The wheels ran over the stones, and the bearings made a long groan, which made people feel uncomfortable. It is conceivable that if the car breaks down on the bridge, the passengers passing by will use the most vicious words to curse us. Fortunately it held on. It wasn't until the carriage passed the suspension bridge that the chassis completely fell apart.
Bonin is using a knife to pick out the bluegrass husks in the cracks and collect them into bottles. In fact, these things just happened to be spilled during a bumpy ride. If in the alchemy laboratory at Washmouth, he wouldn't bother working with inferior materials, he couldn't do it now.
"We're here." Xin's voice came. Then there was a bang, and he jumped off the broken frame.
Brenanin plugged the lid. "So fast?" No wonder the car broke down quickly. Only after such a bumpy journey can the iron-clad carriage remain intact. He opened the door nonchalantly...a cold wind blew into the car, mixed with a few snowflakes.
The alchemist couldn't help but be stunned. "Wait... this is... damn, what? Where are you?" He jumped out of the car.
"Glimmering Forest."
"Behind us? Almost to the royal capital?"
"In front of me. Look."
Bonin thought carefully about it for a moment. "If I remember correctly, this section of the road is at the beginning of the journey. Are we out of the forest?" Why is it still snowing?
"No. You have a good memory. We have just arrived at the outskirts of the forest and are in the beginning stages."
What? "That was last week's 'phase'. It's time for us to get to Iron Claw City!"
"According to the commission content, we are going to find Windrunner Anchuan. Someone has provided information that he is..."
"...In Iron Claw City." Bonin repeated through gritted teeth, "Are you lost?"
"People who are lost will not know their location. This is a necessary detour." Xin replied, "You have also seen the situation in the Four-leaf Territory. The southern defense line has been broken, and the number of people fleeing will only increase. Those who want to enter the king directly No, that’s really no way.”
"We have legal status."
"Don't be so sure," Xin reminded. "The Western Party will pay attention to your whereabouts for your foresight. In my opinion, they will probably regard you as an accomplice of Nightingale who assassinated the Duke."
"It's been so long. People in the West may have long forgotten that there is a person like me. After all, I'm just a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a foreigner." Brenanin began to feel that the fabricated experience for being late was a bit too much. "There are also royal gangs. Their target should be the Duke of the West."
"I can't say for sure, I have to give it a try."
"How to try?" Go to the city to find a guard and ask him if he has seen himself on the wanted notice?
The mercenary looked at him in surprise. "Of course we'll leave separately, and I'm not on the list. You stay in a nearby village first, and I'll go to the town to get information from the caravan. No matter whether it's the Western Party or the Royal Party, they will never find me."
It seems feasible. Bonin gave up the ridiculous idea. "Is there a village nearby?"
"Maybe. It was still there when I was here last time."
"It couldn't have been ten years ago. I said, last time?"
Xin unhooked the two horses from their carriages. He kept pulling on the latches, checking that their saddles were tight. "No. Not like the last time." He turned around and walked back. The alchemist felt a tall shadow coming toward him and was pushed aside. He got into the carriage, picked up his luggage, and easily tied it to his mount. "I've actually never been here."
Bonin was convinced he was kidding. This Knox mercenary is a reliable traveling companion. The disadvantage is that when communicating, it is difficult to tell whether he is joking or having a serious discussion. The dwarf Painter said he had a good temper, but in Bonin's opinion, it depends on the other person's mood. If the advice is treated as a joke, this guy will be annoyed.
This lukewarm attitude is just right for dealing with young people who are ignorant, bold and outspoken, and allows him to establish his prestige. No wonder they left all the novice adventurers to Xin's leadership.
The Alchemist invites Xin to join the mission to find Windrunner and free him from the imp team. Now it's too late for him to thank me, Bonin thought. Along the way, the mercenary's relaxed posture is proof of this.
Then they threw off the frame and rode forward. "Here. Mark. The town is not far away, and the village is closer to the forest." Xin found a line representing the suspension bridge on the map, followed by a dot for the town. "Cousin Pea. Did you see that?"
