As dusk approached, the carriage slowly drove into Sunset Town. Although it is a town, the development of the mineral and alchemy industries in recent years has made it famous, attracting more and more business travelers from all over the world, many of whom eventually stayed. Not only is the population becoming denser, but the town is also expanding, and today it has become a bustling area that is not inferior to the big cities.

"There's nothing to entertain at home, so don't be polite." Lao Gu stopped the carriage and said to Yujiali and the others behind him.

"Where, I'm very grateful to be able to spend the night." Yugari thanked them as they stepped out of the carriage.

"What are you doing in a daze, don't help me greet the guests. I'll go and settle the horses first. What a silly boy. Lao Gu slapped Gu Yiyuan and said urgically.

Gu Yiyuan reacted at this time, hurriedly ran out of the carriage, and beckoned Youjiali and them into the house to rest in the living room.

It is a fairly spacious private house. Two-storey retro-style building. Half of the ground floor is an alchemy shop and warehouse, and half is a living room and kitchen used by my family. The furnishings in the house are unpretentious and classical, and you can't find a pop and avant-garde décor.

"Drink water." Gu Yiyuan was setting the water glass while clumsily pouring water for Yujiali and the others, his movements were stiff and clumsy.

"What a stupid boy, how can there be such a pour of water, go, take out the tea leaves." Lao Gu, who pushed the door in, looked at his son with a clumsy look, and said with a smile.

"Are you father and son?" Looking around, Miria asked, "As if I couldn't feel anything else." ”

"Even if it's it." Lao Gu took the tea leaves and made them tea, and said, "A disaster many years ago left his mother sleeping in the secret room, and she has no other relatives. For a long time, no one had come in except for the passing guests. ”

"I'm sorry, but ...... What's going on? Yugari asked embarrassedly.

"Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Lao Gu said kindly, "A disaster has taken the lives of many people. I saved her life through some ancestral alchemy, but that's all I can do. She didn't leave us, but she never woke up again. At this time, a trace of sadness seemed to flash in Lao Gu's eyes.

"As long as you get the Longyuan grass, you can wake up your mother." At this time, Gu Yiyuan on the side suddenly said excitedly,

"Huh? Longyuan grass? Yugari asked suspiciously.

"Legend has it that this plant can cure her ailments, at least that's what I said when I looked up ancient books." Lao Gu replied.

"And this plant ......"

"At the top of the dragons in the sky world." Before Yugari could finish asking, Miria explained, "It is said to be the place where the dragon leaders gather, the highest place in this world. Crossing the strait, climbing to the top, and taking the herb from the dragon leader is a fantasy. ”

"That's true...... old Gu smiled helplessly.

"So what?! As long as I keep trying, there will always be a way to get it back! Gu Yiyuan said unconvinced.

Miria wanted to complain a few words, but thinking of Gu Yiyuan's current situation, and Yujiali immediately took the words, she didn't say anything more.

After lunch, take a break. When Yujiali and the others were about to leave for Chiyan Mountain, Gu Yiyuan volunteered to go together.

"Huh?" Listening to Gu Yiyuan's words, Yujiali said in surprise, "Although I am very happy, I ...... We're here to investigate the source of the plague, and it's said that there are corrupt dragons, which are very dangerous......"

"I'm not a good adventurer yet, but if the goal is to get the Dragon Source Grass, I still have this awareness. After all, sooner or later, you'll have to face that kind of monster. Please let me go with you. Gu Yiyuan said earnestly.

"Just let him go with you." At this time, Lao Gu beside him said a little helplessly, "This kid usually complains that I don't give him a chance to take risks." In fact, I also understand that it is better for boys to exercise more and go out more. I used to have a lot of concerns. In addition, if you go in the direction of Mt. Chiyan, you will pass through a strange forest on the way, and it will be difficult to get out without a familiar local to lead the way. He often follows me everywhere to collect medicine, and he knows the situation in this area very well, and he can help you a lot. Don't look at his weakness in fighting with wild beasts, he is a good hand at escaping, and he shouldn't cause you too much trouble. ”

"Don't make me so bad." Gu Yiyuan retorted with a red face.

"That's great, we should thank you for your help." Yujiali said politely.

Soon after, everyone took their belongings, mounted their mounts, and galloped out of Sunset Town with their horses and whips, galloping in the direction of Chiyan Mountain.

Around nightfall, a murmuring black forest quietly appeared in front of Yugari and the others. At this time, the moon was dark and the wind was high, and everything was silent, except for the cold wind whistling among the treetops.

"W-What kind of place is this......" Yugari shuddered.

"It feels so eerie." Miria clenched her long-handled scythe and looked around.

"This is the Black Forest." Gu Yiyuan, who was behind him, explained seriously, "Because of the environment, the trees here are like this most of the time, all black, and they don't grow leaves. At night, the wind is very strong and there is a strange whirring sound. That's fine, but the trees are often moving slowly, and it's easy to get lost without someone familiar to guide you. Aside from the occasional few wild beasts that come to feed, there is not much else. ”

"These trees move on their own?" Yugari asked in surprise.

