Chapter 1 As Expected

Just as Hao Ren had predicted, Raven 12345's divinity was invincible when confronting these so-called "Chaos" entities.

The monsters in the mist were products of twisted natural laws, and even Hao Ren, a mediocre priest, could sense the negative, corrupting aura they carried. Raven 12345's divinity was undoubtedly a force of order—a chaotic mind didn't mean chaotic rules. A true god standing there was a benchmark of the great universe's will, so how could mere Chaos contend?

Every "artifact" entering the misty domain triggered a wide range of anomalies. Sometimes it was a radiant light, sometimes a spreading network of lightning, sometimes the mist suddenly rolled up into a storm, retreating thousands of meters. When he put a strand of Raven 12345's hair in, it even triggered a small-scale psionic storm, illuminating half the mountain with a continuously shining holy light. The chaotic power entrenched here had become twisted and concentrated to an astonishing degree. This wilderness could even be said to have completely deviated from the universe's order, so the "artifacts" Hao Ren took out violently clashed with the surrounding environment. But no matter the type of conflict, it could clearly and effectively disperse the surrounding "Chaos."

This dispersing effect was so powerful that Hao Ren had to carefully select from this pile of artifacts to find one or two items with a slightly gentler effect that wouldn't harm anyone. Otherwise, mortals standing in this conflict zone between order and chaos would probably be directly annihilated.

Finally, Hao Ren ran back with a plastic plate—a recent addition to his collection. It was brought along when he'd swiped a plate of "grapes" from Raven 12345 last time, and it even had the logo of the Erliqiao Plastic Factory printed on it…

But Veronica and Morian couldn't read the words on the plate. In their eyes, it was an awe-inspiring artifact.

And Hao Ren seemed to have many such artifacts.

The eyes of the two knight commanders and more than twenty royal knights immediately changed as they looked at Hao Ren. They were knowledgeable people who had seen a few of the royal family's collected holy objects of order, but the things in Hao Ren's hands were truly eye-opening—first of all, none of their shapes resembled holy objects. There were cups, plates, bowls, chopsticks, pens, and paper. Secondly, Hao Ren didn't show any reverence or caution when using these things, just pulling them out and throwing them on the ground. Saints above, was this how one treated holy objects?

The king's chief scholar had to wash his hands twice and kneel on the ground, chanting for five minutes before inviting a goddess statue from the vault…

Later, Veronica thought about it carefully and decided to attribute everything to the "ancient customs" that had been lost for a thousand years.

"This thing should provide protection," Hao Ren said excitedly, holding up the plate and showing off. "I just tried it, and it can create a safe zone of several hundred meters. It's much more useful than your flag."

"Is this a holy object from the temple?" Morian couldn't be as broad-minded as the princess. The meticulous old knight couldn't help but ask, "I've also seen ancient holy objects, but I've never seen a miracle triggered by a holy object that was so…so 'distinct.'"

"These are special artifacts," Hao Ren tried to make his expression a little serious. "They are things I use personally and are different from the mass-produced, standardized equipment in the temple. You don't need to investigate the origin of these things. I can't explain it clearly either."

"Artifacts for personal use?" Veronica looked at Hao Ren as if he were an unidentified lifeform. She originally wanted to ask if the ancient people of a thousand years ago were all monsters, but in the end, she changed the subject. "Were you the chief priest of this temple back then? So young…"

Hao Ren thought for a moment and said very seriously, "I really am a high-ranking priest."

Good heavens, he hadn't told a single lie from beginning to end.

Seeing the princess and the old knight still looking like they had something to say, Hao Ren quickly waved his hand. "Alright, alright, you won't get anything out of me even if you ask. I don't even know many things myself. Now, let's get everyone to rest as soon as possible. Those who are injured should heal their injuries, those who are hungry should eat, those who are sleepy should sleep, and after we recover our energy as soon as possible, we still have to return to the civilized world."

This finally stopped the princess and the old knight from asking a barrage of questions.

The Knights only rested in the temple for one day. When the traveler's amulet on Veronica's hand completed a full cycle, the knights received the order to set off.

