Chapter 165 It’s not just the devil who is unfathomable, but also his minions
The silver pine forest was covered with flying snow, and the sturdy pine trees made low humming sounds in the strong wind. The thick snow bent the branches, and from time to time, the snow fell, raising fine white mist.
And between the tree trunks that were frozen into ice sculptures, a group of ragged refugees huddled together in the wind and snow.
Their figures were covered with a thin layer of white by the snow, and their fur coats with curled edges could not withstand such severe cold, so that their skin was frozen blue, and their eyes were full of fatigue and even despair. Some stamped their feet to try to keep warm, some rubbed their frozen arms to try to regain consciousness, and some were so frozen that their whole bodies were stiff, and even moving their arms was extremely difficult.
They were all villagers from Holyoak Village, from the easternmost part of Dusk Province - the border of the kingdom next to Brass Pass.
To get here, they endured hunger, crossed forests and mountains, and had almost exhausted all their strength.
For such a mob, even muskets cannot improve their combat effectiveness much, not to mention the question whether the frozen launch device can produce sparks.
If their numbers were not so large, as many as two or three hundred people, the patrolling players would not have sounded the alarm for them.
When the alarm bell rang, a group of skeleton soldiers emitting netherworld magic light appeared behind the fence wall, and despair was written on the faces of those ragged refugees.
This is not an opponent they can defeat.
They came to the wrong place.
"Damn...it's the undead! There's a necromancer here!" Brook, who was carrying a bow and arrow, had his shoulders shaking constantly, and his wide-eyed face was filled with panic.
He used to be an adventurer, and he had been active in the Thunder County area before his retirement. He even once went deep into the fifth level of the maze below Thunder County... It can be said that he knows this place so well as if it were his second home.
That was why he volunteered to be the guide and led everyone through the eastern part of Silverpine Forest to arrive here.
However, he had never expected, and had never heard of, that there was a necromancer entrenched here!
Not only that—
He clearly remembered that the demon king here had been killed by Grand Duke Campbell, and every adventurer he asked on the way here told him the same thing! How come now that he has returned to his hometown, all the demons in the maze have run to the surface outside the maze? ! "What's going on!"
The shivering hunter walked to Brooke's side in the snow that was up to his calves, and shouted anxiously and angrily, "Didn't you say you were going to take us to a good place? How could there be undead here!"
"I, I don't know," Brooke swallowed nervously and said with difficulty, "We'd better go back first..."
“We have nowhere to go back to.”
The staggering old man, leaning on a cane, came to the side of the two men. There were pieces of snow on his eyebrows, and his dry lips were cracked by the cold. Although he looked strong, anyone could see that he was on the verge of exhaustion and could collapse at any time.
Just like those old people who fell on the migration road.
"Have you forgotten what the knight said? If we appear near Silverpine Town again, he will chop off our heads and send them to the lord as bandits' heads to claim the reward."
"God of love...how could they...how could they do this!" The hunter's lips trembled, and it was hard to tell whether his voice was filled with anger or despair.
The old man remained silent and did not respond.
He was the village chief of Shengxiangshu Village, named Pierre, and he had served in the army of the Kingdom of Ryan. Because he had dealt with local lords and participated in the suppression of bandits, he knew very well that it was a normal thing.
The two words "refugees" and "bandits" are almost the same in syllables. A group of hungry people can do anything to survive, especially when these people have hands, feet and weapons. No one can afford the cost of trust.
Many lords were killed by refugees.
Of course, the latter also has reasons to strike first. After all, the dead cannot speak, and no one can tell who strikes first.
An atmosphere of despair permeated the crowd. Some people began to pray for a miracle, while others cursed the local lord.
Even though they don't even know the guy's name.
"These guys deserve to go to hell!"
"There's a necromancer at the doorstep. Isn't the lord here worried at all?!"
"Someone has to take care of this matter..."
Listening to the chattering behind him, Pierre stared at the fence in front of him, silent, struggling internally.
They have no way out.
Although he knew in his heart that, as Brook, the former adventurer, had said, they had no chance of winning, they could only pray that after they sacrificed their lives for their faith, the apostles of Saint Sith would take them to the legendary heaven.
