Fendak, home to the second largest primeval forest in the world, was once a mysterious place with infinite unknowns and possibilities that had never been touched by humans.

However, with the development of science and technology, the land that can be reached by human beings has been rapidly extended, not to mention the heavens and the earth, the primeval forest has long been unveiled the veil of mystery.

There has always been a local proverb that those who do not revere the original forest of Onnas will be punished - this statement is not only rhetorical, but even a special law has been made for this, and those who enter without permission must be severely punished, even if they apply for a scientific investigation into the forest through formal channels and go through a strict process of approval.

On a midsummer night, three kilometers from the entrance post of the primeval forest, a team of adventurers lit a bonfire.

Jill deliberately chose the time to launch the operation after the end of the spring fire prevention period, but because the team was joined by Professor, a well-known biological authority at Campbell Private University, the rest of the team seemed much more restrained than usual.

"Put out the fire when the food is cooked, I'm afraid it will ......"

"Don't worry, Professor, we use our own coal, and we have fenced it with stones, and there are no dead branches and grass around, so there will be no danger. ”

"That's not what I mean, be careful. ”

"I know, the fire will be extinguished later. ”

Fendak is located on the inland border of the Republic of Svetnest, bordering a religious state that has been in civil unrest for half a year, and its rebel group has been widely reported by the media in recent days, causing panic on the part of Fendak people.

Despite his prospering, Swittenness may not be able to suppress the grassroots bandits in his neighborhood. As soon as the other person killed and walked away, no one in the wealthy Svetnes would be willing to trade his life for an official apology from the neighboring government.

For some reason, the adventuring party did not obtain an official status, but carried out the operation as a private expedition - so they had to take the risk of responding.

Fortunately, the group did not run out of escape.

The bus was parked not far away, and the picnic equipment was brought down from the car.

The barbecue was a routine for the expedition team – a good meal before departure, and most of the time in the forest, only compressed biscuits and vitamin tablets were eaten.

"Hey, I used to come here for helicopter pick-ups, and I haven't tried to cross on foot," the old professor sighed, "My old bones, my physical fitness can't be compared with you young people, and I'm afraid I'll cause you trouble in the next few days." ”

Chris stopped talking, and Jill glared at him, turning the skewers on the wooden stand

"Professor, you're worried, I asked you to come with me, after all, I know more about this primeval forest than you in the entire Campbell Private University. ”

"It's true that I've spent my life studying the biological systems here, but it shouldn't have anything to do with the purpose of your trip, right? Since this old bone can still come in handy, I can only hope that you will have a harvest. ”

Jill had always been in close contact with Peng Lin, a sociology professor she had met at university, and the veteran professor who had studied the history of Swaitness's founding country had come to many historical details that did not match the official conclusions, and as a result, she was familiar with her student Jill Dejescher, who held the same opinion.

The expedition was supposed to be spearheaded by Professor Peng Lin and she applied to the local government, but the reality has changed for some strange reason – in recent years, the state of Findak has only approved biological expeditions, and other applications such as geological exploration have been put on hold indefinitely. And if you apply as Professor Peng Lin, who is a well-known sociologist, not only will you not be approved, but the name of the entire expedition team will be blacklisted.

As a last resort, Professor Peng Lin could only ask her old lover for help, and her elderly gossip boyfriend, Professor Heyman, who specializes in biomorphology, agreed...... The most beautiful is sunset red.

The blacklist is an unverifiable rumor, but for the rest of the team, this strange rumor is a reflection of some unverified facts.

The locals are deliberately obscuring certain facts -- what is it? Surely it has nothing to do with biology.

"I've been to this place seven times, and though I've only set foot in a small area of the entire primeval forest, I know most of it — and to be honest, I don't think you'll find any traces of artificiality. Even if there were, it would have been discovered by others a long time ago. ”

"I trust my own judgment, and if it had been discovered, the locals wouldn't have locked it down forever – they've been looking for it to this day, but they can't find the information that was deliberately hidden. ”

Professor fell silent, and professionals often appear cautious when speaking in their own non-specialized fields.

Instead, Randolph, who was listening silently, asked.

"I've always felt that there are a lot of problems with your inference about building a base under the primeval forest, which is wooded, intertwined, and very humid, unable to be properly ventilated, difficult to transport, and inconvenient for wildlife and insects...... Of course, it would be easy to do with today's technology, but with the productivity of those days two hundred years ago, it is very puzzling that they would choose to settle here, after all, this place can be said to be of no use other than absolute secrecy. In my opinion, even if there was a base built at that time, it would never have chosen to put the treasure here. ”

Jill didn't answer immediately, but carefully thought about how to respond.

