Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 412 Is it dangerous in the swamp?
Lingge and his group trudged through the shallow water area outside the swamp.

The night was dark, and the moon was still a crescent. The full moon of the Sikkilia Peninsula was well-known, but travelers from afar did not seem to have the honor of seeing it. The faint starlight fell through the gaps between the branches and leaves above, bringing a few precious rays of light.

The trees in the swamp are mostly mangroves, with luxuriant branches and leaves, and aerial roots digging into the water, densely packed like a deep maze. When the mist rises at night, the huge and tangled root network looks like a strange and grotesque shadow in the mist, accompanied by the sound of splashing water, giving people a very eerie feeling.

This is roughly the impression that the people of the peninsula have of the Hunroot Swamp. After all, more than half of the folk legends are spread here, including werewolves leaping under the moon, vampires flying over high cliffs, and even monsters with deer heads and human bodies. Harpies imitate the crying of babies to lure woodcutters into the swamp and eat their flesh and blood; short magic stone spirits throw sharp stones from the dark, killing several adventurers who want to enter the swamp to search for ancient treasures... Some of these stories may be groundless, but some are real things that happened.

Under this seemingly calm water surface, there are many bones buried deep. The shallow water area is fine, but if you enter the deeper water area, it will be more difficult to move forward. The dark night and turbid water surface make it difficult to see the situation under the water, and you don’t know whether you are stepping on solid mud or soft sand. Falling in cold water is not such a pleasant experience, and some deep pits actually lurk with dangerous hunters, which will bring more deadly threats.

Lingge could only pray that they could find the vampire named Leticia on the outskirts.

Although according to the search results of the past few days, the possibility is very low.

He walked in front, pushed aside a clump of water grass, stepped on the roots of the mangroves to a depression slightly above the water surface, and took a short rest here. This was mainly for the physical strength of others. Trekking in the water is not so easy. The thrust of the water will hinder people's progress. At the same time, they need to be careful to avoid those aerial roots hidden under the water to avoid being tripped.

Therefore, after walking for about half an hour, except for the little elf Shemi who was hitchhiking on Metien's head, everyone else's faces showed tired expressions. They needed a good rest to relieve the stress of the arduous journey in the dark night.

If the proprietress had not cast a magical fairy spell on everyone before leaving Yunjingkong Island, allowing the group to temporarily avoid the rampant leeches, water flies, water fleas and other blood-sucking insects underwater, they would probably look even more miserable now.

There are also mangroves growing in the depressions, and their aerial roots are natural chairs for travelers to sit and rest on. As soon as Alice sat down, she began to groan and complain. She didn't complain about the dark sky, thick fog, or difficult road, but she complained that the whole journey was calm and nothing happened - it gave people a feeling of making trouble out of nothing.

But this time, Lingge felt that what she said made some sense, because the swamp was indeed too calm. Everything was shrouded in dead silence and darkness, with only the sound of insects still echoing, and the occasional shrill cry of a few night owls, which immediately aroused the restlessness of the fish in the water and scattered. The abrupt sound of the waves only highlighted the eerie silence.

In the distance there are dots of fluorescence, like will-o'-the-wisp, guiding the direction. They are actually the luminous insects or mosses in the swamp. There are also some larger and brighter spots of light mixed in, which are the first tentacles of a benthic organism called spiral sandworm. They use this light to attract small animals in the swamp, such as water birds and fish, and then they will jump out of the sand pit and swallow the prey with their huge spiral mouths full of sharp teeth. They are very dangerous hunters.

Linger recognized them and secretly memorized them in his heart. He must bypass that area later. It is said that the Virtual Root Swamp is a paradise for aliens, but after entering the swamp, they did not see even a single alien, only ordinary creatures. Perhaps as the Rotten Wood Demon said, they were all tempted by the Fang of Eternal Life and went to the Forloze Castle to respond to Gundaruf's call. The territory they left behind was unattended, and the beasts did not dare to go deep, so it was barely a safe path.

Although they were looking for Leticia, they actually had no direction, so they could only follow the usual practice and let Ling use the priest's favor magic [Premonition], while gradually going deeper along these safe paths, waiting for spiritual revelation.

As for which paths are safe enough, it is not difficult to identify them, because not all aliens are as good at disguising themselves as the rotten wood monsters and prefer to live in the natural environment. Some aliens are deeply influenced by human culture and have built various large buildings as residences even in the swamps. Most of these buildings are castles, some of which are accompanied by walls, bunkers, towers and arrow towers, which have the flavor of two centuries ago.

The time is indeed right: the aliens in the Virtual Root Swamp were first expelled here two centuries ago. At that time, they had already integrated into the civilized society. The alien races headed by the five major families began to enjoy the architectural style, food and artworks created by humans, and were tainted with the bad customs called bloodline and aristocratic customs. Even after fleeing to the Virtual Root Swamp, they were never abandoned.

On the contrary, perhaps they are more dependent on it, because without this distinction, it would not be enough to reflect their own nobility. How can the five major families that call the shots in human society regard those barbaric and mediocre people as their own kind?
The huge ancient building looming in the mist is the best evidence.

Some of the ancient buildings still retain their complete appearance, showing the solemn style and architectural techniques from two centuries ago, while some are dilapidated, with weeds growing in the courtyard and mangrove roots occupying the entire wall, even growing directly onto the roof. From their state, Linger can vaguely see the rise and fall of these alien families. Even if they escape into the swamp and face a common enemy, the fight between them has never stopped.

It is said that among the Five Fangs, only Wolf Fang Neoursu and Blood Fang Valenhildr have preserved their strength relatively intact, while the rest of Lion Fang, Wind Fang and Forest Fang have all withdrawn from the stage of history. From this point of view, whether Gundaruf's alliance can be formed in the end depends not only on how strong the aliens' desire for the Fang of Immortality is, but also on the attitude of the Valenhildr family.

They could go around the edges of well-preserved ancient buildings, and directly pass through completely abandoned and dilapidated ancient buildings. Their steps were gradually going deeper, and the surrounding environment was becoming more and more gloomy and depressing.

The water was flowing forward with a rumbling sound. There were three or four fish swimming at the bottom of the water, brushing against Ling'er's ankles. The slippery touch was simply creepy.

The light was floating like a firefly, and in the distance, an unknown water bird suddenly flew over the water, drawing a straight track, rushing out of the mangroves, and gradually disappeared in the dreary night. At this time, Lingge, including everyone else, heard a muffled cry from behind: "Ah!?"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)