What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 156. Cultists and Demons

There were five teams that went out.

Each group consists of forty knight apprentices, two to three mage apprentices, three or four Stardust Circus torturers, fishtail ducks, mushroom men, and black crows acting as scouts.

Speaking of these black crows, ever since they came to the Flame Demon Field of Kroya, they have made it their home and quickly got used to being fed and cared for by people.

They degenerated at an alarming rate, even refusing to fly away to forage for food—partly due to the Bloodgrass Fungus, which was accustomed to eating this magical plant.

Some of them, who were willing to get close to people, were trained by Elena and Mil, the animal trainer of the Stardust Circus, to be used as scouts.

As for the other petrels and paradise birds... they're all quite aloof and unwilling to cooperate with humans for the time being. Especially the latter; these creatures spend their days either eating fish or frolicking in the resin of the Flame Tree stump.

Even... Kroya had personally witnessed their "bird movie".

The scene was simply unbearable to watch.

However, with the addition of these crows, their journey did indeed become much smoother.

Among them, what Kroya was most concerned about was not Baron Kemoyer's group that was planning to cause trouble for the Viscount, but the group led by Ryan whose first stop was Baron Andy's.

The snowstorm outside Han Reef Island remains terrifying.

It was almost a white catastrophe. The knight apprentices protected the relatively weaker mage apprentices and the tortured in the center, walking with uneven steps.

The snow is now 20 to 30 centimeters deep, making it very difficult to walk. Fortunately, these people are used to hardship and have undergone training in snow marching.

So it's not particularly difficult to walk.

"Huff...huff..."

The cold wind howled, and the warm sea breeze that usually comes from the ocean turned into a deadly cold wind that could quickly take away the body heat.

Even someone made of iron could not withstand such a cold wind for long.

Fortunately, these apprentices were prepared—

"Move closer to me!"

A mage apprentice shouted, pressing a magical artifact on his chest. A pale red circle formed beneath his feet, spreading outwards from his body and quickly enveloping the entire group.

This magic is a special product created by Kroya using an alchemical artifact called the "Halo Medal" from the book "Miracle of Light" and imprinting it with a thermal magic circle.

By simply infusing magic into the medal, a warm aura will automatically form as the body moves, ensuring that it is not greatly affected by the environment.

Of course, only Kroa could create such a combination, because magic similar to the Paladin's aura and aura series requires divine power to power it.

The magic injected by the apprentice was merely to activate the magic runes that Kroa had inscribed.

"Thank you for your hard work, Jack."

Ryan called out to the apprentice who was releasing a thermal aura, "If there are any spoils, you can take as many as you like."

No one else had any objection to this.

This was something they had agreed upon before they arrived—Jack's apprentice used all the rewards he earned during training to exchange for "Sacred Stones" that Kroya had casually made.

In fact, it is a stone that stores sacred magic.

The purpose is to maintain the thermal aura for an extended period, providing the team with a more comfortable environment and at least ensuring their combat effectiveness to cope with potential crises.

He paid this price, but the reward was the ability to choose more spoils—Kroya said that the precious magical plants and beasts would be counted as points rewards after they were retrieved.

The island of Hanjiao is self-sufficient in resources. Silver and copper coins are used to buy and exchange for daily necessities from Robert, but extraordinary materials can only be obtained by exchanging points.

Kroya, who was far away on the island of Han Reef, saw this scene and smiled knowingly.

"This apprentice Ryan is doing quite well. He divides the work, cooperates, and offers benefits. People follow you because they want money."

"If you can boost morale, use both kindness and severity, make money, and gain prestige, then you can be considered a qualified captain."

"You seem to have a lot of talent, don't you think?"

Watching "TV" alone can be boring, so Chloe specially asked Mokuyoku Tengwang to watch it with her.

The latter has also experienced a lot and has enough experience to play the role of the straight man.

But after hearing Kroya's question, it paused for several seconds before replying, "You're right."

"Hmm? Are you paying attention to something?" Kroya glanced at the Woody Vine King, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

The guy's voice sounded like he was trying to suppress a laugh, which sounded strange.

"There's something going on with Crystal Turtle, would you like to take a look?"

"Okay, let me see."

With Kroya's permission, the latter broadcast footage of the mines below the castle.

The mine was filled with countless statues, all of them turtles in various poses, each one incredibly lifelike.

At first glance, it looked like I had entered a turtle graveyard.

These perfectly still and exquisitely sculpted statues, to put it nicely, are realistic; to put it bluntly… they're like corpses.

To be honest, there are just too many of them, so many that it makes one feel a little uncomfortable.

"……ah."

Kroya rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Why is it doing so much? Has it gone mad?"

"And look."

As the scene gradually cuts into the mine, a celestial crystal turtle is seen charging angrily at a rather "beautiful" sculpture.

Its unique magic was infused into the interior of the statue.

You have to admit, its size is quite exaggerated compared to the body length of the Astral Crystal Turtle; even the statue had stones falling off.

The upgraded surveillance system also transmits sound simultaneously.

