harleyscars Page 398
Page 398
Latis reflected on his unusually excited feelings from showing off in front of Jennifer, sighed helplessly, and asked:
Leafa, are you alright?
"Hmm!" Leafa, slowly recovering, nodded vigorously, picked up her helmet and put it on, transforming back into her small tin can form. She then raised her small round shield and swung it once, letting out a muffled shout:
"Report: Everything is normal!"
"Huh? Leafa seems to be growing quite fast!" Jennifer stroked her chin in surprise, glanced at Latis, pondered for a moment, and then smiled:
"It seems that the power of light in the Wilderness Territory is more suitable for training the knights of the Cult! However, it is probably also because of the life energy in your body, Leafa's power level is relatively weak, and she can easily gain a boost when she is near you."
"Eh? Really?"
Latis scratched his head, realizing this was the first time he had discovered the function of life energy. After all, the girls in Titania were all at the mid-to-high level, so they hadn't felt it so clearly before.
He subtly activated the Holy Grail within him, sensing Leafa's more relaxed state, and nodded in agreement.
It seems Leafa will make great progress on this trip.
However, in human form, this is all he can do. Things like taking plants from his body are done by switching forms in an instant. It seems that because the Holy Grail is not yet full and the Titan bloodline is not yet fully activated, his current dragon form is much stronger than his human form.
However, Latis still believes that when the Titan bloodline is fully activated, its strength will definitely surpass that of the dragon form.
Although theoretically, consuming so many dragon crystals to awaken a dragon form is an almost impossible achievement in this world, it's understandable that Titan, being his true form, would be a little overconfident.
Speaking of the power of light, he could already feel the rich power of light here.
Even with the Ancient Tree of Dawn rapidly absorbing the power of light after its resurrection, the light here remains so powerful. Either the Holy City of Romnia is illuminating this place, or, as I guessed in the simulation, its source is the will of light from underground.
However, none of them had personally experienced the underground world, so they naturally couldn't tell whether it was related to the will of the underground.
Latis glanced at the two girls beside him who were already prepared, looked at the outline of the holy city on the distant hills, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The holy city of Romnia is only a few dozen kilometers away from his mission location, Tree Peak Village. At his dragon form speed, he can arrive in less than ten minutes.
Should he visit Pope Doyle first, or check on the situation in Tree Peak Village first?
Latis and Jennifer exchanged a glance, giving each other an inquiring look.
Jennifer, as Latis's old comrade-in-arms, instantly understood what Latis was thinking. After a moment's thought, she said:
"If what you say is true, and the situation in Tree Peak Village is likely related to the Holy City of Romnia, then I think we should go to Tree Peak Village to investigate first, so that we will have some confidence when we visit the Holy City of Romnia."
"That's right."
Latis nodded slightly. Although Tree Peak Village, which likely has underground passages, might seem dangerous, in reality, at least on the surface, the Holy City of Romnia is the hidden boss.
He glanced at Jennifer, whose hands were resting on her twin swords, then at the little tin can standing ramrod straight, clapped his hands, and said:
"Then let's set off."
……
……
"somebody is coming!"
A man with bare, tattooed arms shouted, put down the telescope he was holding made from the crystal shell of an insect-like monster, and with a leap, jumped down from a ditch in the cliff face.
His body plummeted rapidly, and just as he was about to crash to the ground at such a high speed, he suddenly spun around in the air seven or eight times, his speed decreasing rapidly until he landed, at which point his body had become stable again.
The swaying vines untied from him and leaned back against the cave wall—in this canyon, many villagers also lived on the cliffs, and they would tie such vines around their waists every day, swinging back and forth between platforms at different heights using the vines.
Thanks to the lush vegetation naturally present in this canyon, the plant roots from the edge of the Forest Sea Territory make even the trees growing on the cliffs in this canyon exceptionally strong, while the light power from the Mountain Wasteland Territory promotes plant growth, so much so that Tree Peak Village has become the place with the best environment within a radius of tens or hundreds of kilometers.
