Sacrifice

In fact, considering where Gremlins P.E.K.A. came from, it’s not surprising that craftsmen would appear here.

As manufacturers, they will definitely test for pollutants. Therefore, the first person to enter the book is likely to be a member of the craftsmen. As long as they are not as unlucky as the three church believers who were caught by the church as soon as they arrived. With the experience of the craftsmen in dealing with pollutants, there is a high probability that they can survive.

But Mason didn't expect that he would run into them directly. It turned out to be fate, and he still had to complete the mission he accepted outside the book in the book.

But that’s certainly not today.

After retrieving the [protagonist], he also retrieved a nasty bird-beast. Apart from the fact that the enemy he was chasing had also entered this place and that altar, Mason felt that the trip was worthwhile.

He now had only one other problem to deal with.

The craftsman who took out the box must have recognized it as contaminant, and must have known that someone else had entered this story. Although I don't know how they got the altar, the situation is currently in my favor, with the enemy in the open and me in the dark... shit.

Is the abnormality of the goblin tribe due to the craftsmen? Does the goblin leader know about this? Are they connected? If a conflict really occurs, how can he defeat the craftsmen who have already entered here?

Mason rubbed his forehead and calmly took stock of his current fighting power.

A pickup truck. You can rely on it for escaping, but not for fighting.

A black bird. Apart from being good at stealing and provoking, no other uses have been found so far.

[Disguise] has no fighting power, [Kiss] was lent to Pika, and [Hero]'s role was too uncontrollable, so for the sake of his heart, he decided to temporarily seal it up. Other things were also useless.

So far, the most useful weapon in his hand is actually the Divine Punishment. But the craftsman is best at making pollutants, and coming from the post-Black Mist era, I don't know how many things he has for self-defense.

After thinking about it, Mason's first thought was to get the pickup out first. The goblins were useless here, and if they were dealt with, it might affect the course of the story. Under the leadership of Blackbird, they left that troubled place and returned to the vicinity of the goblin tribe.

After going back and forth for too long, it was already dawn when they arrived. Since they could not enter the goblin tribe, this important task was finally handed over to the blackbird. With the intelligence of the goblins, without the help of the altar, they would not be able to catch the cunning blackbird even if they waited another ten years.

Blackbird had never seen Pika before, so Mason could only describe Pika's house and its small size, asking Blackbird to distinguish them. The blackbird, who was given the important task, cackled twice, and flew away neatly with a flap of its wings.

About 20 minutes later, Mason saw Pica poking his head out from behind a tree. He waved his hand from his hiding place, and Pica came over and bowed, "Sir! What do you want to ask me for?"

Mason said bluntly: "It's no longer safe here. I plan to take you away."

If he had heard him say this yesterday, Pika would have been overjoyed. But today, Pika scratched his head in embarrassment: "Sir, Pika can't leave. The tribe is going to hold a sacrifice, and a priest must be present. Pika is being watched closely now, and they will come looking for Pika soon."

"Sacrifice?"

"It's a sacrifice to the beast god. When Pica came back yesterday, the hobgoblin said the sacrifice was ready and the ceremony would be held tomorrow night."

So tonight, right after he discovered an altar, the goblin tribe was going to hold a sacrifice?

The timing was too coincidental, which made Mason feel uneasy: "Believe me, if I participate in this sacrifice, big problems will arise."

"But even if you say that—Hey! Here comes the pickup truck!"

Pika was about to say something when he suddenly heard someone calling the high priest. He responded hastily, only having time to add to Mason: "Pika will find a way to find you later!" before turning around and running back.

Mason quickly retreated to his hiding place, choking for a moment at Pica's answer. The bird-beast landed on him and quacked softly. The young man stroked its soft feathers, and his mood slowly calmed down.

"Well, who makes that the protagonist of our story?"

He spoke to the blackbird very softly, as if talking to himself. The blackbird tilted its head, not understanding what the human was saying. Mason didn't expect it to understand, as there were many problems to be solved. He stroked the blackbird's chin and asked in a low voice: "Where do those bird beasts come from? Do you know?"

The latter has no moving threads.

"I have a plan that may be able to deal with that altar. Although I don't know why you attacked there, you don't like it and the black-robed people, right? We can cooperate. If the sacrifice site tonight is there, you just need to bring the flock of birds and beasts to help."

Mason continued to deceive: "Did you see the mark on my forehead? I am God's chosen one. This is certified by the Moon Goddess. It will be worth it to have me help you."

The blackbird finally moved, raising its claws and ruthlessly scratching Mason's hand three times. As Mason groaned in pain, it suddenly flew up, as if to say, "I don't want to listen to your nonsense."

After the arrogant and willful bird-beast confirmed that it had completed the commission and repaid the life-saving favor, it slapped its butt and ran away without a trace, leaving Mason sitting there speechless, the three claw marks on the back of his hand soaked with blood and aching slightly.

Well, what can he say to a bird? It's just a bird.

Mason was too lazy to even treat such a minor injury. In order to protect Pika, he had to find a way to blend into the sacrificial team tonight. Otherwise, he would not be able to rescue Pika first, and things would become very passive.

How exactly should he do this? Thinking of this, the young man did have a headache.

......

"High Priest, we are holding a sacrifice tonight and you are the main character. How can you run around when you haven't even chosen your clothes?"

