Chapter 274 124. Endless Life
The Druchi glanced in the direction that Darkus pointed, then pulled out their weapons and started running around the Hollow Lake in the rain. Each of them ran surprisingly fast. Without the care and caution they had shown in the jungle at the last moment, His Majesty the Witch King and the Hand of the Witch King were watching them from behind. How could they not show off now?
Although the Drukis ran fast, at least they had orderly cooperation in advancing and retreating. With the help of the sorceresses, the short chase ended after a gunshot.
Four and a half slovenly old-world adventurers were dragged back. The Druchis worked in pairs and placed themselves behind the five adventurers to support their bodies.
Why do you say four and a half?
Because one of the adventurers' two pairs of calves were gone, and there were obvious penetrating wounds on both knees. Darkus knew that this was Alyssa's fault just by glancing at the wound.
Darkus vaguely smelled the smell of gunpowder smoke on another adventurer's body. Even if it was washed away by rain, the smell could not be covered up. There were also several small waterproof leather bags containing black powder tied in front of him. The adventurer's two forearms were also completely gone. They were obviously cut off by sharp blades, which meant that the gunshot just now was probably caused by this adventurer.
The two adventurers, who had lost their arms and legs, were wailing in pain, driven by fear and pain.
"Stop howling, keep howling! Julian!" Because of the broken dream he had last night, Darkus was in a bad mood today, and his mood became more irritable as the adventurer wailed. .
Julian nodded when he heard the call and walked out from the side. As he walked, he took out a stabbing blade from his waist. He was different from his brother.
Julian's brother, Dorian Silverblade, was guarding the stronghold in the north of Naggaros and spent all day dealing with the Yankees and Beastmen in the Chaos Wasteland. After returning to Naggarond, he became Da Keus's retinue began to learn to deal with domestic affairs, and now he has become Ashriel's Valahar, fully responsible for military affairs. However, the official appointment has not been issued yet, and he is now working with his future partner Walter Learn lizardfolk.
As the second son of Silses, Julian Baneblade did not focus on military and internal affairs like his elder brother. He stayed in Naggarond for a long time, wandering around in the affairs of the rich and powerful. , Arena and House of Flesh, now it’s time for him to show off his special skills.
Facts have proved that Julian's craftsmanship is indeed unique. The two Hell Family guards tightly pressed the struggling adventurer with a broken arm. He waved lightly, full of freehandism and unrestrainedness, just like a Like a master of art at the pinnacle, the sharp and enchanted bayonet blade was like a scalpel, accurately picking apart the vocal cords without damaging the throat. There was not even blood on the bayonet blade when it was picked out.
The broken-arm adventurer who was wailing one second could no longer scream. He could only huff and puff like a bellows. He was temporarily unable to make a sound unless he learned to use his esophagus to make sounds without a teacher.
Soon, the adventurer with the broken leg stopped howling. Julian stretched out his hands and raised them to the sky at a 45-degree angle. He still held a stabbing blade in his right hand and kept showing off and declaring to the Druchi.
The remaining three adventurers had their heads buried in their chests at this moment. Their bodies were shaking constantly. They were afraid that the vicious group of elves in front of them would notice them. They already knew what kind of terrifying existence was in front of them. .
Darkus, who was standing slightly behind, looked at Julian's easy and crisp movements with some dumbfounded eyes. He was recalling when was the last time he used a stabbing blade? It seems that when he cut the throat of Admiral Lanis in the Dark Parliament, his skills were much rougher than Julian's, but he didn't think that the more you practice, the better.
How long does it take to practice this? How many experiments are needed? What a waste of time. If he had the time, Darkus might as well lie down in bed for a while.
Chupa Coco, who was about to fall asleep, became energetic at this time. He walked up to the adventurer with his staff and looked at the thorn blade in Julian's hand, and then at the adventurer's neck. He tried to find a wound on the hotblood's throat. After reading it, he looked at Renn again. Although he didn't say anything, his eyes said everything. He had seen how Renn dealt with that white rat thing in Queza. In comparison, there were obvious differences. difference.
After taking a look at Ren, Chupa Coco stuck her staff in the mud and applauded Julian.
Darkus chuckled after seeing Chupa Coco's actions. He didn't care about Chupa Coco's actions. In his eyes, Chupa Coco was very difficult to define. As far as he knew, Chupa Coco had instigated it with his brother. The former Skink Priest secretly interpreted the grand plan while Master Ma was meditating, besieged Skogi, disemboweled Kadavor and the mercenary group who invaded the Obsidian Pillar, and hung them on the pillar. As for lying and teaching Ren strange The lizard-human language, feeding captured hot-blooded species to giant beasts, and petty thefts were all countless and not worth mentioning.
