My bloodline is so eager to improve.

Has something happened in the forest?

"Well, something bad has happened!"

Queller rubbed his rough hands together, his brow furrowed, and paced back and forth in the living room before saying urgently:

“These days, no one in the village dares to go deep into the forest. Even when chopping firewood, they only dare to make a couple of cuts near the village entrance and rush home as soon as it gets dark.”

At Otto's prompting, Queller steadied himself and recounted the whole story in one go.

This strange thing started a few days ago. The night before, when the forest rangers were on duty late at night, they suddenly heard a series of faint sounds coming from the forest, as if someone was whispering in their ear, mumbling incoherently, and they couldn't make out the words.

The group gripped their spears and followed the sound, but the forest was pitch black and the shadows were so bright they made them dizzy. In the blink of an eye, the sound had vanished without a trace, and they couldn't see a single human hair.

At first, everyone just thought it was the sound of wind blowing through pine branches and didn't pay any attention to it.

For two nights in a row, the whispers became clearer and clearer. Not only could the forest rangers hear them, but even the farmers living on the edge of the village could faintly hear them with their windows closed at night.

Even more strangely, the village's livestock would become restless as soon as night fell. Dogs would whine with their tails between their legs, facing the direction of the forest. The sheep in the sheepfold would huddle together and tremble. Even the normally docile oxen would struggle against the wooden fence in the opposite direction, as if there was something in the forest that they were instinctively afraid of.

"No one in the village slept soundly for the past two nights."

Queller sighed, his face full of exhaustion.

"I led the brothers in the team to take turns on duty, and we even sharpened our harpoons, just in case some monster sneaks in through the forest."

We old folks can handle wild boars and rabbits, but if we encounter evil spirits or demons, that's when things get really tough.

I heard you went back to the village to recuperate, so I rushed over here.

"Otto, you're an adventurer with a job, you'll have to help the village with this."

After listening to Quiller's description, Otto tapped the hilt of his sword lightly with his fingertips, his eyes darkening slightly.

He is now a formal Iron Guardian of the Fire Seed, and he has encountered many evil spirits and ghosts while venturing out into the world. This is not the first time he has encountered such strange things where he can only hear their voices but not see their forms.

Like Miss Juliet in the Raven Cemetery, who refused to rest in peace, she also wandered around the cemetery as a ghost, frightening many young people who took shortcuts at night.

In his experience, such strange phenomena that only appear at night and are only heard but not seen are most likely wandering ghosts or low-level evil spirits that have wandered into the forest.

Most of these kinds of beings are not aggressive; they are just lingering obsessions at work and are not particularly troublesome.

Thinking this, Otto Chongquet nodded, his tone calm:

"Don't worry, Uncle Quiller, I'll go check on him in a bit."

I'll give you a definite answer as soon as I see it.

Having received Otto's confirmation, Queller finally felt relieved. He thanked him profusely and turned to leave, his steps becoming much lighter.

But Grandma Roxanne looked at Otto with a hint of disapproval on her face:

“You clearly came back to the village to recuperate and rest. You should have left these little village matters to them to handle themselves. Why did you have to get involved?”

Roxanne had lived most of her life and had seen all sorts of strange and unusual things.

The noise in the forest wasn't even a problem in her eyes; it was just some silly little monsters making a fuss.

She felt sorry for Otto, who had just returned from a dangerous situation and was still recovering. He had finally managed to rest for a few days, but now he had to start another adventure.

But Otto merely shook his head, bent down to pick up the armor leaning against the wall, and began to carefully examine the clasps, saying solemnly:

“I had planned to send money to the village, but Chief Lance refused.”

He said the village was self-sufficient and I didn't need to worry about it.

I grew up in the village and everyone took care of me. I've always wanted to do something to repay them.

Now that something happens in the village, I can't just pretend I don't see it.

He paused, his fingertips tracing the engravings on his armor, and added:

"Besides, it's nothing serious, just going into the forest to investigate, it won't take much effort."