Of course, such places also have some unknown problems...
The man ran quickly to the mouth of the canyon and addressed the three or four militiamen who had rapidly assembled upon hearing his shout:
“There are three of them in total. They seem to be heading towards us. You two stand guard on both sides and come out immediately if there is any conflict.”
"Yes, Brother Kirito!" The militiamen nodded and immediately dispersed to both sides, taking their weapons and hiding in concealed places where outsiders could not find them at all.
Kiriko breathed a slight sigh of relief, checked the vines and stone slabs covering the militiamen's hiding place, glanced at the villagers peeking out from various holes and buildings, raised her hand in the air to signal, and then turned back to look at the few outsiders who appeared at the end of the road.
"A man, a woman..."
His gaze swept over the muscular Latis and the equally powerful Jennifer, and he couldn't help but feel a slight pressure. However, when he looked at the tin cans behind them, he muttered something strange to himself:
"And another... dwarf?"
……
……
"By the way, how old is Little Leafa this year? She looks so young."
Latis glanced at the little girl behind him, who was barely up to his waist, and chuckled to himself as she chased after him, her steps resembling those of a little mouse in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. He then looked at Jennifer and asked:
"If I remember correctly, she seems to have a good friend named Gita, who you said was taken away by Holnet to be her apprentice."
“Yes.” Jennifer nodded, slowing her pace slightly so Leafa wouldn’t have to run so hard, then thought for a moment and said:
"According to the cult's statistics and estimates of Leafa's village, Leafa is probably around thirteen or fourteen years old, or maybe a little older. Because her family is poor, she is somewhat malnourished, but after staying in Lundia for a while, she should grow into a young woman very quickly."
"These poor children have no concept of birthdays or age..." Latis sighed slightly. He was about to be knighted, but all he saw were the lives of these commoners, which made him feel somewhat complicated.
In fact, since he transmigrated, he has seen the lives of many ordinary people and even experienced them himself many times. However, for some reason, the greater his achievements, the more deeply he felt these feelings.
Is this the mindset of men from the East: "When poor, cultivate your own virtue; when successful, benefit all under heaven"?
It's also possible that he used to be just a miserable office worker who didn't care about anything, and would just laugh off anything that was discordant or incongruous. But after coming to this other world, he gained power and suddenly had the determination to protect the girls around him.
After becoming a lord, will there be any further changes in him?
Latis wasn't entirely sure about this, but he knew he was already in the process of changing. Whether it was the desire to protect the descendants of the elves he saw, or the inexplicable urge to establish a good territory when he saw the travelers surrounding the city of Titania, both told him that he, Latis, was no longer the same as before.
Thinking of this, Latis smiled freely, shook his head, and dismissed these chaotic thoughts.
Just accept these natural changes. No matter when Latis is, she will always be someone that those around her can trust.
It remains firm and strong despite countless trials and tribulations, letting the winds blow from all directions.
The gravel path beneath their feet suddenly became slightly smoother. Latis raised an eyebrow, looked up at the canyon that had appeared not far away before, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Even though he had images of this place in his simulated memories, he was still somewhat surprised when he saw Shuluan Village in reality.
It wasn't that the naturally formed stone bridge at the top of the canyon opened his eyes; having seen the vast and diverse terrain of the Eastern Kingdom in his previous life, his standards were already quite high.
What surprised him was the abundance of trees and vines throughout the canyon, which grew so lushly even in the shadows of the cliffs. Such a scene could only be seen in this world full of magical power.
A gaunt man stood at the entrance to the canyon. Just as Latis was about to step forward, his brow furrowed, as if he had sensed something from the plants inside the canyon.
"Good lads, you guys are really cautious... Luckily, my Arte gave me the ability to see through all this, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to tell..."
