A journey of Shadowverse and Honkai Impact 3rd

The old, hunched figure moved step by step on the ground, and the coiled roots stretched out in all directions like tentacles. The uneven surface was mostly rough bark, and the concave parts formed deep hollows, with faint shining darkness flowing in them, emitting a strange light.

This thing was like a swollen sapling that pulled itself out of the ground and wandered aimlessly in the gloomy forest until it found the traces of living people, then it walked towards them with unwavering steps.

"Fire."

Defined as an enemy based on the nature of being unable to communicate, the foreign strangers were not at all kind and friendly, and thus launched a massive bombardment on the monsters. In the roaring electromagnetic projectiles, the tree monster retreated, and several large holes exploded on its body surface. The broken wood chips flew everywhere, covering the ground like blood.

"Ceasefire."

The one who gave the order was Raven. She had the experience of killing monsters and being attacked by bad things, so she thought that tree monsters were a similar species and needed to be acted with caution.

The roaring fireworks stopped making any sound, leaving only the tree ghost lying on the ground, groaning and waving its body. In the deep hollow, strange lights flashed one after another, like the flash of a camera, so intense that it reminded people of the sticky moonlight they had encountered before.

Subconsciously frowning, Raven was caught off guard by the flashing light. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt nothing was wrong. Then, she checked her companions around her. Seeing that no one was abnormal, she wondered if she was being too sensitive.

"Very interesting life form."

Seeing that the tree monster fell to the ground and could not pose a threat to them for a while, Jackal's research interest soared. She carefully looked at this monster that was very different from the Honkai Beast, and only detected some strange biological reactions from it.

The life activities are extremely weak, but the amplitude of the activities is far beyond the value shown by the mask, just like a tiny ant lifting a car weighing several tons.

Is it those unknown energies that do not belong to Honkai energy that support its life activities? How interesting.

"Take samples from various parts of the body. This thing is very valuable for research."

At the command, a soldier took a deep breath and stepped forward. Using the flexible servo system of the power armor, he cut off the tree monster's limbs and scattered debris and put them into the test tube for collecting materials. But when he tried to touch the darkness in the sunken hole, his body completely froze.

In his field of vision, a white light that could cover and obscure everything exploded from the deep darkness, penetrating through the heavily protected power armor and swallowing up everything he had.

But in the eyes of others, the soldier suddenly stopped moving, as if he had turned from a living person into an immobile statue, or a quiet tree, and remained unresponsive for a long time.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Collect them quickly."

There was a hint of rebuke in the Jackal's tone. Her mask showed that the soldier had not suffered any unexpected attacks, and all his physiological reactions were within the healthy range, which digitally demonstrated that he was normal.

The mysterious atmosphere followed them everywhere. During the several hours of walking, the psychological pressure brought by this gloomy forest had become very obvious. When encountering this strange situation, no one had the courage to go forward to help.

The soldiers who had not received any orders were on full alert. The man huddled in the iron shell looked at the tree ghost lying on the ground, still slowly waving its branches, and suddenly felt a sense of being spied on.

Dots of white light appeared on the soldier's retina and fell into the hole on the fallen tree monster not far away, as if the light was emitted from the hole.

The soldier wanted to speak up to explain the situation and break the silence of reality, but in an instant, the white spot of light on his retina began to expand rapidly, growing from a spot of light into a band of light, and then growing wildly into a pure white gauze, covering his eyes and blinding his soul.

The eyes of the man in the power armor suddenly became dull, and then suddenly regained his composure. However, the dead silence brought about by the excessive calmness made him feel as if he was not a living person.

However, Raven, Jackal and the others were unaware of what was happening in secret within the team. In a real dream, the reality and falsehood are uncertain, and the changes between true and false can always exceed people's expectations. Facing all kinds of strange things born from spiritual thoughts and human intentions, what is tested is not only the strength of the body, but also the height of the spirit.

