Chapter 155

Jimi did not feel ashamed for the change in his thoughts.

In fact, as early as when he was just a country child who couldn't even tell the difference between a frog and a toad, he had a similar experience.

He remembered that there was a family in the village whose second son was lucky enough to follow the caravan and find a quite good job in Niumu, sending a lot of money home every month, and often bringing some novel gadgets from the big city to his younger brother at home during festivals.

Until today, many years later, he still remembers the little guy with two snot trails hanging on his lips, with a proud smile on his face, standing on a stone by the pond, showing off the toys his brother brought back from Niumu to them.

Calling it a toy, in the eyes of Jimi today, it was just a six-sided die with quite fine workmanship.

At that time, he didn't think it was very good-looking.

At least it was far from as pleasing to the eye as the wooden sword his father carved for him.

And he couldn't understand at all why just a die the size of a thumb, which couldn't be found again once thrown into the grass, could make his companions around him surround the little guy so fanatically.

Was it just because of its special identity from Niumu?

Until later, as the little guy showed off again and again in front of everyone, more and more children gathered around him.

Standing in the crowd, watching the six-sided die made of pottery spin and land, making a crisp sound when colliding with the gravel.

Feeling the envious eyes of the people around him, Jimi, who was holding a wooden sword, also had his thoughts vaguely changed.

And as he got the little guy's nod, in the sight of his partners who were eager to try, he stepped forward and picked up the die from the ground.

Feeling the cold touch on the surface of the die for the first time, and seeing the textures on the die face that looked incomparably exquisite at that time.

Jimi seemed to have finally perceived the beauty of this die at that moment.

Speaking of which, his cousin hadn't shown him that statue for many days.

On weekdays, he hid it in his arms like some treasure, and didn't leave it even when sleeping or going to the toilet.

Only occasionally when he woke up dazed in the middle of the night, he would see his cousin sitting alone in the corner of the camp, examining and stroking the wooden carving by the firelight, his expression dazed.

But even so, he still clearly remembered the natural and smooth lines and textures of the statue, the upright human figure that looked like a sheep and a deer, those two winding upward and disappearing into...

"Green, where are you going?"

The rough and slightly drunken voice called Jimi back to reality.

His gaze looked over, and he saw a big man with a flushed face and a beard on the opposite side of the campfire, shouting at a figure that was gradually walking away and disappearing at the edge of the camp.

"Relieving yourself? Wait a moment, hiccup... I'll go too!"

"Today is the warning trap that Jack kid is responsible for setting, I'm not very relieved, go check it, you guys drink first."

"Damn, damn Jack." The bearded big man muttered in his mouth and sat back down.

"If you ask me, Green has been in the Mist Forest for too long and is not used to it."

"This trade route, I run back and forth a few times every year, let alone any magical beasts, I rarely even encounter wild boars, it's safer than the garden at home."

On the side, another traveler who was already drunk lay half-lying on the soft cushion, squinting his eyes and saying.

"Hey, people have been soaking in the forest for a whole Hunting Day, so it's like this."

"No wonder there is a smell of blood on his body, he can't wash it clean, like 'Green Blood', the whole person is about to be pickled."

It was just chatting, hearing what others said, the bearded big man also seemed to have thought of something and suddenly became interested.

Lowering his voice, his gaze glanced meaningfully at the direction of the carriage not far away.

"Speaking of 'Green Blood', there is also someone in our caravan who has something to do with her..."

"Tsk tsk, 'Grey Sword' ah." Some adventurers smacked their lips with envious expressions, "This one is said to have already obtained a professional level, and is not the same kind of person as us."

"Grey Sword!?"

Not everyone is well-informed. As soon as the words fell, another traveler was surprised.

"Just that black-haired one? So young?"

"Then there is no need to worry!"

"There is a proper Professional sitting in the caravan, in this territory, what danger can there be?"

Although it was drunken nonsense, what the other party said was not unreasonable.

Right now, the caravan is on the road from Hegu Town to Niumu. Although it is a no-man's wilderness, travelers and caravans can often be met, and small villages can be seen every few days.

Even at night, basically no dangerous magical beasts will appear.

And even if they encounter an attack, it is at most some bandits who are not climate, or ten or twenty Goblins.

Without Xia Nan, the only Professional in the caravan, taking action, the accompanying guards solved it.

