Chapter 421: Rituals and Sudden Changes

Jier was stunned for a moment; he had not expected Weier, with whom he was not very familiar, to come over at this time and say these things to him.

Jier, not wanting to tell the truth, rolled his eyes and replied feignedly, "Oh, two reasons."

He was experienced in making up excuses and knew he couldn't just give one reason, as people would think it was something tossed out off the cuff. But by opening his mouth with two reasons, it made the justification seem more substantial and sufficient, and in terms of presence, it made it difficult for others to doubt him.

"One of them is that I have to conduct Knight Training and physical exercise after I finish eating in a while, so in order not to affect my rest, I have to seize the time now."

Jier even asked Weier a question in return: "By the way, do you not usually conduct martial arts training? If that goes on for a long time, won't your feel for combat be a bit dull? You have to know, combat is a serious matter; being just a little bit behind your opponent means losing everything in the result."

Weier was so lectured that his face turned red. Clearly, he was much older than Jier, at least seven or eight years his senior, yet now it was Jier, who was younger than him, preaching to him.

"Actually, I usually study Sword Technique on my own," Weier hurriedly responded.

But Jier waved his hand: "Relying on yourself to study? Are you dreaming? Combat is intense and fast. Going through it in your head, thinking about it, and having a fight with an imaginary enemy where you always win—is that really useful? It's useless, you know! You have to get moving, move your body; either spar with friends and partners, or conduct real weapon training."

As he spoke, Jier gestured with his bread: "Swing the sword, keep swinging the sword from various angles. If you have a Shield, you also have to practice Shield Bash, blocking Arrow, Shield Parry, Shield Deflection, deflecting attacks, and you also have to coordinate with weapons for offensive and defensive transitions."

"Besides that, Long Spear practice, bow practice, and even Armored Unarmed Combat practice must all be included. If there's nothing to practice for these, you at least know how to do Running, right? Running a bit to accumulate and improve your physical strength is also good."

Jier said such a long list, but in fact, many of the contents were things Weier's teachers had taught him back at the academy. However, after so many years, after so many years of life as a fugitive, Weier had long forgotten many of the contents entirely.

At this moment, Jier speaking of them again stirred up the martial arts knowledge Weier had learned in his early years, so he nodded repeatedly, indicating that he would conduct corresponding martial arts training after he finished eating.

"That's very good, but you shouldn't practice alone either; you can call the other Warriors in the team to train with you."

Facing Jier's suggestion, Weier looked troubled. He hesitated for a moment and explained: "Knight Jier, actually, I have always had some estrangement with those Refugee Warriors in the team. This is perhaps because I used to hang out with Bandits, and also, when we first met, I personally killed a Refugee Warrior in the team."

"I remember this matter. Oh, didn't you later protect the Refugee Team and kill several Bandits? That evens it out, it's fine. Besides, if you think there is an estrangement between you and them and therefore don't take the initiative to build a good relationship with them, then the estrangement between you will only exist forever and will never be resolved or smoothed over."

Jier took a bite of the soaked bread, chewed a few times, swallowed it, and then said: "So you should boldly invite them to conduct martial arts training with you. Their martial arts are so poor, they will always need to train and improve. Your Sword Technique is quite formidable; you can teach them that."

In fact, Weier did not want to train with the young men in the team who had newly become Warriors. Firstly, their backgrounds were different; he always looked down on those youths from Farmer origins. Secondly, the skills of those young Warriors were truly poor; to train together, he would have to teach some people how to use weapons from the very beginning.

It was too troublesome.

He wanted to conduct martial arts training with Knight Jier; it could both improve their relationship and allow him to learn the martial arts of Knights.

But it seemed Knight Jier had no intention of training martial arts with others. That was right, he himself looked down on the young Warriors in the team, so how could Knight Jier look down on the others in the team?

Perhaps this "others" mostly included Weier himself.

Thinking of this, Weier understood. He knew his skills were not yet valued by Knight Jier at this time, so he decided to take a step back first and start by teaching other Warriors how to use a sword and improving his own martial arts.