"Clang, clang..."

The scene, mixed with sounds like pile drivers, made Chloe feel like her eyes and ears were about to break down at the same time.

Even more outrageous, the tortoise seemed tireless, and within just a few minutes, it infused more than a dozen statues with magical power.

And still not satisfied, humming a cheerful tune, they continued their search for new targets.

"..."

Kroya remained silent for a long while after witnessing this, her lips twitching involuntarily: "Fine, as long as it doesn't do this kind of thing on the ground... I'll let it go."

He waved to signal King Mokuyo to quickly cut off this section of tortoise shell; he really couldn't bear to watch any longer.

This turtle is absolutely outrageous.

……

After shutting down the monitoring system on the Astral Crystal Turtle's end, Kroya continued to check on the situation of the knights who had gone out.

With the help of the thermal aura, they walked much more easily.

After walking for about two kilometers, some strange things suddenly appeared ahead.

In the vast white expanse, after leaving the area around Hanjiao Island pier, all that can be seen are large trees and scattered rocks covered in snow.

And... there are statues covered in white snow, resembling human figures.

The apprentices stopped in their tracks.

Looking at the human figures standing silently in the snow, they made some guesses, and their hearts grew heavier.

"Let's go take a look." Ryan beckoned.

"Yes."

Immediately, a nimble knight apprentice ran over and used his longsword to brush the snow off the statue.

The snowflakes fell softly.

His skin, already bluish-purple from the cold, was exposed, along with an extremely regrettable face.

"!!!"

Upon seeing this scene, several knight apprentices immediately thought of something unpleasant—they themselves had almost died before arriving at Han Reef Island.

Immediately afterwards, they split up into pairs to check all the snowdrifts around them and found that they were indeed full of people.

You should know... there are as many as forty or fifty in this one area alone.

Ryan asked curiously, "Why are there so many people?"

Although he knew that some people would brave the snow to find food, there wasn't much food around Hanjiao Island, so why were there so many people here?

"Could something have happened to Baron Andy?" a mage apprentice wondered.

"Anyway, we're going to go take a look, so let's hurry up."

After a moment's hesitation, Ryan decided to quicken his pace.

They had all undergone endurance training through forced marches, and the thorns and magic within them helped them resist the wind and snow and withstand fatigue.

What would take ordinary people three days to complete, they finished in a single day. As the deep darkness of night descended, they arrived at Baron Andy's castle.

Just as they expected: there were indeed no soldiers patrolling or guarding along the way, and they actually got right up to the castle.

This is almost impossible on Han Reef Island.

They knew that the lord lived in this castle, and if they were allowed to approach it directly, they were confident they could storm in and kill Baron Andy.

This is a flat area, and the stone castle stands silently in the night, with lights and firelight seemingly shining through the windows.

Judging by appearance, it is over thirty meters high.

To be honest, this looks much more magnificent than the castle in Cloa.

"Go and take a look," Ryan gestured to his companions to release the flock of crows as scouts, but strangely, the crows dared not approach the castle no matter what.

They squawked urgently at their owners, as if urging them to leave quickly.

Even the mushroom man, who had been obediently perched on Ryan's shoulder acting as a camera, shrank back uncomfortably.

It spoke for the first time, warning, "Inside, a demon!"

Upon hearing this word, everyone showed expressions of shock. A demon? There's a demon here?

The prisoners exchanged glances, remaining silent.

Things haven't developed to the point where they need to intervene, and they don't believe there really are any demons here.

The cracks on their bodies are most sensitive to changes in magic. If there really is a demon, even a small one, they will definitely be able to sense it.

The team temporarily fell into silence and wait.

They were all waiting for Captain Ryan to make a decision, and whatever he decided, they would follow suit.

Finally, Ryan looked at the brightly lit castle and said in a serious tone:

"Let's go take a look."

"This place is too close to our home, Han Reef Island. If there really are demons... I think we can still notify the lord in time."

This decision was somewhat expected, and no one else objected. This place was really too close to Hanjiao Island, and they couldn't just sit idly by and ignore the possibility of demons appearing.

After a brief discussion, Ryan led a team, accompanied by a knight apprentice and a mage apprentice, to investigate. They carried magical artifacts and chili bombs given to them by Kroya for self-defense.

If you really encounter danger, at least there's a chance of escaping.

The rest of the people stayed behind. If they didn't return for too long, the mushroom people would inform the island of something strange, and they would leave.

After finalizing the plan, the three set off.

Their companions prayed silently behind them.

"Lord, please bless them; may they return."

At this moment, one of the prisoners used invisibility to follow them. As protectors, they couldn't bear to see these children, on whom Kroya had placed such high hopes, get into trouble.

……

"call."

Although it was night, the white snow reflected light, so it was still relatively clear to see.

Ryan broke out in a sweat from nervousness.

This was the first time he had ever done this, and he was actually quite worried that something might go wrong, but he had to do it.

The three of them worked together to reach the bottom of the castle, spotted an open window, and threw out grappling hooks made of iron and vines.

