Stars in the eyes of children

The angel half-blood jumped off Osk's shoulder. In a short moment, her face turned pale. The illusory wings behind her slowly spread out, flowing with a gorgeous and transparent color.

Under the shining holy light, the withered and gray branches slowly retreated from both sides of the thunder shield. The silent Thunder Rhino Captain retracted his power, and electricity flickered in his purple hair.

Amirah's voice came from afar, half asleep and half awake, as if in a dream: "I'm glad you can come, Shatlia, is Osk here too?"

The captain replied: "Yes, what's the situation?"

"Osk, you are still as energetic as ever."

Amira was obviously acquainted with him: "I can't clean up the pollution here, I can only maintain it to this extent. Be careful, the polluted beasts here have not been cleaned up yet. You can come to my house to find me."

"I don't know who else will come with you, but I have reached my limit. I will wait for you to come to me. I wish you good luck."

After saying the last sentence, the baron's voice gradually dissipated in the air. Under the soothing power of Shatlia, the branches faded away as abruptly as they came. The girl's eyes were filled with worry: "I can sense that his condition is not very good. We need to move faster."

Mason raised his hands. "No problem, but I have a question. Shatria, which goddess do you worship?"

"I am an angel of the goddess of nature. Angels are creatures of pure faith, and even if they become hybrids, they cannot change their faith."

"But the twelve gods should have all -"

Shatria interrupted him, her tone gentle but serious: "No, I can clearly feel that my Lord is still alive in this world, but I can't get in touch with Him. I believe that sooner or later, He will return from somewhere and shine His divine light on this land again."

If this theory were to be made public, the followers of the Church of the Lord of All Power would be so angry that they would suddenly die on the spot. After all, they worshipped the Lord of All Power as the only remaining righteous God in the world, who inherited all the power of the twelve gods.

Mason thought that he would have to look up relevant information in the church later. Maybe he could even meet an angel who believed in the moon god. It would be a shame not to make some money from him.

The situation was urgent, so he didn't waste too much time on this matter. Mason quickly collected his thoughts and the group hurried to the center of the town.

It was hard to recognize the original appearance of this place. Thousands of thick branches intertwined together, forming a barrier that made it difficult to move. Before anyone else could make a move, Shatria flapped her wings behind her, and the branches in front of her automatically retreated, revealing a narrow path.

This scene was very much like a female elf in the book world, except that the girl did not have the iconic pointed ears. She looked around vigilantly, and the captain beside her was always ready to protect his companions. After confirming that it was safe, Shatria finally nodded.

"Let's go and avoid these branches."

"Amira's bloodline comes from a plant that was once blessed by the goddess of nature, called the vine tree. It looks like a vine when it first grows, but it will grow into a huge tree over time. The vine tree has the dual characteristics of animals and plants, and can handle pollution in the soil and balance magical elements. In ancient times, the elves planted this plant to cleanse the effects of magic."

The girl led them through the branches that blocked out the sun, and continued to explain in a low voice.

"During the Black Mist Era, this plant has mutated. It feeds on the Black Mist and is highly aggressive only against polluted organisms. Therefore, before entering, we must use the medicine provided by the church to weaken our own pollution fluctuations, and we must not carry any pollutants."

No wonder the portal was running so fast, it turned out that it had discovered something was wrong. Mason was amazed at this dangerous radar, it was indeed an out-of-control pollutant that had not been caught until now, it ran faster than anyone else when it encountered a problem.

After walking a distance, the situation of the entire town finally became clear.

The place where they had landed previously should have been a temporary hut on the edge of the village used for guarding and alerting. The village wall that Mason had seen before had been destroyed by unknown creatures. The beacon towers and watchtowers were targeted as the main targets of attack, and almost none of them were spared.

The place where the gate used to be collapsed to the ground, and the street behind it could be seen. The [Snake] that was guarding this place was nowhere to be seen.

There was a thick layer of translucent debris on the ground, which felt sandy when stepped on. A closer look revealed that it was not fallen objects, but dead insect remains that were thicker than the ankles.

They are so densely packed that they are innumerable. They look like tiny spiders with delicate, transparent bodies.

