The old man who acted numbly regained his composure, turned around and ran away with fear.
The shadow of the girl follows him strolling.
Bang--
The fuchen was disturbed and dispersed, causing the old man to rush into the wooden house.
Several old people talking in low voices in the room looked at each other at the same time.
"An evil spirit...came in."
Indistinct shouts were accompanied by the sound of breathing like wind blowing through a cave. The old man in the house saw the ferocious gash that almost cut off half of the head.
They all retreated to the back door at the same time.
"Why are you still alive after all the blood has flowed out...who are you?"
"I am--"
The voice was covered up by grunts, and the old man suddenly collapsed and melted like a candle near a fire, turning into a puddle of flesh and blood wrapped in clothes.
"I inherited the ritual, can't it be discovered..."
Whispering softly, the elegant and graceful shadow of the girl left the village.
…
"Going in didn't seem like a good idea..."
Katerina lowered her voice.
Scarecrows standing in groups in the farmland seem to be guarding the village. The low straw in the wind occasionally reveals the wooden poles under the scarecrows.
That's not really grown straw. It's cut from somewhere else and put into the fields.
That's not really a scarecrow either.
The lifelike head is worthy of the work of any master sculptor.
The scarecrow in the distance looked into the distance, while the scarecrow nearby turned its head, making people shudder as they looked down at Lu Li and others passing by.
"But it's getting dark," said Psius.
"Many people in Haug Town know about the Scarecrow Village, and some people have visited it." Evil Fall's explanation was more like a sarcastic comment on the timid Katarina. "It may be uncomfortable here, but there is no danger."
They should ask Orion for more information when they come - but usually only Lu Li would pay attention to such details.
But as mentioned before, Lu Li became silent because of Anna's news and no longer cared about many things.
The gloomy sky was darker than in the afternoon, and they saw an old figure walking out of the village, seeming to greet them.
After leaving Hauge Town, Lu Li spoke for the first time.
"Has anyone died here recently?"
The old man's face became stiff.
Before arousing a bad feeling, Pusius quickly made amends: "Does he mean that strange things have happened recently, such as the resurrection of the dead!"
"Who are you?"
But the seeds of doubt were still planted.
"We come from the town and are looking for...someone." Pusius said.
"...No outsiders have come here for a long time."
"Then can we rest here for the night? It's getting dark."
After hesitating for a moment, the old man nodded slowly: "Please wait a moment."
Leaving them where they were, the old man returned to the village. Not long after, a girl with braids appeared.
"Miss Caterina, give me your cloak!" Psius suddenly shouted.
As the braided girl approached, Pusius put on her exclusive cloak to cover her body.
"What's wrong with you?" Catalina was puzzled.
"The age has come."
Evil's caustic laughter sounded from the side.
…
Bang.
The candlelight gradually became steady.
Conversation sounded at the edge of the light.
"They asked about that."
"An accomplice?"
"It's human."
"Don't worry about them. There are fewer scarecrows. Who is next?"
"A stranger has just arrived."
"They are guests."
"The villagers are very reluctant to be the next one."
"Guests, no. There will be disputes with them."
"Then Alyani."
"That's my daughter."
"She is going to marry Abad and leave the village soon never to come back."
"...I want twenty pounds of food for tomorrow."
"Here's ten pounds for you."
"good."
Squeak——
The candle flame flickered again.
…
"Outlanders, please come with me."
The girl with braids approached and said softly that she was the old man's daughter.
"What are those scarecrows?" Caterina asked, the presence of scarecrows making her uneasy.
"When people in the village die, they will become scarecrows and protect the village." The girl walking in front expressed her gratitude to the scarecrow. "Please don't be afraid of them, they are protecting us."
"Has anything strange happened in the village recently?" Lu Li asked.
"Something strange? Nothing."
"About the Resurrection of the Dead."
The confused girl shook her head: "I don't know... this is it."
The girl pushed open the closed wooden door.
There was a layer of dust in the old hut, and the two beds in the corner only had wooden boards, but it was still better than the wild.
"But please don't run around. There are many old people in the village and they don't like to make noise."
After leaving instructions, the girl left the cabin and returned home.
"Dad, guest——"
The girl who spoke went to close the door, and an arm suddenly came out from the shadow behind her, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the basement where her father never let her get close and was always locked.
Several men in black robes waiting in the basement grabbed her hands and feet and tied her to the stone platform.
The struggling girl briefly broke free of her arms and tore off the mask of the man in black robes.
"Uncle Jones!"
Looking at the figure with a numb expression and silently putting on a mask to cover her face, the girl suddenly realized something and showed despair.
But the body no longer struggled.
…
"There seems to be some secret hidden here."
They range from scarecrows to villagers, and they don’t seem to have much contact with them.
"People here should know something, Mr. Lu Li." Pusius raised his head and continued to talk to Lu Li. "It's just that they don't tell us..."
"That's enough." Lu Li said.
The abnormality of the villagers means that Anna has indeed been here, and they are looking in the right direction.
They rested very early because they will continue their journey south tomorrow.
Early the next morning.
Lu Li and others woke up one after another.
Waiting for the fog to dissipate, they left the hut and walked out of the village.
Seeing the scarecrows surrounding the village again, knowing that these respectable scarecrows stand guarding the village day and night, the feeling of horror was reduced a lot.
On the edge of the farmland in the mist, a silhouette lay crying at the feet of a scarecrow.
It was a girl with braided braids, her eyes looking sadly into the distance.
"It's that girl!" Psius exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Catalina frowned and asked the crying young man.
The young man slowly told what happened.
That was his fiancée. When he returned to the village yesterday evening, he was told that his fiancée had died of illness. According to village custom, he turned into a scarecrow three days later to protect the village.
"Three days ago..." Pusius looked at Lu Li in shock.
"We got here yesterday evening."
Lu Li's calm whisper sounded in front of the girl's scarecrow.
"She led us into the village."
The trembling young man stopped crying and raised his bloodshot eyes.
Lu Li still looked at him calmly.
The young man said nothing and silently got up and walked towards the village.
"let's go."
Looking at the scarecrows looming in the mist again, Lu Li looked away.
After leaving the village and traveling south for a while, the surrounding mist suddenly turned into a light red color like burning clouds.
If they turned around without realizing it, they saw the village in the distance turned into a sea of flames.
In the twisted sea of fire, the clothes of the scarecrows trembled, as if they were dancing in the blurry and twisted heat.
I don’t know if I am rejoicing for liberation, or dancing for the destruction of the existence I hate.
