Chapter 63: Iron Forest Repays Kindness with Revenge
After Beatrice's introduction, Shen Jiang learned that in order to protect the creatures in the Iron Forest, a natural barrier was created at the outermost edge by the giant steel trees to block some outsiders who wanted to break in.
"Watch out for those trees mottled with red rust. They've been deprived of nourishment for a long time and are gradually dying. If you approach them, they'll smell the scent of flesh and blood and will seek to plunder your body and make it their own. Those gleaming, new branches, on the other hand, are relatively safer, as they've already 'fed' and won't attack."
Ellis couldn't help but wonder, "How come you're so familiar with this place? If I didn't know you were my sister, I'd have suspected you'd lived around here since you were a child."
Cecilia smiled and said, "While you were in the Rose Empire, Beatrice wasn't idle either, going out everywhere to gather information. At first, I didn't expect her to dare to go out alone. Now it seems that she is not only becoming more independent, but also very smart."
Shen Jiang looked at Beatrice with admiration. You know, when they first met, Beatrice was still a shy little girl who would hide behind her brother. In just a year and a half, she had changed drastically.
Beatrice pursed her lips slightly. "Don't be so exaggerated. I just completed the task given to me by the witch."
She is still a little girl after all, and the happiness in her eyes cannot be concealed.
Shen Jiang hadn't given her such a difficult task; she'd simply told Beatrice to ask Mockingbird. Her dedication to work was practically greater than her boss's. Shen Jiang felt it would be unfair to not give her a big year-end prize for her dedicated work ethic.
Seeing everyone praising her for getting the information ahead of time, Beatrice recalled the times she'd been ignored and teased, and suddenly felt calmer. Her eyes glided over the people around the witch, and she casually said, "Actually, it's all thanks to Priest. My last experience getting caught in Porto Port reminded me that some accidents can be avoided."
Without even looking up, Priest replied, "You're welcome."
Shen Jiang turned around to look at Priest. This idiot probably didn't even listen carefully to Beatrice's indirect criticism. He was just admiring the potion in his hand over and over again with ecstasy.
Shen Jiang covered her face, feeling a bit uncomfortable watching him, a country bumpkin admiring a rare treasure. It seemed the kid was truly hungry, otherwise he wouldn't be so lost just because of a few potions.
Considering that he had sent the people to a safe place last time and had shoveled so much night-shining sand, Shen Jiang decided to give him the other two potions before leaving at night, if nothing unexpected happened.
Beatrice found a suitable patch of silver metal trees as an entrance. The space between the trees was sparse enough for one person to pass through.
"These trees don't possess any magical energy, and many people mistakenly think they're just ordinary trees with strange appearances. Everyone should be careful not to touch the needles of the Iron Tree. If their needles pierce your skin, you'll experience convulsions and difficulty breathing."
Shen Jiang was secretly surprised that the symptoms were somewhat similar to those of tetanus infection.
Thanks to Beatrice's meticulous reminder, the group entered the Steel Forest without any danger, which made Shen Jiang's nerves relax a little. Beatrice was right, as long as they were adequately prepared, this forest was not dangerous.
"If you see purple flowers later, be sure to look away immediately and warn your companions. It's said that 'staring at purple for too long will turn you to stone.'"
Shen Jiang: Isn’t this the gaze of Medusa?
In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa was a natural-born fairy with poisonous snakes in her hair. Anyone who looked directly into Medusa's eyes would be turned into a stone statue.
Shen Jiang: "There won't be any snakes near the flowers, right?"
Beatrice paused before answering, "Neither the beastmen nor the birds mentioned any snakes near the purple flowers. Perhaps there's something strange about the flowers themselves."
Shen Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. That's good.
Shen Jiang always reminded herself to look away as soon as she saw the purple flowers, but when she regained consciousness, she found herself standing in front of a chaotic and dark swamp, about to step into it.
Shen Jiang gasped suddenly, stepped back in shock, and sat down on the grass.
Priest brushed the nonexistent dust off his hands and frowned, "What's wrong with you? You all seem obsessed and want to jump in."
Moreover, they seemed to have mutated, their strength becoming that of an ox, and he couldn't even pull them back. He had to use all his strength to pull them back and shake them awake, but he was exhausted.
Across the swamp, a vast expanse of vibrant, alluring dark purple flowers swayed gracefully amidst the filth surroundings, exuding a unique air of nobility. Shen Jiang suddenly understood: she had seen the flower when he wasn't paying attention, and had been captivated, losing all self-awareness. This flower possessed such a captivating power.
Beatrice, who had regained consciousness, was clearly upset.
She asked Priest, "How did you wake up?"
Priest: "Didn't you say you shouldn't stare at purple flowers? I turned my head away when I saw them."
Beatrice realized that ordinary people would never venture into this forest without knowing their own limitations. Therefore, the advice given by those she sought information from wasn't aimed at ordinary people, but rather at those with special abilities like Priest.
Beatrice said guiltily, "It's all my fault. I knew there was something wrong with the flowers, but I was so careless. Those people didn't tell me that ordinary people would fall victim to it even if they were careful."
