What are you prepared for?

Bud Wendell looked up at the canopy of trees that obscured the sky, and the countless vines and pillars that hung from beneath the canopy, a "plant" that could almost be described as a mythical product far beyond his experience and knowledge, and could not be described even in the ancient texts of the Society of the End of Everything......

No, not entirely absent, he remembered that in the library of the Society for the Death of All Things, in some religious books passed down from the ancient Druid Church, something similar was described: in the depths of the kingdom of God, beyond the reach of mortals, the ancient god of nature, the giant deer, Amon, dwelled under a giant tree called "Samsara", which shaded the sky and the sun, and carried a city called "life" in the canopy, and the roots were buried deep in the ground, entangled in a large tomb called "death......

Could this giant tree in front of you be a by-product of the forcible creation of artificial gods by the end of all things?

In the face of this kind of thing, there is really nothing to prepare for.

Relax, write a decent suicide note, eat a delicious meal, and if you are still a wolf general, then you can also say a few impassioned words at this time - it's a pity that your current status is still a prisoner, so you don't need to talk about the scene.

He lowered his head: "It's ready." ”

Gawain nodded, motioning to the soldiers beside him, and soon someone brought all the necessary equipment.

Although Bard is a former cultist who needs to be punished, and although his mission is similar to that of a daredevil, Gawain did not bring him here to vent his anger or lynch. This task really needs a mortal priest like Bud who understands the situation - Pittman can't, he has been out of the dark sect for more than ten years, and many of the settings in this dungeon have long since changed, but Bud can, he understands what is underneath it, and he knows how to disarm the latest magic traps and traps in the dungeon.

In any case, despite his status as a cultist, Bard Wendell himself was of some value to Gawain, and he didn't want to simply lose the other party in this quest, and if possible, he still wanted the other party to come back alive as much as possible - for this reason, he ordered a full set of equipment to be prepared to assist Bard in completing the mission.

The soldiers brought a large box containing a set of steel ranger light armor that was easy to move around, the most suitable armor for special missions in Cecil's magic suit, as well as the best protection and support performance, as well as a set of emergency potions, additional shields, and protective weapons.

Considering that Bard was not familiar with the operation of the magic equipment, Gawain chose things that could run automatically or were extremely simple to operate, including the sword was also a traditional steel enchanted weapon. He believed that these things were enough—after all, aside from the equipment, Bud himself was a powerful transcendent, and he had some ability to protect himself.

Bard looked at the equipment that was peculiar in style, but could be seen at a good workmanship, and immediately understood what Gawain meant.

"I don't know if you've taken the initiative to atone for your sins with death - I don't care, but at least this time, you're going to come back alive as much as possible," Gawain nodded slightly to Bard, "These things will protect you to the fullest, you try first, and then I'll tell you the details." ”

With the assistance of the two soldiers, Bard quickly put on the full set of equipment, he moved his hands and feet, satisfied with the lightness and comfort of the black light armor, and felt that this armor had a variety of elemental protection and physique enhancement effects, and then he picked up the talisman dagger and a dagger, and swung it a few times at will—it was not a magic weapon, but it was already a valuable enchanted equipment, and it was extremely comfortable to use, and it must have been carefully selected.

The mission does seem to be important.

After Bard had finished getting used to his gear, Gawain pointed to a strangely shaped metal contraption on the ground next to him, "You're going to take this with you—you don't leave it the whole time." ”

Bard took a look and saw that it was a magic device about the size of a human head with a triangular base and inlaid with crystals, and a clasp on its base, which seemed to be able to be hung on the buckle on the chest of his armor.

"What is this?" Bard asked curiously—without knowing what this thing was for, he only felt that this thing would affect his actions, but since Gawain had specially asked him to bring it, it seemed that this thing had a necessary effect. He knew he wasn't in a position to pick and choose, but at least he wanted to find out what he had on him—even if it was a self-detonation prop used to blow up some underground facility, he wanted to find out.

After all, what these Cecilians are best at is blowing up all sorts of things, and the last time that dastardly knight threw a metal box at him, he almost killed himself......

"It's a communication device that can simultaneously teleport what you see to the ground," Gawain didn't know what Bard was muttering to himself, he explained casually, and ordered someone to activate the magic web terminal placed not far away, "Wearing this, we can confirm your surroundings." ”

A nearby magic device activated, and Bud was surprised to find that the device on his chest also shimmered simultaneously, and then he noticed an image of himself floating in front of him over the device not far away—a magical thing that reminded him of the magic projections floating in the streets.

Is it a similar technology?

"It's probably going to affect activity a bit, but it's the most advanced and miniaturized piece of equipment out there, and you're a transcendent who should be able to overcome this inconvenience," Gawain continued, "It should have enough range to get you done - but given the complexity of the underground situation, which can affect the signal, you need to be extra careful when you move." We'll let you know if there's a serious signal disruption, or if you find the crystal going out, immediately return to a location where communication can be maintained, and we'll arrange a follow-up action. ”

Bard listened carefully to Gawain's every word - before the operation began, every command from the other party affected his chances of survival, and he also knew that the significance of this incredible magic device was not only to connect, but also to allow the people on the surface to confirm the truth below, without relying on the verbal description after his return.

As a prisoner under observation and a convicted cultist, what he says is not yet trustworthy, and the Cecil people trust their magic skills even more.

