The villain's goal is to save the heroine

This is obviously a paradox.

In the game, players have no control over the plot between Cecilia and Claire. It will always happen, and it is a guaranteed outcome. It is a predetermined fate, and players cannot interfere at all.

But, such an important plot is now gone for no reason?!

why?

What went wrong?

Is it...

Is it the impact of replacing the plot?

It's not impossible...

In fact, a similar problem has already occurred with Vivian. For example, on the day at the beginning of the second volume, if the game script had been strictly followed, Vivian would have appeared when Claire was cursed by Barnack. However, in reality, Vivian was happily playing with Eunice at the time, and only heard about it after the incident had passed.

Replacing the plot is obviously just a way to deal with inertia, but it is impossible to achieve a 100% replacement!

If we think about it from this perspective, this is clearly a chain reaction that changed the course of history...

This is not good!

If there is no object that can resonate, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack among hundreds of thousands of strange trees.

………………

………………

As Lin En fell silent, the scene fell into a stalemate.

In this incident, Eunice was just a thug. She might be smart, but she just followed Lynn here for the sake of a breakthrough and was not prepared at all.

Although Claire's ability as the male protagonist is unquestionable, I don't know if it's because he did too many things along the way, which resulted in the situation not being in the male protagonist's rhythm at all. Instead, he acted according to his ideas, and as a result, he led the team into a stalemate.

Yes, Lin En had always believed that as long as he followed the script, things would always work out, so he hadn't considered any other contingency plans. But now, Cecilia was suddenly missing a crucial piece to the puzzle. With the game's script broken, Lin En was naturally bewildered.

How else can this problem be solved?

Isn't the answer unique?

As for whether Mona could come up with some solutions...

Lin En rubbed the Qingming acupoint. He didn't know why he had such a naive idea. How desperate must he be to think of relying on that stupid woman Mona!

"Anyway, let's fix it first, and I'll think of other ways." Lin En said with a headache.

That being said, the simplest solution he could think of was to turn back and call for reinforcements. Strength lies in numbers. For example, he could have Dean Mandel come and crush the enemy. For a magician skilled in destruction, simply overturning the "Forest of the Sacred Trees" wouldn't be a big deal.

Or, to be more conservative, call Xisha over. Even though she has just used precise "astrology", even if the effect is discounted, at least she can have a direction and a range, right?

The only problem is that no matter which one, the time pressure is very high.

The "Screaming Trees" erupted not long ago, and even at this moment there are still a few of them screaming at the border. They have not yet completely fallen asleep. Turning back now would be like making things difficult for yourself!

And after finally finding the location I came to, I have to go out, find someone, explain the situation, and come back... not to mention whether there will be any unexpected situations in the middle, just this back and forth will probably take until tomorrow!

and…

If that were to happen, who knows if Augustus would be desperate enough to kill his hostages?

It is not reasonable to withdraw and ask for help.

In other words, Claire is there after all, and with this time to mess around, maybe the male protagonist's halo will start to shine and he will find a new solution to the problem. It is too early to back down now.

And this time...

"I'm...I'm sorry...Can I ask you something?" Mona said tremblingly, "What should I be careful about in this area?"

This woman, with a red face and even redder eyes, has become very cautious and treads on thin ice in everything she does because of the troubles she has caused one after another.

only…

What to pay attention to?

Lin En was stunned for a moment, and then he turned his attention back to the unfamiliar environment.

Yes, this scene has never appeared in the game.

While the script includes a scene where Claire and the others escape the Screaming Tree, Claire wouldn't make a mistake, Mona wouldn't be crazy, Mulin knows the Sacred Forest best, and even the laggard, Lynn, is over level 60...

In a word, the fault tolerance is higher than their current configuration!

As he held Eunice in one hand and Timona in the other, Claire had no choice but to move in the opposite direction to make way for Lynn, which resulted in them escaping to an area that had never been shown in the game.