Just as he was about to make a decision, the gate of the fence not far away suddenly opened, and two children in their teens appeared under the fence wall made of logs.
Seeing the child appearing behind the door, the villagers of Holy Oak Village were stunned, and soon someone recognized the two familiar faces.
"Andy! Maggie?!"
A middle-aged man holding a rifle widened his eyes in surprise, and a gleam of hope appeared on his frozen face again.
His child is still alive!
He had been searching in the forest for a whole day and was about to give up! "Dad!" Maggie shouted excitedly and wanted to run forward, but was stopped by her brother who was standing beside her.
Because at the same time, dozens of bows and flintlock rifles were pointed at her, and pairs of eyes were filled with fear.
"Wait a minute, don't go over there yet!" Andy growled, pulling his sister behind him and looking nervously at his fellow villagers who were acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
At the same time, seeing his child being pointed at by a gun, the man holding the rifle went crazy and pointed the gun at his fellow villager next to him.
"That's my child, what the hell do you want to do?!"
There was a commotion among the crowd! The villagers standing next to the man immediately rushed over, scrambling for the weapon in his hand, trying to take the musket from his hand.
"Are you fucking crazy?!"
"Put your weapons down!"
"You are the crazy ones!" the man roared, holding the rifle tightly and refusing to let go, until he was knocked to the ground by the butt of the rifle.
“No——!” Looking at her father who was knocked to the ground, Maggie let out a scream and her eyes turned red.
"Calm down, Dave! That's a demon's illusion!"
Brooke grabbed the man's collar tightly, pulled him up from the ground, and roared with spit flying.
"These demons are all cannibals! Look at their rosy faces, and then look at yours! They look like they have been in the snow all day! Wake up! Your child is dead!"
That was not just his thought, but also the first reaction of everyone present.
Hearing the sound coming from the translation crystal, the shark flying behind the two children immediately showed a surprised expression.
"I still have this ability?!"
Maggie stared blankly at the roaring Uncle Brooke, sadness written all over her face.
She didn't understand why Uncle Brooke, who always had endless stories to tell and would wear a pumpkin head to make her and Andy laugh, became something scarier than the devil...
Just at this moment, a majestic voice suddenly floated out from behind the fence wall and descended on the heads of everyone outside the door.
"What are you doing at the gate of my territory?"
At the same moment the words fell, a cloaked figure appeared on the fence wall.
The man had dark purple hair, sharp and cold eyes, an angular face that did not look like a human, and a straight nose like the spire of a castle.
The heavy snow like goose feathers seemed to not exist to him. It disappeared without a trace after falling on his shoulders, and no one knew where it went.
The moment he saw that face, Brook felt every hair on his body stand up, and a fear deep in his bones crawled through his body.
His instinct as a former adventurer told him that even if there were a hundred - or even a thousand of himself, they would never be a match for the man in front of him!
This guy is so strong! Seeing the Demon King suddenly appear on the wall, the players had different expressions on their faces. Some showed a look of excitement, some looked expectant, and some even shouted in surprise.
“Good fellow!”
"They actually lured the Demon King out!"
Andy and Maggie stared blankly at the man standing on the wall. There was a hint of fear on their blank faces, and behind that fear there was a hint of piety and reverence.
Children's intuition is sometimes more accurate than that of adults.
From the looks that the surrounding undead and demons gave the man, they could feel the respect that came from the bottom of their hearts.
So there is only one possibility -
That man is the leader of these monsters! He is also the legendary Demon King!
He is also the lifesaver who gave them the magic potion...
Luo Yan, standing on the fence wall, looked down at the refugees outside the wall, especially the guys who were fighting with each other, with an expressionless face.
He had been watching the show secretly and didn't want to show up. He planned to leave everything to the players themselves. However, the subjective initiative of this generation of players was too poor. They were all watching the show and waiting for the plot to develop on its own...
Seeing this group of desperate refugees ready to rush towards him like moths to a flame, he finally couldn't help but get involved.
no way.
He still couldn't be completely inhuman, and he admitted that he was not as good as Reggie Dragun in this regard.