I saw it, I saw it. Boning impatiently took the map and stuffed it into his pocket. Tonka beans or stinky beans, I won’t go anyway. He just wanted to set off quickly and catch up where he had fallen. Having said that, is it really necessary to be so cautious? When Brenanin sailed out of Washmouth at night, the foolish Brethians thought of him as a passing merchant rather than a target demon.
Of course, this is the result of the "universal quality", which cannot be explained to others. Coupled with the excuses he made up, Xin's choice was not inappropriate. But you should at least tell me, he thought to himself, I am the leader of this adventure commission.
But this was just the beginning, and problems came one after another. Before entering the town of Sweet Pea, they passed through a wasteland, which Bonin only regarded as a farmland abandoned by farmers. In recent years, wars have broken out frequently. The nobles of the kingdom have been recruiting troops from all over the country, arming farmers and homeless people, and asking them to fight for themselves. People took their glory and never came back, leaving behind orphans, widows and these lands without anyone to care for them. In the Ice Territory further south, this kind of thing is commonplace and not worthy of attention.
But Xin slowed down and stopped on the field ridge to observe. "Did you see the signs of the burning, Bonin?" he asked.
Are there demon hunters here? Brenanin was startled and looked around quickly. "No. It's quite clean here." It was a false alarm.
"It's broken." Xin muttered. Brenanin didn't know what he was worried about.
"I'm referring to the land, man." Xin sighed, "Farmers need to burn weeds and wood piles to open up wasteland. Some people have burned it here, but no one came to turn over the soil."
"Mortals are not made of iron. It's noon, so most people put down their work and eat at home."
"That's why. I didn't see any smoke. How are you going to cook without a fire? Besides, it's cold." He shook his head. "Let's go inside and don't make any noise."
The further you go into the village, the narrower the road becomes. Brenanin could not see anything strange about his surroundings, but the vigilance of his fellow travelers made him wary. The alchemist held the potion in his hand and looked at it suspiciously.
The village lies on the hillside, almost the same distance from the suspension bridge and the town behind it, but it is the only road into the forest nearby. Wasteland and farmland spread toward the forest, and houses grew toward the town. Every household was marked by the adventurer's red feather. It turned out that this was a supply point for adventurers. Bonin had been among the Knox mercenaries for too long, and he recognized it at once.
But there was no sound of people around, and it was so empty that it could be called silence. "There are...marks on the ground."
"Not wheels."
"Horse hooves. There are also human footprints. They are quite deep."
"Heavily armed cavalry, coming from the direction of Cougainvillea." Xin judged, and Brenanin thought he was right. "That happened a few hours ago. I'm afraid our plans have changed."
Regarding the time, Bonin was not sure. "There were cavalry here not long ago, maybe the militia from Sweet Pea. What's going on?"
"The key point is that militiamen are unlikely to leave a mysterious trail."
The alchemist was embarrassed to find that he did not use fire to sense his surroundings. Under the suppression of the city's detection station, he carefully controlled his nameless person's fire with the "universal quality" and restrained his perception at all times to avoid being discovered by hunters. This habit has been maintained to this day.
Of course, it was more likely that he was in a mountain village. He didn't think there could be mysterious creatures here. Eastman is already a remote place, so what can the mountain village of Eastman be like? However, this is the boundary of the battlefield between the Nameless Ones and the Order.
"There is no one in the village." Xin broke into the yard of a house and opened the door to check. As a result, the door was unlocked and the furnishings inside were not in disorder, but the emptiness and silence continued, as if the people living there disappeared out of thin air. "Based on unreliable inferences, it may be related to those footprints. A group of cavalry, mysterious creatures, they came here, and the village was suddenly deserted. Think about it carefully, what could be the reason for this?"
"The cavalry killed all the people and then burned the bodies? There are traces of burning in the wasteland."
"It's too scary. The small town cavalry shouldn't be so crazy... But these days, there are a lot of people who can do such things. You do have a broad mind and are worth learning." Xin commented, "However, the wasteland burned for several days The footprints outside only appeared for a few hours. Otherwise, it would have been too long and the traces would have been long gone. It couldn’t have been done by the cavalry. Oh, by the way, it didn’t snow until we walked across the suspension bridge.”
