Chapter 208 207. A Chance
The cold wind blew through the cracks between the ice, making a low whistling sound.
The ice giant condensed from the cold spirit patrolled his territory back and forth.
Although they are elemental creatures, they have an almost paranoid sense of territory.
When they set out, the demon team was strong in both men and horses, and Yan Yan could even smash Han Ling's ice body with a casual hammer. Now when they return, Han Ling has already reshaped his ice body, and the team... is left with only the two incomplete figures of Qiong and Shou.
So they chose to take a detour. Fortunately, these cold spirits would not hold grudges. As long as they stayed away from the cold spirits' territory, they would naturally not provoke attacks.
Han Ling did not pay attention to the two people who were far away from it, but instead stared at the sky.
An invisible reconnaissance Puji was struggling in the cold wind, following the trail of the demon from a distance.
Huh? Discovered?
Seeing that Han Ling was focusing on investigating Puji, Lin Jun controlled Puji to fly a little higher.
[Race: Cold Spirit]
[Level: LV39]
[Racial Talent: Elemental Body]
[Skills: Ice Element Control LV6, Magic Perception LV4...]
Magic perception, no wonder he could detect Puji.
This is the second cold spirit I encountered along the way. I went back to catch one and taste it.
Lin Jun let the two demon descendants go easily, naturally because he wanted to follow them to their hometown, although Shou was vague about the situation of the tribe during the conversation.
But combined with the relatively fresh remains of the demons that he found in Chiss's territory, he guessed that they must have just suffered a considerable loss. This was a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation... and make friends with them!
In short, observe first!
As this Puji was expected to stay outside for a long time, Lin Jun specially added [Photosynthesis] to it.
But to be honest, the situation in the Far North is worse than expected.
The first is the sunlight. The sunlight here is pale and weak, and the magic power produced by photosynthesis is pitifully thin, just enough to maintain Puji's minimum activities.
This isn't a big problem, it's enough to detect Puji's activities.
But...the temperature is too low!
Outside the dungeon, even with [Cold Resistance LV7], it is difficult to withstand it.
Lin Jun had no choice but to install [High Temperature Drilling LV6] on it.
He could barely survive by heating himself up from time to time, but this would increase his mana consumption.
Anyway, the total amount of magic power is constantly decreasing. It is estimated that it can only last for three or four days in the wild. By then, other scouts will have to take over the shift.
Fortunately, the demon tribe was not far from the dungeon, only half a day's journey away.
——
As soon as they returned to the tribe, they were immediately surrounded by the tribesmen.
“Shou! Qiong! What are you doing…” Xinghuo, a senior soldier who came over after hearing the news, fixed his eyes on the two men’s hideous severed limbs and said in a serious tone, “Others… Could it be…”
"All killed," Shou's voice was dry, "only two of us left. Starfire, what are you doing?" He noticed the bulging hunting bag on Starfire's back.
"I haven't heard from you guys since, so I was just about to go find out..." Xinghuo explained.
A feeling of fear and relief welled up in Shou's heart. Fortunately... he was back.
"Starfire, take us to see the elders."
"Elder..." Xinghuo seemed to be hesitant to speak, and finally led the two of them silently to the largest tent in the center.
Behind him, the tribesmen's whispers were full of confusion and worry.
…
When the heavy animal-skin door curtain was lifted, what came into view was the elder leaning against the bed.
The elder who used to be old but with sharp eyes, wisdom and calmness, is now a completely different person.
The magic patterns on his body were dim and almost gray. Without the protection of power, he could only shiver in the thick blanket. Even his eyes, which once saw through everything, became cloudy.
"Elder?!" Shou's voice trembled with disbelief.
"Hun, Qiong," the elder looked at them, his voice unexpectedly calm, "It's just that my life span has come to an end. As a descendant of the devil, I have lived long enough."
"But...but it has to be at a time like this..." Even Shou, who is usually calm, can't hide his uneasiness at this moment.
"Fate never chooses time, child." The elder's eyes fell on the hunter's broken arm. The mycelium spreading in the magic pattern was not difficult to distinguish. "Tell me about your story."
Shou did not hide anything. From Chis's deadly trap, to the strange meat balls, to those mushroom monsters called "Puji"... he recounted everything in detail.
Xinghuo, who was standing by, turned pale with his face and clenched his fists, but the elder just listened quietly, nodding his heavy head occasionally.
"Thank you for your hard work," the elder sighed, his breath weak, "Perhaps... all of this is my fault."
"Elder!" Xinghuo said urgently, "It's all because of Yan Yan's intelligence error! How can I blame you?"
“Alas…” The elder shook his head slowly, his eyes revealing fatigue and self-blame. “It was me who insisted on not moving south, it was me who rejected contact with the empire, it was me… who couldn’t let go of the former Demon King. If I had surrendered to the empire earlier, those children… might not have died…”
"This..." Xinghuo wanted to argue, but was interrupted by the elder's weak but firm gesture.
"Xinghuo, take Qiong to rest and comfort the tribe. I... have something to say to Shou alone."
"...Yes!" Xinghuo looked at Shou deeply, then helped Qiong out.
The moment the curtain fell, the elder's withered hand suddenly grabbed Shou's arm! An unprecedented sharp light burst out from his turbid eyes, and his voice was very low, but every word was like a hammer:
"Hun! This is 'Fusion Parasitism'! I'm afraid our entire tribe has been targeted by those Pujis!"
"Fusion... parasitism?" Shou looked at the mycelium on his arm that seemed to have life. Even though he had guessed it long ago, and it was confirmed by the elder himself, regret still filled his heart instantly, "So... I shouldn't have come back?"
"No! You were right to come back!" The elder's knuckles turned white from exerting too much force, but his eyes were extremely firm. "I taught Xinghuo myself, and I know that he alone can't support the tribe today! The tribe needs you! It's just a parasitic ability. We are lives forged by the Demon Lord himself, not those simple mortals of flesh and blood!"
A strange smile with determination appeared on the elder's face. "I... can still fight for you... one more chance..."
The magic patterns on the elder's body lit up like a last ray of light, and all the magic power in his body gathered in the magic core.
"But...Shou...where is the future of the tribe...after I leave...you don't have to follow the old rules...whether to migrate south or not...it's up to you...I owe you all..."
"Elder?!" Shou's heart sank.
…
When Xinghuo lifted the curtain and entered again, the elder's bed was empty.
On the thick blanket, there lay quietly a magic core with a slightly dim luster.
Shou knelt beside the bed, his back frozen like a stone sculpture.
"...The elders have entrusted the tribe to you." Xinghuo's voice was dry, without any surprise, but only a hint of understanding.
He took a deep look at the magic core and the hunter's back, and left with only one sentence before turning away, "...Hurry up, the tribesmen...are waiting."
Shou slowly stretched out his broken hand and picked up the magic core.
The elder saved the opportunity he mentioned at the cost of burning out his life in advance - an opportunity to use this magic core as a foundation to reshape his flesh and blood and get rid of the parasite!
No matter how strange these mycelium are, they cannot invade the origin of the magic core. This method can indeed help him get rid of the parasite and even... regain his hands.
But... there is only one chance, and it can only save him alone, while the future of the entire tribe is still unknown...
(End of this chapter)
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