Spellcasting Gods

At this point, the boy suddenly paused, a meaningful expression appearing on his face: "Do you know what this mutation means?"

"Could it be a chaotic magic zone?" Luke asked uncertainly.

Of all the knowledge he had come into contact with, the only situation that could cause a spell with a stable model to mutate was the chaotic magic zone.

The boy smiled and shook his head: "No! If it were that simple, the Darrents would have conquered this place long ago. In fact, until the very end, they never figured out what that strange energy field was. But one thing is certain: if you use magic here, no matter how powerful it is, there is a more than 90% chance that the caster will die on the spot. Believe me, you don't want to know how painful this kind of death is."

"So... on this planet, neither you nor I can use the power of magic?" Luke's pupils suddenly contracted.

"That's right! Whether it's you or me, we must never use magic unless absolutely necessary. Because once we do, it's tantamount to handing our lives over to fate."

After saying that, the boy took off all the magical items on his body one by one and stuffed them into the magic pouch he carried with him. Then he picked and chose from the pouch and took out a short sword that emitted a pale blue light and inserted it into his belt.

"Damn it! I really wish I hadn't slacked off when the elders were teaching me martial arts." Luke complained helplessly as he took off various magic rings, amulets, and other trinkets.

Because he was too obsessed with the power of magic when he was young, he inevitably neglected other aspects, especially hand-to-hand combat skills, which were seen as symbols of "primitive", "ignorance", "savagery" and "stupidity".

Without the use of magic, he wasn't even sure if he could defeat a small to medium-sized carnivore.

"Hahaha! Relax. We may have lost our powerful spellcasting abilities, but our minds and intelligence have been perfectly preserved. That alone will allow us to integrate well into this world. Also, I suggest you take some time to learn the language of this world with me."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"Hurry! The Shadow Guard won't stand by and watch us uncover the truth that the Darrents have been trying to hide."

……

Integrating into an unfamiliar environment, or even an unfamiliar world, is never an easy thing.

The world's incredibly complex pronunciation and bizarre grammar alone caused Luke, who considered himself intelligent, a great deal of trouble.

It took the boy a full two weeks to barely learn the most basic communication and how to navigate the corner.

Given the time constraints, the two had no more time to delve deeper into the language and immediately set off down the empty tunnel into the depths below.

Ancas is a vast underground world consisting of countless tunnels, caves, underground rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Of course, the underground world doesn't mean there's no light.

The moss overhead, shimmering like starlight, is the best lighting in the world.

Although the light was so dim that Luke, who was used to living on the surface, was quite uncomfortable, he could still barely see what was happening within a few dozen meters around him.

In addition, the strangely shaped plants and small animals constantly attracted his attention.

For example, there are crustaceans that look like stones but have a dozen or so legs hidden underneath; and there are flat, flying creatures that constantly hover around fluorescent moss, devouring glowing buns that fall from the edge of the moss while also emitting colorful lights themselves.

This underground world is so beautiful and wonderful, no less so than the surface world.

If there is anything regrettable, it is undoubtedly the loss of sound.

For some reason, the plants and animals here are very quiet, with only the water dripping from the huge stalagmite overhead making a crisp, colliding sound.

"How much longer until we reach safety?" Luke asked without turning his head, munching on some unknown blue moss.

Since the two had been in this world for more than sixteen days, and had been surviving on small amounts of "nutritious" plants almost every day, his mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and he was almost going crazy.

If he could use magic, he would definitely have killed a few animals to see if their flesh was edible.

The boy bent down and carefully examined the ground of the nearby passageway. After a while, he stood up and replied, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. If nothing unexpected happens, we should reach a small town in a few hours at most. But before that, I have a few things to remind you of."

"Oh? What is it?" Luke asked impatiently.

"First, never speak to any woman alone. Because in this world, women are a hundred times more dangerous than men. Some women even cruelly kill their spouses and devour their flesh and soul. Second, never drink anything offered to you by anyone, not even seemingly harmless water, because those drinks often have something interesting added that can make us outsiders lose our minds. Finally, and most importantly, you must pretend you don't know me..."

