readx;? Before dark, Phil, the forest patrolman, finally rushed back to the makeshift camp. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Tian Lai Novel ww His face was as gloomy as the sky, and he said lightly: "There are indeed some ruins of buildings there, but it is also the lair of a group of swamp lizardmen, there are at least two priests in the lizardmen, and there is indeed the smell of undead monsters in the ruins." ”

Stephanie's eyes lit up: "That should be there." Swamp lizardmen don't build buildings, and the only ones who can build in this swamp are the Bart family. ”

However, the forest patrol soldier still maintained his initial attitude, and said coldly: "I don't dare to go deeper, and at the same time, I strongly recommend not approaching." Both of these are extremely difficult to deal with, and when combined, they feel very weird to me. ”

This was not only addressed to Stephanie, but also to the other mercenaries. Some of the mercenaries who heard it nearby nodded silently, and some exchanged ears, and Stanley, the fat leader, was still smiling all over his face, but his eyes were turning around, revealing his thoughts, and he obviously thought deeply of Ranger Phil's words.

Stephanie didn't remind them about any more contracts, although these mercenaries were vassals of the real Red Army, considered their spare talent troops, and also did some things that were inconvenient for the regular army, but they didn't need to expect them to have the slightest sense of honor as regular soldiers. Contracts are used in an environment of equal power, and in this case, they have no binding effect on these guys who are just carrying their heads and selling their lives.

Generally speaking, the small tribe of swamp lizardmen also has at least dozens of warriors, and these sub-humans are usually better than human warriors in combat, and the swamp is their home field. In addition, if there are really undead monsters mixed in, it is impossible to say that these people are not opponents at all.

At this time, there is only one thing that urges them to bite the bullet and follow along. Stephanie said directly to the fat man Stanley: "Double the honorarium! What I excavated in that ruin, as long as it is non-arcane materials, you can divide half! You think about it carefully, this ruin was secretly built by the Bart family in the depths of this swamp, and we are the first people to appear! It seems that this place has not been discovered by other temples, nor has it been destroyed or plundered, and the contents may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!"

The breathing of several nearby mercenaries instantly became heavy, and their eyes were red and bright, as if they had all returned to the sixteen-year-old boy when he first walked into a brothel and saw **. Stanley's chubby face smiled like a flower. If this site of the Bart family has really not been excavated, then it is very possible that there is an arcane substance worth hundreds of thousands of Ogins, and it is completely possible to quietly take it and sell it directly in this place where the bird does not lay eggs, and there is no need to worry about the Temple Church coming to find trouble. This is a huge amount of money that they can't earn in their lifetime, enough to squander their time unscrupulously, and even go directly to buy a small manor and live the rest of their lives as small landlords.

"Then you've got to have to get these things. I think there are at least a hundred warriors in this lizardman lair, and more than two witch doctors or priests and other magicians, just with the thirty or so of us, are we going to send them winter rations?" Phil's voice lost no time in pouring cold water. "Also, the smell of corpses in the wind is always entangled with the stench of these lizards, and I feel extremely vigilant in my heart. The wind was telling me not to approach there. Let me state first, I don't plan to go. As for you, greedy arcanist, don't tempt us with gold anymore. Isn't it enough that your greed has cost you your life, and you want to pull my companion down, do you believe that I can end it all at any time with a hidden arrow from behind?"

"Phil, shut up, what the hell are you trying to say?" Stanley, the fat warrior, jumped up, rushed in front of the half-blood orc, and covered his mouth. Then he turned his head and looked at Stephanie with a smile on his face: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mage Motri, Phil's mood has not been very stable, and you know that the followers of the elemental gods have some prejudices against arcanists, please let us have a good chat with him." ”

Stephanie had a gloomy face, watching Stanley and a few mercenaries drag and drag the forest patrol to the distance, and then there was a fierce argument and reprimand, and after a long time, Stanley and a few mercenaries came over, and said with a smile on his face: "We have persuaded Phil to calm down." Please rest assured of our professionalism, he is only talking at most, and it is absolutely impossible to really plot against the employer. ”

"As for the actual situation, it is indeed a certain degree of difficulty, with the strength of our people, it is impossible to attack a lizardman tribe head-on, I think since you are determined to explore this ruin, then there must be some prepared plan, right? ”

Stephanie's gloomy face finally softened a little, this slick fat man deserved to be the leader, and his mind was indeed a little smart, since she was ready to explore this swamp, she really had some prepared plans to deal with the natives of these places. She nodded slowly, "That's right. I have a plan that should be able to deal with those lizardmen, but it will take the cooperation of certain people, and you must ......"

The swamp after dark is the real swamp.

The rainy season has passed, but the water vapor is still so thick that it seems that layers of cotton wool soaked in water fill all parts of the air, and in such an environment, it is almost impossible for people to dry up naturally once they sweat, and the whole body is always in a state of sweat, and then the body odor will attract countless insects. In the surrounding darkness, all the swamp creatures have come out to hunt, and at any time there may be a centipede more than a foot long, and a palm-sized scorpion can come out of an inexplicable place. Normally, bonfires attract more ferocious and dangerous predators, such as ground sloths or bug cattle. In short, this is a harsh environment where it is difficult for ordinary humans to survive even for a day.

