Chapter 167 Lifting the Curse
As Brian approached the top of the tower, the air began to become cold and mixed with the smell of corruption.
He saw a bedroom that had been elegant and exquisite in the past, which had been defiled and destroyed. The Suni murals on the walls on both sides were covered with dirt and filth.
The three beds were covered with moldy blankets and animal skins, one of which had a huge bone and smelly rawhide as a cover.
Empty chests were scattered on the floor of the room like furniture, containing broken weapons, rotting clothes, and other oddities.
This did not surprise him.
After all, hags’ favorite places to live are twisted woods, desolate wilderness, storm-torn beaches, or dark swamps.
When they settle in a certain building, the surrounding landscape will change over time to what they see in front of them.
Because this is their filthy nature, they like decorations with the smell of death, such as bones, minced meat, and various filthy items.
They are disgusted by the beauty of the world, and always like to 'help' other creatures destroy or change their beautiful appearance, especially places where beauty is the main focus, like the temple of the goddess of love.
These auras of uneasiness and disgust will accompany every aspect of the hag's life.
The hag may fly around on a magical giant skull and then land on an old tree that looks like a decapitated corpse, or she may travel around with a group of caged animals and slaves, and Camouflage yourself with illusions to attract unwary creatures.
They even like to sharpen their teeth with whetstones, weave clothes from the intestines of their victims, and amuse themselves with these horrific and bizarre behaviors.
Before Brian even stepped into the room, he saw two corpses at the door.
Their skin is dark red, and their eye-catching long horns, tails and bat wings show that they belong to alien bloodlines, the so-called demons, the descendants of demons and humans.
He carefully examined the corpses and found that they were all killed by a palm strike to the center of their mouths and a terrible internal force that shattered their hearts and lungs.
Obviously, this is definitely the work of the half-elf monk Lesson.
There was a dejected atmosphere in the dim room.
A kobold with white scales and purple eyes paced back and forth impatiently. He was wearing a patchwork skirt and kept cursing as he walked.
In the corner, there is a dragonborn warrior sitting on the ground leaning against the wall. It can be seen from his dim scales that he is a golden dragonborn.
However, after seeing this dragonborn, Brian's eyes flashed with shock.
Because this is the weakest dragonborn he has ever seen so far.
In his impression, the dragon warrior who was originally taller and burlier than a human being was now worse than a frail old human being in his eyes.
If it weren't for his chest rising and falling from time to time, Brian would have even thought he was dead.
In another corner of the room, there is a little goblin. It is wearing a robe that is extremely disproportionate to its size. It bends its knees and leans against the wall, with a small face full of sadness.
When Brian looked at the little goblin carefully, he suddenly noticed that its wide round eyes were like two bottomless holes, exuding the purest fear.
Recalling the destruction of Arabe City, the girl who gradually became stronger under the comfort of the female lord and finally took up the banner of rebuilding Arabe City, Brian subconsciously said what was in his heart Guess: "Are you Sissi?"
After saying that, he took the initiative to lift his invisibility spell and appeared in everyone's sight.
The half-elf monk, who was sitting on a chair and worrying about the scroll, first turned his attention to Brian, followed closely by the little goblin whose name he called.
Finally, there were the kobolds who stopped pacing and the dragonborn who struggled to raise his head.
"How did you recognize me?" The little goblin raised his head and looked at Brian with disbelief.
The half-elf monk also looked curiously at the lord from Mokou Town at the door.
After all, when he rescued the girl named Sissi, he chatted with her for a long time and learned that the other party and the lord had never met each other before.
But the other party instantly recognized the girl who had turned into a goblin, which was simply incredible.
“From your eyes.”
Brian gave her a comforting look and said to her with a smile, "I was entrusted by your father to come to save you. Naturally, I have seen your portrait, so I can recognize it at a glance from the look in your portrait. Your identity. As usual, your eyes are as gentle as a doe."
The little goblin lowered his head in embarrassment, and his sadness seemed to be relieved a lot.
"Okay, now is not the time to chat about these things."
In order to prevent everyone from getting too entangled on this topic, Brian forcibly changed the topic and diverted their attention. , "Your Excellency Erlanze, tell me what's going on."
The half-elf monk suppressed the doubts in his heart, looked straight, and said to him, "They are the hags of the Stinky Staring Assembly, and they cast A painting of dark dealings and curses exclusive to hags."
"Of course I know this." Brian frowned, "I mean, since the cursed painting has been found, why can't it be restored?"
Ghosts are selfish by nature, and once they need to work together, When the time comes, a gathering of ghost women will be called.
A gathering consists of various types of hags, and all hags have equal status in the gathering.
Nevertheless, each of them actually wants to gain more personal power from it. After all, internal fighting is the tradition of the chaotic evil camp.
An assembly consists of three hags, so that if two of them disagree, the third can vote.
If more than three hags are together, it will be like two hags meeting tit for tat, resulting in chaos.
The process of creating a cursed painting is the hallmark of the Stink Gaze Rally.
