Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 388 The Departure of the Expedition (5k)

in the afternoon.

After the "Bishop" mobilization for the clergy of the church and the players before the Holy Expedition,
From morning to noon, the clergy and players were ready and gathered in the inner courtyard of the church. Together with their "bishop" Ross Carlos, they embarked on the sacred journey to conquer the Dark Principality.

Red Maple City Church, outside the main entrance of the church.

Anthony, the "high priest" - now the "acting bishop", led more than a hundred clergymen who remained in the church to stand solemnly on both sides of the main street.

A solemn and dignified look appeared on their faces, and their pairs of burning golden eyes were staring at the direction of the main entrance of the church - their "bishop" Rossu Carlos, who had ridden on the "Golden Pegasus" and was leading the clergy who were about to participate in the expedition, divided into three columns, and walked out of the main entrance of the church in an orderly manner.

The clergy who stayed behind on both sides were watching, holding long trumpets in their hands and blowing the loud "Hymn to the Lord" - it was a sacred music with a high and melodious melody, which was the final tribute and encouragement to their comrades who were about to embark on the "holy expedition".

Riding on the "Golden Pegasus", Luo Xiu has arrived in front of the "Acting Bishop" Anthony.

Anthony then placed his right hand lightly on his left chest, bowed slightly to Luo Xiu, and performed a pious sacrament.

"May the light of the moment bless you, Bishop—"

He prayed for the "bishop", for his friend, for "Rossi Carlos":
“He will light your path and point you in the right direction.”

“He will keep you from going astray and will grant you what you desire.”

"May your expedition go smoothly and you return victoriously soon, Bishop."

"..."

His voice sounded calm, but the expression on his face and the light in his eyes were full of piety and determination.

Luo Xiu nodded in response and continued riding on the golden Pegasus, heading towards the end of the main street, towards the east city gate.

The clergy and players who are about to embark on that sacred journey will follow behind their "bishop".

Those figures in white robes walked forward firmly to the sound of the high and loud hymns - moving forward firmly on the sacred journey of enlightenment with devout faith and the will of holy judgment.

……

Outside Hongfeng City.

On the gravel plain that was a battlefield half a month ago—

Albert, the "Thunder General", led eight "Judges" and "Knights of the Throne" of the "Border Court", one hundred and sixty "Arbitrators" and "Royal Guard Knights", four hundred "Law Enforcers" and "War Knights",
The 200,000 soldiers from Red Maple City who were about to embark on a long expedition had already formed majestic military formations on the gravel plain outside Red Maple City.

The army was completely deployed in the wilderness outside the city, like a dark cloud covering the dome of the earth.

The sea of ​​flags is fluttering, rolling with interlaced colors, showing majesty and glory.

At this time, Albert stopped his horse in front of the gate of Red Maple City and waited for another figure to appear from the gate.

When the bell on the city wall rang three times, the soldiers in the watchtower blew a loud horn to the sky, and waves of orderly, rustling footsteps like the tide came from inside the city gate.

"Bishop" Ross Carlos, he rode out of the East Gate on the "Golden Pegasus".

When he saw Luo Xiu, Albert also rode his horse and headed towards Luo Xiu.

A smile appeared on his battle-scarred face, and he greeted Luo Xiu in a low but kind voice:
"You're here, Luo Xiu."

Albert looked behind Luo Xiu, at the more than 300 clergymen dressed in white robes, and the more than 2,000 "Church Patrolmen" and "Saint Protectors" who participated in the expedition, and nodded slowly.

"I am waiting for you. The knights and law keepers of the Border Court, as well as the 200,000-man expeditionary army, will march to the border of the empire with you and your clergy."

"Greetings, Sir Albert."

Luo Xiu responded to his greeting with a gentle smile on his face. He rode the "Golden Pegasus" to Albert's side and rode side by side with him.

“My fellow church members are also fully prepared.”

