A journey of Shadowverse and Honkai Impact 3rd

Letting out a sound of relief, the raven entered the settlement and sensed the faint solemnity it had wished for, as if the breath of the gods was constantly pouring down from the temple located high above the settlement, driving away all impurities.

"It's only temporary. Besides, they not only took away some supplies, but also two unconscious people."

"It's stretching our staff even further."

The jackal spoke calmly. Although her remarks were merely statements of fact, she also seemed to be trying to go against the will of others. After watching the indigenous people transformed by Roland carry the two away, she followed the gray snake into the house.

And at this moment, if it weren't for the mask acting as a filter, she would have been almost vomited by the filthy smell here.

"What the hell is that smell!?"

It was not just physical discomfort. It was like smelling a strange odor of a mixture of oil, blood, and other things fermenting together. Her heart genuinely sensed the uncleanness and she just wanted to leave this dirty place immediately.

"Is it because there's no air flow in a closed state?"

Raven also noticed the disgusting smell, but because of his high personal quality, his expression did not change much. Instead, he began to analyze the cause of the situation calmly.

The large house reflected in the eyes was all dark. Only when the door was opened did a little blue light seep into it, revealing the outline of the hall.

This is a large house with three floors, like a small hotel. The furnishings inside have accumulated a lot of dust, and it is obvious that no one has lived here for some time.

Walking in, apart from the unlit candles, the most eye-catching thing is a large shrine placed directly against the wall in the hall. The gilding craftsmanship creates a gorgeous texture, highlighting the sense of nobility.

In the shrine, a statue that looks like a human is sitting quietly, like an old monk in meditation. His eyebrows and eyes are carved very vividly, with a subtle look of eyes that are eight parts closed and two parts slightly open.

This kind of ambiguous artistic conception, the last time I saw it was in the painting "Mona Lisa", which left an impression on me. I don't know when.

Not only the ravens, but also the naturalist Catherine had this feeling. And it was in the subtle opening and closing of the statue's eyes that they felt a charm that was similar to holiness but different.

--mercy.

"Please offer sacrifices to this statue. Since it stands here, it must represent something."

Gray Snake said, and then called the soldier over to pick up a small piece of Honkai energy crystal and placed it in front of the shrine quite "stingyly".

Perhaps it was because the statue had an expression similar to that of an old monk, the gray snake put its hands together and bowed, muttering to itself the praises of the power of the unknown statue. In the process of what is commonly known as flattery, a strange change occurred, and the bright blue flames filled the entire house in the blink of an eye.

The flames consumed the offerings they made to the spirits of their ancestors, and also began to burn the filth and dust that had been lingering here for a long time, ultimately giving them a clean and spotless home.

The candles on the pillars emitted a bright light. The blue flames seemed to be no different from the sunlight. The light they brought could even illuminate the corners of the hall clearly, driving away the darkness that lingered there.

"Phew, it smells much better now. Before, it really wasn't a place for people to be."

After saying that, the jackal approached the shrine curiously and carefully observed the statue located in this large rectangular pavilion, hoping to find out some principles from it that caused the earth-shaking scene.

However, naturally, she returned empty-handed, and she did not dare to challenge the unknown path and desecrate the statue of the old god with her own hands.

"It's not bad. It seems that besides the lack of windows, the environment here is pretty good. Listen, the wind flow indicates that the ventilation system is activated."

Raven smiled rarely. After entering this area, this was the first time she showed a refreshing smile in front of others.

"Each of you please find a place to rest. Remember the three commandments. Otherwise, if anything happens, I will not be responsible."

The World Serpent team had a short break, and on the other side, the three people who had completed the guidance mission also went to an edge area of ​​the village in a cheerful atmosphere.

It didn't look like a small manor at all. It was surrounded by walls, but there were no houses inside. Instead, there was a vast body of water, so dark that even the starry sky was not reflected.

"By the way, when you look at the moon here, it's a normal size."

Shakespeare was the first to walk to the edge of the water, looked up at the moon, and expressed these thoughts.

Compared to the huge cold moon seen when climbing a tree in the Gloomy Forest, the moon seen when looking up in the settlement is really pitifully small, and its terrifying influence has been weakened to an acceptable level.

But I can't just watch all the time, otherwise I will be shot by the village sheriff sooner or later. If I'm not mistaken, with the arrival of Miss Ochis, those powerful golem groups must have arrived.

"You just stated the commandments in front of them, and now you have broken one of them. You really are two-faced, Captain."

Schrödinger teased his good friend with a hint of helplessness, which earned him Shakespeare's laughter.

"Hey, first mate, why don't you go and explain to them what's going on?"

