After reading the mission description, Matthew's eyes lit up.
He looked at the menacing cultists who represented the dead, and there was an indescribable taste in his eyes.
"Let me deal with them. Let me see what the hell they are."
He made a random excuse, and under Feliwen's impatient gaze, he quickly walked towards the Blight Cultists who had gathered near the Oak Wall.
"Weeds and pests must be eliminated!"
The Wither cultists who rushed at the front shouted in confusion, their eyes glowed with a turbid yellow light, giving people a sense of withering and decay.
Matthew's expression remained unchanged and he strode forward.
He took off the glove on his right hand and stretched out his left hand towards the enemies.
The "Throwing Gloves" given by Margaret emits a faint green light.
Whoosh.
A Blight cultist was sucked into the palm of Matthew's left hand.
The former was still arrogant at first.
But when Matthew's pale hands grasped his exposed arm mercilessly.
Just for a moment.
His body quickly lost its vitality and was scattered on the ground like a pile of meat.
"Um?"
Matthew noticed something unusual.
But he did not stop to think, but launched fatal attacks one after another at the surrounding enemies.
The pale hand swept past like a broom.
Just as Matthew predicted.
The resistance of these blight cultists to instant death is pitifully low, and may even be negative.
The pale hands were like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, easily taking away the lives of most of the withered believers.
But even so.
These cultists still look fearless and fearless of death.
Accompanied by roars like wild beasts.
More cultists rushed to the battlefield.
They came from all directions and swarmed in front of Matthew.
Matthew was very calm when he saw this.
He maintains a certain frequency of killing enemies, and when he is about to get trapped in the enemy group.
He quickly opened a random door and came behind the group of cultists.
The next second.
Facing the dense crowds of withered cultists in front of us.
Matthew opened his mouth without mercy:
"Woo~"
A strong wind blew up.
The sharp whistling sound caused the airflow to tremble violently.
"Ability: Death Shock Wave"!
In an instant.
The shock wave full of negative energy launched an indiscriminate attack on a large fan-shaped area in front of Matthew.
This time the effect is even more exaggerated.
All the Blight cultists who were hit by the shock wave trembled, and then their limbs and torsos melted away like mud.
quickly.
There was only some very sparse blood mud left on the ground.
Matthew easily used his pale hands to kill the remaining fish that slipped through the net.
Only then did he spare his energy to look at the traces left by these withered cultists.
"It is indeed not a normal life form, but more like some kind of puppet spell."
Matthew bent down, gently took a ball of meat paste and rubbed it with his thumb and index finger.
The life elements in these flesh and blood are almost exhausted.
This thing is worse than a body that has been tortured by vampires.
It is simply not something that a normal life can leave behind after death.
This is also consistent with Matthew's previous judgment.
The resistance of these "creatures" to instant death spells is negative, which shows that they actually only have a little life element, which is far below the standard level.
"These Blight Cultists are not humans, they are just puppets in human form."
Matthew made a preliminary conclusion.
"You still need to tell me?"
Feliwen said sarcastically:
"I told you before, right? Do you have to waste time?"
However, Matthew simply ignored her.
He walked quietly among the masses of blood and mud.
The data column is displayed.
In this wave, he killed a total of 72 Blight cultists.
This shows that the requirement of this mission is to kill this kind of humanoid puppet.
Of course Matthew wanted to know more about these puppets.
It's a pity that after this wave of puppets were killed.
It immediately became quiet near the Oak Wall.
Matthew wandered around for a long time but failed to encounter the second wave of Blight Cultists.
During this period, Hibbert had been following him step by step.
Feliwen is naturally the same.
But she kept cursing.
Seeing this, Matthew also planned to leave.
But at this moment.
He suddenly discovered that a lot of the blood mud in that area had disappeared!
Apparently there were only three of them in this area.
Where did all that flesh and blood go?
Just think of this.
Matthew stared at one of the lumps of meat.
Two minutes later.
He gradually discovered that the meat paste was decomposed by an invisible force, and eventually penetrated into the earth!
