"...Shjod, the hero's sword is reflected in the sky,
Reflecting the blue dawn, holding the sword in the palm of his hand, the blade was as bright as a beam of flame. "
Fang Plover turned around and looked at the poet standing in the forest, holding a lute in his hand and a smile on his lips. He was a little surprised to hear someone telling the story of the dragon-slaying hero here.
It was "Galapea," a long heroic poem named after the fairy's holy sword.
The poet patted the lute and said to the surrounding audience with some pride: "You haven't seen my performance in the previous battle. When facing those crystal monsters, I had a sharp sword in one hand and a sharp sword in the other. The war song is no less impressive than the hero Shujod."
The audience laughed. But it seems that this poet really has two brushes. Although he boasts about himself, not many people come out to oppose it. It seems that either this is true, or he is very popular among these people.
Fang Plover looked at the gathered aboriginals and freely chosen people. Every aspect could illustrate the ability of this poet.
"It turns out that when facing those crystal monsters, some people really stood up like heroes. I know a paladin who was seen with his own eyes. He killed a crab by himself."
At this time, someone in the crowd spoke.
The crabs here, of course, refer to those constructed giant crabs. Fang Plover subconsciously thought he was talking about the big cat people, so he couldn't help but look in that direction. But someone said:
"I know that person. He is a famous lone ranger. But he seems to have never been in this area before. He must have just come to Nognis recently?"
"Did you make a mistake? Kill the crab alone. According to our captain, that thing has more than thirty levels. Although it is not a real large creature, isn't it also at this level? Which guild does it belong to? How can a senior selector be so free? Even a free selector wouldn't hang out here, right?"
"This is where he is so good. I heard that he is only over level 20."
Afterwards, everyone started to argue with each other, and Fang Yu also turned around, not wanting to listen anymore. However, he couldn't help but feel suspicious in his heart. Could this strong man who suddenly appeared in Nognis be here for him?
His suspicion is not unreasonable. People like X who wander around the world are very likely to be bounty hunters. It is self-evident why the bounty hunters are gathering in Nognis now.
"Mr. Ed."
"Mr. Ed?"
Fang Yu suddenly heard someone calling him. When he came to his senses, he realized that it was a walnut in the ground.
Everyone was surrounding the edge of the forest, watching the non-combat-oriented Selectors in the distance building a simple defense line along the valley river bank. Whenever they complete a section, the tall gray tree men will step forward and insert their hands into the soil, causing the shrubs there to grow wildly, forming a dense network of thorns in front of the ravine.
In fact, the selectors gave this line of defense a name, called the Thorn Front.
When the crystal begins to attack this place, this line of defense across the river from the withered woodland in the distant valley will be the first line of defense of the Ashwood Forest.
"It's nothing," Fang Plover shook his head, indicating to Walnut Underground that he was listening, "You continue."
Walnut Underground looked at him, and then continued: "As Miss Sylvide and Mr. Reid speculated, most of the free-chosen people left here are non-combat oriented, and the vast majority of them are professionals. Miners are hired by several major guilds in the south of Nognis to mine crystals here."
"In addition, there are some logistics support personnel, such as alchemists, who are in a similar situation. After the crystallization beasts began to invade the mining area, almost all combatants were wiped out, and these people were unable to break out and could only flee. Going deeper. Unexpectedly, I was rescued by the Ash Tree people, so they stayed here."
"The remaining people are relatives and friends of these people. For example, alchemists like Mr. Ed. If they are hired by the local union, they will probably also hire other people from the Seven Seas Brigade, just like mercenaries. "
Parker couldn't help but interject after hearing this: "If there is such a good thing, then I can find a whole group of people to follow me, and then split the account in half with them?"
"Come on," Tian Lan sneered, "If Brother Ed is like this, maybe others will recognize the whole group. But if you say it, others will consider it."
"What, you look down on the King of Nightingales?"
"The King of Nightingales is Ms. Papamo, what does it have to do with you?"
"I am Ms. Papamo!"
