Chapter 256 - 256. Slyfall
More time passed.
Noah had never stopped in his escape, he would only rest when his body reached its limits only to run again as soon as he recovered.
The continued use of the Warp spell and the relentless march were beginning to affect his psyche but he didn't dare to stop.
The Royals had cultivators in the heroic ranks at their disposal and Noah wouldn't bet on their negligence for his escape.
'If only I could stop overusing the Warp spell. Never mind, it's too dangerous.'
Noah was using his potions to refill as much mental energy as he could to support his spell.
The constant stress and efforts prevented for his mind to be at ease and slowed the pace at which his mental sphere produced energy, he had to resort to his stash of medicines to continue running.
Also, he could avoid using the Warp spell if he stopped crossing inhabited areas but he would risk entering in danger zones that way.
'It is clear that I still can't kill a rank 4 magical beast alone and I have already used the shard of the Demonic sword. I am at my weakest right now.'
Since he didn't know the actual layout of the continent, he could only cross inhabited areas because he was sure of their safety.
Humans could never develop in a danger zone, only special structures inhabited by cultivators could survive there.
Like that, his journey continued.
He crossed plains and mountains, small forests and lakes, always keeping the sea to his left side.
He had seen the sea in his previous life already, that sight was not enough to make him stop in wonder.
'How big is this damned continent! I would have crossed half of my previous world now.'
The speed that he was capable of with his rank 4 body was incredible but it still didn't seem enough to reach the domain of the Shandal Empire.
'Once I reach the area of influence of the Empire, I will be momentarily safe.'
That was the first stop planned in Noah's mind.
He had a lot to do.
There was the Bloodline Inheritance that still needed to be absorbed, Noah had momentarily sealed the head of the rank 4 worm in a barrel filled with the blood of the weaker worms that had been in his space-rings.
However, that was only a momentary solution, he could not completely stop the deterioration of the head.
Also, he had to forge his Demonic swords, his battle prowess was too low for him to be safe in a foreign country.
Then, he wanted to resume a normal pace of training and gather information about his whereabouts, he couldn't continue to run blindly in a straight line.
As for why he had chosen the Shandal Empire as his first stop, it was because it was the strongest nation in the continent!
'Ideally, since I'm on the coastline, I should arrive in one of the countries subjugated by the Empire, I should be quite safe there.'
He didn't dare to directly enter the Empire, he just wanted to lay low in one of the countries around it.
It was only on his fourth month of travel that he encountered some changes in the environment.
Noah found himself in front of an endless mountain range that seemed to cut the continent in two.
'These don't seem normal mountains, they seem the work of a formation master.'
Noah carefully neared the mountain range and felt an ominous sensation coming from them.
'It's either a formation or a danger zone, I can't simply cross it in both cases.'
He thought about the issue for a moment before two pairs of wings came out of his back.
Then, he flew in the direction of the sea to see if that sensation vanished.
There, he was surprised to see a large and seemingly bustling city right between the sea and the mountain range.
'What? How wasn't I able to sense it? Is it because of the formation?'
Noah was amazed by its concealment and could only address that ability to the formation.
'It doesn't seem possible to sneak inside the next country, I should just see if I can pay them.'
Noah landed in an empty spot on the sandy beach and calmly walked toward the main gate of the city.
That city had a simple defensive wall that surrounded it and many inscriptions could be seen on its surface.
'It should be more dangerous than it looks. I bet that it's one of the cores of the formation.'
Formations needed a constant supply of "Breath" to work and that city seemed to provide some of it.
"Welcome to the independent city of Slyfall, I need your identification token and one thousand Credits to let you enter."
A soldier in a rusty armor blocked him right in front of the gate.
Noah didn't answer but looked around to see if there was someone else observing him.
Yet, it seemed that the soldier was the only guard appointed for that spot.
"Who does this city serve?"
Noah asked in a plain tone.
The soldier seemed used to that question and showed a wide smile at his words.
"We serve everyone! The city is placed right between the areas of influence of two great nations so we can't really take sides. I have to say that we are more inclined toward the Empire though."
Noah nodded, he had guessed much already.
'To be part of the formation, this city must have the protection of a strong party. Their independence is just a façade for the gathering of information.'
"What if I gave you ten thousand Credits? Would that be enough to buy your silence?"
The soldier smiled again but shook his head.
"You must be a noble on the run, I have seen many of your kind. However, I still need to give you a token to allow your entrance, I can't just create a fak-"
"Thirty thousand and an Earth pill, you want to break through the solid stage, right?"
Noah raised his offer.
He had already noticed that the soldier was rank 1 cultivator at the peak of the liquid stage, the only thing that could hold him back from attempting the breakthrough was the lack of resources.
The soldier finally stopped smiling and looked at Noah with a bit of wariness in his eyes.
The hooded man in front of him had to be way stronger than him to discern so accurately his level.
It took the soldier just a few seconds for him to smile again and taking a token from his space-ring.
"Welcome to Slyfall, Mister Adam."