Chapter 84: The Immovable Bulwark

Two days later.

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows of Nolan’s bedroom.

After two full days of rest, along with the nearly force-fed nutritional regimen imposed by Anna and Vivi, Nolan had mostly recovered. His complexion was still somewhat pale, but his energy had completely returned.

He stood before the mirror while Anna carefully helped him into the battered suit of chainmail he had brought from Veli City.

“Do you really have to go?” Anna asked again as she fastened the straps across his breastplate with practiced hands.

She had asked the same question several times a day for the past two days.

“The territory’s still in ruins, and everyone’s busy enough to forget their feet touch the ground. Father and Rehanna are outside the city drilling soldiers. Master Leus is in the workshop trying to maximize the effects of the Dragon Blood’s Oath potion. Master Kayan’s going around the city giving speeches to raise morale…” She glanced up at him with faint resentment in her voice. “And you, the actual lord, keep thinking about running off.”

Her tone carried reproach, but her hands remained remarkably gentle.

Looking at the girl frowning in the mirror, Nolan could only smile helplessly.

“Anna, I’m not going out to play. This is important preparation for future battles,” he explained while fastening another buckle. “And I promise you, we’re not going far this time. Just the outer region of the forest around Coldsteel City. We’ll be back in two or three days at most. It won’t interfere with anything important.”

He tapped the scratches across his breastplate, deep scars left behind from his battle with the Gold-rank warrior Yuri.

“Besides, look at this armor. Another couple of hard fights and it’ll completely fall apart. I need to find myself a new set of equipment eventually. Charging into battle bare-chested would be pretty rude.”

Anna studied the armor carefully.

He was right. The sturdy chainmail had already reached its limit after several intense battles. Cracks had appeared between the joined plates, and many sections were visibly damaged.

She sighed and stopped objecting, focusing instead on straightening his clothes.

“Anna, I know how to dress myself,” Nolan said awkwardly. He still was not used to being waited on, especially not by a beautiful young woman at such close range.

“Stop moving.”

Anna slapped his hand away and carefully smoothed the collar of the coat over his armor before dusting invisible specks from his shoulders. Only then did she step back and nod in satisfaction.

“There. You’re the lord now. You represent the dignity of all Coldsteel City. You need to pay attention to appearances when you’re outside.”

“Yes, yes. As you command, Chief Steward Anna.”

Nolan nodded helplessly. For some reason, a warm feeling rose quietly in his chest. If the kingdom were not drowning in danger from every direction, a peaceful life like this truly would not be bad at all.

Once fully dressed, Nolan stepped out of the manor.

At the entrance, Vivi, Little Donnie, and Renee were already waiting, fully equipped for departure. Three warhorses stood prepared beside them.

Little Donnie wore his usual light guard chainmail, his youthful face brimming with excitement and anticipation for adventure. Renee was dressed in a plain-colored robe that concealed her graceful figure, clutching a newly replaced oak staff tightly in her hands. She looked nervous.

Vivi remained dressed in her usual Nightingale attire. The tight leather outfit perfectly outlined her agile figure as she leaned lazily against her horse, idly tossing a dagger into the air.

The moment Nolan appeared, all three straightened immediately.

“Everyone here? Ready to go?”

“Ready, my lord!” Little Donnie answered loudly.

“Good energy. Let’s move.”

Nolan mounted first and rode toward the city gates.

Since Renee could not ride, Vivi shared a horse with her. The four of them traveled together through the broad streets of Coldsteel City.

Compared to a week ago, the city looked completely different.

The autumn harvest had already ended, so the people were no longer occupied with farming. Though the tense atmosphere of preparing for war hung over the city, the numbness and fear that had dominated during Haus’s rule were gone from the citizens’ faces.

In their eyes now was something called hope.

And determination.

For the first time in a long while, they had something they wanted to protect and a future worth looking forward to. All thanks to the mysterious new lord.

Apprentices in the blacksmith shops worked the bellows with enthusiasm. Shopkeepers voluntarily donated surplus supplies to the guard force. Even the children playing along the streets had begun mimicking soldiers, using sticks as swords in games of “protecting the homeland.”

Whenever they recognized Nolan’s group, they immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.

“Lord Nolan!”

“Good morning, my lord!”

Voices filled with genuine warmth echoed one after another through the streets.

Nolan smiled and nodded back to each of them. He could clearly feel a bond slowly forming between himself, the city, and its people. At least here, lord and commoner had temporarily broken free from the rigid hierarchy of oppressor and oppressed.

And he was now the protector of this city.

