Chapter 212 The Headless Army
“The Headless Army?” Li Wen frowned slightly, “What is that?”
The guinea pig waved its short front paws exaggeratedly, its kerchief fluttering in the fluorescence: “They are the oldest existence in the settlement. It is said that they have been roaming here since the grey fog first enveloped this land.”
Sir Guinea Pig suddenly lowered his voice and leaned in mysteriously: “They are a group of knights who have lost their heads, wearing rusty armor and wielding broken weapons. No one knows where they came from, but there is a saying circulating in the settlement – they were once the imperial guards of a great monarch, executed for unforgivable crimes. But death did not end their mission; they are still here, carrying out some unfinished duty…”
A cluster of Headless Knights? That’s interesting.
Li Wen looked thoughtfully into the depths of the ruins. The glowing vines swayed in the darkness, like some kind of guide.
“Where are they?”
“In the plaza at the center of the settlement!” Sir Grendel suddenly jumped up excitedly, “They never leave there, patrolling and standing guard day after day, just like a real army. Sometimes they accept requests from the residents of the settlement, but the price…”
It rubbed its paws, “is always very expensive.”
Li Wen suddenly reached out and grabbed Sir Guinea Pig by the neck, raising it to her eye level. The guinea pig’s short limbs thrashed in the air, its purple eyes bulging with terror.
“Wh-, what are you doing—”
“Testing what you said,” Li Wen said calmly, drawing her dagger with her right hand.
A cold light flashed, and Sir Guinea Pig’s head separated from its body, rolling onto the ground. No blood spurted out, only wisps of grey fog seeped from the cut. The decapitated body was still struggling, its claws scratching at the air unconsciously.
Li Wen let go and stepped back to observe.
Sir Guinea Pig’s head rolled a few times on the ground before stopping. Its purple eyes darted around, and its mouth opened and closed.
“Rude! So rude!” the head shrieked in exasperation, “I knew you damn humans were up to no good…”
At the same time, the headless body staggered to its feet, fumbling to pick up its head and skillfully placing it back on its neck. Grey fog coiled around the cut, and after a moment, it was as good as new, not even a scar left behind.
“See?” Sir Guinea Pig adjusted its kerchief, its whiskers trembling with anger, “This is the rule of the settlement – we don’t truly die, but we don’t miss out on the pain!”
Li Wen nodded thoughtfully. It seemed this strange, giant guinea pig wasn’t lying. This area did indeed have some rules that defied common sense. She put away her dagger, her tone flat, as if nothing had just happened: “Take me to see the Headless Army.”
Sir Guinea Pig’s eyes widened: “What? You just—”
“Or I’ll kill you again,” Li Wen interrupted, “Choose one.”
Sir Grendel’s whiskers trembled violently, and finally, it slumped its head in dejection: “Follow me… humans are so barbaric…”
It led Li Wen through the ruins. As they went deeper, the surrounding buildings gradually became more complete, and the glowing vines became denser, illuminating the path brightly. Occasionally, they saw other strangely shaped creatures – elves with gills, translucent ghosts, dwarves with skin cracked like bark… They cast curious glances at Li Wen, a stranger, but kept their distance.
“Are these all residents of the settlement?” Li Wen asked.
“Most of them,” Sir Guinea Pig replied without looking back. “Some are unlucky ones who were swept in by the grey fog, some appeared here inexplicably, and some…”
It suddenly lowered its voice, “are beings lost in the grey fog, who have forgotten who they are.”
“When did you come here?” Li Wen suddenly asked.
Sir Guinea Pig’s steps visibly paused. It raised a paw and scratched its whiskers, its purple eyes darting around nonstop: “Well… uh… let me think… about a thousand years ago? Or perhaps longer… Time always passes so quickly here.”
It suddenly turned, its short front paws nervously twisting together: “Speaking of which, my dear human friend, can you tell me how the Gray Mountain Kingdom is doing now? Are my dear people alright? Are they still mining the amethyst veins of Lafatia?”
Li Wen’s gaze swept over Sir Guinea Pig’s expectant face, but she didn’t answer the question. She pointed to the glowing vines instead: “What is the origin of these plants? Why are they everywhere here.”
What she didn’t tell the guinea pig was that the so-called “Gray Mountain Kingdom of Lafatia” had perished over three thousand years ago due to the depletion of the mines on which it depended.
Sir Guinea Pig’s whiskers drooped in disappointment, but it quickly rallied: “Ah! You mean these cute fluorescent vines? They are the guardians of the settlement!”
It hopped to a vine, spreading its arms exaggeratedly: “Do you see these beautiful veins? They absorb energy from the grey fog and convert it into light. It is precisely because of them that the settlement can remain safe in this lost place.”
“Lost place?”
“That’s the grey fog area outside the settlement!” Sir Guinea Pig lowered its voice and leaned in mysteriously, “That place is not a good place, filled with all sorts of ineffable dangers and horrors, especially those grey mists, they can confuse your mind and lead you into madness and despair! If you don’t want to abandon your weak and powerless reason and humanity, then it’s best not to go outside.”
“Do they attack living things?”
“Attack? Oh no, no, no!” Sir Guinea Pig waved its paws exaggeratedly, “These cute little things are very docile! Of course… as long as you don’t hurt them, otherwise, otherwise… uh… who knows.”
Just then, the sound of orderly metal collisions came from ahead, and Sir Guinea Pig’s whiskers suddenly bristled: “We’ve arrived!”
As the person and the mouse rounded the last corner, an open plaza appeared before them. In the center of the plaza stood a broken fountain, and the dry pool was filled with rusted weapons. Surrounding the fountain, twelve Headless Knights patrolled in perfect formation.
They wore ancient-style armor, each metal plate covered in rust and dents. Broken weapons hung at their waists or were held in their hands. Most chillingly, the shoulders of these knights were empty – no helmets, no heads, only swirling masses of grey fog at their necks.
“That is the Headless Army,” Sir Guinea Pig’s voice held a mixture of reverence and a subtle, hazy emotion, “The current administrators and rulers of the settlement.”
