Cabin for two with Maid of Mond

"Evil spirit?" Toth asked, "Is it some kind of elemental power?"

"No..." Chongyun wanted to shake his head directly, but then he just explained in a low voice: "Well, everything in the world can be attributed to the change of elements, and it cannot be said that it is completely unrelated. However, in the eyes of alchemists of my generation, monsters and evil have nothing to do with General elemental monsters are still different."

Toth was curious.

——Are you evil...

——In the memory of the Earth Age, although there are similar stories and legends... I don't know if it can be matched in this world.

——I don’t know if there are any similarities with Fatiru’s fairies or purgatory ghosts.

——And in this world...the kind of little fairy that is occasionally seen in the wild, but no document seems to give a clear explanation, is it related to Chongyun's so-called evil spirits?

All kinds of conjectures can only be temporarily pressed.

Toth asked: "What are the characteristics of that so-called demon? Has it appeared here before?"

Chongyun solemnly said: "The forms of evil spirits are varied and difficult to summarize, but most of them are invisible evil miasma, sometimes attached to the body of Qiuqiu people, strengthening their strength but disturbing their minds."

"Qiuqiu people?" Toth responded immediately: "Could it be that those mutated Qiuqiu people are related to evil spirits? You and that young hero are also here for this reason?"

"This..." Chongyun hesitated, and said: "Xingqiu and I came from Liyue, and it is indeed related to evil spirits, but the mutant Qiuqiu people I have seen here so far, although they have a particularly weird feeling, I don't think so. There is no clear sign of the existence of evil spirits."

"It seems that there is a lot of fog..."

The description of the situation and the actual environment are two meanings of fog.

Now, you can only bravely enter the fog.

Volume Three, Chapter 54

What is the Dadaupa Valley like?

Thoth hadn't approached the southeast after the battle of the two-headed monster flower, but when he was running around for the adventurer mission, he still went to the wind howling hillside and approached the outer edge of Dadaupa Valley. But it didn't go too deep.

The experience of overlooking the Dadaupa Valley at the beginning, as well as the relevant information that Toth himself inquired in order to familiarize himself with the environment, allowed him to establish a general impression of this area.

When you first enter this place, the first thing you can feel is "power".

The power of Qiuqiu people.

One after another, the totem poles stand straight or obliquely, surrounding a vast area of ​​sparkling shallow swamp.

In the center of the swamp, there are two prominent pillars of broken wood standing staggered high, with runes carved on them, which seem to have a mysterious meaning of guarding or guarding.

In fact, the place is indeed surrounded by a powerful magic barrier, sealing off the relics of an ancient battlefield, and there are occasional weapon relics that can be excavated outside the barrier.It is conceivable that there are more likely to be precious treasures that have been handed down for a long time inside the enchantment.

Scholars or adventurers like Dr. Livingstone also mostly target the Great Barrier in the valley.Counting on finding a treasure to become famous in one fell swoop, or at least finding an unexcavated antiquity from the mudflat at the bottom of the swamp, that can be considered an achievement.

Therefore, there are also several human camps distributed in the valley. In addition to the patrol supply points of the Knights, there are also archaeological camps for scholars and exploration camps for adventurers. They will take care of each other, or some teams will directly merge together.

Of course, the Treasure Bandit camp hidden in a remote corner is indispensable, but the Treasure Bandit may find it difficult to remove the barrier, and they don't expect the treasure in the valley, so the main forces have already withdrawn from the valley, leaving only a small group of people haunting.

All of this was done under the noses of the Qiuqiu people.

Even the torches on the side of the road where adventurers and knights travel are set up by Qiuqiu people.

Of course, those torches were not put up for the convenience of humans, but just like the human camp in the valley, the Qiuqiu people can also allow humans to use the firelight and roads to pass through at night.

The small and medium-sized Qiuqiu tribes in other areas of Mond, or small raiding teams, all followed the law of fearing the strong and bullying the weak to the end.When encountering unsuspecting merchant travelers, they rob them; when encountering prepared knights and adventurers, they wait to be killed and flee in all directions.

Most of the Qiuqiu people in other places, except for Miss Ella who occasionally finds a particularly talkative freak, have only two reactions to human beings—to kill them fiercely, or to run away in panic.

Only the three major tribes in the Dadaupa Valley are qualified to stand firm and confront each other in front of the Mond people, and to discuss the meaning of "strength" with each other.

The Mond people may have the power to wipe out the three major tribes, but the three major tribes also have the power to beat the Mond people to the bone. The two sides know each other and recognize the status quo.In the vague peace maintained by tacit agreement, there is barely room for scholars and adventurers to move about.

