Village Head's Debauchery

There was little to differentiate her and the other icy and rocky nymphs from the tree nymphs except for the texture of their hair and skin.

Knight Mayril stepped forward and introduced her. "This is Sovereigness Nadia, the Supreme Ruler of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled," she said, then looked toward Orion and Fifi.

Realizing her intentions, Orion introduced himself calmly, "I am Orion."

"I am Fifi," Fifi added with a nod.

"I welcome you to the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled Territory, kind travellers. I assure you that our hospitality rivals that of the Bastion of the Ashen Hope Territory or the Tidal Depths Kingdom," Nadia said, a light smile on her lips. "However, I ask that you please remove your masks so I may see your faces and confirm your identity myself."

Orion and Fifi noticed that Nadia's smile seemed forced, as though she was trying to maintain it. The scene felt unnerving for both of them, who were used to the gentle nature of the tree nymphs, who only became violent when someone attempted to harm their trees.

Orion speculated that it might be because her nature differed from Anara's and the others, but they quickly dismissed the thought. After all, they were members of the same race. Even if there were differences, they couldn't be that great.

He had also noticed the same thing with Knight Mayril, a tree nymph, as she swiftly reined in her emotions when they got out of control.

He couldn't help but admit that the Tidal Depths Kingdom and Bastion of Ashen Hope forces' quick reining in of their emotions and welcoming them into their territories seemed too easy. Blaming it solely on their shrewdness or deep survival instincts was impossible.

Fifi did the same.

'So they are truly human,' Nadia thought. She nodded appreciatively and said, "Thank you for answering my request. You don't need to hide your face. I assure you that the residents of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled do not discriminate against other races, especially those who saved the lives of our forces. So you can rest assured about your safety if you choose not to wear your masks."

She assumed Orion and Fifi had hidden their faces to keep their racial identities a secret. As for their identities, Nadia didn't consider them part of any current known forces. If they were, their existence would have been revealed long ago, not remained hidden until a crucial moment like this. Other thoughts crossed her mind regarding their true identities, but she pushed them to the back of her mind.

While Nadia misunderstood why they wore their masks, Orion chose not to explain and simply shook his head.

"I understand. However, we will still wear our masks," Orion said.

They placed the Energy Mask Spectrometer back on their faces.

The mask was their only means of communication with the others who had gone with the other forces. Additionally, with its capabilities to analyze and make safer decisions without effort, they couldn't take it off without a good reason.

Despite this, Nadia maintained a struggling smile on her face.

"Alright. Please follow me, and I will escort you into the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled," Nadia said, turning to the side and gesturing forward.

Orion and Fifi nodded.

With a wave of her hand, Nadia signalled the forces around them. Instantly, the troops withdrew and marched toward the enormous gates.

Knight Mayril bowed respectfully to Orion and Fifi, then to Nadia, before turning around and hastening to lead the forces forward.

Once more, Nadia signalled the stony nymphs behind her. They immediately marched forward and positioned themselves around Orion and Fifi, two standing behind and two in front.

Nadia then turned and led the way through the column and into the gates. They first passed through two smaller gates with a metallic net roof, above which nymphs guarded the area with crossbows and long spears. Their eyes, filled with curiosity and caution, were fixed on Orion and Fifi.

It felt like the guards were ready to attack if given the order.

Soon, they passed through another heavily fortified gate, leading to several tunnels.

They saw Knight Mayril and her forces being led into one tunnel.

Orion and Fifi were taken through another.

After several minutes, they reached the end of the tunnel and emerged onto a busy street.

Orion frowned at the sight before him. The street was filled with partly or fully armoured nymphs, with only a few wearing dresses or paired with pants from unfamiliar fabrics. However, even those wore metallic armguards and carried weapons.

As they moved forward, the surrounding nymphs halted their activities and bowed in their direction, casting curious glances at Orion and Fifi. Once they passed, the nymphs returned to their previous activities but continued sending wary and inquisitive looks their way.

As they ventured deeper into the street, the same scene repeated, allowing Orion to confirm that all the nymphs were armed and dressed in a similar manner.

"Is the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled full of nymphs who are armed and ready to fight?" Orion asked.

"Yes, every resident of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled is a trained soldier, prepared to fight and sacrifice their lives to ensure its survival," Nadia responded, glancing back at Orion.

"With the situation becoming more difficult after the fall of several bastions in recent years, everyone, no matter how small or close to their last root must be ready to fight and give their lives for the next generation. Of course, this is not the entirety of the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled. This fortress only serves as its protection. We'll reach the main Bastion soon, so please be patient."

Orion nodded. 'So this is only a fortress,' he thought. Still, he couldn't help but feel pity for how difficult their lives must have been, pushed to this point. He knew that if Anara were here to witness this and hear Nadia's response, she wouldn't hesitate to bring them to Paradise to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of its farms and gardens.

Orion shared the sentiment but chose to keep observing before taking any action.

Fifi nodded at Nadia's words. As one of the best warriors of Paradise, Fifi could easily distinguish an ordinary person from a trained warrior, and she could distinguish fake from genuine.

From the way the nymphs moved to positions where they could quickly draw their weapons, their respectful greetings, and the discreet glances they exchanged as if communicating, Fifi could tell every nymph present had survived numerous life-and-death battles.

After several minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Orion and Fifi looked at three massive circular platforms, about fifteen meters wide, floating within enormous ornate cages. Surrounding each cage were swirling metal rings infused with glowing inscriptions and runes, hovering slightly above the metal and constantly flickering.

A mysterious large formation of runes was slowly rotating at the top of each cage. Two heavily armed nymphs guarded the entrance of each cage.

Several nymphs were making their way in and out of the entrance. The crowds parted upon noticing their arrival. Nadia swiftly led the way through one of the entrances. They passed two more heavily armed nymphs guarding the platform from within and quickly climbed the stairs to stand on the platform.

The platform was infused with numerous inscriptions, runes, glyphs, and other mysterious carvings radiating a soft glow.

"This is the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled's teleportation platform. From here, we'll easily travel beneath the fortress," Nadia explained.

'A teleportation platform,' Orion thought as he curiously observed the platform beneath his feet. Paradise could instantly transport its forces across vast distances or to other Runaway Cities with something like this.

He made a mental note to inquire about it later.

'Do you understand what a teleportation platform is?' Fifi asked, struggling to grasp Nadia's words. Since Orion hadn't asked any questions, she assumed he already knew.

Orion quickly explained.

After he finished, a look of surprise appeared on her face. Fifi nodded and fell silent, saving her questions for later, knowing this wasn't the time to inquire further.

After Nadia finished making her preparations, she looked at them and said, "Please remain calm throughout the process and don't resist the pressure to avoid unfortunate accidents. It

will only last five seconds."

"Okay," Orion nodded in understanding.

Fifi did the same.

Suddenly, the carvings on the ground lit up with a bright, milky hue, and the large formation above them began rotating faster until it spun so quickly that it seemed stationary. Then, a mysterious pressure pressed down on Orion and Fifi. However, since they had been

warned, they didn't resist. Their vision became hazy as the bright milky hue intensified, shooting upward.It completely enveloped Orion, Fifi, Nadia, and the stony guards. Soon, the light began to dim, and the formation above slowed down.

On the platform, Orion and the others had vanished into thin air.

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