Bard accepts these facts as a necessary means and a price to pay for proving himself.

"I see." He nodded vigorously.

"Very well, let's go," Gawain bowed slightly, "act carefully and come back safely." ”

Come back safely......

In this brief moment, Bud suddenly was a little stunned, he blinked, and the already yellowed memory suddenly began to flip, in the depths of the memories buried by the muddy gray life, in the last warm afternoon in his mind, he was dressed in military uniform, riding on a horse, his daughter was reluctantly tugging at his clothes, his father was standing by the roadside, and the last time he heard his family say to him, it seemed to be these words......

Now, he is no longer qualified to face any old people.

Bard turned, striding towards the dimly glowing triangular gap, and the figure faded into the darkness.

Gawain retracted his gaze and looked at the clearing next to a large root on the left, where the metal pedestal supported a glowing crystal suspended in mid-air and slightly swirling, and the abundant magic power was being released smoothly, lighting up the nearby magic crystal lamp and activating the magic net terminal set up in the clearing.

It was a high-powered magic obelisk, which maintained the mana supply to the main trunk of the "Thorin Tree", and was also the signal center of the communication device carried by Bard, and the situation in the root area of the "Thorin Tree" would be transmitted back by the crystal throughout the next operation.

Not far away, the soldier in charge of monitoring the terminal of the magic network reported in a loud voice: "There is a picture, Your Majesty." ”

"Let's go over and wait," Gawain nodded, and said to Amber and Pitman beside him, "Bud should be down there for a long time." ”

……

It is dim and secluded, and the road is tortuous, as if leading to an endless abyss.

Some kind of glowing moss clings to the surface of the nearby vines and roots, creating a limited amount of light, which is not enough to illuminate the path, but rather makes the shadows ahead more dangerous, so after advancing some distance, Bard turns on the lighting device he carries with him.

Cecil's magic technique was indeed handy—he couldn't help but think.

The road is not easy to walk, although there should theoretically be a wide ramp here, but the great collapse and the wreak of man-made gods have caused the underground palace structure near this part of the surface to completely collapse, and the collapsed soil layer has formed a steep slope, but fortunately, those roots that come from nowhere are intertwined, and a relatively gentle "road" is covered on the slope, and it is still no problem to move forward normally.

Bard carefully chose the direction of his progress along the "path" formed by the knotted roots, and the guidance of the broken stairs and corridors around him, and made his way towards the depths of this ancient underground palace.

He was familiar with the place, but like almost every Cultist, he didn't know who had built this ancient dungeon.

Yes, although this is the lair of the Society of the End, it existed long before it was taken over by the dark druids.

The Society of the End of Life has only rebuilt the ramps and corridors on its top level that connect to the surface to facilitate secret entry and exit for its members, but the palace that lies deep in the valley underground...... It is impossible to create it with the engineering power of the Society for the Death of All Things.

The palace may even be older than the Ansu Kingdom, perhaps dating back to the days of the Gondor Empire.

Or...... Older.

Following the path of his memory, Bard cautiously walked deeper, passing through the large ramp of the upper level, through the fragmented assembly hall and the twisted and fractured foyer corridor, and beyond that, the original structure of the underground palace.

The crooked walls stretched out in the line of sight, the half-destroyed magic net units remained on the walls, and in the distance there seemed to be remnants of magic crystal lamps still in operation, emitting flickering light, these modern creations from the "Cecil technology" appeared in the dark lair of the Eventual Society, and the nest itself was built on an even more ancient mysterious ruin, all of which produced a sense of time and space that made Bard quite emotional, he shook his head, carefully bypassing some slippery vines, Advance through a corridor filled with giant tree roots and vine moss.

At the same time, he also increased his vigilance and kept an eye on his mental state.

In the depths of this dungeon, there is a kind of strange power called "god remnant" by the patriarchs, it may be the erosion of reality caused by the dark druids' research on forbidden knowledge, or it may be the original power of the dungeon, as you continue to go deeper, the impact of this strange power will become more significant, and people with weak spirits will hallucinate in the middle area, and be infused with terrible and distorted knowledge, and at a deeper level, even flesh and blood limbs may mutate, which is weird and difficult to prevent.

Although these forces are theoretically suppressed at the bottom, and there is no sign of active outward penetration for many years, God knows if the ban on the ancient ruin itself will still work after this upheaval - Bard is not afraid of death, but he is not here to die.

He came to the council hall.

It was the place where the priests of the sect discussed their affairs, and the hall and the area on the same floor as the hall were the places he most often visited as a mid-level priest.

He faintly heard some voices, which sounded like someone was whispering, but when he looked intently, there was only a tangled root in the direction of the voice.

The "communication device" carried on his chest was running, the runes and crystals emitted a faint light, Bud fumbled to find a "button" on its surface, according to the way the soldiers taught him before departure, he pressed the switch, and said in a low voice: "This location is the council chamber, and I am not familiar with it further down, do you want to continue to go down?" ”

There was no response from the communication device, only a hollow, low whistling.

On the surface, Gawain, Amber and the others stood next to the terminal of the magic net, and a holographic image from the depths of the underground palace was projected above the terminal.

In the glow of the lighting fixtures, the environment near Bard's front was clearly visible.

The footage hadn't moved for several minutes, but Bud's faint breathing was still coming through, indicating that he was still alive.

Amber scratched her hair, puzzled, "Why is he standing there still?" ”