Lin Gui gave the two women a speechless look.
How could he possibly harbor sympathy for nobles? The minor nobles in Caran who opposed the new reforms were the ones he had personally thrown into the demon hordes.
Urging the wooden raft forward, Lin Gui left that place of strife and returned to his original route.
He pulled out the map of the borderlands from the wooden crate, spread it out, and spoke.
“The natural habitat of the Brain-Digger Demon is the desert.”
“Forest soil is damp, and the elements it contains cause extreme discomfort to their skin.”
“While not fatal, it is incredibly unpleasant.”
“Therefore, unless there is a specific reason, they would never leave the desert to come into the forest.”
Theia caught the implication in his words.
“Are you saying... it shouldn't be here? By the way, Lin Gui, how do you know so much about this demon?”
Lin Gui replied flatly.
“Because elsewhere, a long time ago, I almost had my brains sucked dry by one.”
Using the Whispering Forest as the center, he dragged his finger across the map, trying to find any possible desert regions.
A gust of wind blew, making the map rustle loudly.
A few Transcendent demons had just passed by, and since he was maintaining the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, he didn't dare make any large movements.
He was about to ask Theia to help hold down the map.
This thing had cost him 1,420 gold coins; it was extremely expensive.
Before he could speak, a fair hand reached over.
It grabbed the map and held it firmly against the wooden board in front of him.
It was Elvia.
Her expression was solemn as her fingers moved quickly across the map.
She meticulously searched the areas surrounding the Whispering Forest for any signs of a desert.
“I hope the fellow just got lost and ended up in the wrong place...” she murmured.
However, the climate of the borderlands was mild, and arid zones were extremely rare.
She looked everywhere but couldn't find a decent desert at all. There weren't even small patches of arid wasteland.
Furthermore, a demon nearing the Legendary rank would never inhabit such a tiny wasteland.
Elvia’s face gradually turned pale.
Finally, her finger stopped on a region labeled “Red Clay Desert.”
This desert was far beyond the borderlands!
The straight-line distance to the Whispering Forest was over nine hundred and eighty kilometers!
This absolutely couldn't be an accidental entry! This was a purposeful migration!
Lin Gui’s eyes instantly darkened.
The Red Clay Desert was a necessary path when traveling from New Covenant City to the Magic City.
It was there that he had encountered such a demon and nearly died.
...
Not long after Lin Gui’s raft concealed itself within the woods and disappeared from sight.
On the grass below, the “baits” at the center of the trap were still immersed in immense fear and despair.
A few men and women, dressed in once-magnificent but now mud-stained and torn clothing, huddled together, shivering.
A plump old man nervously bit his nails, muttering incessantly.
“...Commander Bob... Commander Bob and the others will definitely come back to save us... They just went ahead to scout the path... Yes, scouting...”
A noblewoman beside him, her makeup smeared to reveal fine wrinkles, suddenly pushed him and shrieked.
“Scouting? Scouting for what!”
“They just abandoned us and ran! They ran off with the last of the food and all the guards!”
“They left us in this demon nest to die!”
“That bastard Bob! He took so many gold coins from our family! Back then, how did he swear he would protect our safety?!”
Her words triggered even more painful memories.
A frail young man clutched his head, his voice carrying a sob.
“This whole way... escaping from Caran... how many people have died... the carriages broke, the monsters chased us... Count Lister's family was torn apart by demons... Sir John suddenly vanished during his night watch, leaving only a pool of blood...”
“And those monsters that suddenly appeared!”
Another noblewoman wrapped her arms around herself in terror.
“We were clearly following the safe route map we bought from the ‘Blood Wolf’ adventure group for a huge price!”
“How could there be so many demons! Those damn adventurers lied to us!”
“Shut up! Don't fucking mention those pariah adventurers!”
“Look at yourselves!” The fat man growled irritably, pointing at several female family members huddled together.
Their faces were already ruined by tears, and no one cared about the jewelry scattered across the ground.
“If you hadn't been so slow, insisting on bringing all this useless baggage, we would have already...”
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Because everyone felt the ground beneath their feet... move slightly.
Fear rapidly fermented, turning into mutual accusations and resentment.
“It’s all your fault! Insisting on bringing so much heavy jewelry! You slowed us down!”
“Bullshit! It was your stupid son’s screaming that drew the demons here!”
“Your family was the one that insisted on taking this route!”
“You were the ones who first suggested bringing the wounded servants! Otherwise, we could have left by now!”
The argument escalated quickly, and no one knew who pushed first.
Soon, these noble lords and ladies, who usually lived in comfort and behaved “elegantly.”
They actually began brawling like street hags, tearing at each other's hair and clothes.
They cursed one another with the most vicious words imaginable.
Gold coins and jewelry were trampled into the mud, ignored by everyone.
Just as they were displaying their ugliest sides, completely consumed by fear and rage.
Pfft!
A few faint sounds, like wet mud breaking open, echoed out.
Several slimy, dark purple tentacles covered in eerie suckers and patterns.
Without warning, they burst out from the ground beneath their feet!
The brawling and cursing stopped instantly.
Everyone’s movements froze as ultimate terror instantly chilled their blood.
Slowly and stiffly, they lowered their heads.
They looked at the cold tentacles coiling around their ankles and calves.
“Uh... ah...” The fat man tried to scream, but only made a raspy, gasping sound.
“No... don't... please...”
The rage on the noblewoman’s face turned into absolute pleading, tears and snot flowing freely.
“Anyone... save us... we can give you money... so much money...”
But any pleas or promises were already too late.
Those tentacles snapped tight, dragging them to the ground.
At the same time, the tips of the tentacles became sharp and hard.
They aimed at the back of their heads and pierced inward without mercy!
There was a faint pop, like a stopper being pulled out.
After a brief, violent convulsion, all struggling and pleading ceased.
Their eyes were wide open, their pupils dilated.
Their faces still bore the frozen expression of ultimate terror and disbelief from the moment of death.
Their bodies, however, withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A moment later, the tentacles retracted underground.
They left behind several husks that looked like their contents had been drained, falling limply onto the glittering gold coins and jewelry.
It formed a bizarre and terrifying tableau.
The earth not far away rose slightly.
An unspeakable creature slowly extended a portion of its body from the ground.
It had no obvious eyes, only a giant mouth filled with dense, sharp fangs that spiraled inward in concentric circles.
Viscous liquid was still dripping from the edges of its mouth.
Its sensory organ... or rather, its head.
Slowly, it turned toward the direction where Lin Gui’s raft had disappeared and paused for a moment.
Then, it silently sank back into the ground, as if it had never appeared.
All that remained was the scattered wealth on the grass and those few husks, which had once been prominent and influential, being quickly swallowed by the deathly silence of the forest.
Rate on N.U.
