"Okay, okay, don't be so nervous. We are walking in an illusion now, so you can think so now."
Several people were slowly crawling on the seemingly endless spiral stairs. Although these steps were built against the wall, they were only about two meters wide, so walking was still very dangerous. If they lost their footing and fell from high altitude, no one could do it.
Make sure there is something else that can save their lives.
What's more, this kind of place is full of unreality at first glance. Who knows where the road is real and where there are traps.
At this time, the team was led by Xue Ling Huan Bing, Duan Shan Yue was behind, and Duan Qing stood in the middle of the entire team. This formation is usually used to protect important people or NPCs, but now it has no such meaning - everyone just
I just want to listen to what Duan Qing has to say.
"Moshang Qingshan..." The calm voice of Xue Ling Huan Bing in front came over. Because the responsibility of exploring the road is particularly important in such a place, she did not look back, her eyes were still looking at the road ahead: "
What on earth do you know..."
Duan Qing smiled: "Which place are you referring to?"
"Anywhere will do..." The woman's voice also carried some emotion at this time: "It's now, what do you want to hide? I have kept my promise all the way.
Now that the final goal is right in front of us, aren't you going to... explain to us what you know?"
Her voice became more and more urgent, as if she was venting something. Duan Shanyue, who was behind, glanced at the man in front of him, and echoed: "Yes, Brother Mo, since you asked so many incomprehensible questions before, you must be thinking
I guess I already have some answers, this weird place..."
He looked around: "Maybe something will come out from somewhere next moment, and then we will tell you where it is... Hey, I don't want to die in an unknown situation."
Duan Qing turned around and saw Mengzhu following him. The girl was walking cautiously. When she noticed Duan Qing's gaze, she raised her head and glanced up. In the swaying of her golden hair, he saw worry in her eyes.
...with a trusting look.
"Okay." Duan Qing sighed and looked at the steps under his feet - I don't know when this step became wooden: "Actually, these are all my guesses..."
"Where do we start... when we enter the forest."
On the road ahead, a fork in the road suddenly appeared. Two sets of stairs, one continuing forward and one turning back, each continued to spiral upwards without seeing the end. The woman in the black cloak looked at Duan Qing with questioning eyes.
The latter thought for a moment and randomly chose a direction: "front".
Several people walked forward, and Duan Qing's voice began to continue: "At that time, well, we were looking for Trick's four-person team, haha..."
As if thinking of something unbearable, Duan Qing smiled softly: "We made some, um, stupid plans to find someone in this vast forest. But later facts proved
"You can't find a needle in a haystack..."
Duan Qing shook his finger: "Although... we found him accidentally in the end."
"However, those subsequent experiences reminded us over and over again that this forest is weird and dangerous. The monsters are powerful and strange, and they will even become stronger when encountering strong ones - of course, this is a conclusion we came to later."
"Later we figured it out and comforted everyone. Although I was relaxed at the time, when it came to the night vigil, I was actually ready to die and go back..."
"Before, a friend of mine risked his life to remind me that night is very dangerous." Duan Qing said: "So with a bunch of novice players and not a full team, I was very panicked at the time."
"However, that night, including the following nights, was uneventful, and I already had doubts in my heart." Duan Qing looked at Mengzhu: "One night and two nights can be explained by luck, but we
I haven’t seen a wild beast for so many nights, especially in such a dangerous place as the Emerald Forest. Isn’t it... unusual?”
"But that night, I remember seeing him in Jie City..." Meng Zhusheng retorted - she had marveled before that if their team was lucky, almost all of them would be hers, because she was the only one who was free at the time.
When I was playing Wings, I had the experience of the Emerald Forest at night.
"You and I both know the character of the evil young man from Jie City. The words he made that time were probably blown by him. Of course, it does not rule out that he actually saw some demonic creature in the night.
fact......"
"But this does not hinder my guess: the monster spawning mechanism in this forest is not scientific."
