"The Land of Black Soil?"
Not everyone understood the meaning of the term "Black Soil."
Cecilia and Durun knew, and Sean wasn't surprised at all. The term "Black Soil" was passed down among mages, and since the Kingdom of Portoroa was a magic-focused country, Durun knew that it wasn't anything unusual.
"Why didn't you tell us about the Land of Black Soil from the beginning?" Durun suddenly turned into an irritable beast, completely devoid of his noble elegance and etiquette. "Do you know the dangers of the Land of Black Soil?"
"I do," Sean calmly replied. "Do you remember what I told you? This is the Starfall Forest, a place I know better than you."
"You..." Overwhelmed by Sean's calm aura, Durun was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What exactly is the Land of Black Soil?" Old Peter frowned, sensing Durun's unease and fear in that moment.
The atmosphere turned chilly.
Fear started to breed among the crowd.
"Let's set off first. We'll discuss it along the way." Sean didn't immediately answer but urged everyone to prepare and immediately set off.
Although "Miracle" had indeed made significant advancements after the development and revolution of "Age of Prosperity," especially in terms of AI, there was still a significant gap between the game and reality.
At least in the game, Sean hadn't heard of anyone being treated with such grandeur by the Wind Marked Black Wolf pack. Even with the debuff of "Group Hatred," it was far from being strong enough to require personal intervention from the Wolf Marked Black Wolf King.
Indeed, there were significant differences between the game and reality.
The team quickly resumed their journey.
Perhaps due to the change in Cecilia and Durun's attitude, the entire team was in an extremely tense atmosphere.
Sean knew that this would accelerate the team's physical and mental exhaustion, but at this moment, he had no time to consider such psychological factors.
He had to focus his attention to prevent any possible accidents.
However, just because Sean didn't answer didn't mean that the others in the team would remain silent.
Harvey, despite being a bit overweight, had lost some weight in recent days.
Although he was panting while running, he managed to utter a few words, "Mr. Durun, what exactly... is the Land of Black Soil?"
Durun struggled with his expression, his gaze falling on Sean's back. "That madman!"
But in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, "As you all should know, when the Age of Ashes descended, this world was devoid of any light, and along with it, the order of the old era completely collapsed..."
Hearing Durun's words, Sean couldn't help but recall the official background setting of "Miracle."
In the late twilight era, the people's hatred towards the gods had reached an irreparable level, so they no longer believed in the gods.
In anger, the gods unleashed divine punishment, plunging the entire world into chaos.
With the loss of belief in the gods, the people, devoid of divine power, had to turn to other avenues of development.
They began to delve into the realm of elements, using the power of elements to perform wondrous feats without relying on divine power.
This alarmed and terrified the gods, so in order to reestablish their authority, the gods embarked on a protracted war against the people.
It was a war known as the "Twilight of the Gods," leaving both sides severely wounded.
After the war, the gods ceased to exist, but the people did not usher in their so-called ideal world.
The residual powers of divine energy and elemental forces disrupted the order of the entire world.
With the loss of divine protection, the sky lost its colors, and desolation and ruins became the most common scenes, akin to the ashes left after a fire.
It was for this reason that this era was called the Age of Ashes.
"In the Age of Ashes, there is no light in the world, not even the air is clear," Durun said in a deep voice.
"But that's not the most terrifying part. The truly terrifying aspect is the pervasive darkness that exists everywhere in the world. Under the constant onslaught of this darkness, any species will have their lives taken away. Only the places that still retain remnants of orderly power can barely survive."
"These places are called Arks," Cecilia softly continued Durun's words.
"The gods ultimately didn't abandon the people. In the final moments of the war, the God of Order perhaps realized something and sacrificed himself, transforming into countless Resurgence Embers... "
"The reason why Arks can sustain the survival of the people is because they contain Resurgence Embers. Only the orderly power generated by the Resurgence Embers can withstand the onslaught of the darkness."
"Those places invaded by the darkness are called the Land of Black Soil," Durun glanced at Cecilia, his curiosity about her identity evident, but more so amazed by her talent.
"It's normal that you are not aware of the Land of Black Soil, as the neighboring regions of the Kingdom of Serian are fertile lands and powerful nations. However, there are many such lands in this world. For example, if you go further east from the Kingdom of Portoroa, you will reach the Land of Black Soil. It is a place devoid of light, heat, and even food."
"So, all we need to do is bury the Resurgence Embers there, right?"
