"Three months, nearly four months ago to be exact, our tribe lived in a pastoral area for some time. At that time, the weather was not as warm as it is now, and the pasture in most places was not yet large enough for livestock. But that pastoral area is an exception. The grass there grows so well that it doesn't look like it has just gone through a winter. And when I stood on that land, I could clearly feel that the connection with the spirits had weakened. It's not that I can't feel it at all, it's just like a layer of water vapor on the mirror. ”

In the tent, Wu Qi was recalling what he had seen and heard about the tribe's location four months ago, "This kind of place, counting that time, I have encountered it twice in total, and in the message left by my family, there will never be less than ten fingers of the area on the grassland where this will happen. However, the reasons for the weakening of the spiritual connection in these places are different, some of which are good and some of which are bad. ”

"For example, my ancestors once witnessed the birth of a new deity from the grassland, at a time when the Shale tribe was not yet the Shale tribe, and the tribes who witnessed this event immediately changed their totems and became the first tribe to serve this new deity. But most of the time, this is related to the desecrated land, where the spirits are disgusted with the filth and do not want to come near. ”

There are legends about forsaken lands that are hated by gods or spirits, but they exist in a variety of beliefs. While every religion claims that the beings or beings they serve are the protectors and rulers of all things between heaven and earth, it is undeniable that there are always places, perhaps a mountain, a deep pool, a sea without waves, or even a house that has been abandoned at some point, that is not subject to any regulation of existence, and that what is in those abandoned places does not have to obey any rules. Interestingly, in a sense, the Gray Tower is also such a place.

"I was the first to tell Uvel that something was not right there, but everybody knew how there could be such a fertile pasture at that time. But we can't help it, the winter on the grassland last year was colder than the three years combined, and the spirit of spring made such days last longer because of the lateness, and the forage stored in the tribe has bottomed out. We have expanded so fast over the years that we simply don't have enough people to take care of the sheep and cattle, and many of the lambs and calves born in the winter have died. In such a situation, of course, Uvel will not do what I say. ”

"And then what happened?" asked Lothar as she put on her shirt, and Wu Qi's account intrigued him. Especially after the tattoo on his body was recognized by the steppe people as a symbol given by the spirits, the count began to be curious about the faith of these neighbors. Perhaps, instead of getting the answer in the ocean of water, it will emerge in the sea of grass.

"Nothing happened. Wu Qi's face changed slightly, which is actually related to the characteristics of the shaman, when the sun disappears, the power of the spirits increases, "No one is dead, no one is injured, no one is missing, even the cattle and sheep are alive, if something really happened, I wouldn't have realized that the focus was on the pasture four months ago after the woman finished speaking." But now it seems that there was no problem at that time, most of the time was just that I didn't see it, and in places I didn't notice, the desecration still hurt my people. ”

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Cheese washed the gloves and carefully folded them into the inside pocket of his robe, "As you said, the worm in the child's body has been in his body for at least three months, why is it only getting sick now?" But now there is only one example, and there is no conclusive evidence to support my inference. But what you just said reminded me of another thing,"

The mage looked directly into the shaman's eyes, carefully observing every detail of the other man's face, "You originally captured us for sacrifice. But for whom, is the sacrifice for?"

It's actually a bit inappropriate to ask this question at this point in time. The relationship between Cheese and the others and the Shale Department had just eased, but he couldn't wait to throw out this extremely sensitive question, which was likely to cause Wuqi's attitude towards them to regress, and in the case that the mage had only agreed to the treatment, the question was also a bit threatening.

However, the shaman was not angry, he just showed a rather helpless expression, the powerlessness in his eyes, cheese was no stranger, and a few years ago, he often saw himself in the water and in the mirror with such a look. Wu Qi took a deep breath and used this movement to make his collapsed chest stand up, "Actually, to be honest, I don't know who is asking for the sacrifice. Because this matter was not raised by me as a shaman, it was Uvel who brought up the matter of looking for sacrifices. ”

The mage's eyes sharpened, and he could see that the shaman was telling the truth without Atta's magic sword, but why? whatever being was asking for a sacrifice from the Shale, it should project its will on the shaman, who was the most sensitive sixth sense in the tribe, not on Uvel, who was the leader. Such an approach inevitably makes people feel confused.

"There is a precedent for this situation. As if sensing Cheese's doubts, Wu Qi continued to explain what he had just said, "In the tradition of the steppe, although the shaman is an important channel of communication between the spirits and the human world, the shaman is not the only one. Famous warriors, wise men, chieftains, and even children herding cattle may be inspired by the spirits, regardless of identity, because the origins of the spirits are complex, and they have their own loves. “

"And Uvel was born with a beloved temperament, and his father had two boys and a girl before he gave birth to him, but they both died, dying of illness and accidents. In the midst of the man's utter despair, Uvel was born, and he was so perfect, just as all the previous deaths had paved the way for his coming. My people believe that he has a destiny. Even my father promised me that on the night of Uvel's birth, the spirits whispered to him. ”

"Destiny?" repeated the word Cheese, who didn't believe in fate. To be precise, what he doesn't believe in is a fate that cannot be changed at the time of birth. The mage believed that all people who showed themselves were because of their experiences, not the dice at the fingertips of the gods. What's more, there was no worship in Wu Qi's words, he just told a story that he had not witnessed with his own eyes, which made the mage have to doubt the shaman's loyalty to his leader.

"The brother who died violently before he was born, the restless whispers of the spirits at birth, if this was some kind of omen, it sounded more like a demon descending. When did Uvel start preparing to catch the sacrifices?"

"If you count the forces that have been summoned by the Teller and Basil divisions, it would have been about two months ago, after we left that pasture. ”