It can be said to be quite safe.

There is nothing to pass the time on the night of the journey. The topic of "Green Blood," "Grey Sword," and "Professional" aroused interest. The energetic adventurers who had nowhere to vent their energy chatted excitedly with the alcohol.

Of course, if you want these big, rough men who haven't read a few years of books to chat about any depth, it is naturally impossible.

Talking and talking, there are only a few things left:

"Gold coins," "Women," "Magical beasts"...

And the most classic bragging session.

"The year before last, I followed my brother and took a trip to the tundra. I have never seen such big snow in my life. The whole town looked like it was covered with a layer of frost."

"Whoa, can people still live like this? I'm afraid they all froze to death, right?"

"Hehe, don't say that, not only can people live, the women in that village..."

Jimi was listening intently, but saw the bearded big man with a wicked smile, who seemed to have noticed his gaze, turned his head and looked over.

He secretly said it was not good in his heart.

He hurriedly restrained his gaze, lowered his head, and pretended not to see it.

It's a pity that it was too late.

"Kid, listening so carefully..."

"Haven't tasted a woman?"

He was just a newcomer who had just entered the line, and hadn't stayed in Hegu Town for a few days before being pulled out.

A youthful breath can be seen by any adventurer with a little experience.

And Jimi's seemingly timid performance made the old oilers opposite the campfire want to tease him.

"Haha, why are you still shy, like a big girl."

"With this small body, if you really let those barbarian women in the north sit on you a few times, I'm afraid your waist will be broken."

"Kid, come over, I'll teach you a few tricks, I guarantee you go back..."

The sudden uproar and the gathering eyes of the surrounding travelers.

If it were an adventurer with some experience, just smile and ignore it, or joke a few words, or even open his mouth and scold a few times, the topic would pass.

But Jimi, who encountered this scene for the first time, was at a loss.

He didn't drink, but his face was flushed.

His right hand reached for the single-handed sword at his waist, but just as he touched the hilt, he moved away as if he had been electrocuted.

Supporting his body on the ground with both hands, he subconsciously moved back.

Instinctively seeking help, his gaze subconsciously looked at his cousin beside him, hoping that he, also as an adventurer, could help him out.

But he found that the other party seemed to not know anything that was happening next to him, just sitting by the fire motionless, his eyes staring blankly at the package in his hand.

His gaze seemed to be able to pass through the thick outer bag of the package and see the grey-black statue inside.

"Hahaha, kid is really shy?"

"Don't be afraid, we can't eat you!"

"..."

Jimi's panicked and helpless movements caused another burst of laughter, and all kinds of unbearable words accompanied by spit stars came to his face.

His blood surged, and at this moment he also seemed to have fallen into a brief daze.

The orange-red fire reflected on the face of the bearded big man, revealing his yellow-brown rotten teeth emitting a foul smell.

His lips parted, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, as if he was saying something, but what entered his ears was only a piece of noise whose meaning could not be understood.

His brain was blank.

Shoo——

Then there was a sharp and piercing sound of breaking through the air that made the noise stop for an instant and the whole scene fall into silence.

"Swoosh."

The sharp object pierced through the flesh and made a sluggish sound.

The arrow shaft vibrated at high speed, and the arrow feathers at the end shook out an afterimage.

The bearded big man still had that grinning expression, but his whole body froze on the spot in an instant.

A wooden arrow shot from the dark night pierced his temple and went straight into his head.

"Bang."

It was the muffled sound of a corpse falling to the ground.

"Enemy attack!!!!!"

Jimi had already forgotten his first thought in his heart at that time.

Perhaps it was the relief after finally getting out of the embarrassing situation, or it could be the panic and fear of suddenly encountering an external enemy attack.

He just held the brand-new single-handed sword in his hand, like a headless fly, rushing around with the surrounding crowd without a master.

After walking a few steps, he seemed to have suddenly remembered something, and his gaze looked at the position of his cousin on one side.

But there was only an empty space left.

"Did he run first?" He thought so in his heart.

And it was these few seconds of hesitation that in the night as dark as ink, roars and curses had already rippled, and the sound of metal collision could be vaguely heard.

"What should I do?"

Complex thoughts filled his mind. Jimi, who had never experienced a battle and hadn't even killed a Goblin, was dazed for a time, not knowing what he should do.

