Archer's Adventure Manual

Chapter 181 The Magical Illusion

Loran was taken aback. This was something he hadn't expected either. Since the first advance team had arrived in Rockfall Town and resolved the crisis much earlier, only some monsters remained on the outskirts.

Just like the crazed villager that Lorraine and Barton encountered on the road.

Even with such obstacles, there shouldn't be no adventurers at all; there's another possibility.

"Have any adventurers come to Rockfall Town and then disappear?" Loran thought of this possibility.

"Barton, observe the situation here. Notice Captain Lake's reaction and any other strange occurrences. Write them down. I need to investigate something," Loran instructed.

Then, to Barton's astonishment, Loran jumped out of the window, and Brian followed him out of the window.

Then Barton heard a thud, like something heavy hitting the ground.

Barton quickly peered over and saw that Brian had jumped from such a height without any protective measures, crashing into the ground and creating a large crater.

Even so, Brian was able to get up and continue moving around.

"What kind of constitution is this?" Barton felt that his previous knowledge was no longer sufficient these past few days.

However, he also took Lorraine's words to heart. Barton went into the corridor and kept an eye on the soldiers' every move.

He was certain that there was something wrong with the town now, and his parents were the best proof of that. They brought the soldiers to such a place, perhaps with a deeper purpose.

By the way, the water source...

Patton thought of the dark water his parents drank from, water that was not drinkable for ordinary people. So many soldiers must have a need for drinking water.

Patton decided to observe the situation regarding drinking water.

Sure enough, Roth raised the question quickly.

"Mr. Mark, the soldiers of the legion are a bit tired from the journey. Where do you usually get your drinking water?" Roth asked.

Mark seemed to have anticipated this, and he replied with a smile, "The water supply in Rockfall Town has been a bit tight lately. I've already taken this into consideration and sent people to fetch water. Please wait a moment, Commander."

Roth didn't object much to being addressed as "Mr. Captain," but added, "It would be best if we could have some ale. They love it, you know, they're often under a lot of stress and need it to relieve it."

"Of course, all of this will be arranged for you."

Patton stood in the hallway observing and noticed that the soldiers were already engrossed in a relaxed discussion.

Perhaps some of them were slightly wary, but they gradually lowered their guard in the relaxed atmosphere. Soon, a carriage carrying several vats of water arrived in front of the inn, along with a vat of very sweet-tasting wine.

"Soldiers, you've worked hard! This is water I collected especially for you, and some fine ale we pulled from the cellar. Come on down and have a drink!" Mark shouted enthusiastically.

The soldiers' eyes lit up when they heard there was ale. The monotonous march of the past few days had been driving them crazy, and they certainly couldn't miss out on such a good thing.

A hundred soldiers emerged from the hotel, picked up wooden cups, and began drinking ale. The rich aroma of the ale instantly captivated their taste buds.

"Not bad!" a soldier exclaimed after taking a big gulp of his drink.

Barton followed suit, peering at the amber-colored ale, then at the crystal-clear water, and frowned.

His parents could only drink the black water flowing from that stream, while the nobles had such a clear source of water. How could this be considered a good way for the lord to care for the people?

Patton didn't readily drink the water, but the soldiers didn't care; they had already started drinking heavily and chatting happily.

Meanwhile, Loran was taking Brian for a stroll around the town.

The events in Rockfall Town were quite widespread, so naturally a large number of adventurers came to the scene.

It's highly unusual that so many adventurers have entered Rockfall Town without any news.

Loran saw the busy crowds in the streets and alleys. Each of these townspeople looked normal, doing what they were doing, and the town as a whole seemed to be in a positive and upward state.

Even Barton's parents couldn't tell their own children what had happened.

Loran harbored a terrifying suspicion: he and Lin Wen had investigated the strange events in Falling Rock Town.

The incident involved a group of people with physical disabilities who, through a mysterious process, regained normal physical health.