This middle-aged man named Randolph is the most wary character in the team, and his status as a former mercenary and treasure hunter makes him reveal a dangerous aura - but on the contrary, he has a wealth of experience in surviving in the wild and mobility, is quite experienced in gray zone operations, and has played a key role in several operations, and is an irreplaceable core member.

While Randolph's abilities are put to good use, danger is always ready to take his back, something that Jill never forgets.

"Danger is also opportunity" – the adage that Jiel Dejescher's grandfather relied on to save his life during half a lifetime of adventure, and now it's time for her to forge ahead.

The addition of his cousin disrupted Jill's position as the captain - the consciousness that he had already thought he would pay anything for the truth was shaken again.

It seems that there will be more help in the moment, but in the long run, it will become a constraint.

Of the six members of the expedition, four of them, including themselves, were harmless.

The hacker named Harry, nicknamed "Little Black" in the team, is a reliable friend he made during his college years.

The pseudonym "Chris", his cousin, although his ability has not been tempered, his position is also infallible.

Needless to say, Professor came innocently, and Professor Peng Lin's old lover, even if he had the intention to do evil, did not have enough power to act.

Among the remaining two, the other person besides Randolph is a professional adventurer who joined the team through Professor Peng Lin's introduction, known as "Donn" in the team, and is also not trusted by Jill.

At one point, it was even suspected that Don and Randolph had known each other for a long time, and although they had little communication in public, it made Jill's suspicions even more suspicious that if the two did make a private agreement about the treasure, he might not be able to handle it alone.

Harry was no different from a normal otaku after leaving the computer, and his cousin had just left the school, and Professor had no hope of it.

Although he can only sail the ship carefully with the attitude of suspicion, Jill is actually reluctant to take the initiative to doubt his teammates who have been with him for many years.

Before his cousin joined, Xiao Hei had been providing technical support behind the scenes, and the three-person team had several cooperative expeditions across the entire Swittennes territory, but the clues obtained at that time could only be regarded as sparkling light - whether it was Caen City in the Ramance Strait, the statue secret door in downtown Campbell, or the underground passage of the former Masonic site, it was just a clue that led to one clue after another.

But this time the action was not the usual - not another clue, but the end of multiple clues, fate did not play a joke, but put the door of truth in the invisible depths of the blind, and now for a few people, the difference is only a kick in the door.

All of these clues lead to the lake northwest of the Anners Forest, where Gil firmly believes the answer he's been looking for.

"Although I have said it more than once, you may find me annoying to the old man, but I still can't help but want to remind you," Professor Heyman's voice came again from the campfire, "After all, that Seven Colors Lake is a rare primitive aquatic ecosystem, and in the past, many groups of scholars have come here to investigate and research almost every year, and in my case, every time I come to the Oones Forest, I go to the Seven Colors Lake - I don't think there is anything you are looking for in the vicinity." ”

"The key is not the location of the Seven Colored Sea, but its name," Following Professor's words, Randolph also opened his mouth to express his doubts, "The first appearance of that name is after we investigated the code in the manuscript of Mo Ming's letter to President Constantine and deciphered the hidden information in the Red and White Adventures, and the clue does point to this forest, but the name of the lake is not 'Seven Colors Lake', but 'Two Color Lake'." ”

"Need more to say about this, because Mo Ming himself is not a native of Swaitnes, and he has always had his own different interpretations and ways of naming things—although almost everyone thinks that Mo Ming is the child of a farmer on the outskirts of Versailles in the canton of Casteauón, I believe that all of you in my team would have been wiser, otherwise why would the goddess of fate let us find out the truth?"

"Indeed, evidence and inference, Miss Jill has said it more than once. Harry, the hacker on the side, Xiao Hei opened his mouth to answer, and at the same time, the other party handed over the skewers, "Thank you." ”

"The two new faces that have suddenly been added this time, Chris and Xiao Hei, should have introduced each other in the car before, and you, as newcomers, should learn more from the two seniors. "Jill looks like a big sister, and in fact she is indeed a captain.

Today, she is no longer the sickly lady ten years ago, who would suddenly vomit blood even when walking, and her body is weak, and her toned body contains strong explosive power, which is one of the sources of her self-confidence.

"Since you're the one chosen by the captain, I don't have much to say," Don didn't gossip much, "I'm sure you won't drag down the whole team." ”

"After all, this is a hike into the primeval forest, and it is more physical work," Randolph said, "Two young men cheered, and many people worked hard." ”

Expecting to dive further to the bottom of the lake if they can't find clues around the Seven Colours, the team carries a full set of expensive safety diving equipment, which is extremely inconvenient to carry through the forest.