Fang Yu was used to the children's disputes like playing house. He said to Walnut on the ground without changing his expression: "Walnut, don't worry about them, just keep talking."
Walnut in the ground nodded, "There are still some people who came from the forward camp."
"Why, in addition to people from the Holy White Stone, Hydra and Twilight Guild, are there also free-chosen ones coming to the forward camp?"
"No," when he said this, Walnut Underground couldn't help but laugh, "It's just that when the advancing camp was breached, someone discovered that there was Aimiya's resurrection point here, and chose to resurrect below. As a result, Just trapped in this place.”
The selectors who adventured in Aitalia always had a common sense, that is, when choosing a resurrection point, even if it is further away, it is best to choose a resurrection point that is more familiar to them if possible.
Because no one knows what will be outside the resurrection point. It may be an ambush, or it may even be in an underground abandoned temple that can never be exited.
Each floating continent in the first world has experienced at least three eras of history, from Xinsas to Numelin, and then from Numelin to modern times. In the history of tens of thousands of years, several wars have caused several events on the continent. During this change, countless ruins of former cities and temples were buried under the earth.
Those resurrection altars in the past may still be in operation today, but the temple inside is now only a broken wall and is even in danger.
As there are only five opportunities for resurrection, the chosen ones will of course choose carefully.
But not everyone will do this. Every year, countless Madahar selectors die twice because of random selection of resurrection points. As a former community expert, Fang Plover has seen a lot of this.
To such a fool, he really didn't know what to say besides being speechless.
But there is a resurrection point below, which means that Munyarit’s plan is indeed almost what he expected——
"...But since many of the people staying here are workers in the original mining area, they should know the situation down here before the crystallized beasts appeared, right?"
The walnut in the ground nodded again.
"But I've heard a lot from these people. They don't seem to know anything about those chosen ones with a 'dark aura'."
"So Brother Ed, could it be that when the miners entered, those people had already left?"
Fang Yu glanced at Miss Naturalist and was thinking about this possibility. But judging from the description in the log, Burquesso's team began exploring under the crack at least more than five months ago.
After a while, he asked again: "Have the major guilds rotated the staff in the mining areas on a large scale during this period?"
"How can that be possible, Brother Ed?" Tian Lan finally got out of the quarrel with Parker and shook his head: "This place is not like the real world. Most of the people who come here to mine are the Selected ones, and they don't have a turn. The need for replacement. Our guild...the miners in Iris are almost like robots."
"But Elder Grayskin said that those people also appeared about half a year ago, but they definitely didn't leave immediately after arriving. Mr. Big Cat Man also said that the production of crystal veins in the Nognis area has been greatly reduced, about It started three months ago, which means that they have stayed here for at least several months, which means that unless they have another way to leave, they will definitely interact with the people down here."
Rhett opened his mouth when he heard Miss Naturalist's waxy voice, and finally sighed as if he was resigned to his fate. Even Jita has learned bad lessons from these people. She would never have been called Mr. Big Cat Man before.
"That is to say, the person we are looking for may be wrong," Fang Plover replied, "After all, there must have been more than just these people during the heyday of this place. If we want to find among the remaining people who we have met or heard about, Those guys are indeed unrealistic."
"Then what should we do next?" Tian Lan asked, "Elder Gray Skin asked us to investigate those guys. Although I also suspect that those people must be our 'old acquaintances', there are no clues at the moment."
"The most disgusting thing is that those tree people didn't even tell us clearly what the rewards of this mission are, which makes me have no motivation at all." Parker kicked a stone far away and hit the river in the distance. Among them, there was a clunking sound.
Fang Plover glanced at the Lion Paladin and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. If given the chance, I'm actually quite concerned about what happens there."
But the premise is that if there is a chance, he will not let the Seven Seas Brigade rashly kill people.
And what the walnuts in the ground brought back was far more than just this bit of news——
The reason why the electors are so active right now is because the gray trees have given generous rewards. At Walnut's signal, Zaozi took out a leaf shining with emerald green light from under his cloak.
"What is this?"
