August 12th, early morning.
The hard-working adventurers had already gone out early and ran towards the snowfield. Although for some reason there were three piles of people standing at the entrance of the villa, the young people who were in a hurry had no time to pay attention to this detail. They took half a second to glance at the piles and then ran away in a hurry.
The three people who had their faces splashed with snow slag slowly came back to their senses.
After the fog dissipated, it was not surprising to find that I was in front of Snow Mountain Villa - anyway, it was not the first time that I had been ejected from the dungeon following this trajectory. In contrast, the name engraved on the tombstone is the main culprit that makes Terashima siblings' hair stand upright.
"Old, old, old, boss, isn't Ralph the name of the second elder?"
"Am I dazzled or were we seeing ghosts before..."
The two children grabbed Xiaoye's sleeves, one on the left and the other on the right, trembling with fear from their own imagination - or maybe the psychological shadow left by last year's horror theme.
"We didn't see it." Xiaoye said.
"ah?"
"Although we heard the second elder coughing when we visited the elder's mansion, we have never seen him in person."
"What do you mean..." Lijiu rolled her eyes, vaguely guessing Xiaoye's thoughts, and hurriedly asked: "Boss, did you detect anything when I went there last time?"
Although they had already guessed the result, seeing Xiaoye shaking her head honestly, the siblings still sighed together.
Also, if the place where the secret is hidden is not equipped with a jammer, wouldn't the contestants know everything by taking a super-type Pokémon and wandering there.
"So, in order to find out the truth, we need to find a way to see the 'Second Elder' with our own eyes." Xiaoye clapped her hands, "Let's go -"
"Going to the Elder's Mansion?" The siblings suddenly became excited.
"No, we have to meet Lily's grandfather first."
After walking into the villa, the three of them quickly felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere. There were significantly fewer residents of the villa staying outside, replaced by twice as many patrolling guards. Many of the buildings near the entrance of the villa have traces of potholes, as if they had just fought a battle. The Terashima siblings immediately realized that something was going on. Seeing that the patrol leader who was passing by happened to be a familiar face, they immediately approached him with a smile.
The leader had not slept for half the night, and was already very sleepy and distracted. He originally planned to wave away the adventurer who was talking to him. After turning around and seeing the face of the visitor, the team leader - Jean, who had been whipped away by a sword on the training platform, immediately changed his actions and said with a friendly smile: "It's you. Thank you for your hard work. Is your work going well?" "
"Of course it went very well. Actually we have something to ask -"
The two siblings knew very well who Jean's favorability was with. After finishing half a sentence, they fell silent and looked at the boss in a uniform manner. Xiaoye shook her head helplessly and had no choice but to say, "I'm sorry to bother you. We didn't go back to the villa last night. I wonder what happened here?"
"Don't mention it." Gene grinned and waved his hands to send the team members ahead. He sat down on the side of the road casually, looking full of complaints, "I don't know which stupid young man has angered the World of Warcraft Forest." Monsters, the villa was suddenly attacked last night, and if the patrol hadn't responded quickly, the house would have been demolished by the monsters now."
When Jean said this, Xiaoye thought of the abnormal beast tide in the World of Warcraft Forest yesterday afternoon. I just didn’t expect the Warcraft to be so sincere and actually cross the entire ice field with their feet...
"That's it. It's a pity that we were not here last night and couldn't help." Xiaoye handed the kettle to Jean, who was so tired that his eyes were starry with stars. "Is everyone in the villa okay? Are you injured?"
Jean was not polite, took the kettle and drank a sip, then wiped his mouth and said: "Thanks - that's not the case. Fortunately, the third elder came with his people right away, just like last time... "
His voice paused, as if he knew he had made a mistake, and immediately fell silent.
"You mean that time a year ago?" Xiaoye seemed not to notice anything strange about Jean, and answered the question in a natural manner.
"...Well, now that you know, I won't hide it anymore." The young man sighed, "Yes, our villa was also attacked by monsters a year ago. It was the third elder who just took office and his subordinates. The warrior fought bravely against the monsters and saved the tribe, and from then on everyone began to admire and love him - these things should be kept secret from outsiders, but you must never tell others."
Xiao Ye opened her eyes slightly, showing a somewhat surprised look.
"how?"
"It's nothing, I just feel a little surprised. I heard that your father, the second elder of the Himi family, is the strongest warrior in the family. I thought he would be responsible for the defense work."
Gene suddenly smiled bitterly when he heard this, "It was indeed my father's duty to protect the Villa. But he was already seriously ill at that time - as you can see, it has not improved yet."
After chatting for a few words, the young man still had work to do, so he quickly said goodbye to his adventurer friends and ran in the direction where his teammates left.
