Early in the morning, when the first light of dawn filled White River Valley, the hardworking farmers were already up.
The South's winter had passed. Despite it only being mid-January, the rays of sunshine already had a hint of warmth.
This season normally was the best time to plant squash. As long as they filled a small field, three months later, they would be able to harvest a huge cart of food.
But this year seemed a bit different.
Lord Marvin himself ordered that all the farmers had to plant okra.
No one liked that stuff's flavor. In the past, only during times of famine would people choose to plant okra.
The only redeeming quality of this crop was its tenacity.
But in this territory, no one would go against Marvin's orders.
There had to be a reason for him giving this command.
Although the farmers were rather ignorant and inexperienced, they weren't completely sealed off. They would occasionally communicate with the adventurers on the other side of the river.
In the field, two youths were whispering.
Not far off, an old farmer with a pipe berated them, "Stop chatting about useless things and go sow this season's seeds."
"It's going to get warmer before long."
"I heard the people in the castle say that there soon won't be any more free rations of wheat. We'll have to be able to provide for ourselves."
The two youths stuck out their tongues and gave up on their discussion to help after the old man's criticism.
But even if they were working, they still looked at the other side of the river with envy.
South of the White River, a small silhouette was standing still and looking at some blueprints. He lowered his head from time to time to examine them more closely before giving his orders.
In front of him, a few behemoths were working in harmony.
The Golems' movements were very clumsy, but the efficiency was still extremely high.
They were experts at altering the terrain, building simple walls, and digging ravines.
Under Wayne's command, the Golems were diligently working.
Soon, a wall came out from the ground and connected with the wall that spread from Sword Harbor.
A huge defensive wall was wrapping around White River Valley and the Sha village, offering some protection.
Only a part of White River Valley was left.
'I should be able to finish this last part today before dark.'
Wayne wiped his sweat and gave some Earth Essence to the Golems as nourishment, and then they continued working hard.
But Wayne was pale.
The past few days, he had been leading the Golems. Although he was very gifted as a Seer, he was still a child.
This job was too strenuous, giving him almost no time to rest.
'This kind of city wall won't be able to keep resisting against the beasts of the wilderness.'
Wayne looked at the walls that had already been completed, feeling a bit puzzled.
At this time, Marvin's silhouette suddenly appeared.
"Brother..."
Wayne looked at Marvin, asking somewhat nervously, "What about Lady Hathaway?"
Marvin shook his head, sighing.
Wayne's expression sank.
If not for Hathaway, he would still be on the path of an ordinary Wizard. Although he'd had a premonition concerning this operation, he was still uncomfortable seeing Marvin's helpless appearance now.
"She'll be alright," Marvin said softly.
Wayne nodded but his expression was still gloomy. "Then what about us?"
Marvin looked at the walls and assured with satisfaction, "We won't have a problem either."
"At least in the beginning, they won't be able to do anything to us."
"I guarantee it."
He gently held Wayne's shoulder and used a resolute tone as he assured, "I won't make another mistake."
"Whether it's you, Anna, or this territory, none will come to harm."
Wayne's expression became a bit strange. He thought for a bit before lowering his head and murmuring, "But I saw many bad endings."
"Don't easily trust those so-called predictions," Marvin said mischievously. "Your prophecies might not necessarily happen…"
Wayne's face reddened.
Marvin's words naturally alluded to Wayne's previous dream about Marvin and that purple-haired woman.
Even now, that prediction had yet to happen.
The current Marvin was a Ruler of the Night. No one on this continent could force him to do something he didn't want to do.
He felt that this prediction would definitely never come true.
"Go take a proper rest after finishing these."
Marvin smiled and disappeared in an instant.
After becoming a Ruler of the Night, the restrictions on many of his Night Walker skills had been reduced. Even if the nighttime skills were still not usable under the light of the sun, he could now use many of them as long as the sun was hidden by clouds.
This was a very big improvement.
Marvin wandered around the territory. He had nothing to do during the final day. All the preparations had been made, so he could only quietly wait for the next day.
The territory's inhabitants were still living their lives as usual.
The adventurers of the Adventurer Camp were building houses with the help of craftsmen. After two wars, the adventurers no longer considered White River Valley as just any other stop for their adventures, but instead felt that it was a possible long-term residence. The wilderness south of the White River was rich in natural resources. Even though some crazy news had come from the north and Lord Marvin had strictly ordered that the adventurers were prohibited from leaving the perimeter wall for two days, the adventurers didn't mind it too much.
All these arrangements and precautions were considered wartime preparations, so it was normal for their actions to be restricted.
Thus, under Gru's direction, many houses started appearing in the originally much emptier camp.
White River Valley was at war with the Alliance, and it wouldn't end in a short time. In any case, if they couldn't leave, they might as well make themselves comfortable.
Those lousy hotels clearly weren't satisfactory to the adventurers, especially the small teams of adventurers with families.
