novelhk Chapter 187 Evil God
Chapter 187 Evil God
Chapter 187 Evil God
"Oh no, I can't do it anymore!!"
Hyacinth rolled around on the ground with a mournful face.
Tang Zijun and Gloria exchanged a glance, their expressions quite subtle at that moment.
After Hyacinth confidently took on the task of purifying the land, they arrived at the wasteland north of Black City under the guidance of Grilando.
Originally, this was one of the nobles' territories. Before the fall of Black City, many slaves cultivated the land here and were responsible for growing food for the nobles. They, along with this land, were the property of the nobles.
But now, with the departure of the nobles, this place has been completely abandoned. The land is blood red, with only a few tenacious weeds standing tall, and nothing else.
Generally speaking, as a companion species to the Tree of Life, the Flower Fairy clan possesses extremely strong vitality. Their primal power can easily transform the land and bring incredible life to plants.
But the hyacinth was clearly unaware of the differences in this world.
She tried to awaken this land several times with her own life force, but each time it was like throwing a stone into an abyss without any ripples, without even the slightest response, and the whole land was deathly silent.
"How could this be..." Grilando opened her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.
In her understanding, fairies are the embodiment of plants, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them the gods of the forest. There are rumors that the existence of a single fairy can sustain the entire Baron’s territory. Grilando never expected that even fairies could not save this cursed land.
Tang Zijun didn't say anything, but silently squatted down and grabbed a handful of soil.
The red soil is quite hard, with large, lumpy pieces that are not easily broken. In addition, its dark color is similar to the acidic soil that Tang Zijun remembers. Soil that is too acidic will corrode plant roots and make it impossible to cultivate.
However, if it's just acidic, hyacinths shouldn't be unable to repair it.
After all, although this little guy looks useless, he is definitely not a good-for-nothing. Their tribe may be weak in combat, but taking care of plants is their specialty, so they can't be incapable of even that.
Tang Zijun didn't believe in any so-called "cursed land." Everything has a cause and effect, and there must be a reason why this place became like this. Moreover, even if it were a curse, there would definitely be a corresponding way to break it.
Thinking of this, Tang Zijun looked at Hyacinth, who was still sulking on the ground. "Hyacinth, is there something wrong with this land, or is something affecting it?"
Upon hearing this, the hyacinth flapped its wings and flew up, replying with a combination of words and gestures.
"I can sense that this land is hiding some kind of energy, otherwise I would never have failed. There must be something around here that has been influencing this land."
Nodding slightly, Tang Zijun's gaze shifted to Grelando.
Seeing this, Gloriand pondered for a moment before slowly raising her head. "This land was cursed when Black City fell. Those who remained became Blood Cultists, and this matter may be related to them."
"The Blood Cultists are those guys who offer their flesh and souls to evil gods in order to survive, right?" Tang Zijun recalled the zombies outside the city and the red-robed ghost in the forest.
"Yes, we used the power of the runes to drive them out of Black City, but they did not leave. Instead, they roam around the city day and night, attacking all the humans who come and go here."
"Then it must be those guys influencing me!" Hyacinth nodded.
"No." Tang Zijun waved her hand. "I've fought those guys before. They are indeed strange, but they shouldn't be able to change the environment here."
Hyacinth's eyes widened. "You mean, there's something else around here?"
Tang Zijun bowed slightly, then turned to Gloriand and asked, "Could you tell me more about these cultists? If the evil god truly has the power to alter the human body, then perhaps it is the leakage of his power that has affected this land."
After hearing Tang Zijun's words, Grelando also felt that this guess was highly likely. However, as an ordinary mercenary, this kind of topic was really a bit beyond her scope.
After a moment of silence, Gloriand said uncertainly, "The Blood Cult is a cult that has emerged in recent years. Originally, this cult was supposed to worship the God of the Wasteland."
"Is the God of Wasteland also an evil god?"
"Hmm," Grelando continued.
"The God of Wasteland is a new god worshipped by fallen druids. After the Nightmare Gods destroyed the Elven Forest, some corrupted druids were affected in their minds. They abandoned the power of nature and embraced the wasteland, becoming wandering beings. Later, this sect spread to the human kingdoms and slowly became the Blood Church."
Listening to this long explanation, Tang Zijun's expression also became somewhat solemn.
