Chapter 123 Nighttime Investigation of the Dry Forest (Part 2) Strange, Cocoon, Egg
The sound carried far through the withered forest. Lai was certain that the shadows could hear his question, but they didn't react at all, remaining motionless in place.
He tested it with magic, but sensed no sign of life.
Ray lit the candle and cautiously approached the shadows.
The warm yellow candlelight dispelled the cold darkness, and as he drew closer, a chill ran through Lai.
Those dark figures weren't as dangerous as I'd imagined, but they were incredibly creepy.
Within a small circle of withered grass, lay the mummified carcasses of more than a dozen forest deer.
Their bodies remained in the positions they were in before they died, with relaxed expressions. Several of them had their bellies close to a fawn, which was the mother deer and their calf.
They died in their sleep, unaware of the impending danger.
Lay silently extinguished the candle and continued on his way, bypassing the herd of deer.
The further they went, the more common this scene became: wild birds, goblins, snakes, goats—not a single animal was alive anywhere they went. Ray hesitated, wondering whether to continue.
The deathly silence of the forest was an extreme test of one's composure, like being in a vast graveyard. He paused, sighed, and tried to calm himself.
"Since we're already here, this staunch materialist fighter doesn't believe in any monsters or demons."
Lei muttered to himself.
The force drawing him into the withered forest grew weaker and weaker. Lei dared not linger, fearing he would lose the ability to sense that force next time. He gripped his life-saving bone knife and continued forward.
The further we went, the more frightened we became.
Almost every dead tree here is entwined with vines of all sizes, which look like snakes from a distance.
There were also many withered vines lying on the ground. Fortunately, they had all lost their vitality. Otherwise, with such a large number of vines, the people in the entire small mountain village probably wouldn't have seen the sun tomorrow.
I really don't know what connection these vines have with those from last winter.
Ray's feet crunched on the dead leaves and branches on the ground. He picked up a stick and parted the nearby dry grass.
Although there don't seem to be any survivors here at the moment, it's still best to be cautious.
As he traveled further and further away, his surroundings underwent new changes.
In addition to the vines growing even more wildly, the dried tree trunks and vines were covered with a layer of glowing moss, and small flowers with transparent petals swayed gently under the blue fluorescence.
strangeness.
Lei thought to himself.
These changes did not cause any further delay; the mysterious force was nearby.
The movement of the stick and the footsteps startled the unknown flying insects hiding in the weeds. They took flight, their tails glowing. At first glance, they might be fireflies, but everyone knows that fireflies don't emit such colorful light.
I never imagined that there would still be living creatures in this situation.
Ray didn't dwell on the matter; he had more pressing matters to attend to.
The vines around are increasing, but if you look closely, you will find that many of the thinner vines are extending from a main thick vine, and these thick vines are all pointing in the same direction.
That direction is precisely where the energy is felt.
Is it really safe there?
Ray's rationality prompted him to start thinking about the problem, but the feedback from the magic told him that there were no other signs of life there except for the mysterious power.
In the end, he continued forward in the direction indicated by the thick vines.
He didn't know if this choice was right or wrong, but a strange attraction and intuition told him that he would definitely regret it if he didn't go today.
The vines grew thicker and thicker, eventually reaching the thickness of an adult's thigh. Lai became extremely alert, keeping a close watch on his surroundings.
After walking about five or six hundred meters, a huge creature appeared before him in the woods.
This was a giant cocoon formed by intertwined vines, about three meters tall, with unusually active wood element around it. Lai was certain that the energy fluctuations originated from this object before him.
This vine cocoon, which clearly displays a protective posture, must contain something very important to it inside.
He used magic again to test the cocoon.
These vines are indeed dead, and there are indeed energy fluctuations within them.
What exactly is hidden there?
Lai frowned and thought for less than a minute before making up his mind to open the cocoon and see what was hidden inside.
However, the thickness of the vine cocoon posed another challenge for him.
Although the vines had withered and died, they remained sturdy and strong. He only carried small, life-saving weapons like bone knives, so he couldn't possibly use them like axes to cut through these troublesome vines.
This is where magic comes in handy, which is why Ray dared to venture into the withered forest alone at night.
A light green energy ball condensed in Ray's hand. He went around to the center and pushed the energy ball toward the vines.
With a muffled thud, a deep hole appeared on the left side of the cocoon, its walls made of solid wood on both sides. Ray persisted, continuing to probe using this method.
Finally, when he condensed the energy ball for the fourth time, he broke through the vine cocoon. A surge of energy rushed out, containing a very rich wood element, giving people an almost suffocating sense of heaviness.
The overflowing energy quickly merged into the air, and through the opening, an oval-shaped object could be seen emitting a faint glow inside the cocoon. Ray was certain this was the source of the mysterious power.
He controlled the angle perfectly for the final blow and successfully removed the contents from the cavity.
What...what is this? It looks like an egg.
It was about the size of two palms, but not very heavy. The eggshell felt a bit strange; it wasn't smooth, but rather uneven. Lei tapped it with his knuckles, producing a dull sound. The shell was thick and heavy; it shouldn't break easily.
Soon, the faint light on the egg surface dissipated, and Lei could no longer sense any energy.
Dead? No way.
Ray cast a small healing spell, and the magic was completely absorbed by the egg, proving that the egg was still alive.
His intuition told him that the egg shouldn't be left so big and exposed here; it might cause some trouble.