Luckily, there's also Arcane. Stephanie thought so more than once. She sat by her own campfire, feeling the rare warmth and dryness as she cleared out the contents of the folding bag. The light of the bonfire is limited by a three-ring arcane to this space within a radius of ten meters, and the smoke emitted is also cleared by a two-ring arcane, so that it will not be transmitted to the lizardmen or attract large predators. The campfires where the other mercenaries had gathered were also disguised with various special props or techniques, but she insisted on using arcane arts.

Arcane brings her not only warmth and convenience, but also peace of mind. Even though she was alone in the wilderness far from civilization, and there was not much difference between her and a group of mercenaries who were hungry for profit and robbers, she could truly feel at ease as long as she sensed the fluctuations of the familiar magic web, constructed the familiar arcane formulas, and felt the world around her change under the influence of the arcane. She is willing to pay whatever it takes to go the farthest and deepest part of this path, where she believes that there is an answer to everything, the perfect end of everything.

Clear out all the props you need tomorrow, as well as the unnecessary things, and the few things left in the folding bag will minimize the mental power that needs to be maintained. This is one of the preparations that every mage in the Enforcement Department must do before going all out. The Space Folding Bag is a must-have for high-level mages to go out, enough to reduce the volume and weight of the substance they carry to one-tenth or even one-tenth, but the sustainability always depends on the spiritual power of the mage or the elemental gems to provide. This little bit is not a necessary consumption, and it may be the difference between life and death at a critical time. Therefore, there is such a rule in the code of conduct of the executive department, try to empty your folding bag as much as possible before an important battle.

After cleaning up the contents and listing the mosquito grass and ointment that will be used tomorrow and putting them on the golem, Stephanie also rearranged the plan for tomorrow in her heart. Although this is the fifth time, she knows very well that there is no perfect plan in this world, and the more complicated the plan, the more prone it is to accidents and changes, and any little variable will bring about the deviation of the whole plan. Especially when she is not too sure about this plan, no matter how cautious she is, it is not too cautious.

"Hey. A low voice came from a short distance behind her, startling Stephanie. She stopped what she was doing and turned around to see the forest ranger watching her from a tree not far away in the dim light of the fire.

Under the light of the fire, the already strange mixed-race faces of the forest patrol soldiers looked even more hideous, hanging completely silently on the branches, like a predatory animal waiting for an opportunity. However, Stephanie was not too surprised and wary, since the other party reminded him loudly, instead of shooting a silent dark arrow directly as he said before, it means that there is not much real malice.

And in tomorrow's plan, this forest patrol will also play a very important role, if she can, Stephanie really hopes to communicate with him well, instead of pinning all her hopes on the professionalism that the fat man said.

"Sit down and have a fire, Mr. Phil. Stephanie gestured across the campfire.

The forest ranger in the tree looked at the female mage with a blank face for a moment, and finally slipped down the tree silently, walked to the campfire and sat down. Like a tangible ghost, all his movements did not make a single sound. This is the terrifying thing about warriors who believe in the god of the wind element, and they can hide their scents and sounds whenever they wish. This is not a technical cover-up, but fundamentally disappears completely because there is no airborne transmission. This ability, paired with enough skill and weapons, is the deadliest assassin.

In fact, if he did shoot an arrow from behind in the shadows, Stephanie didn't think she could be sure how effectively she could defend against it. She is not yet a ** master, and high-level sequenced touch arcane can only be performed by scrolls, and she obviously can't waste it like this when this organization is in dire straits. She couldn't always maintain a protective arcane art, and the person in front of her was a truly dangerous being who could pose a mortal threat to her at any moment.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" Stephanie tried to make herself appear calm. When the use of force is not appropriate, peaceful communication and compromise are the best ways to solve problems. This compromise will eventually lead to an extremely complex ecology and skill called 'politics', but it can still be a very rustic exchange at such an initial stage.

The forest patrol didn't answer, but just pulled out a handful of roughly sharpened branches and stuck them in front of the campfire one by one, baking them, and then took out one and slowly sharpened it with a knife in his hand. Rangers don't carry much with them, and crafting arrow shafts is one of their must-have skills for jungle survival.

Stephanie didn't speak, just watched quietly. In the flickering firelight, there seemed to be some indescribable complex expressions on the face of this young half-blood orc, but he always pressed and did not show it, maintaining a cold and hard appearance. The occasional crackling sound from the campfire became the only sound.

"Why? Why are you here to do this?" the ranger finally finished sharpening the shaft of the arrow in his hand, placed it beside him, and looked up at the golden mage. "Do you know how low your chances of survival are in this kind of place, and if something happens and everyone scatters, you will be the one who is most likely to die. Even if you have arcane arts, your own weakness cannot be changed, but with a dozen or so two- and three-ring arcane arts, you can't even get out of this swamp by yourself. Then why are you here?"

There were some unexpected problems. Of course, Stephanie couldn't tell him what she really wanted to do, and she couldn't figure out the intent behind the question for a while.

