Chapter 432: Heading to Water Screen City

At this moment, Rod was thinking more about gods and demons. With the Gate of Gods and Demons opened, he had acquired the divine status of a God King. It felt somewhat illusory and abstract, yet it was real. Moreover, something else was about to happen soon.
Those matters were the most troublesome. The issue of demon souls continued to plague Rod’s mind. He patted his head, took a deep breath, and walked forward, looking at the town he knew best.
“Rod! Knight Rod!”
“Lord Rod!”
Exclamations of amazement and reverence filled the streets. Only then did Rod realize what was happening—he pulled himself back from his thoughts and found that the streets had suddenly become quiet; he had been recognized!
Touching his face, he felt a sense of helplessness. It seemed he hadn’t hidden himself at all, so it was no wonder he had been recognized. There was reverence and fear in those people’s eyes—complex emotions that Rod couldn’t decipher.
He raised his hand, not knowing what to say. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and said, “Heh, everyone, go on. Ignore me as if I’m not here!” That was all he could manage to say.
He wasn’t good at speaking such polite words, but it somehow bridged the gap between them, and the atmosphere gradually became lively again. He continued walking forward. After a while, dusk fell. Having lost interest, he headed back to his residence, toward the city lord’s mansion.
…
“I’m going to Water Screen City too!” said Aida to Rod inside the city lord’s mansion. Beside her were Lucy, Lilith, and others. For today, they had set aside their worries and joined the celebratory crowd to enjoy themselves.
Sometimes, Rod really envied their carefree lives. It seemed they never worried no matter what difficulties arose. There was a time when he too was like that, but when did he change?
He became more sentimental, more cautious, more hesitant—no longer as bold as before. Perhaps this was what maturity meant. He had to consider more things, think more, and do more. The burden on his shoulders grew heavier. He no longer had to think only of himself but of an entire race, even the entire Dark Source or the whole continent.

These words left everyone puzzled. They turned to look at her with confused expressions. After all, Aida was now the de facto ruler of Dark Moon City—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the city’s lord. Dark Moon City had just overcome a crisis and achieved victory; she should have seized the opportunity to take over. Why leave at such a critical moment?
“The arrangements in Water Curtain City are all in place. Father can handle everything that follows well! There’s no need for me to stay. I thought after the battle, Dark Moon City could be handed over to Eirwen for her to manage gradually, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t wait and ruined everything. It’s better this way—she’ll suffer some setbacks and reflect, which will be helpful in the future!” Aida said in a low voice, her expression somewhat downcast.
These shocking words—Aida, the opposition leader, didn’t even intend to take control of Dark Moon City or rule over the demons? What exactly did she want to do? As for Eirwen, these people could only sigh. What could this be called? Perhaps it was called “trying to do too much and ending up failing.” Those who bring disaster upon themselves deserve to suffer—what expression and mindset would she have if she knew the situation?
At the same time, Rod was worried. The situation was complex, the opposition had just stabilized, and there was much to do. They also needed to make great efforts to find the demon souls. Could it really be okay without her in charge?
“Don’t worry. Father can handle it. I’ve also made arrangements for the demon souls matter. I’ve discussed this with the Wolf King and his group, and they don’t object!” Seeming to sense Rod’s concerns, Aida added.
At that moment, Aida’s face turned slightly red with shyness. Soon, some people realized why and smiled mysteriously. It was true that those involved were often confused, while outsiders saw clearly—her reaction was too obvious.
Sognar started laughing mischievously, making Aida even more embarrassed and causing some dissatisfaction.
“Then let’s go together!” After a moment, Rod agreed readily, much to Aida’s delight. She had thought it would be difficult, but who would have thought it would be so easy?
She looked at Rod in disbelief, “Really?”
“You can choose not to come!” Rod joked, but inadvertently sent a message that made Lucy on the side fume. She tightly held Rod’s hand. No matter how funny it was, it made the onlookers sigh—heroes still struggle with beauty.
“I’ll go, of course!” Lucy said eagerly like a child. Finally, everyone couldn’t help but laugh, leaving several people blushing.

The atmosphere became much more pleasant for a while; the group chatted and laughed together, which was quite enjoyable. Soon after, they invited each other to go for a walk in the streets. These people were Rod’s closest friends. Time flew by, and night fell quickly! That night, Rod spent it with Ada and Lucy. The two girls insisted on dragging Rod to the lakeside, where they gazed at the night sky and reflected on past experiences. Looking back, it seemed like a grand dream, evoking sighs of reflection—but it also brought many happy moments.