Darkos also knew that the lizardmen from the City of the Sun and Hesiota had extremely xenophobic attributes. The lizardmen living in the Isthmus of Ruthia could often encounter the erosion of adventurers from Skogi and the Predator Port. The Hesiota patrols in the jungle are never polite and will ambush hot-blooded adventurers who enter the jungle when they find an opportunity.
On the contrary, the lizardmen living in the south of Lustria are somewhat neutral. A small number of skinks there are still willing and try to communicate with the hot-blooded species. Darkus even heard that the skinks commanded the ankylosaurus to help rescue the hot-blooded species trapped in the mire. Strange stories of boats being pulled out.
The Druchis were stunned for a moment after hearing Chupa Keke's applause, and then they laughed loudly and clapped their hands one after another, making the scene on the shore of the lake become comical for a moment.
Julian raised his chin higher with the applause.
"Julian, your craftsmanship is indeed good! Even the lizard people recognize your work." Malekith, who was standing behind to watch the excitement, also applauded and said with a laugh.
After Julian heard Malekith's approval, he bowed to Malekith, then turned around again, raising his chin higher than before.
Sirsis and Dorian, the father and son, looked at each other while applauding perfunctorily, their eyes filled with speechlessness.
"Where are you from?" Darkus raised his hand and signaled Drusala and Colonia, who were already approaching, not to use black magic. He put his hands on his knees and half-crouched as a complete adventurer. asked in front of him.
"Marionburg..." The adventurer, who was pressed to the ground and shaking like chaff, was stunned for a moment when he heard Darkus speaking in a pure Rick's tone, and then said tremblingly, he thought he He was going to die, but the other party was willing to communicate, and his heart was filled with excitement. But before he could finish his words, he was kicked backwards by Darkus who stood up. If he hadn't been held down, he wouldn't have been able to. Can turn over.
"Who asked you this?" After finishing speaking, Darkus stood up and kicked him over. He was not an adventurer from the old world. He had tears in his eyes as he reminisced about these adventures. After kicking him, he walked to the side. The adventurer asked again, "Where are you from?"
"Skogi! Skogi!" The next adventurer was more lively than the previous adventurer. The moment he met these elves, he Know that this is not Asul, but Druch! After all, the attire and appearance of these elves were so iconic. He was also the first to shout to run away, but unfortunately he didn't run away. He also judged what the question was about through Darkus' behavior and language.
Darkus nodded. In his opinion, it was normal for Skogi to be re-established, because it was valuable there, even though the Norscans ruled there. But in 1492 Imperial Calendar, explorer Marco Columbus visited here during his famous expedition to the Old World, and then word of Skogi's existence spread throughout the Old World.
Skogi has also become the first stop for Old World speculators to come to the Lustria continent. When Darkus destroyed Skogi before, there were still some adventurers wandering around in the jungle, and there will definitely be some ships coming. On the way, reconstruction is doomed.
This is like a leek. The human life cycle is too short for the elves. A port raided by the Black Ark will be rebuilt in a short time. Then he was attacked again, tossed over and over again, highlighting his tenacity and endless vigor.
"I like to listen to stories and tell you what Scorgi's situation is now. I can promise you now that if I am satisfied, I will let you go. You may not know that I have always been kind and generous." Keus said jokingly, waving his hands to disperse the mosquitoes surrounding him.
Then the Druchi knew that Darkus was telling a joke, and they laughed softly. The three adventurers had no choice but to quickly talk about what they knew about Skor. lucky.
The amazing thing is that after the reshuffle, the ruler of Skogi was still a Norscan, and was now a chief named Adela. Regardless of the gender of the Skogi ruler, he was called a chief, and the Norse The Ka people also have no special term for female rulers.
Chief Adela was a strong Norscan woman nearly 2.4 meters tall, but she was not strong enough to rule through intimidation or violence. She makes up for this with cunning and cruelty, and she likes to kill people slowly and openly to make it clear what will happen to those who stand in her way.
The previous chiefs of Skogi liked to use intimidation and violence to make the adventurers of the Old World surrender or reach agreements, but Adela liked to lie and make the adventurers suspicious of each other, so that the adventurers had no time to oppose her. decree or threaten her status.
Chief Adela would tell everyone a different story, even a different tone and style, like a thousand mouths opening, each mouth telling a thousand different stories, so no one but herself knew what was true. of.
This leaves Chief Adela's rule unchallenged, but also carries the risk that if Skoggi's factions become divided among themselves, they may not be able to unite to protect Skoggi in the face of invading forces. While her rule brought stability to Skogi, it could also lead to Skogi's downfall once again.
