"!!!!"
When the Sarkaz mercenaries of Mudrock's squad, under Lucas Reeve's guidance, saw a settlement not far away, they finally knew that Mr. Reeve hadn't been lying. However, the people in this settlement also seemed to have noticed the arrival of these strangers and became vigilant.
However.
When they saw the assembled Shieldguards, their faces changed in an instant.
"Ursus Shieldguards!!!"
They too became alert, making full preparations for battle. Then, a tall, burly figure, a full three meters high, walked out from behind the Shieldguards.
Nearly all the Sarkaz present, including Mudrock, were completely stunned.
A body as tall and immortal as a hill, a powerful aura like a dam about to burst. A faint pressure washed over everything. Even these battle-hardened Sarkaz mercenaries couldn't help but feel the urge to submit to this faint yet noble pressure.
A goat skull that resembled a demon's, horns forked like antlers or tree branches, crimson eyes flickering with a peculiar red glow, a long spear, a greatshield, and power armor that refracted the light.
Hiss!!!
Mudrock sucked in a cold breath.
And the soldiers of Mudrock's squad couldn't hold back at all.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!! A Wendigo!!!"
Even in Kazdel, the Wendigo were a legendary race. They had left Kazdel en masse many years ago. Even in the Kazdel of the past, the Wendigo were the stuff of legends, one of the most ancient races.
In Kazdel.
The Sarkaz were just a very large category, which was further divided into an unknown number of smaller races, just as the Vulpo are divided into ordinary foxes and nine-tailed foxes, and the Perro into ordinary dogs and three-headed hounds like Ceobe.
Kazdel had numerous races, and at the pinnacle were the ten Royal Courts.
Each Royal Court represented one of the most powerful races: Vampire, Nachzehrer, Lich, Cyclops, Shapeshifter, Gargoyle....
And the Wendigo had once belonged to one of these ten Royal Courts, but they were expelled in recent decades and had vanished without a trace since.
Unexpectedly.
To actually encounter a Wendigo here.
Moreover.
It didn't seem to be an ordinary mixed-blood Wendigo, but a true royal, a pure-blood Wendigo...
Hiss....
Terrifying...
They had never imagined they would encounter a pure-blood Wendigo, long thought to be extinct, here. Perhaps the one before them was the last pure-blood Wendigo in the world.
"Mr. Reeve, what should we do?"
A Sarkaz mercenary quietly asked Lucas Reeve.
"Should we just walk over? They don't look very welcoming."
Lucas Reeve did not answer.
The blade of the greatsword in Surtr's hand suddenly burst into scorching flames. Lava flowed from the blade to the ground, melting the snow and covering the earth in magma. A majestic pressure shook the heavens and the earth, and the searing temperature seemed to melt the falling snow around them.
A flame giant nearly three meters tall emerged from the lava.
"It's been a while~"
Seeing the tense standoff between the two sides, the Sarkaz mercenaries were already prepared to flee.
However.
The Reunion Movement side spoke with utter shock.
"Mr. Reeve!!"
Oh...
So they were friendlies....
The Sarkaz of Mudrock's squad breathed a sigh of relief. Since they knew each other, things would be much easier to handle.
The Reunion Movement side also never expected this flame monster to actually be Lucas Reeve.
Alina still didn't quite believe it. She called out Lucas Reeve's name a few times, but there was no response at all.
The Lucas Reeve who had turned into a flame monster said helplessly.
"Stop shouting, Alina. For some special reasons, I can't communicate with you through that soul fragment."
Hearing Lucas Reeve say this.
Alina finally and completely believed that the flame monster before her was Lucas Reeve. Having not seen him for a long time, she ran straight over. Talulah quickly followed behind Alina, and everyone ran over, surrounding Lucas Reeve.
Alina was a little worried. She wanted to say something about Lucas Reeve's currently burning body, but she didn't quite dare to.
"Mr. Reeve, how did you end up like this?"
FrostNova also nodded quickly.
After all.