看着站在栅栏墙上的罗炎，圣橡树村的村长皮埃尔眼神恐惧着，嘴唇动了动说道。
“你是什么人……”
他其实已经猜到了，眼前的这家伙极有可能就是盘踞在这一带的亡灵法师本尊。
然而令他没有想到的是，摆在面前的事实却比他设想中的情况还要惊人……
“我是什么人？”罗炎轻轻笑了笑，用略带轻佻的语气说道，“我是这片魔王领的统治者，你猜猜我是什么？”
皮埃尔错愕的看着他，恐惧的眼神渐渐变成了惊悚，情不自禁的往后退了一步。
不只是这位老村长，周围的村民们也是一样，那一张张恐惧的脸上渐渐印上了绝望。
魔王！
站在他们面前的居然是魔王！
他们已经没有多余的力气分辨这句话的真假，只能任由那恐惧的情绪在他们心中蔓延着。
“……”布鲁克紧咬着的牙关不住的颤抖，但想到身后的同乡们，还是鼓起勇气拔出了腰间的短剑，握在了手中。
看着那从剑锋外溢出的气息，罗炎略微意外地多看了这个疑似冒险者的中年男人两眼。
这家伙的身上居然有着黑铁级的实力，看来年轻的时候也是个百里挑一的强者。
不过，这种程度的实力放在他面前还是有些不太够看了点。
罗炎思索的片刻，忽然心中一动有了主意。俯视着那个疑似是这群流民中最强者的家伙，他用慢条斯理的声音开口道。
“你的名字。”
布鲁克警觉地说道。
“布鲁克……”
罗炎用随意的口吻继续说道。
“布鲁克是么……我欣赏你的勇气。看在你还有勇气拔剑的份上，我们来玩个游戏好了。”
布鲁克愣住了，虽然觉得其中有诈，但还是下意识的问道。
“什么游戏……”
罗炎微笑着说道。
“你可以从我的麾下中随便挑一个，只要你能赢过它，我就宽恕你们的冒犯，并让你们带着食物和燃料平安的离开这里。当然，如果你输了，你的灵魂就属于我了。”
“随便谁都行吗？”布鲁克脸上的神色紧紧绷着，艰难的从嘴里挤出了这句话。
罗炎微笑着点头。
“没错，随便谁都行。”
“这可是你说的，”布鲁克的脸上闪过一丝喜色，生怕面前男人反悔似的，毫不犹豫地指向了栅栏墙上站着的骷髅兵，“我选那家伙！”
在所有的亡灵生物中，骷髅兵可以说是最弱的存在。虽然他也有好些年没当冒险者了，但解决一只骷髅兵还是不成问题的！“我？！”
正在看热闹的【迟早薯在办公室】微微一愣，食指下意识的指了指自己，接着下一秒那摇曳在颅骨中的魂火便晃动了兴奋的光彩。
不等魔王陛下发话，他便在一群玩家们羡慕嫉妒恨的眼神中，跳到了栅栏墙的下面。
最⊥新⊥小⊥说⊥在⊥六⊥9⊥⊥书⊥⊥吧⊥⊥首⊥发！
看着从三米高的墙上一跃而下却没散架的骷髅兵，握着短剑的布鲁克微微一惊，心中忽然生出一股不妙的预感。
这家伙可能并没有他想象中的那么好对付！
不过话虽如此，现在反悔也已经来不及了。
看着那个如临大敌的中年男人，罗炎用温和的语气继续说道。
“那么，游戏开始了。”
撂下这句话的同一时间，他示意悠悠给那个摩拳擦掌的小玩家发布了魔王大人的任务——
【任务：击败试图挑战魔王威严的冒险者！】
【奖励：基础奖励8000冥币、100点贡献。在不杀死该冒险者的情况下将其缴械可额外获得300点贡献！】
所谓重赏之下必有莽夫，【迟早薯在办公室】在看到任务奖励的一瞬间，现实中的眼睛都恨不得冒出了绿光。
听到魔王大人宣布比试开始，布鲁克不敢有丝毫轻敌，先发制人的挺剑向那骷髅兵杀了过去。
早在他挑选好决斗对象的时候，就已经做好了准备！
随着他一声大吼，手中短剑舞出一道半月形的弧光，气势十足地砸向了那骷髅兵的头颅！“斩杀——！”
沸腾的剑气汹涌而出！
若是被这一击砍中，就算是一人合抱的大树也得被斩成两截，更别说一具死了不知多久的枯骨！
在他的印象中，这些呆傻的玩意儿别说是躲闪，面对迎面而来的攻击甚至连招架的本能都没有！
然而就在布鲁克自信满满挥出这一剑的时候，令他乃至在场所有人都意想不到的一幕却发生了。
那看似呆傻的骷髅兵确实没有躲闪，不过却也没有如他想象中的那样傻站着让他砍。
