The terrain of the Dark Valley is indeed as ingenious as Adele said.

Especially after Sister Pomegranate followed the NPC across three consecutive sections of suspension bridges, she realized that she couldn't do it if she wanted to storm this area! The roads here are too narrow for ground troops to pass through on a large scale, and the half-elves are cunning enough to leave some psionic traps in the path they must pass.

Reeds can be sure that those traps can blow up the only way to advance and retreat as long as they are activated, and in a critical moment, these half-elves don't even need to activate the traps, just need to break the drawbridge is enough to make three consecutive cliffs hundreds of meters high a nightmare for all attackers.

The only way to get in here on a large scale is to go through the sky or underground.

For example, when Lady Adele was forced to leave here twenty-five years ago, she drove a large number of kobolds to dig tunnels from the ground and dig directly into the Valley of Shadows, or dispatched enough flying soldiers to kill directly into the valley stronghold.

From this point of view, the Shadow Valley's defenses are far from invincible, but the problem is that the valley doesn't have any rare resources or important targets.

Aside from the terrain, the difficulty of attacking it is completely disproportionate to its benefits!

Especially for the gnolls who are about to rush into the mainland from Transnesia, this place is a real chicken rib, they can't spend manpower to attack this place and turn it into a sentry post, this place is far away from Transasia.

But on the flip side, if the Trancians were to stop the gnolls nearby, the valley's terrain would be perfect.

The half-elves who live here also understand this truth, they are not panicked because of the impending black plague, along the way, Adele can find that the valley guards are quite well trained, although they lack excellent protective gear, but the warbows and spears in the hands of these vigilant guys are also extraordinary.

Especially when entering the outskirts of the valley, even Lumina, who was the most sluggish in scouting, discovered that the half-elves were preparing supplies for the war.

Bundles of arrows were placed at the various sentry posts, including some psionic arrows that the Shadow Elves had helped craft, as well as items like fire oil and psionic stones.

On the outskirts, on an open cliff connected by a wooden ladder and a drawbridge, there were new recruits who had just finished their melee training practicing shooting in the night, and several old elves with evil faces were training them.

It is not an exaggeration to describe this valley as "full of martial virtues".

At least in Sister Pomegranate's opinion, the defense system and strength here are not as crotch-pulling as they thought before.

In fact, after all, the Shadow Valley is the home of a group of gladiators who escaped from the elven city, they are not lacking in strength, and living in this unfriendly area of Barren Mountain for many years has also allowed them to accumulate the wisdom of survival.

They never take the initiative to provoke external enemies, but once a bad guy wants to put some "pressure" on them, these half-elves who have no legendary languid and elegant nature will not be merciful.

"Look! Lots of tombstones! ”

As he stepped into the core area of the Shadow Valley, Reedy suddenly pointed in one direction and shouted.

Pomegranate and Lumina turned their heads to look.

Boy!

On the side of a raised cliff, a dense collection of tombstones formed a cemetery, and a rough count of the minimum stone tablets there were at least three hundred stone tablets, which was indeed a terrible number for the elves who lived a long time but had difficulty breeding.

"That's our hero's graveyard."

A half-elf ranger leading the way in front explained in a calm tone:

"Only those who died for the valley are entitled to leave a tombstone, and the cowards have nothing but the Zombie Wilderness here."

"Wow, your heritage is a real match for the aggressive Transansians."

Lumina commented:

"I think you half-elves with a lot of martial arts will be able to live well there."

"But we already have our own home, and we're not interested in going anywhere else."

The Elven Ranger frowned at the Orb of Arithmetic on Lumina's wrist, and he could tell that the strange, unintelligible language that Lumina spoke was converted into Elven language through it.

These vampires who came back with Adele are really weird.

Sister Pomegranate stood at the intersection of the elf village, she turned her head to look, the valley in front of her was divided into several areas, the number was quite large but far from rich, the half-elves here lived in houses made of stone and wood, and there were some dwellings similar to "caves" near the rocks.

She asked:

"We are the retinue who accompanied Lady Adele back to worship, and can we walk around here while Lady Adele pays tribute to her mother?"

