Chapter 88 - 87: Earth Vein Reborn

Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Earth Vein Reborn

As Gaode left Mrs. Misu’s home, a complex swirl of emotions churned within him. Today’s events had wildly exceeded his expectations, but the outcome was ultimately favorable. He didn’t swallow Mrs. Misu’s claims about the recommendation letter hook, line, and sinker, but he believed her for the most part. Cross-referencing her words with his own information revealed no obvious flaws. Besides, the old adage held true: if you were even fifty percent sure of success, it was worth doing. Hesitation would only cost him countless opportunities.

"Alright, only one task remains: finding a way to Saint Sean City!" Gaode resolved. He absolutely had to attend Cyrus Magic Academy, no matter how arduous the journey.

Hogan City. The City Lord’s Mansion.

"Has the message been reported?" Viscount Shire, the highest authority of Hogan City, asked with tightly furrowed brows, looking weighed down by his thoughts.

"It was reported yesterday, and it should have reached Saint Sean City by today. Now we are just waiting for them to send reinforcements," the uniformed subordinate replied respectfully.

Viscount Shire’s brows relaxed slightly. "It shouldn’t be too late," he muttered.

Just two days ago, someone had finally discovered that the Magic Concentration in certain areas of Hogan City had suddenly spiked. No one was a fool; while they might temporarily overlook things due to mental blind spots, once such an obvious signal was detected, all the higher-ups immediately realized the truth. The sustained, unusual activity of Earth Vein Creatures and wild beasts outside the city was highly likely a precursor to the birth of a new Earth Vein.

"It’s been so many years since a new Earth Vein formed in the Bremen region. We couldn’t possibly be unlucky enough for it to happen right here in Hogan, could we?" Viscount Shire had lost his usual composure, even beginning to pray.

If a new Earth Vein were to form around Hogan City, the peace of not just Hogan, but all human cities across the entire Bremen region would be shattered. When that happened, their good days would be over. As the human city closest to the new Earth Vein, Hogan City would inevitably bear the brunt of the disaster. Just the thought of it was an absolute nightmare.

He could only hope that the people from the Royal Capital would arrive soon and thoroughly investigate the situation. If a new Earth Vein was indeed forming, the Royal Capital’s army could be dispatched in time to suppress it. However, once Hogan City was turned into a frontline fortress for the ensuing war, his tenure as City Lord would effectively be over. At the mere thought of this, his slightly relaxed brows instantly furrowed once more.

Atop the walls of Hogan City. The Magic Crystal Lamps shone brightly.

The Sentinels on duty chatted to pass the time, just as they always did. Let alone a small place like Hogan City, even the Sentinels standing guard in Saint Sean City lacked any strict discipline.

Suddenly, an inexplicable tremor shattered the Sentinels’ otherwise ordinary night watch.

"An earthquake?!" a veteran Sentinel reacted immediately.

"That’s impossible. Hogan City hasn’t experienced a single earthquake since it was founded," another Sentinel blurted out instinctively.

But the moment his voice fell, the ground trembled even more violently, as if an invisible behemoth was thrashing deep beneath the earth. The stone walls began to sway, kicking up clouds of dust. The Magic Crystal Lamps mounted on the ramparts shook fiercely.

"What is that?!"

An even more terrifying scene was unfolding. The Sentinels on the wall widened their eyes in horror. In the distance, hidden within the wild, nocturnal forest, an intensely blinding light pierced the horizon from the depths of the mountains. It looked as though the very earth had split open, allowing the light to erupt from the fissure.

"How could there be such a bright light in the middle of the night?" The Sentinels who witnessed this scene gaped, their minds practically short-circuiting.

"Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm! The highest-level alarm!" the Sentinel guard captain roared. His voice struck like a thunderbolt on a summer night, immediately snapping the shell-shocked Sentinels back to reality. His face was contorted with tension.

