Branden Barony, a famous backwater in the Erdrit area, looks like a scar on the earth when viewed from a high altitude in summer, conspicuous
There is a well-known saying in Erdrit: If you want to survive in Branden, you must be prepared to fight the bitter bramble. The scientific name is the bitter bramble, and the locals call it "tripping cow".
"Let me go! How come the tripping cows have grown like this? I seriously doubt that they are the legendary magical plants!" After Barritt led the team into the Branden Barony, all the team members were surprised by the crazy growing tripping cows.
different
The dark green vitex used to be just a small perennial shrub, with sharp thorns growing like snakes. The leaves were yellow-brown with a touch of green. They were just like that all year round. They looked half dead, but if you put up a ruler, it would be fine.
You will find that the growth and spread of this plant is quite fast.
However, after the first snowfall since the beginning of winter, bitter thorns began to grow abnormally. Those thorns that were no more than the thickness of a thumb are now thicker than the mouth of the bowl. They are not shrubs, but are clearly trees!
There are clusters, clusters, tangles and intertwining, blocking out the sky and the sun, and there are strings of black and red fruit grains hanging...
"Ah, this place reminds me of wild grape fields in autumn..." Waits said, scratching his head.
"What did you say? Wiz, your nerves are too strong. Do you think this is like a vineyard? Is it a vineyard of hell?" Dick said with his eyes wide open.
"Hehe! It's pretty good! Little Forest!"
"..." Dick glanced at the depths of the bitter thorn forest, which seemed so dark and cold even in the daytime, and was completely speechless for Wiz's aesthetic sense.
"Why don't you think the captain is here? What's going to happen?" Tony chewed a piece of muscle and sat on the edge of the big sleigh, shaking his legs with a wilting expression.
"I guess the captain must have been heading east, leading the group of blue ghosts too far, and then going south was blocked by the bitter thorn forest. He is taking a detour at the moment!" Hagen, carrying a small wooden bowl, walked to Weiwei.
Next to Ci, "Would you like some? The freshly cooked roe deer tendon becomes more fragrant the more you chew it..."
As soon as Wiz grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, he heard a slap from behind him. Looking back, he saw it was Barritt.
Seeing that everyone's attention had been attracted, Barritt said: "It's almost time to rest and it's time to work. According to the team charter of self-sufficiency and self-reliance, Biqier, your job today is to make cotton armor for yourself, Borglem,
You are the best at the fine work here, you can teach them."
"Oh, okay"
"Where are the materials? What to use?" asked a militiaman
"There are plenty of materials. The black boys haven't used up the good cotton clothing material yet. We also have human and animal down. I guarantee that your cotton armor will be as ugly as ours, no, even worse!"
Everyone laughed, and some people shouted, "Tch, I will definitely surpass your skills!"
"Okay!" Barritt signaled for silence, and then said: "Dick, please help others to remove and pound the leather, just like the captains who took off the leather, everyone will wear rubber armor from now on, uniform and neat.
, lightweight, and good in protection. It is said that if it is broken, boil it again and spread it out and it will be new again.”
"Let me tell you, are you so awesome? Is this another invention of the captain?"
"Well, that's right, I'm looking for you! Taylor, are you a shoemaker in Soles City?"
"Just to correct me, I haven't graduated yet. Strictly speaking, I am still a shoemaker's apprentice. Thank you."
"The captain ordered yesterday that everyone should wear boots that are breathable and warm. They should use human and animal skins. I have some grass samples here. You will study them later and come up with a feasible plan. Then you will bring two people to start work.
You have to sit up from the shoe last first, right?"
"Well, I have seen the knives and awls, but I have to say that making boots is very laborious!"
"The captain said, don't look good, you can't see the effort of the stitches, and it also takes effort to pierce the outside of the stitches?"
"That's much simpler!"
"Well, the purpose is just one, and the practicality is the same as the concept of our cotton armor."
"Understood!"
"Barrett, what are we doing?" Wiz asked, frothing at the mouth while chewing the ribs.
"Knife sharpening! Didn't the captain process two hand-operated grinding wheels last night? There are more than a dozen weapons waiting to be sharpened."
"Okay!"...
While Barritt was arranging the work in an orderly manner as planned, Neo and White Socks were trekking through a bramble forest somewhere in the Barony of Branden.
"Neo, I have a very bad feeling!" White Socks rarely said seriously.
"Well, I am also a little uneasy, but I refuse the active call of the spirit for the first time. I always feel unwilling to accept it!"
"Just say you're greedy..." White Socks rolled his eyes at Neo
Neo shrugged, acquiescing to the fact that most spirits in the world are more 'wary and shy'. They rarely take the initiative to contact strangers or shamans who have just entered the Tao. Like this time, even a fool can realize that Kujing's
The anomaly and the call of the bitter thorn spirit represent a rare opportunity, of course, a dangerous one.