Usually walking in Dadaupa Valley, even if it is only in the area where human beings can move freely, you can still hear the rhythm of drums and howling-like rough singing from the tribes of the three major tribes.

In the air, there will also be the smell of burning torches, the incense lit by the shamans of the Qiuqiu people, and the aroma of the fruits hoarded in the storage of the Qiuqiu people.

If you look at or touch the totem poles in the valley, you can see that these things built by the Qiuqiu people are new and old, representing their "history" based here.

What keeps all of this alive today is power.

And this rough so-called power can be explained from different levels.

The most immediate - combat, violence.

Good at survival - cunning, adaptable.

Accumulated and precipitated - magic, inheritance.

The three major tribes in the Dadaupa Valley have the outstanding characteristics in the three directions, and they can also cooperate with each other in competition-this is rare in other Qiuqiu tribes-in order to grow the three tribes.

But nowadays...

Toth and Chongyun walked in the valley, feeling boundless oppression.

Everything is covered by dense fog, and it is difficult to see the totem poles that show the style of the Qiuqiu people, and there is no light from the road torches shining through the fog.

What the nose smells is mostly muddy moisture, the smell of soft and rotten marshes.

You can't hear the noise of the Qiuqiu people of the three tribes.

"It's the same as when I left, it's too quiet." Chongyun said in a low voice: "Usually, except for the southern valley, there are not many sounds, there are often shouts and songs in the north, and prayers are chanted in the southeast valley with the wind. , and now it’s all gone.”

"But... it seems that there are no Qiuqiu people." Toth pondered. "This camp, it looks like it was smashed by thug-level Qiuqiu people."

Zhongyun nodded silently.

Now, they have come to the original camp.

In terms of a team of only five people, this camp is quite large.When Abedo first arrived in the Daupa Valley, he brought a few knights to help him build a camp so that he could set up a field alchemy laboratory. Later, Livingstone also brought a lot of archaeological research equipment.

Now there are only fragments of tent cloth and pieces of wooden shed all over the floor. The iron pot used for cooking has been crushed and deformed, and it has sunk deep into the ground. On it are the three-toed footprints of the Qiuqiu people.

Most of the wooden boxes for disposal were also smashed, and Toth could see the traces of the heavy ax swinging.

"If you leave late, you might collide with this group of Qiuqiu people." Assessing the scale of the damage, Toth shook his head and said, "There are a lot of them. If I encounter them, I will choose to escape first and face them alone. Fighting is dangerous."

Chongyun nodded in agreement, with a bitter and helpless expression, and said: "Xingqiu has repeatedly told me that if they don't come back on time, they must not rush into the fog with their heads hot, and made a big pot of ice mist scented tea for me to drink. Waiting... it seems reasonable, but maybe I will lose the opportunity to help them... alas."

Toth was taken aback when he heard that.

Ice Mist Flower?The kind of flower that contains ice energy and can freeze the water surface just by blooming at the water's edge?

It is normal to use it as an alchemy material, but what is the concept of using it to make tea?Can you drink that?

Regardless of the tea issue for the time being, Toth continued to check for clues in the camp, and soon found out again.

"Empty has come."

Toth squatted beside the patterns made of several pieces of broken wood and stones, frowned, and then took out the adventurer's manual from his pocket.

"I haven't used it for a while, but luckily I still have it with me..."

The pattern on the ground is a communication signal used between adventurers.

Although Toth has done many tasks, after all, he has not really been in this line of work for a long time, and he has never had the opportunity to use these marks himself.Although he has studied it before, it is not impossible to have no impression of it, but it is safer to compare it with the adventurer's manual.

"This is, there is no gain...Follow...to this direction, perform a search..."

Toth closed the manual, twitched his chin, and explained to Chong Yun who also leaned over to read it.

"Sora didn't find any clues. I expected to meet him here, but he chose to investigate first by himself, and pointed us in the direction... Well, do you have any ideas? If there is no other plan, I think You should meet him first."

"It's time to meet up with Mr. Kong, but I am very concerned about the faint evil spirit around me..."

Chongyun looked around at the surrounding fog, and then looked straight at Toth.

"Please wait a moment, I will cast a spell first."

Chapter 55 of the third volume

Dadaupa Valley in deep mist, north side.

One of the three major tribes, the land of the Haorou tribe.

From a human point of view, "Good Meat Clan" doesn't seem like the name of a huge tribe, but for the Qiuqiu people, such a name is suitable to directly and clearly demonstrate the strength of the tribe.

