Life Game In Other World
Chapter 1231: Collaborator, Promotion (Long - Asking for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 1231: Chapter 1231: Collaborator, Promotion (Long Chapter Asking for Monthly Pass)

The dense, packed army marched across the vast plains, the dawn light illuminating the soldiers’ still-drying armor, reflecting a brilliant gleam on the sleek, polished surfaces.

"The sun’s rising,"

From deep within the army, someone seemed to ask, "How much longer until we reach Dawn City?"

"After crossing the Storm Corridor, we’ve already entered the eastern plains. If we maintain a fast marching speed, we should arrive at Dawn City by tonight,"

A voice in the crowd responded, "But we’re exhausted from the journey, and most soldiers haven’t had proper rest. Even if we reach Dawn City, we’ll need to recuperate for a while."

"That’s not a problem. Pass the order: open the transport vehicles and let the soldiers take turns resting inside, while the rest press on at full speed toward Dawn City."

The one asking the question gave the order without hesitation.

"Understood."

The reply came immediately.

"Have we received any news from the other mercenary groups?"

Before long, the questioning voice spoke again.

"Nothing yet. Based on our previous agreement, after reaching the eastern plains, the Stars Pharma mercenary corps should have left a contact in the nearby cities, but so far, we haven’t found anyone,"

The responding voice answered promptly, "The originally scheduled Minte City, which was meant to be under the joint control of Note Intelligence and West Steel, also seems to have run into some issues. Our messengers sent there haven’t returned yet, and there’s been no response from the two major mercenary groups either.

"Theoretically, we should rendezvous with allied forces outside Dawn City by no later than early this morning."

"I see,"

The questioning voice spoke in a measured tone, "Send out a mecha squad to act as messengers and attempt to contact the ’allied forces’ in the west and south. The entire army is to keep advancing."

"Understood."

The voice responded again.

——

A scarlet flying craft streaked swiftly across the void. Inside, He Ao, his entire body drenched in blood, sat cross-legged, staring at the pale yellow liquid before him.

He then raised his hand, picking up a blood-stained jade box embedded with tree roots from beside him.

The jade box itself was exceptionally sturdy and had endured the energy surge above the Northern Gate alongside He Ao.

However, it was inconvenient to carry around, so He Ao had infused it with a trace of Divine Sense and discarded it beneath the ruined Mechanical Spider.

The box contained Divine Sense and bore significant contamination from the God of Order, so He Ao wasn’t worried about losing it.

After dealing with Wistain and Dailot, he returned to retrieve the jade box.

Currently, around He Ao, a variety of ’bottles and jars’ were scattered—containers filled with extraordinary materials.

The labels read: Half-Person’s Blood, Silver Mallow Grass, Fire Wolf Flower...

Some of these were acquired by He Ao previously, while others were found in the small warehouse belonging to the Order Church within West Steel.

At the Church of Chaos outpost, he had also discovered the Pseudo-Wolf’s Eye, which was now integrated into the solution before him according to the operational steps.

Fixing his gaze on the yellow liquid with faint red glimmers flickering within, He Ao took a deep breath, slowly raising his hand to open the jade box.

The dazzling, dodecahedral diamond once again appeared in He Ao’s field of vision.

From the secret formula for the Secret Medicine obtained from the Order Church, the main ingredient should have been ’River Water of the River of Eternal Flow.’ But He Ao had no way to enter the River of Eternal Flow, nor could he obtain its water.

According to the ’guidance of fate,’ the Tree Heart of the Eternal Tree before him was an even better ’extraordinary material’ than the river water.

He Ao gazed at the diamond radiating its brilliant light. No matter how many times he looked at it, each time he was struck anew by the profound beauty of its order.

The dodecahedron itself was a symbol of the God of Order’s emblem.

The fact that this object was shaped into a dodecahedron implied, in mysticism, a strong association with the God of Order.

In the diary left behind at the Reidnoke Chaos Church outpost, the author had investigated the origin of this Eternal Tree Heart.

According to the records, the Eternal Tree grew within the River of Eternal Flow, which was connected to the Kingdom of Order.

But this detail didn’t matter much to He Ao. After all, he already bore significant ties to the God of Order, so this was just one more addition.

However,

His gaze drifted to the red glimmer flickering in the solution before him.

