Ch. 87 Passing the Gate

The group walked along the main road for over half an hour before approaching the Gatefront Ruins.

After all, on a large plain, places often look closer than they actually are; this is an illusion caused by the lack of reference points.

On both sides of the road stood Y-shaped Gallows with hanging Hollows.

Mia and Patches, the two of them were like slaves, tied with ropes and strung together.

Mia followed behind Patches.

And the rope on Patches’ hands was being led by Wilden.

Melina concealed her form, while the Spirit Wolves temporarily returned to their ashes.

Even though she had full confidence in her own strength.

Mia still couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

But compared to Patches.

She was clearly doing quite well.

Following behind Patches, Mia could clearly see that bald head turning incessantly.

They were almost there.

“Behave yourself!”

Mia whispered sharply.

Patches muttered reluctantly, “Just looking.”

Mia retorted.

“At least try to act the part!”

Clearly, Patches didn’t know there was a book titled ‘An Actor Prepares’.

Now was the time for both of them to put their acting skills to use.

The ruins in the distance took the group another half hour to finally approach.

It was once a village, but its name had long been forgotten in the river of time.

Of the wood and stone structures, only the stones remained.

The stones had weathered countless storms, yet they still stood there, relics left by a once-happy people, resiliently enduring the test of time.

Even though there was a garrison within the ruins, they had no intention of rebuilding the place.

As they drew closer, Mia could only see some tent peaks slightly taller than the ruins.

They looked like bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground after a rain.

On the grass beside the ruins stood several massive carriages pulled by giants.

But no giants were there.

At the entrance of the ruins stood a Soldier.

Since Mia could see that Soldier from the very back of the group, it certainly proved that the Soldier had also seen them long ago.

Mia thought there would at least be some obstruction or questioning, however—

However, the Soldier only turned his head slightly and gave them a glance.

Beyond that, he made no reaction to the several people walking toward them.

Mia wore a blindfold over her eyes.

Thus, she could observe her surroundings without anyone knowing.

She clearly saw that the Soldier on guard still had a golden glow in his eyes, just like Wilden.

They were definitely not the decaying, pale eyes of a Hollow.

Yet they still walked into the ruins openly.

Even if someone looked over, no one stopped them, and no one asked questions.

Mia was somewhat surprised.

When they tried to sneak past the Tree Sentinel earlier, they had almost been exposed, but now with more people and more chances to draw attention, there wasn’t the slightest hindrance.

Was it because security was too lax? Or did they trust Wilden too much, seeing him in the same uniform leading two people?

As they entered the streets of the ruins.

This was indeed a military camp.

Yet what met her eyes was not the serious atmosphere one would expect of a camp.

Royal Army Soldiers, wearing surcoats adorned with the Erdtree and beasts, gathered around campfires in the ruins.

Almost no one was on guard or patrolling.

Some sat, some stood, and some were half-reclining.

Weapons and equipment were piled up in a messy heap.

The entire camp was almost silent; like the ruins themselves, the presence of people failed to bring any life back to the place.

If these Soldiers weren’t breathing, no one would think they were alive.

Compared to real people, they looked more like wax statues.

Perhaps they could daze off forever—staring at the fire, staring at the street, standing in a daze, lying in a daze…

If the fire went out, they would likely just add some wood and continue dazing.

The three passed between the Soldiers.

Mia breathed cautiously, as careful as a sheep walking through a pack of wolves.

A Soldier with a sword at his hip and a Brass Shield passed by them.

He wasn’t as tall as Wilden, but in the eyes of Tarnished like Patches and Mia, a two-meter-tall Royal Army Soldier was still a giant.

Mia suddenly turned her head to look at the Soldier.

She realized that even if she looked around, she wouldn’t draw the Soldier’s attention.

It was as if they were machines; as long as an event wasn’t serious enough to exceed a threshold and trigger a switch, these Royal Army Soldiers would continue to operate in silence and numbness.

No change at all.

Were they really human?

The young girl’s heart rate quickened slightly.

These Soldiers really seemed like NPCs in a game.

Compared to Wilden, the difference was night and day.

Seeing those Soldiers’ gaunt cheeks, the Uncanny Valley effect began to take hold in Mia’s mind.

The faces of these Soldiers… looked more like mummified corpses than Wilden’s…

No, that wasn’t right.

Mia recalled.

When she first met Wilden in the Cave of Learning, his face really didn’t look much different from these Soldiers.

All human features had shriveled into gaunt skin and flesh, making all the Soldiers look the same.

But…

What about Wilden now?

Back in Nuln, Wilden’s face looked old and loose, like a man in his seventies or eighties.

Mia had dismissed a civilian’s suspicion by saying he ‘just looked old’.

But the Wilden she had just seen looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

A beard had even appeared on his face, which wasn’t there when they first met.

It wasn’t until Mia saw the Royal Army Soldiers in the ruins that she suddenly realized Wilden had undergone such a massive change.

Because they were together day and night, she hadn’t even noticed that Wilden’s face was now barely distinguishable from a normal Soldier’s.

Why? What was the reason? How did Wilden, whose appearance was no different from a mummified corpse when they first met, become like this?

And why did those Royal Army Soldiers still look like mummified corpses?

Did it have to do with her?

Mia could only guess so.

The undisguised sound of metal clashing from ahead interrupted Mia’s thoughts.

Something was glinting under the’sunlight’ just ahead.

Looking closely, a knight in heavy armor and a helmet was walking toward them.

Wilden pulled the rope without a word.

The knight held a massive metal Tower Shield and a spear; Mia thought he would pass by Wilden and the two Tarnished mechanically, just like the patrolling Soldiers.

But the knight slowed his pace ahead.

Mia looked at the golden eyes through the slits of the helmet and quickly lowered her head.

Actually, this wasn’t a necessary action, because the girl’s eyes were covered with a cloth, and no one knew where she was looking.

The knight slowed down but didn’t stop them or shout.

He… no, it was a she. Even though the knight’s voice was as raspy as stones grinding together, Mia could still tell it was a female voice.

“You, alone?” the knight asked briefly.

This was the first time Mia had heard another sane Erdtree Folk speak besides Wilden.

Of course, Kalé didn’t count; he was of the Nomadic People, not a subject of the Erdtree.

Facing the knight’s inquiry, Wilden nodded.

Mia didn’t know if Wilden’s response was consistent with the Royal Army’s norms.