Chapter 282
Into the Swamp
The plan of Eivass and the other three was certainly not something they could tell the locals in the village.
This “swamp” was considered a forbidden area by Eagle Cape Village. Not to mention outsiders, even not all locals had access to it at all times.
Fortunately, they had a “traitor” among them.
Using the excuse of investigating the past of Eivass’s grandfather, Jacob – which was indeed what they were about to do – they ate a little something to fill their stomachs early in the morning and left.
They even brought Haina’s Gryphon on this trip.
Although Haina was completely unaware of the problem, she had great faith in the brains of Eivass and Sherlock.
Now that both of them said there were big secrets and unknown risks in this village… Haina chose to trust them without hesitation. Therefore, her beloved little Gryphon, Liz, could not leave her sight.
With Haina leading the way, they headed directly to the swamp without getting lost.
Listening to Haina as she described the village’s layout, Eivass gradually understood its orientation map.
On the left and right sides of Eagle Cape Village, there were large lakes. Among them, the large lake on the northeast side was the Sapphire Lake, famous in Windpipe Town. One could reach that lake by crossing a dense forest from the easternmost part of Eagle Cape Village.
The lake on the southwest side was equally beautiful – it was slightly closer to Eagle Cape Village. The path to this lake did not require crossing a dense forest but was a sufficiently wide downhill road covered with soft grass.
William and the others usually chose this place when they went fishing. William’s lakeside cabin was also located next to this lake.
As for the swamp – that area was actually considered outside the village, strictly speaking. It was next to the lake where William was, which was directly south of Eagle Cape Village.
If someone could overlook the entire Eagle Cape Village from the very top, they would see a very complete circle.
Both the lake and the swamp were actually outside this circle.
“I was very mischievous when I was a child… I would run around the village.”
Haina and the Gryphon Liz walked at the front, skillfully navigating through the pathless dense forest, and replied without looking back, “I heard from a young age that it was dangerous here, but for ignorant children, ‘danger’ was more like an encouragement.”
“That’s true,” Eivass nodded slightly and said softly, “It represents a sense of novelty and a desire for conquest – the possibility for children to surpass adults.”
Because children knew they were children, they wanted to escape that identity even more. They didn’t really want to grow up, but rather to escape the constraints imposed on them; or to exchange status with the adults who tamed them.
“– Although their actions were childish and unreasonable. But that’s only because they knew little and lacked experience.”
Eivass looked at Haina’s back and said softly, “Undoubtedly, this is the desire for transcendence in their subconscious.”
Haina’s steps paused slightly, and she sighed, admitting, “That’s true.”
Perhaps, it was awakened from that time…
I really haven’t changed much since childhood…
Haina’s pupils were slightly tinged with a hazy yellow.
At this moment, a faint white mist suddenly appeared around them.
Sherlock frowned slightly.
He immediately detected a foul odor with a special pungent smell – different from the usual swamp smell. It was more like the stench emitted by carcasses that had been dead for many days and had already fermented, mixed with the moist, earthy smell of mud.
The ground underfoot had, at some point, turned into mud.
Stepping on it would cause clear, slightly sticky yellow water to leak out.
For some reason, it made one think of the clear liquid that oozes from a wounded body.
At this moment, Lily suddenly stepped forward and blocked Eivass with her left hand, saying coldly, “Something is coming.”
Eivass tilted his head slightly and noticed Lily’s face had become focused and indifferent.
This was a aggressiveness that she rarely showed him. Usually, Lily would smile gently, stand behind him with her hands clasped, like a shadow.
But now, Lily was like a dagger suddenly drawn from its sheath, shining with a chilling glint under the moonlight.
“【I have never hated anyone】. ”
Lily low-chanted a self-deceiving [lie].
Numerous gray threads suddenly appeared in the air.
The gray threads, like a spiderweb, spread all around, weaving between the trees in the dense forest.
The next moment, several headless Und slowly walked over from all directions.
“Second Energy Level, Headless Skeletal.”
Eivass’s voice rang out, “Do I need to act?”
Haina’s expression suddenly became focused.
She subconsciously reached for the blade at her waist, only to find it empty. It was then that she realized her weapon had already been given to her brother for maintenance.
But it didn’t matter.
The Gryphon Liz beside her had already charged forward.
After two steps on the ground, she flapped her wings and flew up.
It was less like flying and more like gliding – she pounced at one of the headless Und, and upon contact with the opponent with her talons, a gust of wind erupted, tearing the opponent apart most brutally.
It felt completely different from the calm and elegant fighting style of an adult white-feathered Gryphon.
This was also Liz’s first real combat, and she had overexerted herself. She injected an excessive amount of Mana at once, causing her talons, which could have torn the opponent apart, to instead become embedded explosive charges.
The corpses, shattered by the excessive force, instantly exploded like landmines, scattering and shooting out in a wide arc of about 140 degrees behind her. Broken bone fragments were deeply embedded in the bark of the trees.
Lily only slightly pressed down her right hand, which was wrapped with several threads, and then suddenly lifted it.
The gray threads, like individual pulleys, quietly extended from the branches, directly hanging the Und and suspending them on the trees.
They struggled, but could not break free from the binding for a moment.
Sherlock sighed and extended his hand towards the swamp.
The swamp, as if possessing life, trembled uneasily.
Soon, several clumps of mud drilled out from within. They cracked like eggshells and turned into several small monsters.
They were about half a meter tall, resembling some kind of bee, or some kind of bat.
They had no eyes but had sharp, yellowish teeth. Their arms were long spears like a bee’s stinger, and behind them were thick wings.
After being summoned, they flew to Sherlock’s back.
These were Mud Hawks, elementals temporarily summoned by Sherlock.
Since he knew that it was not safe here, Sherlock, as a Mage, had to prepare some means of self-protection.