"I understand, Sir Knight. After I finish eating, I will take the initiative to invite everyone to conduct martial arts training and strive to improve the strength of our team." After Weier figured it out, he immediately made his stance known.

Jier nodded, still eating quickly. Weier was just about to go back to eat when he did not expect Jier to speak to him again.

"The reason I eat so fast, besides needing to train myself, is that there is one more thing. I once heard those Dwarves say that the thick fog that drifts through Huitou Forest every night is actually caused by a Mysterious Apparatus the Dwarves have on the mountain. During the negotiations earlier, they mentioned they would take the initiative to turn off this apparatus that produces the fog and destroy it completely."

"Hmm, I have to return to Huitou Forest in a while to see if there is still fog appearing there at night, and whether those Dwarves have truly kept their promise. I might even see if I can find the traces of that Mysterious Apparatus that produces the fog."

Jier's explanation took Weier by surprise. He had previously followed the Refugee Team through Huitou Forest and had naturally seen the thick, eerie fog in Huitou Forest at night and in the morning, but he had thought at the time that it was just caused by local terrain and other natural reasons.

But he had not expected that this kind of large-scale fog could actually be artificially generated?

At the first moment, Weier thought that the thing was most likely a type of magical Magic Tool, or even a Magic Machine. A Magic Tool that could produce fog of such scale, and produce it at this scale every day—just thinking about it, one knew how astonishing the utility value of this thing was.

If it were applied in war, the effect produced could even determine the outcome of a battle.

Weier just wanted to suggest that he also follow along to help search, but he immediately extinguished this plan. For such an important matter, the Dwarves and Knight Jier would certainly not allow others to be involved. As for telling him about such things, it was probably because everyone was in a small team at this time and would have to fight the enemy together later, so telling them didn't matter.

"So there was such a thing?" Feigning an exclamation, Weier returned to his seat, picked up the soup that was finally no longer hot, and slowly drank it with a spoon.

Jier finished twice the food of others very quickly, then picked up his warhorse's Weapon Rack and mounted it on the back of Tianxuecao. Seeing someone in the team looking over, Jier casually replied: "I'm finished, I'm going outside to train for a while. You all had better not stay idle; after you finish eating and rest for a bit, organize your own training. We will definitely engage in battle with the retreating Soldiers who abducted the Villagers of Changmai Village later. If you want to survive then, you had better start working hard to train now!"

After speaking, Jier led Tianxuecao out of the camp formed by the carriages, mounted the horse, and let Tianxuecao trot into the distance.

Once he had run far away and confirmed that no one would notice him anymore, Jier relied on the faint moonlight in the sky and his familiarity with the road he had walked before dusk, and quickly returned along the same path, arriving at Huitou Forest once again.

It was already night, and the last time he came here, Huitou Forest was covered in a large amount of thick fog flowing down from the mountain nearby. Coming here this time, the thick fog was truly gone.

"Those Dwarves really kept their promise, unlike a certain deity," Jier muttered. The Wooden Carving of the Great Bird deity at his waist did not move, indicating that the deity was not paying attention to him at this time.

After complaining, Jier once again rode his horse onto the hard, anti-slip Dwarf Road built by the Dwarves in Huitou Forest.

He half-drew the Long Sword at his waist, letting the exposed blade emit a glowing white light, illuminating a distance of seven or eight meters around him. Because the carriage team had only traveled along the Dwarf Road in the afternoon, and a large number of horse hooves and carriage wheels had pressed onto the road surface, large sections of the Dwarf Road that were originally covered by rotten leaves and fallen leaves were now revealed, which made it convenient for Jier to identify the path in the middle of the night.

Tianxuecao was also a smart horse; without Jier needing to teach it much, it knew to walk forward along this hard road.

Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter... Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter.

In the quiet forest, there was only the sound of horse hooves and the breathing of one man and one horse.

It was incomparably quiet.

In Huitou Forest, there was no panting of wild beasts, no screeching of birds at night, no crisp chirping of insects rubbing their wings, and no background noise of any kind. There was not even the sound of wind blowing through the leaves.

