According to Amberly's account, the outpost they are going to is located in the forest about five kilometers from the border of the Empire, and the main purpose is to observe and maintain the forest environment, monitor the anomalous movements of the Empire, take care of travelers lost in the forest, and deal with ill-intentioned poachers. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

There are about twenty sentry guards on duty all year round, and for the Elna people, the abundant forests are their greatest treasure, providing an abundance of wild vegetables and fruits as a source of food. Of course, similar to other tribesmen, they also cultivate some particularly delicious crops or foods. The wild honey used by Amberly to make the cakes, and the fresh dates used to marinate the preserves, are among the Kingdom's famous specialties.

Such outposts are scattered along the edge of the forest, and the total number is about a thousand. At the end of the summer, each outpost reports to Golden Spike City, the capital of the Kingdom of Elders, on the situation in the area over the past year, the need for manpower and resources, and the events that have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved.

In the event of a major problem that cannot be resolved, the outpost will send a messenger to inform the nearest large town as soon as possible, and if it is still unresolved, the incident will be sent to the royal court for Her Majesty to decide on the specific course of action.

"So no one has noticed this place for so long, and it's likely that something happened to that place?" Lily asked, carrying an obsidian greatsword and running beside the white bear.

"Who knows?" The white bear spat out a low, soft voice, "If that's the case, I'll avenge this forest and them." But I'm sure she'll be fine with the gold coins! ”

Lin chased after the bear with her arms in her arms and turned her face to look at her, "Sister Amberly, how do you speak like a bear?" ”

"Like...... It is...... I don't know! When I usually make a bear, I do exercises for my tongue and mouth, and suddenly one day it will be! The white bear replied proudly, and then quickened his pace, "It's here, and it's ...... ahead Oh my God! ”

Lily took two steps in a hurry, and when the outpost appeared in front of her through the woods and the darkness, even Lily, who was a hunter and mercenary and had seen all kinds of scenes, couldn't help but take a breath.

The vines that used to surround the village, which were natural walls, had long since withered and blackened, like long black snakes that seeped into people, lying prone on the smoothed brown soil. On the edge of the village, the reclaimed land was covered with dark brown sticky fungi, like a large lump of carrion that was slumped on the ground, and the rotting flesh that wriggled from time to time made her feel a little sick. Dozens of ellipsoidal objects that emitted dark red fireflies floated above the mass of fungi, seemingly drawing the nutrients from there that provided them with survival.

"Ghost fire." Yuffie stared at the floating fireflies and said calmly, "Half-spirit creatures that feed on negative emotions are very aggressive, just ignore them." She lowered her gaze a little, "And the stucco slime fungus, the spores of that thing are poisonous, it's better to stay away." ”

Lily followed the white bear, carefully getting around the way. No sooner had she stepped on the blackened vines than she felt the air around her suddenly freeze. The wind that had been blowing from time to time had completely stopped, but it made her feel even colder.

This is not a good sign, the mercenary said to herself. She struggled to swing the blade in her hand to keep her muscles from stiffening from the chill.

As she walked on, several wooden houses—or even the wreckage of wooden houses—broke through the darkness and came into view.

The planks that once made up the house have been reduced to charred gray-black flakes, crisscrossed in their original locations. The furniture and furnishings in the house are almost identical, as if the vitality in the wood has been sucked clean by something.

The remaining, recognizable objects include several crude porcelain bowls, two of which are still intact; Two metal swords, rusted for a long time; and a total of three skeletons lying upside down outside the house. One of them was prone forward, seemingly running outward. The remaining two bodies lay on their backs, their palms trying to hold something, but there was nothing inside.

Lily carefully touched one of them, only to hear a salad, and the entire skeleton instantly turned into a thin white flake. They floated to the ground, and the silhouette of a human figure could be faintly discerned.

"This ......," she retracted her hand with some weakness, "isn't it our fault?" ”

The blonde girl stepped forward, leaned down to take a look, picked up a thin and brittle fragment of bone, gently twisted it into powder with her fingers, and put it on the tip of her nose to sniff it slightly.

"All of his creatures have been removed." Lin straightened up and asked a little incorrectly, "What is it that can cause such a result...... Yufie? ”

"I don't know." The pink girl approached, "At least none of the magical creatures, monsters, and some outside creatures mentioned by the academy can do this-"

"Be careful, everyone!" Not far away, Amberly in the form of a white bear let out a low growl, "Something's coming!" ”

Lily looked up quickly. A large, strangely shaped creature floating in the air—or not at all—slowly descended into the soft light.

It is translucent and resembles a cylinder five meters high and four meters in diameter. The uneven gray surface gently undulates as if breathing. Hundreds of blood-red eyes and bloody mouths were embedded in every surface of the monster, and the huge mouths opened and closed, revealing a shark-like mouthful of sharp teeth. In the gap between the eyes and the giant mouth, there are countless gray tentacles about two meters long, like jellyfish floating in the air, dancing and whipping at will in all directions.

It spun slowly clockwise, staring at Lily, and everyone else, with countless grim eyes. Lily could feel it with a food-like look, greedy, bloodthirsty, without the slightest mercy.

"What is this!?" She almost roared at Yuffie and asked, "Is that what made this place like this!?" ”

"I don't know -- I don't know it." The girl replied hurriedly, "Wait, Lily, be careful with your attacks-"

That sentence was a little late. The mercenary dragged her giant sword and leaped up, her whole body drawing a perfect arc in the air, swinging her sword and falling on the terrifying monster.

The blow that was determined to be won did not go as expected. The greatsword slid through the monster's body, as if slicing through a mass of viscous liquid. She looked up and saw that the monster didn't seem to be badly injured - it seemed to be enraged.

The dozens of tentacles coiled around its body suddenly straightened, and they 'pierced' through her greatsword in front of her, striking her chest.