However, this state can cause them to lose control, even attacking others, and they will suffer a backlash, having their flesh and blood devoured by that strange red substance.

Like the villager Loran and Barton encountered on the outskirts who had a three-headed snake emerging from behind...

It is possible that some evil god granted these people the opportunity to be healed, but the price was that their bodies no longer belonged to them.

If it's the worst-case scenario, does that mean all the townspeople are controlled by an evil god?

Lorraine could hardly imagine just how crazy that idea was.

Looking at the perfectly normal villagers, Loran found the idea somewhat terrifying. Could there really be something that could control so many people?

Like the Dream Cult... it's not entirely impossible that such a possibility exists.

Oh, and speaking of evil gods...

Loran called upon the Eye of Flesh in his mind, and the Eye of Flesh responded shortly afterward.

"Boy, what are you doing?" The impatient voice of the Eye of Flesh echoed in Loran's mind.

"Aren't you an evil god? Do you know any other evil gods? Are there any among them that can influence people's minds, or even control an entire town?" Loran asked curiously.

"Oh? Controlling the people of an entire town? I think that's pretty much standard procedure, but no evil god would do that. It would be too conspicuous, and the Holy Light Church of the Kingdom isn't to be trifled with."

"On the other hand, why try to control Him? As an evil god, believers should sincerely and voluntarily worship Him, rather than relying on so-called mental control. That would be a complete failure."

The Eye of Flesh and Blood provided the answer.

Loran stroked his chin and countered, "But right now, there might be a god controlling the people of this town, and everyone in the town seems a bit abnormal."

The Eye of Flesh chuckled coldly: "I didn't sense any aura of faith from them. I suspect that this might not be the work of some evil god at all, but rather some arrogant fellow's clumsy imitation of a god."

"Some arrogant fellow imitating God?" Loran's pupils contracted slightly.

"Yes, if you need help, I can help you, because I can faintly sense the aura of flesh and blood around me, but it's not obvious right now. You just need to let my eyes descend for a moment," the Eye of Flesh and Blood said calmly.

Now that he was bound by a contract, Loran was very willing to help him when he heard that the Eye of Flesh and Blood could help him. He took the initiative to activate the Eye of Blood Demon.

Red roots quickly gushed from his eye sockets, making his eyes look incredibly ferocious.

"I sense... there's a place nearby with a very strong smell of blood. You can go there; it offers a lot of flesh and blood. I'm sure you won't refuse."

Loran heard the whisper of the Eye of Flesh in his mind and then followed its guidance to a relatively secluded corner of Falling Rock Town.

Loran walked in and found it was a dead end. She couldn't help but ask, "Why are you leading us like this? There's just a wall in front of us."

The Eye of Flesh and Blood said slowly, "Use your keen senses to see what is before you."

Loran was taken aback. He looked closely at the wall in front of him and found that there was a faint magical fluctuation above it. What was going on?

With some magical foundation, Loran could clearly sense the abnormality of the wall in front of him, enhanced by the perception of the Blood Demon Eye.

Immediately, Loran took out his bow and arrow and shot a magical arrow at the wall. To his surprise, the arrow pierced through the wall.

This means that the wall in front of us does not appear to be a physical entity.

So Loran tried to get through the wall, only to find that it had solidified and he could not pass through.

"The Mage's Hand." Loran's palm, covered in magic, touched the wall in front of him, and he found that his hand passed through it.

Loran suddenly realized that only things with magical properties could pass through this wall, which explained why the arrows could pierce through him but not enter.

Loran used the mage's hand to cover his entire body with magical aura as much as possible before walking towards the wall in front of him.

Sure enough, he easily passed through the wall after doing so, and Loran was stunned when he saw the scene in front of him.

Ahead was a street with buildings on both sides.

But... the buildings on both sides have all been reduced to ruins.

The cobblestone pavement of the street was in a mess, and some of the houses next to it were charred, while others had large holes in them and were in a terrible state.