Bonin thought about the temporal connections between various things. "The light snow did not cover the footprints, so the cavalry passed here relatively recently." It is possible that we almost ran into... "There are no villagers' footprints, so they disappeared earlier?"
The mercenary agreed with his inference: "That's right. People in the village disappeared first, and then a group of cavalry came to check."
"Who killed the people here?"
"No, Bonin. There's no blood here, and there's no body."
"Maybe the villagers are still alive." The alchemist followed his lead and said, "They left on their own initiative and left very early, and their footprints were covered by those who came after."
"No. If you leave the house on your own, people will lock the door." Xin gently pulled the door behind him, and the wood groaned suddenly. The sound echoed in the silence, giving people an inexplicable chill.
"Were you forced to leave in a hurry?"
"Who would do this? Who would force everyone to leave the village?"
Bonin couldn't figure it out. "It's been so long that the people who forced them left no trace."
"No, in addition to footprints, the people who forced them to leave will leave other traces. Look, the tables and chairs are not overturned, and the bedding is not torn... So, no matter who it is, why do people have to leave the village?"
"Uh, something to do with the cavalry?" Brenanin saw Xin nodding and realized that he had guessed correctly. "Are they trying to escape?"
"There are many options." The mercenary shrugged. "In order to avoid disaster, he became a prisoner, was driven into the forest by bandits, or was simply drafted... To sum up, it is nothing more than: natural disasters and man-made disasters. Man-made disasters mean that there are human factors. What will they do to the village? Just drive the villagers out? Impossible. I think they will loot the village. Don't forget, this is a supply point for adventurers, and the locals will earn more than ten times more wealth than farming. "
"Then it's not a man-made disaster. Did the villagers escape to avoid a natural disaster?"
"No. In this case, when a natural disaster comes, the villagers are forced to make a choice. But their choice to avoid is an active act, so people will definitely close the door and bring their bags with them." The mercenary pointed out. "What I mean is, if adventurers often pass by here and people have other ways to make money...then the burned wasteland may not be for reclamation."
Boning didn't expect this level. “If it’s not for reclamation, why else?”
"What do you associate with burning?"
Demon Hunter. That was the first word that popped into Brenanin's mind. Demon hunters kill the Nameless Ones with fire. They love burning.
Xin didn't wait for his answer. "The first thing is to light a fire to keep warm, because it gets cold very quickly." He curled his fingers. "The second is to burn something. The last possibility that we have ruled out with a high probability is to clear up wasteland and burn the land."
Something? Bonin frowned: "Is it another demon hunter?"
"You can also think the other way around. In short, the evidence to determine the cause of the burning is time." The mercenary continued, "Looking far away, it is already the Frost Moon in Eastman, and it is too late to plow the fields and sow seeds at this time. Looking closer , the time when the burning marks appeared is actually very close to the time when the villagers disappeared, because it is easy to detect when people disappear, but the burning marks are so subtle that you don’t even notice them. Look, is this the same as when people leave without leaving any footprints? Time 1 As long as it lasts, the traces will be covered.”
I see. The alchemist was convinced. He gave various reasonable conjectures and eliminated them one by one based on clues. This guy sure has a lot of experience.
"However, since it is confirmed that the burn marks come from people burning things, then the cavalry... they have been to the village a long time ago, not a few hours ago, but when the villagers disappeared? They drove the villagers to the wasteland and then killed them Burn?"
"It's a reasonable inference, but the village was not looted."
"Perhaps they are enforcing the law and not taking advantage of the people." Boning muttered.
"Such people will never massacre people and then burn their bodies. Besides, since everyone is dead, what are they going to do with their property?"
"Then... people disappeared out of thin air? Disappeared in the house?"
The mercenary rejected it again. "The door is open, which means they walked out."
"Maybe the cavalry opened the door. They came here a few hours ago, but found no one there, so they broke in to look for it."
"So, what's with the burning marks outside?"
"Maybe they are two different things. No matter what they burned, it has nothing to do with people's disappearance." Brenanin asked back: "Is there any evidence that the burning marks in the wasteland are related to people's disappearance? In the end, you are only judging the time when two things happened. It’s just close.”
