040. The Peculiar Uncle

When Duan Shanyue was alone before the mountains, he had encountered these vine-like plants and suffered quite a few losses because of them. Therefore, upon seeing the objects pinned to the ground, he immediately recognized the origin of the enemy.

However, those vines were somewhat different.

Rubblestone rolled across the ground, then was pushed further away—those green plants were continuously growing and expanding beneath the ruins, stretching out from the rubble. The woman maintained her defensive posture, holding her sword with both hands as she retreated continuously. In front of her, that streak of green had already spread past the grayish-white pile of rubble, expanding slowly and astonishingly.

These vines were breaking through the boundaries of soil and stone at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Are these still ordinary plants..." Even across the riverbank, Duan Shanyue could see the green thorns composed of these rapidly spreading, bizarre plants. The wildly growing roots intertwined with each other, their entire bodies covered in sharp spikes, displaying the terror of nature to intruders with their ferocious appearances. Some fine roots had already flooded to the area not far from the riverside, as if in the next moment they would transform into a wild wave to engulf the enemy before them.

"Boom."

Mengzhu was startled by the sudden, deafening roar and jumped to the side, thinking a new enemy had appeared. Snow Linghuanbing, however, remained unmoved, continuing to hold her sword horizontally to protect the front of the girl. As the dust cleared, Duan Shanyue's robust figure emerged from the source of the loud noise—he had actually exerted force and leaped directly across from the opposite bank of the river.

Duan Shanyue's valor reminded the other person. He stopped his frantic run, which had originally intended to bypass the stream, and instead casually sought a narrower spot in the river—roughly ten meters wide—then took a few steps back and accelerated.

Amidst another heavy thud of a landing, Duan Shanyue assumed a stance and approached. Yet, facing this thorny creature, while the woman Snow Linghuanbing might use her weapon's special effects to inflict a certain amount of damage, a pure melee player like him truly had no good solution.

The black-cloaked woman glanced in this direction, then took two steps forward. Duan Shanyue understood the meaning in her eyes, so he stepped close, taking her place to guard in front of Mengzhu, and happened to come face-to-face with the approaching Duan Qing.

"Not bad, you actually managed to jump across."

"Not as skilled as you; I had to take a running start."

Despite the brief exchange, the two did not look at each other, keeping their eyes locked on the green "ball of yarn" that had now grown into a behemoth. The next moment, needles shot forth from one of its parts, and the two grabbed Mengzhu, hurriedly dodging behind the ruined house on the right.

A flash of white sword light suddenly erupted, like a sharp, bright blade slashing toward the tangled mess ahead.

The screeching sound of vines being severed by sword Qi rang out, and the tips of several roots were sheared off. They fell to the ground, still writhing, twitching, and struggling like living creatures before slowly losing their vitality. However, the remaining frantically growing plants only became more violent as a result, countless delicate branches dancing wildly in the air like enraged living things.

"Is that all the tricks it has..." The woman in the black cloak exhaled, followed by a cold snort. Yet before her words faded, the frantic dancing abruptly stopped.

The vine-tangle throbbed and then, much like the stomach of a giant beast, gradually contracted. The expressions of everyone present turned solemn simultaneously, because according to the conventions of virtual games, the thing before them seemed about to unleash an ultimate move.

"Find cover!"

Amidst Duan Qing's loud shout, Snow Linghuanbing finally put aside the notion of brute-forcing a test, stamped her right foot hard, and dragged her long sword with both hands as she lunged toward the left.

There stood a section of a collapsed wall.

As the contracting vines suddenly expanded, a massive volley of needles burst forth from within, shooting out to nail targets in every direction. For a moment, the only sound filling everyone's ears was the dense, rapid patter of impacts. Faint cries of "Auw, auw" drifted from across the distant river—the sound of A-Niu, still on the opposite side, being struck by stray projectiles.

A few seconds later, the barrage ceased, but in the perception of those present, that brief span felt as long as several minutes. Duan Qing poked his head out from behind the cover on the other side and looked at the current scene by the riverside.

Though mentally prepared, he was still struck with a sense of overwhelming shock.

Centered around that cluster of vines, in every direction within reach, slender spikes densely filled the entire field of vision, resembling the sun radiating its rays onto the surrounding earth. The ground was thickly pierced with needles near the vines, gradually thinning out with distance until they vanished at the edge of the riverbank. On the other side, the collapsed wall where Snow Linghuanbing had taken cover was likewise covered in spikes, looking from a distance much like the fur of a hedgehog.

