Chapter 170. (1) Trading Post in front of Namaran’s Wall
.
A place where many merchants come and go.
A place where trade goods and currency between cities also come and go.
The same was true of the trading post in Namaran City.
It was the most visited place by numerous merchants active in the southern and eastern parts of the kingdom.
At least these days, when the east was devastated, it was less than before, but this place was always full of energy.
But not today.
“….”
It’s quiet.
It was the first feeling that Xaviel had upon arriving at the trading post.
It was so quiet here that would normally be noisy.
no one was seen
At this time, the wagons and carts that had to go in and out of the trading post were in full swing.
Even stevedores who were busily sweating to load and unload trade goods.
The merchants who would bargain next to them and raise their voices.
no one was seen
Even in the front yard of the trading post.
On the other side of the loading dock.
For some reason, no one was in sight.
‘no way.’
Under the hood, Xaviel’s brow furrowed slightly.
There is something.
The truth he uncovered today in Cannavaro’s cellar.
Seeing the harsh truth and the trading post shrouded in silence today made me feel ominous.
Quaang!
I kicked the trading post door and entered.
However, the inside was also empty.
There was no guide who would be the first to greet the merchants who would usually come and go.
“….”
did you notice
Xaviel searched everywhere from the basement to the third floor of the trading post with a hard gaze.
But no one could be found.
It was like an abandoned shipwreck.
‘Why? Did they notice that the facility on the second basement floor of the mansion was exposed?’
No, there would have been no time for that.
As soon as I found out the truth there, I immediately came here.
Because of that, he even delayed telling Lloyd and Count Namaran the truth.
‘Only 5 minutes.’
The time it took for him to get from Cannavaro’s mansion to this trading post.
In the meantime, Cannavaro and the warlocks sensed the situation?
You said you emptied this place and escaped perfectly?
Realistically, it didn’t make sense.
‘Because there wouldn’t be time for that. then why Why?’
Should I run to Lloyd like this?
Or should I continue my search here?
He moved on with a nervous thought.
But it was the moment he grabbed the doorknob to leave the trading post.
Whoops!
Suddenly, a thunder-like sound rang out.
in the sky?
It wasn’t.
It was everywhere.
outside the trading post.
in all directions north, south, east and west.
There was a huge roar as if something was about to explode.
My stomach turned with him.
“…!”
My stomach convulsed in an instant.
My heart raced wildly.
My eyesight flickered in an instant.
My mind suddenly clouded.
At the same time, mana flowed out of his body into the air like an ebb tide!
‘what.’
If only he hadn’t been a sword master.
If it wasn’t for the one who achieved the endless cycle of mana.
If only he hadn’t drawn out the power of such abundant mana and instinctively used a shimmery simbeop.
He would have lost consciousness in an instant.
“…big!”
I hurriedly moved Mana Heart.
I activated the dark mind method.
The three-pronged circle was rotated with full power.
Kiyiying!
The circle howled and blocked the sudden outflow of mana.
Only then did the spasms of the stomach and heart calm down.
My vision returned and my mind was restored.
‘how.’
What’s going on?
Xaviel was frightened.
Is this how it feels when the air changes so suddenly?
Or do you feel the same way when the air around you starts to suck up all the vitality in your body?
Finally he realized
‘Mana is trying to escape into the air. With great momentum.’
It was so even at this moment.
I had to keep activating the dark mind.
What if the mana circle stopped spinning?
It felt like I was going through the same thing again.
‘What the hell just happened.’
The great roar that just rang out.
A phenomenon that started at the same time.
Something is going on.
Feeling ominous, he opened the door of the trading post.
And I got to see it.
“what….”
A huge wall surrounded the city.
It was not a material barrier.
Purple mana close to black.
Like a shimmering haze, it enveloped the city with an ominous force.
It was much higher than the wall.
It was estimated that it would pierce the sky, soaring over hundreds of meters. No, even the sky above the city was covered.
Even the sun was covered.
The sunlight, which turned into a dark purple light, poured in all directions.
And people were lying on the side of the road.
everyone in sight.
“Look at this.”
ran away I looked at the person who had fallen. It was a gray-haired grandmother.
“Kuhh…ugh….”
I was already unconscious.
His whole body was trembling.
His eyes rolled over and his mouth filled with foam.
“…this.”
You’re stealing mana.
Just like what he had experienced just before reflexively activating the shimmering mental method. However, unlike himself, there is no way to deal with the situation where mana is taken away.
It wasn’t just the grandmother in front of me.