It was extremely quiet.

Even though Jier knew there was no danger here, especially since the Dwarves no longer ambushed outsiders entering here, Jier was still provoked by the quiet environment around him to heighten his vigilance.

This was a defensive instinct hidden deep within human nature.

The quieter it was, the more one had to be wary of danger.

But until Jier spent quite a while arriving at that open space and saw the dead tree he was looking for, he did not encounter a single bit of danger.

So sometimes instinct isn't very accurate, right?

Jier jumped off the horse. This time he did not let Tianxuecao walk around at will, but instead drove his steel Long Spear into the ground and then wrapped the Jiansheng around the shaft of the spear.

In this way, Tianxuecao would not move around at will, but if it truly encountered danger, it would be easy for it to break free from this small restraint with the strength of a warhorse.

"Stay here properly. No matter what you see or what the situation is, don't panic, okay?"

Jier stroked Tianxuecao's head through the metal Faceplate of the horse.

The huge horse nodded, and although it was unclear if it truly understood, Jier took its nod as having understood.

Afterwards, Jier tidied up the weapons and equipment on his body. The Yueshui head was hung in the slot on his back, his favorite cloak, Night Ambition, was also hung on his armor, the Magic Dagger Heart Fire was also firmly hung on the metal belt on the right side of his waist, and the Elven Metal Shield, which had not been repaired after being damaged, was also stowed on his back on the left side, making it easy to take off with one reach.

Finally, he slightly drew the Hunting Sword, pressed his left hand on the hilt, and with his right hand, took the Bird-shaped Wood Carving of the Great Bird deity from the small Leather Bag on his right side, gripping it tightly in his hand with a little force.

As Jier slowly walked toward the dead tree located in the middle of this clearing, he looked up at the weather conditions at this time.

There were two moons in the sky, but fortunately, they were both half-moons; one was just about to rise from the horizon, and the other was hanging far away in the firmament. The moonlight was not very bright, but he could barely see the places illuminated by the moonlight.

"About right?" Muttering to himself, Jier turned his head to look again. Above the night sky, several deity emblems were streaking across the firmament, and all kinds of stars could not compete with them for presence.

There were no clouds in the sky, or at least Jier did not spot any clouds appearing anywhere.

"Another piece of good news."

Finally, Jier walked slowly to the front of the withered tree, raised the Bird-shaped Wood Carving in his right hand, and faced its front toward himself,

saying to it: "Buduolibuduolobuyika, I summon you!"

"Buduolibuduolobuyika, I summon you! The site for the ritual is prepared, it is time to fulfill the agreement!"

"Buduolibuduolobuyika, I summon you! It is time to fulfill the agreement!"

With three calls, Jier very formally used the full name of the Great Bird God to summon Him.

The Great Bird God's response was also swift; almost as soon as the three calls ended, feather-shaped black mist rose from the grey-black wood carving. Jier hurriedly placed it on the ground, then stepped back two paces, knelt on one knee, and lowered his line of sight entirely.

"Caw! Caw! Is it time?"

Following two crow calls, the Great Bird God arrived, having performed Possession on this Bird-shaped Wood Carving.

"Then, Jier, mortal Jier, has the preparation for the ritual been completed? Is it currently night?" the Great Bird God asked deliberately, putting on airs.

Jier did not lift the Steel Face Mask of his Helmet, so the corners of his mouth twitched beneath the faceplate, feeling annoyed at the Great Bird God's question about something He already knew. But since he needed the other party's ability at this moment, Jier also replied with a pretense: "Ah, reporting to you, Lord God, it is indeed night at this moment."

"Caw! Very good, very good!" It was unclear whether the Great Bird God meant it was good that it was night, or if He felt it was good that Jier answered so respectfully at this moment.

Most likely the latter.

"Caw! Mortal Jier, is the sky currently obscured by cloud layers?" the Great Bird God continued to ask, putting on airs.

