Strength 99999 but the Holy Sister

Not long after, an old dwarf came here. Although wrinkles appeared on his face and his hair was a little gray, his muscles were almost as good as Sandal's.

"This is my father." Sandar stood up and introduced.

"I am the mayor of Mengsk Village. You can call me Sanmo. Welcome, guests from afar."

Sandra brought a unique kind of scone, which seemed to be made from some kind of berries that were dried and then ground into powder and kneaded into wheat flour. The rich aroma emitted by the dried fruit pulp after being roasted easily aroused people's appetite, and the wine here was also very easy to drink. For such a remote fishing village, this seemed to be a good food that would be served when entertaining guests.

With the arrival of Sammo, Aisha and Sandal turned from small talk to business - Aisha simply stated the purpose of her coming here, and asked Sammo if there were any unidentified people passing by the fishing village recently or being seen by the people in the fishing village.

"I'm sorry, but I lost my forging skills over the years. I can't tell where this thing came from."

Sunmo returned the fragment of the black blade to Aisha.

"You are the only outsiders who have come here recently. Apart from you, even merchant ships haven't visited us in a long time. The last merchant ship that came here was sunk by a sea monster, and we also lost several fishing boats."

Sunmo's answer made Aisha feel a little strange.

"Sea monster?"

"It's said to be an eight-legged monster, much larger than the eight-clawed one that harassed our village. But no one has ever seen its true form except those who were there at the time. Sadly, those brave warriors are all dead. Since its appearance, it has been lurking under the icebergs, attacking passing ships. Because of this, our fishing boats haven't been out to sea for a long time."

Sanmo said, sighing.

"I've lived here for 50 or 60 years, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

Elsa and Tricia looked at each other, feeling a little strange - they had passed through the sea many times on their way here, but they hadn't seen any sea monsters, let alone demons.

But the Dead Sea is far away from Mengsk Village, so perhaps something was missed.

Tricia pressed on, "Can you tell me what happened? When did the sea monster start to appear? Are there any clues about it?"

"It was about two or three months ago. Every year around this time, merchant ships would come here to sell us flint. It was the last period before the cold wave hit, and I remember it very clearly. But they were attacked and sunk just after they arrived. Since then, our fishing boats have also been attacked. Because of this, the flint in our village is no longer enough, and food is dwindling. The stored food is simply not enough to survive this winter. This year is destined to be very difficult."

Sanmo shook his head and said.

Two or three months ago - at that time, Elsa was still in Weilin Town, and Tricia was still asleep. However, if the time when the demons were lurking was taken into account, it would make sense, because those underground caves only appeared at least a month ago. In this case, it should have nothing to do with the Black Nether Armor that was being tracked down, because the escape of the Black Nether Armor only happened recently.

"You are my friend, Sister Faris, I will not hide anything from you—"

Sandal put the broadsword in a corner. It was the sword his sister had held. The sword was very heavy to Sandella, but it was like a toy to Sandal.

"Our village has been attacked many times by monsters lately. Those octopus monsters always come ashore to hunt for food during this season. It's not uncommon, but this year they've been unusually active. A while ago, one even ran from the coast into our village and broke our 'lights'—but luckily, that big guy wasn't very smart and didn't go underground. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stop them alone."

Is it because of the appearance of the eight-clawed monster that the sea monster that has never been seen is mistaken for a very huge eight-clawed monster?

Elsa was thoughtful.

"No one was hired to defeat them?"

Generally speaking, the armed forces of small villages are very limited. Even among the Utes who worship muscles, warriors like Sandal are very rare in small villages. If you encounter troubles that cannot be solved alone, then hiring people from outside to help is the best option - especially some senior adventurers, who occasionally receive such commissions. While there is a certain degree of danger, the rewards are also quite considerable.

Sandar scratched his head and grinned. "Of course not. But those dark monsters, while not very smart, are not stupid. If they can't defeat them, they'll just flee. Our ships can't catch up to them. If we chase them too far, we might be targeted by sea monsters. We've already lost several warriors in the sea, and those foreign adventurers are helpless—and then the cold wave hit, and no one wants to come anymore."

Compared with the forests on land, the potential dangers in the sea are obviously more difficult to deal with - many forests have become "pastures" for local nobles, but the sea has never been conquered by humans.

"We also sent our warriors to Black Wind City to seek assistance from the Great King's army." Black Wind City is the largest city closest to Mengsk Village. "But we haven't heard from anyone since. The cold wave has left us helpless. I can't leave the village for too long. If those guys attack again, the village will be in danger."

Sandal is the strongest warrior here, but he is also one of the few who can fight those monsters head-on. He cannot leave the village, but others have no way to go far in the ice and snow caused by the cold wave. Even if they really go to Black Wind City, it is unknown whether the army is willing to brave the cold wave to support a small village with only a hundred people.

