The surrounding scenery changed unconsciously. The towering, silent black granite cliffs disappeared and were replaced by an open canyon filled with gray mist. Shrouded in the mist, there is a decaying forest. The gray-white branches are like the short-bearded bark of the tree walking in front - the tall tree man takes several meters with each step, but it walks very slowly. , so the people behind can still keep up.
The tree man stared at this withered forest land with silent and dull eyes. The forest land was lifeless, like a cemetery of trees. This atmosphere also affected other people, no one spoke, and silence spread among the crowd. The cliff receded several hundred meters away, and some huge, withered roots passed over everyone's heads like bridges.
Walking into the woods, Shortbeard slowly stopped, turned around, and looked at the others. "We are safe, but after entering the woods, you still need to follow me closely and be careful not to get lost in the woods."
The crowd also stopped.
Amatoran asked: "Where is this place?"
"This used to be where we lived." Shortbeard said in a rough voice, and then stopped talking. It turned around, picked up its feet and continued to walk forward.
At this time, Rhett came up from behind and said to the leader: "Mr. Yamatolan, since this place is safe, our mission is almost completed."
"You want to leave?" Amatoran was stunned, "Aren't you going to follow?"
"We have other things to deal with."
Amatoran glanced at the lion paladin with some confusion. There were crystal monsters everywhere outside, and the forest looked extremely weird. He couldn't think of anything easy for the other party to deal with in a place like this.
But that was someone else's business. He knew that he had no right to ask any more questions, so he nodded and said, "Okay, thank you very much. Regarding the remuneration, we will not break our promise."
Although these people who claim to be mercenaries are very open-minded, the terms proposed by the other party are very tempting - after all, they do not need to pay with real money and silver, they only need to use the ore below to compensate. Although this vein of minerals is also the property of the guild, they are not legal income after all.
What's more, the reserves of crystal veins down here are astonishingly rich. High-quality crystals are almost like picking up for free. The reward the other party wants is nothing at all.
In the previous battle, the final scene of those crystal monsters overwhelmingly swarming over is still heart-stopping when I think about it. If it weren't for the intervention of these people, it would be really difficult for them to get out of trouble.
"I believe Mr. Yamatolan will not break his promise."
"But when are you going to pick it up?"
"When you are ready, we will move around the area."
Aren't you just passing by? Amatoran cursed in his heart, but still nodded.
Rhett bowed to everyone gracefully, then said goodbye and left. Armatoran looked at the back of the big cat man, full of doubts in his heart, and for a moment he didn't know where to start - when did such a powerful mercenary group appear in the south of Nognis?
Although there is still a question whether the other party is a mercenary, and he can't even tell whether the other party is a team of the selector. At least this lion paladin must be an aborigine based on his demeanor and demeanor, and virtuous knights are really rare today.
He thought he was quite familiar with this area and knew most of the famous teams operating in this area - but Aitaria really surprises people all the time.
"The knight is gone?"
A soft voice came from behind him.
Amatoran turned around and saw the nightingale girl walking out of the crowd. "Rainbow, where did you go just now?" he asked a little suspiciously.
"I went to take stock of the Nightingale detachment. Seven people died and three were injured." Alice frowned and said a little worriedly.
It was time to count the manpower. Yamatolan nodded. As a veteran, he liked such a serious and responsible squad leader.
…
"The big cat is back!"
With sharp azure eyes, he was the first to see the lion paladin walking out of the mist.
Red smiled and gestured at her with his big furry paw. Tianlan made a face at him and turned around to run away, but the former grabbed her back and then slapped her on the head.
Rhett raised his head and looked at Fang Plover, "Did you put out the eyeliner?"
Fang Plover raised his glove, shook it at him, and nodded. He had already released the Clockwork Goblin. At this moment, the Clockwork Goblin rising into the air not only had a panoramic view of the entire mist-filled canyon, but the tree man and Amatoran group leading the way were also clearly visible.
It's a pity that he didn't lower his vision lower, otherwise he might find an acquaintance among those people. But he found that the level of the Holy White Stone Guild was not bad. He was worried that the Clockwork Goblin would fly too low and would be noticed by the opponent's rangers, so he gave up after thinking about it.
The so-called "there are things to do" is just a pretense. They just don't want to contact these people too early and let time reflect not to contact their companions for the time being. It is also out of this consideration. After all, their identities are sensitive at the moment, and Fang Pliance won't forget Orenze's lesson for a while.
Of course, a big cat alone is nothing, and wild folk are not uncommon in Korin-Ithurion. Moreover, human beings often lack an intuitive understanding of races other than their own. To put it simply, they are face blind. Even if a wanted order is placed in front of them, they may not be able to confirm that the lion paladin in front of them is the person on the wanted order.
After all, the wanted poster was filmed a year ago, and during this period the Big Cat Man's equipment had been changed several times.
"Where are those crystal monsters?" Rhett asked again.
"They're parked outside," Sylvide said with a smile.