In contrast to the lively camp, the Sha village seemed somewhat desolate.
The Sha leader Constantine had already told them about the Great Calamity.
This event would be a real disaster. Those he didn't successfully convince to come with him would suffer sooner or later.
Fire radiated from the workshops of the Sha smiths.
A completely new type of firearm was being developed. A great amount of apatite was taken out from the warehouse and basement to supply energy for these firearms.
The Shas had a special position in White River Valley. Although they belonged to Marvin's territory, they followed Constantine's leadership. Marvin wasn't worried about this because Constantine was on his side and was a smart person who knew how he should handle the relations between the Shas and the others.
In the past, the development of the Sha clans was mainly restricted by their economy.
But on the eve of a new age, Marvin felt that this race had huge potential.
He let Constantine freely develop them. Since the Shas chose White River Valley, they were in the same boat.
In the midst of the disaster, everyone would unite.
Because the enemies were too powerful.
Marvin flashed through the Sha village. Constantine was teaching [Market Scuffle] to a few children. Noticing Marvin, he nodded.
Everyone had already made arrangements for the following day. Marvin was only casually taking a stroll.
The children made him think of a certain girl.
Isabelle.
The little girl he had personally sent to the Assassin Alliance.
After returning, he had dispatched someone to look for information about Isabelle. Due to White River Valley's split with the South Wizard Alliance and the desert's Bais choosing to side with White River Valley thanks to the Heavenly Deer's influence, the Assassin Alliance had collapsed.
When Lorant's people hurried to the Shadow Valley, the Assassin Alliance's base had already been destroyed.
They found the bodies of countless children and Assassins, but because the destruction was quite severe, it was very difficult to identify anyone.
They guessed that the South Wizard Alliance most likely took away the Assassins who chose to obey and killed the rest.
Marvin hadn't foreseen this and had no idea about Isabelle's fate.
But he was convinced that with the girl's intelligence, she would definitely be able to escape from the Alliance.
As the disaster approached, he gradually felt his own lack of strength.
Despite being very powerful, he still couldn't take care of everyone.
Thinking of this, Marvin's mood reached a low point.
He walked to every corner of his territory, seeing most of the common folk living their lives as usual.
Even though they had heard a bit about the Great Calamity, most of them didn't understand the specifics of it.
The farmers were accustomed to gathering under an old locust tree to gossip after the farm work was done, before sunset.
The children were still chasing after each other in the fields.
He saw the newly formed army setting up a station in the northern mine, meticulously following Anna's orders.
The slaves were cautiously and conscientiously unearthing the cave's iron ore.
He even saw Lola managing the mine. And she surprisingly had a small attendant at her side.
The Halfling Little Tucker.
Anna had previously told him that they were short on people to manage the area on this side of the cave. Since Lola had nothing to do due to the matter with the Alliance, she conveniently applied to manage it, which Marvin approved without thinking too much about it.
Seeing Lola and Little Tucker here, Marvin couldn't help but recall that time when they went through the Spider Crypt together.
Lola saw Marvin, but she seemed rather calm. The two hadn't chatted for a long time besides at meetings.
This was because Marvin had been too busy recently, always doing something or other to prepare for the upcoming disaster.
But on the eve of the disaster, he suddenly found himself idle.
Naturally, this kind of leisure was only a facade.
He knew very well what sort of predicament he would face the next day.
But it still felt like it was fine to give himself a day off.
He walked over and calmly watched Lola planning out the work of the slaves for the rest of the day. After a while, the latter smiled at Marvin and quipped, "Seems like you have nothing to do."
"It must feel bad to find out that after leaving the territory for so long and fighting to become famous, you feel at a loss when dealing with everything else here, right?"
Marvin spread his hands. "It's not that bad, at least I can rest."
Lola rolled her eyes. "I've never heard of a Lord as carefree as you. Definitely an unreliable male Swimming Fish."
After saying that, she left the cave with Marvin, her clothes full of dirt.
Outside the cave, there was a camp where they could rest for a while. A Dark Knight was in charge of guarding this place, so nobody would dare look for trouble.
The two entered the camp, followed by the small Halfling.
"In fact, I am not too clear about what will happen tomorrow." Lola patted off some leftover dust and then looked at her small attendant. "What about you?"
Little Tucker scratched his head as he replied, "My father talked about a very frightening disaster."
Marvin looked curiously at Little Tucker. "So you came to White River Valley?"
The Halfling awkwardly explained, "My father said he had some things to do, so he told me that I had to find a safe place to settle."
"And thus, you came to White River Valley?" Marvin asked playfully.
Little Tucker answered with a blank face, "I also have nowhere else to go. Many monsters appeared in the Spider Crypt, so I packed up and headed south before arriving here."
"Fortunately, I have an acquaintance here, right? Even if she is very fierce sometimes..."
Lola resentfully said, "Hey! Little Halfling, before you talk rubbish, think of who took risks to give you a job!"