Things become clear now. In fact, this is also the reason why Sandal left Aisha and the others behind.

Because the coast has become dangerous, Mengsk Village has no chance to store enough supplies for the winter before the cold wave arrives. Now Mengsk Village lacks food and flint for heating. Of course, it has not reached the point of shortage so far, but the long winter has just begun. It is foreseeable that if they still cannot find external assistance, they may face the dilemma of running out of ammunition and food one day - and Elsa's arrival gave Sandal hope.

No wonder when Sandal came here, he just made a symbolic gesture and did not really make things difficult for Aisha and the others. Instead, he couldn't wait to bring them to see the village chief.

After thinking for a while, Aisha asked:

"Did you know that there's a dead sea area in the northeast near the Snow Mountain Range?"

"Death place?"

Sandal scratched his head. He seemed to have no idea about this term, while his father, Sanmo, frowned solemnly and stroked his thick beard vigorously. The metal rings made a crisp friction sound.

"A deadly place appeared beneath the mountains? Is this why you came here to investigate those demons?"

"You can think so."

Sang Mo's expression became uneasy.

"Have the demons really made a comeback? Sorry, we haven't left the village for a long time since the cold wave, so I don't know what's going on there. However, a few months ago, our young women went to the foot of the snow-capped mountains to pick summer berries. These pancakes are made from dried summer berries," Sang Mo pointed to the unique pancakes on the table. "No one encountered anything back then..."

Tricia pressed on, "When did that happen? Was it at the foot of the snowy mountains?"

"When the summer fruit ripened... it was about four months ago..."

"Yes, I remember. My sister and I went there at that time. Not only to the foot of the Northwest Snow Mountain near the coast, but we also climbed up the mountainside. The scenery was beautiful."

Sundar added.

Four months ago, it was almost the hottest season of the year in the north, and the foot of the snow-capped mountains near the coast was a place with relatively balanced humidity and temperature - and now, it has become a dead place.

That is to say, the death place should have appeared within these four months.

This is a useful clue.

Aisha and Tricia looked at each other, thought for a moment, and then said to Sandal and Sandal, "I can bring you food and flint. How much do you need?"

Food can be purchased in the Western Province and the Southern Territory. As for flint, merchant Ebusen happens to be in the business. If he's unable to make the decision, Ms. Sifreya of the Morton-Furnia Chamber of Commerce can handle it. These items can all be transported here using space equipment—Mengsk Village only has about a hundred people in total, and the food and flint needed to meet the needs of this small number of people shouldn't take up too much space. At the very least, a few more shipments should be enough.

"Also, if those monsters appear again, I can help you deal with them. Although I am indeed here to investigate other matters, defeating evil demons is also the job of our church."

This means that Elsa does not need to charge any compensation, which is undoubtedly a very tempting proposal for the small fishing village, as the people here do not have much money to pay for employment fees.

"And me!" Charlie responded. "Don't look at me like that. I'm a silver medal adventurer—ordinary gold medal adventurers might not be my match."

"Count me in," Tricia also said.

But Sundar quickly waved his hand and refused.

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean. You are my friends and our guests. How can I let you take risks? Don't underestimate those monsters. We have already lost several brave warriors."

Sundar said.

"I just want you to hire some helpers for me. Those monsters are very annoying. We won't take the initiative to attack them. We just need to protect the village during the winter."

……

Elsa, Tricia and Charlie did not stay in Mengsk Village for long. As a precaution, Tricia left them a magic stone for communication. Then the three of them returned to the snow-capped mountains on the coast. They confirmed the place that Sandal had described - it had indeed become a dead zone. Low gray bushes could be found under the thick snow, and occasionally some dry berries could be found, which were "summer berries".

"What's certain is that everything was normal here four months ago, so..."

As Tricia was speaking, she saw Elsa wipe a dried summer fruit and put it into her mouth. She was shocked before she could finish her words.

"Huh? Aisha, what are you doing..."

"I want to see if these berries are still edible."

As soon as she swallowed it, Aisha saw a small [-1] appear on her panel.

"Of course I can't eat them... This is a deadly place. Once their vitality is lost, chaotic magic will accumulate. That kind of thing is poisonous to the human body..."

Tricia looked at Aisha worriedly, but she didn't react.

"Elsa, are you okay?"

"It's okay. I actually think it tastes pretty good—but it's definitely poisonous."

Elsa commented seriously.

At this time, Charlie came over, and she didn't understand what was going on. She saw that Elsa was holding a bitten berry in her hand.

"Huh? Where did this come from?"

She immediately came over and wanted to try it.

"You can't eat it."

"what?"

Elsa threw away the berry that Charlie was about to eat, which made Charlie stunned and feel aggrieved.

"This stuff is poisonous."