In fact, they hadn't had nearly enough rest, but Veronica had to consider supplies and the problem of the human mind: the second point was especially important. Staying in the domain of Chaos for a long time was fatally damaging to the human mind, and this influence still existed even under the protection of the sanctuary. The knights had been wandering in the desolate wilderness for too long, and if they didn't leave here quickly, everyone would be unknowingly consumed by Chaos sooner or later.

Before stepping out of the temple gate, Veronica had everyone remove their armor and secondary weapons.

"Everyone only keeps their regular clothes, main weapon, amulet of order, and magic stone kit, and receives two days' worth of water and food from me," Veronica instructed as she walked back and forth between the knights, putting the heavy armor and weapons into her dimensional bag. These things would be useful after crossing the desolate wilderness, but for now, they were a burden. "We no longer have mounts, so we must travel light!"

At this moment, the knight princess revealed some of the qualities of a commander. She was commanding more than twenty tall, brawny men, and the demeanor she displayed made Hao Ren couldn't help but look at her with new respect.

A young knight couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what if we encounter magical creatures without armor?"

"We can only trust the guardian's holy objects," Veronica looked at Hao Ren. "He said that these holy objects left behind from ancient times can protect us until we complete the entire journey, and they won't need a recharge cycle like the Glimmering Banner. If all goes well, we won't encounter any battles along the way."

Finally, she added, "Wearing a full set of armor to cross the desolate wilderness is a sure way to die. Traveling light at least gives us a chance to survive."

After making all the preparations, the lightly armed knights left the abandoned ancient temple. Under Hao Ren's leadership, this small force began to march towards the wilderness at the foot of the mountain.

As always, the desolate wilderness was shrouded in eternal darkness and chaos. A thin mist filled the sky and earth, and all that could be seen were desolate lands and twisted, jagged rocks. Some black "plants" resembling thorns were sparsely distributed across the land, with a fossil-like texture.

Dark patches in the sky slowly drifted, as if giant beasts lurking above the mist were maliciously looking down on this world.

The Glimmering Banner in the hands of the standard-bearer had been replaced by the "holy object" that Hao Ren had temporarily lent to this small group of knights. This artifact, once used by a god, was now emitting a soft white light. Where the white light shone, the Chaos retreated, the mist dissipated, and the path ahead was clear.

The lightly armed knights advanced across the wilderness, everyone on edge. Although the power of the holy object could dispel the Chaos, this was, after all, a notorious forbidden zone. The thin mist not only concealed servants of Chaos but also occasionally disgorged magical creatures that had wandered here from the wastelands and had not yet been completely broken down by Chaos. These pitiful creatures between order and Chaos often broke through the artifact's blockade, and countless careless travelers were killed by these magical creatures every year. The dignified knights naturally couldn't make such a mistake.

"Only seven years ago, the edge of the desolate wilderness was still territory of the ordered world," Veronica sighed as she looked at the lifeless scene before her. "At that time, there were still some small towns between the Shadow Jungle and the desolate wilderness. A town called 'Tami Elk' produced the highest quality wine in the western continent. It is said that three hundred years before that, the desolate wilderness was even called the 'Green Plains' because there were continuous grasslands here, and the centaur tribes lived here for a long time."

Morian sighed softly, "Chaos is always eroding the ordered world, and then the ordered world will retake its territory. This tug-of-war has been going on for thousands upon thousands of years, and no one knows when it will end. Barren lands will turn into fertile fields, and glorious kingdoms will turn into swamps. This is reincarnation, and this is the operating principle of the world."

Hao Ren looked at Veronica. "I don't know about the things you said."

"That's natural. You should have been asleep for a thousand years," the princess smiled. She was now firmly convinced that Hao Ren was an ancient guardian who had been asleep in the holy land for a thousand years. "That was the last generation, the generation of the thousand-year war between Chaos and Order. The battles you experienced must have been much more thrilling than our little skirmishes."

You could tell from those explosives, the princess added quietly in her heart.

"Tell me more about this world," Hao Ren said. "I no longer know anything about your world."

"Of course, we still have a long way to go. You have plenty of time to listen to me."