Chapter 255: Surrounded by Crisis

Looking down from the sky, the black plains stretched endlessly below.

The plains were riddled with cracks of various sizes, some so deep they formed canyons.

There wasn’t a hint of green, no sign of vegetation.

Not even a single blade of grass could be seen on the ground, nor any animals moving about.

As for humans, there was no trace of them either—not even the slightest sign of human activity.

Pruis stood by the window and spoke, “In areas overtaken by the Wasteland, no vegetation can grow. If we hadn’t preserved the Land of Dawn and the Barrens, we wouldn’t even have places to grow food. Who knows how many people would starve to death.”

“And the territory of the Land of Dawn is shrinking. Over the years, it’s been slowly eaten away.”

Helag asked, “Even with Wizard Towers protecting the cities, they still get overrun?”

If the territory was shrinking, it meant that some cities, even with the protection of Wizard Towers, had been polluted by the Wasteland or overrun by monsters.

The wizard organizations in the Land of Dawn were incredibly powerful now, yet even they were being forced to retreat…

Pruis gave a bitter smile. “Yes, every so often, something abnormal happens. For example, someone inside a city might suddenly become contaminated, and overnight, the pollution spreads throughout the entire city. Or, a powerful, strange entity might suddenly appear and storm the city.”

“These events are rare, but when they do happen, they’re catastrophic. A city can fall very suddenly and very quickly.”

“That’s why we invade other planes to plunder resources. We have no choice. If we don’t seize resources from other planes, the ones we have here will eventually run out. We have to expand into new planes.”

The wizards of the Land of Dawn invade other planes to ensure their own survival.

Though the wizard organizations in the Land of Dawn appear strong, they are constantly surrounded by danger.

Compared to the vast polluted areas, the Land of Dawn is just a small piece of land.

In those unknown polluted regions, who knows what kinds of powerful creatures exist?

If one of those powerful beings were to emerge one day, the entire Land of Dawn could be wiped out.

No one knows what’s really going on in the polluted areas. Even those who venture in to investigate can’t go far and can only explore the outskirts.

Helag hadn’t realized just how dire the situation was for the wizards of the Land of Dawn.

In the Barrens, he had never heard of any of this and had no understanding of the overall situation on the Karag Continent.

Now that he knew, he realized that all wizards were facing a grim reality.

The people of the Barrens, unaware of the truth, probably lived more carefree lives, with far less pressure.

But the people of the Land of Dawn were born knowing what surrounded them and what kind of situation they were in. From the start, they knew the harsh reality they faced.

David and Reese also fell into deep thought. They hadn’t expected the Land of Dawn, which they had always dreamed of, to be a place filled with such peril.

Helag’s mind raced with thoughts. He realized that all his future actions would need to be even more cautious.

The situation in the Land of Dawn was too complex. In addition to the various internal factions, the polluted regions outside were a massive threat.

Helag thought for a moment and asked, “Mr. Pruis, which city are we headed to?”

He had the full map of the Land of Dawn in his mind, and Seranthiel had many cities, each in different locations.

Helag wanted to know which city they would be going to. In theory, the closer they were to the Central Zone, the safer they would be, as it was farther from the polluted regions.

However, there were polluted areas scattered between the cities, marked in black on the map.

Although the polluted areas between cities weren’t as large as those outside, they were still spread out in a chaotic pattern, with many small patches here and there.

“Silvermoon City. It’s Lord Parker’s main residence, and most of our faction operates out of there,” Pruis replied.

Helag immediately checked his mental map and found Silvermoon City’s location.

Seranthiel was in the southern part of the Land of Dawn, near the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Silvermoon City was located in the southernmost part of Seranthiel, closest to the Ten Thousand Mountains.

In terms of location, Silvermoon City was relatively safe, as there were no large polluted areas nearby.

The only polluted area was the one between Silvermoon City and the Ten Thousand Mountains, and it wasn’t very large.

Most importantly, this polluted area was a flat plain, making it easy to monitor the situation.

Unlike other cities, where vast, uncharted polluted regions loomed just beyond the horizon, Silvermoon City’s surroundings were more predictable.

The only downside was that Silvermoon City had no buffer zone—no other cities stood between it and the polluted areas.

If something went wrong, Silvermoon City would face the threat directly, with no buffer to fall back on.

But this wasn’t something Helag could control. Silvermoon City was still one of the better locations.

All he could do was remain cautious and be even more careful in the future.

The airship flew over the black plains for nearly half a month.

Looking down at the plains, Helag thought that if it weren’t for the Wasteland’s pollution, this would have been a very livable place.

The vast plains offered plenty of land for cultivation. Just this one plain could have fed all the people of the Land of Dawn.

Unfortunately, it had been polluted by the Wasteland, turning it into a barren wasteland where not even a blade of grass could grow, let alone crops.

Helag also spotted a dried-up riverbed. Judging by its width, it must have once been a mighty river, nourishing the surrounding plains.

About a hundred kilometers from the dried-up riverbed was Silvermoon City.

From the airship, Helag could already see the city in the distance.

Silvermoon City was surrounded by tall walls and covered by a transparent protective barrier.

As they approached the city, the airship gradually slowed down and descended.

The airship finally landed on a wide patch of yellow land in front of Silvermoon City’s gates.

The area around Silvermoon City, within the protective barrier, was free from the Wasteland’s pollution.

The contrast between the black and yellow land was striking, especially when viewed from the air.

“Once we disembark, don’t wander off. Stay below and go through the inspection,” Pruis reminded them.