Chapter 613: Rapid Progress in Magic
The land stretching from the foot of Mount Cang to the lakeside had a slight incline, but it was so minimal it could almost be ignored. The terrain was overall very flat. Apart from a few fishing villages near the lake and some villages near the city, there were few houses. Occasionally, a tall tree might stand alone as part of the landscape, but there were hardly any forests to block one’s view.
You could see a great distance in a single glance.
A caravan of merchants was slowly making its way across this plain. Knowing that strange demons and ghosts had recently been appearing in the area even in broad daylight, they had removed all the bells from their horses and mules to avoid making noise.
The weather near the lake was unpredictable. Clouds drifted low, as if just a few dozen feet overhead, carried swiftly by the wind. One moment the sun might shine directly down, and the next, shadows would fall across the land. Light and shadow seemed to be locked in a fierce battle across the earth and lake, tangled and inseparable.
“Everyone remember, if you encounter the headless monster, don’t panic, and don’t run. If you flee, your fate will be uncertain. Wait for him to speak. When he asks whether his head is still on his neck, you must say it is.”
This wasn’t the caravan’s first journey here. They were familiar with the Headless Monk, a figure of local legend stretching back hundreds of years who had recently reappeared. Still, they couldn’t help repeating the warning.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
But as they walked, they suddenly heard something up ahead. Everyone immediately grew alert and stopped in their tracks, eyes flickering with hesitation as they listened closely.
“...”
Most of the noise sounded like thud-thud-thud, rumble-rumble, and at times like heavy footsteps, louder even than the clatter of iron-hooved cavalry. Sometimes it resembled war drums, but without the steady rhythm. Sometimes it sounded like metal and stone colliding, but with a deafening intensity. At other times, it resembled thunder, but it wasn’t coming from the sky.
“What is that sound?”
“Could it be a monster?”