As the captain, he was a Mage and hailed from one of Hogan City’s prominent families. He understood that the brilliant light and violent tremors were no natural phenomenon, but rather the surging of Magic Power. It was the radiance of the Otherworld, bleeding through after the boundary between the two Planes vanished. It was the birth of a new Earth Vein! It was a natural disaster—one catastrophic enough to obliterate Hogan City!

"The... the highest-level alarm!" The Sentinels at the guard post looked utterly incredulous, but their instincts kicked in. Obeying the order immediately, they scrambled to sound the alarm without daring to waste a single second.

They immediately struck the Magic Spirit Bell hanging on the city wall. Accompanied by the reverberation of Magic Energy, the deep, drawn-out toll pierced the night sky in an instant. Like the drumbeat of a death march, it awakened the slumbering city. The tolling was continuous, as if it would never stop. This was the highest-level alarm, designed to ring uninterrupted for a full fifteen minutes. As the blaring alarm echoed, lights began to flicker on across Hogan City, one after another.

Deep within the mountain forest. Two vastly different Planes quietly intersected at a single corner, moving to a subtle rhythm.

As their edges gently collided, a fissure tore open. This fissure was exactly what people called an "Earth Vein." The essence of an Earth Vein was a bizarre passage connecting two worlds. The newly born Earth Vein throbbed faintly, like the pulse of the ancient earth, stirring up wave after wave of terrifying Magic Power fluctuations.

Alongside these Magic Power fluctuations, the scenery surrounding the Earth Vein seemed to warp. Reality and illusion blurred together. The Magic Concentration in the air spiked at an unimaginable rate.

With a final, deafening BOOM, the continuous, earthquake-like tremors finally ceased. However, the end of the tremors was not the conclusion of the event; rather, it was merely the beginning.

Countless bizarre creatures swarmed out from within the fissure. They shared a common name: Earth Vein Creatures. These Earth Vein Creatures came in all shapes and sizes. Some bore avian wings attached to the bodies of tigers and wolves; others were clad in heavy carapaces, as massive as moving mountains; and there were even three-armed monsters resembling goblins.

After surging out of the Earth Vein, some of these strange creatures scattered, vanishing into the unknown. However, the vast majority charged into the darkness, making a beeline directly for Hogan City.

"Dog... Dog Demons! So many Dog Demons!" a Sentinel cried out in a trembling voice atop Hogan City’s walls.

Only a few minutes had passed since the highest-level alarm was sounded. Shadows darted out from the forest, one after another. The figures multiplied rapidly, closing in on Hogan City until the Sentinels could see them clearly with their naked eyes. They were wolf-like monsters with bristling blue fur and long, razor-sharp claws. From the shadows, their eyes gleamed with a repulsive, flickering light.

Dog Demons were among the most formidable of all 0th Ring Earth Vein Creatures. They attacked by slashing with their claws and tearing with their teeth, and they could evolve into 1st Ring Advanced Dog Demons by consuming humanoids. They were exceptionally tricky Earth Vein Creatures to deal with. Because Dog Demons reveled in slaughter, possessed overwhelming combat strength, and favored ambushes, even a Mage could be killed on the spot before they could react if they were careless enough to be targeted by one.

That being said, a Dog Demon’s teeth, claws, and blood were all premium Alchemy Materials and Magic Potion Materials, making them highly valuable Earth Vein Creatures.

Yet now, these very creatures—who typically shunned frontal confrontations—were appearing in everyone’s line of sight in massive packs. There were easily two or three hundred visible to the naked eye alone, and their numbers were still steadily climbing.

Witnessing this scene firsthand made every Sentinel’s scalp prickle with dread. At that moment, they finally understood why their captain had instantly ordered them to trigger the highest-level alarm—an alarm that hadn’t been touched since the founding of Hogan City!

For these Sentinels... no, not just the Sentinels, but for every resident of Hogan City, this night would be the most unforgettable of their lives. Though many of them might not live to see the dawn.