Chapter 224 The Darkness and Uncertainty: Movements in the Darkness, Leaving the Fog...
Do you need to rest for a while?
Ryan asked Lai, who looked somewhat tired.
"No need, let's leave here quickly."
Lai rinsed the blood off the bone knife with water, wiped it clean with a cloth, and then hung it back on his waist.
"Is it all done?"
"Okay, let's go."
The zombie ambush served as a wake-up call for Ray; he had been somewhat careless and needed to be more cautious on the road ahead.
After the orc undead died, the surrounding white mist dissipated somewhat. The reason the mist had become so thick was most likely because the undead were behind it.
Once visibility was restored, almost nothing in the surrounding area escaped Ray's ears.
This place is better than Bi Space; at least there's some wind.
Unfortunately, they were unable to escape the white fog until nightfall.
It's getting dark.
As the sky grew darker, Lai frowned.
There was nothing here to provide him with cover, and camping in such an open place was tantamount to exposing himself directly to the enemy.
However, visibility will decrease further after dark.
Even with a glass lamp for illumination, traveling in such conditions would be extremely difficult.
"We need to find a safe place to hide, but it seems like there isn't one here."
Lei's tone was tinged with self-deprecating humor.
"Let's rest here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan used a magic ball to mark out a small piece of land for Lai.
"Put your tent up."
"good."
Ray raised his hand and touched the surrounding air. Centered on him, a hemispherical golden light curtain enveloped him.
"We'll set off immediately after dawn; you don't have much time to rest."
Ryan reminded him.
"immediately."
Ray took out a tent, animal hides, and a sleeping bag from his spatial storage.
He didn't turn on the light, afraid that the light would attract unclean things.
I ate some dried meat with cold water to solve my dinner problem, and then lay down in my sleeping bag without taking off my clothes.
The small, enclosed space provided a certain degree of security, and Lai's nerves finally relaxed a bit, but he didn't completely let his guard down, still paying close attention to the movements outside.
It was completely silent outside. Lian leaned against the makeshift hanging chair that humans had tied to the top of the tent, becoming the only source of light in the darkness.
Perhaps he was too tired today, because after lying down for a while, Lai finally fell asleep.
But I didn't sleep very well; I was woken up by the howling wind outside in less than two hours.
My mind was foggy and I was a little dazed. It took me a while to remember where I was.
The tent was dark, and Ray sat up.
Strange, it seems like Ryan isn't here.
He knew that Ryan would never leave without saying goodbye; something must have happened outside.
He strained his ears to listen carefully to what was happening outside.
The sound of the wind seemed to be mixed with the mournful howl of something, which grew louder and louder, sending chills down one's spine.
We can't go out; it would cause trouble for Ryan.
Ray untied the three knots on his sleeping bag, peered out from the only opening of the tent, his weapon always at hand.
Outside was a thick, ink-like black, and it seemed as if he were the only human being left in the world.
He looked around but didn't see Ryan.
However, it is very likely that He is now on the other side, in a blind spot.
This place is awful; you can't see anything at all. There's not even a moon tonight.
Lei thought to himself, then prepared to go back to his tent to continue sleeping.
With a "poof" sound.
Besides the sound of the wind and the wailing, a third sound came from outside.
Lai immediately noticed the blue flame that had suddenly appeared somewhere.
Will-o'-the-wisps?
There must be a body buried nearby.
He watched as the blue flames danced up and down in the wind, but soon went out.
Not long after, there were a few more popping sounds, and more blue flames appeared, which was very strange.
Ray's tense mood, which had suddenly turned tense due to the change in his voice, gradually relaxed.
Will-o'-the-wisps, also known as phosphorescent lights, were something he had seen quite a few of in Eaton Forest.
The forest is teeming with species in incredible numbers, and countless animals die every day.
Since no one was specifically responsible for handling them, some of the remains eventually decomposed and fermented, forming phosphorescent flames, which was even more frightening than that.
"puff!"
The sound was very close, and as if by reflex, Lei's eyes turned to the source of the sound. Just then, he saw a large, bony hand move away from the magic ball as if it had been electrocuted.
"roar!"
After being stung by the magic, the thing let out a short cry, followed by rumbling footsteps, as if it had moved further away.
Lei was somewhat worried about the situation outside, but dared not make any rash moves.
The magic ball rippled with golden waves after being touched by that thing.
After a while, thinking the little incident was over, Lai prepared to go back to rest.
He glanced instinctively at the spot where the magic orb had just glowed from being touched, and was startled and shuddered.
In the same place, there lay a face whose features were unrecognizable.
Where the nose should have been was replaced by two empty holes. The pupils were shrunk to the size of pinpoints, and the whites of the eyes almost completely filled the protruding eyeballs.
The thing's cheeks were swollen and deathly pale, like fish that had been soaking in river water for a week.
The light from the magic orb shone on his entire face, creating ripples of light and shadow, like a demon from hell.
It stared intently inside, and Ray didn't know what it was looking at or if it was staring at him.
Finally, the thing looked away.
In the last glimmer of light from the screen, Lei saw it reaching out and gesturing on the magic orb, as if trying to touch it again.
The light screen disappeared. It was still dark outside, pitch black, and no one could see their own hand in front of their face. No one knew how many monsters like these were lurking around the magic orb, eyeing it covetously.
Just thinking about it sends chills down your spine.
"Puff, puff, puff."
"ah!"
"roar!"
The sounds outside were very close; those thuds were the muffled thuds of a gun being pierced.
Ray couldn't see what was happening, but the dragging and moving sound, along with the muffled thuds and painful howls, continued for quite some time.
It's obvious that something must have happened outside.