Looking at the others who were still in shock, Shen Jiang thought for a moment before speaking: "Is there any danger ahead? If there are only purple flowers like this all the way, why don't we turn back now?"
Beatrice, too embarrassed to look up, said softly, "According to the information provided by those people and the robin, humans who have awakened from the purple flower will not fall into its traps again for a while. After passing the swamp, it is the real Iron Forest. If you wish to leave, I respect your decision and will follow it."
Shen Jiang sighed and was about to speak when he heard Priest raise his eyebrows and smirk, "There are also a few unlucky guys over there who got caught, but they are not as lucky as you. After all, Priest is always by your side. Hahahaha."
Shen Jiangbai glanced at him and walked in the direction he said. After walking only more than 20 meters, he saw several humans who were already trapped in the swamp and were unconsciously walking deeper into the swamp.
There were five people still exposed, dressed like adventurers. Three of them were men and two were women. The woman furthest from the shore was also the deepest in the water, nearly up to her waist. Shen Jiang wasn't sure if there were any more victims ahead of her who had already sunk to the bottom.
Shen Jiang: "Ellis, Catherine, come over and help save people."
Fortunately, they were still close to the shore. Shen Jiang and Ellis each pulled one person and soon pulled the four people who were in a trance back to the shore.
The humans lying on the ground did not stay still. Soon, they got up again and walked towards the swamp like unconscious puppets.
"Wake up! Wake up!" Shen Jiang shook the young man in front of him hard. The other person had very neat short brown hair.
Seeing how little strength she had, Priest immediately came over and slapped her twice. Soon, the man woke up.
Shen Jiang touched his face and looked at the little ghost with suspicion: "Isn't this how you woke me up just now?"
"Of course not, you are my contracted master." Priest said with confidence.
If the master of the contract is injured, he, as a disciple, will feel the same pain. How could he possibly hurt her?
Shen Jiang felt relieved when she saw that his reaction did not seem fake and she herself did not feel unwell.
After waking up, the four people quickly understood what had just happened.
"Thank you for saving us." One of the red-haired women came forward to express their gratitude.
They didn't intend to care about their companion who had fallen deep into the swamp and planned to leave.
Shen Jiang gasped and said, "Your friends are still in danger, and you're just leaving like this?"
The red-haired woman glanced at her and chuckled, "She's just a nobody. Don't you like saving people? Then rescue her while you're at it."
Catherine complained, "Do you know how exhausted we were just to get you out? And she's your companion, and you just left her like that?"
A tall man with a scar between his eyebrows stepped forward and said, "Even though you saved us, it doesn't mean you have the right to order us around. Watch your tone. That woman isn't our companion; we're simply trapped here together."
Several people turned around and left without giving Shen Jiang and the others a chance to continue speaking.
Priest was amused. "Well, isn't it a great sense of accomplishment to save a person? It's a pity that the thing you worked so hard to rescue doesn't seem to be a human being."
Shen Jiang glared at him and said, "Shut up."
Shen Jiang estimated the distance and found that the woman was only three or four steps away from the shore. Saving her wouldn't be that difficult. Seeing that the swamp was almost up to the woman's chest, Shen Jiang no longer hesitated and pulled a bundle of rope from his backpack.
The swamp's behavior was similar to that of a non-Newtonian fluid. If the woman were conscious, Shen Jiang could easily have taught her how to rescue herself: simply lean back, increasing her contact area with the swamp, and then roll back to safety. But the woman was in a trance, so Shen Jiang could only pull her back to shore. With almost half her body trapped, it was impossible for one person to pull her out. Shen Jiang had to find a way to tie a rope around her so everyone could pull her out.
She had encountered this swamp before when she was rescuing people. It wasn't corrosive, and there were no signs of biological activity. If something had happened, the woman who had been in there for so long would have died long ago, but she was still fine.
"Ellis, hold on to the rope and drag the woman back."
“What!” Beatrice and the others exclaimed.
Before they could react, Shen Jiang rolled to the woman's side in an easy posture, tied the rope around her, and returned to the shore as soon as possible.
Seeing Shen Jiang covered in mud, Priest's face darkened. The black witch had actually risked her life in front of him and made herself so embarrassed. Didn't she know to ask herself if there was any way out?
Fortunately, at this time, Ellis and the other two worked together to drag the woman out of the mud, and Priest walked forward with a dark face and violently woke her up.
Shen Jiang was just thinking about going somewhere to clean herself up and change her clothes. She had several sets of clothes stored in the golden dragon scales as a backup. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the four people who had already left suddenly appeared.
"I told you her black eyes were weird, but you didn't believe me. Look, she's a black witch!"
When Shen Jiang and others looked up, they saw four people with bad intentions standing not far away, looking at Shen Jiang with eyes full of greed and evil.
Shen Jiang's wig had just fallen off. Her long, smooth black hair cascaded down, and against her mud-spotted cheeks, she looked wild and messy.
"Instead of going deep into the forest to look for magical beasts, it is better to capture this black witch. You know, the bounty of a black witch is a hundred times that of a magical beast." The short man's shrewd eyes swept over Shen Jiang.
Shen Jiang frowned. The way the other person looked at him was not like looking at a person, but more like
Look at an item.
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