"So that's how it is ..."
Annan closed the book and muttered softly to himself.
He closed his eyes slightly, digesting the knowledge he had gained.
He had been staying in the Mayor's house for two full days now.
During these two days, Annan had been reading continuously. He fully utilized the study skills he had honed when he would cram a week before the finals during his university days ...
From the books, he learned an important piece of information—
Transcendents cannot smuggle themselves into other countries.
The world was much smaller than he had imagined ... or rather, the land area of "this era" was only slightly larger than Europe.
It's not that there's only this continent on the planet. It's because the world is filled with "Mist".
To the eye, it appears as a pervasive grey-white dense fog.
Its essence is a materialized curse, so it cannot be dispersed by the wind. Mortals living within the dense fog will soon become afflicted with illnesses and die within four to five years; animals and plants will mostly die off, and the very few that don't become Twisted monsters.
But ordinary people can still live in the Mist, and there is international trade between merchant caravans.
However, Transcendents cannot.
Higher-ranking Transcendents are incredibly powerful.
But the moment they come into contact with the Mist, the curse within their bodies becomes rapidly active, and the degree of corruption by the curse grows swiftly, plunging them into forced nightmares every night. Moreover, if they die in the nightmares of the Mist, their real bodies will also perish.
Basically, Transcendents cannot leave their country's borders. Once they enter the range of the Mist, they often lose control or die outright before the sun rises, typically within three days.
Because the capitals and major cities of each country are protected by a special barrier, whose area of coverage is essentially the country's territory.
All Orthodox Churches have the technology to erect these barriers, effectively pushing the Mist out beyond the national borders.
If Transcendents want to leave their country and enter another, they can only move through underground tunnels.
Only by advancing their rank to Gold and obtaining Fragments of Truth, transferring all the curses within themselves into the Fragments of Truth, can they barely manage to cross the Mist and move.
"So, even if I am indeed being hunted by an assassin, the assassin cannot leave the Winter Principality."
Annan murmured to himself, "The reason I was able to cross the inland sea and drift here is that I am not a Transcendent myself."
Is this why I didn't encounter pirates at sea, and why there are so few ships ...
—This world has only five countries.
At least within the current range of isolation, shrouded by the Mist, only the last five civilizations remain ...
The book mentioned that the world was much bigger five hundred years ago.
At that time, the countries that exist now were all under the rule of a great empire, with other races and nations to the east, south, west, and north ... but three hundred years ago, the empire suddenly sank.
The entire island submerged into the sea, bringing a halt to a splendid civilization.
Subsequently, the countries quickly became independent, and the churches of the twelve True Gods fell apart. The great barrier also moved with the church, splintering into five barriers of varying sizes. Aside from one country that housed two churches, one governed jointly by the Qishen Church, the rest are each protected by a single True God.
But it's clear that the smaller barriers are not as effective as the great barrier.
Since then, the Mist has closed in more each year ... every few decades, the most marginal cities become engulfed by the Mist. Sizeable gaps, also known as "neutral spaces," have opened between what were once adjacent barriers.
In times of crisis, some countries began to gradually move their civilization underground, while others attempted to raise their lands into the sky. The contemporary King of Noah made a heroic decision when he succeeded the throne twenty-seven years ago:
He decided to unify the five countries by force ... to rebuild the great barrier.
If he succeeded, that would truly be considered a "glorious and immortal" human epic. His lofty ambition, his tremendous achievements were enough to be recorded in history—
So prophesied the author of that book.
... But clearly, he failed.
Although Transcendents cannot leave their own countries, they can at least defend them. To let ordinary soldiers fight against Transcendent powers with their flesh and blood was a foolish decision from the start. No one knows where he got the confidence to make such a decision.
Nearly thirty years have passed, and the King has aged significantly.
Yet his goals from his youth remain unfulfilled.
His children have lost their patience.
They are no longer interested in the life-long mission their old King struggled with; they each have their own strategies for saving the country. The King still sits on the throne today, but his children have already begun their unabashed struggle for succession rights.
Annan could foresee that soon chaos would engulf the Kingdom of Noah.
But for the time being, he couldn't leave the Kingdom. At least, he couldn't head to the Duchy of Winter.
That place was the domain of the "Frost and God of Tradition", revered by the people of the Duchy as "Old Grandmother"; others of different faiths called her the "Cold-blooded Lady".
Under the influence of her priests, the Duchy of Winter was insular and conservative. Everyone there revered tradition and resisted change. Even foreigners looking to enter were strongly repelled... making it difficult for spies from other countries to infiltrate.
Whenever there was a major upheaval within the Duchy of Winter, it was only long after the event had ended that foreigners would slowly come to know about it. This time was no exception.
Annan could only learn from Salvatore that something significant had indeed happened in the Duchy of Winter.
Because just recently, the Duchy had announced an emergency closure of its ports, banning all ships from entering or leaving. Orders from several wizard institutions in the Kingdom of Noah were even stuck on the other side.
...To be safe, Annan decided to wait until the dust settled before going back to have a look.
Given the situation, it could very well be a case of regicide and usurpation. Going back at a time like this would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth.
Better to sow more fields.
He'd wait until he'd stockpiled a wave of players, and then reconsider.
"It's time to get ready for the advancement," he murmured softly, "But which dungeon should I choose..."
Should he play it safe and go through Tan Juan's dungeon one more time?
Or should he wait for Salvatore's intelligence and then try the hard mode?
The rewards for completing the hard mode would certainly be better, but given that he was currently in rhythm with farming, there wasn't an urgent need for more personal power...
As if sensing his hesitation, a line of characters burning with bright red flames suddenly appeared before Annan.
[Countdown to the beta test start 06:00:00]
The line of text hung in the air for about three seconds before dissipating.
Staring at the text, Annan fell silent for a moment, and then turned to check his watch, confirming the time once more.
It was six o'clock in the evening.
...A beta test at midnight?
How cool was that?
Just then, Annan suddenly heard the sound of a key turning.
Salvatore had returned—
He had already agreed with Priest Louis yesterday that he would pick up the "dungeon guide" today. But Salvatore had left early this morning and didn't return until the sun had set...
He quietly looked up, casting a questioning glance at the former mayor.
Salvatore's eyes were still very tired, but his steps were fast and urgent.
"Why did your trip take so long?" Annan asked.
"Don't mention it," Salvatore replied with a furrowed brow, "I want to ask you, Tan Juan. Is that the ship you came on? The one moored in the fjord? About sixty meters long with three masts?"
"…What happened?"
Annan hesitated and answered ambiguously.
He felt a bit uneasy.
It seemed like this was going to be bad news...
Was it a new risk of his identity being exposed?
Or...
"Your ship, it's on fire."
Salvatore glanced at Annan with pity and slowly replied, "Last night, that ship suddenly caught a massive fire and was reduced to ashes. The blaze was very fierce; at least when I went to see it this morning, only a frame was left. There was nothing inside... I think you're stuck here for now.
"If it wasn't a mutiny among the guards you left on the ship, then I believe..."
The young mayor paused, staring at Annan's face and answering softly, "This might be a provocation—or rather, retaliation."