Chapter 802: In a Difficult Position

With your twin in the reflection, protect the sacred glory from being stained...

If it weren't for this statement, Rhode would have dragged Sovann to the Eastern Plains already. But now, he had to reconsider his decision. Since the mission indicated for him to bring Christie along, it meant that she played a critical role and as a player who had completed years of missions, Rhode was well aware of this. After analyzing the mission, the other 'Christie' emerged in his head instantly.

Up until this moment, Rhode still hadn't fully figured out the identity of that 'Christie'. However, it was apparent that she was kind toward him. Not only did she repair the daggers of Gracier and Madaras that were severely damaged in the battle against the Duke Fiend, but she also pointed out the location of their holy sword cards. Moreover, she had even warned him of the Undead Army's invasion...

Rhode thought that the other 'Christie' was mysterious. Judging from this mission, it seemed that she might be related to the Astral Temple. A mission and its corresponding rewards were always associated, so it was no exception for Christie in this mission. If he didn't bring Christie along for this mission, perhaps this mission couldn't be completed and the rewards would be wasted.

But Rhode wasn't willing to bring her there...

Christie's weak, frail body was a huge problem where even running a hundred meters would leave her panting. How would it be possible for Rhode to bring her out for an adventure? Even though the accessory Lydia had given her ensured that she was protected from illnesses, it didn't mean that she wouldn't get hurt and the situation would be grave if she was harmed. From a player's perspective, Christie's defense value was almost negative, where a single hit could be a critical blow. Most importantly, Rhode couldn't revive her if anything were to happen to her.

Of course, Rhode could board the floating boat and summon the fire elemental creatures to deal with the Undead Army roaming around the altar. After the battle ended, he could then safely bring Christie along and complete the mission. However, this wasn't possible because he wasn't sure if the Eastern Plains welcomed his army into their territory. Moreover, the Undead Army in the Eastern Plains wasn't as easy to deal with as the one in the Winter Castle. The Undead Army that attacked the Winter Castle was a group of miscellaneous soldiers. On the other hand, the clashes between the Eastern Plains and the Country of Darkness had been going on for centuries, where the Country of Darkness wouldn't be that naive to send out only low-level troops. Rhode learned from Sovann that the Eastern Plains were far from peaceful with Gargoyles flying in the air and Death Knights wreaking havoc in the streets. Not only that, but oftentimes Skeletal Trolls and Abominations would also show up and cause trouble. The number of high-level Undead Creatures in the Eastern Plains were almost as much as the number of Undead Creatures that Cullen had led to attack Rhode's fortress. This was also why the Battle Mage Group instantly left the Eastern Plains because they failed to defend against their invasion.

In turn, this also showed how powerful the Eastern Plains were. Rhode dealt with the high-level enemies by relying on his construction system, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum. On the other hand, the Eastern Plains depended solely on their strength. In the early stages of the game, the Eastern Plains was one of the rare non-core regions, but held guards with an average level of 50. Back then, players at maximum level weren't even level 50 yet...

The Eastern Plains held the most number of formidable figures in the entire Light Mainland. Rhode knew there were three figures who were in the Peak Legendary Stage and 12 figures in the Intermediate Legendary Stage. The Eastern Plains was the only place in the Munn Kingdom that had a human army with an average level of 55 and above.

The Eastern Plains' powerful strength was their strongest capital to keep away from disputes within the Munn Kingdom. They were focused only on eradicating the courageous Undead Creatures who trespassed into their territory and cared nothing about external matters. If not, they would have become the Munn Kingdom's star forces.

In the game, players had also investigated the Eastern Plains' history because they were too strange and mysterious. There was lots of common boundary between the Munn Kingdom and the Country of Darkness. However, the Undead Creatures were fixed on dealing with the Eastern Plains and their clash lasted for centuries. Some players had even dug up evidence indicating that ever since the Creation War ended, the Undead Creatures' attacks on the Eastern Plains had never stopped. In other words, the Eastern Plains was the only region that maintained a state of war since the Creation War ended. Although neither sides launched any large-scale attacks, everyone knew that the Eastern Plains had never been peaceful.

But the problem was why the Undead Creatures were so 'passionate' toward the Eastern Plains.

The players never came to a conclusion. Some players believed that there were some legendary artifacts hidden in the Eastern Plains while some players asserted that the Eastern Plains might have imprisoned one of their superiors while the Undead Creatures had been trying to rescue him. However, these were just speculations because the Eastern Plains was an excessively confined region where even the NPCs didn't have much information about them. But the players were sure about one thing—there must be a top secret in there!

They weren't so certain without reason because in the game, the Eastern Plains couldn't hold on any longer after the Munn Kingdom crumbled. Instead of fleeing their territory, the Eastern Plains made a secret move and blew up entirely!

The Eastern Plains was about 10,000 square kilometers wide and yet every inch of it had been blown up completely by its own people. It was the scariest explosion the players had witnessed in their lives. The white glaring radiance erupted across the land, burst into the clouds, and was clearly visible from Casabianca in the distance. The ground shook and waves crashed as though the omen of the end of the world. After the horrific explosion ended, the curious players gathered and were almost scared out of their wits. The mountain ranges of the Eastern Plains became a deep, bottomless pit as though an invisible, enormous hand had dug into it!

From the start, the players suspected if it was one of the latest weapons created by the Country of Darkness. But the players of the Munn Kingdom quickly learned that it was the doings of the Eastern Plains' people because earlier on, the players had received a mission to help the Eastern Plains complete a 'crucial ritual'. After completing the mission, the players were transported away immediately. Even though they didn't know what exactly was going on, they witnessed an explosion in the Eastern Plains clearly...

This was why even the inexperienced players determined that there was a top secret hidden in the Eastern Plains. If not, the Eastern Plains didn't need to take things so far. A territory with 100,000 people all vanished in a puff of smoke! Not even a nuclear bomb was that powerful, so how did they do it?

It was a pity that this secret also disappeared in the black billows of smoke.

This was the impression the Eastern Plains had given to everyone—tough, powerful, and mysterious—which was also why the nobles of the Munn Kingdom believed that Rhode was born in the Eastern Plains. The people of the Eastern Plains mostly had black hair and pupils and were mysterious and formidable.

This went to show that the Eastern Plains was definitely not a peaceful place. In the early stages of the game, it was a highly restricted area where players couldn't enter recklessly. Rhode's fire elemental creatures could deal with the low-level creatures easily, but they would be completely powerless against high-level creatures like the Skeletal Trolls.

What gave Rhode a huge headache was that there seemed to be signs of a Shadow Demon among the Undead Army that attacked the Battle Mage Group's home...

A Shadow Demon... It was a creature that even Rhode didn't wish to face. Was the system fooling with him to have him bringing Christie along?

It was due to this reason that Rhode was troubled. He didn't want to lose the rewards, but he also wasn't willing to risk Christie's life. The lowest level of the Undead Creatures was 40, where Marlene would have a hard time, not to mention a fragile little girl like Christie.

The difficulty of this mission was so high that it didn't seem to be possible for him to accomplish.

Rhode didn't ask Christie if she was willing to go with him because he knew that as long as he asked, she would surely accept without any hesitation. Despite her gentle, fragile appearance, the people around her knew that she was a determined person who would never refuse Rhode's invitation.

Therefore, he had to make his own decision. But...

At this moment, Canary turned up and smacked the table before him.