Chapter 1 The Next Morning

The next morning, only wisps of smoke remained in the bonfire pit.

Sullen and his companions cleaned up the traces of their stay in the cave and continued onward.

Before long, the three figures were moving quickly through the dense primeval forest toward the Emerald Holy Land to the south.

A string of light footprints was left on the snow and fallen leaves. The cold wind swept through, snowflakes fluttered down, and soon covered the traces of their passage.

But as they walked, without warning, Sullen suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Yuta quickly stopped and helped Sullen, whose eyes were glowing with red light. She asked with concern, "Mr. Sullen, what's wrong?"

Mirror saw his condition and frowned slightly, saying, "It should be those negative mental energies erupting."

As she spoke, she reached out, forming a single-handed sorcerer's seal, and touched Sullen's brow with her slender white finger, softly chanting, "Mirror Seal - Suppress!"

Instantly, a light blue hexagram array sank into his forehead.

The clarity returned to Sullen's eyes.

.......

"Sorry for troubling you."

Reason regaining control of his body, Sullen looked at Mirror and Yuta, a wry smile on his face. "I don't know why, but I suddenly heard the whispers of death..."

The [Sun-Eclipsing] totem on his body had completely collapsed when he cracked the time distortion domain that day. Later, when he harvested the soul of that intelligence officer, he also used the Death God Phantom and the Black Umbrella, which naturally led to a backlash.

Just now, he had forcibly suppressed the violent negative emotions with reason, which had caused his body to suddenly lose control and collapse.

However, the backlash was within expectations.

The reason he hadn't paid much attention to it was because Mirror was by his side, so there was naturally no danger.

He had just thought he could hold out until he reached the Emerald Holy Land, but he hadn't expected it to erupt so suddenly.

Mirror examined Sullen's condition, and her brows furrowed slightly. "I can't deal with your current situation. I can only forcibly suppress it. If I can't find a way to completely solve it, try not to use the abilities of the Second-Stage Harvester in the future."

"Mm."

Sullen nodded.

Thinking that when he returned this time, he would trouble the Deer Chieftain and Wolf Granny to draw the totem again, which should last for a while.

"That..."

Yuta, who was on the side, hadn't said much.

With elders in front of her, she often seemed very reserved.

Waiting for Mirror to finish speaking, she weakly interjected, "Mr. Sullen, I prayed to the God about your problem before, and He responded..."

"Huh?"

Sullen was stunned when he heard this.

It was as if his brain had received a signal that needed to be processed.

A moment later, he seemed to have realized what she was saying and asked in surprise, "You... you prayed to the God of Nature about this?"

Although he knew that Yuta cared about him, what was this operation of praying to God?

Communicating with God, such a good opportunity for exchange, and she used it to ask about this?

The key was that the God actually responded?!

"Mm."

After all, there was an elder in front of her, and Yuta's cheeks were slightly red as she said this.

She quickly explained, "It wasn't an active prayer. The God can sense the true obsessions and thoughts in the hearts of druids. I... I've always been concerned about Mr. Sullen's mental mutation. So, when I received the summons, the God also knew my thoughts. And then He responded..."

Sullen was dumbfounded as he listened.

This was okay?

Mirror, who was on the side, seemed to have thought of something, and a kind smile appeared on her brow.

Yuta naturally noticed that gaze, glanced at Mirror, and continued, "The law of nature inherently contains all the good emotions in the world, and the God doesn't mind the prayers of His devout followers. Besides, Mr. Sullen, you saved our Daru tribe, and also saved the God's believers. You are a friend of our Daru tribe. The divine revelation told me that if I go to the Holy Lake to pray, I can use the God's divine power to draw a holy纹 (wén) totem [sacred pattern], which will probably completely solve Mr. Sullen's problem."

"Divine revelation?"

Sullen listened, his expression a little complicated.

He also realized that the problem of his mental mutation seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

Originally, the Daru tribe didn't have a Seventh-Order Grand Druid, so they couldn't solve this problem.

But now, Yuta, a druid who had been re-summoned by the God, had appeared, and she had become a variable.

Sullen also felt a little overwhelmed, that he had actually received a divine revelation personally bestowed by the God of Nature?

However, Sullen was also a little worried.

He wasn't a believer of the God of Nature, so wouldn't the blessing of divine power directly lead him to transcendence and "convert" to the way of nature on the spot?

If that were the case, he would hesitate a bit.

It was certainly good to completely solve the problem of mental mutation, but he felt that the "scientific system" of alchemists, who had no religious beliefs, was more suitable for him. He didn't want to change his faith to anything else.