As Duan Qing's words fell, a howl suddenly came from the top of the tower, as if a strong wind was blowing from the top of the tower, making a "whirring" sound. But the people who had just seen the vast scene outside, heard
After hearing this sound, in addition to the weird feeling of disharmony, there was only an emotion called horror left in my heart.
"I agree." After a while, Xue Ling Huan Bing whispered, and several people slowly relaxed their spirits. Then the stopped team continued to move forward, and Duan Qing's narration continued: "Of course you agree.
, because in this, you are the victim. And..."
"The monsters in this forest have very high AI, or their IQs are very high."
"They can assess the situation, use the wind to steer them, they can ambush and attack, they can use tools, they can even provoke, test, hide clumsiness, cheat, learn new skills, and even taunt the enemy..."
"Later we met Xue Ling Huan Bing's team. Well, they were almost wiped out by a giant snake, and she was the only one left." Duan Qing pointed to the black cloak in front of him: "That giant snake was the one we entered.
After entering the forest, I encountered the first regular monster. Moreover, the strength of this monster was almost beyond the level that the player could bear. Even Christine encountered it at the time, and in the end she just chose to lure it away.
.”
"Looking back at that battle now, it is simply the most typical example. All the characteristics mentioned before can be summarized from the fighting method of that giant snake. Hey, now that we are being played around by a snake, we
Should I be happy or sad..."
"It sounds like I missed a good show..." Duan Shanyue touched his chin and laughed along behind him.
"Isn't it true that you are the only one left in your world? Or you can... tell me your own story first."
"snort......"
"But at that time we were just amazed at the danger and weirdness of this place, and didn't think too much about it." Seeing that the two sides were no longer bickering, Duan Qing put down the fingers that were massaging his forehead, sorted out his thoughts at the same time, and then continued.
: "Later, we traveled in the same team, and then encountered various battles, which proved this from the side, until... we encountered the illusion of Trick."
Thinking of the battle that followed, the woman in black cloak lowered her head silently. Unfortunately, she was walking at the front of the team and others did not notice her movements.
"...We completed the mission, met Christine, and then were invited by Xue Ling Huan Bing to go deeper and search for the ruins of the ancient magic empire..." Duan Qing spread his hands:
"Everything is so logical. Although there are many things that I haven't figured out yet, I still didn't pay attention... or didn't think of it at the time."
"Then, as we go deeper, the monsters become... difficult to deal with. I think this broken mountain can prove it." Duan Qing raised his thumb and pointed in the direction behind. The broken mountain behind
He also gave a thumbs up, looking a little proud.
"Those monsters have not become stronger, but because they gather in groups, they have become... difficult to defeat. Even powerful NPCs like Christine cannot protect us completely." Duan Qing said.
At first, he looked at the mysterious sky above: "Christine, you have been together for a long time. Although you are a bit like a queen, you still act responsibly. If she could protect us at that time, she will definitely be able to protect us. Later we met
There are all kinds of pursuits, but she doesn't talk about them, and she probably feels very uncomfortable in her heart."
"It's also possible that this is her ultimate goal." Duan Shanyue said suspiciously: "Our current situation... is really not a good one. She just raised us people and then let us go to the tower...
....Death."
The team became silent again. After a while, Xue Ling Huan Bing in front whispered: "If you have the ability, you can ask her face to face..."
"I don't dare to do this, and... I guess even everyone present wouldn't dare."
Duan Qing looked back at the other party and decided not to comment on this idea: "Afterwards, we met you by chance, found the Emerald Tower, witnessed the battle, and finally... found the ruins."
"Okay, here is the key." Duan Qing put his hand on his forehead: "Although the clues are very incomplete, through some strange places, and...the diary and the ruins I saw later,
It's probably called Greenstone Village."
"Greenstone Village...what happened?" Duan Shanyue, who was behind, saw the surprised expressions of several other people and expressed his doubts in a timely manner, and then found that they were looking at him with surprised eyes.
"...You don't know, right? The village where we were born is called Green Stone Village." Duan Qing said.
"Nani?" Duan Shanyue exclaimed.
