madnovel Chapter 18 You seem to be a jinx.
Chapter 18 You seem to be a jinx.
The deer did not press the matter further, which relieved both Nan'an and Suiyue.
As the group steadily moved forward through the gradually thinning fog, Nan'an no longer had to worry about Suiyue's safety, and he took out the Rubik's Cube once again.
During his adventurer days, Nanan witnessed living beings being devoured by slimes. They would be squeezed little by little by the slime's soft and elastic body, wriggling and being pushed into the very center of the body. From the outside, it looked as if he had put on a slime's skin.
The darkness that was sucked into the Rubik's Cube was originally located in the corner, cowering in a small square. Now, it is like prey captured by a slime, located in the very center of the Rubik's Cube.
The Rubik's Cube that had been beside me since the first day of my resurrection came to life for the first time.
Despite her conscious state, Suiyue remained true to her talkative nature, and she found Eru at the front of the group with unusual familiarity.
"Has the black fog dissipated?"
Perhaps because of the example set by the bewitching crow, the deer did not display a cold and aloof aura.
"There are some signs of it fading, but the overall situation is strange... Don't stand next to me, it's dangerous."
Hearing that Suiyue had received a smooth response and that she had been rescued, the injured witches looked at her in surprise.
Having an arrogant and condescending attitude is the first impression that most people who know about El Lu will have.
Judging from their tone, the people from Erlu seem to care about her quite a bit?
Not long after they started walking, a group of twenty people reached out and pushed away the fog that was obscuring their eyes.
Light surged in, scorching hot and piercing straight into her eyes; the dazzling, passionate sunlight made Suiyue unable to open her eyes.
"Once you've gone deep into darkness, don't be too greedy for sunlight."
Suiyue showed no reaction to Erlu's artistic reminder.
She had no intention of seeking sunlight. In the sweltering summer heat, at midday, the transition between darkness and light was seamless. The moment she stepped out of the clearly defined boundary of the black mist, she was mercilessly exposed to the scorching sun.
"hiss……"
"You cried, didn't you?" Nan An sighed.
Suiyue mumbled incoherently, wiping away her tears while covering her mouth with her hand, "It's a small problem... Do you know what I'm suspecting right now?"
"I can probably guess," Nan'an said. "Could the weakening of the black mist really be related to us?"
Suiyue tore a piece of darkness from the ground, and after it was absorbed by Nan'an's Rubik's Cube, the various strange phenomena within the black mist began to disintegrate.
On the way back, the members of the Ellu were also whispering about this unprecedented phenomenon, their words filled with disbelief.
They were not taken back to Kren, but instead led to a village between Kren and the Sickle River Gorge.
Due to Pirion's relocation order, the place is now deserted.
The disarray of those who hastily left their homes and families is evident in every corner of the village.
The overturned wooden barrel lay across the road, and the half-open door creaked and swayed in the wind.
There were still some hungry sheep and cows in the enclosure, banging against the fence. When they saw someone visiting, they peeked forward without fear of strangers.
"People from Kren will be arriving soon, and you will all need to stay here temporarily."
Elu's announcement immediately sparked whispers among the injured witches.
"We clearly passed the Windweed Grass test; there's absolutely no Nightmare contamination on us!" A young witch with a wounded cheek pushed her way through the crowd, her tone indignant. "Why were we dumped in this...this dilapidated place?"
"Exactly. If we want to observe, we should at least be given better living conditions. How can we live in this godforsaken place?"
Many people agreed with him, but they couldn't change Ellu's decision.
"I have finished conveying my message. If you are dissatisfied with the arrangements, you may leave, but you will bear the consequences yourself."
Most people who deal with El-Lu's positive assessments of them are limited to their professionalism and competence.
Although Nan'an and Suiyue thought Huoya was easy to talk to, the general consensus was that this group of people were utterly devoid of human warmth.
Suiyue is an indifferent person, a guy who uses the sky as a blanket and tree branches as a cowshed. Having a wooden house to live in is already a huge upgrade in his quality of life.
Besides, so what if I go to jail? I won't have to worry about food and drink while I'm in jail; it'll be a steady, full meal. Pretty good, huh?
Without even considering what Nan'an meant by "concentration camp," she casually walked towards a wooden hut next to her.
"Get out of the way!"
Having just dared to lose her temper with Erlu, the witch with the wound on her cheek angrily pushed Suiyue aside, walked straight into the house, and slammed the wooden door shut.