The one who came to look for Pika was the most skillful female old goblin in the tribe. In the tribe, goblins who could live to old age always had many privileges. Even in front of the high priest, this goblin still performed her duties meticulously, with a serious expression that frightened the goblins.

"Pika knows about this and won't run around."

If it were normal, Pika would definitely be afraid of the other person's expression. But now it didn't have that thought, and just perfunctorily responded to the old goblin absentmindedly.

The greenskin's heart was still pounding because of the concealment just now. Facing humans, it told 99% of the truth and only hid the most important point.

It stayed for its own selfish reasons.

After waking up on the first day, Pika thought he had just had a nightmare. But last night, Pika had another dream.

It dreamed of the old priest.

It was hung on an iron pillar, like a sacrificed cow or sheep. The kind face was unrecognizable, and the skin was corroded by the black mist. The old priest's throat was cut and his eyes were taken out, which made it impossible for him to speak. Pica almost fainted because of this scene, but suddenly heard a familiar, laughing child's voice. The rotten fruit kept rolling under the iron pillar. Although it had no eyes, the sense of sight was always nailed to Pica, and fear continued to grow.

"Did you see it? Did you see it? This is the price of betrayal!"

"The dead! The perished! Everyone will belong to...!"

"Don't run, don't escape, you have been chosen, you can't escape!"

“Hehehe, the protagonist! It’s you! [——]”

At the end, the small child's voice suddenly became louder. The old priest's face gradually became his own face in Pika's eyes. He saw himself hanging on a high iron pillar, surrounded by noisy sounds. Pika couldn't stop wailing, and heard everyone shouting: "Kill it! Kill it! This despicable thief! Judge it in the most cruel way!"

Pika felt severe pain all over his body, and in a dizzy state that made him want to vomit, he suddenly woke up from the nightmare, his back soaked with sweat.

This dream was so real that Pika couldn't convince himself that it was just a dream. He stared at the dirty ceiling of the mud house and couldn't help wondering what if this was real.

What should it do if the Great Elder was punished for reminding it?

Is it going to run away? Is it going to abandon the Great Elder? Where can it escape to? Is there really a place for it in this world?

In the endless confusion, there was a sudden tapping sound from the window. Pika looked over and saw a gray-black bird-beast staring at him. After careful observation, he found that it had a pair of extremely cold gray pupils. This made the big bird look extremely unruly.

"It turned out to be a mutant Sender..."

Pica heaved a sigh of relief. Because the goddess of nature has double pupils, it is generally believed that double pupils are a good omen.

According to legend, Sende is a sinful bird. They stole the gods' tribute, and their feathers turned gray and black, and they have been exiled to all parts of the world ever since. But there are also claims that this bird is always atoning for its sins to the gods, and the occasional appearance of Sende with double pupils is proof of that. As for the truth?

Well, actually Pika thinks this bird tastes pretty good.

As if sensing its covetous gaze, Sende coldly flicked the wooden frame's wings, as if urging it to get out quickly. Pica had to temporarily interrupt his thoughts. When it went out to meet the humans and followed the female goblin back, the goblin fell into the same confusion as before.

Even if it wanted to save the high priest, how could it do it? What could it do?

The preparations for the ceremony were quite complicated, but fortunately P.E.K. didn't have to do most of them himself, which gave him plenty of time to think. The goblins in the tribe had obviously prepared many ceremonies, and even if there were occasional goblins who asked if it was appropriate, P.E.K. would just brush them aside and let them make their own arrangements.

In this case, the most urgent task was to find clothes. The female goblin used the old priest's clothes to make a ceremonial robe for him. The robe was woven with grass and vines, decorated with bones and flowers. The old priest often made herbs, so the robe was also soaked with a faint herbal scent. The female goblin modified it according to its size, let Pica try it on, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Very good, very good. The high priest looks as good in this as the previous high priest. Now that the old priest is gone, the future of the tribe will depend on you to lead it."

Pika's heart moved, smelling the familiar smell, and suddenly a kind of courage emerged: "Do you think Pika, Pika can do it?"

Can it save the high priest? Although Pika is timid, afraid of death, cowardly, and incapable, this time, it does not want to abandon the high priest and run away.

The female goblin thought that he was not confident about his current identity, so she immediately said, "Of course, you are the high priest."

Yes, I am the high priest now!

Pika took a deep breath and tried to muster up his courage. This time he didn't want to run away. The goblin clenched his fists and said seriously: "Pika knows. Pika will definitely complete this ceremony well!"

"The Beast God will surely be happy to hear your words."

The female goblin glanced out the window and said, "After all, this is a big day for the tribe. Once the leaders are ready, we can start. We caught this sacrifice with great difficulty. With the high priest here, the beast god will surely be very satisfied."

The greenskin was a little embarrassed by the compliments: "Really? Pika will definitely not let you down! What is the sacrifice this time? Pika, prepare it well?"

"Don't worry, you will be able to see him when the time comes. The leader will definitely make arrangements."

Facing the powerful pickup truck, the female goblin pinned the polished animal bones to its sleeves. In the gradually dimming light, the smile on her face was like a glued copy. Wen Si remained motionless: "Yes. You just need to be there."

“Just being there is good.”