"Leaves of the Elder Tree," the walnut in the ground replied: "This is the reward given by the tree people. Mr. Ed, you should have heard of the potion of wisdom, right?"
Fang Yu nodded. The so-called wisdom potion is actually just another name for experience potion.
Not only had he heard it, but he had also drank it. In fact, the members of the Seven Seas Brigade have more or less used experience potions. On the one hand, they were supported by the military when the Elfendor Council was stationed. Otherwise, Luo Hao and Tang Xin would not have upgraded so quickly. . However, theoretically speaking, the three of them were originally members of the military, so it was not illegal for the military to do this.
After that, after they made a fortune in Istania, they acquired some in Questac, giving the entire team an average level upgrade. It can be said that the current level of the Seven Seas Troupe is all due to these two experiences of 'cultivating the seedlings'.
However, although the experience medicine has some meaning of stimulating growth, the positive benefits almost always outweigh the negative effects. Unfortunately, most of the experience potions on the market are one-time use, and it is basically impossible to directly rely on them to improve your level.
Walnut in the ground took the leaf from Zaozi and said to everyone: "Mr. Ed, this is a kind of wisdom potion - according to the Gray Tree people, it can improve people's cognitive ability in a short period of time, and from there. Gain experience and knowledge from the wisdom of the ancient trees.”
"Each leaf like this is worth 50 experience points. The mission set by the Gray Trees is a cleansing mission. For every one of the disordered minions killed, three elder leaves will be rewarded; and one disordered guard (constructed giant crab) will be rewarded. , the elder will be rewarded with thirty leaves; killing one of the disordered supervisors will be rewarded with two hundred and fifty leaves."
Fifty points of experience, Fang Yu thought, was not a lot of experience. It was considered a very basic type of experience potion. It is only suitable for newcomers at levels one to three, but due to the large number of rewards, it can still be worth a lot of money if sold.
After all, there are not too few new people from Earth entering Aitaria every year. Even if each person has one leaf, the demand for these leaves is not small. If elder leaves were a specialty here, it might sell better.
Moreover, Aboriginal people can also use experience potions.
"But what if the crystal is killed?"
Parker couldn't help but start talking nonsense again.
"If you kill the crystal, the reward is ten thousand leaves. In addition, it is said that the tree people have given out a so-called mysterious reward called???"
"anything else?"
"Besides," the walnut in the ground took a deep breath, "if someone gets a total of a hundred leaves, as recognition of the Holy Land, the Gray Tree people will sell them some specialties that are only found in the Holy Land."
"Wait a minute," Fang Plover couldn't help but interrupt him, "Could it be that the tree people also divided it into several steps? When we get more leaves, they will give us a discount, right?"
Although Walnut Underground did not answer, he still looked at him with a surprised look, meaning Mr. Ed, how did you know?
Tang Xin rolled her eyes slightly at the side, and finally couldn't help but said: "...This Lord Heart of the Tree is really interesting. He really expects the Chosen One to kill the ancient guardian's 10,000 leaves. , and??? Rewards, I really understand the hearts of the chosen ones, but it’s a pity that most people are afraid that they don’t have the life to get this reward——”
"At least it sounds more real this way..." Fang Yu couldn't help but couldn't help but feel dumbfounded, thinking that Lord Tree Heart was not the least bit interesting, "... after all, it can't be settled, you guys are not at all That person’s opponent, so just wait for death, isn’t it?”
"What sounds true is just letting people die." Tang Xin shook her head and didn't know why there were so many idiots in the world.
But Fang Piao had a different view from her, because even if no one cheated him, it could not stop the chosen one from seeking death. They are always active on the most dangerous front lines, pulling chestnuts from the fire and obtaining rewards that may seem insignificant to others.
Because sometimes these people may not be doing it for the reward itself, but just enjoying the process.
As one of these people, he probably understands a little bit.
"Wait a minute," Tian Lan discovered her blind spot at this moment, "Walnut, what do you mean by each leaf?"