Matthew asked solemnly:
"Did you find out?"
Fei Liwen did not say a word, but there was a look of shock in her eyes.
Obviously, although this woman is long-winded and arrogant, she is not completely brainless.
She also noticed this detail.
Only Hibbert asked blankly:
"What did you find?"
Matthew pointed to the earth:
"This land is polluted."
The next second.
He squatted down and placed his hands on the ground.
"Ability: Balanced Perception"!
In an instant.
His eyes turned into colorful black and white.
Element field, ether field, element field, material field, the entire space is divided into four levels, which are clearly displayed in front of Matthew.
Everything is normal at the elemental level, and earth, fire, feng shui are still functioning well.
There are some slight disturbances on the etheric level, but this is probably related to the ceremonial ground where the Druid altar is located here or the Mark of the Dead;
The element field closest to the material level is collapsed and riddled with holes.
Matthew was shocked to find out.
The elements here are extremely imbalanced. Not only the life elements have almost disappeared, but other basic elements that constitute life are also stirring around in chaos.
He calmed down to capture the flow direction of life elements.
One of them flows to an invisible black hole, which should be the remaining traces of the Dead in Watcher's Heights;
And the other direction is actually behind the Oak Wall!
obviously.
In order to protect something, the druids also extract various elements from the earth.
This actually goes against the usual practice of druids.
Matthew didn't know what they had encountered.
But it must be a very serious accident to make the usually conservative druids take risks.
"Why does the Earth Society want to drain the life force of this land?"
Matthew asked Feliwen directly.
Because he knew it would be difficult to get a serious answer from Hibbert.
Fei Liwen sneered:
"Didn't you come to investigate on your own?"
"Don't you still need to ask me if you don't have an investigation result in mind?"
Matthew shrugged and looked at Hibbert.
Hibbert immediately said to Feliwen:
"Answer Martin's question."
Feliwen gritted her teeth angrily.
But under Hibbert's clear gaze.
She could only reply:
"As you can see, this land has seriously deteriorated, and its source lies in the disappearance of the "Holy White Deer."
"Holy White Deer"?
Matthew quickly realized the transcendence and sacredness of the word she mentioned.
"Is it the natural spirit here?"
he asks.
Feliwen nodded:
"The Holy White Deer was originally a member of the Earth Society, and he himself was also a powerful Druid. However, according to my investigation, he disappeared many years ago. It was also from that time that the Earth Society began to continuously
They mobilized manpower from various places to strengthen the defense of the underground temple. Who knows what they are doing secretly!"
"But I guess the continuous shrinking of the defense line of the Earth Society must be related to the disappearance of the Holy White Deer. Later, they even voluntarily abandoned Cross City, leaving only some druids to retreat to the Holy Oak area."
"After that attack, there was no longer a Druid figure outside the Oak Wall. They just wanted to protect their own one-third of an acre of land and had no regard for the order outside. That's why Cross City became ours.
That’s what I saw.”
Feliwen looked down upon the Druid Order in all her words.
Matthew said thoughtfully:
"For the druids, this behavior seriously violates the way of nature, which is more uncomfortable than killing them."
"The reason why they made this choice is that the situation is really bad to a certain extent."
Fei Liwen said indifferently:
"It's none of my business. I'm a mage. I just want to complete the task and go home. By the way, why do you always speak from the perspective of a druid? Aren't you a mage?"
"And having said so much, it is clear that all this can be ended by killing the King of Blight. Even if you want to follow the clues to find other clues, you can start from the King of Blight. Do you have to find all of these?"
She stared and questioned Matthew.
Matthew smiled and did not continue to argue with Feliwen.
He purely used Feliwen as a tool. If the tool was not easy to use, just look for Hibbert. As for her attitude, Matthew didn't care at all.
"Let's go take a look at the front."
he said to Hibbert.
Hibbert responded obediently:
"OK."
The two men walked forward together.
Fei Liwen stamped her feet and followed him with resentment.
The group walked around the Oak Wall.
Walking towards the sacred oak tree that symbolizes the headquarters of the Earth Society.
