Fang Yu stood up from the body of the gray tree man, looked around, and the voice of inquiry also echoed twice in the spiritual world.
"Can you hear my call, young human...?"
"My name is Moon Yarit."
"Young man, please come to me..."
"The Heart of the Mountain...needs your help."
The owner of that voice sounded a little weak.
"The heart of the mountains?"
"where are you?"
"Underground here."
"Deep underground, young humans, time is running out..."
The voice gradually became fainter.
The steady cold wind blew the snow particles on the rocks, and the sound of the wind gradually overwhelmed other sounds. Except for the sound of the wind, everything under the rift valley was almost silent.
The sound disappeared.
Everyone saw only Fang Pliong standing in a daze among the scattered corpses of the Gray Tree Man. Tang Xin looked at him a little worriedly and asked: "...Ziuzhi, what's wrong with you?"
Fang Yu suddenly woke up from his trance, looked at the others strangely, and asked, "Didn't you hear that?"
"What did you hear?" The Walnuts underground were stunned.
"The sound of the wind," the big cat man replied, "seems like it's bringing some hostility from deep underground."
"Mr. Big Cat Man, did you hear that?"
"It's the lion man, little guy," he shook his head, put his sword in the snow, and looked around with his gray eyes warily, "I mean those uninvited guests coming down below."
Fang Yu looked at the others and was convinced that they had indeed not heard the previous voice.
Sylvide was coming to him, looking at him with blue eyes, and asked silently:
"Miss Tata?"
But Miss Tata was not here. Fang Yu understood what the other party meant in an instant. He and Miss Tata had the ability to communicate spiritually, and Sylvester knew that.
On the one hand, he was surprised by the keenness of the ship officer, and on the other hand, he nodded.
"There is a voice, it says it's called Munyarit. It asks us to go to it..."
"This sounds like a special mission. I know a lot of things like this. There must be a huge reward in the end!" Tianlan became more energetic and started chirping of her own.
"But it could also be a trap."
"Mr. Big Cat Man!"
"It's the lion-man, Fuli."
"Help me," Parker carried a crossbow on his back, jumped on his short legs, and waved his hands under the rock, "help me up!"
The Lion Paladin bent down and fished him out.
Parker climbed up with his hands and feet holding on to the rock, and said out of breath: "Seriously, I actually think Tianlan is right!"
"If there were no rewards, you wouldn't feel that way."
The Papalar thought for a moment and seemed to agree.
Fang Plover looked at the towering crack, and the only sound in the surrounding environment was the whistling wind.
At this moment, Miss Naturalist's lips moved.
Fang Yu noticed this detail and said, "Jita, do you know anything?"
"...Mounyarit, it sounds like the name of a tree man, Brother Ed," Jita suddenly flashed her thick eyelashes, eyes with knowledge like stars hidden underneath, "...Yarit is a title
, meaning wise man. This shows that it may be an elder, or even the heart of the tree.”
"The Heart of the Tree?" Fang Plover thought of something, "Have you heard of the Heart of the Mountain?"
"The Heart of the Tree is a special title among the tree people. It refers to those elders who dedicate their lives to the Holy White Tree and guide the tribe with special wisdom," Jita said while shaking her head, "But
I’ve never heard of Heart of the Mountain, Brother Ed.”
Fang Yu also guessed that the owner of the voice might be a tree man, but what the other person said was a bit too confusing.
Dealing with intelligent creatures in the wild and helping them solve problems will often result in some precious feedback.
But there are also many deceptions and traps.
"No matter what it is, we have to go down and have a look first," he thought for a moment. "Anyway, we should give priority to finding the Earth Source Crystal, and then it won't be too late to find this tree-man wise man."
The big cat man smiled and said, "I have no objection."
"That's not fair," Parker waved his hands and feet on his paws, "Put me down by the way."
"Because he is the leader." The big cat man picked up his collar and put him on the ground.
"This abominable hierarchical system, because he is the leader, he has the final say, so the Papalars will be locked up in a small dark room, and I will run away from home one day!" Parker patted his cloak.
Snowflake, chattering endlessly.
Tian Lan just nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice. She was extremely curious about this matter.
Fang Yu then looked at Walnut and others underground, "I originally planned to let you and Miss Beiji stay outside, but the current situation may not necessarily be safer outside than down below."
"We are with you, Captain Ed." The walnut in the ground immediately replied.
Fang Yu nodded, "But you must understand that the threats we face underground are real, and I must ensure that everyone obeys the command."
Walnut in the ground quickly replied: "I understand. In fact, we have also participated in guild activities and know what to do."
Zaozi and others all nodded.
Only Bei Ji seemed a little hesitant, but Fang Plover didn't care too much about her opinion, and the Underground Walnuts and others would take good care of this girl.