Walking side by side with Albert, Luo Xiu said in a firm and solemn tone:

"This will be a sacred expedition - an expedition that will surely win. We will surely restore the tainted country to purity, and we will triumph amid the praises of all people."

"..."

While Luo Xiu and Albert were half talking and half making a declaration.

The clergy and players of the church were still following closely behind Luo Xiu, moving forward in an orderly manner.

The knights and law protectors of the border court led the mighty army to move to both sides, making way for a broad and open passage for the "bishops" and clergy of the church.

At the same time, the musicians accompanying the army had already started playing high-pitched vocal music, and the sound of the wind swaying the flags and drums echoed in the sky.

Feeling the respectful and determined gazes coming from both sides, Luo Xiu and Albert continued to move forward side by side and had arrived at the front of the army.

The clergy of the church and the players who set out on a sacred journey moved towards the central military formations on both sides.

A hundred "Royal Guards" riding armored war horses and an army of twenty thousand soldiers guarded five hundred chariots engraved with sun patterns.

That was the chariot of the "Church" - the clergy and players of the church boarded the chariot one by one.

When General Thunder, Albert, arrived at the front of the army, he finally stopped his horse, raised his red heavy sword high, and announced to the entire army in a majestic and high-pitched voice:

"We will embark on the glorious and magnificent expedition called Judgment!"

"In the name of the Nolan Empire, in the name of Emperor Augustville;"

"I, Albert Perez, hereby declare!"

"I will pierce the throat of my mortal enemy with my sharp blade, and my warhorse will crush every inch of his land. The pain and humiliation we have endured in the past six months will be inflicted on him with the flames of anger, and he will pay for it with his life!"

"Our blades have long been sharpened, our souls have long been toughened, and now is the time to defeat the enemy for the Empire and Emperor Augustville!"

"For the Empire, for the supreme glory of our [Supreme]—"

"——Follow me to fight!"

He declared this to the entire army, and the mighty army of 200,000 responded with loud, high-pitched shouts that surged and overlapped like huge waves:

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

It is an inspiring, motivating, hopeful and passionate voice.

Then, Albert slowly put down the huge sword he had raised high, and he steed his warhorse towards the direction of the Dark Principality.

The army began to move forward.

Moving forward slowly, but steadily and unstoppably.

The mighty black tide gradually surged into the distance. The soldiers who stayed behind on the walls of Red Maple City were still looking out. Until the sun was about to set, the expeditionary army finally gathered into a line and finally disappeared among the overlapping mountains.

This was the first day of the Holy Crusade.

……

March 768, 3 in the Tianqi calendar.

"Holy Crusade" - the third day of the expedition.

The Red Maple City expeditionary force has driven into the border of the principality, and the main force has set up camp on the plain thirty miles away from the first border fortress, "Caveri Fortress".

During this period, the expeditionary force had sent out 10,000 vanguard troops to the front of the Kaveri Fortress to gather intelligence and clear the numerous obstacles on the marching route.

First, they need to pass through the Andrian Blackstone Mountains within the Dark Principality.

It is a natural barrier surrounding the west, south and north of Fort Kaveri.

……

December 3, late at night.

It is halfway up the Andrian Blackrock Mountains.

The night has covered this steep natural barrier with a black veil, and the pale blue moonlight shines down obliquely, pouring onto the hem of the treetops like a stream, reflecting ripples like water.

Next to a towering cliff, there is a low slope in front of a beast cave.

The original owners of the beast cave - two steel-bristled wild boars, now only have steel bristles and bones on the ground, and two round, smoothly cut off pig heads with two dark grape-like eyes staring at them as if they died with their eyes open.

A dozen people wearing "Saint Guardian" equipment built a bonfire next to the skeletons of two steel-brisled wild boars and roasted the fragrant wild boar meat with trimmed willow branches.

