When Galen got closer, a look of disbelief appeared on the face of Demacia's vanguard general, the First Shield Sword Captain.
It is clear that the land underfoot has been corrupted by demons and has become a restricted area for life. There are countless skeletons buried under the bloody wheat fields, but there are still many villagers living in the village as if nothing has happened.
There were women fetching water, boys and girls playing, and men walking out of the woods carrying bundles of firewood and greeting the farmers in the fields.
From a distance, the village is filled with smoke, chickens are crowing, and dogs are barking. It looks peaceful and stable. It is a beautiful scene with universal significance in Demacia.
But is this really the case?
Galen raised his head and looked at the strange sky and dark red sun above his head that looked like it was dyed red by blood. Then he turned back and glanced at the endless bloody wheat fields behind him.
It's just that a normal person wouldn't think that everything in front of him is normal. So what is going on with the villagers of Forsbarrow?
In other words, are the ‘villagers’ in the village really villagers?
"Ga! Ga! Ga!"
While Galen was thinking, a black crow landed on the scarecrow's head on the roadside at the entrance of the village, tilted its head and looked at Galen, and made several noisy calls.
A farmer saw Galen hesitating on the road at the entrance of the village. He quickly put down the sickle in his hand and hurried forward to meet him. He glanced at the family emblem brooch on Galen's chest. The farmer bent over, looking humble and submissive.
"Master of the Crownguard family, I haven't seen a big man like you in Forsbarrow for a long time. I wonder why you came to our village? If there is anything I can do to help you, just ask."
The middle-aged farmer looked at Galen carefully, with admiration and a hint of a small person trying to please the nobles of the kingdom.
Galen looked at the farmer back and forth with a serious expression, but found nothing unusual. However, the farmer was so frightened that he quickly bent down and begged for mercy.
"Sir, sir, I have never seen a big shot like you. If there is anything offensive, please point it out and I will definitely correct it..."
As he spoke, the farmer wanted to kneel down.
"Get up, you haven't offended me, and you don't need to call me lord. Just call me Galen."
Because he couldn't see any flaws, Galen helped the farmer up who was about to kneel on the ground and asked with a gentle face.
"I wonder what your name is?"
The farmer stood up, but his neck was still hanging down.
"Master Galen, my name is Fred, and I have been a law-abiding farmer for generations."
Galen nodded. Seeing that Fred did not recognize his specific identity, he did not introduce himself. Instead, he pointed at the abnormal sky and pointed at the bloody wheat field.
"Fred, why is the sky in the village red, and what's going on with the wheat fields outside?"
There was obvious hesitation on the farmer's dark wrinkled face. He glanced around, as if he was considering whether to speak.
Galen asked quickly in a low voice.
"What, is it inconvenient to tell? Or is there something else hidden? Fred, if you are willing to cooperate with my actions, I will definitely give you a sufficient reward afterwards."
"Sir, it's not a matter of reward or non-reward. Everyone who has survived knows that you must not talk nonsense in Forsbarrow. Villagers who talk nonsense or do not follow the rules can easily be taken away by it."
"It? Who is it?"
Without saying anything more, the panic on the farmer's face became even more intense. He looked at the scarecrow at the entrance of the village with wandering eyes and shook his head repeatedly.
"Master, don't ask. If you are willing to come to my house to have some hot food or spend the night, that's fine. It's just that your question is too serious.
In Forsbarrow, there are some things that you have to experience firsthand to understand the stakes, and you can't explain them just by talking about them."
Without forcing an answer from Farmer Fred, Galen accepted the answer.
"Then I'll trouble you."
The farmer nodded, looked slightly relaxed, and added one more sentence.
"After the changes occurred in the village, the surviving villagers jointly formulated three ironclad village rules.
Master Galen, you must remember it carefully and abide by it at all times."
After Galen nodded seriously, the farmer continued.
"The first rule is, never approach the village chief's house. Any villager who dares to approach the village chief's house will be killed by the already crazy village chief. In Forsbarrow, no one is the village chief's opponent.