Fang Plover breathed a sigh of relief. It was easy to talk to smart people.
In an unknown environment, there are always as few unstable factors in the team as possible, so he must make three agreements with these people in advance.
Theoretically, he could indeed leave these people outside, but as he said, it would be almost like waiting to die.
For a cold-blooded person, this is the best opportunity to get rid of them. Anyway, the other party is useless at this point. But for Fang Pliong, he still doesn't bother to use these small tricks.
After arranging everything, everyone began to go deep into the gap.
In order to guard against possible dangers, Fang Plover arranged for the big cat man to take the lead, while Parker, who had certain detection capabilities, worked with the paladin as the ears and eyes of the team.
He and Sylvide are responsible for breaking up the rear, and with Siesta here, they can fight no matter what the situation is.
The others were placed in the middle of the procession, with their naturalist lady and the only priest.
There is also Tianlan who is responsible for the lively atmosphere. With this chirping poet around, others will not be so nervous and uneasy.
Besides, Tian Lan is not stupid either. He knows when to encourage people and when to shut up. As a poet, this should be considered excellent.
As for the Walnuts and the others underground, Fang Plover's only expectation for them is not to mess up their position. Generally speaking, as long as they are not suddenly attacked, the selectors of more than ten levels should not be able to do this——
…
There may be subtle sounds lurking in the darkness - like shadowy footsteps, or whispers with chuckles - in extreme silence, people are often more likely to hallucinate.
The team advanced silently, and sometimes the Walnuts and the others in the underground would look back suspiciously, but this was a normal phenomenon. In the darkness, people would lose their sense of direction and feel that there was someone behind them.
Fang Plover had long been used to it, and just silently adjusted the clockwork fairy he controlled.
The rock walls within the crack around him are like knives and axes, criss-crossing and extremely sharp. The year-round wind has carved deep marks on it, and its rugged outline is outlined between the cracked sharp rocks.
The broken rocks are icy blue, and the deeper you go in, the darker and darker they become.
Along with the rustling footsteps, dim light is spreading along the stone wall.
Tang Xin lit up the lighting crystal on the staff. The light was dim, not as bright as a torch, but it was more stable and did not consume oxygen. At the same time, it would not attract dark creatures chasing the heat.
The specific method of lighting to be used has been discussed by adventurers over many years of experience. In the low-temperature underground, an open flame will make you as conspicuous as the sun, and you will become as conspicuous as a heat-sensing creature thousands of meters away.
Target.
Crystal lighting, on the other hand, is much more low-key.
Both Big Cat Man and Parker are outside the boundary between light and darkness, and both have the ability to see in dim light.
The former inherits the typical characteristics of cats, and the latter is said to be a leader in the field of vision - the Papal people have eyesight that they can be proud of.
The big cat man was the first to stop. His high detection ability and perfect vision in the dark allowed him to see some traces among the gravel fragments on the ground.
He held down Parker's shoulders and turned the Papalar man back, who was walking forward like nothing happened.
"Who's pulling me...big cat? What happened?"
Rhett patted his shoulder and motioned him to look in one direction.
Parker looked into the darkness in that direction. He looked carefully for a moment before his detection skills formed a red streak in his field of vision.
The red light spots were imprinted on the gravel-strewn ground.
Then more markings appeared, stretching forward into the darkness.
"footprint?"
"We haven't been gone for long, there are at least twenty people."
"I know." Parker argued forcefully. It was Big Cat who discovered this detail first, which made him, the crossbowman known as the King of Night Thieves, feel a bit embarrassed.
But after all, he is no longer a nightingale, and those past glories have long since passed away.
"There is something ahead." Parker's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly found a little red light in the darkness, which allowed him to regain a little face.
The big cat man smiled slightly and held the copper ring on the braid of his chin with his paw, "Really? Why don't you go get it back and try."
"Of course, that's what I discovered."
Parker didn't doubt that he was there and thought he had a trick. He ran over and got close to the red light spot, ready to bend down and pick up the thing.
But it was at this time that he heard Fang Plover's voice coming from the team channel: "Be careful ahead!"
At the front of the team, there is also Fang Plover's clockwork fairy.
In the narrow crack, glaciers and cold wind cut the terrain below into criss-cross sections. The clockwork goblins had little detection role here. Fang Plover only released them and distributed them at some forks as an early warning.
And at that moment, he saw a black shadow flash across his field of vision in one direction.
Parker raised his head in panic and looked at a shadow that suddenly slipped out from behind the rock wall not far from the red light spot.
It has an ice-blue flat appearance, and is as thin as a shadow. Its pale hands glow with the luster of crystal, and a layer of scales seems to float on them.
