The three of them walked in the forest. The silvery moonlight shone through the leaves between the trees, leaving mottled marks on the three of them, as if they were wearing a constantly changing silver and black dress.
Apart from Roger's soft words, the only sound was the crunch of fallen leaves and dead branches underfoot.
Although the situation was urgent, Xiao Chen strangely felt a sense of calm as he listened to Roger talk about his mental journey under the moonlight.
Roger said, "I know what your world is like. Compared to this place, it's like a divine realm that rewards those favored by the gods. Well, in your words, it's a place like heaven."
Xiao Chen said, "No, there are too many troubles. Not to mention that there are always wars going on somewhere every day, and there has never been peace. It seems that as long as you are human, it is the same in any world."
Roger turned around and said, "But at least where you come from, most people can grow old, get sick and die normally, right?"
"This requirement is too low." Xiao Chen said.
Roger glanced at the elven sword in Xiao Chen's hand and said, "This is heaven for me."
Xiao Chen followed his gaze and took a closer look at the sword in his hand. The silver reflection seemed to have a hint of red, which immediately reminded him of the soldier whose throat he had cut. Is this the "normal" life of the people here
"Your country hasn't fought a war for several decades, right?" Roger asked again, since it taught several surrounding countries a lesson in the last century.
"You even know this? They showed you detailed information about that world?" Xiao Chen asked in surprise.
"Is it strange? They always talk about it when they teach war history in military academies. Do you think the things in that world should be kept secret from us?" Evelyn interrupted.
Xiao Chen said: "Not really. Your Xiao Chen never told me about this. I thought they were worried about their identities being exposed and would hide their origins."
"This is not a good choice. You have so many people coming here, with so many things, and all kinds of unheard-of technologies and products, all suddenly appearing on this continent. Anyone who is not a fool will suspect that you are from another world. You can't gain other people's trust by hiding things." Evelyn said.
Roger said, "There's no harm in saying it. Does it matter where you come from? The people of the Empire and the Kingdom are all born and raised on this continent, separated by a mountain range, and they have been fighting for hundreds of years. If you count the countries and dynasties in the past, it's thousands of years of war between the South and the North. So what if you come? Whether we will go to war with you depends on political ideas, interests and differences in beliefs, not where you come from."
"That's right." Xiao Chen had to admit this.
Roger said, "If we want to understand your thoughts and ideas and become one with you, it is impossible without understanding you from the root, right? Without knowing your history, how can we know where your thoughts and ideas come from? Without knowing your past, how can we know the experiences you have accumulated and the setbacks you have encountered?"
"They should be releasing relevant information gradually, right?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Yes. As long as you reach a certain level in the system, you can see a lot of things accordingly. You have a lot of books and materials on science, art, history or philosophy, which are open to people like me and Evelyn. I have even watched quite a few movies. By the way, my favorite book is Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but I can't understand the original version. I have only read the children's version."
Evelyn said, "I like the poems of Li Bai and Tagore. Although I don't understand them all, I can appreciate their beauty. I don't know why, but the humans in your place are better at creation than those here. There are many works that can rival those of our Elf Kingdom."
Xiao Chen chatted with them from time to time, and unknowingly walked out of the forest. He suddenly felt his eyes light up, and in front of him appeared a checkpoint like a dam, emitting a milky white light in the night. Even though the wind was filled with the smell of blood, this checkpoint still gave Xiao Chen a shocking beauty on this night of killing.
Even though he was a modern man who was used to seeing huge buildings, he still sighed in front of this checkpoint: "This is Heimu Pass, it is indeed majestic."
"But it has changed hands." Roger said in a deep voice.
“I wonder what’s happening with the others,” Evelyn said worriedly.
"It looks like they've retreated. If they were going to fight to the death, it shouldn't be so peaceful now." Roger analyzed, "It's impossible that they couldn't hold out until Suero's teleportation array opened. If Master Gabriel of Suero could lead the team here, they should be fighting street battles in the city now, instead of the Imperials cleaning up the battlefield."
“I really don’t know how it turned out like this.” Evelin lamented.
"It must be a spy or a traitor. If Heimu Pass could be taken down directly by this army, it would have belonged to the Empire long ago. Someone must have opened the city gate from the inside." Roger said.
The three of them stood in the shadow of two large trees to avoid being seen. From their side, the gate below the checkpoint was open. Whether it was closed or not, there were many figures swaying. On the main road from Heimu Pass to the camp, there were horses or convoys going back and forth constantly, delivering information or transporting supplies.
"What are these people doing in the middle of the night?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Make preparations. Emperor Alfred must be mobilizing the army in the rear to guard the pass. Blackwood Pass has been a dream of the empire for hundreds of years. He will definitely send a large army to guard it and prevent it from falling into our hands again." Roger retreated back into the woods. "We have to leave here as soon as possible. I guess the army from the main camp will enter Blackwood Pass tonight."
Evelin asked, “How do we get there?”
Roger took out a contour map from his waist pocket. "According to our previous detection, the most reasonable route is to go over the mountain on the east side of Blackwood Pass. You see there is a valley here, which should be much easier to walk. However, there may be monsters in the deep mountains, so we must be prepared for a fight."
"Warcraft? Is it a powerful creature like a dragon that can breathe fire or a thunderbird that can discharge electricity?" Xiao Chen asked curiously.
Roger couldn't help laughing. "No, the most likely thing you'll encounter is a wild boar that breathes fire or a lizard that discharges electricity. This isn't the age of mythology anymore."
"Alas, it turns out that even the situation of animal extinction in the two worlds is similar. It turns out that humans are still humans." Xiao Chen sighed.
Roger asked, "If we fly, we can cross this mountain in half a day, but if we walk on the ground, even those of us who have mastered fighting spirit may need two days. Can you hold on?"
"How do you know if you don't try?" Xiao Chen walked first in the direction marked on the map.
Evelin glanced at Roger and whispered, "Sure enough, he is still himself." (To be continued)