Elsa couldn't help laughing.

……

------------

447. The Legend of Serithir

Elsa did not stay in the snow-capped mountains for long. The information provided by Sangmo and Sandal was limited. People in the small fishing village seemed to rarely come to the snow-capped mountains. But this also provided Elsa with a clue - from the ripening and picking of summer fruits to the beginning of winter, the four months were the time when the death place appeared.

"I happen to know a few Ute friends. I thought I could use them to investigate the nearby cities and towns. Perhaps someone has noticed something unusual happening beneath the snowy mountains in the past few months—or some other noteworthy anomaly. We might even find something new."

Tricia said.

It would be more convenient to find a helper than to investigate on your own.

Tricia always knew people in various places, especially the Utes, a race that was known for its longevity. Of course, such longevity was only relative, and there were few Utes who could live over a hundred years old.

"In that case, let's go back to Fisher Territory first. I want to prepare some food and flint."

"To Sandar and the others?"

"Ah."

Elsa nodded.

"Wow! Aisha, Tricia!" At this time, Charlie's voice came from above her head.

Elsa looked up and saw Charlie slowly emerging from the blood mist. She didn't know when she had arrived at the crumbling crown of a dead tree. Facing the cold wind, her cute little fingers stretched out from under the cuffs of her thick coat, pointing to the distant north, and her voice was faintly filled with excitement.

"Look! What is that?"

Elsa and Tricia flew into the air one after another, leaving the mountainside and looking towards the north. The snow-capped mountains were under their feet. As a biting north wind blew with the breath of the ice sea, the view became extremely broad. It was late at night, but on the other side of the distant Arctic Ocean, a gorgeous emerald green river was flowing quietly, like a huge glowing curtain, hanging high in the sky, looming in the wind and snow, spectacular and beautiful.

It turns out that there are also auroras in this world.

No, maybe it’s not something like the aurora - this place is still quite a distance away from the extreme north of this world, and generally speaking, it should be difficult to see the aurora at this distance and in such weather.

"Is that... the Aurora?"

"'Aurora'? What's that?"

Charlie couldn't help but ask, and apparently, not only Charlie, but Tricia had never heard of this statement either.

"No, nothing. I just saw a similar description in a book, and I was wondering if it was something like that. In that book, it seemed to be called 'Aurora', also known as 'Aurora'."

"Huh? What is that?"

It was obvious that neither Tricia nor Charlie had heard of those terms.

"It's said to be the name of a deity who controls dawn and light, and also represents hope. It seems to be some made-up story, but because it seems so interesting, I still have some impression of it."

Elsa smiled as she spoke - what she was talking about was all about her past life, and she just said it because she thought it was fun, but she didn't intend to really let Tricia and Charlie believe it, so she didn't explain too much.

At least, not now.

As for the future, perhaps one day Elsa will tell her secret.

"Aurora... Aurora? What a strange story... This is the first time I've heard of such a story..."

Charlie looked very curious.

Tricia frowned slightly, as if she was seriously thinking about whether there was such a book and god that she had never heard of, but it was obvious that she would not gain anything.

She thought for a moment and said, "I'd like to read that book if I get a chance. Perhaps those things aren't just stories, but real history. Some lost books have been passed down in this way. If that's the case, perhaps Aurora is a god whose existence has never been recorded."

In fact, Tricia inexplicably had a strange feeling: the so-called "stories" told by Elsa seemed to be more than just stories, or in other words, they did not seem like something made up - and this was not the first time that Elsa gave her a very contradictory feeling, as if she knew a lot, but also seemed to know nothing about many things. The gap between her cognition, strength and age always made Tricia feel a very strange feeling from time to time, as if Elsa had not spent the first ten years of her life on this continent at all.

Yes, Elsa never mentioned it, and Tricia had nowhere to find out everything about Elsa's past ten years.

This is really strange.

Just as Tricia was sinking deeper into incongruous thoughts, Aisha's words interrupted her.

"Really? I guess I can't find that book anymore, but I'll tell you about it slowly if I get a chance—Oh, come to think of it, I remember this kind of scenery wouldn't appear until it snows."

Aisha intentionally changed the subject, and Tricia didn't think much about it, and explained with her rich knowledge:

"Generally speaking, that's true—if you want to see it clearly, you have to go beneath the northernmost ice sheet. There, a mysterious, holy light will replace the starry sky, breaking the darkness of the eternal night. The clearer the night sky, the clearer the beautiful light will be. Some believe it's the riverbed of the moon and stars, while others believe it's the result of the collision of magic energy brought by the extreme north's cold wave with magic energy from the outside world."

Tricia raised her head and looked out through the cold wind.

"And in the northern kingdom of Belmontferrea, it represents a legend. In the language of the ancient Yots and elves, it is called 'Serichil'."