So did everyone lying down on the boulevard.
Everyone was experiencing the same phenomenon.
The reason was unknown.
No, I could have guessed.
that barrier.
An ominous mana barrier surrounding the city.
It must have a deep connection with that.
Maybe that barrier is mercilessly absorbing people’s mana.
Even the mana to maintain basic life.
Then what about Lloyd?
“Mrs. Lloyd.”
My heart sank.
I can’t stand it.
Even if there is an astounding mental method.
Even if he reached the Intermediate level of Sword Expert.
I can’t stand it.
Because I’m not a sword master.
Because I couldn’t achieve the endless circulation of mana.
It will last a few minutes longer than the others, but more than that will be impossible.
In the end, you will lose consciousness and will not be able to use the dark simbeop, and your mana will be mercilessly stolen.
will die like that
“…Sorry for not taking care of you. Instead, I will definitely fix this problem. Please hold on until then.”
I laid my grandmother in the shade.
I said it with an apologetic heart.
There was nothing more I could do.
To resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
Only that will be the way to save the old woman and the fallen people.
Engraving that on his chest, Xaviel ran.
I passed the main road in front of the trading post and ran across the square toward Count Namaran’s mansion.
People who fell on the boulevard.
Those convulsing in the square.
The woman at the distribution center was also seen lying down.
Every time that happened, Xaviel bit his lip and spurred on to run even more. While mobilizing all of the Mana Hearts and Circles to stop the mana extortion, he poured out all the remaining mana and ran and ran again.
Then we arrived at the VIP accommodation in the count’s mansion.
“Mr. Lloyd!”
Quaang!
I kicked the door of the house and went in.
I hurriedly found Lloyd.
but didn’t see
There was no Lloyd.
My heart is pounding.
sat down
‘where?’
Mr Lloyd.
Gotta find it.
Only then will you be able to save it.
Only then can everyone in this city be saved.
‘Because Lloyd-sama seemed to know something.’
Come to think of it, it was like that before.
I was suspicious of Cannavaro from the beginning.
It was the same on the day Lady Namaran arrived at the Prontera estate.
Facing the young lady, Lloyd first asked a question about Cannavaro.
So Lloyd knows something.
You will know how to solve this situation.
Lloyd’s wisdom.
own strength there.
You have to combine the two.
We need to stand shoulder to shoulder and help each other.
Only then will we be able to save everyone in this city.
however…Lloyd is nowhere in the dorm.
“Mr. Lloyd!”
Xaviel’s cry, which became more urgent, engulfed the count’s mansion.
♣
“Ah, isn’t it here too?”
Fu-wook!
The steel shovel poked into the ground.
Beads of sweat dripped around the shovel head that had been dug into the ground.
Seeing that, Lloyd pursed his lips.
“I think I came all the way down here.”
He grumbled and raised his head.
He looked up at the top of the cliff he was standing on.
Almost a hundred meters upwards.
The towering city of Namaran was seen there.
In other words, he had descended far below the top of the cliff in the city of Namaran.
The reason was simple.
It was to take care of more jewels.
‘Because I only searched around the walls of Namaran before.’
The number of jewels obtained in this way amounted to 200.
I was happy and sad at the same time.
If possible, I wanted to take care of more jewelry. I thought maybe. It reminded him of the fact that he hadn’t explored all the way down the cliff face.
‘There was no need to hesitate.’
It wasn’t anything to lose.
All you have to do is sell a few items.
You just need to sweat a bit.
Then you might be able to get some more expensive gems.
With that thought, I immediately packed a shovel and a bag and came out.
I eagerly explored the bottom of the cliff slope.
But it was bullshit.
“Tsk. I wanted to see a skull.”
a couple of times
The buried skulls were found with the underground scanning option.
But when I was excited and dug it up, it was just an ordinary skull.
There was no condensed mana or jewels.
‘This time, it really looks like the remains of an executioner in the past.’
Tsk.
I unknowingly clicked my tongue.
‘Have I been too greedy?’
I came here with the idea of what to do.
I was trying to take advantage of the chance to make a fortune.
It seemed like I was fooling around this time.
‘Ehh. Fold. fold. Let’s rest today.’
I had shed enough sweat to be able to shed enough.
Thinking so, Lloyd took a steel shovel and an empty bag.
I asked towards the inside pocket of my vest.
“Kkoming? ruler?”
“…Kkoming?”
“Tsk. no. tight.”
Kkomingi in the inner pocket raises his head with half-closed eyes while dozing off.