“Rian”.
Ray tried calling Ryan's name in his mind, but received no response.
The smell of blood gradually spread, but was quickly dispersed by the wind.
The surroundings finally returned to their initial silence, with nothing but the howling wind. It was as if nothing had just happened.
"Lay, why are you awake?"
Lai retreated back into the tent, unaware of when Ryan returned.
He guessed that Ryan must have gone out just now, and that the killing of those unknown monsters outside was very likely his doing.
But Lei didn't ask any further questions.
"It's windy, and the noise woke me up."
He returned to his sleeping bag and tied the three knots in sequence. He then pulled his arms back inside the sleeping bag, wrapping himself up like a cocoon.
"good evening."
"That's what Lei said."
After a long silence in the darkness, the humans heard the elemental spirits' somewhat awkward blessing.
Good night, sweet dreams.
Ray slept soundly until dawn. He spent a little time packing his packages and taking care of his personal needs.
They were soon ready to hit the road again.
The white fog had dissipated somewhat, and he could see even more clearly than when he first arrived at the Soul Ruins when visibility was at its highest.
It is clearly visible to the naked eye, even from ten meters away.
Lei took a closer look at the surroundings.
There was no monster corpse, nor any bright red blood. However, there were obvious signs that the ground had been disturbed.
"What are you looking at?"
"Well, normally, there's a lot of fog in the morning, and it usually disappears one or two hours after sunrise. But the phenomenon here is clearly contrary to common sense."
"The rising sun will dispel the darkness."
"So that's how it is."
Lai didn't dwell on the issue too much. Now was the perfect time to get going, and it was best to leave without wasting a single second.
With increased visibility, the safety factor rises sharply.
From the moment they set out until they were almost out of the fog, they did not encounter any major attacks.
As we're about to leave the fog, it would be a lie to say I'm not happy.
The fog is thinning, and we can already see the outside scenery.
In places shrouded in thick fog, almost no signs of life can be seen.
The most tenacious trees all seemed to have hideous faces growing on their trunks.
There were no flowers or grass, only bare tree trunks and entwined poisonous vines, and scattered pebbles.
It was like being cleaved in two, but the other side presented a completely different scene.
Ray had never seen such a stark contrast in the natural environment.
He stepped across the boundary with one foot; on one side were pebbles, and on the other, lush green grass. He then stepped across with the other foot, finally leaving the area.
Looking back, all that could be seen were layers of white mist, and the view inside was completely obscured.
That's amazing.
Where am I?
Humans felt as if they had entered another Eaton Forest.
The trees here are very tall, the vegetation is lush, and there is the sound of flowing water.
These trees are at least several hundred years old by sight.
The trees stand straight and tall, some are spruce, some are fir.
The two are easy to distinguish: the spruce branches grow downwards, like an umbrella that is not fully opened; the cold mountain branches grow upwards, using their branches and leaves as tentacles to welcome the sunlight.
Both prefer to grow at high altitudes where there are large temperature differences between day and night.
However, the temperature in the royal city is warm all year round, with no distinct seasons and frequent rain.
In other words, they are currently far from the capital, and it will take them a long time to get back.
“Inside the Soul Ruins,” Lian replied.
"Is this it? This is so different from what I imagined."
"So what do you imagine it to be like?"
"Um......"
Lei carefully considered his words.
"Dark clouds loomed, swamps were everywhere, and mountains of corpses lay scattered about. Then there were red lightning bolts, vampire monsters, and the like."
"She has a rich imagination."
hiss.
Ray noticed that Ryan had been particularly fond of teasing him lately.
"Aren't there such places on the mainland?"
"have no idea."
"Then how do you know this is the inner layer of the Soul Ruins?"
Lian's thoughts drifted to some unknown cycle of reincarnation.
Is the sky overcast and the land covered in swamps?
That was indeed the case back then.
The land was littered with the corpses of orcs, humans, dwarves, and elves, and even the streams were stained blood red.
All who are alive are fighting, the war never stops, and death is no longer a terrifying thing, but a relief.
"Huh? Is that the dragon skeleton over there?"
Interrupted from his thoughts, Ryan looked in the direction Lai was pointing.
There was indeed a skeleton covered in moss in the distance.
"Hmm, the remains of an adult male dragon."
"Wow, this is amazing! It's the first time I've ever seen such a magical creature."
Ignorant humans once again lament.
The enormous dragon skeleton lay among the pines and cypresses, enduring thousands of years of wind and frost, its spine still upright, like a majestic small mountain.
Most of its exposed bones were covered with moss, on which many small white flowers bloomed.
Although Ray only saw its ribs and tail after it died, he was still deeply impressed by it.
Chinese people seem to have an innate and unique feeling towards dragons.
This peaceful period didn't last long. Lai noticed the magical elements moving beneath his feet and dashed forward, dodging the skeletal arms and weapons that suddenly appeared on the ground.
Before they could even think about what was happening, another wave of attacks followed.
Thousands of skeletons crawled out of the ground toward Ray, a swarm of them covered in mud and bits of vegetation, with earthworms wriggling among them.
What's going on? Are they local spirits of the dead?
Faced with such a large number of enemies, cold sweat poured down Lai's forehead.
Who exactly is manipulating them from behind the scenes? Their blatant malice clearly aims to kill him.
“Friend, we should have no enmity between us. If I have offended you in any way, I hope we can talk about it in person.”
No one responded to Lei's call.
As the skeleton army drew closer, Ray gripped his bone knife tightly. His pupils shifted color, and mysterious runes crawled across his face and arms.
"Come here."
"good."
What awaits Lei is an exceptionally difficult test.
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