The Pseudo-Wolf, when he discovered it, was already tainted by the corruption of the God of Chaos.

Order and chaos within the same dose of Secret Medicine.

Am I creating a mysticism bomb?

He Ao took another deep breath.

Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.

Gripping the jade box, he slowly moved it closer to the shimmering red solution.

The dodecahedral diamond, suspended in mid-air, moved with the jade box, gradually approaching the solution.

Just then, the seemingly placid solution suddenly began to boil violently without any external heat. As the diamond drew closer, it boiled even more intensely.

The previously ’calm’ red light now writhed violently within the solution, like an agitated serpent.

Simultaneously, brilliant light erupted from the diamond, instantly suppressing the surface of the roiling liquid.

An invisible repulsive force materialized between the liquid and the diamond, preventing them from merging.

He Ao took a deep breath, holding the liquid with one hand and the jade box with the other, using force to bring them together.

But the repulsive force only grew stronger. The diamond trembled violently as if it might break free of the jade box’s confinement at any moment, and the Mithril beaker containing the solution quaked under the impact of the boiling red light, seeming on the verge of shattering.

In that instant, He Ao had a flash of insight. He extended his Divine Sense upward, infiltrating both the liquid and the diamond.

In that very moment, frenzied and maddening whispers echoed in He Ao’s ears. Two completely different contaminations surged simultaneously through the mystical connection into his body, clashing within his blood and flesh, further tearing him apart.

At this point, the ’repulsive force’ between his hands abruptly weakened.

Without hesitation, he pushed the diamond directly into the solution.

An invisible suction force arose. The luminous diamond dissolved instantly into the solution, and the boiling liquid and red light calmed in an instant.

He Ao immediately placed the beaker into an ice bath at zero degrees.

The liquid inside the beaker briefly stabilized, then began to boil violently again as if some invisible force spread outward.

The ice water in the bath quickly heated under the impact of the boiling force.

Fine cracks began to form across the surface of the beaker.

He Ao observed the scene.

According to the Secret Medicine formula, this step required a 20-minute cold bath in ice water. But at this rate, the ice water wouldn’t be enough to suppress the power within the solution.

He Ao swiftly grabbed a nearby powder of Silver Mallow Grass.

Silver Mallow Grass could calm and focus the mind and also harmonize extraordinary powers.

He Ao added a small amount of Silver Mallow Grass powder into the beaker.

The clashing forces within it weakened briefly.

But the Silver Mallow Grass powder floated atop the liquid, dissolving slowly.

At that moment, He Ao quickly poured the solution into a new beaker, immediately placing the new beaker into a nearby oil bath at 160 degrees.

At this temperature, the Silver Mallow Grass powder would dissolve faster.

As expected, He Ao soon saw the Silver Mallow Grass powder rapidly dissolving within the beaker. The prior clashing forces within also quickly subsided.

At this stage, He Ao did not hesitate further, adding the remaining Silver Mallow Grass powder into the solution.

The swirling, intangible forces quickly dissolved. The liquid inside the beaker grew luminous, with crystalline impurities forming rapidly at the bottom.

The Secret Medicine formula required 30 grams of Silver Mallow Grass, but since the Order warehouse had an ample supply, He Ao had brought all of it—120 grams.

As He Ao continued adding it, the amount of Silver Mallow Grass far exceeded the 30-gram guideline, but he didn’t stop.

Because the moment the Silver Mallow Grass decreased, the forces within the solution would begin clashing again.

The method for concocting Secret Medicine was merely the safest methodology devised by predecessors; it wasn’t necessarily the most accurate, particularly when additional components were included among the extraordinary materials.

He Ao felt fortunate that one of the auxiliary ingredients in the Secret Medicine formula happened to have potent "calming" effects. Without the Silver Mallow Grass, the medicine might have failed as early as the ice bath stage.

Soon, the Silver Mallow Grass powder in He Ao’s hand was nearly depleted, but the crystalline structures at the bottom of the beaker also ceased forming.

Without hesitation, he tossed the beaker into an adjacent filter to separate out the crystals from the liquid.

Then, before the filtered solution could ’erupt’ into chaos anew, he added the last of the Silver Mallow Grass into it.

The solution, still carrying residual warmth, melted the Silver Mallow Grass, harmonizing the inner conflict of its forces.