"A rain of ten thousand arrows, truly magnificent..."

Duan Qing muttered to himself, then asked Mengzhu beside him, "Are you alright?"

The young girl slowly shook her head.

Duan Qing cast the same inquiring look at Duan Shanyue—the man who looked more like a middle-aged uncle was staring intently in one direction.

"And you, are you... What are you looking at?"

"Hush, look over there..."

Duan Qing followed that gaze, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead—he was not looking at a more vigorous army of vines, but at dry, withered vines scattered all over the ground.

It appeared dead.

If it were to die after a single volley of ten thousand arrows, then this monster would simply be... too foolish, or rather, far too easy to deal with. If that were not the case, then what on earth had just happened...

Footsteps echoed from the distant reaches of the river channel, and a familiar red-and-black checkered figure entered Duan Qing's field of vision, simultaneously unlocking the puzzle in his mind.

That same straw hat, red-and-black checkered shirt, and overalls, dressed like a farmhand, the man approached from that direction. He did not immediately pay attention to the people before him; instead, he walked closer to the scattered tangle of mess on the ground, grasped a very inconspicuous wooden shaft with his hand, and pulled it out with force.

Duan Qing's cold sweat flowed even more profusely—it was a massive scythe.

Although it used a wooden shaft, the blade of the scythe was made of metal gleaming with a cold light, looking extremely sharp. The green juice dripping from the tip of the blade silently recounted what had transpired just moments before; there was no telling where the edge of that scythe had been plunged to inflict a fatal blow upon the vine-monster. The genuine uncle hoisted the scythe onto his shoulder, his eyes gazing toward the direction of the tower, yet the few people present felt as though this powerful figure, who had turned that pile of tangled mess into ashes with a mere wave of his hand, was actually looking directly at them.

"Didn't I tell you people to leave..." After a long silence, the farm uncle withdrew his gaze, using his free left hand to press down on the straw hat upon his head, partially obscuring his face.

"It's dangerous here."

The same persona, the same words. Yet, having gone through the recent experiences and gained a new understanding of the word "danger," hearing this sentence again evoked distinctly different feelings in each of them.

The young girl nearly burst into tears—compared to the ordeals of the past few days, this uncle's face looked exceedingly kind and welcoming.

*****************

"Well... So that person saved you then... That was indeed our oversight."

At night, on the broad expanse of land at the center of the ruins, a bonfire was burning fiercely. Because the number of people had increased, the fire had been made much larger. Several people sat in a circle around the campfire, sharing food while exchanging various pieces of intelligence gathered during the day.

"I offer my sincere apologies that our lack of foresight led you into such a perilous situation."

The food before them was quite delicious—it was roasted meat prepared personally by Freya, the Fire Mage, using wild beasts caught from goodness knows where. She herself did not mind sharing this food with others as the players gorged themselves, but upon finishing, the "meritorious" chef sat by herself behind Christine, emotionlessly feeding meat into her mouth, chewing hard with puffed cheeks, apparently intending to express her feelings in this manner.

Christine helplessly glanced at her, and thus had no choice but to speak on behalf of the two sisters, offering the previous apology.

"Uhm... Does that mean the two of you don't know that uncle either?" Duan Qing took a sip of water, swallowed the delicious food in his mouth, and then asked the gentle woman, receiving the expected headshake.

"According to your description, that uncle should be a powerful individual. However, since he is neither one of our people nor someone we know, he is most likely a local." The blue-robed woman's voice remained as melodious as ever. "Rest assured, since he saved you, he shouldn't be our enemy..."

"Yet to be able to live in a forest like this, he is truly no ordinary person." She lowered her head and chuckled softly. "I really would love to make his acquaintance..."

The group had been discussing the battle encountered in the ruins that afternoon and subsequently inquired about the origin of the uncle. Aside from Duan Qing and Mengzhu, who had met him once before, everyone else stated they had never seen this seemingly formidable, eccentric person.

Except for one other person—Duan Shanyue, who had also encountered the man once before.

"I was struggling to survive alone in this forest previously, exhausting every trick I had. I don't know how many times I nearly died in between, relying entirely on various strokes of luck... Those embarrassing matters aren't worth mentioning, but... once, that uncle in the straw hat saved me."

