Swamp Lord with an Intelligence System - Chapter 668 - 284: First Encounter with Misfortune, a Swift Gain
Chapter 668: Chapter 284: First Encounter with Misfortune, a Swift Gain
The Swamp Giant-Horned Deer King soared through the air, galloping above the Long Thorn Mountain Range.
This time, Lear did not bring the army.
Making a deal with the legendary dark deity is not a safe thing. If a conflict truly arises, no amount of army will help.
Looking down from the sky, the Long Thorn Mountain Range is lush and full of life.
Though it was May, the weather was not hot and even carried a bit of chill.
It seemed as though the extreme cold weather of the Wilderness had spread to the Original Plane.
The most direct evidence was that the villagers of the Long Thorn Mountain Range had all confirmed the abnormal climate, which in previous years would have been hot by this time.
This directly affected large areas of farmland, with wheat sown in many places only growing leaves without flowering or spiking.
This situation made food scarce in many villages.
This was also why many villages entered Katana so readily.
At this stage, it was the season of scarcity, and harvests from the fields seemed hopeless.
Having a place that could provide work and food is normal even for non-believers to go.
Moreover, it was the will of the god.
The Swamp Giant-Horned Deer King moved quickly, reaching the edge of the Long Thorn Mountain Range in less than an hour.
The closer to the outside, the steeper the peaks, with even one or two thousand-meter-high mountains extending sixty kilometers at the outermost edge.
For ordinary people, crossing them is extremely difficult.
Correspondingly, trying to leave the Long Thorn Mountain Range is also exceptionally arduous.
After leaving the Long Thorn Mountain Range, the air suddenly turned cold, dropping from sixteen or seventeen degrees to eleven or twelve degrees, very noticeably.
The climate outside was more exaggerated than inside the mountains.
Lear’s gaze sharpened.
Flying over the last high mountain, looking ahead, he saw a bunch of low hills mixed with a lot of flat ground, suitable for reclamation and farming if there were a water source.
However, no human figures were seen, mostly small animals.
Speeding up… travelling more than twenty kilometers, he finally saw the first village.
But what was different was that the entire village was covered in bloodstains at the moment, and not a trace of life was felt.
At the same time, many buildings were destroyed, clearly having experienced a terrible disaster.
With a slight sense, Lear’s brows furrowed slightly.
The village was filled with menacing fear… as if fearing something.
Lowering a bit, he slightly scouted within the village, but found nothing.
With some confusion, he took flight again, seeing two more similar villages ahead, but the bloodstains were more mottled, the dried dark red looked eerie.
Was this the doing of Lady of Pain or the masterpiece of the Goddess of Misfortune?
It seemed the competition outside the mountain range was fiercer than he anticipated.
It wasn’t until traveling a hundred kilometers from the Long Thorn Mountains that Lear found his first human-inhabited village.
A population exceeding three thousand, quite large in scale, and at this moment, nearly everyone was gathered at the central square, praying to a statue with a blurry face.
“Great Goddess of Misfortune, your humble followers pray to you… Your glory shines upon the earth, dispersing all misfortune!”
“Allow us to offer our fervent faith to you, you who are our guide, the undying beacon!”
“…”
The prayers echoed through the sky.
Ordinary people couldn’t see it, but Lear could sense waves of Power of Faith traversing the void, connecting to another terrifying existence.
Arrived at the territory governed by the Goddess of Misfortune.
Taking a deep breath, not stopping, he let the Swamp Giant-Horned Deer King proceed forward.
The speed also subconsciously slowed down a lot.
Thus, after more than half an hour, passing by two similar small villages, Lear’s gaze froze.
Ahead at the visual end, a thousand meters high up, heavy clouds seemed stacked like soil, covering most of the light.
Beneath the clouds, a small town stood silently.
But it was deathly still, as if no life existed.
Getting a bit closer, one could see that outside this human town grew clusters of black vegetation, half-human tall, broad-leaved black branches, with blood-red double-petaled flowers blooming on top.
The black-red combination looked inexplicably unsettling.
These special plants covered vast lands…
The Flower of Misfortune, the emblem of misfortune!
This very flower was even engraved on the pawns of the Doomsday Sect of the Goddess of Misfortune.
A bit closer, Lear immediately felt an evil energy surging in, trying to corrode the soul.
Power of Rules, Misfortune.
The legendary dark deity was right here!
The Goddess of Misfortune and the Goddess of Fortune are twin sisters, born at the beginning of creation.
As the elder sister, the Goddess of Misfortune inherited the authority of misfortune, while the younger became the Goddess of Fortune.
Each belongs to an extreme.
In comparison, the Goddess of Fortune has a vast base of followers, as there’s no one who doesn’t hope to be favored by the Goddess of Fortune.
But speaking of the Goddess of Misfortune, there is only fear and horror.
Under normal circumstances, no one would worship this dark deity, only succumbing to her feet to drive away misfortune.
Spreading various fears is also the primary means by which the Doomsday Sect guides external faith.
But even if her followers aren’t one percent of the Goddess of Fortune’s, this terrifying dark deity’s control of power doesn’t lag behind other divine spirits.
As a deity of powerful divine power level, although not purely of combat divine office, her strange means are something even the War God must steer clear of!
Lear took a deep breath, slowly letting the Swamp Giant-Horned Deer King descend, heading straight towards the town entrance.
