Chapter 51 My World (Part Two)

"Because of light, the world is full of life. Her true name is like a ray of light, which has given her courage and vitality. Because of her name, her face has gained a clear appearance. Ophelia, I really want to tell everyone this name as soon as possible, and let everyone know that she is the child who came out of the cave."

Number Thirty-Three sang happily as he strode forward, parting the bushes to walk alongside Billis on a featureless cobblestone path.

Ahead lies a small village, each house resembling a crate with a triangular roof. The village has a small population, and several winding stone paths divide it into several sections. The outermost houses are surrounded by several large trees, beneath which sits a massive boulder as tall as the houses.

Behind the boulder are intricately networked paths that radiate outwards, and the clumps of trees spread out like cells in the body, reaching out to the four cardinal directions.

Number Thirty-Three went to a nearby villager's house to ask for water, and Billy sat on the boulder waiting for him.

When the new friend returned after asking for water, he was also carrying some colorful fruit.

Because the resolution is too low, it's impossible to see what these rough fruits look like, but they taste very fresh, and when you bite into them, they have a sweet, springy flavor.

To thank Number Thirty-Three, Billis told him in detail the true purpose of his coming into this world.

At first, the bard was not quite convinced, but with his knowledge, he had never seen a figure with such clear resolution.

"So, I'm an imaginary character? Living in the mind of some creator god?" Number Thirty-Three broke open a piece of fruit, and drops of cement-like juice smeared onto his hands.

"I really want to help you break free from your fate, but I must first eliminate the hackers and prevent the world from collapsing."

"You truly are a hero."

"Say whatever you want."

A simple smile appeared on Number Thirty-Three's face; though it was just a curve, he was very happy to have met a brave person from another world.

Billis also learned some things about Number Thirty-Three.

Number Thirty-Three comes from the most remote north of this world. It is the smallest of the four countries. Every winter, that small duchy holds a grand concert at the Duke's manor. Those who come to listen to the concert are all prominent figures, including the world's most comical king, the most verbose civil official, and the most devout preacher.

Number Thirty-Three participated in a total of thirty-three concerts. All his skills were learned by stealing from a court musician. He was not very good at grasping what kind of music to play in what situation, so he never won the applause of the audience.

At this point, Number Thirty-Three couldn't help but play two pieces on his simple hand-cranked violin. One piece was to praise the hero, while the other had already used several wrong notes halfway through, and its ups and downs were clearly not in line with the style of this world.

After the two pieces were finished, Billis still applauded him, but only in recognition of the tone.

After regaining their composure, the two continued their ascent up the mountain.

Sunlight swept across the snow-capped peaks, painting the forest in vibrant colors and illuminating the bird nests in the branches, making them appear as if they held golden eggs.

Several black, barely noticeable insects flew onto the bard's top hat, shoulders, and back, and he chuckled as he plucked them off.

An unidentified bird called out from the woods and darted into the sky like lightning, cutting through the leaves. The few insects also flew away from my palm and disappeared into the vastness of nature in the blink of an eye.

Billis was amazed that such tiny insects existed in this world.

They followed the gap, from the valley all the way to a cliff with only two colors. The trees were still, and several kilometers down a long yellow slope, there was a ribbon-like waterfall. The water from the waterfall flowed into a small river, and at the intersection of the two tracks and the river, there was a striking little town.

The town's residents like to wear black clothes for wind and sun protection. The men are tall and strong, calm and indifferent, and ignore visitors. The women are neither young nor beautiful, and they often turn their heads to look at their plump sleeves.

According to locals, this town is already the southernmost point in the world. After crossing a few more mountains, you can smell the stench and dry excrement of the evil dragon, which is hidden in an ancient fortress, with gold piled up underneath.

A large group of heroes had already gathered in the temporary guild hall, and Billis and Number Thirty-Three had also been brought there.