This process comes from a night hag grandmother whose name the hags dare not mention.
The method remains a secret, only part of which is known to every member of the Stinky Gaze Coven.
Each hag keeps her secret tightly, fearing that if it is revealed, she will be abandoned by other hags.
These hags disguised as elves lure guests into magical transformations.
The rituals they call magical service appear to be entirely beneficial, and the hags are masters at making their guests think the benefits far outweigh the price they pay.
The price of these special rituals is described by the sisters as 'a little something', which they will collect within a year.
Any creature that accepts the deal will be taken to the studio that Brian has been to before, where the hag will draw a beautiful portrait of the creature within one hour for him to approve.
Because the hag will tell them that when the portrait is finished, they will become what it looks like in the portrait.
After the painting is finished, the portrait's magic transforms the creature it was intended for.
The benefits of this transaction typically last for one year.
But to the despair of these traders, the recipients of its favors experience the opposite effect of the ritual they intended, turning the creature into a dark reflection of their original desires.
For example, those who pursue strength will become weak and helpless, while those who pursue beauty will become ugly.
If a creature gives up the hag's gift before the year is up, the curse takes effect immediately.
If Brian had asked Horrible Morgan to paint an ideal painting for him while he was in the studio, he would inevitably suffer this curse.
"I can't destroy these paintings at all." The half-elf monk pointed to a few paintings on the table and said helplessly:
"You saw it too, even the hags Even if they are killed, the magic of the paintings will still exist, and only destroying the paintings can end the curse it brings. However, in order to lift their curse, the paintings will not be harmed unless they are torn apart in an instant. "
"In other words, you don't even have the ability to destroy these paintings in an instant." Brian looked at the monk, walked to the table, and looked at the paintings on it. .
Everyone also came over like curious babies.
The first thing that caught Brian's eyes was a strong golden dragon-born, who was fighting hard to kill the enemy on the battlefield. He had a posture where one man was able to control the situation and no one could stop him.
Brian looked at the emaciated Dragonborn. Apparently, his ideal appearance had the opposite effect.
Then he looked at the second painting, which was a tall male tiefling with a pair of brilliant violet eyes and a body covered with luxurious jewelry.
"My name is Flash. I am a member of the Jewelers Guild of Waterdeep City and an informant of the Masked Lord of Waterdeep City." Before Brian could speak, the kobold with white scales quickly explained: " I came here because I wanted to grow a few inches taller. After all, the extra height will make me more advantageous in doing business. If you help me lift the curse, I will definitely recommend a strong person to you when I return to Waterdeep City. A powerful ally.”
Brian glanced at him thoughtfully, thinking that among the many masked lords in Waterdeep, there had never been a lord whose informant was a tiefling named Shining.
He realized that this guy might die here.
He looked at the third painting; this was a radiant golden elf, smiling charmingly and gazing at his reflection in the mirror.
Obviously, this is the golden elf Lirian.
He glanced at Sissi who had turned into a little goblin, and wondered what she would look like in her ideal life, so he looked at the fourth painting:
The young girl in the picture is wearing a long dress made of the most exquisite silk, a gold crown inlaid with precious stones, and holding a staff with sparkling light, as if she were a great arcanist.
Brian was amused by this painting. When he looked at the little gnome, he looked like a cat with the heart of a dragon.
"Is there any way?" the half-elf monk asked.
"The method is very simple." Brian stacked the scrolls together, "Find a paladin and let him perform a "Destroying Evil Slash" and it will be done..."
“This is simple, I will bring these paintings to Silvery Moon City. "The half-elf monk looked relaxed and said with a smile, "I happen to know a paladin from the Silver Knights of Silver Moon City. ”
"I haven't finished speaking yet."
Brian glanced at the monk who interrupted him, and the latter looked away embarrassedly.
He added: "These curse scrolls are curses condensed from the purest dark energy. If a celestial creature can be summoned from Tianjie Mountain, they can easily use the pure power of holiness, Completely purify the scroll."
"Having said all that, it's not as effective as the first method." The half-elf monk prepared to pack up the scroll and run away. "Where can I find some celestial creature at this time?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a summoning circle emerging on the cold and corrupt ground.
As the radiating golden light gradually converged, a divine envoy of Wei Xu who looked like a panda appeared in everyone's sight.
The half-elf monk looked at this behemoth in disbelief, and was a little dumbfounded. He did not expect that the lord of Mokou Town could actually summon celestial creatures.
Furthermore, he could tell from the fluctuations of light emitted by the teleportation circle that this was obviously voluntary by the other party and not through force or transaction.
This immediately gave him the idea to write Brian's name into the small notebook that he regarded as the highest-level observation object.
"The favored one of Celestial Mountain, the divine envoy of Wei Xu, Pandar, is at your command." The Pandaren bowed to Brian and said.
"Destroy the scroll." Brian pointed to the scroll held in the monk's arms.
Due to his level up, the "Secondary Alien Oath" in his "Blessing of Heavenly Mountain" already has the ability to summon a garrison envoy for free.
