Chapter 153 117: Seeing the Firewood Gatherer Again

SPLASH, SPLASH...

Luo Ge stepped into the Blood Pool and slowly drew the Candlefire Longsword from his back.

The small Knight seemed to have noticed Luo Ge at the entrance. In his moment of hesitation, the Mad Fallen Lord's greatsword came swinging down at his head!

The pupils of his eyes, hidden beneath his Face Covering Armor, constricted. He subconsciously tried to raise his Heavy Sword to block.

But in the next instant, the sharp edges of two blades had already clashed!

CLANG—

A crisp metallic ring echoed as sparks flew.

The small Knight's eyes widened in surprise, seemingly not expecting this tall Warrior to actually help him.

The Mad Fallen Lord roared, his Power suddenly surging.

From behind, the Lady of Tyranny also whipped out to Attack.

But Luo Ge had no intention of clashing with it head-on. With one hand, he deflected the force with his angled sword; with the other, he pulled the Knight behind him away.

BANG!

The Mad Fallen Lord's greatsword slammed into the ground, kicking up a splash of blood.

Luo Ge performed a Rolling to get to a safe position, glanced at the small Knight beside him, and gave him a slight nod.

Although the Knight opposite him wore Face Covering Armor, he also nodded, instantly understanding.

The two quickly joined forces to launch an Attack on the Lady of Tyranny and the Mad Fallen Lord.

As for these two bosses, to say Luo Ge knew a thing or two about them would be an understatement; he knew them like the back of his hand.

Luo Ge knew the Mad Fallen Lord's next three moves just by watching him take a single step.

Plus, his own combat experience was extremely rich, and this vessel's body had leveled up a bit and ignited its Warfire. So dealing with this pair was a piece of cake.

What's more, he had an experienced Knight coordinating with him. The outcome was naturally predictable.

SWISH!

A cold glint flashed past.

On the Mad Fallen Demon Ghost's body, the whispers of the husband and wife duo were heard, then its head fell clean off, revealing the silhouette of the small Knight swinging his sword.

BANG!

After the Mad Fallen Demon Ghost died, its body collapsed with a crash.

Right before Luo Ge's eyes, its body released countless specks of orange-red light, like sparks, which flowed into the small Knight's chest.

Some dropped items also appeared on the ground, but their appearance was clearly different, glowing with the orange-red of Ordinary Firelight.

'A completely different kind of Power... but it seems a bit weaker than a Spirit Candle...'

After silently observing everything before him and committing it to memory.

Luo Ge slid his sword into its Sword Scabbard, removed his face-covering helmet, and looked at the small Knight before him.

"Hello, my name is Gelo."

He spoke these words in a garbled mix of languages he himself didn't understand, then used the Power of a Spirit Candle to convey his meaning.

"Hello! I am Klemo, a Firewood Gatherer. Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Gelo."

Seeing this tall Warrior who had just saved his life bow to him, the small Knight also hurriedly removed his helmet, revealing a still somewhat boyish face, and bowed respectfully to Luo Ge.

This etiquette was not unfamiliar to Luo Ge. It was the very one Noxia had corrected him on, holding his arm. It was the custom of this world.

'A Firewood Gatherer... Just as I thought.'

"This isn't a good place to talk. Let's go outside," Luo Ge suggested.

Klemo nodded quickly upon hearing this and followed behind Luo Ge. The two left the underground space together and arrived outside the fortress.

Along the way, Luo Ge said nothing, but he was actually leading him deliberately past several conspicuous places where Milestone Spirit Candles were located.

But Klemo showed no reaction, as if the Milestone Spirit Candles had never even entered his line of sight.

'It seems he probably can't see the Milestone Spirit Candles...'

The two of them only stopped once they were inside the fortress.

However, before Luo Ge could speak, Klemo couldn't help but speak first.

"Mr. Gelo, are you also a Firewood Gatherer?"

Hearing this somewhat naive and puzzled question, Luo Ge smiled faintly.

He didn't answer. Instead, he took out a bright red Mars and, holding it open in his palm, asked a question in return.