只见它忽然灵巧地向前一个箭步，手中锈蚀的短剑伴随着破空声向前探出，剑柄直取他的下颚！
那骷髅兵似乎是有意羞辱他一样，甚至都没有用上剑刃，完全把手中的短剑当成了钝器在使。
“小心！”
观战的皮埃尔村长下意识地惊呼了一声，试图提醒布鲁克。
然而那布鲁克却像是没听见似的，直挺挺地朝着那剑柄撞了上去，用脸接下了这迅雷不及掩耳的一击！其实那并非是他没有听见皮埃尔村长的声音，而是就算听见了也来不及了。
“斩杀”这个战技最致命的弱点就是攻击前摇太长，在一剑砍出命中目标之前全身都是破绽，而且不拿出两倍的力气根本收不回来！
也正是因此，很少有冒险者会在战斗中使用这招，除非他们有着100%的把握能够命中对手！再要么，就是面对骷髅兵这种没有智商的亡灵生物！
然而布鲁克怎么也没有想到，眼前的骷髅兵居然会使出人类剑士身上才能看见的步法，更没想到它居然拥有一般亡灵生物所没有的智慧。
而当他意识到自己的失误的时候，一切都已经太晚！
恍惚中，布鲁克仿佛听见什么骨头碎掉的声音，接着下巴便失去了知觉，整个人一头栽倒在了雪地里。
【迟早薯在办公室】得意地看向了魔王大人的方向，翘首以盼地等待着后者的奖赏。
没过多久，他的眼中便飘出了任务完成的提示以及获得奖励的弹窗，接着便心满意足的归队了。
虽然他是生活职业玩家，但他的等级也不是充话费送的，也都是在无数次的战斗中一点一点升上去的。
更不要说早在n个版本之前，一叶知秋大佬就已经总结出了这游戏常见技能的使用技巧和弱点。就算他在战斗方面比较咸鱼，没怎么琢磨过，但整天看那群大佬们讨论，多少也是耳濡目染的学了些技巧。
“牛逼啊兄弟，”【情绪稳定】惊讶地看着潇洒回归的【迟早薯在办公室】，忍不住赞叹说道，“没想到你还有这手绝活。”
“嘿嘿，”【迟早薯在办公室】不好意思笑了笑，逼味儿十足的说道，“低调，基操。”
栅栏门外一片死寂，无边的沉默就像压在天空上的乌云，树林中只剩下落雪沙沙的声音。
看着倒在雪地中的布鲁克，在场的所有流民全都缄口不言，恐惧深深地印在了眸子里。
好强！
简直强得可怕！他们之中最强大、最勇敢、战斗经验最丰富的战士，居然连魔王麾下随便一只最弱小的骷髅兵都打不过……
甚至连一回合都没有撑过！在他们的眼中，那场战斗简直已经不能称之为切磋，完全就是单方面的碾压！看着面无表情的魔王和一败涂地的布鲁克，皮埃尔村长更是面如死灰，嘴唇彻底没有了血色。
尤其是当他回想起来，就在十几分钟前，自己居然还产生过鱼死网破的念头……
他现在只庆幸，自己没有那么做。
看着彻底丧失战斗意志的流民们，罗炎用慢条斯理的声音继续说道。
“就如你们所看见的那样，你们对我而言就像一群蚂蚁，我想拿走你们的性命甚至都不需要念一句咒语。我很好奇，你们为什么觉得，我需要用阴谋诡计或者幻术去欺骗你们……”
“或者换句话说，你们值得我这么做吗？”
被那双摄人心魄的紫眸注视着，皮埃尔终于忍不住心中的恐惧，扑通一声跪在了雪地里。
他将额头贴在了冰冷的雪上，用颤颤巍巍的声音说道。
“请原谅我们的无礼……我们实在是走投无路了。”
不只是他。
跟在他身后的流民们也都纷纷扔下手中的武器，瑟瑟发抖的匍匐在了地上，乞求魔王的宽恕。
看着缓慢增长的信仰值，罗炎俯视着这些自己未来的臣民，嘴角翘起了一丝不易察觉的微笑。
恐惧亦是一种信仰。
至少此刻这些走投无路的人们不再奢望圣西斯的拯救，而是乞求自己的宽恕和原谅。
这是“将灵魂出卖给恶魔”的第一步。
接下来他会让他们意识到，“将灵魂出卖给恶魔”其实并没有他们想象中的那么绝望，魔王大人的胸怀比他们想象中的还要宽广。
The representatives of Saint Sith in the mortal world rejected them in the wind and snow, but the acolytes of the Demon Lord treated them like brothers.
