been established, with a heightened capacity to handle losses, and at the very least, they could seek reinforcements from other places.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Ordinary people will congregate with ordinary people.

Transcendents often associate with other transcendents.

And legends most frequently interact with legends.

This sort of hierarchy and social circle isn’t intentionally divided by people; rather, it’s determined by the issues they must confront.

"Why didn’t I notice the problem with this sooner?" Zalanda couldn’t help stamping her foot heavily, with undisguisable self-blame in her words.

Gaven’s persuasion had an effect; even if she didn’t care about her own life, she couldn’t disregard those who chose to follow her.

"Big sister, no need to blame yourself. With different strengths, we have different perspectives. If we were back at Nort Castle and you told me these things, we might not be able to make the deductions we are now," Gaven consoled her.

"This matter, we will eventually investigate thoroughly, but not now. I feel there’s something very sinister about this, it either involves an Evil God or some malicious entity. Especially the latter—if you don’t actively search for it or engage with it, it might not become a threat, regardless of its strength. But if you keep delving deeper, it will draw closer until it swallows you up. Big sister, listen to my advice. Don’t touch this matter for the time being, at least consult me before doing anything," Gaven continued.

He didn’t even worry about who his birth father was, but instead urged Zalanda with all his might.

"I know, I’m not a child in my teens, acting on impulse," Zalanda was somewhat unaccustomed to Gaven’s fussing.

"Do you swear?" Gaven was still not at ease.

"I swear," Zalanda promised solemnly.

"Make a full vow."

"Why are you fussing so much today?"

"Without your oath, today’s issue won’t be considered over."

"Fine, I swear that without consulting Young Master Gaven beforehand, I will not return to Nort Castle, nor will I pursue the true cause behind Baron Tessen and the others’ deaths. Does that satisfy you?"

"And Uncle Carl’s death, too."

"Including my father’s cause of death."

"Now we’re good," Gaven nodded in satisfaction, but he was determined in his heart to remind Nola to keep a close eye on Zalanda later on. "You’ve dropped some shocking news today that I need to digest thoroughly. By the way, do you know which type of Half-Giant bloodline is in Nola’s body?"

"That of the Storm Half-Giant; her affinity for lightning is quite strong. You should take her with you on this trip to the Mir Forest," it was Zalanda’s turn to insistently remind Gaven. "When the time comes, do as you can. Establishing connections would be best, and if it fails, we won’t suffer a great loss. We’ll find another solution then."

"Rest assured, I’m fully aware. I won’t overestimate my capabilities," Gaven assured.

Thinking about how Gaven had just dissuaded her, Zalanda let the matter rest.

Now, Gaven had come into his own; even a young Red Dragon at its peak had been smacked down from the sky by him. The only threats to him were those legendary warriors or monsters, and even in the worst case, he could still run away.

"I almost forgot about proper business; here, this set of Magic Equipment is for Miss Luna." Zalanda took out a set of horseshoes and handed them to Gaven.

"Acceleration Horseshoes," Gaven’s face showed an irrepressible delight, "I was just looking for such Magic Equipment. Are they of junior level? Intermediate? Or advanced?"

Acceleration Horseshoes, as the name implies,

have just one function: to provide a mounted steed with a speed boost.

This Magic Equipment is classified into several levels based on the speed boost it provides.

The lowest level of Acceleration Horseshoes can provide a 2 km/h speed increase to the mount.

For each higher level, the speed boost doubles on this basis: 4 km/h for the intermediate level, and 6 km/h for the advanced level.

Thacel is an unequivocal knight’s realm; naturally, such Magic Equipment would be easier to find here than in the valley.

"Of course, it’s advanced. I wouldn’t dare to offer anything mediocre," Zalanda replied. "Though these horseshoes are designed for warhorses, I’m not sure how much they can help Luna’s flying."

Gaven unceremoniously took the Acceleration Horseshoes from Zalanda’s hand, equipping them on the Half-Moon Colt as he spoke, "That’s easy to figure out, just give them a try, and we’ll know. I think there should be no problem, as the main principle of Acceleration Horseshoes is to promote speed by levitating to reduce weight and employing wind propulsion, which should also aid in flying."

As a piece of Magic Equipment, Acceleration Horseshoes don’t require a Blacksmith’s help to be nailed onto the hoof. Like other items of Magic Equipment, just by syncing, they can be equipped automatically.