Cthulhu Gonfalon

The sun had begun to rise, shadowing the moon. A faint white glow could be seen in the East.

Within the woods, not too far away from Green Tree City, the sound of fighting resonated far and loud, where even those by the edge of the city walls could hear. On the observation deck by the city gate, a soldier donned simply in a half-body armor was looking far into the distance where the fighting was happening. There was some longing in his eyes, but more of it was worry.

When the immortals fought, the mortals would suffer. With two churches engaged in battle, where it was said that more than ten Legendary Masters were present, this battle was going to be crazy. Any shot deviating from the actual target, even to the slightest degree, would most likely bombard Green Tree City.

Of course, Green Tree City was under the protection of a magic array, so it might not necessarily be hit with that much damage. But if the magic array could not withstand the oncoming waves, the unlucky one to be hit first would certainly be him.

“Ugh! How worrying!”

“What are you worried about?” asked a friend who was stationed at the lower deck after hearing the soldier’s lamentation. Out of curiosity, he asked, “You made your wife angry in the morning, so now you have no lunch?”

“You’re the one without lunch!” the sentry replied in a most unpleasant tone. “I am worried about the battle over there. What should I do if they continue to fight like that and the aftermath of their clashing blades or magic come our way?”

The sentry on the lower deck pondered for a moment before saying, “There is nothing to worry about. If we are really going to be affected by their battle, we still have the magic array to block it.”

“What if our magic array can’t block the hits?” the anxiety-ridden sentry asked. “If our magic array can’t block the hits, we will be the first to meet misfortunate!”

“If the hits are not blocked… then we just have to admit that we are in a streak of bad luck,” replied his friend with a bitter laugh. But after giving it some thought, his furrowed brows relaxed, and he said, “As a matter of fact, there is nothing to be afraid of. The attacks of Legendary Masters, they must be awfully powerful! We will most certainly be dead in a flash, there will be no pain at all.”

“Thank you for your comforting words,” replied the sentry on the upper deck as he forced a laugh; then he turned back again, fixated on the place where the intense battle was ongoing.

After a while, he spoke again and said, “Sigh! If only I were powerful enough, I wouldn’t have to worry then.”

“Isn’t it a little too late to be mulling over this now? If you had worked hard when you were young, who knows, maybe you would have been very powerful now,” said their captain with a sneer. He happened to pass by and overhear their conversation. He went on to say, “You are almost ten years older than me, and when I reached your age, most likely I would have advanced up to a high level. But you, look at you, you are not even mid-level! If you had not put in the effort to work hard when you were young, what’s the point in lamenting now?” said the captain, who seemed to get angrier the more he spoke. “Let’s not even talk about when you were young, let’s take the present for instance, you find excuses to run away whenever you are training… with that attitude of yours, how could you possibly become a master?”

“I heard people saying that there was someone who happened to pick up a treasure, or ate some wonderful fruit, then all of a sudden, he became a master…”

“You can stay in that reverie of yours for as long as you please!” said the captain who shook his head and walked away with disinterest.

“Captain, wait!” shouted that soldier who was patrolling the lower deck. He quickly chased after the captain. He had some questions about the topic earlier on.

After listening to his inquiry, the captain fell into a moment of deep thought before replying, “Your worries are unnecessary. No matter how strong these Legendary Masters are, they would not go about wasting their powers. In battle, they need every ounce of strength to vanquish their enemy. If they can’t do so, most probably they will lose their lives. Your worries of any blasts or magic coming our way and destroying the magic array that protects Green Tree City are just foolish conjectures.”

Upon hearing so, the sentry let his worries rest, saluted the captain respectfully and then left hurriedly.

After seeing the sentry leave, the captain frowned. He looked into the direction where the sounds of battle were coming from, and after a long time, he turned around again. Walking a short distance down the street, he arrived at a house that was not very spacious, but well-kept and neat.

“Teacher are you there?” he asked as he knocked on the door.