Watching Jean go away, Xiaoye said lightly "I see" and continued walking into the villa with her teammates. Lijiu and Long Xing felt confused, and they were increasingly confused about whether Tombstone or Jean's words were true. Seeing that the boss had no intention of explaining for the time being, they had to hide their confusion in their stomachs.
On the way to Lily's house, they saw an old man being carried out on a stretcher. His whole body was covered with white cloth. He was obviously dead. When they noticed that the chest of the "corpse" was still rising and falling slightly, the three of them were momentarily attracted by this. I was shocked by the professionalism of even the dead person, and it took me a while to get my mind back on track.
...Wait a minute, is it possible that the tombstones in the mass graves also have their real names engraved on them?
...No, this is not the right path.
After asking around, the information obtained proved that what Jean said was true. The residents of the villa were indeed not injured in the night attack of the Warcraft. The old man was too old and died of natural aging.
Xiaoye watched the stretcher go away, and suddenly caught an inconspicuous scene.
The person in charge of carrying the stretcher lifted a corner of the white cloth, took off the jade bracelet from the old man's wrist, and quietly put it into his pocket. The bracelet was dim in color, as lifeless as a creature that had lost its vitality.
The adventurer shifted his gaze thoughtfully and looked at the others around him.
As early as the first day of the competition, they discovered that all members of the Himi clan were wearing the same style of jade bracelets. At first, the three of them didn't pay much attention to it. After all, the magicians in Himi were also very neatly dressed. Being careful not to let others touch the bracelet can also be interpreted as cherishing valuable jewelry. However, the bracelets worn by people coming and going were all crystal clear, with a beautiful shimmer inside, which was almost completely different from the dim bracelet of the deceased old man.
Probably because they had been standing here for a long time, the Himi tribe next to them thought that the adventurer was too young to be used to separation, so she offered some words of comfort - according to her, the old man's partner had passed away long ago, and his only daughter was I also lost contact with him after leaving Fengxue Mountain a few years ago. I wonder if he encountered an accident. For old people who suffer from loneliness every day, dying at the end of their lives may be a happy thing.
Xiao Ye was slightly startled when she heard this, and a vague guess took root in her heart.
She pulled Lijiu and Long Xing into the dark and quietly arranged a task - to inquire about the situation of every empty house in Fengxue Mountain Villa.
For Southerners who are good at socializing, this is an easy job. The three of them split up and quickly explored all the uninhabited houses in the villa.
After combining the obtained intelligence, they got a surprising result: in just one year, more than ten elderly people and young children had died due to aging or disease. This made Fengxue Villa There were many temporarily abandoned empty houses.
Even in ancient times when medical technology was underdeveloped, such a number of deaths was too abnormal.
The Terashima siblings immediately scratched their heads, wishing they could immediately seize all the Himi clan members and interrogate them carefully to find out the truth of the matter. However, their team leader said that there was currently insufficient information and there was no need to focus on this matter immediately. The siblings had no choice but to suppress their curiosity and follow the team to their intended destination.
When the three arrived at Lily's house, the girl's grandfather had already woken up.
After getting rid of the illness, although the old man's body was thin, his eyes were bright and bright, and he had an aura of calmness and self-power. He meticulously bowed to the adventurers with the support of his granddaughter, and then he was willing to sit down by the bed.
Although Xiaoye and his party did not intend to ask for any substantial reward from them, the old man with a rigid personality was completely unwilling to accept favors from others in vain. He looked as if he wanted to sell off his entire family as a reward. The three of them were frightened and tried to persuade them. It took a long time to make the old man reluctantly accept it with the reason that "information is more precious to us".
"——There is actually only one thing we want to know."
After the dispute was settled, Xiaoye, who was sitting opposite the old man, spoke.
"What happened on this snowy mountain?"
Beside the bed with a burning bonfire, the old man told the adventurers an ancient story.
A long time ago, almost everyone on this continent knew that Fengxue Mountain was a place protected by gods.
The god with blue wings, symbolizing ice and snow, lives on the top of the Snow Mountain all year round, using its wings to protect the creatures on the mountain. The Himi family, which controls the power of ice, has lived in the Snow Mountain for generations. They regard the ice monsters as the "sons of God", and they support each other and live together with the monsters.
Decades ago, the disappearance of the blue god became the beginning of disaster. No one knows the whereabouts of the gods, and it is difficult to find any clues when searching. Natural disasters, harsh environments, foreign bandits and enemies with evil intentions - under the attack of countless difficulties, the situation of the Himi family, which has lost its protector, has become increasingly difficult.
Gradually, another voice began to appear within the family. They believe that since the god has left, maybe one day the god's descendants - the ice monsters who are brothers and sisters with people will also disappear. Therefore, humans should not continue to rely on the power of World of Warcraft. Only tempering their own magic power is the safest way to protect themselves.
