Chapter 1243: Forgotten Mills (Part 2)

Damien taught Adam how to use the Connected String, a method for finding monsters with the same origin as Adam.

This did not mean that they were siblings or relatives. No, but their powers, energy, and genes had similar traits because of where their journey began.

However, on that day, especially because of Mariam, who had almost convinced him that the World Wipe was inevitable and that Adam had to accept his fate as it was.

In fact, between the two of them, it was Mariam who was right, but Adam was not going to accept that position anymore. This shook him deeply, but thanks to teamwork with Fromund and his support, he was able to return to his former state.

At the Corrupted Volcano, Adam became stronger, but his main reward was returning to his former self, something he had almost lost after learning the truth about what awaited the world seven years later.

Now, it was time to go after power once again. He took the first step, but he still had several obstacles to overcome before he could create an unknown constellation.

“Fog, gray lands and grass… High cliffs and rows of hills… A wide gorge on all sides and great mills… yes, mills, slowly turning, the largest hidden behind the clouds…”

Adam used the Connected String again, describing in detail to Silvana what he saw in the fragments floating around him.

Thanks to the energy and the threads pointing forward, they knew that this place was in the Tarnished Lands, now, they had to find out exactly where.

It wasn’t as easy as it might seem, because unlike the Dead Lands, where humanity had detailed information about almost every territory, especially those near the Citadel and Bastions, the Tarnished Lands were a more inaccessible place.

Sure, it wasn’t the level of secrecy of the Dark Shore, where Adam shouldn’t go until he was strong enough.

“Maybe there’s something else?” Silvana asked, searching through the database and closely studying all the satellites pointed at the foggy lands.

She frowned. There were several options on her screen, but none of them met all the criteria.

There was fog somewhere, rocks and ravines somewhere else, and mills somewhere else, but never together, especially with the unusual gray grass that was almost impossible to see from above through the thick layer of fog.

Adam frowned, peering at the fragments surrounding him.

Soon, he noticed a bright glow in the distance and four sharp peaks around the light source, as if guarding it or, on the contrary, trying to reach it.

“This… Could it be something like a crown, a beacon, or an altar? I’m not sure what it is… I can only see the light source in one fragment, and it’s quite far away, as if I shouldn’t go there.”

Silvana nodded weakly, without much optimism, as she didn’t remember any area with anything similar.

“I see. Keep looking at the fragments. Think of something else, maybe there are other buildings or the surroundings look unusual?”

Then, Adam’s eyes widened as he realized there was one detail he hadn’t mentioned. For some reason, it seemed natural to him, but it wasn’t.

“The clouds…” Adam gasped in shock.

Silvana looked at him over her shoulder. “Hmm? Clouds? I mean, they’re everywhere, you can hardly see them because of the fog.”

“No, you can do it,” Adam said confidently and waved his hand, clearing away the fragments.

The Connected String was no longer necessary. He realized that now there could only be one option left.

Step. Step. Step.

He walked over to Silvana and bent down to look at the options with her. There were far more territories in the Tarnished Lands than he had imagined, dozens of options considering how strict the search parameters were.

Still, they were looking for one specific one.

“Here.” Adam pointed to one photo, causing Silvana to stop scrolling.

Silvana narrowed her eyes as she looked at the unusually shaped clouds, as if a single flat cloud had been cut into thin strips with sharp threads.

“The Forgotten Mills?” She asked, looking at Adam.

Adam nodded deeply.

“I think this is it. Of course, I can only confirm it when I get closer, but the Forgotten Mills fit all the criteria. What’s more, look…!”

In the corner of the photo, there was a faint light and a sharp peak that stood out from the other rocks. Silvana bit her lip; she hadn’t noticed it, but it was hard to blame her for that.

The light was hidden in a small part of the photo, and it was difficult to see it because of the clouds and fog.

Adam was only able to do so because the fragments allowed him to see everything as if he were there.

“I see.”

Silvana nodded and quickly studied all the available information about the Forgotten Mills.

“It’s a rather complicated area. Much more dangerous than the Corrosive Lakes. Here, you’re likely to encounter an Elder or even a High Elder.”

Adam’s expression grew serious as he read along with Silvana.

“What about the Lords? Lyrod and Bathild were comparable in strength to the Elders. Bathild was stronger, especially thanks to the external power from the Dark Shore, but still, the Elders shouldn’t be a problem for me.”

“Hmm, you shouldn’t be so cocky. Lyrod was in an area where there were only three Lords, and the Corrosive Lakes are on the very edge of the Tarnished Lands. The Corrupted Volcano is still the Dead Lands; you can’t compare it to the Forgotten Mills.”

After a few moments, Adam nodded. He acknowledged that Silvana’s concerns made sense.

“I see. How far away are the Forgotten Mills?”

Then, Silvana frowned, as the answer to Adam’s question was unpleasant for both of them.

“Pretty far. They cross areas where the Renegades Lands may be. I don’t know if you’ll encounter any of them at the Forgotten Mills or along the way, but it’s possible.”

“So no fighters?” Adam suggested.

Silvana shook her head.

“You’ll have to use the teleport like you did the first time, but the pilot will only be able to take you to the outer circle. After that, you’ll have to walk to the Forgotten Mills.”

Strangely enough, Adam smiled bitterly as he remembered his first day as the Phantom when he found himself alone after the Dead Lands.

“Hah, I’m actually going back to my origin, the beginning, aren’t I?”