The wooden door trembled, raising a fine cloud of dust.
"What's wrong with your temper?" Suiyue muttered softly, rubbing her shoulders.
Nan'an's reaction to this was...
"What kind of witch is she, so arrogant?"
After observing for some time, Nan'an has basically clarified the authority and functions of Erlu.
This is a group of ruthless individuals who specialize in dealing with black mist and the most troublesome divine nightmares. They can basically act expediently even under the Senate's jurisdiction.
Even in the Gray Star era, it would be considered a violent institution that held supreme oversight power in various countries.
No normal person would want to deal with such a troublesome group of people; keeping their distance is the norm.
Nora's definition of a witch is broad, referring to female mages who have the potential to advance to rank 6, or who have already reached rank 6 and are considered high-ranking.
Unlike the sophisticated and high-class witches in the literary works that Nan'an had read, unless there is a special qualifier before the title of witch, such as "destruction witch" which has a special meaning, "witch" is just a title that can be mass-produced as long as it meets the standard.
Suiyue chose a fairly intact wooden cabin, locked herself inside, rolled onto the damp and musty bed, and instantly fell asleep.
There was no concept of time in the black fog, and neither of them knew how much time had passed.
Throughout the process, Suiyue was under immense pressure and also needed to draw upon her magic to provide Nan'an with food and drink.
Having been relentlessly exploited, she was already on the verge of collapse when she emerged from the black fog. The fact that she managed to walk all the way to the village and hold on until now before finally falling unconscious is a testament to her incredible physical strength.
Upon entering the "prison" belonging to Nan'an, she couldn't wait to ask where the black mist was.
After seeing Nan An cup his hands in a gesture of respect and then shove a wad of air into her face like a precious treasure, she tilted her head in confusion.
"What do you mean... are you mocking me?"
"As expected, you really can't see it."
Suiyue pouted: "You're not trying to tell me you actually have something in your hand, but I just can't see it, are you?"
Nan'an said, "It does resemble the Emperor's Rubik's Cube."
Suiyue couldn't understand "The Emperor's New Clothes," but she vaguely sensed that it was a slang term mocking her for being slow-witted.
Nan'an was at her wit's end: "Reach out and touch it... Who told you to touch my head!"
Suiyue reached out and tentatively grabbed Nan'an's hand...
"...Sigh." She sighed deeply, a hint of pity in her eyes. "If you want to hold my hand, you can just say so. I may not be smart, but I'm not so stupid that I don't even realize that."
Putting aside Suiyue's misunderstanding, Nan'an has temporarily confirmed that the Rubik's Cube is not only invisible to outsiders, but also does not have a physical form that they can directly touch.
Seeing that Nan'an was still seriously gesturing in the air, Suiyue simply sat down cross-legged and watched his performance with her chin in her hand.
"Nan'an, do you really need to go to such lengths to fool a little girl?" She blinked. "All this gesturing is just to pique my curiosity, so I'll ask you more questions and then you can naturally get closer to me? There's no need to go through all that trouble. We haven't known each other for long, but I trust you quite a bit. If you want to hold hands, if you want to pat my head, just say so."
"Don't make me sound like a scumbag who likes to cheat girls and take advantage of them. If I told you I really have something, a Rubik's Cube, would you believe me?"
"letter."
"..."
Nan'an thought she would continue to shake her head and steer the conversation to an even stranger topic, but she didn't expect her to answer so decisively.
Suiyue's adaptability was astonishing. As if the conversation about "deception" had never happened, she immediately turned her attention to the shape of the Rubik's Cube and the state of the black mist inside.
This kid is definitely suited to be made into beef balls.
As Nan'an explained, he observed the Rubik's Cube floating in his hand.
The darkness inside had completely stopped, curled up in the center like an insect trapped in amber.
And... I don't know if it's just my imagination, but that wriggling thing seems to be a bit smaller than before?
After hearing the description, Suiyue hesitated and said, "So... it's not darkness attacking you, but rather the Rubik's Cube 'eating' it? What exactly is this thing?"
Good question, Nan'an would like to know too.
If the Rubik's Cube truly possesses some special effect, then does this "consciousness prison" where he temporarily resides after his resurrection hold other purposes?
Suiyue slept soundly until evening. However, the fatigue accumulated over the past few days had not completely subsided, and she was still pulled from her dream by hunger and noises outside.
When I woke up, the village had changed completely.
There were many more people, and what stood out even more was the high, mud-yellow wall that rose up all around.