"I, I, I'm warning you, you, you, you'd better not come here!"
The Papalar man hurriedly pulled out the crossbow behind him, but after pulling it out several times, he could not get the buckle on the strap to open, and he couldn't pull it off for a while.
The monster ignored him and walked towards him.
Parker was sweating profusely on his head. He was about to shout, "Damn big cat, come and save me." But when he opened his mouth, he found that he couldn't make any sound.
He was actually unable to move, but it was not because he fell into a nightmare, but because the other party moved too fast.
It was like leaving a series of afterimages in the darkness, as fast as ghosts.
Before he could make a sound, he felt a deep chill coming from his throat.
It made him shiver.
…
At that moment everyone heard a shrill scream coming from the front: "Wow--"
The sound stopped suddenly.
It sounded as if a Papalar man had suddenly died, which frightened Tian Lan behind him so much that he almost jumped: "Parker!?"
The Walnuts underground looked back at Fang Plover with a bit of horror.
But they only saw Fang Plover shake his head:
"don’t worry."
He was a little speechless in his heart, having already scolded the living treasure Parker.
"Don't worry about him, it's fine."
The clockwork fairy, immersed in the darkness, has already witnessed the occurrence and end of the whole thing——
A little cold light is emerging from the darkness.
Behind that is a long and narrow blade that separates the darkness, revealing a pair of silver-gray eyes, as cold as ice and as sharp as an owl.
Before the monster had time to grab the Papalar's throat with its icy claws, the sword was thrust out from behind the latter and struck into its crystal skull.
The crystal made a shattering sound, and the sword blade moved downwards without any hindrance. The monster's body also shattered into pieces, scattered like a broken statue, split into two pieces with a crash, and collapsed.
land.
Parker, as if he was the one who was hacked to death, closed his eyes in fear and screamed.
But after he screamed for a long time, he found that he seemed to be still alive. He couldn't help but open his eyes, blinked, and touched his neck, and found that he was intact.
Parker looked up and found that the big cat man had passed by him. He was holding the holy sword and fiddled with it a few times among the debris.
"How does it feel?"
"Wait, you knew it was there!?"
"Not so sure."
"Not so sure!?" Parker screamed, "Damn it, this isn't the first time!"
"Really? When was the last time?"
"Uh, almost a year ago, in Traveler's Swamp... No, wait, don't change the subject," Parker almost fainted, "You can't always do this, are all the knights in Malland like you?
?”
"Generally speaking, I am a relatively unique type," the big cat man smiled gracefully, bent down to pick up a piece of debris, and looked through it, "Actually, I wanted to see if it had a brain.
But it seems that the other party is relatively easy to deal with."
"It's better to deal with it," Parker said through gritted teeth, "I always feel like you're saying I have no brain."
"No, Parker, it's nothing."
"Then what are you laughing at, damn it."
"You don't think that all Paladins should be serious, Parker. If you have this fantasy, I can reluctantly satisfy it."
"No, I didn't, shut up."
When Fang Plover arrived, what he saw was the crossbow shooter who was looking unhappy.
The big cat man was handing something over. It was a ring, which seemed to be a relic of a certain chosen one. The lion paladin put the ring in his furry palm and looked at him: "
That's what Parker discovered."
"I found it. I almost died because of it. I was killed by someone." The crossbow shooter immediately turned around and said loudly.
"Isn't he still dead? I think the big cat man used his sword very promptly."
"Damned alchemist!"
Fang Yu shook his head and said, "Okay, I will take credit for you."
There was silence in the darkness, and after a while the faint voice asked: "Really, is there a reward?"
"Well, a little bit."
"One point!" Parker gritted his teeth: "That's settled."
He ran back in a hurry.
Tian Lan and Jita couldn't help but laugh. They had seen Parker like this many times.
This reminded the two of them of their earlier adventures with Miss Attila, but at that time Miss Attila always had a way to deal with the Papal people.
Now it's Brother Ed's turn.
As outsiders, Walnut and the others in the ground had nothing to say, they just stared blankly at the fragments on the ground.
Fang Yu also looked at the fragments. A line of gray text was emerging in the darkness at this moment:
Crystal Beast (minion of disorder)
Crystallized beasts seem to be the classification of their group, and Minions of Disorder are the name of the monster itself.
In the context of Aitaria, generally speaking, if there are prefixes such as disorder, activity, wandering or activation, it probably means that the construct has not escaped.
Anarchy guards, movable golems, wandering armors and activated artifacts are all very classic constructed creatures in this world. They were once man-made, but for some reason they became intelligent, or were enlightened by spells, or settled in
He has lost his soul, or even been controlled by ghosts pretending to be gods and ghosts.