Latis muttered to himself, nodded to the two girls beside him, and stepped forward to say:
"I am Latis Titania, commissioned by the capital of the Kingdom, Siyuanhua Castle, to investigate the series of disappearances of young and middle-aged men in Shuluan Village. These two are my companions from the Church of Light. May I ask your name, young man?"
"Sent from the capital?"
Kiriko paused, seemingly surprised, but quickly recovered, frowning and muttering to herself:
"Could it be that the previous tax official reported the village's situation to the authorities... Well, there's nothing we can do about it then."
He raised his head, glanced at the two knights behind Latis, and suddenly said with a solemn expression:
"Are those two... members of the Church of Light?"
"Ah, yes." Radist paused, then stepped slightly in front of Leafa and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"No, that's not the impression people from the Church of Light give off."
Kiriko shook her head, a flash of wariness crossing her face. She raised her brows and asked sharply:
"What are you trying to achieve by impersonating people from the Imperial Capital and the Church of Light?! Guards, seize them!"
"Roar!" The militiamen's roars rang out from both sides in an instant, and sharp blades gleamed from the shadows, stabbing fiercely towards Latis's side.
"Ugh, what a hassle..."
Latis held Jennifer back as she drew her twin swords and prepared to fight, then snapped his fingers in exasperation.
"……What?!"
Kiriko was stunned for a moment, and before she could react to the meaning of Latis's snap, the shouts and struggles of the militiamen rang out from both sides.
His eyes widened, and he glanced quickly at the militiamen around him who were inexplicably bound by vines. He looked at Latis in shock, hesitated for less than a second, then knelt down with a thud, bowed, and cried out:
"Lady Titania! Please forgive our rudeness!"
"It's alright..."
Latis wasn't about to hold a grudge against these civilians. He snapped his fingers again, releasing the militiamen who looked like they'd seen a ghost. He then used his magic to help Kirito up and said:
"Just cooperate with our investigation. However, before that, I need to ask you about your relationship with the Church of Light... and..."
Latis looked at Kiriko in front of him, and a strange, extremely difficult expression immediately appeared on his face.
At first glance, I didn't realize it and just thought the tattoos on the man's body were some kind of local custom. But now that I'm closer, I realize that the tattoos on Kiriko's arms are clearly patterns and symbols written in Elvish.
At first glance, it's all things like "ready to be a RBQ," "Night Elf Starfury," "private property," and a string of images and text that look like a counter...
No, man.
Latis took a deep breath, and suddenly felt a little unwilling to investigate the village anymore. He had just thought Kirito's tattoos were kind of cool, but now that he saw them clearly, he really wanted to gouge his own eyes out.
The village's problems are far too obvious! There's absolutely no need for an investigation!
Night Elves, you guys are way too urbanized! You're playing it really hard!
Latis's lips twitched slightly. Looking at the bewildered Kirito, he rubbed his temples and said, as if wearing a mask of pain:
"And what's the deal with that tattoo of yours...?"
Chapter 394 Exploring Tree Peak Village
"Actually, our lives haven't been affected too much, it's just that the series of missing people has caused some villagers to feel uneasy..."
Kiriko's voice echoed through the empty canyon. Latis crossed his arms, curiously looked around, and couldn't help but marvel at the village's amazing structure.
Although it appears to be just a narrow canyon from the outside, its interior is strangely shaped like a teardrop, narrow at the edges and wide in the middle. In addition to the platforms and caves carved out of the cliff face, there are also several small wooden buildings on the ground at the bottom, which look like places where villagers gather.
Latis's gaze swept over the moss-covered cliff face, his brow furrowing as he glanced back at Jennifer, who was conducting a divine magic test not far away.
His senses about plants told him that many of the cave walls were hollow, allowing plant roots to entwine freely within them. If described using a scanning perspective, his senses showed a dense mass of roots gathering in one hollow after another, almost completely exposing the hidden terrain of the area.