The surrounding scenery changed unknowingly. The towering, silent black granite cliffs disappeared, replaced by an open canyon filled with gray fog. Shrouded in the fog, there was a decaying forest, gray and white.
The branches are like the short-bearded bark of the tree walking in front - the tall tree man steps forward several meters with each step, but it walks very slowly, so the people behind can still keep up.
The tree man stared at this withered forest land with silent and dull eyes. The forest land was lifeless, like a cemetery of trees. This atmosphere also affected other people. No one spoke, and silence spread among the crowd. The cliff retreated to a few hundred people.
Meters away, some huge, withered roots cross everyone's head like a bridge.
Walking into the woods, Shortbeard slowly stopped. It turned around and looked at the others. "We are safe, but after entering this woods, you still need to follow me closely and be careful not to get lost in the woods.
.”
The crowd also stopped.
Amatoran asked: "Where is this place?"
"This used to be where we lived." Shortbeard said in a rough voice, and then stopped talking. It turned around, picked up its feet and continued to walk forward.
At this time, Rhett came up from behind and said to the group leader: "Mr. Armatoran, since this place is safe, our mission is almost completed."
"You want to leave?" Amatoran was stunned, "Aren't you going to follow?"
"We have other things to deal with."
Amatoran glanced at the lion paladin with some confusion. There were crystal monsters everywhere outside, and the forest looked extremely weird. He couldn't think of anything easy for the other party to deal with in a place like this.
But that was someone else's business. He knew that he had no right to ask any more questions, so he nodded and said, "Okay, thank you very much. Regarding the remuneration, we will not break our promise."
Although these people who claim to be mercenaries are very open-minded, the terms proposed by the other party are very tempting - after all, they do not need to pay with real money and silver, they only need to use the ore below to compensate. Of course, this vein is also
The property of the guild, but they are not legal income after all.
What's more, the reserves of crystal veins down here are astonishingly rich. High-quality crystals are almost like picking up for free, and the reward the other party wants is nothing at all.
In the previous battle, the final scene where those crystal monsters came overwhelmingly is still horrifying to think about now. If it weren't for the intervention of these people, it would be really difficult for them to get out of trouble.
"I believe Mr. Amatoran will not break his promise."
"But when are you going to pick it up?"
"When you are ready, we will move around the area."
Aren't you just passing by? Amatoran cursed in his heart, but still nodded.
Red bowed to everyone gracefully, then said goodbye and left. Armatoran looked at the back of the big cat man, his heart was full of doubts, and for a moment he didn't know where to start - Nognis South
When did such a powerful mercenary group appear?
Although there is still a doubt whether the other party is a mercenary, and he can't even tell whether the other party is a team of selectors. At least this lion paladin should be an aborigine in terms of demeanor and behavior, and the virtue knight, today
It's really rare.
He thought he was quite familiar with this area and knew most of the famous teams operating in this area - but Aitaria really surprises people all the time.
"The knight is gone?"
A soft voice came from behind him.
Amatoran turned around and saw the nightingale girl walking out of the crowd. "Rainbow, where did you go just now?" he asked a little suspiciously.
"I went to take stock of the Nightingale detachment. Seven people died and three were injured." Alice frowned and said with a bit of worry.
It was time to count the manpower. Amatoran nodded. As a veteran, he liked such a serious and responsible squad leader.
…
"The big cat is back!"
With sharp azure eyes, he was the first to see the lion paladin walking out of the mist.
Red smiled and stretched out his big furry paws to gesture at her. Tianlan made a face at him and turned around to run away, but the former grabbed her back and then patted her on the head.
Rhett raised his head and looked at Fang Plover, "Did you put out the eyeliner?"
Fang Yu raised his glove, shook it at him, and nodded. He had already released the clockwork fairy. At this moment, the clockwork fairy rising into the air not only had a panoramic view of the entire foggy canyon, but also the trees leading the way.
The humans and the Amatoran group are also clearly visible.
It's a pity that he didn't lower his vision, otherwise he might find an acquaintance among those people. But he found that the level of the Holy White Stone Guild was not bad, and he was worried that the Clockwork Goblin would fly too low and cause trouble for the opponent's rangers.
I noticed it, so I gave it up after thinking about it.
The so-called "there are things to do" is just a cover. They just don't want to contact these people too early and let time reflect and not contact their companions for the time being. It is also out of this consideration. After all, their identities are sensitive at the moment. Orenze's lesson
, Fang Plover won’t forget it for a while.
Of course, a big cat alone is nothing, and people of the wilderness are not uncommon in Kaolin-Ithurian. Moreover, humans often lack an intuitive understanding of races other than their own. To put it simply, they are face blind.
Even if a wanted order is placed in front of them, they may not be able to confirm that the lion paladin in front of them is the person on the wanted order.
After all, the wanted poster was filmed a year ago, and during this period the Big Cat Man's equipment had been changed several times.
"Where are those crystal monsters?" Rhett asked again.
"They're parked outside." Sylvide said with a smile.