Duan Shanyue was also heartily feasting without reservation, so he didn't mind bringing up the hardships he had endured earlier. However, mentioning this incident still filled him with lingering fear: "I encountered a strange creature composed of soil and stone at the time. Aside from the red glow exposed in the center, every other part of that creature was encased in hard rock. Those rocks were exceptionally tough; my punches had virtually no effect on its body..."

Duan Qing and the others now had a rough impression of the capability and strength of this pillar of the pugilistic world, so they could easily imagine the formidable nature of that earthen monster. If the few of them had rushed up together, they probably wouldn't have gained any advantage. Recounting this, Duan Shanyue paused his chewing on the roasted meat, scratched his short hair with his hand, seemingly recalling the details of that time: "I grappled with that monster for a long time, and then that uncle appeared. Oh no, his weapon appeared first."

He put down the bone in his hand, using both hands to mimic a swinging motion to signal the others: "That should have been a large hammer, also with a wooden shaft and an iron head. It flew over with a whoosh, smashed into that thing, and then the monster went *bang*..."

Duan Shanyue spread his hands. "...and was smashed to pieces."

"So powerful..." A-Niu's jaw dropped open in astonishment once again.

"Then he came over, hoisted the large hammer onto his shoulder, and said some things to me—well, the exact same words as today." Duan Shanyue pointed in a certain direction, and Duan Qing knew he was referring to the events of that afternoon. "And then he just walked away."

"In the end, I didn't even get to strike up a conversation with him. Thinking about it now, it's a bit regrettable..." Amidst Duan Shanyue's sigh, Duan Qing sensed something amiss. A moment later, he turned to Mengzhu. "You mentioned that sort of urban legend before—did that farm uncle appear in it? Did that rumor... mention what weapon he used?"

"I made that up on the spot, you actually remembered..." The young girl pursed her greasy lips and said quietly, her face turning somewhat red.

"But players have indeed encountered that NPC already, which is why that rumor exists... Um, let me think..."

The girl frictioned her golden hair in distress. "They said... what they said wasn't detailed, but... Oh, it's been so long, who can remember, besides whether it was just boasting is anyone's guess..."

"Some people mentioned it, some didn't... Among the ones who did, Big Brother Nanbei seemed to mention that person carrying an axe, the kind used for cutting down trees... Sister Chocolate said that straw hat uncle held a broadsword, and looked very handsome when swinging it. Yes, she even had stars in her eyes and a look of adoration; I remember that very clearly."

Amidst the dark lines covering everyone else's faces, the girl stumbled through what she knew, and Duan Qing finally obtained the answer he sought—that powerful yet strange uncle seemed to use a different weapon every time. This... non-standard feeling aroused Duan Qing's attention and vigilance.

Could it be that hidden within this forest was a reclusive master proficient in all eighteen martial arts? How could that be? The entire forest was abnormal, so this situation was obviously abnormal as well... But why? Was there something here that required players to pay attention and ponder?

Where did the problem lie?

The strangeness about that uncle and its significance were beyond Duan Qing's grasp for the moment. However, the discussion did not halt because of Duan Qing's contemplation. First, several people respectively shared their own discoveries—Mengzhu and Snow Linghuanbing had found some shattered gemstone fragments in various colors. Supposedly, the two of them had previously been attracted by an ornament embedded with gems. When Mengzhu picked it up from the shelf, the object shattered, and subsequently, vines launched an attack from the broken window, leading to the scene that followed.

"Hmph, as expected, a woman's focus is truly distinctive..." Knowing the cause of the ambush, the robust man with folded arms naturally wouldn't let slip the opportunity for mockery. The young girl, knowing she had caused trouble, lowered her head in self-reproach. Snow Linghuanbing couldn't bear to watch and took out the shattered gemstones. "We at least had some gains, which is still better than you empty-handed grown men..."

"Heh, we wouldn't want to risk our lives for..."

"These stones..." Before Duan Shanyue could finish, the blue-robed woman reached out and took the gemstones. Staring at what appeared to be merely colorful stones in the eyes of others, she furrowed her brow and said, "They retain the craftsmanship of magic and apparently should have had some protective utility previously, though it's uncertain now. Perhaps after returning and studying them further, we can more clearly understand the original purpose of these gems..."

She returned the stones to Snow Linghuanbing. "Perhaps that is why those vines remained dormant until now..."

"See? I told you, those vines were fine outside, why would they suddenly move..." The simple-minded girl grew happy again, waving her fists, then grabbed a piece of roasted meat from before her and bit into it fiercely, as if biting those very vines.

