Chapter 738: Raid Request

It didn’t take that long before Alora’s group arrived at the Monument of Shane, a towering statue made of special alloy and Spirit Stones.

The statue captured Shane mid-swing with his Meteor Greatsword...

The inscription at the base read:

"He who slays not just the undead... but despair itself."

It was quite cringy, but Adrian, the sculptor, liked this passage.

"It looks magical... Is that made of Spirit Stone?" Alora muttered as she paused there longer than the others, staring quietly at the monument.

Something in it, perhaps the look in the statue’s eyes or the way the people surrounded it with offerings and flowers, stirred something in her.

From there, they saw other buildings or structures within the shelter.

They saw the huge barracks, a three-level building where squads also trained in rotation, with practice zones both indoors and outdoors.

They were also made aware of the Residence Zone. It wasn’t divided into some complicated categories at all. However, the outer layer mostly housed newcomers and transients. The inner section, on the other hand, could be a bit more expensive since there were gardens or spaces that residents could use.

They also passed through the research buildings where alchemists, weaponsmiths, and bio-engineers worked on experimental defenses, medicine, and other weaponry.

Furthermore, Shane had also planted a few mystical trees around this place that came from the Fairy Realm.

"Is that the training grounds?" Alora muttered after Patricia showed them a huge space where various duels were going on.

"That’s right... Anyone can use this place for free. However, there’s only a limited number of people who can enter, or the place would be too cramped.

"Ahh... That made sense. I guess we have to be early if we want to use such a place." Alora said as she saw various gears, weapons, or pieces of equipment that could be used for training.

Then, there was also Greenhouse Terrace. Patricia was quite excited to show this place.

"Greenhouse Terrace... This is amazing."

As expected, Alora could appreciate its beauty and value... Even the knights behind were also stunned.

It was a structure filled with tiered gardens, livestock pens, and aquatic fish tanks maintained by various people working on shifts.

Patricia’s tour ended here... She also had other tasks to do and left Alora’s group.

"Alright... It’s still a couple of hours before the set time for dinner... Let’s look around." Alora said.

"Yes, Princess." The knights behind her replied.

Alora wryly smiled after hearing this. She was already made aware that her kingdom had ceased to exist. Because of that, she felt that it was inappropriate to still be called Princess.

"Just call me Alora from now on." She replied.

Jan Feldein, the captain of the squad, exchanged glances with everyone. After having a silent agreement, he gave a nod.

"As you wish, Miss Alora."

***

Soon, the group decided to check the other areas, and they soon reached the southern gate.

The gate area was bustling... Dozens of survivors or maybe hunter squads were checking their gear, sharpening blades, and checking their guns. Some of them seemed to be planning to go out of the shelter, while the others were just returning from their mission.

From their weapons, their equipment, and the aura around them, they could tell that these people were experienced warriors.

After some time, a man in light plate armor spotted Alora’s group and walked over. He looked quite happy to see them as he curiously asked...

"You folks new here? Interesting.. I’ve seen Knights like you in Eclipse Domain... Ahh... Wait, the crest is quite different. That one looks fierce..."

Jan stepped forward, but Alora raised a hand.

"You’ve seen knights like us? Where?"

The man smiled as he realized that his tone may not be that good... "No offense meant. My name’s Jake. I led a ten-man squad called Ogre Fist. We’re doing a Zombie Raid at dawn tomorrow, 7 a.m. sharp. Do you want to join us?"

Jan, Alora, and the rest of the group were stunned at the sudden invitation.

"Ahh... I’m just inviting you, just in case you’re interested. The reward is quite good as well."

"Wait... Can you tell us more about the Knights you’ve mentioned?" Alora asked first.

Just like that, Jake, one of the Survivors whom Shane subdued, shared what he knew about the Knights.

Apparently, Jake, Chris, and Liam were the earliest Survivors who had tried to rob Shane’s shelter before. They all had Rare Talents, and because of that, Shane spared them.

Jake had a Talent called Ogre’s Constitution, Chris had Iron Muscle, and Liam had Berserker’s Vigor.

Thanks to Shane’s generosity, they had become powerful members of the shelter, and they would always participate in Zombie Raids.

"They must be Royal Knights of the Vermont Kingdom based on their description..." Alora muttered.

"It’s good that they were allied with us."

"That’s true... I’m just curious how strong they were."

The knights muttered as they couldn’t help but feel competitive for some reason.

Anyway, Jake continued to invite the group to join their raid.

Alora exchanged glances with her people. Even though they had just arrived, they knew better than to sit idle.

"I’ll consider it," she replied with a smile. "But thank you for the offer, Jake."

Jake then gave a friendly nod and gestured toward the waiting area.

"We meet here before the gate opens. If you change your mind, we’d be glad to have more blades beside us."

As he left, Alora decided to discuss this with her team.

"Well, since Miss Patricia mentioned that we’ll be receiving some equipment and upgraded weapons, we might as well pay for it by participating in the Zombie Raid..." Jan suggested.

There was no argument about this as everyone immediately agreed.

***

On the next day, the sun had barely shown over the horizon when the southern gates of the New Genesis Shelter parted to send out a group of warriors.

Thirty figures had gathered early for their Zombie Raid...

Ten were the recently recruited mercenaries, led by Alora, while twenty others were a mix of old-timers and newer warriors led by Jake and Liam.