Chapter 405: Going deep into the forest
"Miss Lutina, well, it may be rude to ask this, but after all, it is related to our safety..."
The wife of the couple looked worried and questioning.
She said to the travel agency owner with golden twin ponytails:
"Have you really had any experience entering Coleridge's Great Forest? You look only sixteen years old... My sun, this is so crazy, an underage guide? You really can't lead us into the mouth of a beast?”
"Madam, I admit that my appearance is deceptive. I will take what you just said as a compliment... But I hereby declare that I am twenty years old and have grown up in this small town. I have no Who knows what’s going on in the forest better than me, okay?”
Rutina picked up her backpack and rolled her eyes.
She walked to the back of the counter, bent down and took out a one-meter-long double-barreled shotgun from a mezzanine. She immediately opened the gun body with a click and checked the ammunition status.
Noticing two round red shotguns quietly stuck in the chamber, Lutina smiled slightly and flicked the gun back. She rummaged around the counter for a while, took out two boxes of ammunition and threw them into her backpack.
"Okay, let's go. If you have any objections, you can leave now...but I won't refund the money I just paid."
Rutina put the double-barreled shotgun on her shoulder, helped the beret and walked ahead.
Among the five students, a boy named Oslo stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something, but was stunned when Rutina pointed a gun at his head.
"I said, the money will not be refunded."
Rutina said with a smile.
"Ah... no, you misunderstood, Miss Lutina, I just want to ask, are there really cannibals in the forest? There are also strange animals and plants that will actively hunt humans? I heard that the guests in the restaurant are That’s what I said…”
Oslo was shocked, quickly swallowed the words that came to his lips, and changed his words.
"Don't ask, there will be no surprise if you ask."
Rutina retracted her gun and gave several students a meaningful look.
Oslo was frustrated, but he didn't dare to get angry. He retreated to the student team with a look of resentment on his face.
Without saying a word, Chen Lun silently led Noah and Anton to the back of the team and walked together towards the entrance of the big forest.
Along the way, except for the three men who were taciturn, the couple chatted about their wedding with great interest. This adventure in the forest was their honeymoon trip. Lutina joked that city people really know how to play. , and also advised couples not to do anything too intimate at night, lest there be an accident and they would not be able to escape in time.
These words made the couple a little embarrassed, and the other five students also exchanged words in low voices with uneasy expressions on their faces.
Chen Lun calmly scanned everyone present with his eyes and found that they were all ordinary people. However, the leading guide Rutina was a little strange, because there was a missing piece in her destiny.
The missing part seemed like a starting point and an ending point, making Chen Lun unclear about her past and future.
This couldn't help but make him have some doubts in his heart, and he became a little more vigilant.
‘This Rutina must be hiding some secrets. ’
Chen Lun thought to himself.
He turned his attention to the three unsmiling men. Although they did not speak, they kept communicating with their eyes, and their micro-expressions could not escape Chen Lun's eyes.
Some details indicate that they also have some ulterior secrets.
Since they were just ordinary people, Chen Lun was too lazy to continue observing and directly used [Thought Stealing] to explore what they were thinking.
[You used the skill "Thought Stealing" on the target Ivan! 】
[Judgment is taking effect...]
[Your will is 82 points, and the target’s will is 9 points. The judgment is successful! 】
[You used the skill "Thought Stealing" on the target Darel...]
After a few seconds, he raised his eyebrows and smiled.
The three men didn't notice anything, but they didn't know that the secrets in their minds had been exposed and completely touched by Chen Lun.
‘It turned out to be three gangsters... who went into the forest to seek revenge? Someone stole their money and goods and fled into the forest. These three unlucky guys were pushed out by the gang to find someone. ’
Chen Lun shook his head secretly and said with emotion that wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes.
Soon, everyone followed Lutina to an uninhabited area. There were no commercial buildings like those in the small town, only scattered abandoned farmhouses and huts could be seen here.
A large stretch of huge barbed wire fence appeared in front, connected by an iron pipe every seven or eight meters, separating Coleridge Forest from human society.
Moreover, there are two sentry posts located in the northeast corner. It seems that there are specialized personnel guarding them to prevent anyone from destroying the barbed wire fence and entering the forest.