After all, the road of magic is the road of spiritual sublimation. It is a road that relies on the precious spirituality inherent in life to knock on the door of truth step by step. Master after master has already explained to future generations that the romantic scenery on this broad road can help people reach the highest heaven.

"let's go."

Gray Snake, as a guide, expressed his own judgment. He stepped forward and took the samples collected by the soldiers, and put them into the storage module of the autonomous mecha. Then he asked everyone to continue forward and not to worry about the tree monster on the ground.

"If we encounter strange phenomena or creatures later, we can just attack them until they lose their ability to move. The most urgent task now is to find the traces of the indigenous people and gain a safe base."

Raven remained silent. Just now, she carefully observed the surrounding environment and did not find anything strange.

In other words, this strange tree was responsible...

Raven felt endless worries and irritation in his heart. He took a deep breath and suppressed the annoyance, but the clear consciousness still lingered in his heart.

The monsters here are rarely the type that fight head-on. Compared to fighting openly, their unpredictable abilities are more difficult to defend against.

There is an unknown light source in the tree, emitting a terrifying light, and under the tree, different strange creatures are constantly wandering...

But fortunately, the number and frequency of the monsters encountered are not high, which is acceptable. I hope that I can find the traces of the indigenous people as soon as possible and get the corresponding protection.

Raven prepared a programmed injection on her body. As long as the system detected that her physiological reaction had reached a critical state, the cardiotonic drug related to Honkai energy would be injected into her body, breaking through the suppression of the surrounding environment and restoring her full strength.

In this way, in an atmosphere of anxiety, the team continued to move forward, unaware of the disaster of despair that had spread among the team.

328. Guidance

hum-

The invisible detection wave shot forward, but only the reflected wave within a close range brought information from the surrounding area, allowing the detector to outline the environmental terrain within a range of ten meters.

Above is a dense layer of dark green leaves, which is a forbidden area that no one in the team has taken into consideration.

The surrounding area was covered in woods that looked overly densely planted. When the number of tree species that appeared in succession exceeded three digits, naturalist Catherine gave up trying to find any clues from this aspect.

A decadent mood inevitably passed through everyone's heart. Even the most determined warriors had to feel numb and powerless here. Perhaps, only the great power that could truly burn everything could challenge the true mysterious nature of this gloomy forest.

In addition, all people who come here or other foreign objects need to abide by the rules here, and only after going through difficult trials can they obtain the corresponding certificates.

"Den-"

The detector did not make any sound indicating that it had detected any life. Instead, a very dull thumping sound responded to the mecha's resounding footsteps, reflecting the exceptionally quiet and desolate surroundings.

"There are new discoveries."

Catherine, who spoke first, seemed to have suddenly gained courage and hope from her heart, and her impatient voice contained joy that the current dull situation had been broken.

This created a situation where everyone was looking at their own detectors.

Every pair of eyes is staring at its own detector. On the terminal in its hand and on the mask of the power armor, each has a different line of sight, pointing to the changing scene.

At the edge of the ten-meter detection distance, there was an open space where the trees suddenly disappeared. The closer you got, the more you could see the entire open space. However, the sky was still covered by the leaves of taller trees, and you couldn't see any color of the sky.

This should be an abandoned settlement. The houses built of stones and wood all have an empty and cold feeling. There are more than a dozen houses, and it seems that quite a few people have lived here.

The exploration team, surrounded and protected by mechas, entered here smoothly. When everyone was relaxed by the traces of civilization, the leader with keen observation skills had already discovered the special features of the settlement.

"All the doors of the houses face this direction. Does it have any special meaning, Gray Snake?"

The jackal knew that the accompanying gray snake was an individual with escape experience, so he questioned him, and his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the mask she wore and go straight into people's hearts.

"Exceptional and noble."

Gray Snake folded up his umbrella and used it as a walking stick, pointing to the center of the settlement where the surrounding houses were facing.

"In Aboriginal culture, apart from worldly wealth for self-sustainment, unique beliefs and worship of gods are of paramount importance."

"In their perception, the dead are more noble because they are closer to the spirits of their ancestors. This must be the site of a sacrificial ceremony."

