novelonline Chapter 3978 Gray Rock Pass
Chapter 3978 Gray Rock Pass
Chapter 3978 Gray Rock Pass
After leaving the "Strange Tower," Xia De first took the suitcase home, since he wouldn't wander around with dangerous relics for no reason.
It was almost noon, and Luvia, who had been catching up on her sleep, had woken up and was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch for herself and her cat.
Xia De greeted her:
"Luvia, stop cooking, let's go out to eat."
Luvia had initially thought he would go to Vigo Astley. Although the purple-eyed girl wanted to further the relationship between Shad and the witch, she was naturally happier that Shad could accompany her.
"Let's not go out to eat. I'll let you try my cooking today. I've been learning a bit from Winnie recently. I wouldn't dare say I can reach Dorothy's level, but I'm sure it will surprise you."
After lunch, Xia Decai went out again, returning to the rainy city of Arcadia and heading straight for Fragrance's Residence. The rain was heavier than in the morning, and there was thunder; it looked like it wouldn't stop before evening.
The maids at Fragrant Mansion already knew Shad. After Shad knocked on the door and entered, a maid folded up his umbrella and handed him a towel.
Although it was Sunday, neither Viggo nor Miss McDonald were here. Mr. Bernhardt's letter had arrived yesterday, and Miss Rowling, who remained at the house, had resumed her role as housekeeper, handing the letter to Shad in the study.
The handwriting on the letter was messy, as if it had been written in a hurry, but it was indeed the handwriting of Mr. Bernhardt, whom Shad was familiar with.
However, at the beginning of the letter, he did not explain the results of the study on the body, but instead informed Shad that they had left the mansion in the downtown area where they originally lived, and that he would tell Shad the new address later.
“If they didn’t know their whereabouts, they wouldn’t have laid the bait in advance. If it weren’t for me on Friday, Mr. Bernhardt would probably have met the same fate as the first investigators. It was right for them to leave and go into hiding now.”
Shad thought to himself, "But if Mr. Bernhardt really does meet with misfortune, Mr. Albert, upon hearing the news, will most likely appear locally, and the situation will probably be quite lively."
The latter half of the letter contained the results of the study on the corpse, just as Xia De had anticipated: the corpse was completely incapable of communicating with spirits. And indeed, when using the innate abilities of a high-level vampire to try and retrieve the corpse's memories through blood-drinking, nothing could be found.
The other party was clearly quite knowledgeable about the methods of higher vampire species.
Even the corpse itself suddenly exploded after being drained of blood by Mr. Bernhardt's companion. According to the letter, the exploded corpse transformed into a blooming "flesh lotus," and every drop of blood was highly poisonous to the vampires.
However, although the corpses were destroyed, the vampires still managed to discover something.
According to the letter, the corpse was quite strange. His race was indeed human, and his blood and internal organs were the same as those of normal people, but his physical strength, muscle mass, organ efficiency, and other aspects far exceeded the level of normal people, reaching the level of "superman".
This was not a comprehensive enhancement resulting from a Ring Warlock's advancement, nor was it flesh and blood modified through extraordinary means. After analyzing the remaining blood, Armand Bernhardt wrote the following sentence:
The corpse's physical attributes had reached a level surpassing that of humans, and this enhancement was natural and innate. In my opinion, calling him a 'new human' is more appropriate than simply 'human.'
The opponent's peculiar physical attributes did not have a significant impact on the battles of the Ring Warlocks; at least, this advantage was not apparent when facing Shad. However, Mr. Bernhardt was still amazed by it and even thought that he might have encountered a "subspecies of human".
"The research findings of the Blood Spirit School?"
Xia De speculated that, after all, the Blood Spirit School had always been pursuing "Golden Humans." If the "Blood Weeper" were truly reborn, he might be able to glimpse the secrets of flesh and blood creation that he had never known before at the beginning of his life.
"It seems we've really encountered something extraordinary this time."
He thought to himself, recalling the scene of confronting the enemy on the lake in the park on Friday night.
He was quite certain that the "little bat" and "human" symbols floating above the heads of his enemies were normal, which meant that this strange physical enhancement did not change the race, but rather caused a strange change based on the race itself.
Click!
A sudden clap of thunder outside the window interrupted Shad's thoughts. He turned to look out the window and then asked Miss Rowling, who was standing beside him:
"Where did Vige go in this terrible weather?"
Mr. Bernhardt is still looking for a new place to stay, and Shad can't find him in a short time, so he wants to talk to Vige about this matter, at least to let Vige know that the Blood Spirit School is suspected of being active in this city.
They might even be the ones colluding with the Jade Alchemy Association.