They easily climbed into the castle.

As soon as they entered, they smelled a strong stench of blood, and saw that the corridors and walls inside the castle were splattered with blood.

The blood was twisted on the wall like strange and evil runes.

The apprentice mage felt his mental strength was about to collapse after just one glance; this chaotic thing was practically poison to him.

Kroya, who was sitting on the island of Hanjiao eating sunflower seeds, frowned, straightened up, and looked at the images transmitted back by the mushroom people.

"It really is a demon. This looks like some kind of summoning circle from a ritual."

"They've made such a big deal out of this."

Although I don't know much about demons, these chaotic and disordered magic runes generally point to demons.

If it is a demon, then the summoned runes will be exquisite and bizarre, full of an indescribable strange beauty and order.

He was somewhat surprised, never expecting that such a harsh and cold place as the North would have cultists who worshipped demons.

Generally speaking, most demons are fire-elemental, and they hate cold environments, so they rarely appear in cold environments.

Of course, it's just that I dislike and hate being in cold environments.

If coldness could stop the devil's advance, then they would be utterly shameless.

"Ask the Pit Lord."

Kroa knew absolutely nothing about demons, so she had no choice but to seek help from outside sources.

He sent the runes to the pit lord, asking him what kind of demon they belonged to.

The latter seemed to have plenty of free time and answered immediately.

"Those are some minor demons, probably just something cultists did randomly, at most level one or two."

His tone was casual, completely disregarding the fact that these demons were not something that needed to be taken seriously.

Upon hearing his reply, Chloe's lips twitched slightly.

Even minor demons of level one or two, due to their different living environments, are usually much stronger than humans of the corresponding level.

These apprentices...

"Sigh, am I going to die?" He sighed, suppressing a bit of frustration in his heart, but then he was surprised to find that...

Something seems a little off.

In the scene, the arrival of the three apprentices clearly disturbed the owner of the place.

A figure draped in a black robe slowly emerged from the darkness. His head was covered by a hood, and there were unmistakable dark red spots on his robe, clearly bloodstains.

He stared directly at the three men from the shadow of his hood—or more precisely, at the knight apprentice behind Ryan.

The magical pressure emanating from his body was already very close to level two. The chaotic and violent magical fluctuations made the apprentices completely afraid to move, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"You are... Jack?"

The figure in black robes spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, but it was still clear that the speaker was not very old.

Jack's expression immediately changed.

"You...you're Brother Jitter?"

His voice sounded hesitant and incredulous.

"It's me." The man in black robes reached out and took off his hood, revealing a rather honest and simple-minded face.

He looks like one of the countless ordinary people, with no distinguishing features whatsoever.

"Brother Jitter, what's wrong with you..." Apprentice Jack's mind raced. He knew that he had to get close to this now-unfamiliar "Brother Jitter" to have any chance of survival.

"hehe."

Jitter smiled. "Looks like you're doing well. That mage from the Reef Island didn't mistreat you."

When he said this, there was a well-hidden sense of relief in his eyes.

Then, he opened his arms and said enthusiastically:

"Little Jack, join us... As long as you are willing to bring God's will to the Isle of Reef, we will all find true happiness."

Hearing him say this, the apprentices, whose loyalty to Kroya was already maxed out, were naturally dissatisfied. However, their instructors had taught them to remain calm in such situations.

Therefore, they remained silent and on guard.

Jack gritted his teeth, then suddenly drew his longsword with a "whoosh," pointing the blade, forged from holy white iron, at Gitte and demanding, "This is clearly a demon!"

"You've become someone I don't recognize! Look at the blood here! How many people have you killed?!"

He knew very well that if he pretended to ask, the other party would definitely become suspicious, and only in this way would it be in line with his previous personality.

Seeing this, Jitter smiled instead.

It's like a good-natured older brother watching his younger siblings throw tantrums.

"The blood here comes from nobles and their men... Don't worry, they won't die; their blood will become the best dye."

I can paint, and I can paint the most beautiful scenery.

After saying this with such rapt relish, he chuckled:

"It's a demon, but we can't survive anymore... That nobleman completely disregards our lives, so we have no choice but to fight back."

"He is more terrifying than the devil."

"Demons can save us, but nobles cannot."

After saying this, his face darkened: "Since you are unwilling to accept God's grace, then leave!"

After saying that, he waved his hand, and a cold tentacle grew out from under his robe, slapping the three of them out of the window.

Then he slowly turned and left.

Before leaving, he glanced at the empty corridor, his eyes revealing obvious resistance and undisguised disgust.

But he was powerless to resist, and his steps froze as he disappeared down the corridor.

A faint, well-hidden magical fluctuation flickered in the empty corridor and then disappeared through the window.

Outside in the snow, the three apprentices who were knocked out were not injured because of the thick snow on the ground.

After they got up, they looked at each other and saw the same meaning in each other's eyes—it seemed that the man had deliberately driven them out like this.

Could it be that he hasn't been completely controlled by the demon yet?

(End of this chapter)