The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 476 - 307: Fire Hall

Chapter 476: Chapter 307: Fire Hall

Molly was one of the supporters for Rod entering the Fire Hall.

She was very aware that the current situation was extremely delicate, and the upper echelons of Royal City were hesitating as well.

At this time, only a slight change was needed to break this balance and tip the scales.

Since the threat of the withered lord had been eliminated into oblivion, Molly had never been as certain as she was now that Rod would change Royal City and alter the hopeless destiny of humanity.

Her greatest wish in life was to let every person see the dawn of humanity after truly understanding this world.

——

Above Royal City.

The highest peak of the Dead Ash Mountain Range.

A thick black fog was separated by a barrier of flames, with a fiery red castle located right at the center of this circular barrier.

The Fire Hall.

At the large Round Table, due to the absence of the seven Fire Sons and four Knight Captains, those in charge of routine affairs were the five Guardians on rotational duty and the first Defense Chief, Dalin.

Weighed down by the pressure of expansion, the resolute face of the first Defense Chief, Dalin, also showed deep fatigue. He was smoking his cigarette, one after another, burying himself in the swirling smoke.

"The crisis at Courage Fortress has not been resolved, and they need more high-rank combatants,"

"I’ll go," said Guardian Qiuqie’er.

"No," Dalin shook his head slightly, "You have a more important task. There’s been a disturbance with the demons of the Dead Land again, you must be on standby at all times, otherwise Luo Weiya will be in danger."

Qiuqie’er fell silent.

Guardian and King Candidate Qingyu raised an eyebrow and said, "I can go and support them."

"What about the Abyss Rift in the twelfth defense area?"

"I can have White Wolf hold the defense area; his characteristic of the void can prevent the rift from opening an entrance underground," said Qingyu.

"But time is limited, his Spiritual Energy won’t last very long."

"A’luo can help him replenish Spiritual Energy."

Guardian and King Candidate Jon raised an objection.

"A’luo only has Eighth Level Spiritual Energy; she won’t be able to sustain it for long."

Qingyu spoke indifferently, "A’luo’s characteristic has blossomed the Ninth Fireworks; her Spiritual Power Assimilation can quickly digest and replenish with Spiritual Power Potions. As long as the potions are uninterrupted, her Spiritual Energy is nearly infinite."

Jon furrowed his brow, reproaching, "It’s inhumane to use her in such a way. The side effects of overdosing on Spiritual Power Potions can damage her soul, and as a holder of a first-class characteristic, she has great potential uses in the future and should not be wasted like this."

Qingyu slightly lowered his eyebrow, "There’s no choice in this matter, I will deal with the threat at Courage Fortress as quickly as possible."

Jon replied with dissatisfaction, "That’s irresponsible of you; without a specific time, without a detailed plan, it’s impossible to defeat the monsters based solely on your feelings."

Dalin knocked on the table, interrupting their quarrel.

"Jon, do you have a solution?"

Without hesitation, Jon said, "Your Excellency Dalin, I have a new candidate."

He swiftly flipped through a large stack of papers and pulled out a report, presenting it to the Round Table.

"The Defender of Star Town, Rod, has completed the coordination of spirit and flesh, approaching the standards of a Third Level combatant, and he can be approved as a reserve member of the Fire Hall."

Great Lin furrowed his brows instantly.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jon spoke calmly, "I think he can go and clear the Abyss Rift while Qingyu provides support to Courage Fortress."

"No!"

Guardian Lily immediately raised an objection.

"Rod’s current strength is far from sufficient. He cannot become a reserve member of the Fire Hall. It’s too dangerous for him."

Another petite Guardian also said, "Even if he became a reserve member, such a dangerous mission is not suitable for him."

Great Lin took a drag of his cigarette and did not agree with Jon’s idea either.

"The rift that has appeared in the twelfth defense zone could be a large rift. Although it’s not as massive as the one near Laisuo City, which wouldn’t result in a Super Rank demon such as the Abyss Giant Snake, it could still potentially produce High Rank Strong Monsters like the Blasphemers. This is a second-tier threat that requires at least Non-human Level combat power; reserve members are not equipped to deal with such threats."

Facing opposition from everyone, Jon simply smiled slightly.

"I have several reasons, please hear me out."

"First, Rod has participated in the Iron Armor Battle Fortress campaign and has been involved in the eradication of Abyss Rifts. In fact, both the large and small Abyss Rifts near Laisuo City were destroyed by his own hands. Although the presence of Lord Theodore was a factor, one cannot deny his similar experience."

Everyone nodded slightly; the Abyss Rifts in the Black Tide were extremely dangerous. The massive rift that appeared that time directly resulted in the fall of Theodore, one of the Royal City’s mightiest powers.

If not for Rod, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Jon continued.

"Second, although in our eyes, Rod’s absolute strength is insufficient, his past record proves he is entirely capable of undertaking this mission. You may think those were all coincidences, but so many similar coincidences occurring repeatedly cannot be explained merely by Theodore’s last Soul Ripple."

"Third, I can send Vivian and Velas to assist him, Qingyu can dispatch White Wolf and Aro to aid him, and within his Black Battle Group, there are taboo existences like Mephit. The chances of completing this mission are very high."

The room went quiet as everyone silently considered his words.

Gradually, everyone’s gaze turned to Qingyu.

And the latter suddenly showed a sunny, bright smile.

"Thank you, Jon."

Jon shook his greasy long hair and returned a cold smile, "You’re welcome."

Great Lin threw away the half-smoked cigarette and said seriously.