Mirror, who was on the side, seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and said with a smile, "The level of the God of Nature is very high, He is a high-level deity. It is a great opportunity to receive a divine revelation..."

From his Eldest Sister's mouth, Sullen learned that the faith of high-level deities spread across countless planes. The Daru tribe in this alchemical plane was like a grain of sand in the desert. Responding to believers was just a matter of a "thought" from the God, probably like a person casually throwing a grain of rice to the ants on the ground when eating. It wasn't as complicated and important as Sullen thought.

"So that's how it is..."

Sullen breathed a sigh of relief.

The rioting negative mental energy was suppressed, and the three didn't stay in place.

They walked and talked along the way.

Sullen also learned a lot of information that only top-level professionals would come into contact with from Mirror, which broadened his horizons.

Ancient myths, the legendary War of the Gods, the Graveyard of the Gods, the myriad races of mythology, the countless cut-off civilizations before the Dawn Era, the lost cities in the deep sea, the giant monsters in the unknown seas...

Some of it Mirror knew from ancient books, and some of it she heard from the stories her father, Sir Isaac, told.

The history of this world was like a layered cake, thick and incredibly exciting.

Countless treasures were buried in the dust of time, and perhaps excavating a ruin at random would lead to a brilliant ancient civilization.

Sullen and Yuta were fascinated by it.

......

The Unicorn Whale Merchant Guild was one of the three major slave trading companies in Luying, with several large slave-hunting groups under its command.

One of them specialized in capturing sub-human slaves in the Silent Forest all year round.

This was a mature slave trade chain.

Recently, the Luying military had provided very high-priced slave orders. This had also prompted the slave traders to send a large number of slave-hunting groups into the forest to capture slaves.

As the slave hunters and adventurers went deeper, the Emerald Holy Land was naturally discovered.

Just as Sullen and his companions were on their way, the main force of the Unicorn Whale Slave Hunting Group had already appeared on the edge of the Holy Land.

They had just plundered the "Grizzly Bear Tribe" and captured hundreds of Daru tribesmen.

But instead of escorting this batch of "slaves" out, they used magic-suppressing chains and slave collars to lock them up and used them as bait, taking them to the cliff on the edge of the Holy Land.

The Unicorn Whale Slave Hunting Group had a large background, and its financial backer was a top-level dignitary of Luying.

The leader was called "Gold Tooth" Yuke, a Fifth-Order professional. He was a retired officer of the Luying Empire's military and was very powerful.

Yuke had a mouthful of large gold teeth. At this moment, he was telling his men to set up traps, "Go, take a few slaves to the edge of the cliff. If those sub-humans don't come out, kill a few every hour and throw their heads down."

"Yes, Captain!"

Several slave-hunting groups took their orders and escorted a few slaves to the edge of the cliff.

Hearing this, Deputy Captain Doppler felt it was a pity and said, "Captain, the quality of the sub-humans captured in this core area is much higher than those on the periphery, and they can also be sold for a good price. If those sub-humans aren't lured out, wouldn't it be a pity to kill them like this?"

Hearing this, Yuke gave a sly smile as if he had his own plans, "How much money can slaves sell for? Doppler, you haven't seen the really valuable things! These sub-human races are races that have continued for countless years, and they once had top-level experts. Tell me, wouldn't there be treasures in their nest? Hehe, I dare to assert that there must be countless treasures in this Holy Land. Gems, magic crystals, leather... and even magic treasures are indispensable. When the time comes, getting a few high-level materials will be more valuable than hundreds of slaves."

Once he said this, a kind of lackeys were overjoyed, "Captain is wise!"

Speaking of this, Yuke squinted at the misty aura in the basin not far away, and said, "It's a pity that the restrictions in this place are very clever, and I'm afraid they won't be able to be cracked in a short time. Only by luring them out can we find an opportunity to crack it."

At this time, someone else spoke, "Captain, it is said that there is a Fifth-Order existence in this sub-human Holy Land. Are we not afraid that the other party will fight us to the death if we do this?"

"Hehe..."

Yuke sneered.

He was sure that this would never happen, and said confidently, "Hehe, I'm just afraid they won't come out! We've been capturing slaves for so many years, if those old guys had the determination to fight to the death, would they have waited until now? I'm afraid they're thinking about the continuation of the race and hiding inside, eking out a living. Besides, now that we're at their doorstep, they don't dare to come out, which means that the people in this Holy Land don't have the strength to crush our 'Unicorn Whale Group'. Without a Sixth-Order, if we really have to fight hard, are we afraid of this group of primitive savages with our equipment? If they come, we'll just wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"..."

