Chapter 162 Past Demon Wars, the Dark Side of the Continent, a Winter Night...
Blake was lost in a brief recollection, unsure where to begin.
"That happened hundreds of years ago. I don't know much about it; it's all stories passed down orally, and some things that acquaintances told me in the past."
Blake added that Rye waited patiently for his next words.
"A hundred years ago, the human race was weak and its power was relatively small. The demon race and the dragon race were the two strongest races on the continent."
Dragons are solitary creatures, preferring to live alone in their own territories and keeping to themselves with the other races. Demons, however, are inherently greedy; they have seized vast tracts of land and enslaved other races.
The elves live in the forests and rarely appear in populated areas, so they have fewer conflicts with the demons. The goblins, on the other hand, have willingly degenerated into the demons' lackeys. We humans and orcs, because we do not cooperate with the demons, have become their main targets of harm and have been humiliated for decades.
Later, the demons became increasingly extreme and terrifying. In their eyes, humanity wasn't even worthy of being listed as one of the eight great races. They began to wage constant wars, attempting to conquer the entire continent.
Blake laid the groundwork for a long time, introducing the basic situation of various races a hundred years ago.
"The war lasted for many, many years and countless people died."
The war not only brought carnage but also countless natural and man-made disasters. Vast tracts of land were abandoned due to the war, and severe famines broke out across the continent. People of all races either died in battle or starved to death.
Realizing this situation was unsustainable, the leaders of the various races finally set aside their past prejudices and united to resist the demons. The war continued for over a decade; by then, children were rarely born, and even those born rarely lived past ten. Fortunately, the supreme god was on our side.
Blake took a sip of tea and continued his story.
“Lei, do you know that the place we live in now is actually called the Main Space?”
"So there's also a subspace?"
"That's right."
Blake looked at Ray with admiration.
"Spatial magic and storage items are both related to the subspace."
As Blake was talking, he suddenly steered the conversation toward space, and Ray couldn't help but have a bad feeling.
Although people often talk about demons, he has never actually seen a single one.
It's impossible for the demon race, which once wreaked so much havoc on the continent, to be wiped out overnight. That only means they're now living somewhere no one can find them...
A sudden inspiration struck him, and Rye looked at Blake with suspicion.
"The demons are in the warp?"
Blake did not answer his question directly, but continued the story he had just told.
"The demon race was inherently too evil. As the war progressed and their decline became increasingly apparent, they even began to devour each other, using their own flesh and blood to pave the way for the growth of the Demon Lord. Thus, the fourth Demon Lord of the demon race was born under these circumstances."
Under his leadership, the demons launched a counterattack against the allied forces, and the war once again reached a stalemate.
At this moment, perhaps due to the favor of the supreme god, the Pope learned the magic of light, which greatly helped to end the war.
The Pope, together with the elders of the Elf, Beast, and Dragon races, as well as the space-elemental holy mages, jointly opened the subspace known as the 'Dark Side of the Continent,' and devised a plan to imprison the Demon Lord inside, finally bringing the war to an end.
All the demons were driven into the warp, but at the same time, the great beings paid a terrible price, sacrificing themselves, using tokens as locks, and Eton as the boundary, sealing off the only exit between the dark side and the mainland.
"Is the entire Eaton a barrier that suppresses demons?"
"I can't help but ask," Ray asked.
"It's not that exaggerated."
Blake chuckled.
"It's just that the exit happens to be in the Eaton Forest; the actual barrier is something else entirely."
Of course, they not only sealed off the subspace, but also set up a barrier in the Great Forest of Eaton to control the invasion of magical beasts on the continent.
Overpowered magical beasts were unable to cross the barrier and enter the human world, which provided excellent conditions for various races to recuperate after the great war.
After this, most of the dragons left the continent, which had now become a scorched wasteland, and their whereabouts became unknown. The elves returned to the forests to repair the trees ravaged by the demons. Humans, orcs, and dwarves continued their coexisting lifestyle.
It wasn't until a century after the war that our human race rapidly rose to become the 'dominant force' on the continent. Only then did the situation finally stabilize, and everyone's lives finally returned to peace.
The story is long but the relationships are not complicated, and Ray extracted a lot of useful information from it.
At the same time, the fantastical magic of the continent of Casa once again had a significant impact on him. These things, which cannot be explained by science, still brought him new feelings every time, even though he had seen them countless times.
"Since these barriers are man-made, it also means they can be destroyed."
"That's right."
Blake nodded in agreement.
"Nothing lasts forever, especially since hundreds of years have passed. The monster your parents killed might have escaped by chance, but... it could also be due to the barrier."
Without external interference, the barrier should last another two hundred years without any problems, but it seems to be starting to weaken. Of course, these are just speculations.
Blake gave a symbolic smirk.
"The barrier is crucial to the interests of the entire continent, but some people hope it can be removed as soon as possible."