Not only did he give a separate explanation, the gray snake also began his "disrespectful" excavation, not afraid of digging out something that should not be dug out from this cleared area.

In short, when Raven felt very uneasy, Gray Snake had already completed its excavation and dug out a dark black box from the ground. When it was brought up, wisps of mist were still emitting.

It was like the stage fog created by dry ice, but the fog that suddenly appeared and flowed around the black box was even brighter. The grayish-white color seemed to be able to penetrate the human retina. It was extremely sharp under any circumstances, forcing people to look away after staring for a while to relax their eyes.

"what is this?"

The intellectual naturalist, who had a weak will, was the first to look away to prevent the soreness and stinging in his eyes from getting worse.

"A noble and sacred place for the deceased to rest."

The gray snake's movements were very solemn, and there was an extremely solemn atmosphere all over his body, as if what he was holding in his hands was not a black box, but the body of a god itself, and he was almost prostrating himself in worship.

"Please bring over some of the stored Honkai Energy Crystals, and try to cut down some of the surrounding wood and bring it here. I'll see if I can perform a sacrifice."

Holding the black box motionless in his hands, the already mysterious Gray Snake is no longer a mysterious information dealer at this moment, but more like a wizard or shaman from primitive times. At least in terms of image, no one thinks otherwise.

Having seen something from the gray snake, the raven nodded and began to lead some soldiers to carry out the gray snake's wishes, while the jackal and Catherine remained silent, full of curiosity about the upcoming sacrifice.

"Is sacrifice the same as primitive humans' belief in totems or the offerings from religious times?"

As a naturalist, Catherine's knowledge may not be so profound, but she is indeed knowledgeable in terms of breadth. After discovering that the artistic patterns on the black box were very novel, she speculated about the situation of the sacrifice.

"Who knows? They are just tricks of primitive people, and they are all old things that will be thrown into the trash can by science."

The Jackal's words were filled with an extraordinary self-confidence, almost to the point of arrogance. However, this did not mean that she was a devout believer in science, but rather clarified her quirks as a person with outstanding talents.

Gray Snake did not reply. At this moment, he even threw away the umbrella that always carried him on the ground, and instead reverently held up the black box with both hands. After a short wait, the cylindrical container containing the Honkai energy crystals and a lot of chopped wood were delivered to him.

It’s strange that the trees that were not actually destroyed even after being blown up by guns and cannons were now allowed to be cut down by them, without any of the previous weirdness.

"Ga, ho, chi gu..."

Seeing that the elements of the sacrifice were gathered, the gray snake began his performance. In one long and unpleasant syllable after another, a completely different language was repeated by his vocal organs.

Like the whistling of the wind in a deep valley at night, or the rumbling of the deep sea strata, when the strange pronunciation was linked into a sentence, the people standing nearby could understand its meaning.

This is a hymn praising the wisdom of the dead and their courage in building a bridge of communication between the living and the spirits of their ancestors. It is followed by a humble plea that the worshiper is willing to gain a brief enlightenment about the future through this sacrifice that pleases the spirits of their ancestors and the dead.

boom!

Where there was no flame, a huge fire suddenly ignited in the dark blue night. The pale green flames continued to devour the cylindrical container and the stacked wood, gradually turning them into strands of crushed air, which flowed into the black box held by the gray snake.

Then, the priest reverently put down the black box, performed the ritual of kneeling, and continued to praise the dead here in the mysterious Aboriginal language, until the pale green flame turned into a dark blue, like flaming sea water, emitting a clear light.

And it was after such a scene that Gray Snake silently looked at several soldiers in power armor in the team, and stood up seemingly normally.

"Let's go. I've got the guidance we want."

"That's great. We don't want to stay in such a dangerous place anymore."

A soldier said this, but his tone was like a stick reading, and his happy mood was ambiguous. If you don't listen carefully, you won't be able to detect the strange meaning in it.