"You're beautiful. ”

This sentence startled the groaning Stephanie, who looked up at the ranger, the expression on his angular face was still cold and hard, but there was appreciation and burning in his eyes that he could not see during the day.

"A beautiful woman like you, or a noble mage, no matter what you want, it should be easy to be satisfied. I think a lot of people have to give a lot for you, so why do you come to such a dangerous place to do such a dangerous thing?" Although the patrolman's eyes showed appreciation, his attitude and words were still cold.

"For knowledge, of course. Digging up the relics of the Imperial Age, looking for the lost arcane is the wish of every arcanist, we are only seeking knowledge. Stephanie said.

"Knowledge?" is a clear sarcasm for the word. "That's just an excuse for **. Why do you want to gain knowledge? to dig up more gems, to get more supplies, more powerful weapons, and to live a better life. Knowledge itself has no attributes, and what makes it look extraordinary is the pursuit of knowledge. ”

"We seek the truth. Knowledge is truth. The conversation inexplicably headed towards a basic conflict between the clergy and the arcanist, and Stephanie couldn't help but follow that rhythm. "We explore the nature of everything in the universe, and everything else is just a few small things that are derived from the process. Arcane is our tool for exploring the world. We believe in truth, in knowledge, in arcane arts, just as you believe in gods. ”

"That's different, woman. Knowledge can only allow you to know some superficial things, and you can only remember and know as if one plus one equals two, but you cannot feel that kind of real spiritual satisfaction. Why do you seek the truth? Why do you seek the essence of all things? The truth does not become greater because you know it, but the nature of all things remains the same and has never changed. It is only because you instinctively feel that you are actually drifting away from the truth and the essence, so you feel the emptiness, you feel the horror. You think you are the masters of this world, but you are but outcasts of the world. Like those sad unbelievers, they can only fill their eternally empty hearts with endless ** and self-deceptive lies. ”

"I can't see that you are still a person with considerable eloquence in debate, and your views are so unique and profound that you would never have thought that you were actually a mercenary. Stephanie smiled and kindly digressed the subject. The debate between the clergy and the arcanists has been going on for hundreds of years, and it is impossible to suddenly draw conclusions between them. And arguing is the least productive kind of conversation, and only a self-righteous fool will enjoy it and persevere.

"That's because my father was a druid and my mother was an arcane. I used to hear them argue a lot when I was a kid. The ranger shrugged.

"Oh?" Stephanie was genuinely interested. This is definitely a couple who go against common sense, the druids, also known as nature believers, are more extreme than ordinary church temples, ordinary church temples can also coexist peacefully with mages, but the concept of nature believers believes that the existence of mage arcane is simply a blasphemy and destruction of nature, and is the worst enemy of nature. There are few pure druids among humans, and most of them exist among orcs or elves. I didn't expect the origin of this forest patrol soldier to be so interesting. "You're such an interesting parent. ”

The forest patrol soldier replied with a blank face, "That's not interesting. My mother was a battle mage of the Southern Legion, who was taken prisoner as a trophy in a battle and sacrificed to my father, who ** her. For my sake, my mother, after eight years in the tribe, was killed after a drought and used as military rations. It is the iron rule of all the tribes of the steppe, the human and the old and the weak, and the slaves, everything must exist for the warriors of the tribe. ”

Stephanie was momentarily speechless. This is the case with the orc customs of the steppe tribes, and the meaning of the existence of the weak is to provide for the strong. This is the reason why the orcs are strong, and the reason why they can only be a group of beasts and cannot really become strong.

"That's why I hate Arcane even more. If it weren't for the Arcane, my mother wouldn't have had to go through all of this captivity, and maybe she would have spent her life in peace and quiet. ”

"But then there will be no you. ”

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. The forest patrol soldier tilted his head and looked indifferent, as if he was talking about someone else's business. "Someone once said that the greatest happiness of man is to never be born. ”

Stephanie was speechless, and the forest patrol soldier stopped talking, just silently sharpened the shaft of the arrow in his hand. After a long pause, he spoke, "Back to our original question, why are you here?"

Stephanie was silent for a moment, then replied, "For knowledge, for the sake of the arcane." ”

"You're lying, and you're not lying. Not even Motri is your real name. The Ranger glanced at Stephanie, his eyes bowed with a surprising calmness and something else. "You know what, you shouldn't be studying arcane either. In the end, the arcane will bring you only hesitation and pain. Maybe you'll be happier without the arcane. ”

"Never. Stephanie replied in the affirmative, her gaze and voice as firm as a force field crystal constructed from the Ten Rings of Arcane, unswayed by any power in this world. "Without Arcane, I would have nothing. That's the light of my world. ”

"It's just that you can't light up your own world. The forest ranger finally finished sharpening the shaft of the arrow and stood up. "Then I'll give you one final piece of advice. Get out of here and don't explore anything you shouldn't know. Otherwise, you will definitely regret it. ”

Stephanie didn't answer, and she didn't have to.

"Okay, then it's business as usual tomorrow. I haven't been here tonight either. ”

The forest patrol spun away, his figure silently engulfed in the darkness beyond the campfire like a ghost. (To be continued.) )