"There are two Green Stone Villages? No..." He thought for a while: "Is one of the Green Stone Villages fake? The Green Stone Village has perished long ago? Is the village outside the forest fake?"
"Hehehe, you're thinking too much, maybe it's just a coincidence..." Duan Qing knocked on his forehead, and Mengzhu behind him immediately agreed: "It must be a coincidence! I don't believe that that village is
It’s fake, the people in the village are so nice..."
"I agree with this. There are no signs of hypocrisy in the performance of the people there, but..."
"Actually, there have been doubts for a long time." Duan Qing whispered: "Many people on the forum once questioned why this novice village is so remote, why there is an Emerald Forest next to this village that is completely unlike the novice area, and why
The difficulty of this area is so high, why...even the wild boar in the forest can be so powerful, and can even chase it outside the forest?"
An unknown feeling gradually came to everyone's mind. After a while, Xue Ling Huan Bing hesitated and said: "That is, that Novice Village...is there really a problem? When I came here, I didn't feel anything.
It’s strange…”
"No, no, no, I have no such intention." Duan Qing waved his hand and said, "Let's continue first..."
There is another fork in the road ahead, but one goes to the right and the other diagonally outwards, connecting to the other end of the tower. This time Duan Qing thought about it and chose the right. The rest of the people had no objections.
His attention was obviously focused on the question in front of him: "Later we met that tentacle monster..."
"What the hell is a tentacle monster! It's a vine." Xue Ling Huan Bing interrupted the other party bitterly, and Mengzhu next to her also had a red face - they were the first people to encounter the vine.
"Okay, okay, it's just a title, you can do whatever you want." Duan Qing didn't take it seriously: "Then he was beaten to death by that strange uncle. At that time, I had more questions..."
He rubbed his forehead: "Since we entered the forest, we haven't seen any place where people can live. The only village we found has been turned into a ruin. So where does this farm uncle live, and how does he...
..how many times did he happen to save us?”
"How do you know he doesn't have a place to live? The forest is so big. It's not certain where he lives. We just haven't found it..."
"I really can't prove this, but in comparison, I am more willing to believe what I guess."
Duan Qing smiled mysteriously: "Since we know that there is a high probability that Trick is dead, and he is also a forest ranger, then... why can't a farm uncle who lives in the forest.
.....”
"...Is he also a dead person?"
The marching team was once again shrouded in terrible silence.
"...How is it possible? We have all seen the strength of that uncle. Since he is a strong man, it is logical to live in such a dangerous place." Xue Ling Huan Bing first raised an objection. It seems that
She still thinks that NPC is a living person, or hopes that she is.
"I met that uncle once before." Duan Qing shook his head and said, "Mengzhu also saw him at that time." He pointed at Mengzhu, who nodded.
"Moreover, there are rumors about him in the village. Mengzhu has even heard a lot of his deeds. I think you have all heard her talk about it." Duan Qing clapped his hands, as if he had a pile of information in his hands: "One every time
When the player encounters danger, he is a good uncle who carries all kinds of weapons and saves people from fire and water. He even saved Broken Mountain when he first arrived. Don't you think you have seen similar people somewhere before?"
"Who is it?" Aniu couldn't keep up with his train of thought and asked casually.
"Trick." Duan Qing looked around at the others, saw their frowns, and began to think about the meaning: "Trick, or his ghost, will always appear in the place where a battle took place, or where there was a battle.
He rushed us out of a place where a battle was about to take place... Our team has already had this experience twice. To a certain extent, he was like a disaster. Wherever there was a battle, there would be
With him..."
"Although their functions are different, you see... don't they look alike? Both of them... were 'brushed' around us under certain conditions?"
Duan Qing continued to spread his hands, seeing that the others were lost in thought, he simply skipped Ming's step and started to prove directly: "Now through Christine, we know that Trick is a dead person, but the farm uncle did not communicate with him.
Christine has been interviewed, so we can’t let her judge us, so..."
"Have you two had any experience dealing with dead souls? I mean in the free world..."
