Chapter 53: 53. When pollution occurs, the hero takes action
Chapter 53: 53. When pollution occurs, the hero takes action
Perhaps after I beat this game, I'll find the answer.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Lin Da said to Lulu with a sympathetic face, "It seems that your old team captain was indeed a strange character! But don't worry, I'm different from your old captain, I will cherish every member of our team."
[System Prompt: Witch Lulu's trust levels +11, current trust level, -10, slight aversion]
Lin Da accepted this unexpected gift without batting an eyelid.
The three headed in the direction of White Dove City, with Lulu leading the way, and Lin Da slightly behind,
On his left was a nervous Kafni, constantly tensing with divine power, on guard for any strange behavior from Lulu.
"You go ahead."
Suddenly, Lulu furrowed her brow and touched the corner of her mouth.
After discovering a bit of black blood on her finger, she paused for a moment, then said in a cold voice, looking down.
"What's wrong?" Lin Da asked.
"I have some matters to deal with," Lulu said expressionlessly, "You go ahead, I'll catch up soon."
Lin Da found it strange, but Kafni grabbed his wrist and gave a meaningful look, eager to get as far away from the witch as possible.
...
Lulu waited on the spot for a while, making sure Lin Da and Kafni had gone far, then she slowly knelt on the ground.
Her little face turned deathly white, beads of sweat the size of soybeans poured down her forehead, and her tail curled up in severe pain.
Black blood, like sewage, flowed from Lulu's mouth and nose.
The veins under her skin became thick like live earthworms, twisting and wriggling grotesquely!
Lulu's eyes widened, bloodshot, as she clutched her chest, her mouth wide open, but because the pain exceeded her tolerance, no sound came from her throat.
A terrible thought flashed through her mind: it was the backlash from overusing the witch's powers when killing those paladins!
But the backlash came on too quickly this time, and Lulu had thought it wouldn't start until the evening.
She was relieved she had sent 'Li Cha' and Kafni away earlier, otherwise if the two discovered her weakness, she would be in danger.
There was something very dangerous inside Kafni, Lulu couldn't say what it was, but the consequences of getting hit by it were definitely bad.
"I won't die easily before I meet that 'Lin Da' from the Snow Goose Adventure Team," she said.
Lulu was driven by a complex sense of resentment to stay alive.
She lay on the ground and crawled like a worm, using her hands, feet, and tail, and hid behind a small hill.
Usually, such backlash would last for about three minutes.
What was strange, however,
was that this time the pain was much worse than before, and the black blood flowing from her mouth and nose was also much more than in the past.
Lulu took out a bunch of bottles and jars of liquid from the pouch on her belt and poured them clumsily into her mouth.
A potion that could relieve the symptoms.
But it had a severe side effect, it would exacerbate the corruption inside her body after a while.
She had no choice now but to take it.
Lulu gritted her teeth in secret, thinking that no matter what, she wouldn't die before she met that Lin Da from White Dove City and confirmed if he was that machinelike captain of the adventure team!
For three years,
she had found dozens of adventurers named Lin Da.
Without exception, none of them were the right person.
But this time, Lulu had a strong hunch.
As if guided by the hands of fate,
it was very likely that Lin Da from White Dove City was the one she was looking for!
...
"You want to go back and check? Are you crazy?"
"Why should you care about that Beastman? Your XP is acting weird!"
"By the way, you're keeping something from me, aren't you?"
Having just walked out of the Barren Plains, Lin Da and Kafni got into an argument.
The cause was simple.
Lin Da suddenly suggested that he wanted to go back and check why the Beastman Witch hadn't caught up with them.
Kafni objected. It would be best to shake her off and never see her again—that would be for the best!
A Witch above level 25 was not something they could handle!
Lin Da said, "She's essentially part of our team now; we can't just abandon her."
"Teammate? She only joined to monitor us, to kill us! And it seems she knows you? What's going on here, and why don't I know about it? You have a history with a witch?" Kafni exclaimed, frustrated.
Lin Da did not answer. The matters of "Mystic Continent," this game, he would tell no one.
His plan to double back and look for Lulu was not about increasing trust or anything of the sort; it was purely out of concern.
When Lin Da saw Lulu talk about her days with the Primitive Adventure Team with a face full of warmth and nostalgia, he couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.
If Lulu, as a game character, were just a bunch of cold data written by people, then whatever the player did wouldn't be excessive, and there would be no psychological burden. But when Lin Da entered the game world of "Mystic Continent," where all characters, NPCs, became real, the things he did to Lulu seemed somewhat cruel.
To the point where she even became a Witch after three years!
In this world, the prerequisite for becoming a Witch was 'a girl harboring a strong desire, who hears the whispers of the Demon King and is willing to pay a huge price to make a contract with him.'
Lin Da didn't know what Lulu specifically desired, but it was very likely related to him.
It was him, as a player, who rescued Lulu from the slavers about to sell her to human nobles, trained her as an adventurer, and gave the girl hope,
but after level 15, the attacks from the Magical Creatures were too strong, making Lulu, a fragile warrior, useless. He stripped her of her gear, sold it, enhanced other characters, and kicked Lulu directly out of the team.
Anyone would probably question their life, and end it all in despair.
Was she seeking revenge against him, the unfeeling team leader, or aiming to become a powerful 'Five-star Character' to gain his approval?
Continue the experience on m-vle-mpyr
Either way, it was related to Lin Da.
As they say, the one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it.
Lin Da, having come to the game world, felt it his responsibility as a player to save those characters he had abandoned!
So, Lin Da had to go back to see, and to invite Lulu to join the team again.
This time it was not a cunning invitation made to prevent combat. It was an invitation from an adventure team captain, asking Lulu to become his teammate and advance with him towards the top of the World Tree.
"Kafni, I must go!"
Lin Da threw off Kafni's hand.
The wind over the wilderness was bracing.
Lin Da left behind the blonde deity and headed toward the Barren Plains in search of the Witch!
He was truly the model of a hero.
Kafni, eyes practically sparking with anger, fidgeted awkwardly for a while then hurriedly followed.
With her Trace of Divine Power there, she could at least ensure the Witch wouldn't act rashly.
Lin Da didn't expect Kafni to follow him, and was surprised, "Thank you?"
"Who made me a Deity? It's a Deity's duty to help a hero," sighed Kafni.
The two retraced their steps and arrived at the Barren Plains.
Looking around, however, they could not find Lulu.
Where is she?
Lin Da felt puzzled.