Chapter Eleven: The Annihilated Cavalry Squad

Dead. They were all dead.

Just an hour ago, the cavalry squad had been swaggering about, but now every last one of them was gone. The captain, every member of his team, even the cavalryman who had crossed the river early to scout ahead—ten bodies in all, laid out in a neat row at the entrance to Boulder Town.

Pike drew in a sharp breath, unable to help himself.

“What in the world happened here?”

The cavalry squad he’d spoken with only a short while ago was now wiped out? Chu Yun, too, gained a new understanding of the brutality of this world. He hadn’t expected that even the cavalry of Blackstone City could be killed so easily. Now he understood the root of Xia’s terror.

At the same time, he felt a growing urgency regarding his own strength. He needed to grow powerful—powerful enough to truly protect himself. He resolved not to leave Boulder Town for the next few days, but instead to train and gain experience in the mirrored world of the town.

Some townsfolk recognized Pike and, hearing his question, answered, “A monster—a red-haired, golden-eyed monster did this. The cavalry seemed to be hunting her.”

“They didn’t even bother to clear away the bodies. Where are Boulder Town’s guards?” Pike was bewildered.

The townspeople shuddered, replying, “That monster hasn’t left. She’s in the Boulder Tavern, apparently waiting for someone. The town guards don’t dare go near her, nor do they dare move the bodies she left behind. They’re useless, every last one of them.”

In truth, it was hard to blame the guards. The foe was simply too powerful, and they knew reinforcements would arrive soon. All they had to do now was keep an eye on this woman.

Pike felt a headache coming on. With the town gate blocked, his caravan couldn’t enter and would have to circle around to another entrance.

He glanced at those he’d brought with him and said to the people Chu Yun had rescued, “It’s crowded and chaotic here. If you slip in now, you’re less likely to be noticed. If you try another entrance, you might draw attention.”

Then, he approached Chu Yun to take his leave. “Lord Chu Yun, I’ll be staying in town for a few days to purchase fire crystals. If you plan to head to Blackstone City, we can travel together. I’ll be living opposite the mayor’s house—just ask around, and you’ll find me.”

“We’ll see how things go,” Chu Yun replied, noncommittal.

Pike left with his caravan. The former captives, after thanking Chu Yun again, each went their separate ways. Meira, meanwhile, approached with two of the captives who were not natives of Boulder Town—one a burly man, the other the youngest, a girl.

Their families had been slaughtered by goblins. Meira and the old blacksmith, having no children of their own, had simply adopted the girl as their foster daughter. The other, they intended to keep on as a hired hand, to help her survive in Boulder Town.

“Lord Chu Yun, if you don’t mind, would you come to my house for a while?” Meira wished to properly thank him and had promised to pay him for his help.

Chu Yun, with not a coin to his name, did not refuse. He and Xia skirted around the cavalry corpses and entered Boulder Town.

True to its name, Boulder Town was strewn with stone—stone walls, stone houses, stone streets, and all sorts of stone statues. Those who had sacrificed themselves defending the town from monsters were immortalized in bas-reliefs on the outer walls of stone houses. Those of greatest merit were carved in full, their statues lining the roads, standing as spiritual guardians and inspirations to the townsfolk.

Following Meira across the town square, they saw, at its center, a colossal statue at least a dozen meters high. It was of a burly man, pickaxe in hand and a hammer slung across his back—a fitting symbol for Boulder Town.

“Lord Chu Yun, that is Rheaox, the God of Craftsmen—a deity of the neutral and orderly alignment,” Xia explained, noticing his puzzled look.

Meira added, “The great Rheaox is Boulder Town’s patron god. Nearly everyone here worships him.”

The gods were not distant in this world, especially for mages, who communed with the Goddess of Magic each day as they tapped into the magical web. For priests and other holy orders, faith was even more central—their very powers stemmed from it.

The people of Boulder Town prayed to the God of Craftsmen when mining and forging. Sometimes, he would grant them insight into veins of rare crystals, or inspire a blacksmith to create a rare piece of equipment.

In exchange for faith, the gods answered prayers and bestowed blessings.

“It’s just… in recent years, the great Rheaox seems to have turned his gaze from Boulder Town. Our prayers go unanswered more and more often,” Meira said sadly.

She was the wife of the blacksmith, who was a devout believer. The lack of divine response had left him deeply wounded.

“Perhaps our prayers have not been devout enough,” the townsfolk often consoled themselves this way.

But in truth, the same phenomenon was occurring across the continent. No one knew why, and the gods offered no answers.

After walking a while longer, Meira halted.

“Up ahead is our smithy…” Her voice trembled with uncertainty.

Though she had tried to appear unconcerned, no one could truly be indifferent to what had happened. She was only putting on a brave face. Now, at the threshold of seeing her husband again, she was flustered. Would he truly not care that she had been violated by goblins? Many had witnessed her being carried away; she would have to continue living in this town—how would others view her?

Meira took a deep breath and, her voice shaking, said to Chu Yun and the others, “Please, Lord Chu Yun, wait here a moment. I’ll explain everything to him first.”

But when she stepped into the smithy, her husband was nowhere to be seen, only a hired hand selling equipment at the counter.

“Madam? Is it really you?!”

“Where is he? Where’s my husband?” Not hearing the familiar sound of hammering, Meira let out a small sigh of relief.

“Oh, these last few days you’ve been gone, the boss has been drinking every day. He’s probably at the tavern,” the worker replied.

His words made Meira tense up again. “What? The tavern? Which one?!”

She knew that fearsome woman was at the tavern—the one who had wiped out the cavalry squad.

“It should be the Boulder Tavern. That’s always been his favorite,” answered the worker, apparently unaware of what had happened at the town gate.

Meira nearly fainted. She hurriedly grabbed a heavy iron hammer from the smithy and dashed toward the tavern, but after catching sight of Chu Yun, she doubled back and returned with a pouch of coins.

“Lord Chu Yun, thank you for rescuing us from that den of monsters and bringing us safely back to Boulder Town. This is a token of our gratitude—please, you must accept it.”

Chu Yun took the pouch without checking its contents; he was in urgent need of money.

Meira then said to the others, “I’ve spoken to the worker. Please wait for me in the smithy.”

Without waiting for any questions, she hurried off once more, iron hammer in hand, racing toward the tavern.