"Parked outside?"
"There seems to be an invisible boundary outside this woodland. When those monsters reach that place, they will automatically stop moving forward, Mr. Reid." Fang Plover adjusted his eyepiece and replied.
"It looks like this is a holy place."
Miss Ship Officer looked around, "In Asuka, Siesta and I have been to a place like that. The local lizard people built a sanctuary in the valley to keep the evil forces in the rain forest at bay.
Don’t dare to set foot.”
"The Temple of Order, the place of sages, I have also heard of places like this. The former repels chaos, and the latter resists evil. This is a kind of camp protection force." Rhett twirled his mane with his paw, "But
Artifacts such as pretend creatures do not inherently have a camp bias."
"I know," Parker shouted noisily, "This is a natural sanctuary that resists all unnatural things."
"I've never heard of a sanctuary like that, Parker."
"Then you've heard it now."
"Very good," Tian Lan said angrily, "I suggest throwing this Papalar out first, so as not to dirty the eyes of the goddess Amaya."
"But this is indeed Ms. Amaya's woodland." Tang Xin suddenly spoke at this time.
Everyone couldn't help but look at her.
"Do you have any feelings?" Fang Pliant asked. Tangtang is Mirela's priest. Followers of friendly gods should have some feelings when they enter the realm of other gods.
Tang Xin nodded.
"Is it really because of the Holy Land?" Jita asked in a low voice.
"Look, I mean it." Parker said proudly.
"It's just a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse." Tianlan immediately retorted.
"But it's not certain yet," Sylvide shook her head. "There may be another reason."
Fang Yu turned back to look at his ship officer: "Sylwede, what did you find?"
"The captain knows about the territorial concept of beasts. There may be a more powerful existence here that makes those crystallized beasts afraid to advance easily."
Fang Yu was slightly startled when he heard the words, and suddenly remembered the voice from the spiritual world that he heard before entering this place. Could the powerful existence here be the owner of that voice?
It was a pity that Miss Tata stayed on the ship, otherwise he could have asked for the other party's opinion. Without Miss Goblin's assistance, he felt as if his IQ had dropped by half.
As for Nini, Fang Plover glanced at the little girl who was curled up, hugging her tail, and sleeping soundly in her own spiritual world with her fingers in her mouth, and after thinking about it, she decided to forget it.
If the little one is woken up, she will probably lose her temper, and Nini, who is still in the babbling stage, may not be able to explain clearly what is going on.
But since those crystallized beasts were so afraid of the powerful existence here, how could the owner of that voice ask them for help?
Or is it that only low-level crystallization beasts behave like this? There may be some more powerful individuals among the crystallization beasts who are not afraid of the master here?
He couldn't help but think of the mysterious commander behind the crystallized beasts described in the log. In fact, he still remembered the larger crystallized beasts he saw not long ago, although they were far away and did not approach.
, but Fang Yu could still feel the terrifying aura on the other party's body.
And are those the highest-ranking crystallized beasts? A voice in Fang Plover's heart told him that this might not be the case.
The big cat man looked at the others and asked: "Where are the walnuts and the others in the ground?"
"They are behind and will follow soon."
Tianlan replied.
In fact, the people in Walnut Underground were carrying the reflection of time. They made a simple stretcher out of tree branches at the back and placed the latter on it.
Beiji was hanging alone at the back of the team. In Rhett's opinion, this girl was surprisingly courageous. In fact, she had been much calmer than the others along the way.
"What a strange girl." Rhett thought to himself.
…
With the help of the clockwork goblin in mid-air, they always followed the Amatoran team.
However, not long after walking, the surrounding scenery changed again.
Everyone actually saw a ray of light deep underground - this underground world gradually became wider and wider starting from the dividing line of the valley outside. The canyons on both sides gradually receded, and the rock formations above their heads rose higher and higher.
, until it disappears beyond the horizon of darkness and depth.
And when the underground fissure reaches here, it forms a huge rock cavity, which seems to be a whole on its own, forming a vast world beneath the ground.
And in the center of the world, they actually saw a soft light-the sun.
"Oh my God," Sky Blue's eyes widened, "What is that!?"
The light ball hung high in the air, spreading endless light to the entire dark underground space. The withered forest gradually disappeared, and green gradually appeared all around.
The woodland seems to be reviving, with twigs pulling out from under the barren land, green grass sprouting from under the gray soil, and gradually becoming one. There are even rivers in the underground world, flowing through the structures.
After the natural wooden bridge above the river, there is already a golden meadow in front.
Under the sunshine that seems to never go out, the dense shade of trees covers the roads in the forest, and there are even butterflies flying on the flowers covering the riverside.
Tianlan even saw a white deer in the forest. The deer had long antlers erect and eyes like black gems, watching them with a vigilant gaze that looked at strange intruders.
Then the forest elf turned around and disappeared into the bushes.
She was so surprised that she could hardly close her mouth.
"I can't believe it." Jita also whispered to herself.