But before getting close, he felt a sensation of being watched creeping into his mind.
In the next moment, whoosh~
The sound of wings flapping arose, and from behind the city’s walls, a figure exuding an extremely dark aura slowly flew out.
Standing three meters tall, clad in heavy armor as black as ink, holding a black scythe longer than its own height.
The pair of blood-colored wings behind slowly flapped, creating ripples in the energy around with each movement.
Like stones being endlessly cast into a lake’s surface.
Its figure stood horizontally in the void, seeming to crush the surrounding space.
At the instant Lear saw the other party, a name immediately surfaced in his mind—
The ultimate soldier under the command of the Goddess of Misfortune—Doomsday Angel!
“Halt, intruder!”
The Doomsday Angel, with wings as red as blood, descended slowly, stopping thirty meters above, gazing at Lear.
“This is the domain of my god. Outsider, what do you intend?!”
The low voice was calm yet murderous, the long scythe in hand already glowing.
It seemed that just a slight displeasure would provoke immediate action.
At this moment, swoosh~ a squad of Doomsday Angels flew in succession from behind.
Eleven in total, watching him coldly.
Lear, seeing this scene, remained as calm as ever and, unexpectedly, addressed a vacant space beside the Doomsday Angel.
“Controller of Misfortune, eternal Dark Queen… I greet you.”
As the words fell, the void twisted.
A mysterious figure draped in a red cloak and clad in a black dress, with a face hidden behind a thin veil, appeared without a clear view.
The figure’s body shimmered slightly translucent, like visible yet intangible light and shadow.
As the phantom appeared, the Flower of Misfortune on the ground bloomed even more fervently and vividly.
Although it emitted no terrifying aura, its mere presence made one’s heart inexplicably cold.
The Goddess of Misfortune, a legendary being said to be born at the inception of creation, sister of the Goddess of Fortune!
“A guest from the Swamp… Instead of quickly annexing the Long Thorn Mountain Range, what brings you to me?”
A deep and hoarse voice slowly echoed.
Gaining followers inevitably required preaching, and public information couldn’t be hidden from such beings.
“I thought Your Highness might need to make some transactions, so I came.”
Lear’s tone was calm.
The Goddess of Misfortune remarked with interest.
“I don’t know what you have that would catch my eye…”
“But you, I know the former Swamp God left a Divine Artifact on some ancient battlefield. If you can present a tempting offer, I can inform you of this intelligence.”
As a Divine Spirit who has existed since the dawn of creation, even a Divine Artifact wasn’t precious to her.
Lear softly said, “I’m not interested in that. If needed, I’ll retrieve it myself…”
A single sentence immediately pulled back negotiations where he managed to grasp the initiative.
“Should I assist Your Highness in controlling several other temples… I wonder if such a transaction interests you.”
As the words fell, the mysterious eyes behind the Goddess of Misfortune’s veil slightly narrowed.
“It seems you know quite a bit.”
“Speak, what do you want?”
Before Lear could reply, she continued.
“Sir, there’s no need to play coy with me. I’m not interested in the petty bickering of humans… State your price. As long as the cost is within my acceptable range, it’s a deal.”
This direct?
Lear was somewhat surprised by the sincerity in the other’s tone.
Returning to his senses, he straightforwardly said, “I perceive that within the temple Your Highness controls, there’s an Ancient Crystal containing what I need…”
As soon as the words finished, the Goddess of Misfortune waved a hand, and a crystal the size of a fist covered in moss appeared.
“Is this what you desire?”
Lear’s eyes lit up. Before he could speak, she directly threw it over.
Instinctively reaching out to catch it, only when the Ancient Crystal was firmly in hand did he realize.
Got it this easily?
Contrary to what he expected…
“This item holds little value to me. Exchanging it for your breakthrough to the rules of the Original Plane, you’re at a disadvantage… In return, the Long Thorn Mountain Range is yours; I will not set foot in it again.”
“Additionally, I’ll expel the Queen of Pain for you.”
The Goddess of Misfortune’s tone was calm, as if discussing something trivial.
As if the Queen of Pain, also a Divine Spirit, was merely a lamb to be slaughtered.
Never considering whether Lear might default…
Lear took a deep breath and decisively said, “I have one final transaction. The Abyssal Evil God—Blood Judge… does Your Highness know of him?”
“Heard of… a weak Divine Power, right? Such a reclusive Evil God in the Abyss, you want me to kill him? That’s rather tricky; the price isn’t worth it… The old monsters of the Abyss are awake, and they’ll target me if I go there.”
Lear’s expression twitched.
From her tone, if the cost was sufficient, eliminating a god wouldn’t be a significant issue?
“No need, just need Your Highness, in a few days when I reach out, to sever his ties with the Main Plane Legion…”
The Goddess of Misfortune nodded thoughtfully.
“No problem, I agree.”
“Now, help me convert those temples…”
This goddess… incredibly straightforward indeed.
The second warning intelligence, about the Judgement Legion dragging the Swamp into the Abyss, with this fierce presence stepping in, it can be swiftly resolved.
And the Goddess of Misfortune wasn’t worried about any changes from Lear’s side.
In truth, it was so; mocking the Goddess of Misfortune… even the God of Mirth wouldn’t dare.
This mythical legend, known for her ruthless methods; even the renowned God of Intrigue, the Spider Queen Rose, keeps her distance.