Meat is very important.

Although Qiuqiu people also like shiny treasures, in their opinion, the most valuable and most suitable thing to express offerings and respect is always meat.

Eat more fresh meat and grow taller, you can have a stronger body, wield heavier weapons, and gain higher glory in the tribe.

Whether it is the best meat or a taste for meat, they all represent the core of the concept of ethnicity.

And this good meat clan is also the largest and most extensive ethnic group of the three major tribes in the Dadaupa Valley.

In the clan land, there is an exaggerated cauldron that can be seen from a distance from a higher place in the valley.In this carnivorous tribe, cooking food is also a way to sublimate glory. This cauldron not only symbolizes the unity of the tribe, but also has the meaning of giving food and honor.

The Qiuqiu people of the good meat clan use meat to express their glory and affirmation, and the way to get glory is also inseparable from meat-eating meat, growing meat, and gaining strength can win more glory.

The place suitable for displaying strength, apart from hunting and external battles, should be the arena within the clan.

As the most powerful clan in Dadaupa Valley, the characteristic landmarks in the territory of the Haorou clan, apart from the cauldron, are the most obvious arena they set up.

One of the wonderful characteristics of the Good Meat Race is that among the three races, they are the one that fights the most brutally and is most likely to conflict with humans; at the same time, they may also be the one that is most likely to live in peace with humans.

Even if you are a human being, if you walk to the entrance of the territory of the good meat race, as long as you have a way to use your gestures to convince the good meat race that you are a warrior and you are here to challenge the ring, then you may Swaggering into the hinterland of the good meat family.

What happens after walking in depends on skill and luck.

These are the information that most people who have done some research on Dadaupa Valley know.

Sora, who had been around for a while, knew it too.

Although Sora didn't try to challenge the arena at that time, he had seen the cauldron and the arena from a distance from the height of the mountain, and felt the heat of the muscles in the territory.

therefore……

The current space is particularly frightening.

"It's really...all gone."

In the mist, every house is empty and silent, only the sharp sound of wooden structures creaking in the wind.

The only time when there was an abnormality, the one who made Kong raise his sword to be on guard was just a pig running around.

There are not many Qiuqiu tribes who know how to raise livestock, and the Haorou tribe is one of the best.There are pigpens in the clan, and there are also Qiuqiu people who take care of the pigs full-time.

Now, not only are the pigs waiting to be cooked running around, but the cauldron no longer emits heat.Originally, there should be fire elemental creatures controlled by Qiuqiu people under the pot, but now I don't know where they all went.

Kong explored and advanced in the fog, his brows and back felt wet and cold, and he didn't know which were his own fine sweat beads and which were condensed moisture.

"Kong..." Paimon kept holding on to Kong's arm and sleeve, and said in a trembling voice, "I think it's really scary... Although it might be worse if everyone from Qiuqiu was there... But now I don't see any of them, and I feel like ,too horrible……"

"I understand, little Paimon."

Kong lightly shook his companion's small palm, first smiled, and then responded with a serious face.

"In the territory of the good meat clan, there are some signs of destruction similar to the camp, but it doesn't seem like there is a large-scale battle... It seems that only a certain group of enemies who destroyed the camp are wandering around, while other good meat clan Everyone disappeared by themselves...it doesn't make sense..."

and--

Kong's eyebrows were slightly condensed, and he focused on his surroundings.

Even if the naked eye's line of sight is blocked, elemental sensing can still be used as a reference to a certain extent.

But now his induction is also very chaotic, and he can only confirm that there is an unknown energy flow in the mist, but it is extremely vague and complicated, and it is difficult to track the energy nodes.

This is hard to do.

Ever since Kong became an adventurer in Mond, he occasionally encountered missions that were really difficult to find out. Trying to start with elemental sensing can always be rewarding.If this trick doesn't work, he can only continue to grope in the fog, not knowing when he will find meaningful clues.

"Huh? Wait..."

When Kong was about to cancel the field of vision of the elemental induction, he suddenly discovered something.

The originally complex, disordered and static elements began to flow.Although it was still chaotic, when the surrounding elements began to operate, Sora keenly captured the specialness.

There is a line of energy extending from a certain direction in the mist.

Although he didn't know why this change occurred, Sora knew that he had to seize the moment.

"However, it doesn't look that easy...Hide away, little Paimon."

"Ah! Alright, Sora, you have to be careful!"

Little stars flickered, Kong confirmed that the little companion beside him had disappeared, and he raised his sword forward again.

In the fog, a tall and strong figure came, dragging a heavy battle axe.