Roland, who was standing by, followed the first commandment, which stated that everything related to the moon should be placed in a special area. He threw the two guys he had picked up directly into the water, and then called out to his companions in surprise.

"Look, the water here seems to have changed!"

Wisps of silver light emerged in the black waters, as if the moonlight was dissolved in it, and the two people in power armor who had just been thrown in floated on the water, with wisps of glow spreading around them.

"The water here has a hint of a universal solvent in it, so based on its solubility properties, it can separate different things."

Silently, Ochis's cold voice rang out, just like the silvery and bright color in the water, with a cold and beautiful beauty.

"Ah, Miss Ochis, what brings you here? We were about to go upstairs and give you the things!"

Shakespeare took out the black box and carefully handed it to the doll girl. After the respectful etiquette was completed, the seemingly emotionless Ochis said something sudden.

"Please prepare yourself. Master will be conducting a test on the real dream ecosystem. This may be quite dangerous for you."

"Are we going to fight?"

In response to Roland's question, Ochis nodded and then disappeared in front of the others.

As the controller of this node and the host of the temple, she can naturally use the privileges of the region to transfer space.

333. Ecology

"So, Sera, are you going to let go and let those things tempt you?"

It is also a safe node, but compared to the one accepted by Ochis, the settlement on Xilin's side is full of sweet style, and the wind always conveys the sweetness of candy, cream and honey.

Xilin was holding a small cake in her hand, with tiny cake crumbs on the corners of her mouth. Although she was hosting a tea party, she seemed more like a guest and ate without any girlish reserve.

"Whether it's mana or magic, they are all outflows of the spirit. Under the long-term circulation and flushing, even dead objects will become alternative living forms."

"Not to mention that real dreams are inherently filled with scattered spiritual thoughts. Over time, these thoughts begin to combine, transforming from scattered thoughts into a unified whole. Sooner or later, true indigenous people will emerge."

"That's what I expected."

The ladylike white-haired girl sat opposite the round table covered with a light pink tablecloth, telling the innocent and cheerful purple-haired girl about her acquaintance. On the table was only a cup of fragrant black tea and a plate of uneaten strawberry cream cake.

"is it?"

Feeling a bit sick and uncomfortable from eating too much sweets, Xilin picked up the fragrant tea with a hint of bitterness to wash away the rich sweetness lingering on her tongue.

"But now it seems that the first life form to be born is not the indigenous people you expected, but a so-called strange creature or a Yin spirit."

"Although you're rational, you still follow your instincts and attack the safe spot. Humph, you're really asking for your own death. If you had chosen me, you'd definitely be hacked to pieces!"

She clenched her cute pink fists that could kill people, and uttered words of protest in a not-so-intense tone. As the owner of this node, Xilin would not allow these guys to destroy her property.

"Alas, every time you say these things, I think to myself, even though self-cultivation has taken away your hostility, Xilin, your habit of trash-talking is still unbreakable."

Sera complained about the bad language habits that Xilin would show from time to time. It was strange that if Xilin was the team leader, she would not be so public about these bad habits.

But once she returns to a relaxed environment, the girl's cuteness and badness mixed together will often appear, giving people an inexplicable contrast.

"I've already changed a lot. Anyway, it's just talk. I won't actually do anything. If I were to be attacked, I would probably just beat them up until they can't take care of themselves, and then throw them back to you, Sera."

But isn’t this also terrible?

Sera sighed helplessly in her heart, and then labeled Xilin as cute and straightforward and willful again. She felt that although she was not a good person, she was also very cute.

"Well, let's see what Ochis does. Although those things are not the expected residents, they are also part of the original ecology of the real dream."

"At least, providing education after cleaning up the mess can be considered a supplement to the contract system."

After saying that, Sera picked up the black tea that had been on the table for a while, took a sip, and joined in the dreamy tea party.

Their attention shifted to another safe node. After Ochis left, the trio couldn't help but start thinking about the debugging in the near future and how they should deal with it.

"According to Miss Ochis, the subsequent debugging will correspond to unusual combat. To be on the safe side, I suggest we head to the highest temple first and make plans once the debugging begins."

As an intellectual figure, Schrödinger gave her answer without thinking. In her opinion, stability is the most important thing. In this bizarre and real dream, if you get into trouble, it will be much more troublesome than a simple physical injury.

From ancient times to the present, things related to the mind and spiritual realm have always been mysterious, not to mention the strange things in real dreams.

"I agree. When facing an unknown enemy, it's better to be cautious."

As a warrior, Roland supported Schrödinger's speech. Now, the pressure fell on Shakespeare, the nominal leader.

The red-haired playwright was speechless, and she spread out her palms to express her inner thoughts and sighed.

"Well, since you've all reached a consensus, why are you still asking me? Let's go upstairs to avoid the light before anything strange happens."