"Generally, no!"

The half-elf captain who escorted them looked at the three vampires, and he said coldly:

"We are not in the habit of inviting strangers into our homes, but Adele's mother, Lady Mona 'Free Hand', is our eternal leader and eternal hero, so you can get a little privilege too.

You are free to move around our village, but you are not allowed to go outside of the village! It would be embarrassing for both of us to be caught in a cage because of unclean hands and feet, so I want you to fulfill your obligations as persona non grata guests. ”

"I'm a hunter!"

Xiao Wei Ming flapped her wings and suspended in the air, she patted the hammer guard she was carrying, and said to the half-elf captain in front of her:

"I saw your well-made Horned Eagle Bow, and I thought it was cool! Can I buy some bows and arrows from you and send them back to my friends? Or maybe talk to your hunters?

We'll stay overnight anyway.

Okay, okay, if I want money, I can pay it. ”

"Hey, what's the use of us asking for money here?"

The captain pursed his lips and glanced at the weapon on Xiao Weiming's body, this guy was obviously a knowledgeable pragmatist, so he rolled his eyes and said:

"I'm the second best hunter in the Shadow Valley after Elder Penny, and I'd like to appreciate the art of vampire hunting, but we're all warriors, and there's always something to be done.

So be it.

If I lose, the purple bow from my mother will be yours, but if you lose."

"Hah, the cunning half-elf has taken a fancy to my Hammer Guard!"

Xiao Wei Ming crossed his waist in the air and laughed:

"It seems that you also know that this gun is very powerful, okay, okay, comparable, I'm not afraid of someone challenging my marksmanship, but I'm curious, don't you elves all use bows?"

"Look at this place, guest."

The half-elf captain snorted and said:

"We lack everything here, and if we want to live in this place, the meaningless traditions of the elves must be the first to be thrown away.

I'm not a barbarian who hasn't seen muskets, we also have brothers and sisters who use muskets, and those weapons that are more destructive at short ranges are great, the only problem is that the halfling warlord Sulfur Flywheel from Hungry Mountain holds a monopoly on bullets.

That bastard sends us a shipment of supplies every half a month, but it's very expensive, and after the vampires of the Blood Alliance clan set up a defense line at the Black Flame Pass, the trolls in Hungry Mountain can't get through.

We had guns, but we were short of bullets."

"Say it earlier!"

Xiao Wei Ming and Lumina glanced at each other, and the two little clever ghosts immediately opened their psionic bags, threw out a few boxes of bullets produced by Brother Loyalty, and took out two classic Mosin Nagant.

Lumina had long been holding back her strength to brush up on the prestige of the Dark Valley, and this was introduced by the stitches:

"We Translansians are as poor as you, but we already have our own arsenal, and the bullets we use are not the same as those of the halflings, but they are much cheaper than their goods.

The money you pay for one gold-burning pellet buys twenty point-tipped bullets from us!

Come on, try it, my fellow elves."

"Compatriots? No! How can we, lowly half-elves, be our fellow citizens of the haughty moon elves? ”

The Ranger Captain of the Dark Valley did not refuse the weapon handed by Lumina, he took the classic Atlas firearm in his hand and made an aiming motion, and while playing with this "new weapon", he complained with some resentment:

"In your eyes, we are just lowly and wicked pariahs! But you're a strange Moon Elf, and you don't have the obnoxious indifference and unwarranted arrogance of other Moon Elves. ”

"Huh? Have you ever seen a moon elf? ”

Lumina asked:

"Has the Moon Elf ever visited you?"

"You want to trick me! Ha, what a clumsy attempt. ”

The Ranger Captain glanced at Lumina, and under the guidance of Reed, he shoved a pointed bullet into the chamber of the gun, aiming at a nearby branch and pulling the trigger, slamming the bullet out of the chamber and hitting the target with precision.

"Good! A weapon of this accuracy can allow a recruit to survive the weakest period before mastering the art of the warbow, and with a little training, civilians can use it to defend themselves. Firearms are simpler to use than halflings, and although they are a little weaker, they are not a big problem.

