I reviewed what I wrote yesterday and found that it was extremely bad... so I revised it...
——
Time passed gradually.
When the sun's rays once again penetrated the forest tops of the Whispering Forest as they rose higher, in front of the adventurers, the forest became sparse, and the tree species quietly changed, causing the ground to change from a gloomy green to gray and yellow, but
Even if the sun shines in from between the sparse tree crowns and disperses the cold humidity in the jungle, it cannot dispel the gloom that envelopes the hearts of the mercenaries.
The sudden battle that happened the night before caused the team to lose nine cave bears - most of them were injured when the jackals broke through the defense line in the first round of unprepared attacks, and some were injured.
Two of them were hit by stray arrows, and died before the priest could treat them. The ruthless death was shuddering, and it also caused the mercenaries to think that "if you follow the master, you will have more chances to save your life."
The self-confidence based on it was shattered.
Although compared to the number and strength of the enemy, this loss is not particularly large... However, everyone can feel how heavy this battle is on morale - even the members of this team are whispering
I am a veteran who has been around the forest for a while, but this is the first time for everyone to encounter such a large-scale monster attack——
Cave bears are not afraid of those legendary ferocious beasts. Whether it is a hydra, a gorgon, a swamp monitor, or even the legendary black dragon, they may have the courage to fight. After all, ferocious beasts usually only take care of them.
At present, even if human beings cannot win, as long as they are determined to run away, at least most people can still save a life... As long as you can run faster than some people, it is enough.
However, this kind of large-scale intelligent monster swarm is something that no hunter is willing to face - the swarm-type monsters are completely an army, and with the disadvantage of numbers and competition, the chance of retreat is too low.
Therefore, the mercenaries had to add double posts around because they didn't know if a new enemy would organize such an offensive again - and what was even worse was that even so, they could not sleep peacefully, after all.
The previous attack came before the vigil started, and when it happened, almost no one felt anything strange.
The unknown is always the source of fear. And fear will breed and spread in people's hearts, eventually turning into an ugly and huge black shadow.
In fact, if it were a normal day, such an encounter would not cause much problem - the mercenaries would probably retreat to Baiyang Town and use wine and food, as well as not beautiful but gentle women, to heal their mental wounds. After all, jackals also
It brought them a little profit. The old leather armor and weapons, as well as the warg skins, could be exchanged for a little copper. Coupled with the little gains on the way, this trip can only be regarded as an unlucky exploration.
.
But now, they must abide by the contract-the gods' guarantee is no joke.
Of course, not many people can accurately know the punishment rules of each contract, but even the lightest punishment they know is enough to make people shudder - don't think that the gods of the good camp will make you pay the price.
Reduced, in fact, some people once tried to violate the contract of Wojin, the goddess of wealth, and as a result, the unlucky guy could not earn another copper coin for the rest of his life; some people tried to deceive Tyr, and he got free housing for more than ten years...
...Because someone accused him of peeping on an old woman taking a bath, but no one was willing to testify or defend him.
As for Lansendre... maybe he will make you unable to see the sun for the rest of your life, and you can only wander around in the gutter like a rat?
"It's not as exaggerated as you think. At most it will cost you three times the deposit. After all, it's just a simple guard job."
The priest named Jude stroked the string of feathers gathered with simple wires in his hand, and then handed it to Edward beside him: "Well, this is the Quar Feather Talisman, a small thing used to communicate. Every time
A feather can produce the same effect as the short message spell, turning into a magic bird and flying to the hands of the person you want to send a message to, delivering a message of no more than thirty words. However, the distance cannot exceed a few hundred miles."
"Sure enough... the gain outweighs the loss."
The simple explanation brought out a bitter arc in the corner of the young hunter's mouth - if it were in other countries on the continent, this thing might still be sold for a certain price, but in Tuminis alone, this thing is no more than trash.
There is no difference. After all, in this magical country, in various large cities, operating communication crystals is one of the livelihoods of those wandering low-level mages.
When mobile phones are everywhere, how many people will choose to send letters?
Putting this bunch of useless trophies into his arms, Edward shook his head and squeezed a vertical line between his eyebrows to represent thinking.
Since these Quar Feather Talismans can only be used to convey messages, then who will the Wu Mu who died in his own hands yesterday use these things to contact? Is this person a lone ranger? Is there a main messenger behind him, or
Is it a larger organization? If so, will his accomplices be nearby, and will his death cause more trouble?
The young hunter stretched his palms.
