Judging from Commander Berion's tone, his words were meant to warn Lith about the danger the lost cities represented . Maybe he even hoped the young Ranger would reconsider his choice .
Lith's curiosity was piqued, instead .
'How many secrets does the Griffon Kingdom keep from its citizens?' He thought . 'I can understand sweeping Necromancy under the rug . It's a branch of magic too dangerous to let it fall in the hands of nobles with more money than life left .
'Heck, even Balkor is something that better stays forgotten . If the story of what happened to him becomes public, small villages like Lutia would either smother their children's talent for magic or lose any trust in the Crown .
'But this? Why a bunch of ruins is deemed so dangerous? Why have I never heard anything about them, not even at the Academy?'
"With all due respect, Sir, but if the lost cities represent a threat to the Kingdom, why are they still standing? I doubt the combined forces of the army and the Mage Association can't bring them down, even if one at the time . "
"Excellent question, Lieutenant . " Berion nodded . He liked Lith not showing any fear for his personal safety and only thinking about the safety of their country . Alas, what he mistook for loyalty was just Lith's innate scientific curiosity .
Misunderstanding or not, the real reason for Berion's earlier anger wasn't the incident with Trion, but it's consequences . Rumors about the events at Regharos had spread like wildfire, attracting the interest of several high officers .
The Commander wanted to keep the existence of his golden goose a secret for as long as possible . Any meritorious act a subordinate performed would generate merits for their commanding officer .
So far, Lith had caused Berion a lot of trouble for little return . The purple crystal disappearance, Sergeant Tepper's complaints, and now an assault against fellows Non-commissioned officers . Berion had invested in Lith, but if someone stole him, it would have been all for naught .
"Cleansing operations have been conducted multiple times with poor results . Once in a while, we have to cull their numbers to prevent them from overpowering the arrays . That's why we need you to check their threat level .
"The problem is that there is no way to exterminate them for good . We tried and failed on several occasions over the centuries . Those things are hard to define . They are neither alive or undead . Even after wiping them out, they keep respawning .
"As for destroying the lost cities, it's too big of a risk . Our mages have assessed that, whatever created those things in the past, still lingers up to date . Those ruins are like a giant living array that has corrupted the very earth they were built upon .
"They hold an incredible amount of magic power that somehow never runs out . If we destroy those cities, we could create an even worse threat . Not to mention that all the knowledge they hold would be lost forever . "
Lith was now even more eager to explore those ruins .
'It's like the library of Alexandria built on top of a nuclear reactor . ' He thought . 'I wonder why Awakened ones never solved the issue . Is it because it's beyond even their capabilities or do they just not care? It's also possible they are the reason behind the constant respawn of the creatures .
'It would make sense if the Awakened ones want to keep others away from the prize . '
"I expect you to depart immediately . " Berion handed to Lith a dimensional amulet shaped like the Ranger's Crest . It contained everything he could need during his travels .
"Remember to always report your position at least thrice a day . We need to know where you are and what are you doing . It's especially important before you enter one of the lost ruins or an unmapped city .
"Never underestimate the dangers of the border regions . There a lot of deserters from both the Griffon Kingdom and the Gorgon Empire living there . In the past, we have lost a lot of promising Rangers because of their carelessness .
"Don't hesitate to call for backup . The real strength of the army resides in its numbers . Feel free to get from the armory whatever you may need . Good luck, Ranger Verhen . "
After exchanging the salute, Commander Berion offered Lith his hand . Lith was surprised by the gesture, but he shook it nonetheless .
'Seems he has high expectations for you . ' Solus pondered . 'It doesn't match with my idea of a Ranger being like a beat cop, though . I mean, what can he possibly hope for you to achieve in the wilderness?'
'We'll find out . ' Lith followed the Commander's advice, restocking his supplies of food and Alchemical tools . There was no weapon or armor that outperformed his current equipment, which was disappointing .
Lith left the camp, reaching the city of Belius with the Warp Gate . It was the biggest settlement in the region . Belius was a fortress city built in front of a narrow pass between two mountain ranges that formed a natural border separating the two countries .
On the other side of the pass there was a twin city, Relius, flying the Gorgon Empire's flag . Lith was stunned by the amount of magic in the air . There were countless arrays in place, preventing the use of dimensional magic, flight, and even spells above tier three .
Lith could sense a dissonance in the air that gave his mana core an ill feeling .
He had never seen so many protections since he had left the Royal Palace .
'Paranoid much?' Lith realized how hypocritical it the word sounded coming from him the moment he thought it .
'Yeah and for a good reason . ' Solus pondered . 'Both cities must prevent the enemy from building a dimensional corridor that would make all the weapons and walls in the world useless . Dimensional items make smuggling anything an easy feat .
No wonder they are banned here . ' She had attempted accessing her pocket dimension just to find it sealed .
Even leaving Belius proved to be not an easy feat . Lith had to fill a lot of paperwork to be recognized as the newly appointed Ranger of the region, had to declare everything he had stored in his army and personal dimensional amulets .
Much to his dismay, he found out the Mage Association had a way to undo his imprinting on the enchanted items and could verify Lith's claims .
"Are you sure you want to leave right away?" Asked a clerk of about twenty years of age after making an inventory of Lith's possessions before returning the amulets to him .
"Belius may have strict regulations, but it's one of the most beautiful cities of the Kingdom . Once you get out of the gates, it could be weeks before you have a proper bed and meal . "
"Thanks, but no thanks . Without my magic, I feel naked . " Lith replied . "I can't wait to get out of here . "
The man nodded, opening a Warp Gate that brought Lith right outside the city walls .
"Lucky b*stard . "
"Noble scum . "
"F*cking as*hat . "
Those were just some of the words that welcomed his arrival, together with numerous spits onto the ground to emphasized their contempt .
Even the city guards were about to join the crowd until they noticed the traveler was alone and donning the green of the Rangers . They hastily swallowed their own phlegm giving him a salute .
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