Lin En had never seen the stagnant Tan in front of him.

However, although it is called stagnant water, it actually does not have any strange smell. In fact, when you get closer, you can even see some crystal clear water, which looks very refreshing, and you have the feeling of "clear water, rocky rocks, and endless white sand beach".

Of course, in a dangerous place like the "Forest of Sacred Trees", the more beautiful something is, the more problematic it is. It might be some kind of mimic tree that Lin En has never seen before.

Chapter 164 The Magical Lake

"I'm not aware of such details," Lynn admitted.

He is not the kind of person who cares about face. If he doesn't have it, he doesn't have it. If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. He won't pretend.

"Something seems to be wrong here." Just as Lin En finished speaking, Eunice suddenly spoke.

This seemed to give Mona a backer, and she became a little bolder: "Miss You... Miss Eunice also found the problem?"

The little Loli nodded slightly when she heard that, and stopped giving Mona a cold look.

If she still felt disgust and aversion towards stupid women at the beginning, now she has some sympathy for them...

This child was scolded so badly by Lynn.

"Haha, of course!" Seeing Lin En still looking confused, the little girl started to show off again. "This lady is as perceptive as seeing through fire, meticulous. Even the slightest detail can't be missed by me! Haven't you noticed? Our vision is greatly obstructed after entering this space. The visual range is usually no more than three meters. But this lake in front of us is at least the size of two or three arenas, and yet we can see it clearly. Doesn't this clearly prove that there is something wrong with the lake?"

"And those terrifying trees didn't dare to get close to here at all. Many of them even fled back immediately, as if they were disgusted with this place." Claire added.

After she finished speaking, Mona continued, "Also, I... my 'Enemy Fighting' skill tells me that... those monsters haven't given up on us... The reason they haven't rushed over isn't because they don't dare, but because they can't... They probably can't survive in areas with lakes..."

"..."

Lynn was confused again.

He didn't know when these three people formed a tacit understanding, and why he was suddenly excluded?

Well, he had to admit that he was a little too dependent on the game progress.

Since there was no concept of lake water in the game's clearance elements, he actually subconsciously ignored the environment in front of him. If Mona hadn't asked him, he wouldn't even have observed it carefully.

but…

This is indeed the case.

The scope of the lake is indeed clearly visible, and this dispersal of vision is not only of a ground nature, but also of an airspace nature. The view above the head is much clearer than other places.

As for what will happen when the fear tree faces this lake...

"Maybe we could try an experiment," Lynn suggested.

Although he didn't say what the experiment was about, the three of them understood it.

"I have no objection."

"I agree."

"I...I brought a bottle..."

What's with this pleasant, tacit atmosphere?

In short, led by Mona's questions, the four of them quickly discussed the problem and decided to use the tree that was reluctant to leave as a guinea pig for the experiment.

Of course, the experimenter was Lynn.

Since it was uncertain whether the lake water might carry some curse or something, it was obviously more appropriate for Lin En, who was wearing the "Ice Heart Pendant", to do this.

But the result was surprisingly smooth.

There were no negative effects, and nothing suddenly emerged from the water. The whole process was so natural that Lin En even wondered if it was the male protagonist's halo shining...

This can be considered a good thing.

but…

When Lin En and the others fetched water and came to the "Screaming Tree", the scene before them made them feel extremely heavy.

The earlier those who became the "Screaming Tree" were, the more resistant they would be to the lake water. And those who could still stay at this moment were simply the victims who had been sacrificed recently!

Unlike the "Screaming Trees" whose facial features were only blurred, the tree trunks in front of me had clearer faces. Although the skin had been completely replaced by wrinkled bark, the obvious facial features could still vaguely restore their appearance in life.

There are men and there are women.

There are old people and children.

only…

Bleeding from all seven orifices, heart-wrenching!

The screams they made were more painful, more fearful, more desperate, and more tragic.

Moreover, there seemed to be three words mixed in with the scream...