"Do you know Ryan? How is he now?"

"You've met other Firewood Gatherers?" Seeing the Mars, Klemo's delight was plain to see, but it quickly faded into disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gelo, I don't know the 'Ryan' you mentioned..."

"But he must be a Firewood Gatherer, because this is a 'Return to Mars.' It's a miraculous item that allows a Firewood Gatherer to return to the Campfire. Only Firewood Gatherers have them."

Klemo revealed the true name of this Mars to Luo Ge, explained its use, and even threw in the name of their base.

'Return to Mars... Campfire...'

After a moment of thought, Luo Ge put the Return to Mars away and continued the conversation with a tone of regret.

"He was on the brink of death from a Severe Injury and used the Return to Mars to leave. I don't know if he made it."

Klemo, completely unaware of Luo Ge's subtle probing, replied:

"Don't worry, Mr. Gelo. As Firewood Gatherers, no matter how severe the injuries are, as long as we don't die on the spot, we can recover by the Campfire."

"Then what happens if you die on the spot?"

"You burn a portion of your Soul, of course." At this point, it belatedly dawned on Klemo. "Mr. Gelo, do you mean... you're not a Firewood Gatherer?"

Luo Ge shook his head, not feeling awkward at all, and replied calmly.

"No, I'm not a Firewood Gatherer. I am a Candle Spirit."

"A Candle Spirit?" Klemo's eyes were filled with confusion, yet also a hint of pleasant surprise, like someone who had been alone in the dark for a long time and finally saw a glimmer of light...

...

Klemo.

When this young and naive boy woke up, he found himself in a small, enclosed room. In front of him was only a Campfire that had been burning for an unknown amount of time and... the Witch's Soul in the Dagger.

He had lost his memories. He couldn't remember why he was here, nor who he used to be.

The only thing he possessed were combat skills that felt like instinct.

From the Witch's Soul in the Dagger, Klemo learned that they were all people saved by the Campfire during a disaster. Only by constantly fighting in shattered worlds could they obtain Power to achieve their ultimate goal—to reclaim the Shattering Firewood and save the Land of Burning...

Thus, they were called... Firewood Gatherers.

This was a path destined to be lonely, dark, and tortuous. There was no end in sight, but they had no choice but to press forward.

Death was by no means a simple matter for them.

Every time they died, a portion of their Soul would be burned away. It was an extremely painful process, but it allowed them to continue exploring in a "living" state.

But a Soul is finite. Once their Soul was completely burned away, they could only face the final death, where everything would return to nothingness.

Klemo was terrified of such a final death, but he had no choice. He could only grit his teeth and explore, using the Power of the Campfire to travel to one shattered world after another.

The Witch's Soul told him that his primary objective now was to find a place called the "Fire Element Divine Hall." There, he might be able to meet other Firewood Gatherers.

This was what Klemo was currently looking forward to.

Although Klemo had learned from the Witch's Soul that he wasn't the only Firewood Gatherer, the chances of meeting one in the vast multitude of fragmented spaces were very small. At least, Klemo had never met one so far.

Let alone this "Candle Spirit," Mr. Gelo, who was right in front of him...

As for Luo Ge, his account of his own origins was much more vague.

After hearing Klemo's story, Luo Ge was lost in thought.

'The matter of the Dagger and the Witch's Soul is undoubtedly related to Noxia...'

'As for this Campfire... isn't it just a low-spec version of the Spirit Candle?'

'No, it should be called a neutered version.'

The source of this Campfire not only showed no reaction to Luo Ge's arrival.

Moreover, Firewood Gatherers have to burn their Soul to achieve Resurrection and can actually die for good. It's ridiculous...

'To Luo Ge, the most precious thing should be the Soul that controls the body...'

He had a faint feeling that this matter might not be so simple, but he couldn't recall why.

Then, his gaze fell upon Klemo, and the idea of poaching him occurred.

'If I could get my hands on this boy's Soul, I could make another NPC just like Noxia.'

But, after a probe with the Spirit Candle's Power, he discovered that his Soul... was actually incomplete?