This sacred oak tree is more than 500 meters tall, and its presence can be clearly seen from any corner of Cross City.
It's just that at this time, there is a golden veil on the holy oak tree.
It's hard to see clearly.
The three of them advanced about 50 meters.
suddenly.
Matthew stopped.
There was a slight gap in the space in front of him, which was captured by his senses.
Matthew looked down.
It was discovered that there was a shallow ravine on the ground. The edges of the ravine were filled with traces of burning, while in the center there was a chilling aura of weapons.
"I thought you were going to run into the ceremony."
Feliwen sneered.
Matthew looked at the data column quietly.
…
"Warning: You are approaching the "Knife and Fire" ceremony site of the Earth Society.
Knife and Fire (Defensive Ceremony Ground): Unless the owner allows the unit, anyone crossing this ravine will encounter the ruthless attack of knife and fire."
…
This is a barrier composed of swords and fire to prevent the enemy from continuing to invade.
There seem to be many similar barriers.
Matthew found many traces closer to the holly oak with his naked eyes.
at this time.
A fox emerged from the grass nearby.
He sat on the ground on his hind legs, with his forelimbs together like humans, and spoke in standard common language:
"Please come back, you three."
"No outsiders are welcome here."
Matthew realized that this was a druid, so he immediately said:
"I am a mage sent by the Silver Council, specifically to assist the Druid Order."
The fox blinked:
"I can feel your goodwill, but I'm sorry that the current Earth Society does not welcome any outsiders to enter, including mages from the Seven Saints Alliance."
"In fact, the society is extremely disappointed with your alliance. The two mages sent last time did almost nothing but superficial work and left. They even told us without shame that the matter had been resolved. This
As a result, we neglected to take precautions and triggered a greater crisis."
"Perhaps this is a misunderstanding, but the alliance did not provide us with sufficient support in accordance with the regulations previously signed by the two parties, and it did not make any compensation afterwards. Many members of the association have become frustrated with you, especially now.
At this juncture, no one will welcome you, so please come back."
This fox's words are quite polite.
But the rejection in his eyes was firm.
Feliwen snorted coldly:
"Let me just say, these druids can't communicate at all. They obviously messed up all this themselves, but they blame us for our lack of support."
The fox glanced at her but said nothing.
Matthew tried another entry point:
"I am not only a mage sent by the alliance, but also a friend of Eli, the Ancient Tiger. In addition to investigating those cult organizations, my most important purpose in coming here is to know the whereabouts of Eli."
The fox looked at him cautiously.
Seems to be determining if Matthew is lying.
"Do you have a token from Eli?"
he asks.
Matthew thought for a while, and after a while, he fiddled with the Miaofa bag and took out a pair of shorts with some hesitation.
He didn't have any keepsakes from Eli, these shorts were Matthew's own.
Later, there was a time when Eli had no clothes to wear, so Matthew lent him some clothes.
Logically speaking, there should be Eli's aura on it...right?
Matthew wasn't actually sure.
The fox jumped out of the ceremony venue, opened his mouth and took the shorts in his mouth and sniffed them hard.
In Fei Liwen's complex and vigilant eyes.
The fox said very friendly:
"This is indeed Eli's underwear. Sorry, I was so rude just now. I didn't expect you to be Eli's boyfriend."
Matthew waved quickly and said:
"not like this."
The fox looked like he understood:
"It doesn't matter. People always have some prejudices against the Dadi Society. They always think that we are very conservative. In fact, we are indeed conservative in some things, but we are also very liberal in other things."
"Couples like you and Eli are not uncommon within the Dadi Society."
Hear this.
Feliwen couldn't help but pulled Hibbert's sleeve and whispered in his ear:
"Did you hear that this man is also craving for your body?"
Hibbert looked confused and said:
"What's the meaning?"
Matthew quickly explained:
"Eli and I are just ordinary friends. My orientation is very normal. What I like is women."
The fox narrowed his eyes:
"I believe it."
Hibbert was still standing by and asked:
"What do you mean by what you just said? Can men also be greedy for men's bodies?"