"Do you mean Lord Marvin? I saw his signature," the small Halfling retorted.
Lola fumed, "And would Marvin have approved of it without my application? Moreover, you saw that slovenly signature! Maybe more than half of his attention was on Anna when he signed."
Marvin immediately felt very awkward.
He had recently signed many documents. Due to his trust in Anna, he didn't look very carefully most of the time.
But how did it turn out like that in Lola's mouth?
The quarreling of Lola and Little Tucker was already a common occurrence in the camp. They always ended up with Little Tucker surrendering, because Lola would always use her trump card...
"Whatever you say, you still can't hide the fact that you abandoned me and fled in front of a monster! You crafty Halfling, do you dare to deny this point?"
Little Tucker immediately went silent.
At that time in the Spider Crypt, he had completely followed his instincts as a Thief, and he would end up being reminded of this for his lifetime.
It was a lifetime humiliation...
After the small Halfling surrendered, Lola returned to her room and changed clothes.
She took out a set of cards with an exquisite cover and told Marvin with a smile, "Having three people is perfect, we can play [Rock]. If you don't know how to play, I can teach you."
"Rock has three kinds of cards, one is [Secret], one is [Constellation], and the other one is [Truth]."
"The game's rules are very simple, the one able to find the other side's Secret is the winner."
"The Constellation card is fixed, and you can choose a Secret…"
As Lola gave a peaceful explanation, Marvin relaxed.
The three of them sat in the small house in the camp and spent a long while playing Rock.
Lola clearly was an expert at the game and simply never lost. Marvin lost more than he won. If they had gambled, he would have lost all his money.
But he felt extremely satisfied.
Time flew by as they played cards.
The sky quickly darkened and the slaves returned to the camp in groups of two and three.
Lola put down her cards and returned to her job.
Before leaving, she suddenly asked Marvin, "After today, will we still have the chance to leisurely play cards?"
Marvin was silent for a moment before answering seriously, "Yes. I believe we will."
"En, I believe in you." Lola showed a radiant smile and she skipped back to do her work. She started making a record of the slaves' day of work.
And Little Tucker naturally followed behind her as her assistant.
Marvin put down his cards and took a deep breath. He left the northern mine under the cover of the night.
In the castle, the dinner had been ready for a while.
There were only three people at the dining table: Anna, Marvin, and Wayne.
There originally had been another butler, but unfortunately, the old butler passed away not long ago.
The three of them were people who grew up in this castle.
The dinner wasn't particularly special.
Wayne finished his job and was extremely tired. After dinner, he returned to his room to rest.
Only Anna and Marvin remained.
"I heard you played cards today?" Anna looked at Marvin in curiosity. "That doesn't sound like you."
"Like me?"
Marvin laughed. "Do you see me as an Overlord who runs all over the place, ignoring my obligations?"
"Not really." Anna supported her chin with her hands and said, "Even if others think you are simply running all over the place, I know how much you invested in this territory."
Marvin calmly invited, "Want to take a look at our territory?"
"Ah?" Anna clearly didn't understand what Marvin meant.
Half a minute later, at the tallest mountain peak west of the castle.
The wind whistled by as moonlight shone on the meandering White River, making it look like a silver belt charmingly circumventing the vast territory.
From up there, the entire White River Valley could be seen. Even the distant River Shore City and Sword Harbor were visible.
Anna had always been busy with the territory's matters, and it was actually the first time she had attentively looked over the entire place she had been silently working for.
"So beautiful," the Half-Elf murmured, her eyes shining. "Now I understand why she liked standing here."
Marvin shook his head with a smile.
The person Anna referred to was, of course, Hathaway.
It was a pity that Anna didn't actually understand. The reason Hathaway stood there wasn't to look at the scenery, but rather to look at people.
Back then, Marvin could only be thrown down to the field as he looked up to her.
Now, the current Marvin was qualified to stand on this mountain peak with her.
But unfortunately, he had lost sight of her.
"Where do you think she is?" Anna asked.
Marvin took a step forward, seemingly talking to himself, "Regardless of where she is, I'll find her."
Anna nodded silently.
Marvin sat on the peak like this, silently watching the entire territory go to sleep.
He didn't even notice Anna quietly leaving.
Only Marvin remained, sitting alone.
And when the first rays of sunshine shone on the continent, an imposing voice burst through the sky!
The entirety of Feinan shook!
"People without faith will be destroyed."
"Greedy mortals, you already occupied this continent for too long. You've forgotten how to worship."
"Ignorant people like you definitely don't know what true power is in this world."
"The sanctuary you are proud of will inevitably end up destroyed. The power you once seized, will inevitably be shattered. And those people claiming to be powerhouses will inevitably suffer the wrath of Gods!
"Non-believers, accept your judgement!"
"Pious followers, you can rejoice, as the God Era is about to begin!"
Marvin smiled.
It was the exact same Judgement Declaration.
The Great Calamity had arrived.