Bang—
Ging was thinking over what Don had said as he lifted the nearby curtain and looked out into the dark night.
His gaze met the fleeting shadows of those grotesque flesh-and-blood monsters lurking in the darkness.
The carriage, conjured by Germain, had entered the west bank, and the number of flesh monsters they encountered grew steadily.
That was to be expected—they were heading straight into the monsters' lair.
Naturally, the more the carriage creaked and rolled forward, the more flesh monsters noticed it.
Some probably didn't have time to avoid it, while others actively lunged toward the carriage.
In any case, they kept crashing into it, making a continuous thud thud thud of impacts.
Despite its worn and battered appearance, the carriage smashed these flesh monsters into pieces one after another, forging a bloody path through them.
The wheels rolled, splashing blood and gore everywhere.
An eyeball of some unknown creature dropped right in front of Ging.
Its pupil was wide open, blood vessels threading across the sclera.
Ging flicked his finger lightly, sending the eyeball flying out the window.
Then, turning his head, he asked, "Can I understand it like this: the wider a 'demigod's' territory, the stronger they are?"
Don didn't keep him in suspense and explained, "Yes, but not entirely."
"The wider the 'God's territory,' the more rewards the 'demigod' gains every moment."
"But?" Ging pressed.
"But whether the 'God's territory' can fully realize its potential depends on whether the 'ritual rules' can cycle effectively, like an ecosystem."
Germain tapped his finger on his knee and said,
"So, in other words, the key to weakening the 'God of Flesh' is to destroy these cyclical 'rituals'?"
"That's right." Don nodded.
"However, without a doubt, every 'ritual stone array' is guarded by a 'God's Apostle.' They won't let us mess with it easily."
"So the place we're heading to now is one of those 'ritual stone arrays'?"
"Mm."
Don stretched out his hands from beneath his black robe—scarlet and blood-like, resembling those flesh monsters—and conjured a book and a feather pen.
"I'll use my 'Chain of Knowledge' to directly implant the locations of those three sites into your minds. Relax, don't resist."
He picked up his pen and quickly sketched a few lines on the book.
Immediately, two chains shot out and pierced the foreheads of Germain and Ging.
Then, a map appeared in their minds, looking like it was made of parchment.
The map could freely unfold or roll up and disappear, depending on their wishes.
"Forgive me, this map is a bit rough. Every time I come to the West Coast, my schedule is much more rushed than on the East Coast. Especially the last time—I barely escaped."
"I don't have much time to record everything I've seen. But I've roughly pinpointed the locations of those three 'Ritual Stone Arrays.' You can see them on the map."
In fact, Don was being too modest.
His map was already detailed enough—showing terrain, landforms, and even some side paths.
Germain noticed the unspoken meaning behind Don giving them the map and saying this:
"You're not planning to come with us anymore?"
Don shook his head.
"I said I would accompany you all, and I will keep my promise. But I have to be cautious about the 'Flesh Curse' I carry."
"For the time being, I'll act alone and move ahead to the first destination. This is partly to help clear some enemies for you, and partly to survive the time when I lose my sanity."
"During that period, I might even mistake you for flesh monsters… I don't want to see us turn on each other."
"I have to be alone for a while. Don't worry, it won't be long before we meet again at the destination."
With that, Don lifted the curtain of the carriage, took out a bell from his robe, and shook it several times.
A clear, tinkling sound rang out.
In the next moment, a night raid breed horse, black as spilled ink, galloped alongside the carriage.
Don jumped onto the night raid horse from the carriage and turned his head to nod at the two inside.
Germain and Ging, seeing his resolve, didn't stop him and nodded back in response.
Then, Don urged the black horse forward, galloping for a while.
Suddenly, he and the horse leapt into the darkness beside the road.
A lone figure on horseback quickly disappeared into the night.
The carriage fell silent, broken only by the creaking of the wheels and the occasional sound of blood-and-flesh monsters being smashed aside in their path.
Ging first carefully studied the map that Don had left in his mind, then said, "The three red circles we marked are our destinations. The moving white dot is us."
Germain quickly calculated the distance to the first target and, considering the speed of the carriage, estimated their arrival time.
"About ten hours from now, by tomorrow morning, we should arrive."
Ging nodded, then relaxed considerably and lay down on the bench.
"If that's the case, I'll take a nap and save my strength. If anything happens, just wake me."
"Alright."
Germain got up and left the other bench, lifted the curtain, and sat outside the carriage. Like any ordinary coachman, he guided the two horses pulling the carriage.
He no longer needed much rest, so sitting at the front all night was no problem.
The carriage traveled faster than a normal coach, even faster than a train, smashing through anything in its way.
If they encountered especially troublesome or large blood-and-flesh monsters, Germain, sitting upfront, would take action and eliminate the threat.
The carriage continued westward for four hours, then sped southwest for the remaining six.
After more than ten hours, the calendar showed it was 6 a.m. on February 24th in the Six Continents, but Germain still faced complete darkness.
However, he could sense the number of monsters and obstacles around them.
At the exact time, Ging woke up, slapped his face to clear his mind, and walked over to sit beside Germain.
"Are we there?" Ging asked.
"Just ahead." Germain had checked the map again and again in his mind — the direction and distance couldn't be wrong.
More importantly, the number and quality of the flesh monsters here were on a completely different level from those in the areas the carriage had passed through last night.
A fierce, malicious intent suddenly slammed into them like a giant hand, covering the entire area.
They've arrived!
Germain and Ging exchanged a glance, then instinctively jumped down from the carriage, landing steadily on the ground.
Meanwhile, the carriage, acting as a bait for testing, kept rushing forward.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed in the dim light—the carriage was sliced clean in two by something.
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer