Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 297 Cuckoo Bird Newspaper

Winter usually doesn't participate in discussions between Rowena and the Other Shore, but every time she speaks, her words are unshakeable. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and Rowena and the Other Shore's series of mental tests are naturally not as convincing as actual experience.

However, this caused great harm to the single Ms. Rowena.

The little purple bat stood there stunned for a long time, its mouth agape, unable to utter a single word, and its color was starting to fade.

Along the way, Ethan and his companions encountered all sorts of strange monsters, many of which were familiar faces from the Imperial Forest region. However, the monsters here were far more numerous and varied, as if they were the true protagonists of this world.

"It wouldn't be bad to live here."

As the sun set, Rowena bid farewell to a small group of butterfly monsters and couldn't help but sigh.

Rowena also figured out her own special talents—she was naturally attracted to insect-type monsters, while the other side was a natural wolf pack leader. The little octopus had not yet shown any special talents, which she guessed was because they had not yet encountered any aquatic monsters.

As for winter.

Ever since she arrived in this world, she has been clinging to Ethan and has no intention of getting off him.

In Winter's own words, her summoner talent is Ethan's affinity.

In response, Rowena could only vehemently condemn Lin Dong for being shameless. Fortunately, she had extensive dating experience and had talked to all types of men, so she wasn't even "a little" jealous of Lin Dong.

Rowena also thought that if the inhabitants of the empire during Pope Julius's reign knew about the existence of this plane, most of them would be eager to go there. Since arriving in this plane, she felt that it was as leisurely and beautiful as a fantasy world. Based on the rules set by the Crimson Queen, most summoners were very simple. Even the most evil villainous poaching gangs only captured monsters in the forbidden hunting area and were not really that bad.

Since there is no concept of death after defeat, all the villains can do after winning is to arrogantly mock you before walking away.

Having traveled through most of the empire, Rowena could see that the monsters' ecosystem was meticulously designed. Through this leisurely pace of life, she could even imagine what the Crimson Queen looked like.

She must be a young girl who still holds beautiful dreams for the world.

The person on the other side also seemed to be deep in thought.

Guild administrators also vary in their use of their powers, but in essence, it's about shaping the planes they rule into what they want.

If she possessed such power, she would likely be compelled to implement sweeping reforms to the Nesseril Temple and even the Empire. The first issue to address would be the problem of mounts. According to observations from the other side, the knights of the Nesseril Temple have become increasingly indifferent to their mounts in recent years. During Henry III's expeditions, there was still the Iron Guard Knights, and each member was equipped with a warhorse. However, by the time of Henry VI, the Templar Knights had all become "free-range chickens."

In this era, it's difficult to clearly define the difference between a knight and a swordsman.

The map shows that heading north along Moonforest City will lead to Fogwood County. The Adventurers' Guild map specifically marks the rare monsters that summoners can encounter here, which only appear on foggy days.

Fogwood County is shrouded in mist year-round, and its lord is a high-level summoner who is skilled in fighting in foggy weather.

This is the city lord's hometown. After making a name for herself in her adventures, she returned to her hometown, Misty Forest County, and opened a training academy for new summoners here, instructing them on tactics for fighting in foggy weather. Now, foggy weather tactics have become one of the mainstream tactics for summoners in the kingdom. Even some summoners from outside the kingdom come here hoping to encounter a rare species with the ability to weave fog.

"Don't you guys think the atmosphere in the city is a bit strange?"

Rowena flew around Fogwood County first. Ever since they set foot in Fogwood County, the leisurely atmosphere had vanished. Summoners gathered in small groups, as if only in this way could they feel safe. There was no cheerful boasting in the tavern. Everyone deliberately lowered their voices when they spoke, for fear of attracting some being in the mist to the city.

"It might be related to the news in this newspaper."

Ethan was holding a newspaper called "Cuckoo Bird Daily," the kingdom's most authoritative newspaper, named after the ubiquitous cuckoo bird, whose most common bird-like monsters in the kingdom have always served as newspaper deliverymen.

Things were worse than they had imagined. Moon Forest City was not the only city attacked by mechanical monsters. With Rowena's great power, it actually became one of the luckiest of the many cities reported on. As for some less fortunate cities, a lot of bad news followed.

Numerous summoners were killed or wounded, and even some border cities reported the tragic news of their city lords' deaths in battle.

These mysterious monsters, which appeared suddenly and violated the rules of the Crimson Queen, caught everyone off guard.

These tragic news reports were relayed to Mistywood County and carried by the Cuckoo Birds toward the heart of the kingdom.

After the initial battles, the summoners in the border cities gradually discovered that these mechanical monsters were not there to destroy the cities, but rather that the cities happened to be blocking their path. After breaking through the kingdom's outer defenses, these mechanical monsters did not stop, but continued to advance.

Their destination appears to be the royal capital, or more accurately, the sacred tree located in the royal capital.

The news brought by the cuckoo birds caused panic among the summoners of Misty Forest County. The newspapers did not indicate whether any mechanical monsters were heading their way.

The city lord then urgently summoned the patrol guards and her students.

Based on the information currently available, the mechanical monsters are incredibly destructive. Once you get close, you will be attacked indiscriminately. Wherever they go, a large number of monster corpses appear. The corpses are shriveled and look as if they have been forcibly drained of nutrients from their bodies.

Some summoners who survived battles against mechanical monsters also mentioned this, saying that they were like the natural enemy of all monsters.

It was destined to be a sleepless night. Summoners scattered throughout Misty Forest discussed countermeasures in fits and starts. Anxiety gripped their hearts, and for the first time, they felt death was just around the corner.

If even the city lord has been defeated, how can they possibly fight these monsters of unknown origin?

The summoners of Fogwood County could only hope that the mechanical monsters wouldn't pass through here.

"The prize quiz has begun!"

Back in the temporary guest room, the little purple bat excitedly jumped onto the table, clearly unaffected by the uneasy atmosphere in the city. "Will Misty Forest County be attacked by mechanical monsters tonight? I bet it will. These are five self-made cutting scrolls. If I sold them on the market, they could fetch at least 500 gold lions!"

Compared to the mysterious mechanical monsters, Rowena was more curious about which of them was the jinx.

Now all the clues point to Ethan.

I think so too.

Bi'an immediately followed suit, but since she wasn't used to carrying money and didn't have anything valuable, she put the roasted crocodile she had brought with her before leaving on the table as her chip.

“I think we rushed through the day, and there are still many issues that we haven’t investigated clearly.”

"what is the problem?"

Ethan asked curiously, "Has the other side ever seen such a mechanical monster before?"

"That big beetle...is it tasty?"

This is the question that the other side is most concerned about. Although the inside of the carapace that Rowena cut open is full of intricate axles, there might be meat to eat in some of the crevices.
Rowena immediately showed a look of disgust. "Ugh, you can actually eat this stuff?"

"You don't understand, do you? The weirder the monster looks, the tastier it usually is."

Hearing this, Miss Chloe nodded seriously. Since embarking on her adventure with Ethan, she had tasted many strange things, but the ones that impressed her the most were the Titans. Unlike simply eating them, those flesh-and-blood giants provided nourishment to her soul, a feeling that was hard to describe in words. However, Miss Chloe's views differed slightly from those of the other side. For example, she thought those axles looked edible, and perhaps after eating them, she could evolve some cool mechanical parts.

"I won't bet."

Ethan, respecting tradition, took out a small bag of funds he had exchanged with guild points. "Miss Chloe, don't eat anything of dubious origin."

"Gu..."

Miss Chloe appeared to agree, but actually turned her head away from Ethan, her little eyes darting around.

When it comes to food, she still prefers to do things together with Bi'an.

However, since Rowena had brought up the issue of jinxes, Ethan felt it was necessary to clear his name. He was determined to win this bet and had ample theoretical basis for his claim.