It's good to start with the head. ”

The Ranger Captain was satisfied with the gun in his hand.

He turned his head to make a five-five gesture to Reeds and Lumina, and said:

"I want five hundred! If you can bring it to us before the Black Plague breaks out, you will be friends in the Valley of the Shadows, and I will tell you everything you want to know. Oh, and by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet.

What a faux pas. ”

The cold Ranger Captain smiled fleetingly, and he introduced himself:

"My name is Merkel, Merkel Ghostblade, the front-line commander of the Dark Valley, and Lisa's husband."

"Hey, Lady Bernice would love to see you."

Sister Pomegranate blinked her eyes and whispered:

"Your mother-in-law is in our camp, and Lady Adele thinks it would be best to be prepared before letting Lady Lisa go to see her, I mean, if you care about your wife, why don't you follow us to meet her first tonight?"

We have other weapons in our camp that you will need as well. ”

"Huh?"

Meckelton frowned, and he said:

"Lady Bernice is still alive? No, if they live, why don't they come back? My wife has been thinking about her parents, isn't it. Did they also have an accident like Adele? ”

"The situation is complicated, and I can't explain it in a sentence or two."

Xiao Weiming rolled his eyes, waved his hand and said:

"You can go down with us and have a look, don't worry about our cheating, you can bring a lot of people with you, our camp welcomes elven friends, and we can also complete the archery contest between you and me there.

I'm a person who loves to make friends!

Especially those who have the ability, so whether you win or lose, I will give you a Hammer Guard, and I have several replacement weapons anyway. ”

"Friends? No! We're not friends yet. ”

Merkel was a little moved, but he still said coldly:

"I don't know what you Transansians mean about friends, but in the Dark Valley, the word friend cannot be used indiscriminately until blood has been shed for a common cause. Wait a minute, I'll go down with you after I've arranged my defense.

But we must return before dawn. ”

——

"After you were taken away by my parents, your mother lived a hard night, and she swallowed her last breath in agony at dawn the next day, and she kept calling your name in a trance before she died."

In a stone building in the Valley of the Shadows, which can barely be called a "temple", Adele places a bouquet of wildflowers picked by the roadside in front of the sarcophagus where her mother is buried.

Her childhood friend, Lisa Bella, stood behind her, playing with a serpentine dagger, and said in a low tone as the candle flame flickered:

"I don't want to ask you where my parents have gone, I know they treat you like their own daughter, and they will give everything for me which means they will do the same for you. They will not give up on their daughters, and the fact that they did not come back proves that something terrible has happened to you on the run.

Alas, it was a disaster.

On the night you left, we lost a fifth of our people, many died, many more were plundered, it is said that we were captured in the earth palace of the goatmen, we tried to rescue them, but the goats were fierce, we were so weak that we had to give up on them.

The whole valley almost collapsed at the time, but thanks to Merkel's parents in charge of the situation, we were able to stabilize again.

Do you remember them? ”

"Are you tempting me? Lisa. ”

Adele knelt in front of her mother's sarcophagus, and while reaching out to wipe the inscription of the sarcophagus, she said in a mute voice in a vampire tone:

"You're suspecting that the vampires have taken control of me and plunged me into the hearts of your clansmen as a sharp knife, and it seems that you have grown up to be a good leader, just like we used to play as children, and you always tried to play the leader in a group of children.

You are much stronger than me, and much better than me.

Yes.

I remember Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques.

Uncle Manu's left eye was pecked by the venom of the Dark Scorpion in the arena, but he was still the best marksman among the gladiators of the Mejewa family, he could easily shoot a lark from a distance of three hundred yards, and Aunt Jacques was as good a warrior as your mother, and she could fight with a double shield.

What she does best is attacking enemies with flying shields.

Together with Bella and Aunt Bernice, they became my mother's bodyguards and my mother's most trusted friends.

I still remember Merkel.