A sense of desolation permeated the air.

This place is completely different from the Rockfall Town that Loran saw before. The Rockfall Town he just saw was a place where everything was in good order and life was peaceful.

The street in front of us was dilapidated and in ruins, with no residents in sight.

Loran finally understood why he always felt that the current layout of Rockfall Town was a bit strange. Was it because of these deliberately designed magical walls?

They used these walls to block off some roads and reorganized the layout, which is why Loran felt unfamiliar with Falling Rock.

The purpose of isolating these roads is very clear: to conceal the decline of Falling Rock Town, where fierce battles once took place.

But the fact that a battle took place in Rockfall Town is a well-known fact, so why try to cover it up?

Loran didn't dwell on it further. He had another important purpose in coming: the Eye of Flesh and Blood had sensed a faint smell of blood...

After passing through a series of dilapidated buildings, Loran arrived at the end of the street and entered a small alley. Loran was shocked by what he saw: the street was filled with... people.

But these people had already lost their vitality, and flies were flying around them haphazardly, making the scene extremely disgusting.

However, after being cursed by the Eye of Flesh, Loran developed a resistance to things like flesh and blood.

Even so, he still found the sight before him somewhat unbearable.

The bodies of these people lay scattered on the ground, as if they had been dumped there like trash, and many of them looked...incomplete, mutilated.

"Oh my god, did you see that? You just didn't explore carefully enough, otherwise you would have discovered that there are many suspicious points here. Is this what a thriving town should look like?" the Eye of Flesh and Blood mocked.

"Alright, now you can sacrifice these things to relieve some pressure on your so-called...performance."

Loran suppressed his nausea and stepped forward. He looked at the people carefully. Most of them looked very haggard and were dressed simply. They must be ordinary townspeople.

There were also some people wearing special clothes and cloaks, or some armor; they were probably adventurers here.

Loran was a little nervous. He quickly scanned the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, but fortunately he did not see any trace of Lena.

"Sacrifice." Loran silently used the flesh and blood sacrifice, and magnificent flowers bloomed before his eyes.

The Eye of Flesh and Blood also became excited in his mind, "Oh, kid, I knew you were no ordinary person. This is such a pleasant surprise."

Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.

"I had thought this place would be discovered, but I never expected it would be you who discovered it." A mocking male voice appeared behind Loran.

Lorraine turned around and saw a familiar face, Jasper.

The castle steward of Clamshell Town was one of the people who had previously prevented Loran and his companions from escaping Rockfall Town.

"Jasper? Why are you always haunting me?" Lorraine sneered. To be honest, he really didn't want to see this disgusting guy.

Jasper chuckled coldly, "Kid, do you think I want to see you? Every time I see you, nothing good ever comes of it. Now you dare to come here alone. I let you off the hook last time, but this time your luck won't be so good."

As he spoke, Jasper noticed Loran's eyes, which were grotesque, fleshy eyes surrounded by terrifying roots.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to turn into a freak after not seeing you for a while... If this was your idea all along, why didn't you choose to join our god from the beginning? What exactly does that evil god you worship have to offer you?"

Jasper scoffed.

Loran chuckled. "Then let me see just what kind of power this so-called god you speak of truly possesses!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

In an instant, Loran drew his bow and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion, and several arrows flew swiftly toward Jasper, radiating a rich magical aura.

Jasper snorted, hair sprouting from his ankles. He reacted with lightning speed, somersaulting to the side and narrowly dodging the first arrow.

The next moment, the second arrow suddenly split open and continued to attack Jasper.

Seeing that he couldn't dodge it, Jasper's arm suddenly became incredibly strong, and he precisely grabbed the magic arrow and crushed it.

At the same time, a pair of full wings extended from Jasper's back, and Jasper's size increased several times over.

From head to toe, Jasper's head, which still resembles a human, appears to be pieced together from parts of a monster, making him look extremely terrifying.