Compared to the handsome, beautiful, and profound appearance of the previous soul fragment, the current headless flame monster was indeed a tiny bit ugly. Of course, one couldn't say it was ugly, since Laevatainn didn't even have a head, so its appearance couldn't be seen. Who knows, the main body might be a handsome fellow.
Patriot also walked over.
His body, over three meters tall, was still a bit taller than the flame-monster-form Lucas Reeve. For a moment, the Sarkaz of Mudrock's squad couldn't tell who the monster was, or rather, both of them were monsters. After all, to outsiders, Sarkaz were more or less equivalent to demons and monsters.
And among the Sarkaz.
The Wendigo were equivalent to demons and monsters.
"Mr. Reeve, is this your true body?"
Patriot looked him up and down. He had to admit, this body was indeed very, very strong, and its divinity was countless times more intense than the previous soul fragment. However, the power of this body was still incomplete. It should also be a fragment, just a very large one that had separated with much more of the main body's power than the other soul fragments.
An Old God?
Patriot thought of a term.
Gods and Old Gods were different.
Gods were also divided into various ranks.
And Old Gods were among the most ancient and powerful of the gods.
Just like the Royal Courts among the Sarkaz.
Their bloodlines were the purest and most powerful.
He never thought Mr. Reeve would actually be an Old God...
It was somewhat unexpected.
"Don't misunderstand, it's not like that..."
Lucas Reeve said quietly, preparing to explain the specific situation to Patriot and the others in private.
"This squad?"
Patriot looked towards Mudrock's squad, and Lucas Reeve quickly said.
"I met them by chance. They're short on food and medicine, and one of them is seriously injured. Have a doctor help treat them."
In response to Lucas Reeve's words.
Talulah didn't hesitate in the slightest.
With a wave of her hand, she ordered a doctor to come over and treat the injured. The Shieldguards, who had been fully armed and on high alert a moment ago, now all voluntarily made way.
Since Mr. Reeve brought them back, they must be friendlies.
As the leader of the Reunion Movement, Talulah naturally stepped forward and walked towards Surtr.
She felt that.
Since Mr. Reeve was by this red-haired girl's side, then this red-haired girl must be the leader of the whole squad.
However.
After Talulah extended her hand.
Surtr had no intention of extending hers. She froze for a second, motionless, her posture remaining one hand holding her sword and the other in her pocket. Her gaze was cold and calm, as if she were looking down on the world from on high, looking down on everyone present, including Patriot.
Talulah's hand hovered in the air for a good while.
For a moment, it was a bit awkward.
If it were anyone else, the slightly simple-minded Talulah would have already changed her expression.
"Ahem...."
Lucas Reeve coughed, and Surtr finally reacted, quickly extending her hand to shake Talulah's. She didn't say a word, still aloof, like an exiled immortal walking among mortals.
Others didn't know.
But Lucas Reeve knew it crystal clear in his heart.
It wasn't that Surtr was aloof, she simply didn't react to the fact that someone was trying to shake her hand.
"This kid is a little introverted."
Lucas Reeve whispered in Talulah's ear.
"Oh, oh~"
Talulah nodded, with a look of understanding.
Then Lucas Reeve introduced Mudrock.
"This is Mudrock, the captain of the entire Mudrock squad. Surtr and I just happened to run into them."
After hearing Lucas Reeve's introduction.
Talulah was a bit embarrassed and quickly changed direction to shake hands with Mudrock.
Mudrock was quite a bit taller than Talulah; in that suit of armor, she was at least 1.9 meters tall.
"Hello, my name is Talulah, the current leader of the Reunion Movement."
Mudrock was much more easygoing than she appeared. Although she looked burly and had a rough voice, her tone was very friendly.
"Hello, I'm Mudrock, formerly from Kazdel. We were also saved by Miss Surtr and Mr. Reeve. It's thanks to them that we made it here."
The leaders of the two squads exchanged simple pleasantries, and at Talulah's invitation, Mudrock's squad of over a hundred people entered the current Reunion Movement settlement.