"Please note! Ahead is the Coleridge Forest, a restricted area of the Empire! No matter who you are, stop immediately and turn around and return... There are only two warnings here. Those who do not listen to dissuasion will be shot immediately!"
A loudspeaker came from the sentry post, and it was the voice of a middle-aged man.
Everyone immediately stopped and looked at Rutina in surprise.
"You guys wait here and come back later after watching my gesture."
Rutina looked accustomed to it, turned around and said to everyone.
Immediately, she walked towards the sentry post with a double-barreled shotgun and a backpack.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on her along the way, fearing that the guards at the sentry post would suddenly shoot her to death.
"She didn't even put down the gun in her hand. Are she really not afraid of death?"
Stiller, the guy with the afro, said in surprise.
The short boy Anel beside him shook his head, took out a candy and stuffed it into his mouth, and said while eating:
"It's so obvious that you didn't notice it? The female boss of Baiou Travel Agency must know the people here, otherwise how could she bring people in..."
Just as Anel said, everyone saw Rutina walking to the window of the sentry post safely, chatting with the people inside, and handing over several gold pounds.
Then, she turned to look at everyone and waved, indicating that everyone could come over.
A few students were still hesitant, but the couple took the lead and took the lead, holding hands. Three men in peaked caps followed closely behind, and Chen Lun followed with Noah and Anton calmly.
The last five students looked at each other and plucked up the courage to trot forward.
"Old rule, I'll pretend I haven't seen you... But no matter what you see or encounter inside, even if you die inside, it has nothing to do with me."
As soon as everyone approached the sentry post, they saw a middle-aged man in military uniform with half-white hair opening the door and walking out.
He said indifferently, took out the key, led Lutina and everyone around to the back of the sentry post, and unlocked a secret side door under the barbed wire.
Bang!
The wire door creaked and the middle-aged guard pushed it open. He then stood aside and lit a cigarette.
"Don't be stunned, come in with me."
Rutina thanked the guard, then took the lead and stepped into the narrow wire door.
Everyone glanced at the middle-aged guard and immediately filed in.
After everyone entered the barbed wire fence, there was another clang sound behind them, and the wire door was locked.
"Don't worry, he will open the door for us when we come back... Of course, provided you don't die inside."
Rutina said calmly.
But her last sentence made the five students a little nervous.
"Haha... Do you think you are scared? Are you so timid and dare to take risks in Coleridge Forest? If you want to hunt for treasure and make a fortune, you must be brave enough!"
Rutina chuckled.
The expressions of the five students changed slightly. They did not expect that their secrets would be known to each other.
"Don't think it's some rare treasure map. I've seen more than one or two copies..."
She pointed to the parchment in the hand of Messia, a girl with glasses and short hair, and said lightly.
Seeing the expressions of the students change again, Lutina laughed as if she was teasing them.
"Giggle...you guys are so fun!"
"Miss Rutina!"
The girl Gray frowned slightly.
Several boys looked ugly, but Mecia, the girl with glasses, asked:
"Have you seen other people come to the forest with treasure maps?"
"Of course..."
Rutina shrugged. She took out a kukri and split the bushes in front to clear the way.
"Such as the 'Golden Tree', 'Gem Lake' and 'Life Fruit'... In short, many things like this that can only be found in fairy tales have been recorded on so-called treasure maps and spread."
"Then you mean that there is no such treasure in Coleridge's Forest?"
The boy Anel asked in a deep voice.
Lutina cut off the wooden bar with one knife, rubbed her arms tiredly, swung her golden twin tails, turned back, and rolled her eyes at Anel.
"I didn't say that...Coleridge Forest is very vast. Even if I have lived here for so long, I still don't know how many secrets it has. Maybe those things really exist?"
"It seems that the treasure hunters you led before did not find the treasure...otherwise you would not say that."
Mecia said with some disappointment.
The other four students also realized this and sighed.
On the other hand, the three men in peaked caps looked at each other, communicated with their eyes, and made subtle gestures, not knowing what they were planning.
Everyone followed Rutina's footsteps and gradually went deep into Coleridge Forest.
It was fine at first, just an ordinary forest scene.
But as they walked, everyone felt something strange.