An adventurer rushed to speak, saying that he had heard rumors and rumors that Chief Adela would wrap himself in cloth to cover his body when he appeared in front of people. Someone once saw that Chief Adela's skin was covered with thousands of thumb-sized holes, each of which conveyed a different sound.
The Druchs looked at each other, and they seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter. Chief Adela seemed not to be simple?
"Me! Aren't there eyes in these holes? Isn't this too hard to imagine?" After hearing the adventurer's description, Darkus was sure that the chief must be a believer of Tzeentch, and suddenly thought of something. He suddenly trembled all over, and he couldn't look directly at the scene.
And according to adventurers' descriptions, there seems to be a place where Chaos Demons are worshiped in Skogi now, a dry cave that cannot be touched by tides. This cave is gradually filled with rotting corpses, severed limbs and terrifying coral statues, like The surrounding bones are also white. The cave eventually became a pile and then a second peak. The bloody tank leads to this hill, and its stench dominates the entire city, even surpassing the stench of Corpse Reef.
Adventurers from the old world with their own beliefs avoid it. Most of them have a vague idea of what it does, but they often choose to ignore it. After all, they are not witch hunters or Chaos believers. They are adventurers who come here to seek fortune.
But there are still some crazy people who choose to go there. If they are rich or powerful, they can ask a rune mage (vitki) to do it for them. Otherwise, one must personally wade into the blood and goo, add oneself to the sacrifice, and hope that the gods will notice.
"Go check their equipment." Darkus ignored the cave and suddenly said something else.
Although Darkus's attitude towards the Chaos Demon is locked in a hostile state, he is not a fanatic believer who fights against Chaos. With the blowing of the eight winds, Chaos spreads all over the world. Small problems are endless. Until the big problems are solved, , these small problems are like whack-a-mole, endless, he doesn't want to waste his limited energy and time on this, caves like this are everywhere where Yankees of all races live. Back-up cool clothing suitable for hot climates, food that can withstand moisture, machetes, mosquito nets, anti-venom kits, climbing ropes, pickaxes, maps, compasses, water bags, ropes, nails and hammers were taken from the Drukhi Shake out of the backpack.
The adventurer carried some bottles of magic potions in his backpack, which seemed to be prepared for going into the water.
"This guy is quite serious." Darkus glanced at the spiked boots on the adventurer's feet and sighed.
Then the items dropped from the backpack start to get weird, with a shabby repellent, a bat swatter, a moon compass and an official lizardfolk phrasebook. There are also forgeries of maps, diaries, charcoal sketches, or lost artifacts that have been carefully forged and designed.
"What is this?" Darkus asked, pointing to the pale stone on the ground.
"This is a pale stone that turns black when a vampire appears." One adventurer answered.
As the adventurer finished speaking, Chupa Coco and the Druchi present all looked at Genevieve.
Genevieve shrugged boredly, walked over, picked up the pale stones on the ground and spread them in her hands.
The result was that there was no result, the pale stone did not turn black immediately, and it still did not turn black after a while.
"Idiot, this is false. You have been deceived. Those merchants just want you to become penniless before entering the jungle. And why do you have to beware of vampires when you come here? This is not Sylvania." Navief threw the pale stone to the ground out of boredom, and spoke to the adventurer from Bretonnia in a pure Bordeleau accent.
Either never leave, or leave penniless, maybe this is the business creed of the Skogi merchants?
High-quality Imperial goods and machinery are traded in the southern ports of the Old World, along with vast quantities of Estalian steel and Tyrell warhounds.
Guns, ships, and steel were then sent into the jungles of Lustria to obtain the treasures of the Lizardman Temple City. The wealth plundered from Lustria was sold to the powerful in the south, and the profits flowed back to Altdorf and Marienburg.
Just invest a few hundred gold coins and you can get ten times or more returns.
The odds of winning are slim, but like all great gambling games, Lustria has enough temptations and enough destruction. This trade takes the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people every year, and the giant blood-sucking lice that sit on this open vein are Skogi.
"The people of the old world went home with empty pockets, and Skogi became richer and richer." Darkus joked with emotion, but he looked down on these petty profits, and he did not want Du Ruch replaced the Norscans in Skogi.
Although the Black Ark Fleet and the Lizardmen's army are there, Darkus doesn't want to do anything to Scorgi, at least for now. In his opinion, it's good now. There will be a steady stream of big grievances in the old world. After traveling thousands of miles across the ocean to come here, the Norscans who rule Skogi will gain a steady stream of wealth, and after these great enemies fight the lizardmen underground in Lustria, the skinks will gain valuable Combat experience has gained some transformation.
After all, it's better for a Skink to practice with an adventurer first than to face a Chaos Demon directly at the beginning, isn't it?
