Unconsciously, the scenery around had changed, as if the world had switched overnight. The red land disappeared, replaced by a sky devoid of color. Looking around, everything was a grey blur. Standing at the ship's railing, Lynch couldn't find the horizon at all—the sky and the land had beco the sa color.
The demons' ship gradually slowed down, as lifeless and languid as this world. The Nether River's water weakly splashed a few droplets, not even bothering to make a "splashing" sound. The sky seed to be shedding sand, and even the demons, naturally red-skinned, were slowly cloaked in grey.
"The Grey Ruins!" Lynch exclaid, "So our destination is here!"
"Is there anything surprising about it?" The black-robed mage sat on the deck, his magic book beside him. In the glass bottle in his hand, a dose of bitter cough syrup was slowly turning green. "I thought you already knew the destination, which is why this planar ship was built for refuge."
"I haven't fully morized all the tributaries of the Nether River and their routes, and besides, you're on this ship too." Lynch said softly to the black-robed mage, "You've said before that the Grey Ruins is the most terrifying place in the lower planes, a place travelers most wish to avoid."
"Yes, I said that. But that doesn't an I won't co here," the black-robed mage replied. "If you think your spirit isn't strong enough, it's better to stay on the ship. Living here for a long ti, returning ho will make you lose faith in everything, lose interest."
Eryies jumped to Lynch's side, opposite the black-robed mage, and said, "Mister dressed in black, I hope you can help my master. All creatures here eventually beco hopeless zombies; it's only a matter of ti. Only by leaving here quickly can we survive. Two mages working together can greatly shorten the stay ti. It's good for everyone, isn't it?"
"I never believed in hope to begin with, and there's nothing more to lose. I only believe in calculation." The black-robed man coughed lightly; it seed the dicinal herbs were starting to take effect. "This is my second ti here, Desire Demon, just take care of your own master. Also, the books in your spatial bag are very interesting, I'll co back to find you."
After saying this, the black-robed mage flashed a bizarre smile and instantly disappeared into the air. Lynch shook his head, knowing it was impossible to find that mage—unless he wished to be found. Completing a teleportation magic in an instant, without chanting spells or using gestures, was already a difficult task, yet the black-robed mage did it as easily as a flick of the wrist. Lynch felt his own spellcraft still had a long way to go, though the gap was gradually narrowing.
"Look! Our destination!" Desire Demon pointed towards the front of the small boat. Since the inside of the ship wasn't affected by external space, Lynch hadn't reduced the ship's speed. Unknowingly, their ship had passed other iron ships, moving ahead of the demon army. Through the grey air, Lynch's Eye of Insight saw only a dilapidated village. A circle of short trees surrounded the broken city walls, with dead grey leaves and devil's banners on the walls hanging silently in the gloom. Several demons were chopping down these trees with axes to patch up the massive holes in the walls. But judging by how they wielded their tools, it would take at least hundreds of years to fell those trees.
Several old demon hags were waiting at the dock, the original inhabitants of this world and its only rulers, unaffected by the Grey Plane. Observing this world through their almost-eye-falling sockets, one could see that those demons, or devils, or even the blood war itself had no aning. What they were doing was collecting those fallen souls and absorbing the taste of despair from them.
Lynch threw an amulet to Eryies and also wore one himself. Though their effects hadn't been fully tested, they should provide so protection against the plane's characteristics here. Unlike that black-robed mage who refused to use any equipnt. If Lynch had decent magic equipnt to overco the predicant, he certainly wouldn't let it slip away. Especially the items manufactured by Lynch, which could still be effective in an Anti-Magic Field, albeit with reduced power.
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