Although it wasn't so real, and it might just be an auditory hallucination, from the occasional rising and falling screams, they seemed to hear a deafening...

“Save…save…me…”

This is sacrifice!

Using living people as fuel and leaving hatred and resentment in the body, turning people into the ugliest and most disgusting monsters, making life worse than death!

Hell is on earth.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg of "Fallen Girl".

This isn't the only sacrifice in "Fallen Girl," nor is it the most desperate. Don't forget, Mavis in the underground palace was planning to sacrifice the entire city of Siena. By comparison, the current situation pales in comparison.

However, Lin En did not indulge in the shock and sadness.

He was a gamer who had simulated reality dozens of times, and he had already prepared himself mentally. The "Ice Heart Pendant" constantly soothed the negative emotions that were not conducive to action, so he was not affected by the tragic scene before him.

He opened the bottle and poured out the water from the lake as if offering a memorial to the dead...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

Suddenly, the Screaming Tree's facial features emitted an even sharper, painful scream! Just like a vampire quickly burned to ashes after being exposed to the sun, the Screaming Tree, splashed by the lake water, seemed to "burn" as well. Its entire trunk rapidly shrank, gradually becoming dry and wrinkled, and finally collapsed directly to the ground, rapidly "rotting", leaving behind only a pile of physically uncomfortable, seemingly undigested...

"Food scraps"!

Those are human body "parts" that have not yet been completely assimilated.

“So…so disgusting!”

Seeing this scene, Eunice's face suddenly showed a look of fear. She took two steps back in panic, accidentally stepped on a rolling stone, and fell directly to the ground.

Obviously, although the little girl is usually fearless, this guy obviously can't deal with those curious things. Seeing this scene, the child was scared silly!

Of course, this cannot be blamed on others.

No one could stand such a scene, including Lin En. Everyone's face looked unhappy, but their reaction was slightly better than that of the little Loli, and they did not show that helpless look.

but…

"This lake water is indeed extraordinary. It seems to be able to easily purify the body eroded by the 'Sacred Tree'." Lin En concluded thoughtfully.

Unlike those who were killed directly and had their blood explode, the "Screaming Tree" purified by the lake water did not release the curse. After falling to the ground, it left almost no trace, as if it had been annihilated.

Chapter 165 A chilling question

"Is there anything similar in the records of the 'Sacred Tree'?" Claire asked at this time.

This question really puzzled Lin En. He had never read any records related to the "Sacred Tree". Almost all the information about the "Sacred Tree" came from his experience playing "Fallen Girl". Since there was no lake in the game process, he had no idea about the relevant content.

Fortunately, Eunice was quick to speak and shouted, "Ha! Are you foolish? How could such a thing exist? The 'Forest of Sacred Trees' described in the records is like heaven, like paradise. Does this place even remotely resemble it? It's been polluted by sacrificial rituals for a long time!"

Eunice was never polite with her words. If it were an ordinary person, they would be somewhat unbearable. However, Claire didn't care at all and simply explained gently: "No, Miss Eunice, what I mean is, if the 'Forest of the Sacred Trees' in the records is heaven, a paradise, then this is undoubtedly hell, a sea of ​​suffering! Completely opposite attributes often produce irreconcilable conflicts, so this obviously can't be a product of the sacrificial ceremony. In other words, this may be something left behind from the original 'Forest of the Sacred Trees'!"

The one that was left behind at first?

Lynn couldn't help but look at Claire twice, feeling that there was something suggestive in her words.

"Ha! So what?!" The little girl didn't seem to like being contradicted. She patted her butt, propped herself up, and said arrogantly, "This little lake water is simply not enough to purify all the fear trees, and we don't have that much time to spray it on a large scale. It's unrealistic to think that large-scale purification of the lake water can find Cecilia! Besides, what will we do after this little lake water is used up? I don't want to be caught by those tentacle-like things. This thing can obviously only be used as a strategic material!"