Matthew immediately interrupted him and asked the fox:
"Can you tell me where Eli went?"
"I just want to know this."
The fox thought:
"Eli disappeared. Before he disappeared, he proposed to find trouble with the Whale Hunters, but he never came back."
"Later, there were rumors that the Ancient Tiger fell into the hands of the whale hunter boss. She was a very terrifying woman, and her skills in training men were second to none."
"We druids have also chased Eli, but his whereabouts involved a very scary underground space. It seems to be the sphere of influence of the Scourge Order, and there is a construction site called the Dark Temple."
"It's so dangerous there that we don't dare to go deeper."
Matthew nodded.
He knew that the Dark Templar, the drow warrior Laila, had mentioned to him that it was the headquarters of the Scourge Order, and that a blond man named Father controlled everything there.
According to Laila's description, that man's strength was bottomless, and he was at least half a foot into the realm of legend.
He can even directly communicate with high-level beings such as Euclus and the God of Midnight.
Possibly the most powerful warlock in the South!
"Laila's last letter said that she was seriously injured, which seems to be related to the reactivation of the Scourge Cult. Unfortunately, she did not leave many traces in Watcher's Heights. She is mostly active underground."
Matthew thought secretly.
Like Golddigger's Basin, Watcher's Heights also has an entrance to the Underdark.
The underground space here is not as intricate as the one below Rolling Stone.
But in terms of depth, it is even worse.
Matthew figured that if he wanted to find the information left by Laila, he would have to go to the underground world.
"Can you tell me where to enter the underworld?"
"It would be better if you could tell me the route to the Dark Temple."
Matthew asked.
The fox shook his head, his expression hesitant:
"The dark forces in the underground world are rising at an all-time high. I advise you not to take risks."
"The Blight Order, the Scourge Order, and the Whale Hunter Organization that attacked the headquarters of the Earth Society this time. These three forces have only penetrated into the surface of the earth. In the underground world, they have more terrifying forces. Don't enter their territory.
Territory, otherwise your life will be in danger!"
Said.
He couldn't help but exhorted:
"You are not the first group of people who want to go to the underworld to cause trouble for them.
The first group was a group of radical druids, and Eli was among them. As a result, they never returned;
Half a month ago, a troll warrior and a barbarian human also inquired about information from me, and then went to the dark world, but there was also no news;
I don't want a third group of victims."
Troll warriors and barbarian humans?
Matthew's eyes lit up.
Lyra also mentioned a troll warrior in her letter.
Such a combination is rare in the south, they must be the same person.
This shows that Lyra and Eli are indeed trapped in the underworld of Watcher's Heights.
"Thank you for the reminder, but as an investigation team sent by the alliance, we will enter the underground world anyway. Even if you don't tell us where the specific entrance is, we can at best spend more time looking for it."
Matthew said this.
The fox sighed and immediately informed the three of them of the nearest entrance to the underground world.
Then he briefly mentioned how to get to the Dark Temple.
After Matthew and Fox exchanged other information.
Then he turned and left.
"I plan to go to the Scar of the Dead first. Um, have any of you two been there? Is it convenient to open a portal?"
Matthew asked Hibbert and Feliwen.
Hibbert shook his head blankly.
Fei Liwen sneered coldly:
"You really dare to order us?"
"Should I give you another cup of milk tea?"
Matthew smiled slightly:
"Thank you, let's have a drink."
Feliwen stared again.
Who knows the next second.
Hibbert scratched his head:
"I'd like a cup of sea salt and red date flavor."
"Another glass of normal."
Fei Liwen took a deep breath, took out a red rag, put it on her chest, and then quickly pulled it away.
Faint magic runes flashed past.
"Trick: Milk Tea Technique"!
The next second.
Two steaming cups of milk tea appeared in front of them.
Hibbert stretched out his hands, grabbed a cup with one hand, and then handed the cup to Matthew normally.
Rao must have been mentally prepared.
Fei Liwen was still very angry.
Matthew gloated over his milk tea.