"However, with this happening and losing these protections, those vines won't appear again, will they?" Duan Qing remarked from the side. "Also, you'll get fat if you keep eating..."

"This is New World, what do I have to fear..." The young girl shot him a sideways glance. "Stop trying to scare me; those vines are already dead, don't even think about terrifying me again..."

"Hand the gems over, let's see if you panic the next time you encounter such things."

"No way. When we get back and sell them for money, I might consider sharing a portion with you... Hmm, just ten percent."

"Hey, that's too much..."

Unlike what Snow Linghuanbing reported, A-Niu and Duan Shanyue had indeed discovered some ancient defensive armor gear, but this was the sole harvest remaining after they had scoured through various useless pieces of junk. Though the armor was battered and unusable, the insignia carved upon it was worth investigating. Therefore, Duan Shanyue had A-Niu drag it back for Christine to inspect.

"This is the emblem of the Ancient Magic Empire." Christine answered with just a single glance.

Holding a teacup that appeared from nowhere in one hand, she pointed her other finger at the diamond-shaped emblem: "Here, here, and here, there should have been colors representing the four elements of earth, fire, water, and wind. Perhaps because of the passage of time, the colors have faded away..."

That long diamond shape had two intersecting lines in the middle, dividing its interior into four equal parts, surrounded by a ring of starry decorative patterns. Duan Qing and the others looked at the emblem, and sure enough, aside from the lines carved into the armor, no other colors were visible.

"The appearance of this item indicates we haven't come to the wrong place... coupled with those previous gems." Christine's voice was filled with confidence. "This place should be where the people of the Ancient Magic Empire once lived."

Duan Qing involuntarily looked around. The collapsed ruins and broken walls not far away seemed to awaken suddenly in the dark night, using their dilapidated structures to recount the vibrant scenes when people once lived here. Seeing them reduced to this state, culminating in the ultimate destruction of a millennial empire, could not help but make one feel the immense power of time.

Yet, it seemed something was missing in this long river of time.

"There are no remains..." Staring at the ruins in the dark night and recalling the searches during the day, Duan Qing suddenly realized where the anomaly lay.

"We didn't find a single corpse." He swept his gaze across the others, unsurprisingly seeing similarly awakening comprehension in their eyes. "If this small village encountered some catastrophe a thousand years ago, there ought to be dead people..."

"And yet not a single corpse exists now, which means..." Snow Linghuanbing continued, "They all escaped together? That doesn't seem right either."

"We were able to find remnants of daily necessities in this village." Duan Shanyue was the first to supplement: "Meaning there was no planned flight here originally; they didn't flee voluntarily. But... if disaster struck and they were forced to flee passively, there should at least be some traces of war or aftermath, at the very least... there should be corpses."

"Yet just now... nothing of value was found." A hint of suspicion crept into the young girl's voice. "Not even a corpse..."

"So what, we wouldn't be able to make sense of it anyway..." A-Niu scratched his head beside them.

"Or rather, there are many possibilities." Duan Qing explained: "For instance, some kind of disease that wiped out humanity, leaving not even bones behind; or creatures in this forest that fancy bones cleaned the place up; or..."

He looked toward the pair of arch-mage sisters: "Humans... did something similar in the past."

"Don't look at us with that kind of gaze, we want to know what happened too." Facing Duan Qing's meaningful look, the blue-robed woman still smiled with composure. "However, this young lady still greatly admires you. The observation and contemplation of adventurers... are indeed truly meticulous."

"As for us, we did discover something. But... let my sister introduce it to you." Christine's soft voice continued, but she seemed intent on letting her sister have her moment: after finishing that sentence, she closed her eyes, holding the teacup with both hands and sipping elegantly, while Freya, hiding slightly behind her, clearly hadn't expected this discussion to involve her—she was still stuffing roasted meat into her mouth.

Noticing the crowd's sudden focus on her, the red-robed woman stopped feeding herself. She slowly lowered the skewer of meat in her hand, swallowed hard with difficulty, and then, as if she had choked, tilted her head back in agony, small fists beating against her chest.

The adventurers tried hard to suppress their laughter, causing their faces to distort accordingly.

Freya finally caught her breath. Patting her prominent chest slightly, she resumed her signature expressionless facade.

"Earlier today, we discovered some remains ahead..." she stated calmly.

"Human remains."