329. Premeditated Encounter

Walking in the new direction pointed out by the gray snake, guided by the hope of finding safe shelter, the silence in the team was alleviated.

The raven, which was a few body lengths behind the gray snake, walked forward, its sharp eyes fixed on the front at all times. After leaving the abandoned settlement, they entered the forest again.

"In the information we received, did they explain the reason for the settlement's abandonment?"

Although Raven had not learned the language of the indigenous people and communicated with high-level shamans like Gray Snake, she also knew that sacrificial items like this should be very important objects and would not be abandoned here.

Just like when a disaster occurs, there are always people who have to rescue some property. If an emergency occurs, this thing should also be taken away by the indigenous people.

Unless the situation is really urgent, the indigenous people have no time at all, or in other words, the indigenous people are all dead the moment the situation occurs.

Raven hoped for the former possibility, rather than the tragic end of total annihilation. That meant that when they came here, they might also have to face unknown monsters that could slaughter all the indigenous people.

"They didn't explain it, but they just want us to return the black box to the temple where it was placed, away from this abandoned village."

"We don't need to know too much, we just need to execute. When necessary, we can use the power of the Black Box to overcome some difficulties."

Gray Snake obviously knew something, but he didn't say it.

The raven judged the nature of Gray Snake's evasive behavior and recalled that Gray Snake had glanced at several soldiers when the sacrifice was completed and the blue fireworks were shining brightly.

Was there anyone among us who got infected without me noticing?

As soon as this thought arose in his mind, Raven felt a slight chill.

Because she never noticed any signs of an attack, the soldiers who had been noticed by Gray Snake never made any trouble. They always conscientiously performed their duties as the outer protection circle, with guns in their hands ready to fire at the enemy at any time.

"..."

Raven's breathing was orderly. After this moment, she paid more attention to the soldiers accompanying her. Once there was any movement in the team, she would attack her teammates with lightning speed to prevent the worst situation from happening.

Not only do you have to face terrible external enemies, but you also have to be wary of the risk of your teammates turning bad. The desert before was considered mild compared to this forest!

The team headed in the predetermined direction, and the journey took several hours. No one thought of resting during the journey. Even if they were mentally and physically exhausted, they had to reach a safe place before resting.

On the other side, the three people who were waiting for the opportunity had been resting in this gloomy forest for a long time before they smelled the breath of a stranger coming from the howling wind.

"Oh! They are coming! What Miss Ochis said is true. They will keep approaching the safe spot where Miss Ochis is!"

There is a small tent on a small open space. Although it is not big, it can accommodate three people. Outside, there is a gem-like colorless crystal burning slowly. It is slowly broken down into many invisible auras by a tenacious heat, protecting the three people in the forest.

Ghosts, evil spirits and even natural phenomena here will not harm the three people. This is one of the privileges given by Ochis. Within the coverage of the token, even ghosts that only act on instinct will not get close to them.

"Yeah, I heard it too. I could hear their breathing and talking on the wind."

Schrödinger echoed Shakespeare, and then the militant Roland spoke.

"You're back so soon! Don't worry, if a fight breaks out, I'll protect you."

Roland's confident smile was filled with the determination to absolutely protect her friends, which made people unconsciously convinced. However, after Schrödinger's complaints, her smile was not so confident anymore.

"Really? Roland, when have you ever been able to face those strange creatures so frankly?"

"You know, during the next negotiation, there's a high possibility that a battle against a strange creature will break out."

Shakespeare, dressed in the durable uniform of an adventurer or explorer, complete with a dashing cloak, nodded and shared the same information he had obtained from the wind as Schrödinger.

"That's right. Some of these foreigners have already lost their minds and been controlled by those unpredictable creatures. If we encounter them later, there's a chance of a fierce battle."

Having said that, Shakespeare spoke with a look of great joy, as if she was looking forward to a conflict so as to test the advance payment she had just received from Ochis.

It is a magical system unique to real dreams, which can be said to be more similar to the technical means of wizards in horror stories, using the power of contracts to control things in the animistic environment.