A group of lackeys suddenly realized.

......

On the cliff on the edge of the Holy Land, the bodies of beheaded Daru tribesmen were thrown down one by one.

The patrolling young druids sent the news back to the village.

At the same time, in front of the sacred tree house in the Emerald Holy Land, the Deer Chieftain and the Wolf Granny were leading the Daru people in devout prayer.

For hundreds of years, the prayer had never been answered.

But they were still devout.

Without a Grand Druid, they had lost the ability to communicate with the God of Nature.

The sounds of gunfire and cannons rang out from the eastern cliff from time to time, as those slave-hunting groups were testing the restrictions of the Holy Land with cannons.

Dong, dong, dong...

Each sound seemed to reverberate in the hearts of the tribesmen.

Valley After the prayer was completed, the elders discussed how to deal with this unavoidable crisis.

Outside the tree house.

The Daru tribesmen were filled with righteous indignation.

Especially those young druids, each of them couldn't wait to go out and fight the enemies to the death immediately.

"Chieftain, let's go out and fight those damned slave-hunting groups!"

"Yes! Even if we don't go out, those greedy humans will break in sooner or later..."

"..."

Compared to the impulsiveness of the young people, the more than ten old men sitting around the round table in the tree house seemed much more rational. But their eyes were also filled with sorrow and helplessness. The crisis of extermination weighed on everyone, making it difficult for them to breathe.

"Now that the Holy Land has been discovered, more and more slave hunters will flood in. If there are really high-level professionals coming, even with the restrictions of the Holy Land, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to hold out for long..."

"Chieftain, we think we should think about a way out. Let us old guys stay in the Holy Land and arrange for the young people to migrate. There is no longer a place for us in the Silent Forest. Go to the east of the Luge God Mountain. Although that side is dangerous, at least it can give the tribe a little hope of continuing..."

"..."

.......

The daytime in the Silent Forest was not too long. By noon, the sun was already far to the west.

Sullen and his companions were already deep in the Silent Forest, and they were only half a day away from the Emerald Holy Land.

However, before they arrived, they suddenly heard dense gunfire.

Adventurers hunting magic beasts and searching for treasure were active in the Silent Forest, as were slave-hunting groups, so sporadic battles were normal.

But this time, the direction from which the sound of battle came was different.

Yuta's wolf ears twitched slightly. She listened carefully and identified the direction. A thick look of worry suddenly appeared in her crystalline eyes. She said uncertainly, "This sound of gunfire seems to be coming from the direction of the Holy Land?"

Hearing this, Sullen also said, "It's indeed from the southwest."

Yuta's expression was solemn as she listened. She didn't delay at all. Her hands turned into wolf claws, and she climbed up the giant tree beside her.

Wanting to understand the situation, Sullen also released his Spider Spears and followed.

The two climbed to the top of the tree, and their vision suddenly opened up.

The weather was very good today, and the visibility was high.

Sullen narrowed his left eye slightly, and the extraordinary visual range of the Omniscient Eye allowed him to clearly see that the direction where the firelight was erupting was indeed the edge of the Emerald Holy Land!

Yuta also recognized something, and her face changed. "Something has happened to the Holy Land!"

The two descended from the tree, and Sullen told Mirror the situation.

The three didn't stop and headed to the Emerald Holy Land as quickly as possible.

.......

Yuta transformed into a white wolf and galloped on all fours, moving extremely fast in the forest.

Mirror was even more impressive, the light and shadow flashed past, and she teleported thousands of meters.

In comparison, Sullen was not good at long-distance running. He could only ride on Yuta.

Before long, the three had arrived at the place where the gunfire was coming from.

Stopping to observe on a distant giant tree, the three took a look.

They saw a hive of activity in the distant forest. A super-large slave-hunting group of more than three thousand people was cutting down trees to build a camp. The roar of steam logging machinery was incessant, and giant trees that took several people to hug fell one by one. These people had probably been here for a few days, and the camp was already taking shape, looking like they were preparing for a long-term battle.

Sullen recognized the flag and thought of some information, so he said, "That's the 'Unicorn Whale', one of the three major slave trading companies in Luying. A large group of three thousand people like this usually has a leader with around Fifth-Order strength."

They also saw those Grizzly Bear tribesmen locked in wooden cages.

Just as they were observing, they happened to see a fully armed slave-hunting team escorting a few people to the edge of the cliff.

The clifftop had bloodstains that had already congealed into clumps. Without looking, they knew what these people were trying to do.

Yuta's face became very ugly. "Those people want to lure the tribesmen in the Holy Land out!"