A smile came out at that sight.
It was only for a moment, but I thought about riding it back to the city.
When I thought about it again, the red sunflower seeds I had to use were too precious.
‘It’s just walking for exercise.’
Packing up, he started walking along the driveway that winds around the cliff face.
The passing wind of late summer felt cool for a long time.
“The weather is nice.”
The scorching sun was also reduced thanks to a cloud that just happened to block the sun.
A hum came out of nowhere.
But that was then.
Suddenly, the clouds turned dark.
From white cumulus clouds to dark clouds.
At the same time, a strange fluctuation of mana was felt in the city at the top of the cliff slope.
“uh?”
what is it
What’s going on?
Bewildered.
I raised my head and looked at the sky and the city alternately.
It was then.
The purple mana barrier, close to black, began to be erected.
Tsutsutsutsutsu!
“…!”
It swayed and rose like fog.
I wanted to get up and soared.
Blocking the sun and tearing up the clouds, they encircled the city. no, swallowed
Lloyd’s eyes widened.
‘What is that?’
no way.
Namaran’s Wall?
I wanted to rub my eyes wildly.
It was because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
‘I think that’s the barrier of Namaran. So, it’s the same as the one I saw in the illustration of the Iron Blooded Knight. But is this possible? how?’
I didn’t understand.
Because he removed the skulls and jewels from the ground.
Because he destroyed the magic circle itself that would form the barrier of Namaran.
However, to the shame of such an activity of his own, the Namaran barrier was soaring in front of his eyes. surrounded the city. Revealing a gloomy and evil aura openly. It began to greedily suck all the mana and life force of the city inside the wall.
It was from the moment I realized that.
“shit. Kkoming!”
Lloyd hurriedly woke Kkoming.
“sorry. explanation later. Let’s eat some of this first.”
“Kkokkoming!”
Did he feel an ominous energy while dozing in his inner pocket?
Kkomingyi had already opened her eyes.
I gulped down the red sunflower seeds they offered me.
and it got bigger
Perong!
“let’s go! upwards!”
“Kkoming!”
I put my body on the guy’s back.
Encouraging wild flapping of wings, it flew up.
I passed the cliff slope in an instant and climbed up to the city.
However, they could not enter the city.
‘It’s really Namaran’s barrier.’
Lloyd bit his lip.
Observation from above the city gave a full view of the wall.
A purple mana barrier close to black.
The translucent membrane completely enveloped the city.
There was no room for a fly to enter, let alone a bird.
‘I can’t break this.’
It is never impossible with one’s own strength.
Even if it uses triple blasting, it will.
A cursed barrier that could not be broken even with the Sword Master’s Aura.
I wonder if Xaviel in the novel that preceded it felt like this.
‘What the hell happened to this.’
I tried so hard to prevent this from happening.
In front of the barrier that was eventually built, Lloyd chewed his lips.
Something has to be done.
But I don’t know what to do.
Don’t just throw your eyes in all directions like this.
We have to find a way to break that barrier.
‘Should I invest RP? Should I raise my Mana Heart skill to become a Sword Master? No, you won’t have enough RP for that. It’s much more likely that you will clumsily climb to the advanced level of Sword Expert and then stop. Then, shall we post an astounding simbeop? If you increase the number of circles and use quad blasting instead of triple? Wouldn’t that be possible?’
However, Lloyd immediately shook his head.
‘no. No matter how quadruple blasting it won’t work. It doesn’t matter how many blasts there are. You have to combine aura with blasts.’
An aura of formidable power that cuts most of any substance.
You have to mix it into the blasting.
But he can’t do that.
Because I’m not a sword master.
‘Then what should I do….’
It got clogged.
But that was then.
Suddenly, I saw something on the ground.
“person?”
Scattered around the walls surrounding the city, I could see
the number of people, about 90 people.
Teams of three were regularly scattered throughout the perimeter of the Wall.
However, their clothes were somehow familiar.
Black Robe.
Black Hood.
I saw it as an illustration in the novel Iron Blooded Knight.
“Are you a black magician?”
Lloyd laughed involuntarily.
It was nice.
We met just fine.
I was worried about how to break the barrier.
Just in time, the producer(?) who made the barrier caught my eye.
I’ll be able to get rid of those guys once.
Then you will be able to figure out how to get rid of the barriers.
‘Anyway, a barrier that causes such a nuisance is a return!’
Wedge liquid!
With a firm grip on the steel shovel.
Lloyd started a reckless dive.
It was toward the black magician at the nearest point.