Article 2 stipulates that if you see someone or something that goes against common sense, do not scream loudly or show abnormal expressions. You must remain blind and return to your home as if nothing happened. Never interfere or ask questions."
Galen nodded.
"What about Rule 3?"
"Article 3 stipulates that you must go home before dark and put out the lights, and you must not make any noise.
If someone knocks on the door, don't open the door, and you'll be fine if you go to bed as soon as possible."
The farmer's expression was very serious.
"As long as you follow these rules, you won't attract it. Although you can't leave the village, the land can still grow food, and there is no shortage of well water.
In this terrible environment, the crops actually grow faster, and there is no problem in eating them."
Keeping these three points in mind, Galen followed Fred to the house where he would stay for the night.
The house provided by Fred is considered to be the most common residential house in Forsbarrow. It does not have many fancy furniture, and the wooden doors and wooden windows do not block anything very much.
At least in Galen's opinion, one kick was enough to break the locked door.
"Master Galen, I'm going to get some well water next. Do you want to come with me?"
Galen, who wanted to observe the abnormality in the village, naturally had no reason to refuse, so he and farmer Fred each carried a wooden bucket and walked towards the well in the center of the village.
When he arrived at the well, Galen realized that it was not just Fred who came to fetch water. There were more than a dozen people lining up at the well, and he and Fred were naturally at the end of the queue.
"Hahaha, Leo, don't run away! Let me catch you!"
"If you want to catch me, there's no way!"
Two boys came running here chasing each other. The boy's laughter made Galen feel a little popular. He wanted to ask Fred about the children, but he hesitated when he spoke.
"Hey! I got you!"
The boy behind suddenly accelerated and grabbed the escaping boy.
There was just a stabbing sound, and the captured boy's right arm became bloody and bloody. The outer skin of his right arm was torn to pieces like a piece of clothing that could be taken off, and blood flowed all over the floor.
"Ah, you scratched me! Watch the trick!"
The injured boy stretched out two fingers with his backhand, accurately grabbed the eyeball of the boy behind him, and pulled hard.
Along with a string of optic nerves, the boy's eyeballs fell out of their sockets and drooped in front of his cheeks, still turning to look ahead.
The two boys continued to fight near the well as if they didn't understand the importance of the situation. The place where they were was soon became a mess.
At the same time, the water collectors at the well dispersed quickly. Galen, who was ashen-faced, also noticed the instructions in the farmer's eyes. He followed the crowd and followed the farmer in the direction of the farmer's house.
Unexpectedly, the boy named Leo, who was almost out of shape in the play and slapstick, suddenly dropped his companion who had fallen to the ground and ran quickly towards Galen.
"I see that you don't look well. Do you need my help?"
Galen stared at the monster in front of him that could hardly be called a 'human', then glanced at the farmer Fred who had run away by himself, and shook his head without changing his expression.
"I'm fine, you can continue playing with your friends."
The boy was unwilling to give up.
"He is very tired, but I haven't had enough fun yet. How about we two play together?"
I'll chase you and see who can run faster!"
After that, the boy walked towards Galen, his limping legs were too slow, but they still had unparalleled pressure.
Watching the boy's hideous and terrifying face slowly approaching, in the peripheral vision, he could still clearly see another child lying on the ground in a bloody state.
Suddenly, Galen's scalp suddenly exploded,
Judging from the situation where the two teenagers were chasing and fighting just now, even the experienced man might not be able to withstand a few scratches and would have to be turned into a flesh and blood skeleton by the boy in front of him.
He has never been afraid of death, but if he lost his life in such a strange way, it would be too cowardly.
Therefore, I still have to hide a little and escape as soon as possible.
etc,
escape?
If you run away, wouldn't it prove that you are afraid?
Obviously he had promised Tarik that he would not become a seedbed for demons, so why did he have the idea of ​​​​escape?
To be continued...