There were endless disputes about this matter in Fengxue Villa, and the family gradually divided into two different factions. The evenly matched confrontation lasted for a long time, until a year ago, one foggy night, the villa was attacked.
The sleeping tribesmen had no idea what was happening, and many people lost their lives in their sleep. Their homes were destroyed, and the survivors fled in panic under the protection of the guards. They couldn't even see the appearance of the attackers. It was not until dawn that the enemy faded away, and the third elder Morton, who was fighting bloody battles on the front line, tiredly announced to people that the monsters that attacked Snow Wind Villa were monsters living in the sacred forest.
The days after that were difficult and painful for all the Himi clan members. They bypassed dangerous forests, crossed cold ice fields, and finally found a sheltered valley, where they began to build their new home. People who had experienced a catastrophe no longer wanted to believe in Warcraft. The two factions shook hands and made peace. Together they cut down all the sacred trees that attracted Warcraft and built a high wall outside the villa to block Warcraft. Under the leadership of the third elder, people hone their magic power and vigilantly drive away all monsters that dare to approach the villa. However, in just one year, Fengxue Villa has transformed from a place where humans and monsters coexist to a place that only belongs to humans. residence.
"That's it, that's what happened." The old man snorted coldly, "Isn't it true that as soon as I stand firm, I'm calling you adventurers here to drive away all the monsters?"
Xiao Ye seemed to realize something, and asked softly: "Old man, is it really a monster that attacked the villa?"
"God knows." The old man rolled his eyes, "Anyway, old man, I am ignorant. I only saw a group of people looking like humans from a distance. I can't think of any monster with such virtues."
Xiaoye and Terashima sister and brother looked at each other, and they both remembered the human-shaped ice puppet they saw in the abandoned old village - the former "Snowstorm Villa".
"Hey, it seems you have already seen the 'ruins'."
The old man's gaze moved around the three people's faces like a knife.
He picked up the water glass and took a sip, then slowly took out an object and placed it gently on the table.
"Here, this is the trophy I got from traveling when I was young. I give it to you. Think of it as your reward for saving my old life."
The Terashima siblings opened their eyes curiously and looked at the shining bead - although the pattern was similar, it was a full circle larger than the ordinary magic core. It looked sparkling and beautiful.
"Grandpa, is this a magic core? Why did you give us this?" Lijiu asked curiously.
"Didn't that boy Morton want you to hunt monsters? Give him this." The old man said concisely and concisely.
After a while, the white-haired old man, who had just recovered from a serious illness, put down his water glass with an expression that was hard to fathom.
"Old man, that's all I can tell you. From now on, you have to use your own eyes to see the truth clearly——"
"Then decide which side to take."
The conversation ended, and the busy adventurers said goodbye to their grandfather and grandson without further delay.
Before going out, Long Xing seemed to have seen his boss whisper something in the little girl's ear - but the voice was too weak. By the time he stepped forward out of curiosity, Beidou had already straightened up and patted Lily's shoulder gently. .
"Take care, we'll come see you again."
The adventurers in white cloaks waved to the people in the room, turned around, opened the door, and stepped into the wind and snow again.
The weather in the mountains is always gloomy, and the rising sun is blocked by clouds, leaving only a few faint rays of light. The adventurers quickened their pace and arrived at the Elder's Mansion within a few minutes.
Today is already the third day of the competition. Almost all the players are busy exploring the wild map and rarely come to the Elder's Mansion to pester the Himi clan members. Xiaoye and the other three walked through the hall unimpeded and walked into the third elder's office.
"Welcome, young and promising adventurers."
In front of the desk filled with files, the middle-aged man raised his head and showed a kind smile.
"You said you would come last night to register the results, but I couldn't wait to see you until the curfew, so I was worried for a while. Fortunately, you are safe."
Morton, the third elder of the Himi family, stood up and walked slowly to the adventurers.
It was only then that the Terashima siblings suddenly realized that this elder, who was always working hard at the table, was tall and strong, and it took some effort to raise his head to look at him.
"Perhaps you already know that a monster attacked Fengxue Villa last night - it's a coincidence that you were not in the Villa at that time."
He leaned forward slightly. The flickering candlelight cast a shadow in front of him, completely covering the short adventurers.
"——Can you tell me why you didn't keep your agreement?"
====================
small theater:
Himi tribe members: Let me tell you a secret in secret - in order to ensure the performance effect and sense of immersion, we stipulate that the corpse lying on the ground must be a real person, and the name on the tombstone must also be the real name. To be fair, only those who are recognized by the whole family as having the worst acting skills will be assigned this kind of task.
Adventurers: ...What a cruel world where the weak and the strong prey on each other! ? (Shocked)
