Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 325 Jam (Thanks to Yue Youlu for the Qidian Coins donation)
"here?"

Roger looked at the deep cave in front of him with some curiosity.

This was very different from what he had imagined. Roger originally thought that "New Fog City" must have found a valley or underground space and then used its easily defensible terrain to protect itself.

However, the entrance to "New Fog City" was actually a cave without a gate, and the smell of burning fat inside clearly indicated that someone was active inside, which made Roger curious about how "New Fog City" ensured its own safety.

Seeing that Roger hadn't moved forward, Evan Campbell seemed to think that he doubted his words, so he took the initiative to tell Bernadette about the current situation in "New Fog City".

It turns out that there is a series of caves inside the mountain in front of them, and inside these caves lurks a special kind of bat that the residents of "New Fog City" call "the Protectors" and that can emit special sound waves.

These bats do not actively attack humans, but instead hunt insect-like monsters in groups. Most importantly, the sound waves they emit can frighten many monsters living nearby.

In addition, the interior of this cave is very complex, and few monsters are willing to risk their lives to venture into it. When the elders of "New Fog City" discovered this, they decided to establish "New Fog City" in the deepest part of a group of caves and installed heavy doors on the main roads to block possible monster attacks.

"It's interesting."

After Bernadette finished translating for Evan, she began to speak on her own:

"It seems that the civilizations that survived in the 'Land Forsaken by God' either had a strong foundation or extraordinary luck, and the fact that 'New Fog City' was able to find this cave complex clearly belongs to the latter category."

It's hard to say whether the "Angel of Fate" Urolius went easy on them, but in any case, "New Fog City" has finally found a place where it can barely survive.

The faint smell of burning fat that Roger had previously detected was likely left behind by the exploration team from "New Fog City".

"Lead the way."

Roger understood the current situation and was no longer puzzled.

He nodded and told Evan to continue leading the way.

To prevent startling the younger generation of "New Fog City" who were unfamiliar with the city-state's history and didn't know the "Servants of God," Roger specifically ordered all the "Servants of God" to cover the rear and flanks of the group to prevent any monsters from taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. He and Leomaster, on the other hand, summoned Simos and the extraordinary soul of the "Sun" pathway respectively, and walked at the very front.

When Roger met Evan earlier, he had already heard him say that the "Black Knight's" armor and sword belonged to the "Elder," which made Roger realize that the Elder of "New Fog City" was very likely a demigod of the "Mystic" pathway.

Therefore, if he and Leomaster, the two "Black Knights," were to walk at the forefront and were attacked, they could immediately summon the "Black Knight" armor and the "Spirit and Flesh Blade" to resolve the misunderstanding as much as possible.

After all, if Evan recognizes the "Black Knight" suit, the "New Fog City" personnel responsible for guarding it should also recognize it.

The cave contained streams and many white stalactites, a type of landform rarely seen in the Northern Continent, which aroused the curiosity and discussion of many members of the joint exploration team.

Roger bent down with some curiosity, scooped up some water from the cave, and began to study it using his "Secret Insight".

"...This cave is indeed something special. Apart from the frighteningly hard water, there are no pathogens in it."

Drinking too much hard water is harmful to the body, but if it is boiled and allowed to settle, or if some weak acidic substances are added to react with it, it can be made barely drinkable.

According to Evan and Mina, the people of "New Fog City" do indeed mainly drink this kind of water—so at least in terms of water supply, they don't need to worry too much.

Water, shelter, food, and fighting power are the basic conditions for human communities to survive in the "Forsaken Land," and "New Fog City" can provide them all.

The only two problems are that the medical care in "New Fog City" is extremely poor and their food safety cannot be guaranteed, which has led to a sharp decline in the population of "New Fog City" and its precarious existence.

As the group walked through the water, they suddenly heard a dense flapping of wings and some indescribable shriek coming from the very back of the cave complex.

The sound was very brief, disappearing in an instant.

However, this disappearance is actually an illusion. It has simply transformed into ultrasound, which even extraordinary beings cannot easily hear. Because of its high frequency and resonance, many creatures simply cannot tolerate it.

Roger, being a demigod, could barely accept it, but many low-sequence extraordinary individuals in the group immediately experienced dizziness and nausea, and soon these symptoms spread to many mid-sequence extraordinary individuals.