......

......

A normal barbecue with nothing extra to liven up the atmosphere.

After everyone had feasted, Jill was about to get up to put out the fire and clean up, when footsteps were heard on the side.

A few people looked at the brown-haired beauty who was sitting in the front row of the bus and ignored anyone's accosting along the way, and not far behind her was a foreign blonde girl who accidentally boarded the bus and didn't get off for some reason.

It seems that the two have become friends. It's just that as to why such a character is related to an expedition that should be kept strictly secret, several people once again turned their puzzled eyes to their captain.

Jill and the brown-haired beauty looked at each other and nodded.

"This is Miss Linda, who has been supporting our entire expedition, and according to her request, I would like to meet you before this operation. ”

It turned out to be the legendary mysterious gold lord, and everyone understood it, and the serious expression that was originally due to the appearance of the beautiful woman suddenly turned into a flattering smile.

Xiao Hei and Chris, who were sitting on the side, secretly exchanged a look.

"Hello, I first met Miss Jill when I was practicing sketching on the snowy mountains, and it seems that your expedition had not yet been officially established...... A few years have passed. ”

No one spoke.

"You never seem so close to the truth, and I want to personally say congratulations to a great adventurer like you before you go. ”

"I know that you must be suspicious of my motives, and in fact I, like Miss Jill, have decided to fund it out of a desire for the truth. I have not the slightest interest in the so-called "Golden Country" that has fallen into the hands of the Freemasons, a city made of gold masonry and filled with treasures that have been handed down for thousands of years and plundered by kings from all sides. ”

“...... But ......"

"Miss Linda is going to talk about that again," Jill couldn't help but smile wryly, "although the value of the statue is not worth mentioning compared to the treasure, it can still only belong to the Republic of Svetenness, if you really want to collect it, when the dust settles, you should have a chance to apply to it as a patron of the expedition." ”

"I know that I will not embarrass Miss Jill any more, for this is my request that I have made suddenly in the middle of the process, and I cannot count it without believing it. ”

After graduating from college, Jill Dejescher inherits an inheritance from her deceased grandfather that she has been entrusted with only for exploration. Although she was not short of money herself, she was still barely able to maintain the entire expedition.

Even so, she would never put herself in an awkward position by accepting funding from someone of unknown origin, after all, the Dejeschers have never acted as "treasure hunters", so anyone who covets treasure will be a potential enemy.

And this Miss Linda, from the beginning of the meeting, she judged that she was not a greedy person, of course, this was related to the huge wealth she herself was sitting on, but what made Jill make the final judgment was the many small talks with Linda.

Linda is a rich lady who has nothing to do, and spends her days sketching and sketching, as if she is not interested in anything, and this is the first impression she makes on anyone, including Jil Dijescher.

However, after learning about the research content of Ji'er Dijscher, a student who was still doing evidence for Campbell's private university's graduation thesis, she was uncharacteristically attracted by his argument and had many heated discussions with him—Linda thought that Ji'er's suspicions were very reasonable, and actively encouraged her to delve into the hidden truth, and to some extent, she even became one of Ji'er's spiritual pillars for a while.

The look of curiosity, curiosity, and longing for the truth, Jill saw in his eyes, and thought that it was not false. It is precisely because of this that she officially befriended this eldest lady who should have nothing to coincide with her life trajectory, and after Linda herself took the initiative to make a promise not to have any requirements and constraints on the expedition, she calmly accepted the huge amount of funding from her.

It's just that when sharing the experience of investigating clues with this best friend, the other party's expression suddenly changed-

According to records, somewhere on the edge of the two-color lake, there is a humanoid statue that is one person tall - it is said to be the same as the statue of the goddess that stands in the central square of Campbell, the capital of Swaitenis, except that the statue of Goddess Boli in the square wears a mask, because the design was originally designed to inherit the concept of President Mo Ming - the goddess does not show her true face, she must inherit the name of Bori, but she cannot have a predetermined face and image.

The statue that has not yet been found in the record is said to be a stone statue without a mask, which is a stone statue carved by President Mo Ming's own hand-drawn image - when Linda learned of this, she immediately proposed that she must collect it when it was found, but Ji'er refused on the grounds that she had no right to decide the matter.

In the year since, Ji'er has refused Linda's continued funding and even nearly cut off contact, until this time, she is approached and contacted with a request to meet with the team members.