Jier also replied with a pretense: "Ah, reporting to you, Lord God, there are no cloud layers obscuring the sky at this moment; the stars are twinkling incessantly, the Moon God is shy and half-revealed, and the firmament is wide open."

"Caw! Very good then, very good!"

Just hearing the sound of the Great Bird God's response, one could tell He was very pleased, and Jier could only secretly roll his eyes at Him.

"Caw, mortal Jier, is the moonlight shining brightly at this moment?"

Jier was already answering fluently: "Ah, reporting to you, Lord God, there are two Moon Gods present in the night sky at this moment, but the moon phases are both half-moons, and they are quite far apart, so the moonlight is not bright, only enough to barely see things."

"Caw! Very good, there is moonlight, but it is not bright, very good, very good!"

The Great Bird God then asked: "Caw! Mortal Jier, have you found the implements for holding the ritual?"

Jier extended his right palm toward the tall withered tree beside him and waved his arm, displaying the empty area in a circle around them: "Ah, reporting to you, Lord God, the implements required for the ritual are right here, tall and withered. The site is also spacious, suitable for holding the ritual."

"Caw! Very good, this large tree is just right."

The Great Bird God asked one last thing: "Then, mortal Jier, have you prepared the sacrifice to offer to Me? Is the sturdy warhorse beside you the sacrifice?"

Hearing this, Jier took a deep breath, lifted his faceplate directly, and cursed: "You bird god, are you ever going to finish? I gave you some face and you're still putting on an act? The Tianxuecao is not a sacrifice for you; the agreement is something you didn't complete, it is you who owes me, yet you want me to do this and that at a time like this, hmph!"

"You need to understand, even without a sacrifice today, you must bring out the ability you owe and give it to me!!!"

Jier stood up and pointed at the Great Bird God's wood carving, shouting loudly.

The god inside the wood carving was stunned for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend Jier's drastic change in attitude just now.

But soon, He became angry and enraged; the wood carving on the ground trembled violently, and more and more feather-shaped mist surged out from the wood carving, gradually rising and turning into a huge, three-meter-tall Shadow Bird.

"Caw—"

"Mortal Jier! You have angered Me! No, I have had enough of you! Your rudeness, your disrespect, are all reasons for you to seek your own death!"

The huge Shadow Bird spread its wings, spanning nearly ten meters from left to right, simply like a massive wall of darkness.

Jier drew the Hunting Sword with his left hand, the Sun God Divine Power winding violently on the surface of the Hunting Sword, and with his right hand, he backhanded the Yueshui Skull Two-Handed Axe from behind his back. Jier held it high and shouted: "If I die, all shall be extinguished! Bring out all your power! Strike at the god!"

The blue light on the axe flared brilliantly; the Monster head emblems on the axe face had already sensed that something might happen today, so they had been restless for a long time. They were not very satisfied with the battle against the Dwarf God of Strength last time, and this time, they were determined to achieve merit.

The heads of the Monsters and Magic Beasts opened their mouths wide one by one, making biting gestures, and the blue light on the surface of the axe also rapidly changed shape, becoming even more ferocious.

Without further ado, both sides, both in a fit of rage, moved directly to use their killing moves.

"Caw—"

The Great Bird God let out a shrill cry, and with His huge, wall-like spread wings, He projected countless pitch-black feathers like Daggers toward Jier's direction. As soon as these feathers were projected, they emitted countless hissing sounds of tearing through the air; they were thin, sharp, and carried extreme speed, their numbers blotting out the sky and covering the earth.

Jier instantly twisted his sword body, letting the Hunting Sword cross his body to shield his front, and although he could not cover himself completely, he would cover as much as he could!

At the same time, at his two flanks under his armor, the 【Grass and Wood Source】 Divine Art was activated directly, providing him with endless energy. Jier's legs instantly went into a half-squat, then he exerted force and kicked off, leaving two craters in the soft ground.

Simultaneously, the Yueshui Skull also carried Jier in a fierce charge forward. In just an instant, Jier's speed became extremely fast; man and axe together were like a giant axe Heavy Cleave-ing out, slashing toward the Great Bird God.

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? (End of this chapter)