Just as Hagen had guessed, Neo led Blue Ghost and his gang of idiots to run eastward, overshooting without any suspense. After the pursuit was over, comparing the simple map drawn by Tony, Neo took the northernmost point in the Branden Barony.
Taking the town of Rosslaw as the coordinates, we headed south, and after walking for several kilometers, we saw this weird thorn bush.
The abnormality of the bitter thorns attracted Neo's attention. The restless earth element in his body made him realize that it was not only the plants that had problems here, but also the land in this area was suffering tremendous pain.
Although Neo has only recently obtained the position of shaman, he has had deep faith since he was a child and has a simple shamanic heart. Naturally, he will not stand idly by at this time. He uses spiritual sensing for the first time to try to communicate with the spirits here.
, inquired about the truth of the matter, and finally heard the call issued by the spirit of bitter thorns. This call is issued to every being who can hear the sounds of nature (usually shamans and druids are more likely to sense it)
There is no snow in the bitter thorn jungle. The color of the soil is the typical black soil of the Erdrit Territory, but it does not feel fertile, but extremely barren, like the soil on the Gobi, with large tracts of hard and scattered
some gritty condensation
The wattle sticks were linked together in various twisted arcs, forming a mass of natural obstacles, fences, arches, and corridors. In the end, they were almost like cages, densely intertwined and layered on top of each other. The daylight outside was still clear.
There are only mottled and fragmented lights and shadows left here. It's obviously morning, but it's as dark inside as in the evening.
"This ground is uncomfortable to walk on. Where has all the snow gone?" White Socks bared his teeth in dissatisfaction.
Neo pointed to the thick thorn tree, "I guess it's over here."
"What a great appetite! Huh? There seems to be no road ahead!"
"Yeah!" Neo pulled out his two swords, and while walking forward, he waved his arms and turned his wrists. The two blue steel swords blessed with the power of 'petrified weapons' cut off the thorns blocking the road one after another, and the road gradually
was opened up
"Look at these thorn juices, it's so disgusting!" White Socks dodged to avoid the dark red thorn juice falling on itself. With Neo's help, the scars on its body finally faded away, and it was now replaced with a snow-white mane.
Mao, I don’t want to get dirty here.
Neo actually noticed that the juice flowing out from the incisions of the wattle branches was obviously too rich and thick, somewhat like grease, and exuded a greasy and fishy-sweet smell. It really felt greasy.
These thorns are tough but tough. It is only by the sharpness of the sword and the skill of his arms that Neo can cut through the thorns like melons and vegetables. However, the thorns are inevitably splashed on the armor as they are swayed, and soon they become mottled.
everywhere
A passage was a thousand meters long and was cut down all the way. Even Neo felt a little overwhelmed, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Although he had not seen the Battle of Bitter Thorn, he had heard about it for a long time. Bitter Thorn was like a weed, constantly occupying cultivated land. In order to deal with this plant, the people of Branden Barony burned, pulled out, and even invited mages and alchemists to deal with it.
Even teachers cannot completely eradicate
Later, I accidentally discovered that wild tamarisk and bitter thorn tree are close rivals, so the custom of tamarisk fence came into being. When you get married, build a fence! When you have children, build a fence! During festivals and festivals, build a fence! Even when people die, they need to build a fence.
Fence! Wild red willow is also a plant with strong vitality. It can survive by inserting a willow. It has been passed down for more than ten generations and the scenery of Brandon's "willow wall barrier" was born.
But now the crazy growth of bitterthorn has completely destroyed the barrier of wild red willow. Although it has not completely turned the Branden Barony into a jungle sea of bitterthorn, the passage has long been submerged and turned into huge bitterthorns.
In a dense circle, there is no shortcut, the only way is to open a road or airborne
He stared at the southwest direction. If I'm not mistaken, the location of the spirit calling out to Wald Village in that direction is also there.
"Brother, please help us check it out. Pay attention to your safety." Neo said, stepping forward to remove the snow plow attachment for White Socks, and specially put a neck flag on it, and then pointed in the direction.
The neck flag is a green pennant. The one inserted on the collar is a common logo for the three camps, which means that the animal is not wild but a domesticated creature to avoid accidentally hunting.
White Socks is a good scout, and he also prefers this kind of mission where he can wander around. He said "woo woo" twice and ran towards the southwest.
Neo used the Pearl of Life once on himself, then took out a cloth handkerchief from the snow plow and wiped the thorn juice stained on the blade of the sword. The thorn juice was extremely sticky, and the green steel sword would be stained by just flicking it with blood.
If you don't stick to it, it won't work if you touch it. You have to wipe it to remove it.
Putting away his sword, Neo sat down in the snow, wiping the thorn juice on his armor with snow and taking a nap.
Not long after, the white socks came back
"More weird plants, and there's something wrong with those humans!"
Neo frowned, "Even people have been alienated. This is obviously not a simple plant mutation." Looking at the sky, Neo clapped his hands and stood up, saying to White Socks: "I'm going to see what happened, man.