"It's okay, I've given up on collecting. When the time comes, it will be enough to see this statue with your own eyes, and you will not have to be suspicious. I'm going to stay here for the next two days to draw a picture of the outskirts of the forest, and to chat with my friend Miss Alice, whom I met on the way, and I don't plan to do anything with you...... I can't bear to walk through a dense forest that is hot and humid and full of insects," Linda didn't see any intention to hide under her smiling face, "By the way, there is one thing I think I need to tell you in advance about the preliminary investigation of the forest. ”

As he spoke, he took out the tablet from the small bag he was carrying crossbody, opened it, and put a set of photos in front of everyone.

This is a series of photographs clearly taken from the primeval forest in front of you, on a large rock that does not appear to be artificial, with words written in dark red, which is barely visible to the naked eye.

The next photograph zooms in to show a close-up of the text on the stone.

"Thou shalt seek the Origin, and the depths of the forest have the answers you are looking for. 』

"But please be aware accordingly. 』

"—The Primordial Witch. 』

Seeing that this message seemed to fulfill the goal they were seeking, there were not too many happy expressions on everyone's faces.

"The original witch...... This mark is indeed the mark of the witch. ”

"Witches and the like, are you serious?" the old professor, who had been left aside for a long time, couldn't help but sigh when he heard this, "Peng Lin also told me about this stubble at the beginning, and I always thought that you were just studying it as a folk culture or some kind of spiritual beacon. ”

"In my reasoning, the primordial witch is real," Jill said with a solemn expression, "Legend has it that the primordial witch made a pact with President Mo Ming at the cost of his soul...... After Mo Ming's death, he guarded the treasures left by the Freemasonry for him. ”

"Do you believe in this kind of legend?" the old professor looked incredulous.

"The legend may not be true, but the primordial witch must exist. ”

"There are videos circulating on the Internet from decades ago, the shocking scam of the witch resurrecting President Mo Ming, which was a sensation at the time, although we were not born at that time...... But, Professor, we've found out through the original videotapes, letters, handwriting, and traces of magic that it's not just a hoax, and that the witch isn't a fiction. ”

"I still can't believe it. ”

"Trust me, there are definitely a lot of witches in this world who believe in the existence of witches - even the intelligence bureau has been looking for traces of witches, and you can't be wrong about that. ”

"So, is it really possible that the witch left this text?"

"Whether it was left by the witch or not, we have no choice to turn back," Jill did not waver in the slightest, "All I want is to seek the truth, and if I have to pay with my life for this, I will die as I deserve." ”

With that, look around at the crowd.

"If any of you are afraid of the witch's message warning, you can stay outside the forest and wait for us to come out, I'm not kidding. ”

Xiao Hei was the first to shake his head.

"Such an exciting thing, there is probably only one time in my life, if I shrink my egg for the rest of my life, I will not have the face to brag on the Internet. ”

"Xiao Hei, your curiosity is too heavy, it may not be a good thing. ”

"Curiosity is the ladder of human progress," Blackie shrugged, "and if you fall down the ladder, you will die on the way forward." ”

"Okay, okay, what is dead and alive, the witch didn't say that she would definitely kill someone, right?"

What exactly is "corresponding enlightenment"?

In any case, the message conveyed in these photos has cast a shadow on everyone's hearts at this moment.

The blonde girl, who had been listening quietly for a long time, asked everyone in an unauthentic Svetnes:

"What did you just say...... Mo Ming, who is he?"

"Miss Alice hasn't even heard of it?"

"It's just that I'm lonely and unheard, but I'm really curious," Alice smiled shyly, "can you please tell me about it?"

"Tell me about it...... If this man's story is to be told, it will be long. ”

......

......

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———— book promotion session————

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Next, cheekily recommend to you a very exciting、I think many people have already read or are familiar with the Oriental fanfiction——

......

"Oriental Knots"

The sunset cries a few birds, and the fragrant wind blows flowers all over the road. A handful of morning dew as a new tea, sweeping the chest chic.

The past life is unbearable, and today is still at the end of the world. What is there to pay for it in one cup, what does it matter if the moon is bright tonight?

After many years, the story of Bai Mingqiu's marriage in Gensokyo has not yet ended.

......

Lao Bai's writing is fresh and refined, and the story style is light, and readers who like this narrative style must not miss this novel.

Speaking of which, the trivial daily pit was opened at the starting point for about a year, about 300,000 words, and the results of the trivial daily life at that time were bleak, and it was slowly growing at a rate of about 20 clicks per month.

Now that I can exchange recommendations with Lao Bai, I can't help but sigh a little emotionally, I think I can also communicate with the big guys and authors of the year, maybe it has indeed grown a lot.