Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

"Actually, I missed one thing." During the dinner, Kraft picked up a piece of lettuce and hesitated to take it down, and talked about another thing, "How are lecturer Petrie's relics handled?"

Martin held the wine glass, took a sip of the slightly sour red wine, and recalled with a frown: "It should be that the room where he stayed temporarily was sealed until the news was sent to Dunling and the appropriate person would receive it, or We'll send it over. Why do you ask?"

"Logically speaking, every invitee to the party needs to give an academic report about his or her main research progress. Lecturer Petrie is no exception." Kraft put down his knife and continued, "The report is not an improvisation. Yes, there should be a draft already."

"Well, I guess no one thought to check it out at the time, but as you said, it should still be in our possession."

"Yes, I want to take a look at this manuscript." Although I don't have high hopes, it is an idea to indirectly understand the content of Petrie's recent research.

The vial containing a light black liquid that was found from the pagan is still in the package. As long as you have seen it once, you will never forget the subtle sense of inducement.

The will that has experienced so many things is no longer what it used to be. In the face of this substance, those false whispers in his mind that are constantly chattering can no longer move him, but some contents that were only considered irrelevant associations at the time are clearer. The pure black liquid surface is very much like the mouth of a bottomless well, leading to the dark and lightless depths.

【Black liquor】

It's not surprising to see another black liquid, but after you know that Westmin is adjacent to Dunling, and a black liquid was found on the pagans operating here, it is self-evident that it is the most suspicious place.

In addition, Petrie is from Dunling University, and there are so many connections that can be associated with it that it is hard not to think of something.

"It's really lingering." Kraft picked up the lettuce and put it in his mouth. It was already a little cold, but it tasted pretty good. He ended his dinner hastily and left the table.

When we came outside, the sunset had completely faded away. From the distance of the manor, we could clearly see the forest wall across the open pasture.

They are wooden barriers erected on the plains with many rivers like horses, or winding city walls, with tree trunks as the skeleton, branches and leaves as the walls, and filled with shrubs, creepers, parasitic ferns and other appendages, rejecting all prying eyes. look.

Fungal hyphae digest the remnants of this vast biome in the old humus beneath their feet, supporting a variety of dazzling mushrooms.

If necessary, Kraft thought, these things could reproduce on a larger scale, with the dense forest feeding and sheltering them, until they covered the entire ground and even underground like meadows, eating the dead bark and dead wood of the trees. , eventually forming the kind of ubiquitous “bacteria forest” that Martin described.

For a person who has never seen it, it is difficult to imagine the visual information indirectly conveyed by language. It can only be compared to standing inside the dissected infected corpse, stepping on the lungs with blooming umbrellas and collapsed into masses, and high above the head. The dome of the sternocostal ribs is decorated with gills, and the hyphae are rooted in a network in the solid organs under the diaphragm next door.

But now it has been replaced by another larger life form - the forest is infected by a wildly growing fungus, and its death should be longer and more gorgeous.

But the clues currently in hand point to this, and walking into the forest may be an inevitable choice.

In the endless forest, he didn't really expect that the little kerosene he brought would cause any trouble in the wet season. What's more, he didn't bring these things to set fire to the mountain and sit under the prison, but to guard against someone who especially liked to go to the bottom of the prison. An old acquaintance with deep activities.

"Ugh, what a headache."

But this time it was much better. They were professional armed forces of about thirty people, not a team of scholars or guest appearances from logistics practitioners. The main threats they faced could be identified as human beings, and they had records of being killed.

"Professor?" Martin approached from behind and followed his line of sight curiously. The overwhelming night rolled in, tucking the forest wall, pasture, and people under the starry sky with the sound of insects.

"Are you worried that our progress won't go smoothly?"

"You can say that." Kraft stopped looking at the invisible forest wall, turned around and walked back into the warm light of the door. His thoughts were wandering in the boundless world at the last moment, but suddenly only the few weeks around him were meaningful. "What we can see directly is very limited, too little."

"Indeed, finding anything in the woods is a chore. In the past, we would hire local hunters or other people who were familiar with the terrain."

"Oh? You have also gone to the forest to look for things before?"

"To be precise, it should be considered hunting. When the Duke is in good health, he will be very frequent." Martin leaned against the door frame with the wine glass and took a sip of disgust. "After all, a cruise can't just be about eating and drinking. It's also very busy outside." There are few things that taste good.”

"But hunting is different. All the surrounding nobles will participate. It is a very fun activity and an opportunity to show off your abilities. The Duke's favorite furs come from the prey he hunts with his own hands. Don't you have such activities over there? ?”

"..." In fact, there should be some, but the Wood family has always been far away from this kind of social circle, and the location is remote. Old Wood didn't think that a group of fully armed people driving and hunting wild animals could show any martial virtue, so he did not participate. Tradition.

Kraft has only participated in practical hunting, and when it comes to carnivores, he mainly uses bear traps and baits that are very unscrupulous.

However, he can understand that it is probably equivalent to souls from other worlds playing role-playing war games in the virtual world in their spare time. It pays attention to a sense of immersion, and the more you play, the more you like to play.

"Look for traces, trap them, and then give them a fatal blow. It's almost like hunting. It depends on whether they can fight back like wild beasts or find opportunities to escape." Martin raised his glass to Kraft and drank it in one breath. Liquor that tastes like sour grape juice, “wish us all the best.”

He seemed to be in a tipsy state, and he was more casual, "The wine here tastes average. When we return to the port, I suggest that we go try the honey beer near Rivers University. I'll treat you."

"Thank you, but I don't drink much." Kraft declined the invitation. Drinking at a party is the most annoying part. "Speaking of which, where do we start tomorrow?"

"Going to the lumber camp along the river, they are not like people who only work on the fringe. Sometimes they have to go deeper to find specific wood. The steward needs to supply them to the manor, so they know the people." When it comes to business, the Duke's knight is still very organized.

"That's perfect." This entry point was considered thoughtful, and Kraft agreed. "But speaking of it, I have always had a question. It's just a personal curiosity. It doesn't matter if it's not convenient to answer."

"Have you or the church ever encountered this kind of thing in the past? I mean something that is obviously abnormal and cannot be explained by common sense like this time. It also involves paganism or other gangs or organizations?"

"During my time working for the Duke, the answer is no." Martin replied generously, without any hesitation, "But I have heard a lot of similar things, which may not be true. In the end, most of them are tricks and deceptions; extremely If you don't figure it out, it will end inexplicably on its own without too much energy. Maybe those who trade souls with the devil will suffer the consequences sooner or later, right?"

"Indeed, you will reap the consequences sooner or later." Kraft nodded in agreement, "You guys should go to bed early. Coop and I will take turns keeping watch tonight. Don't worry, I always have plenty of energy."