The moment they entered the settlement.
Everyone in Mudrock's squad trembled. A warmth they hadn't experienced in a long time flowed through their entire bodies.
One moment it was quite cold, but the next it was as warm as spring.
"This temperature is so comfortable, Captain!"
A Sarkaz mercenary whispered in Mudrock's ear.
Mudrock nodded but gave no response.
Talulah also began to explain.
"This temperature relies on the heating stove Mr. Reeve gifted us. After putting in Originium, it can provide large-scale heating."
"Holy shit, it's that amazing?"
Adding more than a hundred people at once meant more than a hundred mouths to feed. For a normal settlement, this would have been a headache. After all, with so many mouths, they definitely couldn't afford it or would be reluctant to share.
But since Lucas Reeve had brought them, no one had such thoughts. They very generously cooked some congee, even luxuriously adding green vegetables, which were incredibly rare in the snowfields, into the pot. When bowls of hot vegetable congee were served.
The hundred-plus Sarkaz mercenaries all stared with wide eyes, somewhat in disbelief.
The aroma of vegetables, which they hadn't eaten in a very long time, made these Sarkaz mercenaries fight to hold back their saliva. They all looked in unison at their Captain Mudrock beside them. After receiving an affirmative reply from their captain, they finally wolfed down the congee in their bowls.
Meanwhile, Surtr stared at the bowl in front of her, lost in thought.
"Miss Surtr, you don't like congee?"
Alina walked over, her gentle nature prompting her to speak to Surtr.
Someone was actually talking to her on their own initiative.
Surtr was a little surprised. After a few seconds of silence to think about what she should say, she slowly said.
"Is there any ice cream?"
"...."
In an instant.
The surrounding environment fell into silence and embarrassment again.
Surtr seemed to realize she must have said something wrong again, so she simply closed her mouth. After pondering for a few seconds, she slowly drank the congee from her bowl. Compared to hot food, Surtr preferred cold things.
Her situation was completely different from FrostNova's.
FrostNova's body surface and internal temperature were always very low, so she especially wanted to eat hot things, to the point where she could drink boiling water directly. After all, the moment boiling water entered FrostNova's mouth, it would cool down rapidly. If she didn't swallow it quickly, it might turn into cold water in a few seconds.
Surtr's situation was the opposite.
Because of Laevatainn, her constitution was completely different from a normal person's.
Her body surface and internal temperature were always a problem.
This made her like to eat sweet ice cream to cool herself down. As for hot food, she didn't particularly like it.
Due to the central furnace.
The temperature in the Reunion settlement was not low.
Some Sarkaz mercenaries were even sweating all over from eating, and Mudrock was also getting a little hot. She looked at the bowl in front of her, and after hesitating for a few seconds, with a loud hiss, everyone from Mudrock's squad and the Reunion squad turned to look at Mudrock. Mudrock's body deflated like a punctured rubber ball, instantly slumping.
The veterans in the squad knew and weren't surprised, but many of the new recruits were completely unaware. In their impression, their captain always wore huge armor and never showed her face. Some guessed that perhaps the captain's appearance and figure were a bit... well, you know, so she didn't want to show her true face.
After Mudrock's armor deflated.
She first took off her gloves. Underneath the huge black gloves were a pair of incredibly fair and delicate hands.
???
Many people in Mudrock's squad were stunned. Not just Mudrock's squad, but many members of the Reunion Movement watching from the side were also dumbfounded.
Such small and fair hands???
Wearing such large gloves?
Then.
The small hand gently pulled a zipper on the front of the armor.
Psssh~
Along with a cascade of snow-white hair, a beautiful, graceful Sarkaz girl appeared before everyone.
Her skin was like fine porcelain, fair and radiant. Her features were well-defined, her eyes sparkling. On either side of her head were the pointed horns of a Sarkaz, and on her upper body, she wore a small black inner shirt. Her full chest made the sports top bulge.