These insects, which are less than five millimeters in size, piled up into a small river at the city gate. With every step forward, there was a sound of tiny insect shells popping underfoot.

Rambo bent down and scooped up a handful. After observing it for a while, he suddenly frowned, threw away the handful of insect corpses, and said to Shatria in a calm tone: "Please help me purify my hands."

The latter was slightly startled, took out a medicine from his bag, twisted the stopper and poured it directly into the other person's palm. As the liquid touched the skin, there was a teeth-grinding crunching sound. The liquid seemed to have life and actively drilled deep into the skin, forming small wriggling bags on the surface of the skin.

The brain worm watched this scene expressionlessly, as if it was not itself that was enduring the pain: "Be careful not to let these bugs touch your skin. They are all parasites."

The hidden meaning behind this sentence was terrifying. Everyone present froze. With a small "pop" sound, the small bag on Rambo's skin was broken by the liquid, and even thinner insect corpses flowed out.

Shatlia cleaned up the liquid and asked the other party: "Will you join the battle next?"

The brain worm shook his head, and she stopped using medicine and just bandaged his hands.

The incident took less than five minutes from its occurrence to its resolution, but it was enough to serve as a reminder to everyone. Mason looked up at the silent town in front of him, and his heart sank.

There is no doubt that the town is in a bad situation.

The group walked through the gate and into the town. It was even worse here than outside: all they could see were ruins and blood everywhere. As they moved forward, the ground was broken by the overgrown vines, which grew up to the sky, forming an airtight cover in front of them.

When you step into the shadow under the sky, the bright afternoon sunlight is left behind, and the scene before your eyes suddenly changes from a relatively normal ruin to a bizarre and dim scene.

Dark shadows filled every inch of the land, with only the vines overhead entwined with each other, and faint light falling through the gaps.

The faint light shone on the thick insect carcasses that covered the ground, like crushed glass candy wrappers, refracting a sparkling glow into the air, like a hazy and dreamy sea of ​​fireflies.

As people walked by, they could still hear a faint crunching sound under their feet, which was the crisp sound of parasites that had not died from absorbing pollution being crushed by their feet.

In such an environment, beauty and weirdness blend perfectly together. Walking slowly in the silent ruins without any signs of life, even the sound of the wind seems to stimulate every nerve.

The strange thing is, there are no dead bodies here.

Human and animal. Except for the insect corpses covering the ground, there was no corpse on the ground.

But as he headed towards Amera's location, Mason soon realized where the bodies were. He had been here once before and could barely remember the way.

Led by the red-haired youth, the bloodline turned the corner and headed towards the place where Amira's home was in Mason's memory. During this process, the youth slowly raised his head, and bright and shining lights fell into his dark golden eyes, spreading out the misty and clear reflections.

It was not a star, nor was it sunlight.

Those are the skeletons hanging high up.

Men, women, humans and animals alike were pierced by the slender, thick vines and pulled to higher places as they continued to grow, like sunny dolls swaying in the wind.

A pair of empty eyes looked down, meeting the sight of the bloodline people. Life and death stared at each other from a distance. In such a tragic and horrifying scene, no one should have thought of beauty.

But the abdomens of these corpses were bulging high, all torn from the inside, and dense insect eggs could be vaguely seen inside. Vines were inserted into the eggs, constantly absorbing pollution from them.

The attached insect eggs refracted the only light they had, making it hazy, clear and soft, creating a galaxy-like beauty.

Shatlia's face was extremely ugly: "Everyone in this village... all... have been parasitized...?"

"Parasitic species are the most difficult to defend against. No matter how strong the fortress is, it will be breached from the inside."

The voice in front of her answered her. It seemed that the other party had noticed the visitors, and finally a hint of relaxation appeared in the tired voice.

"Welcome to my territory, or maybe I should say so. I am Baron Amira, who is guarding this place. I am sorry that you have to see such an embarrassing scene."

After turning the last corner, the owner of this place suddenly appeared before his eyes. In the memory of the red-haired young man, it should have been the neatest and most exquisite building in the town.