However, Skogi also needs to make appropriate raids. When the leeks are ready, they have to eat them. Let the trainee admirals who have obtained the Black Ark practice their skills and treat it as a gift package for novices. After all, Norsca has gained so much wealth and there is no place to spend it. The philanthropic Darkus could not stand this.
By the way, let these Yankees and adventurers from the old world experience the humanistic customs of Naggaroth and Lustria in the future, and feel the hospitality of Druchi and the Lizardmen.
As long as Druch's fleet traveling between Lustria and Naggaroth is not attacked, and as long as Darkus and the Lizardmen empty the Isthmus of Lustria of really useful things, it can be said to be a win-win-win situation!
"Tell me about this lake? I believe you won't come here for no reason." Darkus continued to ask after sighing with emotion.
There are many legends about Nether Lake in Skogi. For example, those who have been close to Nether Lake say that the night sky twinkles in the lake and that the lake contains countless treasures. But when one takes one's eyes away from the gold covering the long-buried buildings, one sees something even more unpleasant. The corpse was suspended under the water, rotting and swelling, its arms stretched out, but it could no longer touch the sky.
The Hollow Lake is cursed, and some believe it was once a lizardfolk temple city. It is said that the lizardfolk there greedily amassed the gold and gems of all Lustria, claiming that their homeland was more glorious than the palaces of the gods.
In response, the gods flooded the temple city and placed a curse on the lake to prevent anyone from ever threatening their glory again.
Anyone who dives into the lake is stranded and can only helplessly pound the water, feeling the burning pain in their lungs, knowing that it won't be long before they have to exhale their last, fatal breath.
A wizard named Hartley von Reilly was well-known in Skogi even though he was dressed in rags. It was said that he was the only survivor after entering the Nether Lake. He waved gold coins crazily and promised wealth. Luring people to that abandoned place, what the adventurers didn't know was that he spent a long time trying to break the curse left on him by the Nether Lake.
It was because of the wizard's promise that this group of nearly twenty adventurers chose to come here. They firmly believed that they would be the ones who could seize the treasure.
Then, the situation became what it is now.
Darkus knew that this was completely nonsense, but it could not be said to be nonsense. There was indeed a temple city under the water, a city of ashes, a satellite city of Pahuasco, and there was indeed something strange going on under the water. It's working. That thing was left over from before the great invasion. Maybe it's a magical thing like an ancient saint's relic.
During the Great Invasion, this was the place where the second-generation Slann Demon Priest, Lord Whinni Aitankui, narrowly defeated the Demon Prince of Slaanesh, Shila Ulan, but at the cost of this, the satellite city sank into the water and the surrounding area turned into a lake. .
Sheila Ulan was the one who Darkus led the all-star lineup to send off happily in the Hall of Unknown Constellations last time.
"Congratulations! Your story is very exciting, I like it very much, as a reward." Darkus glanced back, looked around at the faces of the Druchi, and then looked at Malekith , seeing that Malekith was still having fun and showed nothing, he clapped perfunctorily and said.
"I decided to let you go!" Darkus paused and continued.
The three adventurers who could still speak quickly thanked him, but then Darkus said another sentence, leaving them stunned.
"But you have to swim to the other side." Darkus pointed to the other side of the lake in the distance and said.
The moment he first arrived here, Darkus not only saw this group of adventurers, he also felt the existence of stone slabs in the lake. There's an old saying that goes, you're here for the Chinese New Year, so what's the point if you don't get something? Unbecoming!
"What's wrong? Do you have any objections? Isn't it just for the things in the lake that you have gone through so much trouble in the old world?" After speaking, Darkus lost his patience and waved at the Druchis around him. He waved his hand.
Not to be outdone, Ren pulled out the stabbing blade from his waist and directly slit the throat of the amputated adventurer. His speed was also very fast, and there was no blood on the stabbing blade either, but he looked at You without protest. Lian, instead glared at Chupa Coco fiercely.
Walter was much rougher. Although he was a Druchi nobleman, he didn't know how to use a stabbing blade at all. He directly swung the legendary leaf hammer in his hand and opened the head of the adventurer who had broken off his legs.
The other three adventurers found that they seemed to have no choice. They didn't even dare to glare at Darkus. They came here just to ask for money. Although without tools and items, the chance of getting out of the jungle was very slim, but as long as they didn't Those who swam past might still have a chance to survive, but if they stared, they knew they would be left here right now.
Darkus waved his hand again, but this time it was to the sorceresses. Originally he wanted to do something, but he knew he didn't have to do it because he heard Malekith's Midnight Armor Sole The sound you make while walking.
Malekith came over and stood a little in front of Darkus.
Darkus took another half step back, knowing that Malekith was going to show off again.
_(:з ∠)_
(End of this chapter)