The housekeeper responded very respectfully:
"My mistress left at ten o'clock this morning, still concerning the Gray Rock Pass. She said if you come, she must ask me to keep you here, and she will definitely return before evening. Please don't worry about her; she took the potion you gave her with her when she left."
The weather outside was terrible, and normally it would be wiser to stay here and wait for Viggo to return, but after reading Mr. Bernhardt's letter, Shad had some bad premonitions.
Moreover, he had heard of "Grey Rock Pass" since arriving in the area, but had never actually been there, so he had an idea at this moment:
Is it a long way to Grey Rock Pass from here? How long does it take?
The housekeeper thought for a moment and felt that her mistress would probably be happier to see Shad suddenly appear than to see him stay and wait for her.
"You need to go from the upper city to the outer city at the foot of the mountain. After passing through the outer city, continue to drive northwest to reach the fortress south of Gray Rock Pass."
Although Arcadia is located almost at the westernmost edge of the Rommel Mountains, low hills still surround its northwest. The mountain pass to the northwest of the city, Grey Rock Pass, thus became a crucial transportation hub guarding the city. Grey Rock Pass itself can be considered a bridge area outside the outer city, with hotels, shops, and other facilities, separated from the outer city by a small, desolate area composed of farmland and abandoned manors.
The Greyrock Pass fortress is guarded by a complex of double-layered bridges spanning the perpetually turbulent Thernnir River. This river flows from southwest to northeast, making it unsuitable as a waterway connecting the eastern regions of the kingdom.
Ms. Rowling first gave a brief introduction to the situation, and then concluded:
"Let's go now. You'll be able to see the young lady within fifty minutes. The driver at the manor is an excellent driver."
Shad nodded; he would go by carriage for now. If needed later, he could fly there himself.
"Alright, please arrange a carriage for me. I'll set off now."
"Grey Rock Pass" is the strategic choke point guarding Arcadia City, and in modern times, it is also the logistical lifeline of the entire Eastern Front. This area consists of two parts: "Grey Rock Pass Bridge" and "Grey Rock Pass Fortress". The double-deck bridge is passable by trains, while the fortress, in addition to its defensive function, has in fact become a small town attached to the pass.
If travelers are only staying for one night, they will mostly choose the inns in Gray Rock Pass instead of going to the city center of Arcadia. Therefore, although it cannot compare with the prosperity of Arcadia, the inns, restaurants, warehouses, and shops here are more concentrated than those in the outer city of Arcadia.
Theoretically speaking, if refugees from the northern war zone were directly stopped at the Gray Rock Pass, the people in the outer city wouldn't be suffering from the current refugee crisis. However, Gray Rock Pass is not a border post and has no obligation to intercept its own citizens, which has led to the current situation.
However, most of the refugees now live in the desolate area between Gray Rock Pass and the outer city. With this buffer zone, it can actually accommodate more refugees.
In short, on this rainy Sunday afternoon, Shad traveled across Arcadia by carriage. Along the way, he saw the bustling upper city, the crowded outer city, and the impoverished lives of refugees on the outskirts of the outer city.
As the carriage approached Grey Rock Pass, the previously hazy fortress buildings came into view. After the carriage entered the pass, Shad saw a bustling town that was still very prosperous even on a rainy day.
The area around the fortress bridge is not large, but thanks to the layered structure of the mountains along the river, there are many buildings within the fortress. There is only one main road extending from the bridgehead into the fortress, and on both sides of the main road are inns and various shops.
Daily security and traffic management here are handled by the "Acadia-Gray Rock Pass Police Force," while military defense and strategic control are managed by the Gray Rock Pass Fortress Command.
The former is nominally under the management of the city hall, but in reality it is entirely controlled by the Astley family; although the fortress command belongs to the Carsonrick Army, it is still privately associated with the Astley family.
For centuries, Carsonrick has been trying to dispel the Astley family’s influence over the pass, but due to an agreement with the last Duke of Astley and various other obstacles, he has not yet succeeded.
Vigo's trip was to meet with Baron Blaze, the "Supreme Commander of Greyrock Pass and Fortress Commander." Although the latter was from Willendale, his background in the army had always been that of the "Eastern Faction," also known as the "Old Delin'or Faction."
According to the coachwoman who brought Shad here, this man is nominally unrelated to the Astley family, but in reality, he listens to Viggo in almost everything.
The Astley family, who did not hold titles, were able to remain powerful because their administration of Greyrock Pass facilitated the transport of various sensitive items by the "Old Drinor Army Faction".
As to whether the Astley family was a direct descendant of the Delineor royal family, that was beyond Shad's knowledge.
PS: The image in this chapter is an overview of Arcadia City.
There should be a desolate area between the outer city and Huiyan Pass, which is not directly connected and is not shown in the picture.