But with such obvious marks on the vine cocoon, anyone with a brain could tell that there must have been something inside the vine cocoon before, but it was taken away in advance. This would bring a lot of trouble to himself and all the villagers nearby.
Whether to stay or not, Lai was in a dilemma.
Even delaying things for a while is good.
Ray quickly made a decision and infused magic into the bone knife. The elemental stone began to resonate with the magic, and a layer of light appeared on the blade.
The attack, imbued with magical energy, struck the vine cocoon. With a bang, the vine cocoon shattered, leaving only a mess on the ground, its original appearance no longer discernible.
With such a commotion, someone was bound to notice. Without further delay, Lai took off his coat, put the egg inside, and retraced his steps, leaving the woods.
Tata crouched quietly at the spot where Lei entered the withered forest, waiting.
The aura of the withered forest made him very uncomfortable, and he couldn't use ice magic to protect Laiyi. Following it rashly might cause trouble for Laiyi, so he stayed outside.
Tata felt like he had been waiting outside the withered forest for a very long time. As he was getting sleepy, a series of banging noises suddenly came from the forest, followed by a loud bang, and then the forest fell silent.
What happened inside?
Tata jumped off the rock he was lying on and paced anxiously in circles on the ground.
This human is so weak, something must have happened!
What if he dies? Human cubs will starve to death if they leave the protection of their parents, and that silly puppy who loves to run around also needs to be fed by humans.
Humans, who are clearly weak but like to run around everywhere, are such a headache for beasts!
Tata relentlessly criticized Lai, but her actions were swift and decisive; she shot into the withered forest like an arrow released from a bow.
His keen sense of smell allowed him to quickly pinpoint the direction.
He certainly didn't like it here; the air was thick with the scent of death, and it was lonely and sorrowful.
He passed by the deer herd and nearly crashed into the carcass. Luckily, he braked in time; otherwise, given his running speed, he might have plunged right into it...
"Awooo!!!"
Ah! Ah! Ah!
The smell here is quite strong; it looks like Lei has been here for a long time.
Tata made a slight adjustment and continued forward, and soon came face to face with Lei.
"Tata?"
Lei asked in confusion.
Tata's signature white fur was still very noticeable in the moonlight, so white it reflected light, and Ray recognized it at a glance.
"Huh?"
Um?
Tata drifted, turned, braked, and stopped not far from Lai.
"Why did you sneak out in the middle of the night?"
"Awooo!"
It's all because of you, you troublesome human being!
Tata angrily berated him in a beast language that Lai couldn't understand. Although Lai couldn't understand it, he knew that Tata was throwing a tantrum.
"Come here, let me take a look."
Tata walked up to Lai, feeling aggrieved, and was expertly pulled into his arms.
"Look at you, running around and getting yourself covered in grass clippings."
Lai removed the dry grass, twigs, and burrs that were stuck to Tata's belly hair.
Tata was sulking, with nowhere to vent her grievances, and refused to look at Lai with a sour face.
"Let's go, I'll carry you home."
With Tata on his left arm and the egg he had just found hanging from his right chest, Lai walked quickly and carefully took a long detour to get home through the back door.
Little Black barked briefly a few times, then stopped barking when it smelled the familiar scent and started wagging its tail rapidly.
It thought that Lei had brought it back something delicious.
The door opened and closed again, and Little Black ran back to its little den in disappointment.
It was late at night, and Neil was sleeping soundly. Lai moved very quietly so as not to wake Neil, who was already deep in sleep.
He changed out of the clothes he had worn when he went out, returned to his room, drew the curtains, and turned on the glass lamp.
The warm light dispelled the darkness, and the eggs we brought back were placed on the table in the bedroom.
“Phew,” Lei exhaled, “Let’s see what this is.”
He opened the outer garment, revealing the giant egg inside.
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The injured vine concealed itself with a hallucinogenic scent, and after several months of rest and recuperation, it finally regained its strength as winter turned to spring.
When the warm sun shines on the earth again and all things begin to revive, it begins its hunt again, needing to accumulate enough energy for its god.
Recently, its spirit has become very active, no longer lifeless like a stone without any breath, and every now and then it can feel its subtle changes.
It showed no signs of waking up yet; its mental tendencies only occasionally produced some unconscious little movements, which were merely reflex-like behaviors and did not mean anything.
But even so, it's good, at least it shows that its efforts over the past few years have been effective.
This realization made the magical plant, which acted entirely on instinct, very happy.
It'll be soon, very soon!
No, that's not enough! It needs more energy!
Countless small vines extend from the main body's eight vines. This has a great advantage: these delicate little branches can absorb more energy. However, at the same time, the main vines lose their main ability to move.
It's okay, it's all worth it...
When these branches finally covered the entire forest, the time was finally ripe.
It was an ordinary summer night, and the villagers in the small mountain village were all fast asleep, or perhaps they had fallen into a coma due to the fragrance.
The vine's countless small branches absorbed the life force of every living thing they touched. Centered on the main body of the vine, the green faded, and withered yellow leaves fell to the ground in an instant.
This was a silent massacre. The vines, having absorbed countless energies, intertwined to form a cocoon more than three meters high, transferring all the energy to an oval object in the center of the cocoon.
This energy transfer lasted for half an hour. Finally, the vine completed its mission and sacrificed its last bit of life force.
In its final moment, it sensed that the surging energy had been completely absorbed, and the power of new life was about to burst forth.
It knew it had succeeded, and its god had begun a new cycle of five hundred years.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:46:04 on March 17, 2024 and 15:59:26 on March 20, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Luoning;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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