Geographically speaking, Fogwood County is located almost directly north of Moonforest City, and those mechanical monsters seem to have a very low level of intelligence, only able to move along a single route. Therefore, after the giant beetle is destroyed, there is absolutely no possibility that any other mechanical monsters will pass through Fogwood County.

Ethan was determined to win this bet, and he also felt that the summoners of Fogwood County could finally get a good night's sleep.

Just as the group was happily placing their bets, another group of familiar figures arrived in Mistywood County.

The leader was the head of the White Turban Poacher Gang, but their purpose for this trip had nothing to do with poaching—they were ordered by the city lord's daughter to secretly investigate Ethan's background. In fact, this was not outside their scope of business. If Ethan were considered a monster, what they were doing now was preliminary investigation.

The woman in the white headscarf seemed quite confident about this.

He's been in this line of work for so many years that he can even find traces of dragons.

"Boss, this is Misty Forest County. Shouldn't we go out and catch some rare monsters?"

One of the younger brothers made a suggestion.

Ethan released all their monsters, so strictly speaking, they are no longer official summoners. However, the clever leader came up with a plan to ensure everyone's safety—as long as they follow Ethan, their safety will be guaranteed.

It's no longer safe to stay in the border city. Who knows if more mechanical monsters will break through the border city's defenses? Rather than staying in Moonforest City and living in fear, it's better to take the initiative and attack.

"You're right."

The man in the white turban was holding a skewer of meatballs. He had just seen Ethan enter the inn in Mistywood County and plan to stay there for the night. They could use this time to get back to their old ways.

As the saying goes, since we're already here...

After all, they are formidable characters who have dealt with dragons before, so how could they not handle a few ordinary Mistweavers?

With that thought in mind, the man in the white headscarf was full of vigor. "Let's go! We'll definitely return with a full haul tonight!"

As night fell, these summoners hid in the Misty Forest County, afraid to go out, which reduced their potential competitors considerably. Before setting off, they checked their hunting nets, baited them with sleeping pills, and prepared various trap materials.

Live together!

Whether it was just her imagination or not, the woman in the white headscarf felt that the fog was particularly heavy tonight. She had only been out of Fog Forest County for a short while when the city behind her could no longer be seen.

But this is a good sign; the thicker the fog, the more likely they are to encounter rare monsters.

He had heard many legends about Fogwood County. Almost all the legendary monsters were related to this fog. Some people believed that the fog that never dissipated was part of the natural environment, while others believed that the fog was woven by some mysterious monster that had not yet been discovered by people.

After all, many monsters in this area possess the ability to weave mist, making them an indispensable part of conventional tactics.

The most important thing in their line of work is to be bold and decisive; who knows, good fortune might just come their way one day.

With this in mind, the white-turbaned man and the other poachers headed toward where the fog ended.

Until, the poachers at the front suddenly stopped.

"Boss, there seems to be something over there!"

He lowered his voice so as not to disturb the prey, and while gesturing, he skillfully hid behind a tree. Seeing this, the other members skillfully formed a formation. Under the direction of the white-turbaned hand gesture, they quickly set up the trap and placed bait with a strong hypnotic effect on it.

"It looks like a sheep drinking water by the river."

"sheep?"

"Is it a weaver's gazelle?"

The man in the white headscarf asked.

"The outlines look somewhat similar, but the size is much larger than that of a typical weaver antelope."

"It might be the lead sheep!"

The white headscarf caught my eye.

However, the poacher who was hiding behind the tree and looking ahead suddenly spat out, "There are other people next to it. What a nuisance. Why is this person not staying in Mistywood County? What is he doing here?"

If the lead sheep has already signed a contract with a summoner, then all their efforts have been in vain. After all, they must follow the rules followed by the Crimson Queen and cannot simply abduct someone else's monster like Ethan did.

"**, can you look carefully before you speak?!"

The man in the white headscarf spoke in an unfriendly tone and uttered a curse.

The underling who had been scolded suddenly trembled, so shocked that he fell to the ground and couldn't help but curse back, "**!"

"What is it now? Why are you so startled?"

"That's not a human!"

"not human?"

"That's a robot!"

(End of this chapter)