The Divine Hunter Chapter 12: Oaks and Acorns
Adserbin, west of Velen, is the hometown of the Lady of the Woods.
Green water flows on all sides, reflecting a green mountain peak. It is not very majestic, but full of vitality and covered with dense vegetation.
There is a small village at the bottom of the mountain. The villagers have lived here for generations and worship the Lady of the Forest.
Every spring the three witches hold a Sabbath Eve banquet in Bald Mountain, gathering all the followers of Willen to accept the sacrifices they have collected for a year and distribute magic acorns.
Then a blind priestess will select three people from among the believers: a strong boy or a delicate girl to spend a wonderful night with his wife.
The next day, the favored boys and girls will return safely, happily forgetting their names and most of their past memories, and start a new life.
Large chunks of information flashed through Roy's mind.
During the Night Banquet at Bald Mountain, the security was tight. There were sentries everywhere, and there were even demon guards summoned by the old witch. It was almost impossible for the witcher to sneak in secretly.
But now more than half a year has passed since the night banquet, most of the sentries have been removed, and Mrs. Lin Zhong has also left Bald Mountain to go to Lower Wallen. The defense of this base camp is at its most empty and fragile.
The blood from the heart of the tree smeared all over the body covered all the breath of the demon hunters, allowing them to deceive the dense ears and eyes of the whispering women in the rock crevices of the mountain road, as well as the mountain guards wandering on the mountain road.
The two climbed along the rugged and steep rocks beside the mountain trail, and reached the top of the mountain without any obstruction.
Standing on a platform, you can see a huge oak tree sitting on the top of Bald Mountain. Its branches extend in all directions and drop to the mountain wall, like the tentacles of a giant octopus in the deep sea, thick and winding. It twists and turns, covering the entire top of the mountain.
It is difficult for a single tree to form a forest, but this oak tree has grown to the size of a small forest, and has undergone some kind of mutation. The bark is thick and black like silt, and the whole body is covered with vines and spikes, exuding... There is an aura of decay and evil, abundant magic, and chaotic energy lingering around its broad canopy.
It was so exciting that the Snake Pie Pendant buzzed and hummed.
The two stopped responding to the pendant around their necks.
In fact, this place was a sacred place for druids hundreds of years ago, but after the old witch arrived here, she completely destroyed the Ring of Willen and deformed the sacred oak tree on the top of the mountain.
The two demon hunters walked towards the entrance ahead, a six-meter-high, old and simple huge wooden door, which was the only way to the sacred oak tree on the top of the mountain.
They tiptoed to both sides of the wooden door and pushed gently. To their surprise, the wooden door was not locked and they pushed it open easily.
Then the two exchanged glances, gripped the silver sword tightly, formed the seal, and got in with their cat bodies.
On a sunny day, there was enough light to illuminate the structure inside the wooden door. First, there was a long and deep passage with light yellow ferns growing on both sides, and a heavy breathing sound was faintly heard at the end of the corridor.
"Hulu--Hulu--Hulu-"
Someone, or some kind of creature, is dozing inside the cave.
The witcher became more cautious, tiptoeing, leaning against the wall, controlling his breathing and heartbeat.
There were some unexpected gains during the walk. Roy discovered that the ferns in the cave were not ordinary plants like dandelions, sage, and celandine——
Aldrich fern
ferns
Year: two years
Grown in: Velen Ardserbin, Tilnaria.
Efficacy: Treat whooping cough, alchemy foundation.
"Tirnaria?" Roy pondered the name of this place and frowned. This place does not belong to any country in the current world, but is the capital of another world where the Ain El tribe lives.
The presence of plants from the Wild Hunt world in the old witch's hiding place further proves the close connection between the two.
Roy thought about picking a few Aldrich ferns as samples, but he retracted his hand halfway and retracted it. If this alarmed Forgas and the old witch and caused the operation to fail, it would be a big loss for a small gain.
He resisted the urge.
After quickly turning a corner, the two came into a spacious cave.