As for Evan and Mina, they seemed to have long since adapted and become used to it.

Evan simply whispered:
"The protectors have arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw a large, whistling black shadow appear in the deepest part of the cave, flying towards them at an extremely fast speed.

This was a swarm of bats, numbering at least several thousand. The dense flapping of their wings and the sharp sound waves that were already close at hand created an extremely oppressive feeling, to the point that many mid-sequence extraordinary individuals were almost driven mad and subconsciously wanted to fight back against these bats.

In the end, Roger and Leomaster worked together to create a sound wave buffer barrier made of water and flesh, which blocked the exploration team's path and made everyone's expressions improve.

Just as the bats were about to reach Roger and his group, they suddenly turned as if chasing something and flew towards another branch of the cave system.

"call."

Roger breathed a sigh of relief; he now finally understood why a swarm of bats had been able to keep those terrifying creatures in the shadows at bay.

It's not because these bats' sound waves are particularly terrifying, nor because they are particularly aggressive; it's simply because there are just too many of them.

Once the quantity of something reaches a certain level, it is enough to break through most defenses. Unless it is a supernatural being with divine power, even a supernatural being at the Sequence 5 level would collapse instantly when faced with thousands or tens of thousands of these "protector" bats.

Moreover, according to Evan, these thousands of "protectors" are only a small part of this vast cave system. Residents of "New Fog City" have made private estimates that the number of "protectors" in the entire cave system is at least around 600,000.

Without going into too much detail, just considering over 100,000 of these bats, even those Sequence 4 Extraordinary users who have recently advanced and are unprepared would suffer a great loss if they encountered them, not to mention the monsters in the darkness whose strength levels are mostly below Sequence 4 and who are not in a good mental state.

Led by Evan, the group walked nearly 1.5 kilometers, encountering five groups of "Protectors" along the way. Fortunately, Roger and Leomaster were experienced and set up sound wave buffers as soon as they heard the flapping of wings each time, thus avoiding the previous situation.

Moreover, there was one instance where the "protector" didn't turn but charged directly at the exploration team.

Although they fly very high and do not directly impact the explorer team, this makes it easy for their maddening sonic waves to attack the middle and rear of the team.

Left with no other option, Roger used a standard version of "Mental Overload" to forcibly suppress the "Protectors" just as they were about to enter the explorer's group. In the end, the bats were so frightened that they scattered and fled, thus preventing any significant impact.

This scene terrified Evan and Mina. It was the first time they had ever seen someone attack the "Protector" and suppress a large group of bats by themselves, which inevitably made them feel uneasy.

For a moment, Evan and Mina began to pray in hushed tones, pleading for the forgiveness of the "protector."

Roger was somewhat speechless at their actions, but considering the objective situation of "New Fog City," he didn't say anything.

This is an instinctive reaction formed by the local residents in their long-term fear—they believe that those who can protect them are messengers of the "original creator," and if someone offends a messenger, they should naturally apologize.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't I also be an emissary of the 'Primordial Creator'? If emissaries fight each other, whose side will they take?"

Roger shook his head. He realized he couldn't think too deeply about the logic. The followers of the "True Creator" all had some flaws, only their manifestations in "New Fog City" were slightly different.

After a while, after turning the last corner, Roger, who was walking in front, was finally able to see a heavy stone gate appear in front of him.

There were two windows with many metal bars inserted vertically in the stone gate, and through them Roger could see faint flames, while the smell of burning fat that he had smelled earlier became even stronger.

"We've arrived. This is 'New Fog City'."

"Please wait here for a moment, let me go knock on the door first."

Evan told Roger and the others not to cross the corner for the time being, and instead he would try to go up and call for the door to open it.

However, before he could get close, two arrows shot out from behind the door with lightning speed.

Fortunately, Roger intervened in time, using "Shadow of the Fallen" to block the two arrows, thus preventing Evan, whose body was already weak, from being injured again.

"Evan".

A cold voice came from behind the door; it was a woman's voice:

"If I remember correctly, you and Mina should have been expelled from 'New Fog City'."

"Although I sympathize with your plight, we cannot let you come back. If you don't want to die here, step back."

"What are you saying? Muttering to yourself?"

Roger frowned. At this moment, he really regretted not learning the Giants' language properly. If he could just put together Giants' sentences in his head, he could use the "Singer's" ability to speak as well as the inhabitants of the Forsaken Land, and he wouldn't be in such a passive position next time.

Fortunately, Bernadette provided a translator in time, which allowed Roger to understand the woman's meaning.

"Wilma, Mina's illness has been cured."

Evan stuttered a little:

“I met messengers sent by the Lord. They brought miraculous potions and said they would save ‘New Fog City’ from its suffering.”

"The Lord's messenger?"

The woman named Wilma's voice immediately became wary:
"Step back, or I'll kill you."

Evan was speechless. He realized that Wilma probably thought she had eaten something wrong, or that she was being affected by some supernatural force and was hallucinating.

In other words, Wilma believed that Evan was likely contaminated with some dangerous supernatural power at this moment, and letting him into "New Fog City" could lead to unpredictable consequences.

But at that moment, Bernadette spoke up.

The "mysterious queen" pulled Roger and Leomaster along, quickly emerging from behind the corner, and spoke in Giant's Tongue:
“What Evan said is true; we are messengers sent by God.”

As she spoke, Bernadette pinched Roger's wrist, and Roger immediately understood and summoned the "Black Knight" armor.

The "Black Saint" Leomaster did the same thing. The two of them simultaneously plunged their greatswords into the stalactite ground. Then Roger spoke in a deep voice: "We are messengers sent by the original creator to save the believers of 'New Fog City'."

For a moment, a deathly silence fell behind the stone gate.

After a while, the sounds of running, chairs being knocked over, conversations, and arguments arose. After quite some time, a middle-aged man's voice finally came from behind the door.

He began asking questions in the language of the giants, questions that were rather tricky, concerning legends and religious content about the “true creator.”

It's clear that even after Roger and his crew summoned the "Black Knight" armor, the people behind the door remained extremely cautious. This extreme caution stemmed from their long-term setbacks and losses in the "Forsaken Land."

However, Roger was not angry. Even in the neighboring Silver City, where the natural conditions were much better, the residents were just as cautious as those in New Fog City.

Faced with these questions, Leomaster, who was considered the most learned sage in the "Aurora Society," immediately answered fluently and reflexively.

Because the belief systems of the "Aurora Society" and "Fog City" are almost identical, many legends and religious sayings can be matched.

Leomaster's answer was extremely precise, and his expression was extremely devout; his fanaticism even surpassed that of the elders of "New Fog City".

Finally, a long silence fell behind the stone gate. After a while, the gate opened from the back, and more than a dozen extraordinary individuals walked out.

The leader was a middle-aged man whose body was covered with black patches and whose arms were somewhat deformed. These people did not step forward immediately, but stood at a distance. From behind the crowd, three different figures appeared.

The three individuals were a young woman, a middle-aged man, and an elderly man.

Unlike the people of "New Fog City," these three appeared perfectly normal, without any of the terrifying black patches or deformities on their bodies.

They all stared at Leomaster, and after a long while, they nodded in unison.

“The great ‘devotees’ have acknowledged that this is indeed a power given by our Lord.”

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Mina, who had almost fully recovered, and a look of ecstatic joy appeared on his face.

He spoke in the giant language:

"Distinguished guests, welcome to 'New Fog City'."

After he finished speaking, the extraordinary individuals, who had been fully armed and on guard, simultaneously planted their weapons in the ground, then lined up on both sides and bowed their heads in a welcoming posture.

"Leomaster..."

Seeing this, Roger spoke in a low voice.

"Hmm... those three driven souls all possess full power."

Leomaster also looked somewhat surprised:
"That must be the power of the 'Three-Headed Sanctuary'."

Unlike the "Black Knight," who can only use his full power when releasing the soul of one Extraordinary Being, the "Tri-Headed Sanctuary" can multiply that number by three, not only releasing three Extraordinary Being souls but also allowing each of them to use their full abilities.

The only problem is that because Fog City has so little contact with the outside world, the souls of the three enslaved Extraordinary beings are all of the middle order, and Roger has a feeling that they seem to have been enslaved voluntarily.

On the other hand, judging from their appearance, they seemed to have become enslaved souls before the destruction of "Fog City," having dedicated themselves to the city-state.

And this seems to be the reason why they are called "devotees" and are respected.

However, Roger didn't have time to think about it in more detail right now. He just exchanged a glance with Leomaster and then led a group of people into the "New Fog City".