The mercenary didn't object. "There are different ways to interpret clues, and your inference makes sense. But there are other ways to interpret things, man, don't stick to your own will... We can go back to the natural disasters and man-made disasters and think from another angle."
"If you are willing." Bonin nodded casually, "Man-made disasters have also been ruled out, so natural and man-made disasters will be... uh." He suddenly realized something.
"At the same time."
"The cavalry..." Boning gradually found clues. "What accident happened in the village... Are they here to investigate and search for anyone missing? Is it because of mysterious reasons that people disappear?"
"I also have a speculation here, which is related to mysterious skills, but it does not directly make people disappear. This can also explain the disappearance of the villagers."
"Appreciate further details."
"I think there was some accident in the village not long ago, this week, or a few days ago. As to what the accident was, we will talk about it later. But this accident caused people to leave under the cavalry and stayed away. Something was burned on the wasteland of the village. The origin of the cavalry is unknown, but they probably came here from the direction of Sweet Pea, because you and I didn't see the cavalry's footprints from the road in the direction of the suspension bridge, and this is the only way to enter Shimmering Forest. Mountain road.”
Bonin agreed.
"Due to natural disasters, the cavalry from Xiangdou Town drove the villagers down the mountain and took them back to Xiangdou Town, or they did not return to the town and just walked towards Xiangdou Town. Because this village is a supply for adventurers Point, not a farm. There is no production here, at most it is a small commercial market... The real source of supplies should be Xiangdou Town. The villagers provide services to the adventurers, but their families and friends are settled in the town."
Bonin does not deny this. The village is too close to the Shimmering Forest, a haven for mysterious creatures, adventurers, and an ominous place in the eyes of mortals. In fact, mortals believe that there is a curse in Shimmering Forest, which makes people unable to return and only mysterious creatures can survive. You can make money in the village, but you can't settle down. If it were me, I would let my family live in a safe town.
"The cavalry's relatively mild tactics indicate that they have close ties with the local villagers. They are probably the militia guards of Xiangdou Town." Xin pointed out, "Maybe they are relatives and neighbors of the villagers. After all, Xiangdou Town is just a small town. Cities and towns rely on the output of the Shimmering Forest and passing caravan trade. Most of the towns built around the Shimmering Forest and mysterious places have no other business models."
"That's it."
"The cavalry came from Xiangdou Town, and 80% of them had mysterious creatures, so they left mysterious traces. This can also explain the reason why they returned again a few hours ago. Everyone has left, but the village has not been abandoned."
Boning understood: "They are here to patrol."
"Or looking for clues, I'm not sure about that." The horse walked too slowly and simply lowered its head to eat grass. The mercenary pulled the reins and urged the dog to move forward. "That's why the villagers disappeared, driven back by the cavalry in a hurry back to Sweet Pea."
Is this the end? "Why?" Brenanin questioned, "What was that accident? The villagers left all their belongings and left the doors unlocked just to return to Sweet Pea Town to reunite with their families? Why did the cavalry come here to patrol again and again? And the burning of the wasteland …”
"I think there's a plague in the village."
The alchemist was startled. "Plague?" He didn't quite believe it. "How can this be..."
"People visited the empty villages, the traces of burning on the wasteland, and the preserved objects... I can only think of plague or curse. At first, the symptoms were not noticeable, so the villagers quietly burned away anything that might cause the disease. . During this period, some villagers must have returned to the town, but the people in the town did not disclose it for some reason. Later, the situation intensified, and the number of patients exploded in a short period of time, which alarmed the town. "
Bonin couldn't help but hold his breath.
"So people realized that the curse or cause of the disease was limited to the village, and it was probably a mysterious factor, or even related to the Shimmering Forest. So in order to avoid the natural disaster, the people in the village hurried back to the small town driven by the militia. Dare to take anything away. After leaving the village, the curse will stop. Well, it seems that the symptoms may not be serious."
Bonin was doubtful. "So, the village was abandoned, people returned to Sweet Pea, and the plague was over. Isn't it strange that no one came to solve the cause of the disease here?"