"It's not as simple as you imagine," Cecilia shook her head.
"Only at the dark vortexes in the Land of Black Soil can the Resurgence Embers be buried to restore order. In this world, there is an organization called the Pioneer Guild, whose responsibility is to find Resurgence Embers and restore the Land of Black Soil to an orderly place, allowing people to cultivate new lands and establish new homes. "
"However, the Land of Black Soil is also very dangerous. Depending on the strength of the darkness generated by the dark vortexes, the darkness in the Land of Black Soil varies in intensity... Some places with weaker darkness can be explored even by us, while some places with stronger darkness are too perilous even for legendary warriors to venture into."
At this point, Cecilia paused briefly, then continued with an unquestionable tone, "Since Sean dares to bring us here, it proves that even with just us, we can traverse the Land of Black Soil... But even though we can pass through, we must not underestimate the dangers of the Land of Black Soil."
Cecilia's words clearly reminded everyone that ahead of them was not a dead end, but if they were careless, they could still perish.
Behind them, the howls of the wolf pack echoed, interspersed with a few even more resounding roars.
Hearing these wolf howls, the group couldn't help but feel relieved. Sean's judgment was indeed accurate, and their fear of the Land of Black Soil was not as intense.
Of course, Durun felt the same way.
Being citizens of the Kingdom of Portoroa, most Portorians have personally witnessed the Land of Black Soil, so they naturally have a more thorough understanding of the land and its fears.
Durun, in particular, had a deeper understanding of the land than the average citizen of the Kingdom of Portoroa because he was a registered pioneer of the Pioneer Guild and had previous experience fighting in the Land of Black Soil.
This time, the group was traveling at full speed, and with the absence of monster disturbances, their progress was even faster than before.
However, the changes along the way were noticeable to everyone.
The scenery became increasingly barren. The lush giant trees that once grew in the Starfall Forest had disappeared, replaced by bare trees with fallen leaves.
The sight of vast patches of barren trees sent a chill through people's hearts, and the silent environment intensified the heavy pressure on them.
It felt as if there was an invisible giant maw in the darkness ahead, ready to swallow them all.
As the group advanced, the ground beneath them no longer consisted of solid earth but turned into black, scorched soil, as if all the nutrients from the land had been drained.
The previously soundless environment now had some noise—a squelching sound as the group stepped on the muddy ground, sounding like the tolling of a death knell, keeping everyone's nerves on edge.
In this otherwise windless environment, the mournful sound of wind passing through the dead trees constantly squeezed their spirits.
Before they could fully adapt to their current surroundings, they faced a new challenge: the low temperature made everyone feel a chilling sensation in their hands and feet.
The armor, which had lost its sense of weight, suddenly became exceptionally heavy, and even the hands that held the sword and shield felt numb and sore.
Durun's gaze sharpened.
He glanced at Sean, puzzled as to why Sean wasn't giving any warnings at this moment.
It was important to note that when they sensed the low temperature pressure, it meant they had entered the Land of Black Soil.
Within the Land of Black Soil, their spirits would be constantly eroded by the dark forces. Without reminders and vigilance, their willpower could easily crumble.
Just as Durun was pondering this, the group happened to pass by a withered tree, and a black figure suddenly pounced out from behind it.
In the instant they saw the black figure, everyone in the group was momentarily distracted.
Even though Durun and Old Peter's reactions were quick, that nearly one-second lapse was irreversible.
By the time these two reacted, the black figure had already reached the front leader, Sean, with less than a centimeter of distance between them.
Their speed, no matter how fast, was too late to provide support.
However, at that moment, a faint blue radiance suddenly swept out from Sean's hand.
With a "crack" sound, the black figure had already fallen beside Sean, and a skull rolled slowly to Durun's feet.
It was only then that everyone saw clearly—the pouncing black figure was actually a skeleton.
Sean slowly released the long sword he had swung, his expression solemn as he said in a deep voice,
"Welcome to the world of darkness and death, the Land of Black Soil... I have only one advice for you: maintain sufficient vigilance and watch your footing and the shadows of the withered trees, as those are the places where the enemy likes to lurk. Trust in your comrades; there will be someone watching out for you in the corners of your vision, because we are a team."
At this moment, Durun finally understood why Sean hadn't warned the group from the beginning.
Because actions often speak louder than words.
Just one glance at the current team was enough to see that the spiritual impact caused by entering the Land of Black Soil had disappeared without a trace. In its place was a highly cohesive and vigilant elite team!