Tang Xin was also looking at this underground forest——
There are many arguments that the Star Gate is just another form of existence compared to the human world. It cannot be said to be unreal, but it cannot be said to be a fictional world.
After all, this universe still hides too many unknown secrets for human beings.
But there are also opposing views, and even this century there is still a fairly mainstream view that the study of star gates should be a matter for scholars and governments.
The commercialization of Stargate is nothing more than a manifestation of entertainment that was originally serious. It is a retrogression of the times and a blasphemy to the spirit of human exploration a hundred years ago.
The selectors are nothing more than a group of speculators, gold diggers, and even gamblers.
Tang Xin holds this view.
It's just that she deeply understands how persistent that pigeon is to this world, and every time she sees the frustrated look on his face, she can't bear it.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that she became the third party between her parents and her cousin, sometimes helping him, but sometimes opposing him from entering this world.
But everything has already happened——
Tang Xin quietly looked at the source of the radiant light and the quiet but vibrant woodland. For the first time, she felt a little overwhelmed by the beauty of this unknown world.
But they hadn't walked long when they were suddenly blocked by a little monster.
To be honest, Fang Plover has not seen these Ithulian-specific creatures for a long time after leaving Talen. These little things with low IQs originated from the underground of Eldron like the dwarves, and they pawned for the dwarves.
They have been slaves for hundreds of years, and the hot-tempered dwarves don't treat them well, but they don't treat them like slaves.
It wasn't until the past one or two hundred years that they followed the dwarfs and spread around the world. However, they are accustomed to severe cold climates and can generally only be seen in the north of Kaolin-Ithurion.
The little dwarf in front of me should be the one with the purest bloodline originating from the Eldron Mountains. After all, the Ladder of the Old World itself is also part of the Eldron Mountains, so they can be seen here.
Not surprising either.
The furry, smelly little guy was still nervous when he saw them. He stared at the people of the Seven Seas Brigade with his big, dark, round eyes, and said with a little trembling: "...Gupu, wait for you here.
It’s been a long time, Gu Pu. It was Lord Muenyarit who asked Gu Pu to wait here for everyone. Please don’t hurt Gu Pu. Gu Pu is a good person."
Fang Plover stopped.
He couldn't help but look back at the crowd with some surprise. Munyarit, he still remembered this name. This was the name of the tree elder, or the heart of the tree, and it was also the name that called them in the spiritual world.
.
But they came in with the Amatoran group, and even Shortbeard didn't know that they had been following behind, and the dwarf in front of them actually said that they had been waiting for them here for a long time.
It seems that the tree man elder has already noticed that they have set foot here, and the other party is far more powerful than they imagined.
After exchanging glances with everyone, he turned back and asked:
"Gupui, is this your name, little one?"
"Gupu is the little guy Gupu. This is Gupu's name. Yes, it is Gupu." Seeing that they could understand it, the little dwarf couldn't help but feel a little happy and nodded vigorously, "You guys,
Gu Pu, it’s my friend Gu Pu.”
"Who wants to be friends with this stinky guy?" Parker muttered angrily, pinching his nose with his hand and making an eye-rolling expression: "I'm going to die of smoke."
Dwarfs never bathe, they think the water will take away their souls. Although dwarves rarely bathe, they can't stand these smelly guys.
This is probably where most of the dwarves' complaints about their servants come from.
Tianlan was almost unbearable due to the smoke, but she still kicked Parker angrily, almost knocking him over.
Fang Yu also didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he just took a step back and said, "Gupu, you said Lord Muenyarit asked you to pick us up. Does he know that we have arrived at this place?"
Gupu nodded seriously, although it looked funny even when it was serious, "Lord Munyarit is the oldest and wisest man here. Gupu, his roots are rooted at the bottom of this mountain.
This land is older, more experienced than every tree and stone, and has more knowledge than the mountains."
Fang Yu felt Jita tugging on his sleeve from behind.
He turned around, and Miss Naturalist stretched out her finger and wrote in his hand:
"The other party is probably the Heart of the Tree, Brother Ed."
"But what exactly is the Heart of the Tree?"
"We'll understand when we see it."
Fang Plover then let the little dwarfs lead the way. Although the dwarfs don't like to be clean, they are kind creatures. They live here with the gray tree people, which at least proves that the other party should not have any ill intentions.
It's just that he didn't expect that when he came down to this place, he would have to meet the tree elder before he saw the Tuyuan Jing. And none of the plans he originally made came into use. This was really a plan that couldn't keep up.
Changes quickly.
They crossed several wooden bridges and streams shimmering with golden light, and entered a valley deep underground.
Fang Yu privately asked Time Reflection if he knew there was such a place down here. The latter shook his head and said that the mine was actually just the upper part of the crack, and that there was a very broad part below. The person in front was
While exploring the lower levels, I encountered those crystallized beasts.
And this underground forest is another place they have never heard of.
Fang Yu couldn't help but look up and glance at the ball of light in the air, thinking that this place might not be that simple after all.