Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1128 Don’t you know anything?

Carson Borg didn't quite understand Pastor Ling's definition of humor, but out of politeness, he didn't question it. Afterwards, the two of them followed the conditions agreed upon at the beginning. The Holy Goddess provided water, food, medicine and other supplies to the desperate team, and Carson Borg gave intelligence in return - this was also the only thing he could give now. Although Carson Borg was very suspicious of what intelligence Pastor Ling needed to get from him, with his status, there should be a more appropriate way, right?
But there is no doubt that, at least judging from the current situation, he is the most suitable choice for Lingge.

"First, I want to know one thing."

The young pastor's voice was calm and soothing, not giving people a sense of urgency, as if he could calmly deal with any situation, which was very consistent with his first impression. However, the question that came out of his mouth really surprised Carson Borg: "Where is this place?"

Grayhill Eagle almost thought he had misheard. He repeated Pastor Ling's question, but got a positive response from the latter. This was what he wanted to know the most. The mood of this famous rebel leader in the Ansers region suddenly became complicated: he suspected from the beginning that this young man and the church he represented must have some purpose in coming to this land of ashes, whether it was for preaching or war. From a vague perspective, it could also be for the secret that has been circulating in the land of ashes for a long time...

It's common sense that someone would rush into a whirlpool without knowing anything and allow themselves to be drowned by the turbid water and surging undercurrent, right?

Carson Borg always treats people with common sense, and this is the first time he has encountered a situation that cannot be explained by common sense.

Linger waited quietly for the other party's answer, and did not urge Carson Borg to answer because of his silence. He has always been a very patient person, and he always encounters situations where he has to wait patiently. In the eyes of others, waiting is always long and boring, and sometimes even tortured. Therefore, although patience is a virtue that is praised by others, they don't care whether they have it or not; but for this silver-haired young man, waiting is a lucky thing, especially when your waiting has been clearly pointed to a reward.

Carson Borg quickly recovered and gave Ringer the return he wanted.

"This is Suare, the city of gray hills located in the Kingdom of Noah."

He paused, as if worried that the description was not clear enough, and changed his words. At this moment, he was extremely grateful that when he was young, he left his hometown alone to travel to other countries in order to broaden his horizons, despite the opposition of his family and the church. He even went as far as the Atolica Province of the Yalas Empire, where he observed the war sites during the Assyrian Holy War. The impact of this journey on him was not only in shaping a tenacious and resilient personality, but also greatly enriched his experience, so that at this time, he was able to use professional geographical terms that ordinary people would never use to describe what position his country and his hometown occupied on this civilized but ignorant continent.

"This is the East Divante continental plate, the Andrel subcontinent, the southern foot of the Ansas Mountains, the territory of the Kingdom of Noah, and the area under the jurisdiction of the Ash Hill City Suare. We are now in the Ash Forest on the outskirts of Suare, bordering the Ansas Mountains. Of course, for us locals, we are more accustomed to calling it by another name, which is-"

"The Black Forest of Eternal Night."

……

The Black Forest of Eternal Night. For some people, especially a certain princess who loves literature, this name may not be auspicious and always contains an ominous sign. But other than that, there is really no other more accurate word to describe this vast forest located on the southern foot of the Ansers Mountains. As the literal meaning suggests, one of its main characteristics is the extreme lack of sunlight. Even in the hottest summer, it is as desolate as walking in a cemetery. The gloomy atmosphere is chilling, and even makes the timid tremble in their hearts. After suffering from darkness, coldness and loneliness, they painfully declare that this is a land ruled by eternal night, and the name of Eternal Night comes from this.

Most people believed the explanations of geographers and botanists, and believed that this special environment was caused by the Ansus Mountains and the Black Forest itself. The former completely covered the forest with its towering body. When viewed from the sky, the crescent-shaped mountains not only completely separated the subcontinent of Undrel from the main continental plate, but also blocked most of the natural light, making the forest at the foot of the mountain dark for up to 18 hours a day. The cold and harm caused by the lack of light also made it difficult for plants to survive. The only plant that could take root here was the cursed deathwood, which was the name given by the locals in the Ansus area. Its official scientific name, Magoran black pine, was named by the first botanist in the western continent who conducted a systematic survey of the Black Forest. People who had only heard of the Black Forest but had never seen it with their own eyes preferred to call it the devil's tree as described in folk legends.

The two most popular names for it show how terrible and terrifying this tree is in the impression of locals or outsiders. This forest, which flows silently in the shadow of the Ansers Mountains and is like a decaying fungus blanket flowing out of a petri dish, is another culprit for the Eternal Night. The leaves of the Cursed Deathwood have strong light-absorbing properties. In the initial growth stage, they are a grayish white color similar to parchment soaked in chemical solvents for many years, but as they absorb light and synthesize a kind of melanin in their bodies, they gradually turn into a dark green color that is deeper than the night. This process usually only takes one to two years, and the Eternal Night Forest has been thriving in the shadow of the Ansers Mountains for at least five thousand years, according to botanists.