This dream world is truly a battle of gods; anything that pops up at random can be called a god. A small Blood Church is actually another branch of a cult that split off from the Church of Nature.
For some reason, Tang Zijun suddenly felt as if she had been transported into a mythological era.
Perhaps in ancient times, the civilizations of that time faced a similar wondrous scene. I wonder if the humans of that time were like the inhabitants of the dream world.
"You just said that the Blood Church appeared after the fall of Black City, and that this land was subsequently cursed. Do you know where their altars are located?"
"Wolf Rider, do you suspect that all of this was done by that Blood God?"
"Even your power cannot purify this land. Perhaps only an existence of a higher level than you could do it." Tang Zijun rubbed Hyacinth's head with her fingers.
Hyacinths are, after all, created by the Tree of Life, and with a tree god at their backs, their power is theoretically on par with that of magical girls.
At this moment, Gloria spoke up. "The altar was destroyed when we took Black City, so there shouldn't be any cultists in Black City now..."
At this point, Grilando suddenly remembered something.
"wrong!"
The sudden shout startled Hyacinth, and then Grilando pulled a parchment from her bosom.
Tang Zijun curiously went closer and discovered that the parchment was a map, depicting the environment around Black City. However, a considerable portion of the upper left corner was blank, and she didn't know whether it was because it wasn't included or what.
After glancing at the map, Gloria quickly pointed to a spot. "This is where the corruption started. The Blood Church didn't originate in Black City, but outside of it."
"Where is this place?" Tang Zijun asked casually.
"This place was originally a mine, but it was abandoned due to the war. It was inhabited by a large number of dark creatures. Later, a few corrupted druids lived here for a period of time. The Blood Church should have been introduced here around that time."
"How do you know so much? Didn't you escape from somewhere else?" Hyacinth looked at Grelando with some curiosity.
Gloriam, without any concealment, replied, "Desk was originally a local. He lived here before Black City fell, and he told me these things."
Upon hearing this name, Tang Zijun racked her brains for a long time before she remembered that this Desk was the man who had made her reveal her weapon before.
However, that wasn't the main point; Tang Zijun focused her attention on the markings on the map.
"So the source of the Blood Church must be this mine, right? Can I understand that as long as the altar in the mine is destroyed, cutting off the source of the Blood God's power, this land can be restored to its original state?"
"this"
Grilando's expression was somewhat conflicted.
"To be honest, sir, I don't know. I'm just a mercenary. Before this, I've never dared to offend any god, whether it's a righteous god or an evil god. I, a mercenary, am not someone who can resist them."
Seeing Grelando's expression, Tang Zijun didn't say anything more. If they couldn't even cross the social class of nobility, then there was no way they could transcend divine authority.
It's really a bit difficult for her to think about these things.
However, this also gave Tang Zijun a short-term goal, and he slowly stood up. "Whether it works or not, I should still give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Gloriand's expression changed. "My lady, you... you're not really going to the mines, are you? They've been abandoned for far too long and have long been overrun by dark creatures. It's too dangerous."
"Danger often represents benefit."
Tang Zijun said calmly.
"Black City has now fallen. Although you have taken back the city, it is now a wasteland because it cannot be cultivated. If you continue to rely on buying food from other settlements, it will be a slow death for you."
"How many people are in your mercenary group? How many dark creatures are out there? A distant source of water cannot quench an immediate thirst. If you cannot be self-sufficient, your mercenaries will eventually be unable to make ends meet."
"And if your numbers suffer too many casualties, the surrounding dark creatures will swarm in and once again divide up Black City along with you all. At that point, will you still have enough strength to lead everyone here to escape?"
"I..." Looking deeply at the man in front of her, Grelando swallowed hard. She knew all too well what Tang Zijun had said.
After a moment of silence, Grelando's gaze gradually hardened.
"I understand. I'll go and gather the brothers right away."
"Why did you gather them?"
"Attack on the mine won't be easy, especially since there are unknown cultists entrenched there. If we unite our forces, perhaps..."
"The key to victory is quality, not quantity. Sending too many people will make us a bigger target, leading to more casualties, which would be counterproductive," Tang Zijun said. "Besides, if you gather all the mercenaries, who will guard Black City?"
"This..." Gloria pursed her lips. "Then...shall we form a team?"
"No need for that."
Tang Zijun shook her head and said calmly.
"Just find me someone to show me the way."