The firelight cast a whitish shadow on the silver-white armor. The paladin had taken off his heavy helmet and placed it on a smooth stone beside him. He stared at the skewers of meat sizzling in the campfire, and tears flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"...Old Crocodile." A "priest" wearing half-scale armor beside the Paladin smiled quietly and said:

"If you keep grilling it like this, the meat will burn."

"What do you know, little train?"

The Paladin flipped the skewer in his hand skillfully and responded casually:

"Pork is only fragrant when it is roasted."

"..."

——This group of people gathered around the campfire, roasting the wild boar meat that was still alive and kicking not long ago, are the players of "The Church"!
"Iron Pot Stewed Crocodile" and "Thomas the Tank Engine" were assigned to the 10,000 vanguard troops sent by the expeditionary force.

And they, the players, are the vanguard among the vanguards. Before the main force arrived, they had already arrived here and climbed up the Black Stone Mountains that surrounded the Cavernier Fortress on three sides!
Three thousand "Adventurers" like them, belonging to the church and the border, were now divided into hundreds of small teams and scattered across the Blackrock Mountains.

They all have their own tasks, but the overall goal is the same -

"Bishop" Ross Carlos has assigned them a mission - to sneak into the Cavernier Fortress, use their own means to pass the intelligence of the garrison outside the fortress, and stay dormant inside the fortress as much as possible!

This is why they sneaked into the Blackrock Mountains.

The team consisting of more than a dozen people including Thomas and Crocodile is undoubtedly one of the strongest teams in the "Adventers".

Now, both Thomas and the crocodile have been promoted to the triple destiny of [Glory] - Thomas is now the "Great Shepherd of Purification" and the crocodile is the "Great Knight of Fire"!
Their team members were all the best members of the guild "Mirror of Glorious Light" founded by Thomas. They were all extraordinary beings with the second destiny of [Glory], and more than half of them had reached the maximum level of the second destiny, lv. 20.

Now, Thomas, the Crocodile and the players on the same team are taking their final "rest".

The bonfire they were gathered around was emitting swaying orange-yellow light.

Looking at the pork that was sizzling in the jumping and dancing flames and was showing signs of turning completely black, "Thomas the Tank Engine" looked a little disdainful.

He immediately reached into his arms, took out two small round things that looked like "garlics", and began to peel them.

He quickly peeled a piece of garlic, put the white, crescent-shaped clove into his mouth and chewed it. Soon he burped and said to the crocodile:
"If you roast it any longer, it will really burn. It's like stewing in an iron pot."

"…Iron pot stew?"

"You kid...cough cough."

Knowing that Thomas was calling him "little train" before taking revenge on him, "Iron Pot Stew" covered his nose and responded to Thomas in a muffled voice.

As he spoke, he hadn't noticed that the grease from the skewers in his other hand had already dripped into the bonfire, and then exploded like a cannon, splashing on his face.

The fried fat was obviously hot, and the muscles on the crocodile's face twitched at the same time. He narrowed his eyes slightly, moved the hand that was covering his nose away, and wiped his face.

The pungent smell from the chewed "garlic cloves" rushed into his nostrils the moment his hand released his nose.

He felt a tingling sensation as if he had eaten chili peppers through his nostrils, and at the same time, it felt as if ants were drilling into his nostrils. He couldn't help but frown and said:

"Damn, why is someone eating garlic in the game!"

Thomas chewed and looked at the alligator who was grilling meat, frowning and trying hard to hold back the urge to sneeze. An expression that deserved a beating appeared on his face:

"Steamed buns, are you not convinced?"

"..."

Resisting the urge to pick up the greatsword and gently awaken the sleeping soul, the crocodile continued to cover his nose with his left hand and focused on flipping the barbecue in his hand with his right hand.

……

About three minutes later.

"Okay, the meat is roasted."

Just before the wild boar meat skewers were roasted to a charred black, the crocodile skillfully raised his arm and moved the wild boar meat skewers in his hand away from the campfire.

The temperature of the barbecue cooled down quickly, and its aroma suddenly spread outwards at the same moment it left the fire.