He clenched his fist and then loosened it, but it still couldn't eliminate the uncontrollable slight paralysis of the muscles - the bone-piercing pain had disappeared. Except for a few gaps in the mail and a piece of pink tender skin, the wound on his waist was almost invisible.
However, that does not mean that the impact of last night's battle has completely disappeared... Although divine magic can heal wounds and even perform miracles such as repairing missing limbs, unless it is some high-level divine magic, it is basically useless.
It will include the recovery of blood. The consequence of lack of blood is a slight feeling of weakness in the limbs.
Therefore, he handed over the responsibility of exploring the path and took charge of guarding instead. Therefore, he got an opportunity to talk to several employers...
However, at present, it seems that there is no possibility of attracting more attention from the female mage. On the contrary, the priest in front of him has shown great interest in talking to Edward.
"You seem to be very interested in magic?"
"...I'm a little interested." Edward raised his eyebrows - he didn't expect the other party to ask this question.
In fact, if this question came from the mouth of the mage, the hunter might give some serious answers. But even if the mage really became interested in her because of her performance last night, there was no need for her to do so.
Pretend to use someone else's hand - now the pastor was asking the question, but it aroused some unhappiness in Edward's heart... So his smooth response naturally had a perfunctory tone that anyone could hear.
But the pastor didn't seem to want to give up the topic.
"Why are you interested?"
"...How many people would remain indifferent when faced with the means of creating miracles?" Edward's heart moved slightly.
To be precise, the pastor's expression changed somewhat strangely - his voice gradually became louder, and when it merged with the smile at the corner of his mouth, his pupils seemed to become brighter, and a beam of sunlight passed through the gap in the canopy of the tree, outlining the
A layer of gentle light emitted, filling his face with something hot and pure.
Or... piety.
"If you just hope to obtain transcendent power, then why not pray for the gods' gifts? In the face of a great existence, pious efforts will definitely be rewarded abundantly." Or, the priest keenly captured the hesitation in the hunter's eyes - he did not
Preach in the usual way. Instead, follow the guidance: "I heard something... about your qualifications. But if you are just curious about the power of spells, you must also know that there are not necessarily only those who can be called spellcasters.
Mage."
Edward was speechless for a moment...it was hard to answer. After all, in this world where gods really exist, the most appropriate way of existence is for gods and humans to take what they need - even mages who control the rules of all things tend to
There is a superficial belief.
Gods are generous. Even the most stringent gods are never willing to let believers use their power. Compared with arcane magic, the power of divine magic is not inferior at all...or to a commoner.
For the common people, it is even worse - as long as they devote themselves wholeheartedly to their beliefs, they no longer need to fight in the waves of knowledge. When habits become natural, the power of divine power will also increase and never stagnate.
Unfortunately, that is not what Edward wants - when it has nothing to do with it, it can be despised, ridiculed, and ignored, but if it really belongs to him, how much of himself can he still have?
So should we respond?
"If you haven't found it yet... that doesn't matter. I think I can guide you to become a believer of His Majesty Lansander. In this way, you can also have spells, even though they are given by God." The priest's expression changed.
He seemed to be whispering casually, but the words penetrated into Edward's ear drums one by one, making his heart tremble slightly. It seemed that they would resonate with the voice.
This is an invitation from the gods.
But
After a slight silence, the hunter raised his head, but his smile became even brighter: "Well, I don't seem to be suitable to believe in His Majesty Lansander... You see, I am too lazy, and my personality is too casual. I may do whatever I want.
Will he do something unpleasant to the gods..."
"Well, indeed, there is no need to rush for a while. After all, everyone should grasp the refuge of the soul seriously." The pastor's eyes changed slightly, seeming to be surprised, but not disappointed - he was happy to ignore the current failure, and
Focusing on tomorrow's success is one of the most basic teachings of the God of Dawn...
After a short pause, he took out something from his arms and handed it to Edward.
"Okay, if you need anything, please take this and go to the nearby Dawn Temple. Someone will be willing to help you."
Edward couldn't help but be stunned.
It was a gold badge half the size of a palm, with fine lines carving plains, rivers and trees, and a gem-set sunrise leaping out from the golden horizon.
The large badge shone with a layer of warm golden light.
"Isn't this too expensive?"
Although I know that many of the believers in this world are more enthusiastic about preaching and brainwashing than the Wheelers, and that the gold and gems in this world are much cheaper than in memory due to their large production, but this badge...that
It should be the holy emblem of the sun god Lansander. I heard that this god is in charge of the morning light, so he prefers various gemstones and gold, and the one handed over by the other party may not be as shining as the pure gemstone cast by the paladin.