Seeing that Grandma Roxanne's brow was still furrowed, Otto quickly put down what he was holding and smiled as he comforted her:

"Don't worry, I'll go into the forest during the day to explore and look for clues."

"Those strange things only happen at night, right? I'll wait until dark to carefully stake out the area. I won't act rashly. If I encounter something I can't handle, I'll definitely retreat first."

Otto pleaded and begged for a while before Roxanne finally relented, repeatedly reminding him to be careful in everything and not to overexert himself.

Tessa, who had been sitting silently to the side, stood up and picked up the staff leaning against the chair. The symbol of law on the staff gleamed warmly in the light.

She looked at Otto and said calmly:

"I'll go too."

"Since I'm just killing time anyway, and if I really encounter ghosts or evil spirits, as a priest, I can at least offer some assistance."

Tessa is a full priestess, and having her with us certainly makes things much safer.

Otto did not refuse and nodded in agreement.

The two went to the side room to check on the wolf girl who was still sleeping peacefully.

The girl's breathing was steady and there was nothing wrong with her, so the two of them were relieved, put on their gear, and went out of the house.

The vast and secluded coniferous forest outside Lot Village is a popular spot for villagers to cut firewood and gather medicinal herbs.

The forest during the day is no different from any other day; thick pine needles cover the ground, soft and quiet underfoot.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the layers of pine branches, scattering into dappled golden patches on the ground. The air was filled with the crisp scent of pine resin and humus, so quiet that only the sound of birds flapping their wings could be heard.

Tessa gripped her hammer tightly and walked beside Otto.

She focused her mind on channeling the magic within her body, carefully sensing the fluctuations in the surrounding atmosphere.

Ghosts and the like carry an aura of cold, decaying death, and priests can sense them immediately when they get close.

But as we walked along, the atmosphere in the forest was peaceful, without any feeling of coldness or stagnation.

Chapter 148 An Unexpected Visitor (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

Tessa stopped beside a fallen, decaying log, her fingertips lightly brushing across the moss on it. The faint, almost harmless natural magic emanating from it was gentle and pure, the very essence of the forest and its vegetation, utterly different from the chilling aura of the dead and evil spirits.

Not only that, but a ring of plump mushrooms also grew around the rotten wood, with full caps, clearly edible varieties.

"There is no trace of the dead."

Tessa straightened up, looked at Otto, and shook her head.

"At least during the day, this area is clean."

It possesses only the magic of nature, without a trace of evil.

Otto nodded, unsurprised.

He hadn't expected to find the source during the day anyway; as Queller had clearly stated, the strange occurrences only happened at night.

He walked to the piece of rotten wood, bent down slightly, and focused his mind to activate the Lamplight Spirit Eye.

The next second, tiny sparks of light appeared deep within his pupils, as if a tiny flame was dancing in the depths of his eyes.

Within the vision of the Lamplight Eye, the magical veins of the forest were clearly laid out.

As the level increases, the Lamplight Eye can see more and more things.

Otto's gaze swept over the roots of the rotten wood, and he soon made a discovery.

Beneath the decaying wood, moss grew, scattered with fine, fluorescent powder that shimmered with a very faint emerald green light. Without close inspection, it was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding moss.

Otto touched a little bit of it to his fingertip and brought it to his nose. He could smell a faint scent of wild plum mixed with the fresh aroma of pine resin, which was quite unique.

Otto even saw a wisp of blue mist above the powder.

Tessa, hearing this, also came over and bent down to examine the powder carefully.

She sensed it for a moment with her divine power, then frowned and shook her head:

"This is neither the slime secreted by mushrooms nor the spiritual remnants left behind after a ghost dissipates."

The remains of a ghost are grayish-white and have a chilling feel; this is different.

To be honest, I don't recognize what this is either.

Upon hearing this, Otto straightened up and dusted off his hands.

"Whatever it is, if it leaves a trace, it means that something is active in the forest."

The distribution of these powders should be traceable; if we follow the trail, we might find their location.

The strange things that happen at night are most likely related to these things.