The woman in front was speechless. After a long time, Duan Shanyue said in a low voice: "Our team has encountered this before...in Nightmare Canyon."
His tone was a little confused, as if he didn't want to recall the content at that time: "They were a group of... crazy creatures, or they were all people after death with obsessions. This is probably...
In the game Free World, let’s talk about the settings of the dead souls.”
"Or they themselves are an phantom, at least that's what we thought at the time." He looked up at the sky and fell into some kind of memory.
"Well, it sounds similar..." Duan Qing said: "Now that you have only met that uncle, can you tell that he is suspected of being an undead..."
"Well..."
"I, I don't believe it!" the girl suddenly said loudly: "How could such a good uncle be possible... Anyway, these are all your guesses..."
"Oh, you want more powerful evidence." Duan Qing glanced at his dagger, then patted his waist: "Actually, I have it. Do you... want to see it?"
"Okay, okay, I believe you for now." Xueling Huanbing suddenly stopped the topic: "Let's just say he is a dead person, but so what? With the things we encountered later...
..."
"later......"
Duan Qing's voice dropped again: "We examined the bones, entered the Emerald Tower, found the room, and then... saw the diary."
"That diary told me a lot of things, and it gave me a feeling of sudden enlightenment." Duan Qing subconsciously crossed his arms: "Many...questions that I had not figured out before are all there.
By mentioning it, this very magical forest has a scientific explanation. But between the lines, it tells us a message at all times - our situation is very dangerous."
"Are you...the emerald stone?" Xue Ling Huan Bing asked.
"First of all, the mage in the diary once mentioned that the infusion of certain elements would cause the ore to produce the Planck effect. Later I asked Christine what was going on, and you all heard her answer.
." Duan Qing motioned to the others to remind them of Duan Qing's strange question before.
"That is, the so-called Planck effect is a phenomenon that produces illusions."
"If the Emerald Stone is the masterpiece of that mage, then it is expected that it will produce illusions." He pointed to the surroundings: "Now that we are walking in such a strange place, it is also a kind of proof."
This time everyone was stunned.
"Now Christine is here, and Freya is here. They are fighting unknown opponents outside. To be able to fight those two people head-on..." Duan Qing spread his hands: "You guys
got it."
"Uh-huh!" This time he nodded desperately.
"The other party is very strong, even... stronger than you and I imagined. That's why Christine was so, um, unclear when she explained the situation to us before." Duan Qing looked at Duan Qing.
Shanyue: "This is my idea - whether it is for our safety, to prevent us from being involved, or even to keep it secret, in short, I think she did not tell us something because it was definitely
Things we shouldn’t know right now.”
"And now, the thing that attracted these people here..." He raised a finger and pointed above himself: "It's right above us."
"I don't know what you think. Anyway, I put that piece of stone that I don't know what the hell is on the same level as those people outside."
The rest of the group nodded in agreement again.
"Then here comes the question: That stone that I don't know what it can do is of a very high level, as high as several floors, very powerful, as strong as the people outside, and it has been here for thousands of years.
..." Duan Qing shook his head: "We are undoubtedly at the center of the phantom storm now. The key is...how far can this storm affect it?"
"Trick is fake, and that uncle may be fake too, so...how many other things are fake?"
The surrounding air seemed to have solidified, and only the sound of everyone's breathing was still coming out. The steps of a few people walking forward were as heavy as lead. I don't know how long it took, but the girl Wei's high-pitched voice came out first: "
Is it...could it be that even Green Stone Village..."
"No, I think that village is real." Duan Qing shook his head, "The Green Stone Village where we were born and the Green Stone Village next to the Emerald Tower should both be real, but..."
"These two places should have a deep connection." Duan Qing looked at Mengzhu: "You told me this."
"Me? When did I..."
"Looking back, you can continue to think about where you have seen the pattern of that badge..." Duan Qing said: "But I am sure that the village is real, and it is not just because of this."
"Greenstone Village and the Emerald Forest, two such unsociable places, are now put together. If our logic believes that Greenstone Village is real, then..."