It is about 5 meters high, thick and solid, completely enclosing the entire village and also enclosing a lot of land, further expanding its scale.
The fact that such a fortification could be constructed in such a short time clearly indicates the involvement of a large number of high-level mages.
The lockdown does not prohibit people from going out, but their activities are limited to the area enclosed by high walls.
Suiyue received her ration of white bread, spread a thick layer of jam on it—almost a lethal dose. If Nan'an could see this, he would instinctively clutch his throat. But Suiyue ate it with relish, her mouth full of sweetness.
She strolled slowly along the base of the wall, sensing the lingering strong elemental fluctuations in the air, and realized the seriousness of the problem.
Nan'an is right. They've left the black fog, but the trouble has only just begun.
More and more people were brought into the village by the Elu, starting with the first group of witches, followed by unarmed and defenseless villagers, and then children.
Suiyue roughly counted, and the number of people was approaching 200.
The fact that people dressed in the uniforms of the Kren City Enforcement Team replaced Erlu as the managers of order further proves that "process" is at work.
"It's no longer Erlu who's handling the problem," Nan'an's voice echoed in her mind. "The will of the higher-ups in Solitz is being implemented. I estimate that the Senate will soon get involved themselves."
Suiyue greatly admired Nan'an's ingenuity.
All his knowledge after his resurrection came from her, but she only provided fragmented information. Yet his analysis and speculation were almost always correct.
This time, Nan'an's judgment was accurate once again.
The moment the black fog incident at the Sickle Water Canyon was reported, it shook the Senate and was listed as a top priority matter.
Several elders personally visited Keren City, and even went to the outer edge of the black fog erosion zone for on-site investigation. At this time, as the danger level continued to rise, news of survivors came from the black fog.
This is very unusual.
Historically, when large-scale black mist anomalies occur, very few survivors are caught off guard and swallowed up. One or two survivors are considered miracles, enough for the church to write extensively about and inspire.
Where is the group of people?
How could such a large number of survivors have managed to escape after the Nightmare God within the black mist had already begun to move and caused casualties?
The bards would all shout, "You're better at making things up. Here's the pen, you write it down."
In the middle of the night, as the exhausted Suiyue was about to fall asleep, there was a knock on her door, and a familiar face appeared outside.
"A bewitching crow?" Suiyue was a little surprised, but then she put on a smiling face. "Give me some meat. The food here is much worse than before."
The crow shook its head slightly: "I'm afraid I can't offer you this treatment this time. The Senate has direct jurisdiction over this area, and I'm only responsible for cooperating."
The problem is more serious than Nan'an imagined.
In theory, it is the professionals like Erlu who handle high-risk events of the Nightmare God that are truly capable of providing effective advice and implementing it.
An outsider shouldn't instruct an expert; he believed that after centuries of torment by the black fog, the two remaining kingdoms should be well aware of the situation.
Assuming that the members of the Senate each have their own opinions, the result should be a compromise, rather than completely sidelining Ellu.
The only possibility is that, aside from professional issues, this incident involved off-site factors that they were unaware of.
Elu placed a Wind Velvet Grass crystal in Suiyue's palm, and then put it in her mouth.
Just as he placed it in the entrance, he made a barely perceptible shushing gesture.
Although Suiyue wasn't very bright, she understood the meaning—don't talk nonsense.
Was everyone who entered this place being monitored?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had fallen asleep. After eating and drinking her fill, she had been sleeping the whole time, and most likely, apart from snoring, she hadn't revealed any useful information.
Otherwise, her conversations with Nan'an, which appear strange to outsiders as mere mutterings, would be testimony that could land her at the stake!
Although Suiyue didn't understand why Huoya was taking care of her, she still nodded slightly with gratitude.
"Starting tomorrow, the Senate envoy will question you. Tonight is just a routine inspection, so get some rest. Starting tomorrow, there will be many tedious matters waiting for you."
After saying that, he turned around and closed the door.
The room was silent as Suiyue nervously made her way to the bed.
"Nan'an, you seem to be a real jinx."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Nan An retorted, unconvinced. "Do you know how popular I was in the Red Rat Adventure Team?"
Good luck is his main label; nobody dislikes having a lucky person as a teammate.
He himself has repeatedly escaped death several times, and almost the entire team has benefited from his incredible luck.
"But I've been having a lot of bad luck ever since I met you," Suiyue said, scratching her head. "It can't be that we're just incompatible, can it?"