Sullen frowned and murmured in his heart, "Greed is really the root of human evil..."

The slave trade had always been full of blood, but seeing the scene before him, his face was also very gloomy.

"I'm going!"

Seeing that a few tribesmen were about to die at the hands of those slave hunters, before Sullen and Yuta could react, Mirror leaped down from the tree. She casually pulled out, and a gold-patterned cloak covered her entire body. A domineering and unparalleled aura swept toward the slave-hunting camp like a flood.

The Isaac family had an alliance with the Daru tribe, so Mirror could not possibly stand idly by and watch these people harm the Daru tribesmen.

Originally, in this situation, even if Yuta's strength was now vastly different from what it was, she would still need to be extra cautious.

After all, the combat power of this kind of large slave-hunting group could not be assessed solely from the rank of a few top-level professionals.

A well-trained hundred-man team could kill a professional who was a level higher than them. A large team of thousands of people like this, with well-equipped and possibly a Fifth-Order leader, might not be able to get any benefits from a normal Seventh-Order professional, let alone any strangely effective cursed objects...

But that was under normal circumstances.

Yuta watched Mirror bravely break into the camp head-on and wanted to follow to help.

Sullen naturally wouldn't hide.

The two looked at each other and saw the thoughts in each other's eyes, and then jumped down.

Sullen guessed that Mirror's action was definitely not as simple as stopping this massacre. With her here, the entire slave trade in the Northern Lands was probably going to change!

Today, there would definitely be a big commotion to kill the chickens and scare the monkeys. He still wanted to use this face, and Sullen didn't want this face to appear on a wanted list.

He also casually pulled out, and a similar gold-patterned cloak was draped over his body.

.......

"Who are you people!"

"Not good, someone is breaking into the camp!"

"Everyone, be on guard!!!"

"..."

Mirror was in the front, with Sullen and Yuta following closely behind.

The people from the slave-hunting group watched them rush over, each holding guns and cannons, aiming them all at once.

The snipers on the towering sentry towers also aimed at them.

Mirror didn't immediately attack, but stood there and shouted sharply, "Call your leader over."

Before long, a lean middle-aged man with gold teeth in his mouth led a fully armed team out of the main tent.

Sullen sensed that the gold-toothed man was indeed a Fifth-Order professional, and the few people beside him were also Fourth-Order professionals with no weak auras.

Moreover, this group of people had a kind of decisive spirit like that of the army. Looking at them, one could tell that their strength was not bad.

A Fifth-Order professional was already considered a great expert who could deter one side, and also had his own arrogance.

The gold-toothed man narrowed his eyes and sized up the three people in front of him, his eyes bursting with cold light.

Under any circumstances, breaking into someone else's camp was an act of war.

Because he was covered by the gold-patterned cloak, he didn't see the background of Sullen and Mirror, but turned his gaze to Yuta, who had a murderous look on her face, and naturally recognized that she was a Daru tribesman.

In an instant, he had a guess.

The gold-toothed man coldly asked, "Who is Your Excellency?"

Mirror said, "From today onwards, the Daru tribe is under my protection. Any hunters in the Silent Forest will be killed without mercy."

Although the tone was flat, there was an unquestionable pressure.

The people from the slave-hunting group were shocked when they heard this.

They originally thought that these three ignorant guys wanted to save a few sub-humans. They didn't expect that they actually had an even bigger appetite and wanted to cut off the entire slave trade in the Northern Lands?

Hehe, wasn't this wishful thinking?

The gold-toothed man's gaze became increasingly cold, and he sneered and asked, "Is Your Excellency joking?"

Not understanding the other party's origins, he also seemed very cautious.

However, the slave trade was a legitimate business allowed by the Luying royal family. Just because you said you didn't allow it, it wasn't allowed.

Who did you think you were?

Besides, although this business was not popular, which large-scale slave hunter didn't have top-level dignitaries in the Empire behind them?

Did you dare cut off the financial path of those big figures?

As he spoke, he looked at the gold-patterned cloaks on Mirror and Sullen, feeling a little serious. The deputy team also reminded him, and the gold-toothed man suddenly realized.

There was a wanted order from the Northern Sea King that said there were a few people wearing gold-patterned cloaks.

Could it be that they were just these few?

However, according to the information he had learned, there was only one Sixth-Order, and a few people who weren't even considered Fifth-Order?

Hehe.

Pirates, in the eyes of this former Luying officer, were just a rabble.

The big pirates that the group of pirates bragged about were often just like that most of the time.

Sixth-Order?

No wonder they had the confidence.

However, their "Giant Whale Group" was not afraid.