But as for the structures, they have at least one thing in common, that is, they must have been man-made, or the product of some intelligent group.
However, he did not find such features on the previous huge corpses. Their pointed rock-like appearance looked more like some type of near-earth elemental creature.
And until now.
From the fragments of these crystals, Fang Yu discovered layers of fading magic formations. They were not alchemy formations, or even a type of magic formation, but it was certain that they were at least not naturally formed.
After the monster was torn apart, the magic circle was also fading until it finally disappeared. When the magic circle completely disappeared, the crystal fragments also lost their luster in his hands and turned into an ordinary stone flake.
Only then did Fang Plover understand why there were so many ordinary stone flakes in the camp before:
It turns out that they are all the corpses of these disordered minions.
He threw the stone piece back to the ground and asked: "What is its combat effectiveness?"
"Level 30."
"It's very fast," Parker replied quickly, "It seems to have some psychic abilities."
As a crossbowman transferred from Nightingale, Parker's dexterity level is not low. Even he emphasized the speed level of this monster, which means that it may not be underestimated.
Although Rhett split it into two halves with one sword, considering the holy sword's attack power of four to five hundred, this actually doesn't mean much.
Even creatures above level 40 can hardly resist the power of this sword.
Of course, the premise is that the Lion Paladin must be able to hit opponents above level 40.
He used the Papalars as a lure to kill him with one sword. Under normal circumstances, this strange structure would have been enough for the two of them to deal with for a while.
Fang Plover couldn't help but take a breath. This should be the humanoid construct creature mentioned in the log, and above it there is the huge crab-shaped construct, and even a higher-level crystallized beast.
He suddenly realized deeply that the process of searching for the Earth Source Crystal on this trip might not be as simple as he imagined.
It's just that we have arrived at this place, so it is unrealistic to withdraw directly. Moreover, these crystallized beasts seem to be extremely powerful, but they do not seem to be insurmountable to them.
But you need to be careful.
Only then did he look at the ring in his hand. It was just an ordinary magic ring. Even for everyone in the Seven Seas Brigade at this time, it was something that was no longer of use.
However, he can at least infer the strength of its owner based on the level range of this piece of equipment. A person of level 30 or 40 will never carry a magic ring of more than ten levels.
Unless this ring is of legendary level, or higher, but it is not, it is just an ordinary blank magic ring, level thirteen.
Of course, this does not mean that its owner is also level 13. Generally speaking, in such a high-level area, there are very few people who are below level 15 to venture here. They will understand if they look at the walnuts in the ground.
Because Fang Piao expected that the opponent might be around level 20.
"Is this ring left by the people who came to support?" he asked, holding the ring.
"Parker and I discovered the traces left by the other party," the big cat man replied: "The other party left not too long ago, and even if there are earlier victims who left relics here, the people in front of them should have recovered them.
."
Fang Plover nodded. It seemed that they were indeed the teams sent by other guilds to support them as mentioned in the log.
If the average level of this support team is only around level 20, then the other party may not realize that their behavior of entering this gap is basically a death penalty.
It seems that the person at the supply depot misjudged the seriousness of the problem. He now understands why the camp was destroyed overnight. Compared with the combat power of the crystallized beasts, the strength of the people sent by the various guilds is obviously too low.
He casually threw the ring to the Walnuts and others underground behind him. According to the customary rules of Aitaria, the relics belong to the recyclers. There is no objection to this. But they have no use for the ring, and they even sell it.
It only cost a few bucks, but for them, the walnuts in the ground were just right.
The Walnuts and others in the underground obviously didn't expect that they would also share in the loot. They couldn't help but be a little surprised. Zaozi who got the ring even thanked them profusely.
Fang Yu waved his hand to signal them to be quiet.
Because it was at this time that his clockwork fairy discovered something.
In the direction where the big cat man and Parker pointed out that each other's footprints disappeared, he first found traces of a fierce battle. The body of the crystal beast, broken armor, and broken weapons were scattered on the ground.
In the gray field of vision, dark blood stains and cracks on the rock after the magic explosion could be clearly seen, but it was not clear which side had won, except that it might not belong to the human side.
Because there are still some remaining constructs dormant under the shadows.
Then he saw a body -
No, it shouldn't be said to be a corpse, but a person lying on the ground. Fang Pliance initially thought that the other party was dead and had exhausted the starlight. He was also a little curious about how there could be such a desperado.
But suddenly, he realized that he had seen it wrong.
Because he saw the man's chest rise and fall slightly.
The other person is not dead, he just seems to be in a coma.
Fang Yu immediately pulled up his goggles and said to others around him: "There are people alive in front, but there are a lot of monsters there. Everyone, prepare to fight."
With a clang, the sword in the big cat man's hand was immediately unsheathed.