It was a heavy responsibility.

“Brother Nolan, where exactly are we going this time?” Once they passed through the city gates, Little Donnie finally could not hold back his curiosity any longer.

Nolan lowered his voice and answered mysteriously, “To the Borderlands Forest. Years ago, I once heard an ancient secret from a wandering Tyrian shaman.” He began making things up again with complete seriousness.

“A Tyrian shaman?” Renee’s eyes immediately lit up. She was clearly fascinated by the ancient and mysterious race.

“That’s right.” Nolan nodded solemnly. “The shaman told me that somewhere in the outer region of the Borderlands Forest lies an ancient seal. Supposedly, it imprisons a demon along with a powerful set of armor left behind from the era of the War of Heaven.”

“A demon? Armor from the War of Heaven?!” Little Donnie and Renee exclaimed at the same time.

That was the age of myths. Anything surviving from that era could practically be called a divine artifact.

Though Vivi said nothing, her ears perked up instantly at the mention of “treasure,” revealing that the story had successfully caught her attention as well.

“If a demon’s been sealed for that many years, it must be incredibly powerful, right?” Little Donnie swallowed nervously.

“Actually, the opposite.” Nolan shook his head. “At its peak, sure, it was probably terrifying. But after being sealed for so long and cut off from the Sulfur Abyss, its homeland, theoretically it should be extremely weak now. Otherwise, wouldn’t the four of us just be marching to our deaths?”

“My lord, the Borderlands Forest…” Renee hesitated uneasily. “I’ve heard it’s extremely dangerous. It’s vast and filled with hazards. People call it the Forest of No Return. Even Archduke Demont organized several large-scale expeditions into it to harvest resources, but most of them were wiped out completely. Very few people ever came back alive.”

“Danger and opportunity always coexist, Renee,” Nolan reassured her. “The deeper parts of the forest truly are forbidden territory for living beings, but we’re only going to the outer region. It’s dangerous for those who charge in unprepared and reckless. For us, though, maybe not.” He patted Little Donnie on the shoulder. “I spent seven whole mugs of Shire Town’s finest ale getting this information out of that old shaman. According to him, besides the sealed armor, there’s also a Fountain of Potential hidden in the ruins. It can awaken a person’s latent abilities and dramatically increase their strength. The reason I’m bringing the three of you is because you have the highest talent in the team, and right now you’re also the ones who can spare the time to leave. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of you to grow stronger. We’ll treat it as training while also scouting the way to the Fountain of Potential.”

The story itself was fabricated, but the ruins and the Fountain of Potential were completely real.

The level 45 hidden dungeon, Gap of Ages, was located in the outer forest less than half a day from Coldsteel City. The final reward of the dungeon was the strongest heavy armor currently available in the game at this stage: Immovable Bulwark.

In his previous life, Nolan had been too busy carrying out suicidal reconnaissance missions against the Shiva Empire and missed the dungeon’s first clear. By the time he learned of its existence, the top guild of the Elfin Kingdom, Sons of the Lion, had already led a team to defeat the boss first.

However, because the dungeon’s final reward, The Immovable Bulwark, was unique, the Sons of the Lion guild had not hidden their strategy. They released the entire dungeon guide onto the game forums, including detailed instructions on locating and unlocking the dungeon entrance.

Although no one else could ever obtain the coveted armor afterward, the Fountain of Potential alone was enough to drive countless players into a frenzy.

Back then, Nolan had reread that guide more than twenty times. Every detail was burned into his memory.

After evaluating his current strength, he was confident he could easily solo three of the original raid members from the Sons of the Lion expedition. And now he also had Vivi, Little Donnie, and Renee beside him, each talented in their own way. He was completely certain they could clear it.

Neither Little Donnie nor Renee had ever heard of the Fountain of Potential before, but the effect alone was enough to ignite excitement in their eyes. Both of them were dissatisfied with their current strength, especially Little Donnie, who always felt he was dragging the team down. The moment he heard there was a chance to become stronger, all his earlier nervousness vanished instantly.

“This is awesome! I’m definitely going to become stronger!” Little Donnie clenched his fists passionately. “Brother Nolan’s already called the Son of Miracles. Once I’m famous, maybe I can at least become ‘Little Donnie Beside the Son of Miracles!’”

His declaration left the other three speechless for a moment before they burst out laughing, and most of the tension immediately disappeared.

Watching their spirited expressions, Nolan truly felt just how indispensable someone like Little Donnie was to the team.

The four riders urged their horses faster and sped toward the vast forest ahead, a land filled with both danger and opportunity.