At the same time, the solution began to decompose visibly to the naked eye.

The upper layer turned clear and transparent, emitting intertwined red and yellow glows, while the lower layer remained murky and yellow.

Swiftly, He Ao took a Secret Silver test tube, separating the upper layer and pouring it into the tube.

As the solution cooled further, the remaining Silver Mallow Grass powder dissolved more slowly, and the previously calm solution began boiling violently again.

He Ao lifted his head, looking out through the rear window of the aircraft at the receding Northern Gate in the distance.

A crimson sunrise rose from the horizon, its rays cutting through the narrow canyon and illuminating the snowfields far beyond.

In the warm light of this early morning, an army moved slowly toward the narrow canyon.

Fixing his gaze on the radiance-filled scene, He Ao brought the test tube of bubbling liquid to his lips and drank it in one gulp.

A searing and intense sensation scorched down his throat, piercing into his body.

[Talent Sequence 177: Coordinator]

······

[Promotion Ceremony: As the leader or commander of no fewer than 80 individuals, successfully achieve an outcome that directly impacts at least 10,000 people.]

——

"Good morning, Doctor Roger."

A young soldier driving the vehicle hummed a tune and glanced at the newly stirring Roger through the rearview mirror, cheerfully greeting him.

"Where are we now?"

Roger slowly opened his eyes, propping himself up, and gazed at the rising sun overhead before asking softly.

"We’re entering the mountains,"

The young soldier casually gestured to the wooded mountain road ahead with one hand on the steering wheel. "There’s a stretch of rough terrain ahead, which might slow us down a bit. Once we’re through, though, it’ll be a much smoother ride."

He flipped on the car’s music player, "Want to get some more sleep, Doctor Roger? Unless something unexpected happens, we should make it to Dawn City by tonight."

"We’re almost there, huh."

Roger raised his head, gazing at the surrounding mountains.

His eyes seemed to pierce through range after range until they rested on a towering, majestic city in the distance.

Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at the glowing nutrient pod beside him. Placing his hand on its surface, he let out a soft sigh, "I never thought there’d come a day when we’d be back."

——

North of the Northern Gate

The morning sun rose from the edge of the sky, its radiant light illuminating the blood-stained hills.

The broken roads, exposed rocks, and irretrievable shattered remains painted the barren slope.

Scattered soldiers roamed the wilderness, accompanied by simple engineering robots, gathering their comrades’ remains.

Orey stood atop the hillside, silently watching the scene unfold.

"Your ’Commander’... is gone?"

A calm inquiry reached his ears.

"Why? Are you hoping for another fight?"

Orey turned around, eyeing the young officer beside him, who wore the uniform of the mercenary corps and a finely crafted military cap.

"There’s nothing left to fight for—it’s all over,"

The young officer gazed at the mechanical units retreating in the distance, letting out a soft sigh. "Until today, I never believed a single person’s strength could influence, let alone decide, the outcome of an entire war. Now, I believe it."

"I’ve always believed that,"

Orey replied calmly.

The young officer glanced at the figure standing beside him, someone who appeared younger than himself, before looking back at the morning sun climbing the sky, "Still, there’s one thing I can’t quite wrap my head around."

Orey said nothing, continuing to gaze at the sky as if waiting for the officer’s question.

"You’re all likely from Minte City or nearby. You must also know that Minte City wasn’t really our objective. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of you have never even been to Dawn City or heard of it."

The young officer’s words were slow and deliberate. "Yet, you were willing to give everything to defend this gate. Why?"

He paused briefly, then continued, "Or was it your leader who deceived you, making you believe you were defending your homeland?"

"He didn’t deceive us. In fact, we knew once we left the Minte City region that this war had little to do with Minte City anymore,"

Orey cast a glance at the young officer beside him, then smiled, "Of course, even if you had crossed the Northern Gate, we weren’t inclined to believe you’d actually spare Minte City either."

The young officer fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "So, you really were fighting to protect your homeland?"

"That might be part of it, but another part of it is this,"

Orey looked up at the morning sun and suddenly asked, "Have you ever walked a nighttime path? The kind where it’s winter, with no streetlights, no moon, no starlight—where you can’t even see your hand in front of your face."

"Hmm?"

The young officer froze slightly, caught off guard.