"Why not?" Xin pointed to the hoof prints, "Cousin Pea Town militiamen often come here, probably looking for clues. From my point of view, the plague is not over yet, but the symptoms have not worsened. Cougar Pea Town may have been infected a long time ago. But people can’t abandon small towns like they abandon villages. Thinking further, maybe they have determined that the pathogen is in the village, so they frequently send people to search.”
"It makes sense." At this point, Brenanin had to admit. He felt that even if he wanted to raise questions, it would be difficult for him to find loopholes. Deep down in his heart, the willingness to believe took up most of it, just waiting for him to see it with his own eyes. However……
"It's better not to go." He didn't want his companions to think that he was scared, but recalling his encounter in the Four-leaf Forest, it was better to say some things directly. "No need to get into trouble."
The mercenary has decided to leave. "This is just speculation, Bonin. We don't know whether it's a plague, a curse or a 'fire feast'. If Xiangdou Town just encountered the unknown person, it would make sense for him to bewitch a whole village away."
"Just" the unknown? You don't understand at all. He almost forgot that his companion was an adventurer from Yotsuba City, and he had probably only seen the unknown man on the stake in his life. "Do you have to go? After passing through the Shimmering Forest, there are other towns where you can get information." Brenanin clearly objected, "Cougar Pea Town is not very safe at this time."
"That's not right. Blindly crossing the forest is the real danger." Xin looked back at the forest. A flock of birds just flew over his head, like a handful of sand thrown into the boundless sea of trees, and was swallowed up by the green waves in an instant. "The first victims were all from the villages closest to Shimmering Forest, so where did the plague come from?"
Brennanin's scalp tingled. "You said it was the Glimmer Forest... but... damn, we just came out of the forest! We didn't encounter anything."
"You're right, maybe we just haven't encountered it. Unfortunately, someone was unlucky and brought the problem back to the town. In any case, there are a lot of business travelers in the town, and sooner or later they will solve the problem... But we still have to return. Why don’t I take a chance and learn about what they encountered?”
The snow gradually stopped in the afternoon and could not completely cover the footprints left by the cavalry. The town is just down the hillside, and its walls and bean fields on the outskirts are clearly visible.
"It happens that the weather is nice, and it's very convenient to go up and down the mountain. It doesn't look like it will take long," the mercenary told him.
Bonin was convinced. He was glad that he didn't add "singing girl" to the mercenary's diet, otherwise the other party would be controlled by the magic potion and there would be no way for him to get this information. Do good people really get rewarded one day? Bonin almost laughed. After all, this guy's guess may not be accurate, so let him find out... "Wait a minute, I need to make some preventive potions."
Xin took hold of the reins and nodded to Boning: "Then wait and take a rest."
I can still use him. Brenanin said to himself. Anyway, I can do it myself by controlling a mere adventurer, without resorting to mysterious means. While refining the medicine, he listened to his companions collecting firewood for a picnic. The food heated up much slower than the potion, so they prepared lunch on the spot. The mercenaries also washed the leather armor and straps with boiled stream water in an attempt to eliminate the invisible curse or disease.
The alchemist knew very well that if there was really a curse in the village just now, it would be of no use. Suppression was possible only with his potion. Adventurers are like this. Even if luck ignites the fire, they will always continue their original mortal thinking. He has looked away.
After handling the alchemical potion, Bonin gave half of it to his fellow travelers. "How to use it?" Xin Xu asked eagerly.
"Orally." Bonin said, then poured the powder into his mouth and down his throat, and the mercenary did as he was told.
The taste of this potion reminded him of the hot oatmeal porridge cooked by Thorne, the cook, in the morning at the camp of the Knox Mercenary Group. Brenanin had never tasted oatmeal before. Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia. I? To adventurers? Bonin couldn't help but smile. Deep down, he knew that the Knox mercenaries were different from ordinary adventurers. They were explorers, not bandits. This is the real reason why I saved "Song Girl".
This time, the mercenary walked with him and did not mention the plan to leave separately. Neither did Brenanin.