Under the sunlight.
Mudrock's silhouette was so alluring.
"????"
Everyone was completely stunned at this moment.
A petite and cute girl actually emerged from a 1.9-meter-tall burly frame....
This contrast... was a bit....
The most shocked were the members of Mudrock's squad.
They never expected their captain to be so small.
And that such a small body contained such terrifying power!!
Captain is awesome!!
Surtr was also surprised, but the surprise wasn't written on her face.
As for Lucas Reeve, he already knew.
Although he couldn't get out now, his abilities could still be used normally. Under his Transparent World, Lucas Reeve had long known Mudrock's true identity. As for her looks, while they were good, Lucas Reeve had seen too many incredibly beautiful girls since coming to Terra and had built up an immunity to beauty.
"Mmm, mmm, Captain!! You're so beautiful!!"
A dozen or so young Sarkaz Caster girls from Mudrock's squad ran up and hugged Mudrock's arm.
Mudrock was also a bit embarrassed. She smiled, then went back to eating on her own. This was also why she didn't like to show her true face... It would make people think... that she was very weak and look down on her, when in fact, she was very strong.
On the other side, Lucas Reeve had floated far away to discuss matters privately with Patriot and the others.
"Mr. Reeve, are you saying that your soul fragment and the soul of this flame giant have fused together?"
Patriot frowned.
Lucas Reeve nodded: "So it's very awkward right now. It will take at least two months. So, this is for you."
Lucas Reeve handed a Soul Orb to Alina.
"If there's any crisis, crush it immediately, and I'll sense it right away."
In fact.
If it weren't for a chance encounter with Mudrock's squad on the road, and it being on the way, Lucas Reeve's original plan was to have Surtr make a trip to the Reunion Movement to give them some instructions.
"Have there been any recent movements from Black Serpent and Ursus?"
Talulah shook her head.
"According to the scouts we've infiltrated, there's been no movement for now. Moreover, the two Yeti Squadron members you left in Chernobog back then have now quietly blended into Chernobog's upper society. Our lives are temporarily stable, but... in this way, we can't help any of our other Infected compatriots at all, we can only live on our own..."
Lucas Reeve sighed.
"Take it slow. Our top priority now is to find a way to infiltrate scouts into the various cities of Ursus. Only by understanding the specific situation in Ursus can we take action. There's no rush."
Talulah nodded.
Night fell.
The Sarkaz mercenaries were hitting it off with some Reunion members, and Mudrock had already shed her armor, wearing light clothing. In Reunion's meeting room, Surtr sat on the side as a spectator, mainly because Lucas Reeve definitely needed to participate, and Lucas Reeve was in the sword, and Surtr couldn't leave her sword.
"Miss Mudrock, I'll be direct. Does your squad have any clear direction for the future?"
Talulah's purpose in saying this was obvious.
Recruitment.
The reason Lucas Reeve had Mudrock's squad come over was that he valued their combat strength.
The combat power of Sarkaz mercenaries themselves far exceeds that of ordinary people.
Moreover, there were more than a hundred of them here, and even a powerful individual like Mudrock. If they joined, it would be a huge boost to the current Reunion Movement. After all, Reunion didn't have many people, and very few were actual combat personnel. They also needed a large number of scouts and other auxiliary special operators, vanguards, and so on.
With few new members joining, the Reunion Movement was clearly short-staffed. Recruiting new members was extremely important for the current Reunion Movement, and this group of well-trained Sarkaz mercenaries from Mudrock's squad was a perfect fit. If they could be recruited, it would be for the best.
Mudrock wasn't stupid.
She naturally understood Talulah's meaning.
She fell into silence.
And after two minutes,
Mudrock raised her head and said, "I'm sorry... I don't want to join any organization..."
Alina smiled and said, "Don't be so quick to refuse, Miss Mudrock. I think you should first listen to our analysis, then discuss it with your team members before making a decision. Besides, this isn't about joining; we're just in a peaceful, cooperative relationship."