Luo Yan looked at the two children under the fence, smiled and nodded to them, indicating that they should go find their parents, and then watched them run into their father's arms.
Dave crawled out of the snow, held his two children in his arms, and cried with excitement, thanking the Demon King for the miracle he had brought.
The child who was lost in the snow returned to him safely, which was undoubtedly a miracle! In this way, Luo Yan gained his first believer among this group of refugees.
The refugees crawling in the snow secretly looked at Dave who was hugging the children, and a hint of surprise appeared in their eyes.
They didn't expect that the two children were actually real people, not some so-called devil's illusion.
incredible!
The devil really didn't hurt them?! Everything that happened before their eyes completely overturned the perceptions of these refugees, and also shook the faith that was built on this foundation in their hearts.
"I can take you in, as long as you are willing to become my servants."
"I will give you food and fire to help you through the most difficult times, and you need to work at sunrise and pray to me at sunset."
"Once you cross this door in front of you, our contract will be established. I will not force anyone who is unwilling to do so. Leave my territory on your own accord and go wherever you wish."
The majestic voice echoed in the snowy forest.
Andy, lying in his father's arms, gently tugged at his father's clothes and whispered something in his ear.
Without any hesitation, Dave stood up from the snow, and walked towards the open door in front of him with the two children beside him with an extremely pious look.
Perhaps because they saw that Saint Sith did not bring down divine punishment, the people crawling in the snow stood up one after another and walked towards the gate under the influence of his example.
Including Village Chief Pierre.
After a moment, there was only one person left on the snow.
Brooke lay in the snow, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for death to come.
However, the development of things was once again beyond his expectations. The evil and awe-inspiring demon king did not crush him to death like a grasshopper, but threw a bottle of magic potion on the snow in front of him.
The dark green liquid incredibly exuded the breath of life, and also made an expression of surprise appear on his face.
At this moment, a majestic voice descended upon his head.
"You have two choices. Drink it and swear allegiance to me and become my servant. Or ignore it and follow the man who never answered your prayers."
The answer is no need to think too much.
His fellow wanderers all chose to join, so Brook had no reason to act noble, and he himself was not a devout believer.
Another thing is that he was convinced by the strength of this Demon King.
It would be a privilege for me to be able to serve this gentleman.
Looking at Brook who drank the potion with great effort, Luo Yan continued in a gentle but unquestionable tone.
"I will leave your soul with you for now."
"If one day I feel that you have second thoughts about me, I will take it away."
After saying this, Luo Yan turned around and disappeared in the flying snow like a wisp of dissipating smoke.
The work that required him, the demon king, to appear in person has been done. Next, his life professional players will naturally settle the new NPCs.
As for the missionary work, Luo Yan didn't need to worry about it himself. He could just leave it to the acolytes of the Palace Gecko Clan.
Perhaps it won't be long before the cemetery will have a new group of human acolytes.
Humans are the best at preaching...
(End of this chapter)