Chapter 557 - 499: An Age of Ordinary Extraordinaries

Chapter 557: Chapter 499: An Age of Ordinary Extraordinaries

Holland.

To Roland, the name was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

Fragments of memory were stirred in an instant.

The first time he heard the name was in the fog-shrouded, cursed lands of the River Domain.

A Witch Demon who had stirred up disaster, intending to revive the Magic City Jiles, had such an accomplice.

A man who called himself a Priest.

They had clashed briefly, and his opponent had ultimately been defeated and escaped.

That Priest was named Holland.

The second time was in the magnificent Divine Hall of the Fiery Sun Church in the Holy City.

During a blessing ceremony for Princess Gloria of the Golden Valley Kingdom, he had the honor of meeting a revered being.

The Lord of Billions of Radiance, Lodestar.

From the lips of a God, he once again heard the name "Holland."

Judging by Lodestar’s status and the deeds described, it was highly likely that this "Holland" was the same Priest who had escaped from the Land of Mist.

And the most recent time was while exploring the Aiselon Continent and entering the Sui Cang Hall of the Dawn Wind Empire. There, in the remnants of a storehouse within, he found a message signed "Holland."

Although the message wasn’t explicit, the style of writing between the lines made Roland almost certain that the one who left it was still the same "Holland."

These three limited encounters alone were enough to tell him that this "Holland" was by no means an unknown figure in his ’past’ timeline.

That Holland had been a Priest, and...

Roland’s thoughts froze on that brief yet memorable clash in the Land of Mist.

Besides his opponent’s fighting style, another detail was now exceptionally clear.

That Holland was also a motormouth whose speech was erratic and incessant.

’So, this man before me—who calls himself Holland, is also a Priest, and also speaks in a rambling, nonsensical way... could he be the same person?’

’If that’s really the case...’

Roland stared at the lively, worldly face before him, a flicker of an indescribable trance passing through the depths of his eyes.

A strange, almost absurd sense of displacement quietly took root.

A being who, in the ’future,’ would become an undead creature through forbidden arts, was now potentially standing before him, alive and well, complaining about medical bills and rambling about his experiences in the wilderness.

This tangible connection across time gave him a sense of...

...an exceptionally strange sense of destiny.

"Hey!"

Holland waved a hand in front of Roland’s face, interrupting his thoughts.

"Buddy, are you listening to me? Don’t tell me you really did scramble your brains?"

Roland blinked at the right moment, quickly hiding the dazed look in his eyes. His voice was still tinged with a perfect amount of weakness and hesitation.

"Sorry... I zoned out for a moment. You said... you were the one who saved me?"

"Who else? In this godforsaken place, who else would drag a half-dead stranger back home?"

Holland rolled his eyes, then rubbed his chin and sized him up.

"You’ve got a decent build, much better than those layabouts in town. So, how about it? Seeing as you have nowhere to go and can’t remember who you are, why not stick with me for a while? I could... ah, use a hand right now."

He pointed to his Shield and Nail Head Hammer leaning against the wall.

"We’ll take a few trips out into the wilderness, clean up some small-time trouble that doesn’t know any better. If we’re lucky, we’ll earn a few coins. At the very least, you can earn enough for food and pay back what you owe me for the medical fees. How about it?"

Roland quickly calculated in his mind.

’Judging by Holland’s unguarded way of speaking and the fact that he saved a stranger, he doesn’t seem like someone with malicious intent, at least for now.’

’Sticking with this Priest, who’s clearly connected to the ’future’ historical timeline, is undoubtedly the best way to understand this era and investigate past events.’

’However...’

He gave a slight nod, his face showing a mix of gratitude and compliance.

"Thank you very much for taking me in, Mr. Holland. I... really don’t have anywhere better to go right now."

He paused, then asked with a hint of urgency, as if he had just remembered something.

"Mr. Holland, you mentioned you found me on the edge of the Black Forest... could you tell me the exact location? Or... if it’s not too much trouble, could you take me there to have a look?"

He put on a timely expression, a mixture of confusion and a sliver of hope.

"I can’t remember what happened before, but I have a feeling... maybe I can find something there. Even the smallest clue that might jog my memory would be enough."

Of course, his real purpose was to search for any items he might have dropped.

Especially "Bright Moon."

Other things could be replaced, but a Divine Weapon like that—one that had fought alongside him for so long and was connected to his very will—would be nearly impossible to replace with a weapon of a similar caliber if it were truly lost.

And besides...

Recalling the last scene before he completely lost consciousness, Roland narrowed his eyes.

He was certain that Avril and the others had also been thrown into this timeline with him by Phaethon’s power.

’So, if I search carefully around the ’past’ point in time where I first appeared, I might find some clues about their whereabouts.’

’If I can reunite with those reliable comrades as soon as possible, I’ll have the confidence to face whatever unknown dangers this strange era may hold.’

"Take you back for a look?"

After hearing Roland’s request, Holland stroked the stubble on his chin and nodded, but then spoke with some hesitation.

"It’s not out of the question. That place isn’t deep in the Black Forest, so there’s nothing too deadly there, but..."

He looked Roland up and down.

"Are you sure about your injuries? Old Tom said you have a strong constitution, but you were unconscious for four days."