The unlatched door opened. A bald, old man with slightly stooped shoulders, a slightly hunched back, and long white brows and beard walked out. His face was full of wrinkles, but still, the wrinkles were unable to conceal his ferociousness. When he was young, he must have been a very aggressive character. But the kindness in his eyes and the way his neighbors greeted him with smiles proved that he was very popular and was not some bad guy.

The captain of the patrol team bowed reverentially to the old man, and then he asked, “Right now, there are two churches in battle outside the city. I heard there were more than ten Legendary Masters participating in the battle. I am a little worried and would like to head over to check out the situation. Do you think it is alright for me to do so?”

This bald, old man was also considered to be a legendary figure within Green Tree City. Back then, he was a regular hatchet man who was met with an accidental opportunity. Thereafter, he had turned over a new leaf and did many good things. The God of Justice had even bestowed upon him a gift, and as of the current day, he was one of the few remaining high-level masters in the city.

He had wandered about for years; thus, he carried a rich base of experience and knowledge. So whenever the captain of the patrol team had worries, he would naturally come looking for the old man with his inquiries.

“Which two churches?” the bald old man asked.

“The Church of the Great Educator (the God of Knowledge) and the Church of the Noble Lady (the God of Aristocracy).”

“Then there is no cause for worry,” replied the old man. “The Great Educator is a good god, while the Noble Lady is an orderly god. Neither of their followers would do misdeeds such as attacking cities and towns or killing innocent people.”

“Didn’t you mention this to me before, that the concept of a camp was actually not very reliable?”

“This is true when the number of people is not high. But if it is just one person we are talking about, then a kind person may do evil while a rebellious one may abide by order. But the more people there are, the more difficult it is to do things that are against the camp,” the old man replied with a smile. “There are so many people gathering together with the two churches put together, if any side were to do something inappropriate, it would not reflect well upon them. Therefore, you need not worry at all. These Legendary Masters value their image more than life itself.”

The captain of the patrol team was silent for a while, and then with a sigh, he said, “How good it would be if I were to become a Legendary Master too!”

“That is not going to be easy, at least for our Mifata Federation, that is not easy at all,” replied the old man with a sigh. Then he continued to say, “Over on our side, there are those who are born into good families with access to enough resources, and thus, they have the opportunity to learn profound knowledge and skills. You have talent, you are also hardworking, but ultimately, these alone are never enough.”

“Then what should I do?” asked the captain of the patrol team.

The old man thought for quite some time. Then he pulled his student into the house and whispered, “If you really want to become strong, go to the Republic of Northwest and seek the people of the Church of the Void Mask.”

“Seek them out? What’s the point in looking for them?”

“Thirty years ago, when I was still a nameless hatchet man, I occasionally ran into His Majesty, the Void Mask, and was enlightened by him. That was why I had repented and turned over a new leaf… All these years, I have prided myself in doing the right things and not letting myself to go awry. I have lived up to his teachings and have not let him down. If you go there and pray to him, thank him on my behalf and while you are at it, do request to join his church… there should be chances for you to pick up some profound abilities over there.”

The captain of the patrol team froze for a moment; then asked out of curiosity, “Teacher, back then, did you meet His Majesty, the Void Mask, personally?”

“Yes, I met him. Not only did I meet him, but I also saw the ‘King of the Seaside,’ Leon Igor and the ‘Master of Healing,’ Steele Geerteng,” said the bald old man as he recalled these past events. He could not help holding back a smile as he said, “Back then, there were, in fact, four people who were receiving his guidance, but I was the only one who finally managed to make my way back to the right path of life… no matter what, I should go and express my gratitude. What a pity, I’m old, and I can’t walk long distances…”

Realization dawned upon the captain of the patrol team, who then nodded his head profusely.

Early the next morning, he resigned from his post and with his bag slung across his back, he rode a fine steed and bade farewell to his teacher. Then he hurried out of the door and headed in the direction of the Highest Tower.

To make it to the Northwest Republic, the most suitable channel was none other than the transportation portal of the Highest Tower. And until this point in time, the sounds of intense fighting coming from the forested area outside the city were still ongoing. Both sides did not seem to have any intention of putting the battle to an end…