Chapter 1366 Anyat People

After passing through the last narrow tunnel, the two finally saw the wall at the end of the tunnel.

It was a semi-circular defensive structure built from huge stones cut from who-knows-where.

In the middle, there is an arched entrance, where two humanoid creatures with dark gray skin are standing guard in armor.

Judging from their figures and appearances, they are probably women, and their faces have a lot of insect-like features, such as antennae on their foreheads and disproportionately large eyes.

"Are they the natives of this world?" Luke asked his "brother" through complex sign language.

Given the unusual environment, communicating using language could easily reveal their location, so the two devised a set of sign language.

In this way, they can discuss or negotiate an important matter or send an alarm to each other within a certain distance, even without making a sound.

“That’s right! The Anyat are a special intelligent life form that combines the advantages of insects and mammals. According to the Darents’ research, they should have risen to prominence 60,000 years ago. They are a very ancient race with their own culture and traditions. It is precisely these culture and traditions that prevented them from evolving in a more advanced direction.” The boy used sign language to express everything he knew.

However, it was easy to see from his eyes that this was also the first time he had seen these strange intelligent life forms, and his eyes were full of curiosity.

After all, seeing something in books and videos is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.

“A very interesting race! I can sense a completely different kind of power emanating from them.” Luke carefully hid himself in a dark corner.

Because he discovered that the strange antennae on the other person's head were not just for show, but a very sensitive sensory organ.

"It's an energy field! Every Anyat person, from birth to death, is inextricably linked to the core of this planet. They are like the darlings of this world, and no matter how powerful outsiders are, they will be suppressed by the energy field. Believe me, unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to clash with them."

After saying this warning, the boy led the way out of the corner and walked confidently toward the entrance of the town.

When he was still more than ten meters away from the archway, a guard immediately raised a spear that emitted a green glow and shouted, "Stop! Stranger! Tell me your name and purpose!"

“Hello, madam, I am a traveler from another world. I am tired and hungry and would like to be granted permission to enter the town for a hot meal and a good night’s sleep. In return, I would like to offer some interesting trinkets.” The boy bowed politely and took out a small piece of jewelry from his pocket that possessed a faint magical power but would not cause any abnormal force field.

"A traveler from another world?"

The female guard waited with her two disproportionately large eyes, looking her up and down while picking through the small trinkets.

Finally, she chose a pale yellow pin, pointed to the only entrance to the town, and said, "Go in! Remember, don't try to break our laws and regulations, otherwise..."

"No problem! I'm not one of those self-righteous fools." The boy smiled, bowed in thanks, and then quickly disappeared from sight.

Clearly, this world is not lacking in outsiders, so the local residents have long been accustomed to it and have not shown the slightest surprise from beginning to end.

Luke, who was hiding in the corner, watched this scene and imitated it quite well.

However, he identified himself as a merchant and even presented some food crops that did not exist in this world.

There is no doubt that food is of paramount importance to any civilization.

In particular, Ancas is an underground world, so most of the crops are fungi, and there are no pollinating plants, let alone sweets such as honey and sugar.

So after Luke used a little of the supplies stored in his magic pocket, he immediately received a higher level of treatment than his brother.

Even the town mayor personally stepped forward, intending to buy the grain he brought at a high price, especially the various seeds that could be tried to be planted.

As a vast underground world, it is never short of minerals. Gold, silver, gems, and magical metals, which are treasures in most worlds, are already abundant in this world. Just find a passage and dig down, and you can always find one or two good veins.

In stark contrast to the mineral resources, the prices of seasonings, spices, and grains here are exceptionally high.

Many of the relatively poor residents could only afford meat for each meal, as meat was very cheap and could be obtained by raising a few kinds of moss-eating livestock.

Sitting at the table in the luxurious living room, Luke ate a tender steak and said jokingly, "Mayor, you have no idea how I survived these past few days while I was lost. Apart from the dry rations I carried with me, the only thing I could eat was moss."