You can imagine what a gloomy and miserable atmosphere the forest would be under the cover of the pitch-black umbrellas of these towering trees. Not a ray of sunlight can squeeze through the gaps between the branches and leaves and fall into the forest. They have been absorbed by the dilution cup in the process of transmission. At the same time, another characteristic of the cursed wood is heat absorption. Their roots will be entangled with the roots of other cursed trees underground to form a huge and huge one, and absorb the nutrients and heat contained in the soil. Generally speaking, the land eaten by the cursed wood will show a color like the embers after the charcoal fire cools down. This is the origin of the ash land. No plant can compete with this ancient and huge black forest for light, heat and nutrients. Only a very small number of angiosperms, mosses, lichens or mushrooms can survive in such a harsh environment. Some plants even gradually form symbiotic characteristics during their growth. They will actively generate and emit light for the growth of the cursed wood in exchange for their roots to join the root network of the cursed wood and absorb nutrients together. These plants are also a valuable source of light in the Evernight Woods, and together they form a unique ecosystem.

But the deeper you go, the fewer luminous plants there are, until you reach the center of the forest, which is said to be a bottomless abyss. No one has ever seen what it looks like there because any light will be swallowed up by the darkness.

This is the scientific explanation for why the Evernight Forest is always in a dark environment, with low temperatures and poor soil. Science, this word that was transmitted across the ocean from the distant continent of Sigiriya, is like the culture, religion and even wars and invasions of the people of the Western Continent. It attempts to take all the right to speak into its own hands. Only those who support this system are reasonable and logical.

But the people of the East Continent, especially the natives of Ansus, all harbor great malice towards this statement. They ridicule the botanist from the West Continent who went deep into the Evernight Forest to investigate and shamelessly named the Cursed Death Tree after himself. They disdain to accept any statements and conclusions related to this system, but stubbornly believe in a legend that has been passed down for a long time: a true god once fell here, and the power He controlled happened to be darkness and cold, so the magic power after death did not dissipate, but wandered in the forest with His resentment, gradually shaping this forest into what it is today.

As for the origin of this god, why he fell here, and where his grudge came from, these key questions are not mentioned in the legend, but people have spontaneously added more than a dozen versions for it, and each version can justify itself. And behind the rumor is a huge interest: if this legend is true - no, it must be true, doesn't it mean that the remains of a god are buried in the Evernight Forest, and maybe even his legacy is preserved?
This has greatly stimulated people's enthusiasm... and ambition. From ancient times to the present, there have always been people who have attempted to explore the secrets buried in this black forest and reap huge benefits and prestige. But as mentioned before, no one can reach the deepest part of the forest. Most people die in the harsh environment here and in the claws of the fierce and cunning ash monsters that have mutated after adapting to the harsh environment. A few extraordinary people who are not afraid of darkness and have strong strength seem to have obtained the qualifications to uncover the secrets, but they have never returned after entering the depths of the forest. Some people say that a terrifying monster born from darkness devoured them. Some people say that the monster is the guardian of the corpse of the god. Others say that it is just an ordinary ash monster, but it accidentally ate part of the corpse of the god and became so powerful...

"I guess," Pastor Ling commented, "the last statement should come from the locals of Gray Hill, right?"

Carson Borg was surprised: "How do you know?"

The young man smiled and said, “Only greed can attract more people to come here.”

Only if outsiders continue to pour in can the gray hill city of Suare, on the side of the Black Forest, continue to prosper. Even if Lingge didn't say it, Carson Borg would understand it.

The leader of the resistance army, who preferred to be straightforward and not used to such roundabout ways, was stunned for a moment, but soon understood what Pastor Linger meant. He smiled awkwardly, "Maybe. However, the prosperity of Suare is not only based on those ambitious people who try to pursue legends. It is also a paradise for adventurers and businessmen."

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Mortals are a special species, often asking for things but rarely giving back. The rules of nature are the opposite. Every species will reflect its own value while asking for things, and the same is true for the Cursed Death Wood and the Black Forest. This tall and straight giant tree is a good building material in itself. After a series of complex processes such as drying, polishing, and painting, it not only loses its original light-absorbing properties, but also gradually releases the light and heat stored inside. Therefore, houses built with Cursed Death Wood are always bright and warm. The best Cursed Death Wood is even a treasure that only nobles can use.

In addition, the roots of the cursed tree are a kind of medicinal material, and the roots that are more than a hundred years old are indispensable materials for certain rituals; its fruit is flammable and explosive, and is often used as the raw material for alchemical fire - similar to gunpowder, although the output is smaller and the effect is less stable, but before the contact and trade between the East and West continents, it has always been an indispensable material in the army.

Although the ash creatures active in the Evernight Forest are more ferocious and difficult to deal with than their non-mutated counterparts, they are also more valuable. Their hair has undergone the same alienation as the Ash Land, showing a gray-white texture like the embers after burning out, and the dark flames can be vaguely seen flowing in it, as if the ashes may be rekindled from these hairs at any time, which is very ornamental; their bones have become thick and hard, suitable for making special arrows, especially for races such as giants, werewolves or harpies. Their unique body structure makes them particularly prefer arrows made from the bones of ash creatures; the meat of ash creatures is inedible to intelligent life, but it can be used as feed for war beasts or pack animals. After long-term consumption, the meat will become firm, and the toughness and strength will be greatly improved...

It is precisely because there are so many benefits to be developed that adventurers, merchants and mercenaries come one after another. Suare has gradually evolved from a small settlement on the border to a large village with prosperous trade. Finally, 259 years ago, it welcomed the first noble appointed by the Kingdom of Noah and officially became the territory of the Count of Gray Hill and was under his jurisdiction. From then on, whether it was those who called themselves tribesmen in Suare, or the outsiders who had been active here for a long time and had actually settled down, they all had the same origin and identity to the outside world, that is -

"Explorers and adventurers of the Black Forest," Carson Borg said seriously, "the people of the City of Gray Hills, the Suare."