There was a hazy yellow light all around, and candles were lit in the corner. Two paths appeared in front of the demon hunter. One was on the left, with an upward slope, and the other was behind a raised rock wall, surrounded by a Behemoth occupies.
It lay on its back and snored, sleeping deeply. It was completely unaware that there were two more uninvited guests in the cave, and that it was completely defenseless and exposed to their sharp swords.
The demon hunter did not act rashly, but looked at the bloated monster with bated breath.
It is extremely fat, round and round like an overgrown troll. From the perspective of a demon hunter, you can just see its hill-like belly rising and falling with its snoring.
Except for a small piece of cloth under its crotch, this monster was completely naked. The exposed skin was as red as if it had been scalded by hot water, but there were several circles of black patterns on its waist, arms, and forehead. A pair of hooves like cattle and sheep, surrounded by thick black hair, and his hands were two dark and bloated fists with only three fingers as thick as carrots.
Further up, there is a pair of curved and sharp horns on its head, which is the iconic feature of the devil species.
Roy thought of the Juggernaut from this. He moved his nose and smelled a faint smell of sulfur in the air, which further confirmed the other party's identity.
Forgas
Age: Three hundred and fifty years old
Gender: Male
Identity: Demon (the stupider and weaker type among demons), mountain guard (guarding the road to the top of the mountain for the three witches.)
Life: 320
Magic power: 130
Attributes:
Strength: 20
Agility: 8
Physique: 20
Perception: 6
Will: 7
Charm: 4
Spirit: 13
Skills:
Sulfur Flame lv5: Intermediate fire element magic, which consumes medium mana. It uses the fire element and the restless sulfur in its body to emit highly toxic flames, causing burns, ignition, and poisoning effects at the same time.
Primary Demon Body (Passive Solidification): The demon species has extremely strong vitality, life +120, can heal any minor injuries quickly, and is immune to toxins. The digestive capacity is extremely powerful and the **** skin provides good resistance to blows.
……
Roy clearly remembered that there was a similar trial in the Wolf Academy Kaer Morhen, requiring the demon hunter apprentice to slip away from the sleeping Cyclops in the cave.
Whoever awakens the giant will become its food.
However, the threat of this demon is far less than that of the giant. Judging from the observed information, Roy and Leisuo can definitely kill it, especially now that it is in an undefended state.
But that would definitely alarm the old witch who was ten miles away and was interviewing the three Oaks, so the two could only give up temporarily.
Roy turned to the **** on the left and walked over first. According to memory, this road leads to the top of the mountain. Lei Suo followed behind, avoiding the gravel particles on the ground.
Thanks to the shielding effect of the blood in the heart of the tree, the two of them slipped away from Fogas's eyes smoothly, crawled through a dark path and arrived at the back of Balder Mountain.
The wind howled, and the bright sun illuminated the verdant plants all over the mountain. Looking further down, the buildings in the village below became as small as ants, and a winding stone road in the mountain led the witcher to the top of the mountain. That huge oak tree.
"Corrupted Oak Alandel"
Angiosperms deciduous trees
Year: One Thousand and Sixty Years
Growing place: Willen
? ?
There are sparse acorns hanging on the oak branches, like the few stars in the night sky - most of the acorns have been picked during the Bald Mountain Night Banquet in the spring and distributed to the followers of the Lady of the Woods.
Ordinary acorns are the size of broad beans, with a brownish-red shell. Each one of them is like a fist, and they are the same black color as the trunk of the oak tree.
The lush branches and leaves are dotted with two to three golden and pink acorns, which are hidden at the highest point of the oak tree, more than 30 meters in the air.
It is difficult for ordinary people to achieve, but it is not difficult for demon hunters. Lei Suo rolled up his sleeves without thinking and geared up.
"What are you doing, Reso?"
"Do you still need me to tell you?" The bald man crossed his arms and looked up at the oak tree, with a rare childlike tone in his voice, "A long time ago, when we were training at Gusweder, Oaks and I climbed trees a lot. It's very trivial. Just wait, I'll pick off those three golden acorns right away."
