Crimson Servant.

Chapter 221

Low temperatures slow down the brain's recovery, so normal people should delay getting up in cold weather.

But Francis is no normal guy.

He grabbed John from the bed while it was still dark, and shook the short bow on his shoulder at the hazy sorcerer. He wanted to go hunting, and take John with him, and the sorcerer had no right to refuse.

"You'll have plenty of time to lie down later." The dark elf walking in front pushed open the door, and the two of them stepped into the white snow one after the other.

"Decades later? I will definitely install a secret lock on my coffin whose password you don't know." John rubbed his face. In the few minutes after he went out, the cold air had made him completely awake. Only opening his eyes was a little difficult, as if there was a layer of ice on his eyelids.

"No, that won't happen." Francis turned his head, and two red lights appeared in the dimness. The dark elf's sight made the howling cold wind pause for a moment. Then he turned around slowly, letting the loud wind swallow his next words.

"I definitely know the secret code."

They walked out of the abandoned town for about an hour, away from the range of human logging, before they had a chance to get close to the prey. John kept stepping on Francis's footprints, which would save more effort. The dark elf's footprints were slightly larger than the warlock's, but John's feet would always sink after stepping on the footprints. This was definitely not because he was heavier than the dark elf, Francis had his own unique body skills.

Coniferous plants gradually appeared around them, which was an ideal habitat for prey. The dark elf was looking for the traces of the beast, and he carefully observed the marks on the flawless snow, as meticulously as an ancient scholar studying relics.

But he didn't gain anything for the time being.

There must be no one behind those beasts to drive them out of their warm nests. Maybe they are still sleeping, John thought.

"Do we have to eat meat in the morning? I think it's a bit greasy." John just wanted to end this cool morning tour as soon as possible.

Francis said without turning his head: "What? You are going to start planting wheat now?"

The dark elf's ridicule made the warlock shrug his shoulders, "If there is a druid, it is indeed possible."

Francis didn't say anything else. He found some traces and turned back to make a hand gesture to John. Francis continued to track without waiting for a response.

When John caught up with him, they had passed through a coniferous forest and came to the other side of the snowy woodland. John bent down and followed Francis's sneak trail.

Francis had his bow raised, his arrow aimed at the prey he had spotted, a hare, with snow-white fur and a gray stripe running from its face to its underbelly.

The rabbit seemed to sense the hunter's threat. It put down its front paws, stopped eating, raised its upper body, and looked around with its two long ears erected high.

Francis did not move. He trusted his stealth more than John did. This confidence was correct. Soon they spotted another hunter in their sight. A fox, slowly approaching from behind the hare. Its grayish-white fur and furry paws made no sound on the snow, like a slowly approaching snowball.

It was focused and only had its breakfast in mind.

The dark elf released the taut bowstring, and the rapidly flying arrow pierced through the hare's body, and inertia caused the large trophy to roll twice.

The surviving fox suddenly jumped up after seeing the rabbit's miserable death, and turned around and fled without hesitation, but his steps were somewhat messy. Francis ignored the fox's escape and had no intention of pulling the bow and arrow to the full again. John knew that if the dark elf wanted to keep the fox, it would not be difficult.

"I thought you would hate foxes more." John clearly remembered that Francis didn't like people who spoke in a roundabout way, and he described such people as "like a nasty fox."

"Yes, but fox meat doesn't taste good."

John understood what Francis meant. His current cooking skills were not enough to handle this kind of food. Thinking about the personnel arrangement of this trip, maybe Francis was the best cook among the four people.

They hunted for a while longer, and Francis thought they had enough prey. During this time, the dark elf tried to teach John some archery skills, but he gave up the idea half a minute after John got the hang of the bow and arrow.

The sky was already light, the lead grey was being tinged with gold. They returned to the abandoned town, and since Lucien and Dalia had already woken up, the four of them sat around the fire, and the atmosphere during the conversation was no longer as stiff as it had been last night.

"It tastes okay, but not great." Lucien said, taking out a bottle of seasoning from his backpack and sprinkling it on the roasted rabbit in his hand.

John was surprised by this because the fine particles were blue-green in color and looked more like an alchemical material than a seasoning.

"Oh, it will make the food delicious." said Lucien.

"What is this made of?" John asked.

“A kind of mushroom.”

John said firmly: "Poisonous mushrooms."

Lucien took big bites of the food and explained in the face of Dalia and John's resistant looks.

"Relax, there is no need for you to be so wary of hallucinogenic substances. Ingesting a small amount will not harm your body. It will just produce some wonderful sensations that do not occur in the material world. If there is no harm, there is no toxicity."

"Many people in this world accept the positive role of hallucinations in life. Even religious people will admit that hallucinations are the best catalyst for enlightenment. Trust my craftsmanship. I guarantee that it is really delicious. Do you want to try it?"

John rejected him without hesitation, and Dalia did not cross her psychological defenses.

Lucien, feeling a little frustrated, could only turn to the only remaining person, and then he saw Francis' even colder gaze.

"Do you want to die once?"

As Lucian chewed his food silently, Dalia looked at the illusionist with concern, observing whether there were any adverse reactions on his face.

However, no, because there was no other change on Lucian's face except for the occasional intoxicated expression. He truly controlled the illusion in the mushrooms, making everything seem under control.

After the meal, the adventurers continued to move towards their goal according to the map given by the Snow family. Except for the dark elf who wrapped himself tightly in a cloak, everything seemed unchanged.

Dalia found Lucien, who seemed to be doing nothing. This eldest lady who had just left her family had endless energy and was full of curiosity. She was eager to absorb more knowledge and information from the outside world, regardless of whether it was useful or not.

"Lucian, you once said that religious people all trust in hallucinogenic substances, but if those gods found out that their followers were in a mess during prayer, wouldn't they be angry?"

The illusionist was happy to answer questions, and he was indeed feeling bored right now.

"First, the priests and ministers will strictly select the types of hallucinogenic drugs. They have accumulated enough wealth and status through their faith. They have enough time and experience to make selections and can choose hallucinogenic drugs that are powerful but will not insult the ritual."

“Secondly, this is the consensus of all pastors.”

"God is above everything. Their power will not be hindered by any physical or mental influence. If He needs to convey a certain instruction to His believers, His revelation will definitely be conveyed clearly regardless of the other party's mental state. Gods will not be troubled by illusions. They stand behind all curtains. In other words, the phenomena of the world are their power, and illusions are also part of their power."

"Hallucinations are a form of communication, a voice from the gods."

"Not all hallucinations come from oracles, but oracles are certainly one of them."

"Perhaps you will see him soon."

"Oh, let me add that, except for those visions of revelation that come from the gods, all the visions belong to Lady Leila of the Mist Shadow. So, illusions are equal to divine power, and that's not wrong at all."

(End of this chapter)