During this time, many guards couldn't help but point and whisper in surprise at Mina, whose health had clearly improved.

Just to be on the safe side, Roger didn't let the "servants of the gods" come along, because he didn't know what the residents of "New Fog City" thought of these creatures that had once destroyed "Fog City," so he didn't dare to bring them in rashly.

Roger was immediately taken aback upon entering "New Fog City".

First, I was surprised by the bizarre structure of the "New Fog City".

Although "New Fog City" is built in a spacious and tall karst cave, their houses are built on the rock walls using special methods. They are densely packed and spread deep into the cave system, looking at them at first glance like the inside of a honeycomb.

Among them are some stone paths that resemble walkways, accommodating two to three people, covered with non-slip fabric. At this moment, dozens of residents are walking on them, some of whom are curiously looking over.

These residents generally have varying degrees of dark spots and skin diseases on their skin, and most of them have deformities. People with normal appearances are very rare.

Roger believes that this design of the house not being grounded may be for moisture prevention, or it may be to avoid attacks.

The second surprise was the desolation of "Fog City" and the poor mental state of its residents.

Almost all the residents of "Fog City" looked like they hadn't eaten enough and were listless. A considerable number of them were quite disoriented. Even when Roger and other visitors, who were clearly outsiders, arrived, the eyes of these people who had been living in the darkness for twenty years did not show much emotion.

Although these people were not physically dead, their spirits were no different from those of the dead, and they lived like a group of walking corpses.

Perhaps for them, death would be more painful than life.

However, in the "Land Forsaken by God," death is not the final destination, because the connection with the spirit world is severed, and the soul can only get lost in the darkness, heading towards distortion and madness.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, everyone. This way, please."

The middle-aged man leading the group somewhat embarrassedly extended his hand, gesturing for Roger and the others to move upwards along the steps.

Roger frowned as he glanced at the stone steps, then turned back to look at the dozens of men he had brought with him.

"Ophina, Dionysius, you two come with me. Zeus and the others are waiting here."

"Zeus, Jennifer, you two lead everyone to distribute the food we brought to the people here... Don't be stingy, we still have plenty of supplies."

"Yes, Captain."

Zeus nodded in agreement.

The "mysterious queen" Bernadette also issued a similar order. She took Cattleya and two other confidantes with her, and then had Heath Doyle, the "bloodless one," and another "scroll professor" who knew some of the giants' language join the distribution team.

"food?"

The guards were somewhat puzzled. They had initially acted rather calmly, but when they saw the white bread, butter, jam, and other such things that Zeus and the others had brought out, they were suddenly dazzled.

"what is this?"

A young female guard pointed to the jar of pupa jam in Zeus's hand and asked with some curiosity.

"This is jam."

With the help of the "Scroll Professor" translating, Zeus conveyed his meaning.

"jam?"

The extraordinary woman appeared extremely confused; she had no idea what the obscure words meant.

"It's made by pressing fruit pulp..."

Zeus tried to continue explaining, but Jennifer stepped on his foot.

He then realized that Roger had once said that most of the inhabitants of the "Forsaken Land" had never seen any fruit, so they had no concept of industrially produced jams.

Jennifer picked up a small piece of bread, tore it in half, dipped one half in some jam, and put it in her mouth.

She began chewing with a blissful expression, then smiled and dipped the other half of the pancake in jam before offering it to the female guard's lips.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then realized she couldn't resist the sweet and fragrant aroma of the jam.

The temptation was so strong that she completely ignored her companion's advice and subconsciously put the jam-dipped pancake into her mouth.

"!!!"

The girl's face changed drastically, and hot tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

She had never eaten anything so delicious since she was born.

Never, never.

It doesn't smell bad, it's not dry, and it has a delightful sweet and sour taste.

She didn't even know what sour or sweet was; she only felt that it was a taste she had never had before, and it made her incredibly intoxicated.

Seeing that the girl was not acting strangely, the other guards looked at each other and began to taste the food that Zeus and his men had brought out.

Soon, the guards were all crying.

After a long, long time, they finally realized what was happening and, with faces full of reluctance, began to summon the residents over to distribute the dry food and other supplies.

Roger smiled slightly upon seeing this and spoke to the middle-aged man:
"please."

(End of this chapter)