, you keep watch in the passage to ensure our escape route, and if there is anything abnormal, come and notify me immediately."
"Well, the growth rate of this plant is terrifying. You have to pay attention to the time." It turns out that White Socks has also noticed the problem of plant growth. If you encounter any powerful and irresistible enemy and the only channel is blocked again, it will be over.
Got it
The pair of partners split up. Neo thought for a while, brought an extra bag of arrows, and then took the best animal bone bow on the road.
It was a cloudless day, and the visibility was so good that from a distance Neo could see the forest-like thorn bushes that were even taller than the spruce and fir trees at the southern foothills of the Anuel Mountains.
"This is no longer a bitter thorn, this is simply the tentacles of the legendary giant sea monster!" The closer Neo got, the more awe-struck he became.
The weirder plants that White Socks are talking about are not only the bitter thorns whose roots are as thick as buckets, like steel needles, growing in an upward direction on the ground in a messy manner, but also another type of root vine.
This weird plant has no branches and leaves, like blood vessels, like rattan, like a group of snakes, densely entangled and densely arranged, forming a moss blanket-like layer, covering the earth with giant bitter thorns covered with thick thorns.
, forming an area that feels weird and cruel.
As the distance got closer, Neo saw that there were small hills to the south and west of the small village of Wald Village, all of which had a steep side facing the village. To the east of the village, there was a low hill with gentle slopes on all sides.
Hill, a large stone watchtower with a height of 12 meters stands on the top of this short hill, becoming the most conspicuous landmark in the area, but it is now covered with chrysanthemums, and a thick thorn tree rises straight up from below, completely occupying it.
its interior
Of course, it is not only this watchtower with a long history that is unlucky, but also half of Wald Village, which was torn into pieces by giant bitter thorns. Even the half that survived was completely wrapped in dark red root plants.
"What are these plants that look like roots and wild vines?" Looking at the houses that were completely covered with roots and even the doors and windows were sealed, Neo couldn't help but admire the growth power of this mutated plant.
How many days has it been? This plant has actually completed a job that normal plants take decades to complete. It’s simply crazy!
Chirp! Chirp!
"Hmm... so disgusting!" When I stepped on this vine, I felt that the lower layer seemed to be filled with rich liquid, just like stepping on the corpse of a freshly dead animal. The special sound was very...
It is easy to think of the fluid in the intestines being squeezed
Neo could feel that he was close to the core of the problem. The wave of the spirit's summons was obviously much stronger, and the deeper into the strange jungle, the stronger the feeling became.
Whoosh!
A black shadow passed diagonally in front of him, his movements were vigorous and agile, and that kind of movement was definitely not human.
"There's something wrong with humanity..." Neo pulled out an arrow and put it on the string, and continued to move forward.
Boom!
The sound of the animal bone bow strings is stronger and more powerful. When you hear it, it is like the beating of a war drum, which is exciting and exciting.
Ouch... Amidst the sharp roar of beasts, a humanoid creature fell from the thorn tree above Neo's head. It fell heavily to the ground and struggled to get up. Unfortunately, Neo did not give it this chance. The sword light disappeared in a flash.
Cut off its head, its hands and feet trembled, and the creature became motionless.
"What an amazing change!" Neo exclaimed.
This creature was once a human being. The skin and clothes can speak for themselves. However, it is not now. Its muscles are no longer fresh and shiny. The blood it sheds is dark green with small dark blood clots. Its skin is shriveled.
The muscles of the monster are tightened, but overall, the body is moist, as if a mummy has been soaked in water for a few days. In addition, the monster's skeleton is also severely deformed, but it is not animal-like, but plant-like. Many
The skin is broken out in places and the branches are branching out. It looks awkward and the skin feels like fertile soil, which is covered with dense roots and vines.
"It's another root..." Neo vaguely felt that he had grasped something. At this moment, more alienated people poured out from all over the ruins. Judging from the meaning, the monster that Neo had killed should be dead.
The howl in front of me had the effect of poking a hornet's nest.
Boom! Boom! Bow and arrow will be opened immediately
For a warrior, fighting is work. Neo is an experienced bird who makes perfect with practice. Responding quickly to the situation has almost become a kind of instinct.
The arrows used by the beasts are three times thicker than those of humans. They have the smell of small scorpion crossbows. They shoot straight at short distances and are extremely powerful. Lighter monsters are even carried away by the strong inertia of the arrows.
However, penetrating injuries, which are at least serious injuries to ordinary people, have little effect on these monsters. Neo saw a guy with a hole in his forehead fall to the ground, then get up again, howling ferociously.
rush towards him
Seeing that the bow and arrow were ineffective, Neo took off his quiver, threw the animal bone bow away, hung it on the thorn of a thorn tree, put down his armor, and strode forward to meet the approaching monster.
Take a deep breath, then roar loudly
Ouch...
War cry of faith! The fighting spirit is completely ignited,