Hibbert looked at her:
"Would you like a drink for yourself?"
Fei Liwen was immediately flattered and said:
"No, no... no need."
"It's okay with me."
Her eyes suddenly became infinitely gentle.
Hibbert nodded:
"Oh, then while we are drinking milk tea, please open the door quickly."
The smile on Fei Liwen's face gradually stiffened.
She turned her head and gave Matthew a vicious look, but in the end she could only open the portal honestly.
Matthew was drinking milk tea with a smile on his face.
But his eyes wandered back and forth between Hibbert and Feliwen.
He was keenly aware that Hibbert did this on purpose——
Hibbert noticed that Feliwen was a little targeted at Matthew.
He may also realize that this is bad.
So I wanted to make amends to Matthew in this way.
This is where Hibbert's naivety lies.
He probably thought that this would be able to handle the balance between the three of them.
But Matthew knew it very well.
Hibbert's actions will only intensify Feliwen's dislike of him.
Once or twice is fine.
As time goes by, trouble will inevitably arise.
Just think of this.
Matthew then had the idea of breaking up.
He originally wanted to cooperate well with these two mages, but there was no tacit understanding in this small team, so it was better to disperse early and let everyone do their own thing.
“Milk tea is good.”
Matthew is telling the truth.
Feliwen's milk tea has a smooth and mellow taste, overflowing with milky fragrance, sweet but not greasy, giving people a very refreshing and warm feeling.
It's one of the rare drinks that he still wants to drink after drinking it.
This means that Feliwen has a deep knowledge of this kind of magic. Considering the other party's background, it is almost impossible for her to invest too much energy in magic.
Then there is only one possibility:
Feliwen's talent is also ridiculously high.
This is indeed enviable.
no way.
Even if the milk tea made by a person with high magic talent is more fragrant than that of a mediocre mage, even if it is made by magic.
Fei Liwen's work efficiency is also very high.
Just a few seconds.
A portal leading to the Mark of the Dead opens.
The three of them walked over one after another.
What comes into view is a raised hill.
The hill formed a very sharp contrast with the surrounding environment. The mountains or plains next to it were lush and full of green.
Only the brown hill was bare and ugly, resembling a baseball bat with bumps and bumps.
This is the remnant of the Scar of the Dead.
The main trunk of the Trace of the Dead runs from Rolling Stone Town through the Jade Cangting and the southern part of Eversong Forest, and extends to the vicinity of Gemstone Bay in the east.
No other areas in the South were affected.
Only here in Watcher's Heights.
Suddenly there were traces of the dead flying in all at once.
Its appearance itself is a puzzling thing.
Matthew circled around the protrusion.
Visual inspection shows that the remaining veins of the Trace of the Dead are an irregular polygonal area, covering an area of about 100 acres, and the edge area is still slowly spreading outward.
But compared to the Mark of the Dead in Rolling Stone.
The activity of this bump is not sufficient.
Matthew took a few steps closer and felt a strong sense of sleepiness in his heart. Fortunately, his will was quite firm and he was able to avoid this abnormal situation quickly.
…
"Warning: You are approaching the ceremonial site of the Earth Society "Blue Sha Yimu"
Lansha Yimeng: All creatures entering or approaching this ritual site will fall into a long sleep. During this period, your soul may wander to another world, thus embarking on a series of wonderful adventures."
…
I see.
"Is this the Earth Society's method of sealing the Mark of the Dead?"
"So the Druid Order has realized that the Mark of the Dead is a kind of life, or a part of life, and its expansion can be greatly delayed by putting it to sleep."
Matthew's face showed admiration.
There is still no shortage of smart people in this world. The methods adopted by the Earth Society are quite reasonable. If "Blue Sha Yi Meng" can continue to be effective, this strategy will even be better than our own protective umbrella plan.
After all, there is no need to destroy the original environment.
However.
"The power of the ceremonial ground is being weakened..."
"Someone dropped a lot of blood and bones nearby, trying to awaken the activity of the Mark of the Dead!"
The group soon discovered small carts at the foot of the hill.