A pale, cold moon hung in the sky, silently watching the unusual movements taking place on the vast land. The light it emitted still carried the power to confuse people's hearts, but within the area protected by the temple, its size and influence were weakened to the extreme by an invisible field.

However, the fact that outsiders cannot invade does not mean that some strange things cannot be brought in from the outside with an invitation.

In the small hotel where everyone was resting, something was silently disturbing people's minds.

The sound of tapping jumped between the wooden boards, and in the outstanding light, the gray snake, which did not need to rest, saw a fleeting sticky light on the aisle.

It goes up and down the stairwells, appears and disappears between the gaps between rooms, and specifically targets sleeping people, but is not interested in bionic people and mechas.

The gray snake first stopped and stayed where he was silently, then began to move to different floors after thinking it over. Every time he opened a door, he would knock politely first. Only after the predetermined time had passed and there was no response, would he open the door and go in to observe the situation of the people.

Whether the soldiers were sleeping while standing in their power armor or lying on their beds, they all emitted sweet snoring sounds and looked harmless.

"..."

Gray Snake paused and searched the power armor's physiological maintenance system. The result was the same as it looked, very good. Even in the sleeping state, the physiological level of others was no different from being awake.

"I see. Something has followed us in here too."

With the umbrella in hand, ready to deal with any attack at any time, Gray Snake cautiously left the room and then received a call from the Jackal.

Jackal: "What's going on? Suddenly notifying everyone to reply to their personal information?"

Gray Snake: "Someone bad has sneaked in. Stay alert. I'm trying to find the source."

The jackal who lived in the same room with Catherine looked at the message sent by the gray snake and frowned. From these few words, she already had a bad premonition.

Is this safe place becoming unsafe? This really fits the development of a supernatural story. Haha, will the next step be a bloody incident?

Following the clues he saw along the way, the gray snake walked step by step to a room. Just as he was about to knock on the door, the door from the inside opened.

"What happened, Gray Snake?"

Raven asked, his face showing a cold yet concerned look.

"Something happened. I need to check it out. Is that okay?"

Gray Snake knew that there was no reply from Raven in the communication channel, but he remained calm on the surface.

334.Injection Molding

Gray Snake walked into the room where Raven rested and saw a very ordinary and common scene inside.

The windowless room had a simple wooden bed, a table and a cabinet placed along the walls. There was also a candle lamp on the pillar that ran across the three floors. A candle was burning above it with a blue flame, and the light it emitted was dim and quiet, covering the entire room.

There was wind in the room, a flowing breath blowing back and forth from somewhere, bringing people suitable air. To be honest, it seemed like an excellent central air conditioner.

"Well, there's no problem here, right?"

Raven asked, and Gray Snake gave a confirming reply.

"Yes, there's nothing unusual here. However, you still need to be careful, Crow. I'm afraid it won't be peaceful during this period."

Holding the umbrella in his hand normally and taking calm steps, the gray snake left the room under the gaze of "Raven" and politely closed the door.

Just as he said, there is no problem here, because the biggest problem is probably the character itself.

After the gray snake left, the light in the room suddenly dissipated, like the curtain of a stage play, which was immediately removed after it was no longer needed, revealing the sticky and pale scene in the room.

A ball of moonlight with only an outline but no inner substance bound the person, tied up the person's hands and feet, began to disintegrate itself, and entered the body of the bound person bit by bit.

It is as if people are treated as a kind of mold. As long as the moonlight fills the mold completely, the finished object will emerge from the mold and hatch into some terrible monster.

In the existing database of the real dream, this thing was temporarily named the Moon Demon, a kind of Yin God, which was more common in the Gloomy Forest in the southern region of the mortal world.

But this one was obviously very courageous. Even when suppressed by the safe point's aura, it still dared to follow and sneak in, and suddenly changed its host before old Ford was taken away. Its intelligent performance already showed its specialness.

After a period of "injection molding", there were more communications from Raven in the World Snake's communication channel. It seemed as if he had overslept and just woke up to find messages from the work group.

Raven: "Someone bad has sneaked in. I was wondering why Gray Snake suddenly wanted to check everyone's room."

Jackal: "Why, you're speaking now? What were you doing?"

Raven: "Just some warm-up exercises. It's strange that you didn't take a rest, Jackal."

Catherine watched the interaction between Lord Raven and Lord Jackal on the communicator, and for a moment she could not tell whether Lord Raven was in trouble as Gray Snake had said.

"This guy has no problem getting angry. He used to use some mean words when communicating with me."

The Jackal began to give her own evaluation. After receiving Gray Snake's private communication, she was the first to learn that something might have happened to Raven, but she was sharp-minded and did not believe Gray Snake's words completely.