The walls are clean white, and the light brown roof is covered with lush vines, which is located in a pleasant green. Its owner is a gentleman wearing a satin shirt and has an elegant temperament.

At this moment, the house has merged into the huge tree, with the doors and windows all wrapped in the tree.

This tree has no leaves, but its numerous branches stretch out in all directions, supporting the dark sky above. Its hanging aerial roots penetrate deep into the ground, extending in all directions.

On the front of the tree, a human face that had merged into the tree was looking quietly in their direction. The upper half of the face had merged into the wood, and the eyes carved into the wood grain were obviously unable to see, but this did not affect Amira's ability to identify the person who came.

A skinny vine stretched out towards them, gently caressing everyone's cheeks like a palm. The touch of the rough skin was not pleasant, but no one refused.

Even Olivia, who was usually the most selfish, obediently raised her face and placed her chin on the other's tentacles like a cat, which made Amira laugh softly and stroke her hair as if she were a junior.

When it was the turn of the red-haired young man at the end, the vines paused slightly and retracted after just touching him.

"The cruel temperament of blood and iron, the strange bloodline that is so powerful that it is surprising. Even if I only met it once, I can clearly remember the owner of this breath. It's a pleasure to see you again, but it's a pity that I can't pour you another glass of wine this time, Mr. Oreius."

The person being mentioned looked deeply into his eyes, which were no longer able to see. "Your collection is delicious. I've always wanted to have another drink."

"My honor."

Amira chuckled and didn't continue the topic. Time was very tight for the Baron at this moment. After confirming that these people did not carry insect eggs, his expression was obviously much more relaxed.

"I must say again, it is great to see you here. It would be hard for me to continue without support. I will give you a detailed explanation of the situation here."

"Until then, I have to show you some of the treasures I salvaged on my return. I hope you'll be nice enough not to scare them."

As she said this, Amira moved the branches, revealing the door that was originally wrapped in the trunk.

A vine, like a little visiting guest, knocked gently on the door three times. After a moment, the door quietly opened a crack, revealing a blinking black eye.

The vine waved its hands playfully, which seemed quite funny in the circumstances.

But the door creaked open immediately, and a few hairy little heads popped out, looking at the group of outsiders with a bit of timidity but not panic. In the surprised eyes of the rescue team, the owner of this place introduced himself with a smile and pride.

"This is also my first commission. I hope you can protect them well... It's not easy to keep some fire from bugs and pollution, but whether it's their parents or other people in the town, everyone is working hard."

Using one's life to continue the next generation was not an easy decision, but fortunately everyone worked together. The tree corpses swayed slightly in response, and the light in their bellies was reflected on the ground from afar. The vines concealed their tragic death, and only the galaxy-like light flowed, reflecting in the children's little eyes.

Without the physical fitness of bloodline people, they could not see clearly how terrifying the things in the sky were. They only let out surprised and restrained laughter when they saw these beautiful stars, like chicks that rarely leave the nest to observe the dangerous outside world.

Amira protected them very well. The darkness, silence, and soft light made the horrific scenes in the eyes of the bloodline people seem more like a safe haven after a disaster in the eyes of the children.

The Bloodline members were speechless. Shaken whispered, "Hanging parasitic corpses in the sky as stars, don't you think you are really perverted?"

"I didn't have this intention, it was just for practical reasons. This will maximize the absorption of contamination from the corpse and ensure safety."

Amira's voice reached only a few bloodline members, and faced with the children who were unaware and looking up at the starry sky, the noble who had merged with the tree answered calmly.

"None of these children will even become bloodline members. That is an extremely difficult path. Therefore, they will not understand the view from the bloodline's perspective, even though we all have different paths and different endings."

He half smiled and half sighed: "Death is just the simplest relief. Maybe facing such a world, maybe everyone has gone crazy a long time ago. But even so, before they face real despair, we can still preserve the starry sky in the eyes of our children."

Facing his words, all the bloodline members fell silent. Staring at these young children, everyone sighed softly in their hearts.

As the Baron said, it was a desperate nightmare.

In this overly sad dream, only in the children's eyes, the stars are still shining.

This is the blessing he can give.

This was the only blessing he could offer.