"Hmm. It seems to be the result of perennial erosion by some kind of substance, and most of them have varying degrees of mutation. The impact on other aspects is not well understood, but there is no harm at the moment, so there is no need to worry too much. ”

"It's weird......"

"This forest is not very big, through here, there is Chiyan City in front of you." Gu Yiyuan continued to explain while leading the way in front.

"What? There's a town ahead, huh? ”

"It used to be. Now it's just ruins. "I heard that a long time ago, it was a small town that made a living from mining. However, it was abandoned at the time of the last eruption, and has been covered with thick ash all along, and it has long been deserted. ”

"That's right. In other words, every year when the plague is rampant, do the people in the city have to take refuge in other cities? ”

"That's not it, in the past, when the plague was in the past, everyone had medicinal materials that were prepared to prevent it, and basically it wouldn't have much impact. However, this time the plague was different from the past, and the previous potions had no effect. ”

As he spoke, several dark shadows suddenly flickered in the woods in the distance.

"There is a situation!" Miria held the scythe to her chest and said vigilantly.

"Don't be nervous, just some wild dogs coming out to feed." As he spoke, Gu Yiyuan took out some medicine bags and hung them on his horse's head, "The unique aroma of these herbs can dispel the beasts that come to forage, so we just need to keep going." ”

Sure enough, after Gu Yiyuan took out the herbs, although strange cries could occasionally be heard outside of vision, there were no more wild beasts entangled along the way.

"That's amazing!" Yugari praised.

"Nothing." Gu Yiyuan said modestly, "It's just that I've been following my father to collect medicine since I was a child, and I've lived here for more than ten years, so I'm still a little sure of how to deal with the surrounding situation." ”

"That's pretty good, too." "By the way, you just said that this plague is different from the previous ones, is there anything special? ”

"Well...... "Gu Yiyuan pondered for a while, frowned and said, "I haven't found anything unusual over there in Sunset Town, as for here...... Because the further you go to the side of Mt. Chiyan, the more dangerous it becomes. There are almost no combat-related guilds in Sunset Town right now, so few people come here, so it's not very clear. ”

While chatting about the plague, Eugari and the others made their way through the black forest to an abandoned town. Here, both the streets and the houses are covered with a thick layer of volcanic ash, which makes people feel a little bit of life.

"It's been a long time, the history of the town." Eugari said to herself.

"It's said to be hundreds of years old." "My father told me that my grandfather's grandfather lived here when he was very young, and then moved to Sunset Town before the volcano erupted. ”

"Huh? There seems to be a light over there! Eugari said in amazement. Following her point, a dim light seemed to be visible in the depths of the town's streets.

"How is that possible?! This place has long been abandoned, there can be no one! Gu Yiyuan said in surprise.

"Let's go take a look." As she spoke, Yujiali beckoned everyone to turn over and dismount, and quietly walked in the direction of the bright light.

"Are you all ready?" Through the crack in the stone door, Yugari and the others saw three men fiddling with potions in the hut, and one of the soldiers in armor and holding a shield asked.

"It's all here, and the other three sets of things have been sent over. I'll be ready to do when I've got that in place. A man of relatively short stature and a slightly haggard face replied.

"After you finish it today, you can come back tomorrow." Another tall, lanky man in casual clothes with a tomahawk on his back asked.

"Let's see the effect, this 'sewage' should be more suitable for the spread of the plague than the last one, not only does it take effect faster, but it also has more variability. If the effect is good, it is estimated that the population of Sunset Town will be reduced by one-fifth in a few days, hehehe. ”

"What......!" Gu Yiyuan was just about to subconsciously shout, but Miria quickly reached out and covered her mouth.

"Shut up!" Miria whispered.

Gu Yiyuan nodded embarrassedly, and followed everyone to hide in a stone house next to him with a red face.

"They seem to be playing tricks on something, and it has a lot to do with this particular plague." Yugari whispered.

"They're supposed to have done it, though it's not clear for what purpose." Miria nodded.

"Did you hear what they just said?!" Gu Yiyuan said with some anger, "They want to kill a lot of people in Sunset Town, we have to go back and tell everyone right away!" ”

"Be quiet, don't be so excited, calm down."

"They seem to have said there are other groups, and we need to find them."

"It's not as good as this. We rushed in and grabbed them and asked for it! Miria frowned again and said, "But if that's all the case, even if you hand them over to the Guild Alliance, it probably won't be a result." ”

"Why? Does the Guild Federation care? Gu Yiyuan asked.

"It's not that I don't care. There is no clue to the boss behind the scenes. Miria explained, "I think these people are just creeps on a mission. If you don't find the mastermind behind the scenes, you still can't solve the problem. ”

"Miria has a point. We'd better find a way to find out the mastermind. Yujiali pondered for a while, and suddenly said, "Do you think we can do this ......?"