The guild hall was in chaos. Some people were wielding two axes, some were holding a staff, and some were holding spellbooks. Fifty swords and halberds were pieced together to form a breastplate pattern. A paladin holding a cross sword shouted from the crowd, "Don't try to take the princess from me!"

A few shifty-looking guys sneaked in, with daggers strapped to their waists and empty sacks hunched over their backs. They didn't look like dragon slayers at all; they looked more like they were after gold.

Including the few at the entrance who didn't even bring weapons, there were a total of two hundred people.

These two hundred people all claimed to be dragon-slaying masters, and they fought over them, none of them willing to give in.

Just then, music started playing in the hall.

Number Thirty-Three sat by the warm fireplace and sang a song of unity for everyone in the local accent.

The hall fell silent immediately.

Taking advantage of this moment, Billis rushed to the front of the group, raised the torch stuck in the oil drum, and shouted: "Warriors! What are you fighting for to slay the dragon? For love? For money? For honor? And me? Only for victory!"

"For victory!"

"For our world!"

"What are we waiting for? Let it taste fear!"

Just like a torch held high, the atmosphere instantly ignited.

Billy and Number Thirty-Three successfully rallied the group.

Someone volunteered to bring a table, spread out a large map on it, and assigned those skilled in melee weapons to the vanguard position, those skilled in magic to the support position, those skilled in assassination to the assault position, those skilled in healing to the support position, and those skilled in nothing to the logistics position.

After the missions were assigned, the organizers distributed enchanted weapons, armor, various portable ammunition, and healing packs to the warriors.

Billys was assigned a matchlock gun, and number thirty-three was assigned a sonic harp.

The organizers of the campaign explained how to enter the fortress. The method was simple: send assault troops to infiltrate the fortress and open the city gates from the inside. It would be even better if they could strike while the dragon was dozing off.

Early the next morning, this checkered-patterned unit marched in a grand procession toward the pass.

As the group approached the pass, a wave of heat suddenly surged from the front, crashing into the warriors. Horsemen fell from their horses, shield bearers dropped their scorching shields, and the gears and instruments carried by each person malfunctioned.

The choking heatwave left traces of some kind of liquid crawling on the rocks wherever it passed, and visible winds of blue and gold, fiery red and azure rolled in the air.

Half of the people were so frightened that they deserted before even crossing the valley.

The remaining one hundred warriors continued onward.

At night, the brave warriors entered a secluded valley forest, where the surrounding trees would conjure indescribable shapes, and from among the black pines came the sound of demonic laughter.

A heatwave, similar to the one this morning, shot fiery red light into the sky. Many people's voices were drowned out, and their shouts gradually faded away. When the heatwave subsided, the demon's voice continued to ring out.

Many others wanted to discard their armor and return to their hometowns.

But if they all leave like this, the world will be completely plunged into the shadow of the dragon.

Number Thirty-Three brings us another piece of music, a song he composed for Sunset and Dark Forest. He felt the scene was very similar to this place, so he sang it for us.

The warriors seemed to hear a divine voice in the dark wilderness; the pallor on their faces vanished. Good people need not hide from evil, for even those among them with bad reputations are equal before music.

The bard dispelled everyone's fear, bringing peace and solemnity; even the shadows of the secluded forest vanished with the music.

Billis lit a rectangular bonfire and gathered everyone together again.

He ate his dinner with great enthusiasm, sometimes bursting into laughter, sometimes displaying the mischievousness of a child. Despite the cold night, the story was like a warm candle, igniting everyone's sense of mystery.

"Who wants to start?" Billis asked everyone.

Everyone put their hands together, waiting for Billy to tell the story.

But Billy stopped telling the story and instead gave the right to tell it to Number Thirty-Three.

The bard, who loved playing the harp and telling stories, mysteriously put down his harp and asked, "Do you want to know the origin of this world?"

"I don't want to, but since you asked, I'll tell you."

“I heard from my grandfather, and from my grandfather’s grandfather, that before the Great Migration, this place was a desolate wasteland, until a god descended from the sky…”