Roy rolled his eyes, "Don't move yet!"
"Little brat, if you keep dragging me for a while, the old witch will come back, and then we will have to answer here!"
"Don't you feel it?" Roy whispered, touching the rough branches of the oak tree with his palms, closing his eyes, his face gentle, "It's crying?"
Lesuo's expression became solemn, and his eyebrows formed a frown under his bald forehead. "What do you mean?"
"Leso, you know that I can communicate with Wilt, and I can also communicate with some other non-human races, such as Golfins." Roy explained, "Normally, plants are not within the scope of my communication. Inside. But this oak tree is different. It is extremely spiritual and is simply a living person."
Just now, when Roy was observing "Alandelle", the oak tree also conveyed a sad emotion to him.
At that moment, he seemed to see a helpless and desperate woman surrounded by the stinky sludge in the swamp for most of her body.
"Then what did she say to you?"
"You can also try listening."
……
"Kungulan...Kungulan..." A mature woman's voice used the demon hunter's arm touching the tree trunk as a bridge to reach the bottom of his heart.
This voice is calm, gentle, and full of trustworthy power, but occasionally it becomes hoarse and trembling, obviously suffering from some kind of torture.
Roy took a breath and took out the blood gem infused with the soul of the tree heart from his pocket. Suddenly the soul in the gem began to hit the crystal wall crazily, and the woman's voice became surprised and excited.
Like two lovers reunited after a long separation, close friends forming a deep friendship.
But because of the obstruction of the blood gem, they could not reunite.
At this moment, Roy finally realized that the heart of the tree sealed by him was indeed an ancient druid. Otherwise, how could the oak tree be so excited.
"Kungulan...help me...save me..."
"How should I save you?" Roy thought aloud, and looked up at the huge oak tree, thinking that he couldn't take the entire oak tree away. That would be unrealistic, unless it was an elf sage. A warlock of that level takes action.
"Pain..." The woman is still unable to express the words completely like normal humans, and her words are extremely concise, "Purify me... drive out evil..."
"What evil?"
"The old witch...extracts...the earth...the magic power...the evil...I...bear..."
The bald man next to him, who was also listening, couldn't help but retract his hand and rubbed his brows in distress, "You mean, the old witch drew magic power from the land of Willen, and then added some bad magic to it. Something transferred into your body?"
In response, the oak tree suddenly began to shake its branches and leaves, scattered leaves and acorns fell, a cold wind blew in the air, and a woman's sobs were faintly heard in the cold wind.
"Don't get excited!" Roy stroked the rough bark of the oak tree, "We deeply sympathize with your situation, but unfortunately, we are only demon hunters and do not have the magic power of warlocks or druids, so we cannot help you. , and there is no time, we must leave immediately!"
Roy looked anxiously at the sky in the distance and had a strong premonition that the three sisters were already on their way back!
"You can't do it...then...Kungulan...take action!"
"How to make her take action?" A thought flashed through Roy's mind, and then he shook his head wildly. "No!"
"Please...let Kun Gulan...take me away...naturally...reward..."
Roy held up the blood gem, his face uncertain.
Release the soul of Kun Gulan~IndoMTL.com~ She will undoubtedly destroy the sacred oak tree. By then, how many farmers in Willen will starve to death if they no longer have the oak oil to water their crops?
Should this sad "ecological balance" be broken?
"Kid..." Leisuo shook his head, "If this continues, I might as well stop asking for the acorns. Let's leave quickly!"
"I will come to relieve you in the future..." Roy's dark golden pupils glanced at the tall oak tree for the last time and gritted his teeth, "But not now!"
"Whoosh——"
Gabriel fired several arrows at the largest, ripest acorns on the golden oak tree.
"Dong, dong," three fist-sized, heavy pink and golden acorns fell to the ground.
"Let's go!" Leisuo waved his hand, put all the fruits into the space ring, grabbed Roy's arm, and ran down the mountain.
At the end of the field of vision, in the distant horizon, a black cloud composed of crows is approaching the top of the mountain!