Most of these carts were scattered on the ground, with a large number of corpses on them, including humans and other creatures.
"Did you see it? The Scourge Cult is stepping up its actions. They want to completely activate this trace of the dead to cause even greater damage."
Feliwen said coldly:
"I told you, kill the King of Blight first, and then follow the clues to find other clues. This is the fastest way!"
"The Calamity Order, the Blight Order, and other random whale hunters. They are all the same. If you kill one, the others will pop up. Isn't this a very simple logic?"
Matthew sighed softly after hearing this.
Maybe what Feliwen said is right.
But he really couldn't stand the tone of this woman's words. Even if she was a tool, it would feel irritating to hold her in hand.
So he said to Hibbert sincerely:
"Sorry, for some personal reasons, I may need to leave for a while."
"After this, I will conduct an independent investigation regarding the matters in Watcher's Heights. If there is a final result, I will inform you."
Hibbert was stunned for a moment:
"Are you going to leave us?"
Matthew was choked.
What kind of question is this?
Just as he was trying to organize his words, Feliwen finally broke out:
"So I've been shopping with you for a long time, but you still don't want to follow me to kill the King of Blight?"
"I'm really... so angry!"
"Hibbert, you can go play with him by yourself, I will go to the Helen Mountains alone!"
Said.
She suddenly opened a portal and disappeared in front of the two of them.
Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.
The world is quiet.
However, when he came back to his senses, he found Hibbert looking at him with very clear eyes:
"Feliwen actually means well, but like me, she doesn't know how to interact with others."
"How should I put it? Have you noticed that she has always wanted you to go with her to kill the King of Blight?"
Matthew's heart moved and he nodded.
Hibbert explained:
"Feliwen is a very proud girl. She won't accept anyone except me, so if she just kills the King of Blight, she will never think that she needs help from others."
"And the reason why she insisted on you going with her was actually because she was afraid that you wouldn't be able to receive the money from the Silver Council——
Can you understand what I mean? She is afraid that she will solve all the problems by herself, and then your trip will be in vain. After all, the Silver Council is a master of hard work. If they find flaws in the completion of tasks,
, your remuneration will definitely plummet."
"From her perspective, she just wants to help you complete this task quickly."
"Believe me, apart from looking down on you, she doesn't have any bad intentions towards you."
Hibbert's tone was sincere.
Matthew showed an understanding smile:
"I probably understand. If Feliwen is really as you said, then I have indeed misunderstood her."
"But I also hope that you will understand in these days that respecting others is not a luxury."
"If we change the communication method, our investigation team may be able to last longer."
Hibbert smiled bitterly:
"Sorry, I'm studying."
Matthew patted him on the shoulder:
"It doesn't matter. We can each do our own thing. Maybe we can get the same results using our own investigation methods."
Hibbert nodded:
"Sure, both of you will definitely find the same end point."
Matthew looked at him curiously:
"how about you?"
Hibbert sat down on the ground:
"I'm waiting for the end to come to me."
…
After separating from Hibbert, Matthew returned to Cross City.
He met Peggy in an alley.
"How's the situation over there?"
Matthew asked.
Peggy sighed:
"For a group of homeless children, becoming pickpockets may be their best fate, and they are almost tempted to become cultists."
"I heard that the druids here used to take care of them, but the situation has changed and they have been displaced."
Matthew nodded solemnly.
Tell him intuitively.
The three evil organizations gathered in Watcher's Heights are not that simple.
Feliwen acted with more or less the arrogance unique to an academic mage.
She will most likely suffer as a result.
It's different from her rushing to visit the restaurant.
Matthew chose another path.
"For a while, you two try to act as fierce as possible."
He warned Peggy and A Bing.
Paige patted her chest confidently:
"No problem, we don't look like good people!"
A Bing also twisted his hips confidently.
next moment.
Matthew put on a cloak and walked out of the alley with the two skeletons.
Walked along the street for a while.
He came to a place surrounded by many people.
Push away the crowd in front of you.
Matthew secretly said to the member of the Natural Disaster Cult who was surrounded in the middle: