Stepping out of the tent, Majesty was already meditating outside, her body still covered in dew. Leo felt a bit suspicious; he hadn't rested well last night, so he had woken up much earlier than usual—did his sister wake up this early every day?
Hearing the commotion outside, sounds of getting up began to emanate from Gerdie's tent as well. Soon, Gerdie pulled back the door curtain and stepped out. Leo wondered if he was overthinking it, but Gerdie's face looked somewhat weary today.
Majesty opened her eyes, gave Gerdie a meaningful look, and began to pack.
The atmosphere felt off. Was it because of Incest or Kyoko? That shouldn't be it. He had returned early yesterday, and nothing had happened with either of them. Forget it; if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't try.
"Majesty, Gerdie, I've accepted a mission from Kashya. Let's talk while we walk." Leo decided to divert their attention first and observe what exactly was going on.
Leo used some dirt to smother the remaining sparks of the fire. "Move it, move it! Traveling through the Blood Moor is far too boring; I'll tell you a story of the past to pass the time."
Following Leo, the two women were somewhat puzzled; shouldn't he be talking about the mission?
"Once, there was a brave Rogue who heard that Tristram was being plagued by demons. Thus, she set off immediately from the Sightless Eye Monastery, heading for Tristram."
Hearing "Sightless Eye," the two women realized Leo was introducing the mission and shifted their attention toward him.
"After arriving in Tristram, she met two friends, and the three of them cleared the demons surrounding the town together. But things weren't that simple; the demons of Tristram continued to appear incessantly. Finally, they set their sights on King Leoric's palace—the Cathedral rebuilt from the derelict Horadric Monastery."
The women understood now; Leo was telling the story of the three heroes who defeated Diablo. Although Tristram was ultimately destroyed by mysterious demons, there was no doubt the heroes had achieved a great victory in that battle.
"The three defeated the corrupted King Leoric in the Cathedral and descended deep into the Catacombs to find the culprit, Diablo, eventually defeating and sealing him."
"Brother, the story of Prince Aidan, the Rogue Moreina, and the Vizjerei mage Jazreth is something even children know." Clearly, Majesty was a bit dissatisfied with Leo's story.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Majesty. What you know is just a story, but what I'm about to tell you are the secrets hidden in the darkness." Leo soothed Majesty. The target this time was extraordinary, so it was best to let the two women be fully mentally prepared.
"After defeating Diablo, Moreina returned to the Monastery laden with honor. She didn't know that from the moment they entered the Zakarum Cathedral, Diablo had begun using his evil power to erode her. Before long, Moreina transformed into Blood Raven and cast herself into the embrace of Hell."
The two women were stunned. How could Moreina have become Blood Raven? Blood Raven was supposed to be a cowardly traitor who only betrayed them out of fear of Andariel.
"Actually, I've always suspected that Diablo did it on purpose, just to escape that prison." Seeing that the two were finding this hard to accept, Leo wisely concealed the fates of the other two heroes.
"Perhaps you wonder why I'm telling you this. Our mission target this time is Blood Raven. The opponent has a sensitive identity and is powerful, so you must be mentally prepared." The Alliance certainly wouldn't want the public to know the truth; there was no need for these secrets to be anything other than buried in one's heart.
"It's enough that you two know this. From now on, this matter is classified as the squad's highest secret." Leo's expression was more serious than ever before.
The two women nodded in agreement. If such a story leaked out, the blow to human morale would be unimaginable.
The journey was peaceful; it seemed this path had been cleared by the Rogues. Leo compared their progress with the mini-map; the Cold Plains should be just ahead, within the continuous, grand mountain range.
As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain can kill a horse." Relying solely on the movement speed bonus from Stealth felt insufficient; he estimated it would take two days just to reach the foot of the mountain range.
Leo thought for a moment, opened his skill panel, and put points into Defiance and Vigor.
> Defiance: Level 6 skill. When active, increases defense for you and your party. Radius: 10.6 yards. Defense +70%. No prerequisites.
> Vigor: When active, increases movement speed, stamina recovery rate, and maximum stamina for you and your party. Radius: 10.6 yards. Movement speed +13%. Stamina +50%. Recovery rate +50%.
>
After adding the new skill, he immediately activated Vigor. A ring of orange-red light orbs appeared at his feet. His body's vitality was instantly enhanced, and his movement became much faster.
On the road, Gerdie began taking the initiative to talk with Majesty. He watched the two of them casually discuss gossip about Moreina. What was the relationship between Moreina and the Prince? What about the Mage? Did the three of them have something going on together?
Leo felt so bored; he couldn't get into the girls' topics. Should I look for some male teammates?
A figure appeared ahead, standing in place while checking a parchment map to confirm the direction. Getting closer, it seemed to be an acquaintance.
"Incest, what are you looking at?" Finally, someone he could talk to. Leo hurried forward in three steps.
Incest looked back coldly, but her expression softened slightly upon seeing it was Leo. She gestured with the parchment map in her hand and answered curtly, "The power contained in the monsters of the Blood Moor is starting to decrease. I asked my teacher to help find a map; I want to try cultivating in the Cold Plains."
Seeing the map, Leo was somewhat interested, wondering how it compared to the one Kashya gave him. "We are also preparing to go to the Cold Plains. Do you mind if I take a look at your map?"
Incest gave Leo a brief look but ultimately didn't refuse, handing the map over.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside? She just handed the map to him like that. Leo looked at this map; it was similar to his, likely also the work of the Rogues, though it lacked the section from the Cold Plains to the Burial Grounds.
"Let's travel together. An extra person means extra backup." Leo handed the map back. Seeing her staring at him without speaking, he added, "The more people, the merrier, and traveling is a bit safer. We can part ways once we reach our destination."
The girl before him finally nodded slowly.
With another beauty on the road, though she didn't like to speak, looking at her hair, eyes, and skin tone made Leo feel very at ease—it was like a small memento of his past life. The journey became much less boring.
Time flew by, and two days passed quickly. The group now stood in a dense forest at the foot of the mountains. The thick canopy blocked their line of sight, making it impossible to determine their exact position. Working together, they climbed the tallest tree. This unknown tree was massive, standing over 50 meters high, and its shadow left no room for other trees to grow nearby.
Finally, they saw the scenery beyond. The mountain range ahead stretched as far as the eye could see, extending from the northeast to the southwest. The peaks stood straight and tall, piercing the clouds, their upper halves covered in white snow. Everywhere they looked were unscalable cliffs.
Leo climbed next to Incest, pretending to study the map with her, completely ignoring his sister's eye-rolls.
A cold voice rang out: "We should climb up from this valley, straight to the highest point. The Cold Plains should be there." A rough hand, covered in calluses, pointed toward two slightly gentler mountains. Between these two mountains was a valley extending deep into the range.