"The Emerald Forest should be fake..." Duan Shanyue said in a low voice from behind.
Duan Qing snapped his fingers.
"This, this is too false..." A Niu finally understood how much information they meant: "You mean, everything we have seen along the way.
....."
"If you think like this, a lot of things can be understood." Duan Qing continued: "The various questions after entering the forest before, those monsters that dragged away the debris, those elusive enemies, those hellish jungle environments, then...
This incredible monster spawning system, even those trees that are too tall to look like trees..." He chuckled: "There can be an explanation, even Trick..."
Seeing others looking at him with questioning eyes, Duan Qing continued: "That Qingpingle told us before, that Trick himself was planting trees."
"Don't you think it's strange that he is planting trees in a forest?"
"Of course it's strange, but...but..." Mengzhu wanted to say something, but when it came to her mouth, nothing came out.
"I know there are a lot of strange things here, but according to my logic, these are all true." Duan Qing shook his head and smiled: "Whether you believe it or not, I almost believed it as soon as he said it."
"Then why did you ask him this question later..." Xueling Huanbing asked, and then answered by herself: "Oh, maybe you want to confirm..."
"Of course, or..." Duan Qing pointed at her: "I want to ask you. You will definitely be impressed by such strange things..."
He moved his fingers next to his forehead: "...and then think."
"When we met Trick, we saw his words and deeds. Now suppose, suppose..." Duan Qing stroked his shorts with his hand: "Suppose Trick is indeed here.
Planting trees, or he has been planting trees, so... what does this mean? "
Duan Shanyue said "Huh", and the others began to think along Duan Qing's train of thought. Only A Niu had given up on this effort and began to urge Duan Qing: "What does it mean, hurry up..."
..Oh, I know I'm stupid, so don't make things difficult for me..."
Duan Qing withdrew his contemptuous gaze: "Okay, okay, then..."
"According to my hypothesis, Trick is... resisting."
"There are certain conditions for the appearance of two NPCs. One appears before the monster appears, and the other appears after the monster appears. If the appearance of the farm uncle is a resistance to the violence of the monster itself, then the appearance of Trick,
Probably...it's a rebellion against the entire nature."
"Of course, we have to put a question mark now on whether this is true or not."
Seeing other people looking at him with puzzled eyes, Duan Qing had to express all his thoughts: "Trick disappeared a few years ago. According to my guess, maybe he discovered something at that time, or
What do you know... In short, what this 'Revenant' is doing now is probably what he wanted to do a few years ago, or... what he is doing."
"Although he is unconscious, he is trying his best to get us to leave and leave this forest. This..." Duan Qing paused, "...and that farm uncle's intention
Are the same."
"He is protecting this place in his own way."
"Sure enough, they are undead..." Duanshanyue behind him sneered, Duan Qing spread his hands: "Now that I have come up with all my guesses, what do you think...
?”
"Very convincing." Amidst the crackling sound, Duan Shanyue squeezed his fist: "The reason why I have been so embarrassed these past few days turned out to be a lie..."
"Have our efforts... been in vain in the end..." Ahead, Xue Ling Huan Bing whispered to herself. She stopped and looked at the endless stairs in front of her, feeling a deep feeling.
A deep sense of powerlessness came over me.
I have made so many preparations, and so many people have died. I want to ensure that the sacrifices of others will not be in vain, I want to make some contributions to the guild, I want to... prove that my choice is correct...
..
"These are illusions, but they are not nothingness, sister..." Duan Qing said helplessly: "Think carefully about what happened to your team. Are the injuries and deaths you suffered all fake...
.”
"Is there anything else that is true?" Mengzhu asked.
"There are many, for example, this tower should be real, the ruins should be real, and even the whole forest might be real, but what we see is probably not what it actually looks like...
..”
"Then if we go up further, will we... get the truth?" the woman in black cloak walking in front asked without looking back.
"Will...? Hehe, I don't know either." Duan Qing murmured to himself, then looked up: "We'll probably know when we get to the tower..."
This chapter has been completed!