The walnut in the ground turned to look at her, nodded and said: "...This is exactly what I want to say. This leaf is different from other wisdom potions. Because it can be used repeatedly, experience will hardly change. The attenuation is just very special - only those who have been approved by the Heart of the Tree can eat this leaf."
The surroundings suddenly became eerily quiet.
Even Tang Xin turned around, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes. Although she didn't like many of her idiot cousin's actions, it didn't mean that she didn't understand the world.
In fact, it's just the opposite. In some details, she even understands the world better than Fang Plover.
Fang Plover also opened his mouth - he originally thought that the tree man planned to use this leaf as a general equivalent, allowing adventurers to obtain some of the special materials or magic items here by obtaining the leaves and then consuming them. .
As an experience potion, leaves only have a fifty-point experience bonus, but they are also valuable in themselves, and they can definitely be sold at least in outside areas.
So that it doesn't look like a blank note.
But if this kind of leaf can be used multiple times without causing experience attenuation, then the meaning it represents is completely different.
This is just a very simple multiplication operation. Fang Plover almost immediately went through it in his mind. Ten thousand leaves equals half a million experience points.
What is this concept?
It is enough for a person who has just come to this world to be directly promoted to the same level as Parker. Although such an improvement will hardly bring about the same combat effectiveness, it can at least allow a newcomer to display the level of strength at level 14 or 15.
Of course, killing crystals may not be realistic, but by killing lawful minions or enemies guarding this level, you can still accumulate elder leaves.
And according to Walnut Underground, this leaf can only be used by those approved by the Heart of the Tree, which means it can hardly be resold.
Fang Yu was almost tempted for a moment. If the Seven Seas Traveler wasn't still outside, he would have wanted to stay here for a while to build up the Shuren's 'reputation' before leaving.
And it is conceivable that the value of something exchanged for such precious leaves will not be much different.
He thought that this place was just a prototype of a poor adventure camp, but he didn't expect that this place turned out to be a big piece of fat. He didn't expect that the Gray Tree people had such a trump card.
"How about," Parker's eyes sparkled, "I think we can do a few tasks here before leaving. I think what Elder Grayskin asked us to investigate is quite in line with our purpose, isn't it? "
"Parker, you are really a money-obsessed and hopeless guy," Tian Lan sighed: "What's your position?"
"What's the use of such a thing as a stance?" the Papalar replied shamelessly loudly: "The Papalar have everything, but they just don't have a stance."
His voice was so arrogant that it attracted the attention of others.
But to be honest, Fang Plover was indeed a little moved.
According to Walnut Underground, the Gray Tree people have also announced many tasks, and not every task is as difficult as investigating the 'dark breath'.
They can complete a few by the way. After all, no one can have too many rewards, right? Moreover, the strength of the Seven Seas Brigade is much higher than that of the other selectors staying here. It is not impossible for them to kill monsters here before support arrives.
Fang Yu was thinking, but suddenly he saw a bright light in his peripheral vision, slowly rising into the sky from a distance, almost lighting up the top of the underground cave.
"Someone in front was attacked!"
At this time, everyone in the Seven Seas Brigade heard a shout coming from the other side of the river:
"It's those monsters!"
"There are so many of them coming!"
"Everyone, prepare to defend—"
Fang Yu was stunned and couldn't help but be a little surprised. He didn't expect that when Cao Cao arrived, the other party actually came to kill him.
But after experiencing so many battles, the members of the Seven Seas Brigade are no longer what they used to be. They almost used the fastest reaction to draw their weapons, and then found the nearest hiding place in one go.
And without even thinking about it, Fang Plover pulled a clockwork fairy from behind the belt with his backhand and threw it towards the thorns from the front.
He pulled down his goggles, and under his control, the Silver Bee spread its wings and flew toward the withered woodland in the distance with a buzzing sound.
But at this moment, a voice came from the side:
"Wait, friend, battle craftsman?"
Fang Yu was stunned, put on the goggles, and looked over with his remaining eye, only to realize that the person who spoke to him was the bard holding the lute.
…
Miaoshuwu