"Moss? You didn't eat that bitter moss, did you?" An older-looking Anyat woman looked surprised.

It goes without saying that she is the ruler of this town and also the most powerful person.

After all, this world doesn't have any so-called "democratic elections." Instead, whoever is the most powerful becomes the supreme leader.

Of course, this "strength" does not entirely refer to violence; another important reference index is fertility.

That's right!

It's about fertility!

Women who have the most children often gain the approval of most people.

As recorded by the Darents, this was a world where women were dominant and men were merely appendages of women.

Take this town mayor for example. She "married" twelve husbands, the youngest of whom stood by the dining table, responsible for serving food and cleaning up the trash. He didn't even have the right to sit down.

"Oh? Is that blue moss called bitter moss? No wonder it tastes bitter and astringent." Luke pretended to suddenly understand.

"Heh, looks like you've had some bitter moss. In fact, in our world, not all moss is suitable as food; only a very few carefully cultivated ones can be served on the table. As for the ubiquitous bitter moss, it's mostly used to feed livestock. Here, try this, and you'll understand how different mosses can be..."

Chapter 1367 Tradition

Without a doubt, for any world and any race, food will always be a topic that can bring people closer together.

Because most living things, as long as they are alive, must eat to replenish the various nutrients their bodies need.

Especially for intelligent life, when civilization develops to a certain level, they will not simply be satisfied with filling their stomachs, but will begin to pursue taste, color, style and so on, transforming simple food into a culture.

Despite being born on a planet with extremely scarce resources, Luke absorbed enough knowledge from the Great Library to easily handle the other party's slight probing and even gain a certain degree of trust.

By the time the female mayor turned to leave, the guards outside the door had already withdrawn, leaving only a few servants at her beck and call.

Because of the duality of day and night in the underground world, the Anyat people's daily routines are completely irregular. At any given time, nearly half of them are awake while the other half are resting. As a result, the town always maintains a state of semi-dormant activity, neither overly bustling nor deserted.

Just as Luke stood on the balcony, observing this wondrous world from above, the previously closed door suddenly clicked open, and the boy who had first slipped through the entrance sneaked in, asking with a smile, "So, wasn't that mayor very welcoming?"

“Very enthusiastic indeed. What, is there a problem now?” Luke asked without turning his head.

"Of course there's a problem! I just investigated the population structure of this town, and guess what I found?" The boy's tone revealed a hint of schadenfreude.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Luke could no longer remain calm and turned around, his face full of curiosity.

He knew that his brother wouldn't scare him for no reason; there must be something unusual about this town.

"It's very simple! According to my investigation, the male-to-female ratio here is an astonishing seven to three, meaning there are more than twice as many women as men. Interestingly, the birth rates for men and women are almost the same, with the male birth rate even slightly higher. Guess where those mysteriously disappeared men went?" The boy grinned, revealing all the information he had gathered.

"Could it be..." Luke seemed to realize something, and his face instantly turned ugly.

The boy nodded without hesitation: "You guessed right. All those mysteriously disappeared men had some kind of illicit intimate relationship with this mayor. To be precise, almost without exception, all of their offspring who weren't born to her disappeared from the town. Based on the most basic cause and effect, I think she seems to be using this method to satisfy her strong desire to have children."

“I don’t understand, what does this have to do with us?” Luke frowned subconsciously.

"On the surface, it doesn't seem like a big deal. But if you think about it carefully, haven't you noticed that she always has a strange interest in underage boys?" the boy reminded him meaningfully.

"Damn it! You mean... I've become one of the targets?" Luke's lips twitched slightly.

No wonder he felt there was an abnormal infatuation in the other person's eyes during dinner; now he knew the problem.

"Yes! I warned you not to be too conspicuous, and especially not to be alone with Anyat women, but you just wouldn't listen. Now tell me, how do you plan to get rid of this female mayor who's ready to devour you whole? Don't think this is an exaggeration; on the contrary, it's the most apt description."

After saying that, the boy plopped down in front of the table, which was filled with all kinds of snacks and pastries, and began to eat them without any hesitation.