But it is certainly not a cheap creation.
"This posture... Why does it look like you are entrusting me with the responsibility of punishing rape, eradicating evil, and maintaining world peace? Do you think my bones are strange? Is it possible that I am a unique believer? What else?
Do you mind charging me a fee or something?"
This feeling is really strange... Edward couldn't help but shook his head in disbelief.
Of course, he always likes to accept things that are given sincerely by others. After all, gold and gems are valuable, and even selling such things indiscriminately will definitely cause problems... But just when the hunter took it
When this little golden lump appeared, not far away, a contemptuous whisper came from under the gray robe. Or, the emotion in it was more like anger.
Stupid infidels...
Among the myths passed down from ancient times, the unbelievers are actually the most ignorant and miserable existence - they do not put in any faith, so they will not receive any protection. When death comes, they will not have a final destination.
, and can only keep the residence of the god of death, nailed to that infinitely tall and infinitely long gray wall, wailing in despair for eternity.
Such an ending is so tragic that it even surpasses those sinners who were pushed into the abyss of Styx. Although the generosity of the gods is omnipresent, a thought before death may be able to free the soul from this shackles, but nothing
Believers are still regarded as a kind of existence that is incompatible with the world... After all, the world is so unpredictable, who can guarantee that they can firmly obtain the idea of salvation in that last moment?
Therefore, although the voice was a soft whisper, it was not particularly suppressed... the owner of the voice may simply want to convey his intention.
Of course, when it comes to disputes, the young paladin is obviously still much worse than the hunter... by a lot.
"Those who have no faith...or are really stupid," the dark and thin boy's smile was still bright and gentle, but at the end of his words, he added an exclamation as if talking to himself: "However, the gods in the sky,
What did each of them believe in...or, who did they believe in before they became gods?
"You!" This unceremonious retort made the paladin furious. He obviously never thought of the special case among the unbelievers. But this time, perhaps because he was used to the nonsense of that brat, he finally did not put his waist in his hands.
The sword is unsheathed again!
"Hey, hey!" A series of sounds of friction between weapons and scabbards suddenly sounded, interrupting the impending scolding.
It undulated like this from the end of sight - extending from the front of the team. Then there was a dull loud noise! The whole ground shook!
His eyes swept over the swaying branches and leaves in the forest, and Edward's heart tightened, because he clearly heard that the afterglow of the loud noise was mixed with vague, somewhat familiar human screams!
As the team moved forward, a terrifying scene unfolded in front of everyone.
First, there was a small, hazy forest clearing... Some of the trees seemed to have been broken by some huge force, and sand and mud were raised half a sky high, completely covering the woods within dozens of feet.
.Only a layer of gray smoke was left! Then, at the edge of this dusty place, low impact sounds continued one after another... Three giant figures ranging from dark yellow to dark brown staggered out...
Although there is a huge head on the short neck and the hunched appearance looks a bit ridiculous, everyone can see clearly that these thick limbs are as tall as three people, and almost each one is as thick as an adult's waist.
It's impossible to laugh when looking at monsters - especially those with bulging muscles of different colors, large and small sarcomas entangled all over the body, which are indescribably disgusting and horrifying.
But compared to their heads, their bodies are actually pretty good...
The face was like a kneaded clay toy - a broad, flat nose turned upward, purple eyes with white pupils on the left and right. Below it was a large, flat and wide mouth, with countless sharp fangs.
Branching out from it, the hair was long and disheveled... No, that messy and greasy thing was actually more appropriately described as rotten linen.
Coming with the wind, the strong stench made Edward take two steps back!
"Ogre!"
The mercenaries couldn't help but scream softly... These ugly and greedy large humanoid creatures are one of the creatures with evil nature. They are a branch of goblin-like creatures in a broad sense, and are related to bugbears, orcs, kobolds, etc.
.They are well-known for their laziness and ferocity, so in some areas of the continent, ogres are the worst and most vicious curses... but in other places they are not much better.
Of course, for some experienced mercenaries, these huge guys are not actually a big trouble - although their strength is enough to knock an unlucky guy away with a stick, including his armor, but that huge
The body has absolutely no flexibility in terms of movement... The rough and thick skin on the body cannot protect the vital points that are becoming more and more obvious due to its huge size - elbows, leg bends, ankles... all the tendon parts can only be protected by a good quality weapon.
Scratch them and they will turn into pieces of meat ready to be slaughtered.
This is an experience that mercenaries are already familiar with.
But now, these experiences are obviously not feasible... because there seems to be something even more frightening in the diffuse sand...;
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