Should he rush to the direction where the fighting sound came from to support the battle, or run away directly and find a place to hide.

I don't know why, at this moment, his eyes suddenly looked at the other side of the camp, the position of the carriage.

His cousin's exhortation and the whispering voices of the adventurers before inexplicably appeared in his mind.

"Professional," "Grey Sword"...

Perhaps...

And just as Jimi took his first step towards the carriage under instinct.

A sound of horse hooves approaching rapidly suddenly sounded in his ear.

Turning around in response,

What came into view was a tall silhouette that was blurry in the dark, a fierce-looking man fully armed, riding on horseback, the spear in his hand flashing cold light under the firelight.

Without dodging, and without taking the initiative to attack.

Jimi only had time to block the sword blade in front of him.

"Ding!"

The next second, accompanied by a huge force coming from the hilt of the sword.

His center of gravity was lost, he retreated a few steps violently, and tripped over something.

Stumbling, he fell to the ground backwards.

Perhaps it was a pebble.

Jimi only felt the back of his head suddenly hit some hard object.

Hum——

Accompanied by a burst of severe pain, darkness swallowed his line of sight like a tide.

The whole person fainted.

Fortunately, although he had completely lost control of his body, he seemed to have retained a few points of consciousness.

His eyes were closed and he couldn't open them, but other aspects of perception seemed to have become more sensitive invisibly.

The scorching air flow with a fishy smell sprayed out with the horse's snort, the ground vibrating slightly when the iron hooves landed in his ears.

There was no supplementary knife, and the sound of horse hooves went away again.

In the cold air, it was still filled with roars and curses.

"It should be an attack by robbers."

Recalling the tall figure riding on horseback after a hurried glance.

Jimi, who was in a state of loss of control, recovered his calm at this moment.

"Can they win?"

"Should... be okay."

He guessed in his heart.

But as time passed, the sound of fighting coming from his ears never showed signs of stopping, but intensified.

Jimi knew that meant both sides were evenly matched and couldn't tell the winner for the time being.

Even his heart couldn't help but become anxious.

Until a long and high-pitched wolf howl suddenly sounded from afar.

Ang——

"Is it a wild wolf in the wilderness, smelling the blood here?"

Jimi couldn't help but feel more desperate.

These fierce beasts wandering in the night and shadows will not care about good people or bad people, but will treat all creatures composed of flesh and blood, including himself, as dinner to fill their stomachs, tearing and swallowing them into their stomachs.

But unexpectedly, with the sound of the wolf howl, in the noise filled with angry shouts and curses, several painful and desperate howls suddenly appeared, and one could vaguely hear someone shouting "retreat" and other words.

The wind whistled.

Then there was another high-frequency and dense, cold sound of sharp blades piercing flesh.

The pain in the back of his head spread, and the consciousness that was still quite clear gradually became dim.

Difficult sleepiness swallowed his consciousness, and Jimi fainted completely.

I don't know how long it had passed.

When he woke up again, the fighting sounds filled with iron and blood had disappeared.

Replacing it was the fine sound of cleaning up the battlefield.

Struggling to climb up, he could vaguely see several familiar figures on the wilderness in the distance, holding torches and groping on the corpses.

"Survived."

Realizing that the battle was over, Jimi breathed a sigh of relief.

The back of his head was still painful, he touched it, and his hands were full of blood.

He turned his body, wanting to seek help.

But his peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of something, and his whole body was stunned on the spot.

It was not until this moment that he finally saw what had tripped him to the ground before.

It was not the gravel or branches he imagined.

But a corpse lying quietly on the ground.

The neck was cut off by a sharp blade, hanging with a piece of bloody skin, and the head was hanging upside down in front of the chest.

"Cousin?"

Jimi recognized the other party's identity.

But even he felt a bit strange that at this moment, facing the passing of his relative, his heart didn't have the slightest bit of sadness.

Instead, an inexplicable impulse surged from his heart.

On the face stained with dust and blood, there was an almost pathological urgency and expectation.

Stepping forward quickly, he brushed aside his cousin's hanging head, and his hands probed into his chest, groping.

A surprise suddenly appeared on his face.

With a hard pull.

A blood-stained package was pulled out from his cousin's arms by Jimi.

Just like the die he picked up from the ground when he was young, he carefully stuffed it into his arms.

(End of chapter)