"Parked outside?"
"There seems to be an invisible boundary outside this woodland. When those monsters reach that place, they will automatically stop, Mr. Reid." Fang Plover adjusted the eyepiece and replied.
"It looks like this is a holy place."
Miss Ship Officer looked around, "In Asuka, Siesta and I have been to a place like that. The local lizard people built a sanctuary in the valley to keep the evil forces in the rain forest at bay. Don’t dare to set foot.”
"The Temple of Order, the place of sages, I have also heard of places like this. The former repels chaos, and the latter resists evil. This is a kind of camp protection force." Rhett twirled his mane with his claws, "But it is Artifacts such as pretend creatures do not inherently have a camp bias."
"I know," Parker shouted noisily, "This is a natural sanctuary that resists all unnatural things."
"I've never heard of a sanctuary like that, Parker."
"Well now you've heard."
"Very good," Tian Lan said angrily: "I suggest throwing this Papalar out first, so as not to dirty the eyes of the goddess Amaya."
"But this is indeed Ms. Amaya's forest." Tang Xin suddenly spoke at this time.
Everyone couldn't help but look at her.
"Do you have any feelings?" Fang Pliant asked. Tangtang is Mirela's priest. Followers of friendly gods should have some feelings when they enter the realm of other gods.
Tang Xin nodded.
"Is it really because of the Holy Land?" Jita asked in a low voice.
"Look, I mean it." Parker said proudly.
"It's just a blind cat that bumped into a dead mouse." Tian Lan immediately retorted.
"But it's not certain yet," but Sylvester shook her head. "There may be another reason."
Fang Yu turned back to look at his ship officer: "Silverde, what did you find?"
"The captain knows the territorial concept of beasts. There may be a more powerful existence here that makes those crystallized beasts afraid to advance easily."
Fang Yu was slightly startled when he heard the words, and suddenly remembered the voice from the spiritual world that he heard before entering this place. Could the powerful existence here be the owner of that voice?
It was a pity that Miss Tata stayed on the ship, otherwise he could have asked for the other party's opinion. Without Miss Goblin's assistance, he felt as if his IQ had dropped by half.
As for Nini, Fang Plover glanced at the little girl who was curled up, hugging her tail, and sleeping soundly in her own spiritual world with her fingers in her mouth, and after thinking about it, she decided to forget it.
If she wakes up the little one, she will probably lose her temper, and Nini, who is still in the babbling stage, may not be able to explain clearly what is going on.
But since those crystal beasts were so afraid of the powerful existence here, how could the owner of that voice ask them for help?
Or is it that only low-level Crystal Beasts behave like this? And there may be some more powerful individuals among the crystallization beasts who are not afraid of the master here?
He couldn't help but think of the mysterious commander behind the crystallized beasts described in the log. In fact, he still remembered the larger crystallized beasts he saw not long ago. Although they did not approach from a distance, Fang Plover could still feel the terrifying aura on each other.
And are those the highest level Crystal Beasts? A voice in Fang Yu's heart told him that this might not be the case.
The big cat man looked at the others and asked, "Where are the walnuts and the others in the ground?"
"They are behind and will follow soon."
Sky replied.
In fact, the Walnuts underground were carrying Time Reflection with them. They made a simple stretcher out of tree branches at the back and placed the latter on it.
Beiji was hanging alone at the back of the team. In Red's opinion, this girl was surprisingly courageous. In fact, she had been much calmer than the others along the way.
"What a strange girl." Rhett thought to himself.
…
With the help of clockwork goblins in mid-air, they always followed Yamatolan's team.
However, not long after walking, the surrounding scenery changed again.
Everyone actually saw a ray of light deep underground - this underground world gradually became wider and wider starting from the dividing line of the valley outside. The canyons on both sides gradually receded, and the rock formations above their heads rose higher and higher. , until it disappears beyond the horizon of darkness and depth.
And when the underground fissure reaches here, it forms a huge rock cavity, which seems to be one of its own, forming a vast world beneath the ground.
And in the center of the world, they actually saw a soft light-the sun.
"Oh my God," Sky Blue's eyes widened, "What is that!?"
The light ball hung high in the air, spreading endless light into the entire dark underground space. The withered woodland gradually disappeared, and green gradually appeared all around.
The woodland seems to be reviving, with twigs pulling out from under the barren land, and green grass sprouting from under the gray soil, and gradually becoming one. There is even a river in the underground world. After crossing a natural wooden bridge over the gurgling river, there is a golden meadow ahead.
Under the sunshine that seems to never go out, the dense shade of trees covers the forest roads, and there are even butterflies flying on the flowers covering the riverside.
Tianlan even saw a white deer in the forest. The deer had long antlers standing upright and eyes like black gems, watching them with a vigilant gaze that looked at strange intruders.
Then the forest elf turned around and disappeared into the bushes.
She was so surprised that she could hardly close her mouth.
"I can't believe it." Jita also whispered to herself.