In the following time, Otto activated his Lamplight Eyes and led Tessa deeper into the forest, following the trail of fluorescent powder.

The powder fell intermittently, as if some small thing was scattering along the way, meandering deeper into the forest.

The use of the Lamplight Spirit Eyes consumed a lot of mental and magical energy. Otto maintained it for a while, but after about an hour, he felt his temples swell slightly and the light in his eyes began to dim.

He knew that the usage time limit had been reached, and forcibly activating it would only cause him mental strain, so he stopped and put away the Lamplight Spirit Eye.

"Let's take a break first."

Otto pointed to a dry, leeward slope nearby.

"After searching for so long, we've found a direction for the trail. We'll follow it after nightfall."

The two walked to the leeward slope, where the ground was dry and the wind was blocked, making it a good place to rest.

Otto pulled out a few cassava tubes covered in dirt from his cloth bag, which Grandma Roxanne had given him before he left that morning.

He deftly picked up some dry pine branches, and with a snap of his flint and steel, he lit them. The small fire quickly blazed up.

Otto buried the cassava in the hot ashes by the fire, then turned to Tessa and said:

"Can you watch the fire for me? I need to finish my offering to the goddess first."

Otto will use the Eye of the Lamp again at night. This ability comes from the blessing of the goddess Felicity. Before each long use, a sacrifice is made to stabilize the power and avoid backlash.

Otto was already familiar with this process. He took out a scented candle from his pocket, which was the simplest offering.

Just as the sacrifice was completed, Otto could clearly feel that the magic power in his body, which had been somewhat exhausted, had become abundant again.

Tessa sat by the fire, watching the scene quietly, not at all surprised.

Having traveled together for so long, she already knew that Otto had this habit.

Looking at Otto's calm profile, she couldn't help but feel a little amazed.

It should be noted that while divinely bestowed abilities may seem convenient, they place extremely high demands on the user's soul strength and mental power.

Even with all the necessary offerings and in perfect condition, an ordinary priest can only activate his divine powers two or three times a day at most; any more than that will damage his soul.

Otto is different. He is a Fire Guardian, and his path has nothing to do with the priesthood system. However, he can activate the Lamp Spirit Eye several times a day and even maintain it for a considerable period of time.

This means that Otto's soul strength and mental power not only far surpass those of adventurers of the same rank, but are even stronger than many formal priests.

Thinking of this, a competitive thought quietly arose in Tessa's mind.

Born into a family of believers, she had practiced asceticism since childhood and believed that she was not lacking in talent, but compared with Otto, she seemed to be a step behind in terms of spiritual strength.

While the cassava was still roasting, Tessa closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and entered a meditative state.

The hammer rested flat on her lap, the emblem on its head glowing faintly with her breath. Gentle divine power flowed slowly through her meridians, gradually refining her soul and strength.

The forest was quiet, with only the crackling of pine branches in the fire and the occasional rustling of wind through the pine tips.

Wisps of smoke drifted through the gaps in the trees and slowly dissipated in the wind.

Just as smoke rose from the forest, a strange guest arrived at the entrance of Lot Village.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and most of the villagers were still busy in the fields, turning the soil and planting vegetables.

Suddenly, someone looked up and saw a figure wrapped in a black cloak walking towards them on the dirt road at the entrance of the village.

The man's hood was pulled down so low that it almost completely covered his face, revealing only his taut jawline.

The oversized cloak trailed down to her ankles, the fabric looking heavy and sophisticated, with barely perceptible dark silver embroidery along the edges, a stark contrast to the coarse linen clothing of the village.

After entering the village, the figure walked slowly, stopping and starting along the way, his gaze sweeping over the wooden houses on both sides, as if he were identifying something, or as if he were confirming something.

The villagers stared at her curiously, whispering about who she was, but no one dared to approach her. She exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay, along with an indescribable eeriness that made people instinctively reluctant to get close.

The woman walked to a wooden house on the western side of the village and finally stopped. She stood before the wooden door, remained silent for a few seconds, and then a very soft whisper came from beneath her hood:

"This is it."