Smelling the mouth-watering aroma of barbecue, tears not only flowed from the big crocodile's mouth, but also flowed from the mouths of dozens of players around him.

The big crocodile then began to distribute the grilled meat skewers - three skewers per person, no more, no less, just enough to share all the grilled meat skewers.

Thomas was the first to enjoy the meal.

He pulled off a large piece of wild boar meat and put a clove of garlic into his mouth. While chewing, he said excitedly:
"God knows this taste is so addictive!"

"The 'thorny garlic', a specialty of Songyuanling, is even more delicious than eating garlic in the real world!"

As he spoke, he peeled another petal and put it into his mouth.

"Tell me, next time we have this kind of barbecue, can we just roast the garlic?"

"I think in the real world, my favorite thing is to eat willow branches with garlic cloves roasted."

"Would you like a petal, old alligator?"

"..."

"Don't."

The crocodile shook his head firmly.

The players around him all looked at Thomas with shocked eyes.

Even though they had seen the same scene many times, the teammates still felt excited.

It's like in the real world, I really met someone who eats raw dried chili peppers and raw garlic as a meal.
However, they were also used to the pungent smell of chewing the "spicy garlic" and began to concentrate on enjoying the delicious barbecue in their hands.

Soon, the players finished their skewers, stood up contentedly, and prepared to leave this temporary camp.

They were just passing by here and happened to encounter two wild boars, so they stopped briefly.

Thomas licked his tongue after finishing the barbecue. He stood up, picked up the war hammer in his right hand, and walked to the cliff with a wide view.

Looking down from here, you can see roughly three-quarters of the interior of Fort Kaveri.

Fort Caffrey is located in the heart of the Black Rock Mountains. Looking down from where Thomas is, he can roughly see the outline of the fortress and several light spots as big as sand and stones.

Those might be lights - but the distance between them was still too far. One had to descend to a certain height to see clearly what those rows of bright lights were.

While looking down, Thomas had already taken out a package and took out a "kite"-like device from it.

Those are the creations of the [Wisdom] Fangbeiyuan - "Rune Flying Wings". When equipped on the back, they will unfold like gliders, and the runes engraved on them will stimulate spirituality, allowing the wearers to glide silently and quickly to the predetermined location.

The location where Thomas and the Alligator team are now is the best "take-off and landing point" for gliding into the Caffrey Fortress.

"So, Chong?"

Thomas had equipped Rune Wings, with the [Silver-Cutter] and [Saint's Hammer] hanging on his left and right sides of his waist respectively, and asked his teammates beside him.

The crocodile and other players quickly equipped their flying wings. A dozen "Saint Guardian" players from the church were already standing in a row in front of the cliff.

便在下一刻。

A total of eighteen silent, huge "birds" glided down from the Black Rock Mountains.

They quickly descended to half their original height,

Thomas also saw clearly what those "light spots" were.

Those are the soldiers patrolling Fort Caveri with torches!

Thomas had taken the Silver-Harding Scythe from his waist and aimed at the neck of one of the soldiers.

As if sensing the commotion in the air, a soldier suddenly turned around. He saw dozens of figures swooping down towards him, and his eyes widened.

- Swish!

The silver sickle in Thomas' hand cut the soldier's neck the moment he turned his head!
Blood gushed out of his throat, and an expression of disbelief, confusion, fear and despair appeared on his face, and his hands were tightly covering his throat.

But the blood still flowed out from between his fingers uncontrollably.

Thomas, who had stabbed him, had landed steadily on the fortress wall at the same time, took out the warhammer from his waist, and with a "bang" the warhammer hit his head, splashing out a golden and bloody light!
The soldiers defending the city then fell down in a spin, twitched on the ground for a while, and then became dead.

Thomas, who had attacked him, had already passed over his body and had his eyes fixed on the next soldier guarding the city.

……

(End of this chapter)