Chapter 16 Lizardmen Village
(How did things turn out this way?)
As she thought this, Lonis’s cheeks turned completely red.
She was now wearing only thin underwear and a bra, her hair still somewhat damp, and she was sitting like this on the palanquin!
Eight male Lizardmen, four in front and four behind, were carrying her palanquin, while many female Lizardmen stood on both sides of the road to welcome them.
However, compared to the males, they appeared more “human-like,” at least retaining their feminine features. Their figures also looked very alluring and powerfully built.
“Wow… It’s the Divine Envoy of the Fox God, so beautiful.”
“But… Mama, why is the Divine Envoy wearing clothes?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
…
As the Lizardmen stared, Lonis felt her body heatting up.
The behavior of the Lizardmen proved that the Fox God they worshipped was probably not a proper god… it was likely related to fertility worship and gender relations.
Would she be brought to some square next and have to fight countless Lizardmen?
If that were the case, how could she possibly endure it?
(Elus, what are her intentions exactly?)
Thinking this, Lonis cast a pleading look at Elus… but what about this black-hearted girl? She merely blinked her eyes, signaling Lonis not to say anything.
Are they going to the village to make a decision?
But what if she were truly taken by the Lizardmen?
(No, I have to take the initiative later. I absolutely cannot be led around.)
After traversing a rugged mountain pass, the group finally entered the vicinity of the village.
And the scene that greeted Lonis’s eyes stunned her!
The skeleton of a colossal creature stood erect in this underground world.
It was probably hundreds of meters long? The ribs alone were tens of meters wide and over ten meters high—it formed a natural-type skeletal structure, providing support for the Lizardmen village.
There were no trees here, so the Lizardmen villages were mostly built from clay. Besides the Lizardmen beside her, Lonis also saw many elderly and children Lizardmen in the village.
Roughly estimating, there were about a thousand Lizardmen here.
The village chief eagerly ran over and said to Lonis, “Divine Envoy, welcome to our village. We have the finest offerings, do you…?”
“Mm, no, no need! I see your village seems a bit flustered, has something happened?”
Lonis asked with a blush.
In reality, there were very few people in the world with more experience than Lonis in approaching and conversing with the chief of a strange village.
After all, as a former Hero, she had done too many similar things.
“D-Divine Envoy, you’ve already noticed?”
The Lizardmen village chief, having not seen much of the world, was easily drawn out by Lonis.
“Mm, tell me the specifics.”
“Actually, it’s like this… Recently, a lot of strange pests have suddenly appeared in our mushroom farms.”
“Strange pests?”
“Yes, they devour mushrooms and attack anyone who gets close. This has caused us great distress, and recently there’s been noise from the ruins. We sent people to investigate, only then did we realize it was your… servants, and then we felt a bit relieved.”
The Lizardmen looked at the accompanying girls, as if the noise from the ruins had attracted their attention.
“Mm, they… they are humans I captured from elsewhere. There’s no danger.”
“Ah, then we are relieved. Divine Envoy, are you going to rest now?”
“No, take me to the farm.”
…
…
Thus, the procession continued towards the farmlands.
However, in the Lizardmen village, Lonis discovered many interesting things.
For example, although their buildings were made of mud, fragments of circuit boards could be seen in the cracks of the walls.
The Lizardmen certainly didn’t have livestock like cattle or sheep, but they raised a type of snail that could be used to transport small goods.
Although the village’s gravel and dirt roads were quite dirty, in the very center of the village stood a statue of a fox spirit!
Not an ordinary fox, but more like a fox spirit from myths… not only was its body alluring, but it also had a large tail behind it! It was just that the Lizardmen’s carving skills were a bit poor, so it wasn’t as electrifying.
(It looks so beautiful… Who is this carving of?)
…
To investigate the customs of this village, the girls continued deeper.
After passing through the back road of the village, they reached vast, boundless farmlands.
But there was no sunlight here, and naturally, no wheat was being grown… Patches of mushrooms stretched as far as the eye could see, varying in size, almost forming a continuous expanse.
The air was filled with an ineffable scent of heather, which Lonis found strange.
But in reality, this wasn’t an offering to the Fox God, but the spores released by the mushrooms.
Most of the mushrooms were growing vigorously, the largest being as tall as two people. At the end of the road, however, was a patch of blackish mushrooms.
The mushrooms here had withered and turned dry and scorched.
The Lizardmen village chief then picked up a lacquer-black insect and said,
“Divine Envoy, it’s this one.”
“This…”
“It’s this thing that wanders in our mushroom fields, destroying our crops!”
This insect was very much like a slug, its body long and soft, with a hint of dark purple patterns on its surface. Even when lifted, the insect was still wriggling frantically.
Lonis had never seen such a thing and just found it disgusting. However, Elus frowned and exchanged a glance with Cécile.
Their expressions were both somewhat serious, and Bai Ye also took a step back as if she had seen a natural enemy.
This made Lonis realize the seriousness of the situation:
“Village Chief, how long have these things been around?”
“Ah, about for one ley line cycle?”
“Oh, um… Then I’ll need to go in with my attendants.”
“Do you need us to go in with you?”
“No, it might be dangerous inside. You can guard the entrance.”
And so, Lonis got off the palanquin and entered the mushroom forest with everyone.
Without outsiders, this should have been a moment to sigh with relief, but Princess Cécile shook her head and said sternly,
“Elus, that thing just now was…”
“That’s right, it’s a Puppet Worm.”
Elus’s decisive reply startled Lonis.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen Puppet Worms before, for instance, in the Snow Kingdom, in a small village—except the Puppet Worms in her memory were all small and didn’t have such strange markings.
And now…
“This is not an ordinary Puppet Worm, but an Abyssalized Puppet Worm… it’s the apex of Puppet Worms. Just one can control a person’s mind.”
“What?”
“Hold your breath and advance carefully. Everyone try not to spread out, and pay attention to every corner.”
“Mm, understood.”
The girls vigilantly moved towards the depths of the forest, working together.