Tang Xin was also looking at this underground forest——
There are many arguments that Stargate is just another form of existence compared to the human world. It cannot be said to be unreal, but it cannot be said to be a fictional world.
After all, this universe still hides too many unknown secrets for humans.
But there are also opposing views, and even this century there is still a fairly mainstream view that research on star gates should be a matter for scholars and governments.
The commercialization of Stargate is nothing more than a manifestation of entertainment that was originally serious. This is a retrogression of the times and a blasphemy against the spirit of human exploration a hundred years ago.
The selectors are just a group of speculators, gold diggers, and even gamblers.
Tang Xin holds this view.
It's just that she deeply understands how persistent that pigeon is to this world, and every time she sees the frustrated look on the other person's face, she can't bear it.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that she becomes the third party between her parents and her cousin, sometimes helping him, but sometimes opposing his departure to this world.
But everything has already happened——
Tang Xin quietly looked at the source of the radiant light and the quiet but vibrant forest. For the first time, she felt a little overwhelmed by the magnificence of this unknown world.
But they hadn't walked long when they were suddenly blocked by a little monster.
To be honest, Fang Plover has not seen these Ithurian-specific creatures for a long time after leaving Talen. These little things with low IQs originated from the underground of Eldron like the dwarves. They pawned for the dwarves. They have been slaves for hundreds of years. The hot-tempered dwarves don't treat them well, but they don't treat them like slaves.
It was not until the past one or two hundred years that they spread out around the world along with the dwarfs. However, they are accustomed to harsh cold climates and can generally only be seen in the north of Kaolin-Ithurion.
The little dwarf in front of me should be the one with the purest bloodline originating from the Eldron Mountains. After all, the Ladders of the Old World themselves are part of the Eldron Mountains, so it's not surprising to see them here.
The furry, smelly little guy was still nervous when he saw them. He stared at the people of the Seven Seas Brigade with his big, dark, round eyes, and said with a little trembling: "...Gupui, wait for you here. It’s been a long time, Gu Pu. It was Lord Muenyarit who asked Gu Pu to wait here for all of you. Please don’t hurt Gu Pu. Gu Pu is a good person.”
Fang Plover stopped.
He couldn't help but turned around to look at everyone with some surprise, Munyarit, he still remembered this name. This is the name of the Treeman Elder, or the Heart of the Tree, and it is also the name that calls them in the spiritual world.
But they came in with Amatoran and his party, and even Shortbeard didn't know that they had been following behind, and the dwarf in front of them actually said that the other party had let him wait for them here for a long time.
It seemed that the tree man elder had already noticed that they had set foot here, and the other party was far more powerful than they imagined.
After exchanging glances with everyone, he turned back and asked:
"Gupui, is this your name, little one?"
"Gupu is the little guy Gupu. This is Gupu's name. Yes, it's Gupu." Seeing that they could understand it, the little dwarf couldn't help but feel a little happy and nodded vigorously, "You guys, Gu Pu, it’s my friend Gu Pu.”
"Who wants to be friends with this stinky guy?" Parker muttered angrily, pinching his nose with his hand and making an eye-rolling expression: "I'm going to die of smoke."
Dwarfs never bathe, they think the water will take away their souls. Although dwarves rarely bathe, they can't stand these smelly guys.
This is probably where most of the dwarves' complaints about their servants come from.
Tian Lan was almost unbearable due to the smoke, but she still kicked Parker angrily, almost knocking him over.
Fang Yu also didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he just took a step back and said, "Gupu, you said Lord Muenyarit asked you to pick us up. Does he know that we have arrived at this place?"
Gupu nodded seriously, although it looked funny even when it was serious, "Lord Munyarit is the oldest and wisest person here. Gupu, its roots are rooted at the bottom of this mountain. This land is older, more experienced than every tree and stone, and has more knowledge than the mountains."
Fang Yu felt Jita tugging on his sleeve from behind.
He turned around, and Miss Naturalist stretched out her finger and wrote in his hand:
"The opponent is probably the Heart of the Tree, Brother Ed."
"But what exactly is the Heart of the Tree?"
"We'll find out when we see it."
Fang Plover then let the little dwarfs lead the way. Although the dwarfs didn't like to be clean, they were kind creatures. They lived here with the gray tree people, which at least proved that the other party had no ill intentions.
But he didn't expect that when he came down to this place, before he saw Tuyuanjing, he would have to meet the tree man elder first. However, none of the plans originally made came into use. It was true that plans could not keep up with the changes.
They crossed several wooden bridges and streams shimmering with golden light, and entered a valley deep underground.
Fang Yu privately asked Time Reflection if he knew there was such a place down here. The latter shook his head and said that the mine was actually just the upper part of the crack, and that there was a very broad part in the lower level. The people in front of them encountered those crystallization beasts when they were exploring the lower level.
And this underground forest is another place they have never heard of.
Fang Yu couldn't help but raise his head and glance at the ball of light in the air, thinking that this place might not be that simple after all.
…