Blake seemed to be sighing, his eyes shining with a light that Ray couldn't understand, making one wonder if he really was just an ordinary doctor in a remote town.
"Alright, Ray, I know you're a smart and hardworking kid, but these complicated problems aren't easy for us to solve. It's enough for us to protect ourselves and live our own lives well."
Take good care of that little monster; it will definitely be of help to you someday.
Blake took a sip of barley tea; the tea in the cup had become warm.
Ray's mind was in turmoil. He had many questions for Blake, but he didn't know where to begin.
Blake noticed his confusion.
"Feel free to ask me any questions; we have plenty of time today."
"good."
After thinking for a moment, Ray asked his first question.
"If the barrier really malfunctions, what should we, who live nearby, do?"
"What else can we do but run for our lives as soon as possible?"
The Eton Forest, which occupies a large portion of the area, is a dangerous zone inhabited by millions of magical beasts.
The barrier only isolates the side of the Eton Forest closest to the mainland, making it harder for high-level magical beasts to enter human settlements, but the other side of the Eton Forest remains unrestricted.
"No restrictions?"
"Hmm, don't you remember? Over there is an endless ocean. Only a small number of aquatic beastmen live nearby."
"I'm sorry, I forgot a lot of things."
Blake looked at the scar on Ray's forehead.
"Do you need a scar-removing potion? Given our relationship, I'll give you a 20% discount."
He winked at Ray.
"...No need, thank you."
Blake shrugged.
"Any other questions?"
Lei nodded.
"I want to ask how to open the barrier?"
"Oh, Ray, that's not a good question. You absolutely mustn't say these things in front of the church people, they'll arrest you as a traitor!"
Blake exclaimed in surprise, but he quickly changed the subject.
“However, I can tell you some things about the ‘sacred relic’ and the barrier. These things are not exactly secrets in high society.”
Blake then spoke about the relics, which were more like keys to unlock the barrier.
Although there were many layers of insurance, the more Ray listened, the more uneasy he felt.
The inhabitants of the continent of Casa are good in every way, except that they are sometimes too thick-skinned.
Such an important item is divided into hundreds of parts and scattered throughout the mainland. What if someone with ulterior motives were to collect these sacred objects?
Ray and Black chatted for quite a while before finally heading home with the newly bought potions. By then, it was past lunchtime. The midday sun brought a touch of warmth to the air.
The sounds of unlocking doors, mule carts, and Xiao Hei's whining woke Tata, who had been asleep for a while.
He nimbly jumped onto the windowsill and watched Ray unload the truck bed.
The wagon bed was quickly unloaded, and the Delraston was led back to the shed. Ray took two bags from the wagon bed and went inside.
Tata lay sprawled on the chair with an air of superiority, as if the little beast whose face had just been pressed against the glass wasn't him at all.
"Li is back."
Lai put his things down and scratched Tata's chin.
"Um."
The little monster comfortably squinted its eyes.
"Did you finish the jerky?"
Lei chuckled.
Tata gave a small hum and turned her head away, refusing to let Lai touch her.
What did you buy today?
Tata leaned close to the bag to smell it, and Ray quickly satisfied his curiosity by sitting down and taking the items out and arranging them on the table.
Several well-sealed bottles of medicine, various vegetable seeds, and some seasonings.
"More seeds."
"Yes, for planting vegetables in winter."
Tata lay motionless on the chair, clearly not interested in these things.
Lei looked at the snow-white little monster and shook his head helplessly.
"And this too."
Lei waved the honey jar in front of Tata.
What is it?
Tata sniffed the air and quickly became happy.
"It's honey!"
Besides meat, the little monster has the least resistance to sweet things.
Lai scooped a spoonful for him, mixed it into honey water, and Tata was happy about it all afternoon.
It was getting late, so Lai only ate a piece of bread for lunch. For dinner, he seasoned it with honey and baked a honey-glazed red pheasant to improve his meal.
He and Tata shared the whole thing, while also satisfying the picky eater, Ryan.
The night was quiet. Lai was sleeping in bed, and Tata was lying next to him.
As night fell, the temperature outside dropped again. Little Black lay in his den to rest, surrounded by thick, warm old blankets.
In this cold weather, no one wants to move. The scarlet tardigrades tuck their legs and heads into their thick feathers, huddling together like little balls of fluff.
The noisy chirping of insects had long since disappeared, and even the most ordinary bird songs could hardly be heard.
Little Black was gnawing on a bone in its dream when its ears seemed to hear a sound and twitched restlessly.
Gleam, geleam.
The sound was not loud, but it was very rhythmic and accompanied by the sound of soil.
Xiao Hei was sure he hadn't misheard, so he immediately perked up his head and looked warily towards the door.
On the other side, Ryan in the living room also opened his eyes, which seemed to be shining in the darkness.
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Author's Note: A deafening roar from the sky, and the old servant makes a dazzling entrance!
Return!
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