"That’s settled then, Qingyu, you will immediately go to assist Courage Fortress. Everyone else return to your respective battle formations. Rod officially enters the Fire Hall as a reserve member and is in charge of handling the Abyss Rift in the twelfth defense zone."

No one had any objections, and they left.

Everyone had heavy burdens to bear; they did not have much time to linger here.

But before he left, Great Lin called Jon to a halt.

Jon turned around, his cold eyes hidden beneath his greasy long hair.

"Is there something you need, Lord Great Lin?"

Great Lin said indifferently, "Lord Jon, in the Fire Hall, we only discuss matters related to the safety of humanity. Do not bring the struggle for the throne here."

Jon sneered, "Lord Great Lin, what are you implying? I simply proposed a solution to a problem, and isn’t it the case that you all have accepted this proposal?"

Great Lin lifted his gaze, his sharp eyes piercing through the mist as if to see right through the person before him.

"Jon, we all know what you’re doing,"

Jon said impatiently, "So what? I showcase my abilities and my wisdom. What’s wrong with that? Aren’t we choosing the most excellent king? If Qingyu has a better method, she is welcome to propose it, and I will acknowledge her excellence just the same."

Dalin said calmly, "Jon, Qingyu is just not competing."

Jon sneered, "That’s her strategy."

"Your thinking is too complex."

Dalin shook his head slightly.

"Interpreting everything according to your own perspective is one-sided, your ideology is too aggressive, and many elders don’t like it."

Jon snorted coldly, "What can they do if they don’t like it? The competition for the throne has intensified. I can only move forward, and one day, you will see that I am right."

He turned and left the Round Table Hall without looking back.

At the great round table, Dalin was left alone.

"I hope so."

He sighed softly and shifted his gaze to Rod’s report.

"You can still bring us surprises like you used to."

Complex thoughts flashed by, and he was immersed in his busy work again.

In this special period, there were always endless tasks for him.

---

Star Town.

Rod never imagined that he would enter the Fire Hall so quickly.

He had thought he would have to wait until he upgraded the "Star Shuttle" to full status and passed the Third Level combat evaluation before he could become a member of the Fire Hall.

Unexpectedly, it was just the quantification of "Justice Execution" that allowed him to achieve a perfect coordination state on his own.

The envoy from the Fire Hall arrived as promised, announcing that he was permitted to enter the Fire Hall and become a member of its reserves.

At the same time, the envoy handed him a mission to support the Twelfth Defense Area by eliminating an Abyss Rift that had appeared due to a huge disturbance in Spiritual Energy.

It was a double blessing!

Rod was incredibly excited, having been worried about not encountering strong monsters, as the income from slaughtering some dust was practically negligible.

Molly’s eyes were filled with joy, as if she saw a new hope rising.

Right.

She thought to herself.

What I have felt, others should feel too.

---

After bidding farewell to Molly, Rod quickly set out on his journey.

The Twelfth Defense Area was Guardian Qingyu’s territory, located on the outskirts of the Red Earth Plains, at the boundary between the middle and inner defense circles, with sixty-seven towns and over a hundred villages.

The population wasn’t large, but it was an important area for Trolian resource production.

Especially its Sun Stone ore vein, which was the most important source of Fuel Element for the entire Royal City.

Qingyu was the Supreme Guardian of this area, with her own Guardian Castle, stationed with her Battle Group and the entire defense force of the area.

They were the main force maintaining the safety of the entire defense area.

But now, this defense area was being affected by a massive threat.

An Abyss Rift had been detected underground within the defense area. It had entered an active state, continuously releasing demons and pollution into the area, becoming the source of disaster for the region.

As Guardian Qingyu was tied up with another urgent mission and couldn’t clear this threat, Rod was urgently promoted to enter the Fire Hall, specifically to support the defense area and destroy the Abyss Rift.

Along the way, the envoy detailed the situation and the mission’s specifics to him.

Only then did Rod understand what was going on, thinking that Molly sure knew how to scheme well and that he must thank her properly upon his return.

Ha ha ha.

Soon, they arrived at the Guardian Castle of the Twelfth Defense Area.

It was a magnificent castle standing atop a mountain, radiating strong firelight, and atop the castle was a huge lighthouse; its beam of light, like a giant sword, swept back and forth through the black fog, guiding the paths of all nearby travelers.

This stretch of road was also the safest in the entire Twelfth Defense Area.

When Rod arrived at the castle, he found Velas, Vivian, Aro, as well as that white-haired uncle, all waiting for him at the main gate.

The envoy bowed slightly.

"These are your mission companions and will fight alongside you. May the fire be with you."

After speaking, he turned and returned to the carriage.

A flash of Spiritual Light passed, and the carriage took to the air, disappearing beyond the firelight.

Velas stepped forward with a smile, "Lord Rod, I am glad to see you again..."

Before he could finish, another voice interrupted him.

"Little Rod—"

Aro cheered and jumped up to hug him.

"I’ve missed you so much!"

With soft beauty in his arms and a faint fragrance filling the air, Rod momentarily didn’t want to let go.

But she was quickly pulled back by White Wolf, who wore a grim expression.

"What are you doing, Uncle White Wolf! Why did you interrupt my reunion with Little Rod?"

"Shut up! Qingyu’s betrothed, what are you pouncing on him for?"

"Does my liking him not count for anything? What belongs to Sister Qingyu also belongs to me."

She turned her head.

"Right, Little Rod, do you like me?"

Under White Wolf’s murderous gaze, Rod stiffly changed the subject.

"Let’s hurry and destroy the Abyss Rift."