First, the chirping of birds and insects ceased, and there was deathly silence all around. Second, the trees gradually became taller, and the sky could not even be seen when looking up. There were thick piles of fallen leaves and mud under our feet, and no one knew whether they might encounter a venomous snake on their next step.
This environment made everyone feel very depressed, and no one was willing to speak out for a long time.
However, the more Chen Lun looked at it, the more he felt that the environment in the forest was very similar to the natural forest in fairyland.
After marching for more than an hour, everyone felt very tired.
The view in front became wider, and a small wooden house appeared in everyone's eyes.
"Let's take a rest here first. This hunter's cabin belongs to me. After eating something, I will take you to the first 'attraction'."
Lutina took the lead into the wooden house, then took out some wooden bowls and handed them to everyone.
She picked up some dead branches and leaves everywhere, lit a fire in the bonfire outside the wooden house, and boiled a pot of water.
"You can walk around, but don't go too far, so as not to get lost."
Lutina sat on a stone pier, adding firewood to the fire, and said to everyone.
After hearing this, the five students were ready to take action, because on the treasure map in their hands, the target location was not far from here.
"Then let's go for a walk, Miss Lutina."
The boy Oslo said hello to Rutina, who waved her hand indifferently.
After several people left impatiently, a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes, which was caught by Chen Lun.
'It seems like she knows something...'
Chen Lun thought to himself.
At this time, the three men in peaked hats took a brief sip of hot water and then left the cabin. They said they wanted to look for prey and eat some meat.
The couple stayed, probably because they were tired, and chatted quietly while holding hands and wandering behind the cabin.
Noah walked aside, took out the easel and small bench, and sketched the wooden house. The cows rushed into the woods like they were having fun, whether they were playing or looking for food.
Only Lutina and Chen Lun were left beside the campfire.
"That's your brother?"
Lutina raised her head and asked Chen Lun. She pointed at Noah not far away with the dead branch in her hand.
"So to speak."
Chen Lun smiled faintly.
"His paintings are good and he is very talented."
Rutina said with interest.
"Yeah, I think so too."
Chen Lun nodded.
But Lutina rubbed her chin and commented in an old-fashioned way:
"But he seems to be relatively unfamiliar with static landscapes, and his technique is that of portraiture. His teacher must be a rigid old guy, who is most likely a court painter."
"You seem to know a lot about painting?"
Chen Lun raised his eyebrows and put down the wooden bowl.
Rutina shrugged.
"It touches a little bit, but I haven't written anything for a long time."
She looked at Chen Lun and asked curiously:
"What on earth are you two brothers going to do in the Augusta Mountains with a cow?"
Chen Lun originally planned to prevaricate a few words, but as he felt more and more that this girl had a secret, he simply took this opportunity to test it out:
"Sending a letter."
"Send a message?"
Rutina was very surprised.
She immediately frowned, as if she thought of something, and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Lutina's nose twitched slightly on her fair and delicate face. She looked at Chen Lun curiously and asked nonchalantly:
"Who am I sending this message to? Is there anyone still living in that mountain range?"
"A friend's teacher."
Chen Lun answered ambiguously.
Now that I have collected all "Carmen's Notes" and learned his magic, and now I am helping him deliver letters... it is not an exaggeration to say "a friend I have never met".
The shock in Lutina's eyes was even worse.
She coughed twice, nodded to express understanding, and then her eyes shone slightly.
"Okay...by the way, have you ever heard of the 'Natural Sect'?"
"Yeah."
Chen Lun nodded naturally.
"A cult organization was driven out of the territory by the empire."
"The Natural Cult is not a cult."
Rutina's tone was slightly dissatisfied.
"They just don't like the Sun King."
She took a deep breath, calmed down, and then asked again:
"Then have you heard of the 'Cat God Cult'?"
"No."
Chen Lun shook his head lightly.
Lutina frowned even deeper. She stared at Chen Lun for several seconds, and finally gritted her teeth and said:
"You lied!"
"Huh?"
Chen Lun pretended to be surprised.
Lutina didn't seem to want to talk to Chen Lun anymore. After rolling her eyes at him, she went to work on the bonfire.
At this moment, exclamations and screams suddenly came from the woods.
Only four of the five students came back, missing a girl named Gray, and the remaining four were covered in blood and looked frightened.
"Help...Help! Gray was captured by a monster!" (End of Chapter)