"There doesn't seem to be any other way...... "Miria said with a frown after listening to Eugari's explanation, "but you should be safe." ”

"No problem, don't worry, it'll be fine."

"Alright then, just do as you say."

Walking out of the house, Miria took Blala and Gu Yiyuan back to the door of the stone house just now. At this time, Blala had already taken out the battle axe, and with enough strength, he slashed towards the stone gate. I heard a loud bang, and the stone door shattered into several pieces and smashed to the ground. Miria stepped forward and rushed into the room, shouting, "We are from the Guild Alliance, lay down our weapons and go back with us to be investigated!" ”

The sudden change shocked the three people inside, and just as they were stunned, Blala and Gu Yiyuan immediately rushed up from behind Miria with their weapons. Seeing that the situation was critical, the short man immediately took out a bottle of potion from his arms and threw it at Gu Yiyuan, who rushed up. Gu Yiyuan smashed the thrown potion bottle with his long sword. In an instant, a large amount of white smoke spread out of the bottle and filled the entire room.

"Catch them! Don't let them run! Miria shouted.

Gu Yiyuan ignored the obstruction of his line of sight, and immediately rushed towards the position of the thin man just now. On the way, a figure suddenly flashed past him, and Gu Yiyuan immediately rushed forward desperately and pressed the figure to the ground.

Miria barricaded in the doorway. At this moment, a figure rushed over, and she immediately swept under the opponent with a long-handled scythe. With a thud, the long-handled scythe struck the solid shield and bounced back, and the figure retreated. Miria hurriedly stepped forward and continued to attack the figure. Brala also rushed up from the side. At this moment, another figure flashed past Miria, and Miria had no time to care, so the figure took the opportunity to rush out of the door. Under the flanking of Miria and Brala, the man with the shield was quickly knocked to the ground.

It didn't take long for the white smoke to clear. Brala and Kochihara had already subdued the two men who had fallen to the ground. Miria hurriedly pulled out the ropes and trapped them.

"Okay, let's talk. What are you doing here? Miria asked with a swaggering look.

"What's the matter with you, kill if you want to, what so much nonsense!" The diminutive man pouted.

"It's very backbone." Miria said sarcastically, "That's fine. There are two people anyway, and we can ask the other. Brala, chopped off his hands and feet, and threw him into the black woods. ”

"Huh?" The short man shouted bloodless with fright, "The Guild Alliance can't do this!" I'm going to complain to you! ”

"Complaints?" Miria said with a relaxed face, "Anyway, you will soon be eaten by the wild dogs there, so how can you complain." ”

At this time, Bubula took out a long sword and walked up with a blank face.

"Wait, wait...... Wait a minute! The short man immediately shouted in a panic, "We are here to spread the plague, just small soldiers who do things, and eat with their mouths." I'm just a researcher, and nothing else has anything to do with me! ”

"...... said, "The mouth changed quite quickly." Miria asked awkwardly, "Exactly?" How did it spread? What is the purpose? Hurry up and explain it! ”

"I say, I say!" The short man swallowed and hurriedly said, "We just put the medicine allocated to the designated place according to the above requirements, and then feedback the effect of the infection." The purpose was to speed up the spread and mutation of the plague. ”

"Why?" Gu Yiyuan asked angrily.

"I don't know, I really don't know." The short man explained in a panic, "I just heard that it was arranged by the elder, and he wanted to do an experiment and collect something." It is said that it can summon powerful powers. We just did what the captain ordered, and we didn't know anything else. ”

Miria looked at the short man in front of her, nervous and resigned. It didn't feel like she was lying, and she herself felt that these secret plans would not be known to the miscellaneous soldiers. He continued, "Okay." Then I'll trust you. But you'll have to tell me where the other places you're going to put them are. As long as you take us there, I'll spare you!" ”

"Understood, sir! A few other places are all known for their small size. At the foot of this mountain, there are one in the south, one in the north, one in the north, the west. We're in charge of the south, and I'll take you there. ”

Miria nodded in satisfaction, then said to Brala, "Without further ado, we have to hurry up and stop the rest of the droppers before they arrive." Gu Yiyuan, you take these potions and hurry back, give it to the uncle, and let him see what this thing is. In case we didn't catch up, someone had already dropped the potion and asked him to think about what he could do. I'll take this guy to the drop off point to the east first. Bellala, you take the soldier to the drop point to the west. Finally, we meet at the drop-off point in the north. Any questions? ”

"I don't have a problem." Gu Yiyuan asked with some concern, "It's just...... Wouldn't it be dangerous for you to go your separate ways? ”

"Rest assured, we're fine. Besides, the situation is urgent, and there is no better way. You go back by yourself, pay more attention to safety on the way. With that, Miria picked up the short man and walked out of the door.

After Miria left, Blana and Gu Yiyuan also took action. Blala escorted the soldiers, and Gu Yiyuan took the potion and galloped away in different directions.