One hundred and sixty. In Bell, Belfast, the most prosperous place in the north of the Allen Peninsu
Even the biting cold wind can't blow away the fog that envelopes the earth.
The sloping snow line breaks into the dim butter lamp and blends into the darkness together with the footprints in the snow.
There were some villages and farms around the polluted Himfast. Without more detailed clues, they could only search around the city one by one.
The detailed map recording Himfast was taken out by the businessman Anthony. The nearest location to them was the McKenzie Farm three miles away.
It's not very far, but in the fog tide and eternal night, even if you stay still, you will encounter unpredictable troubles.
Worms come into play again at this time, although it will expand the worm's territory.
The worms cannot communicate, have no intelligence, and can only understand simple instructions. The eldest sister communicates, and the worms that expel them begin to move, and the ground trembles to form a passage leading to Mackenzie Farm.
The worm is 800 meters long, allowing them to reach Mackenzie Farm in two attempts.
With a look of disgust on her face, the eldest sister asked Lu Li, who had eaten the yellow plum grass, to apply mucus on it and get into the hood.
When the businessman Anthony's slime covered his backpack, they stepped into the warm and soft insect tunnel, and were wrapped in it and quickly dived underground.
…
Mackenzie Farm.
A long time ago it was necessary to add the obsolete prefix in front.
After the plant disaster, useless buildings like farms were abandoned, leaving only farmers who were unwilling to leave their homes.
Another document brought back by businessman Anthony and compiled by the city hall think tank stated the scale of the farm. In addition to the farmhouse and basement in the center, there are also barns and woodsheds.
A sticky, wet crowd appeared outside Mackenzie Farm.
While wiping her body, Ophelia felt the obscure atmosphere of the farm.
"I'll go first...you...stay."
Ophelia plans to explore the road.
"Together."
Lu Li put on a new cloak.
They walked into the darkness ahead, where the worm would be waiting.
The cold wind blowing in front of me froze my face, and at the same time brought a stench like feces and sludge.
Along with the stench comes the trivial sound of pig snorts.
Not long after, as we approached the McKenzie Farm in the dark mist, the silhouette of a pig emerged from behind the fence.
They lay in the semi-solidified mud, chirping lazily, not caring about the uninvited guests outside the fence.
"Not...here."
Occupying this place is another group of weirdos.
Lu Li didn't respond, his black eyes stared into the darkness inside the fence.
A pair of white toes standing in the mud appeared on the edge of the light. They looked so spotless, but the ankles were submerged in darkness, revealing only a deep silhouette.
Anna stood in the darkness and waved gently to this side.
"Where...to go next?"
Ophelia asked when she saw Lu Li reaching out to push open the fence door and walk into the farm.
She and the businessman followed behind, approaching the outline of the barn deep in the snow line.
Anna's vision disappeared in front of the barn door, and a stench stronger than mud emanated from the barn.
The sound of wind and snow was blocked out as he stepped into the barn. Deep in the barn, a fat, huge, smelly silhouette leaned against him, and his belly illuminated by the oil lamp rose and fell with his breathing.
"Gulu..."
The silhouette made a thunderous hum.
"I understand! It asked why we bothered it!"
"We are looking for the Shadow Church, a group of heretics." Lu Li looked up at the huge outline and said calmly.
"It says it will tell us, but make us food, or leave an equal weight of food..."
"Can."
The silhouette continued to make vague grunts, which was translated by the eldest sister: "Go to the back..."
Lu Li unfolded the map and looked in the direction behind the outline.
There is an area marked as Stone Forest a dozen miles away.
Gulu——
The silhouette made a vague sound of dissatisfaction, as if Lu Li was urging Lu Li to hand over the food as soon as possible.
Lu Li asked the merchant to deliver 20 boxes of cans.
These expired cans stored in Wanghaiya for 24 years have come into use.
The outline, which was not fully revealed, expressed satisfaction, indicating that the transaction was completed and Lu Li could walk around its territory.
Transaction of equal value is a rare quality for Weird people, just like the existence Lu Li once met at a campfire that gave him Weird currency.
Saying goodbye to the Pig Lord, they returned to the outside of the fence and let the worms go around the Mackenzie farm and dig into the stone forest.
There is the Stone Forest on the outskirts of Himfast, which was once more famous than the City of Art, or the origin of the City of Art.
Archduke Valentin, who was once exiled to the Allen Peninsula due to a coup, took hundreds of sculptures of famous artists and established an underground manor here called Stone Forest, which indirectly enhanced the people of Himfast's appreciation of art.
Appreciation ability, and finally driven by the MacDonald family for commercial purposes, allowed Himfast to win the title of Art City.
Those statues should have been moved by now, and the stone forest is not worthy of its name.
Will Anna be there?
Lu Li suddenly thought of Anna's family. Her grandfather was the steward of Grand Duke Valentine, and mentioned the statue that Grand Duke Valentine gave to their family...
The sound of sticky expansion sounded, and the closed insect tunnel opened.
They are ready to go.
Putting away the map and sundries, they ate yellow plum grass again and jumped into the insect tunnel.
The distance of more than ten miles forced them to be like fish emerging from the water on a rainy day, frequently returning to the ground to wait.
As the afternoon approached, they approached the outskirts of the stone forest with the help of worms, and the frozen soil under the snow was replaced by uneven bluestone paths.
Lu Li looked at Anna who was waving to him from the edge of darkness, picked up the oil lamp, and walked along the snow-covered bluestone road.
At the end of the bluestone road, a staircase leading underground is revealed.
There is also a line of shallow footprints at the edge of the ground that are about to be covered by new snow.
…
The old-fashioned oil lamp hanging on the wall slowly lights up.
The girl's slender and elegant shadow emerged more clearly.
"The oil lamp only has ten minutes left."
She turned half a circle, her white skirt fluttering.
Jon was shivering as he followed, his face and the fists retracted into his sleeves were red from the cold, and the toes in his shoes were curled up.
"I...didn't know where to go...and you saved me."
The trembling Jon continued intermittently.
He did want to give up several times. The too real cold even made him doubt that he had never died, until he touched the heart that was as frozen as stone from the hollow in his chest.
And whenever he couldn't help but slow down, the girl's shadow would stop, as if waiting for him to catch up.
"You can stay here."
"here……"
Jon, who was hunching his neck, looked around the area illuminated by the oil lamp. The moyang in the passage looked like a mural depicting ruins he had seen before.
"Where is this-"
"He's coming..."
At this moment, the girl's figure seemed to feel something. The elegant silhouette turned to the entrance of the passage and whispered.
"Aren't you going to continue hiding underground..."