He's a shy boy who's been following your ass as a kid, and the night before we got into trouble, he picked flowers to confess to you. ”

"Hey, in the end, I was deceived by that guy, no way, there are so many people in this valley, I can only pull out a general among the dwarfs, fortunately Merkel is very competitive, with the help of Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques, he became our 'Ranger General'.

Hehe, in fact, it's just a squad leader, but we also have to pay attention to a little sense of ceremony.

By the way, Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques are already the elders of the valley, and they will also be happy to see you back, and I will take you to meet them later. ”

When Adele spoke these memories of the past, Lisa, who had been wary, smiled for the first time, and she whispered:

"Actually, Merkel and I have always wanted a child, and I have decided to name the child Adele, in honor of my best friend, and then, fate sent you back to me.

I really don't want to talk to you about politics at this time, I want to talk to you about the stories we have experienced each other over the years, but maybe this is also the arrangement of fate to bring you back to us in this stormy time.

Like your mother's miracle, Adele, you may have been sent by Avalon to save the Dark Valley. ”

"Huh?"

Mrs. Adele heard a hint of ominousness from her childhood friend.

She stood up, carefully casting the spell on her bracelet to keep the building safe from prying eyes, and then looked at her friend.

She said:

"What's wrong with you? I guess it has something to do with the shadow elves? Did you feign your disgust with us? Or is the conversation itself a decoy? I must tell you, Lisa, that before proceeding to the next step, you must know that Uncle Bella and Aunt Bernice are not as dead as you think.

In fact, they did die.

But their peace was disturbed by the Gnoll Warlock, and now they roam the world as undead.

They miss you so much.

Don't let them down. ”

"This"

The valley leader's eyes widened as her face was not as delicate as Adele's, but she was definitely beautiful, and her figure was a standard elf body, which had nothing to do with the Great Demon King.

She looked at Adele.

After realizing that Adele wasn't making a bad joke, the hostess of the Shadow Valley clenched her fists.

She hesitated for a long time before she spoke:

"We're not in danger, at least not yet, but at this moment of your appearance, I and several elders in the valley are hesitating to really accept those of the Mejewa family, and to tell you the truth, Adele.

Merkel and I are disgusted with them because we know the suffering of our fathers in the eternal rift.

But many of the people in the valley don't think so.

Especially now that we've confirmed the demise of House Mejewa, many people think we should absorb the fleeing Shadow Elves who have the spellcasting power we need.

And their leader is a lifeweaver!

You know the priests of the Spider Lady can prophesy fate, and we need their prophecy. ”

"Is the Mejewa family really ruined? Why? Is it because of the machinations of the Shadow Elves? ”

Adele asked:

"And why did they come to you? It doesn't make sense! ”

"That family died in a natural disaster."

Lisa whispered:

"We don't know the specifics, but after they first appeared more than a year ago, we sent a team of Far Travelers to venture across the Dark Mountains back to the Eternal Rift to reconnoitre, led by Elder Petunia herself, who returned to confirm that Mejewa had indeed fallen.

Monsters sprung up from the dark realms took over it, the Mistress of Mejewa and her samurai chief disappeared, and the entire city was reduced to hell.

As for the specific situation, those shadow elf exiles have not said anything.

They came to us because of a prophecy made by their Weaver Maiden, who said that here they would find an opportunity to re-emerge the Mejewa family. ”

"Prophecy? It doesn't sound reliable. ”

Adele scoffed at this, saying:

"Where's that lifeweaver? Will I be able to meet her? ”

"She's missing."

Lisa sighed helplessly and said:

"This is the worst thing that has happened in the valley in the last month, to be precise, she has been kidnapped. The idiot and a few sword minstrands attempted to establish contact with the intractable Blood Pact vampires in the Black Flame Pass, but were ambushed by the goatmen as they returned.

Several sword minstrands have been badly wounded, the hapless Lifeweaver has been captured and taken to the Bafant Gorge, and the shadow elves are bewitching my people in trying to convince us to send someone to save their prophet, and I'm having a headache over it.

But you've come just in time!

You said you brought the warriors of Transancia?

It just so happens that I have a job for them here, and I'd love to see if they're really fearless."

(End of chapter)