At dawn the next day, the group finally set off on their journey to Water Curtain City. This was the final stop and the last battle—the source of darkness would come to an end here. In the early morning, the sky remained gray, giving off a gloomy feeling. Spring gradually faded away, and summer began to take hold of people’s lives.

It got unusually bright early; in the blink of an eye, the sky cleared up, becoming bright and highly visible. The horizon was gradually tinted red by the rising sun, forming a stunning line. As soon as the sun rose above the horizon, its fiery red light colored the entire source of darkness.

The gates of Dark Moon City opened early. Perhaps because the battle was over, there were already many people on the streets. Some shops began to open—after such a long period of inactivity, these people became energetic after a year of rest. The wolf army, numbering nearly ten thousand, split into three groups. The first to leave were the Wolf King and his entourage, departing from Dark Moon City with Rod toward Water Curtain City, leaving two-thirds of their forces in Dark Moon City to assist with final preparations. They would advance one after another in the following days.

The dragon army also left soon after. With the battles here over, the dragons needed to return to their Dragon Valley to discuss matters concerning the continent and how to deal with the demon souls. Opening the Gate of Gods and Demons was a significant event that couldn’t be taken lightly. Of course, they also left some of their people behind in Dark Moon City to help handle post-battle affairs.

As for Sognar and Lilith, they insisted so strongly that Rod had no choice but to take them along to Water Curtain City.

The gates creaked open slowly, revealing the open fields outside. How long had these gates not been opened? It seemed like a year already. Ever since the main army surrounded Dark Moon City, all four walls were sealed off, and the gates remained closed. It wasn’t until the night before last, during the great battle, that the north gate was opened. The rest remained shut.

Yesterday, all the city gates were opened for the first time; today can barely be considered the second time, so it still seems a bit awkward.
“It’s time to go!” With a sigh, Rod glanced back at Dark Moon City and said. He felt somewhat emotional—over these past days, every moment of stability amidst the turmoil had made him feel tired, and he wanted to rest properly. But it seemed that the opening of the Gate of Gods and Demons had turned those plans into nothing, so rest wouldn’t come so soon.
The dragon army left first. Watching them go, Rod felt a sense of emptiness and gloom, and the atmosphere instantly became cold and desolate.
“What’s the matter? It’s not a life-or-death separation—why such an upset?” Sognar curled his lips and spoke to Rod disdainfully, clearly unable to stand such sadness. Yet if one observed closely, a hint of gloom could be seen on his face—perhaps his mood wasn’t much better than anyone else’s at that moment.
“Alright, let’s go!” As the dragon army moved farther away, Rod said to the Wolf King.
“Let’s go! We don’t know when we’ll be able to come here again!” The Wolf King said with a wry smile. Over these few days, everyone had realized that this seemingly stern man, the king of the wolves and their leader, was actually a sensitive and kind person.
As the army set off, thousands of eyes watched them leave behind, filling the sky with a heavy atmosphere of separation that weighed on people’s hearts.
The army’s departure also drew the attention of the city’s inhabitants. Seeing these heroes who had brought them peace leave, everyone offered them admiring and respectful looks.
To leave Dark Moon City, they had to pass through Wuyou City before reaching Water Curtain City. So Rod’s group’s first stop was Wuyou City. The journey there would take at least seven days, and the army’s advance would likely take twelve days. From Wuyou City to Water Curtain City, they couldn’t take shortcuts due to the army, so they would have to take the longer route, which would take about ten days. Thus, it would take a total of twenty-two days to reach Water Curtain City.
During these twenty-two days, the Black Phoenix clan would not launch an attack but would instead surround Water Curtain City, waiting for the army’s arrival.
After reaching Wuyou City, Rod and his group would join forces with the Scorpion King’s forces to capture Water Curtain City.

Passing through that valley once again, Rod was filled with deep reflection. Who would have thought that an unintentional action could bring about such a dramatic change in the situation of Dark Moon City? That caravan had surely contributed greatly to this victory; otherwise, the battle wouldn’t have ended so quickly, or at least not so smoothly. Their pro-war faction became impatient and launched an unwise attack prematurely. It’s easy to see just how significant their contribution was. Thinking of that caravan, if nothing went wrong, he should be able to meet those people again in Wuyou City. Rod felt much relieved—meeting them once more would surely be much easier!