Otherwise, he can only take these things to Silvermoon City.
"Huh? Tiefling, your soul is filled with the stench of money. You are not welcome here, get out!" The envoy of Wei Xu looked at the kobold blocking the road with contempt on his face. say.
Brian could even feel that if he hadn't been there, this little guy might have been trampled to death.
The kobold dared not speak out in anger, so he could only run away in despair.
"Despicable and shameless monk, you haven't returned the scroll to me yet." The Pandaren walked up to the half-elf monk and showed contempt again.
This time, Brian discovered that in the eyes of this garrison envoy who was crazy about his presence, there was no malice in the eyes of the kobold, but only contempt for the monk.
This made him guess that this panda was probably because of his side job. Through the huge magic detection pool located near the gate, he saw something shameful that the monks on the main material plane did. thing.
".Hey! What are you talking about, little guy? After all, why are you scolding people?" Lesson put the scroll on the table and guarded the Divine Envoy with an unhappy look on his face. Said, "I, Lesson Erlanze, am the most famous Harper scout in the North. Am I that kind of person?"
"Yes!"
The kobold made up for it in time, "The 5 gold coins and 3 copper coins that I owed me last time have not been paid back. I also took a bottle of elven mead, and ”
Before he could finish his words, he was glared at by the garrison’s panda, and he was so frightened that he shut up quickly.
Then, the Divine Envoy of Wei looked at the goblins, dragonborn and kobolds with contempt. With a wave of his chubby bear claw, the scroll ignited the holy flame and turned into a pile of ashes.
At the same time, these three unlucky guys immediately began to return to their original appearance.
Seeing this, Brian quickly dispersed the garrison angels who wanted to increase their presence and preach.
Seeing that everyone had recovered, he looked at the person he was saving this time.
The girl named Sissi is slender, fifteen or sixteen years old, her movements are a little clumsy, not elegant at all, her long chestnut-colored hair is messy, and her gentle brown eyes are reminiscent of a doe. , by child standards, he looks quite handsome.
With a wave of his hand, he used the "Psychic Secondary Creation Technique" to make a simple dress for Sissi and handed it to her.
The girl looked at him with gratitude and hugged the clothes tightly in her arms.
"This mission can be considered successfully completed." The half-elf monk said with a smile, "It's time for me to prepare to leave. Nice to meet you, the mage lord of Mokou Town."
"Wait a moment. ."
Brian stretched out his hand to stop him, "Don't leave in such a hurry. You first clean up the remaining stinky fish and shrimps in the temple, and then go to Illanse City to kill Severi. "I called you over."
"Why" The half-elf monk wanted to ask the reason, but noticed that the other party was too lazy to talk to him, so he had to choose to shut up and clean up the trash in the temple.
After seeing the tieflings and dragonborns leaving one after another, Brian immediately focused his attention on a hidden grid on the wall of the room that he had noticed long ago.
He clicked lightly, and a secret room appeared with a rumbling sound.
There is no doubt that it contains all the wealth accumulated by the three hags in the past ten years.
Of course Brian accepted them all without ceremony, otherwise his work would be in vain.
Then, he took Sissi, who was like a follower, to the bathhouse of the Water Fairy.
I saw Lilian, who had regained her golden elf appearance. She was now wearing long platinum hair, with her back to herself, soaking in the hot spring to clean herself.
He signaled to Sissi, who was holding clothes next to him, and said hello to Fairy Shui Ze from a distance, then sat outside the door and waited patiently.
About half an hour passed.
The dazzling golden elf Lilian walked out with Sissi.
“What are your plans?” Brian looked at Lilian, who gave off a morbidly beautiful look. Although she was not as beautiful as in the portrait, she was not trying to give in. He was a little confused about a woman’s love for beauty. Why does the heart become so strong?
It can be seen from this that the other party is likely to be influenced by the goddess of love's creed of pursuing the ultimate beauty, so that the witches can take advantage of it if caught.
He guessed casually: "Or should we continue to run this temple?"
"I don't know yet. I'll make a decision after my brother comes." Lilian sighed softly. He said with a sad face: "I have completely disappointed Suni. I want to follow my father's last wish and resume the path of elf mage."
"Okay."
Brian nodded slightly and ignored it.
He looked at the timid girl next to her and said to her, "Sissi, you stay here with this elf sister first. I have to go to Silvermoon City. Wait until I finish. I’ll take you back to Mokou Town, okay?”
This girl was originally a student of Archduke Raul of Arabe City, and he planned to let her continue to study magic under the Duchess.
"I know, no problem." Sissi smiled a little reluctantly at Brian. She lowered her head and stared at her toes, wrapped her little hand around a strand of hair hanging on her chest, and said slightly awkwardly:
“Mr. Harper Erlanzer told me about what happened in Mokou Town. He said that although you are only a small mage lord now, in the future, your name is destined to be famous throughout the continent. "Praise."
Hearing this, Brian smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. Without refuting or nodding, he stepped on the star formation and disappeared in front of the two of them.
(End of this chapter)