Research is going on in full swing, and it seems to warn them that the situation is serious, and this winter is also quite long.
One month, two months, three months... It was supposed to be the time when spring returned to the earth, but it was still snowing heavily outside, and there was no sign of warming up. This winter was originally abrupt and early, so the orcs didn't have time to fully prepare for the winter as usual, and because of the large scale of the beast swarm, many small towns and even the fringes of large towns were impacted and lost. So before spring, the food was already exhausted. The real beasts who couldn't stand the hunger had to leave home one after another, and re-entered the jungle regardless of the danger, hoping to find something to feed their hunger, but found that no matter whether it was animals or plants, they seemed to be killed by heavy snow. any signs of survival.
Due to the low temperature and hunger, the first to run into trouble are the old orcs, the sub-beasts who are pregnant with the next generation, and the young and still fragile cubs. Looking around, the faces of many orcs are full of confusion about the future and grief for the lost relatives. They live in numbness day after day, praying for the protection of the beast god before falling asleep, but every time after waking up I fell into a deeper despair.
"You guys take the prey back..." Sui Yuan looked at Monroe and Moya with complicated eyes. The two orcs had lost a lot of weight compared to before, but fortunately their spirits were not bad, and they were not decadent.
This time, they made an appointment with several real beasts to go into the jungle to hunt, but they only met a litter of guinea pigs after wandering around for a long time. However, they still endured their hunger and brought them back to Sui Yuan. It has to be said that Sui Yuan was very moved by this, and couldn't accept their wishes even more.
"Thank you, but you need food more than I do." Sui Yuan paused, and added in a little helplessness.
"You really don't need it?" Monroe frowned, looking at Sui Yuan's skinny ball huddled in the blanket with some dissatisfaction, "As far as I know, Leonard rarely goes into the jungle to hunt, you Is there really enough food?"
"Seldom entering does not mean not entering. On the contrary, it only shows that my efficiency is much better than yours." An indifferent voice replaced Sui Yuan's answer to Monroe's words. The black leopard was holding a plump horned deer. Walking into the house, he put it side by side with the skinny guinea pig, showing off wordlessly, "Eli is my future partner, so I will take care of him naturally, so you don't have to worry about it."
Moya's face changed slightly, with a little bit of unwillingness, a little admiration, and even some peace of mind, he silently lowered his head and picked up his own guinea pig.
"... How did you do it?" Even Monroe couldn't help admiring Leonard's strength. It seemed that ever since he regarded Eli as an opponent because of Eli, he never had a chance to beat Leonard. Instead, every time he provoked, he was firmly suppressed by the opponent, with no room for turning around. Monroe, who was bursting with self-esteem, was very worried.
"Of course I have my own way. Even if I say it, you can't do it." Leonard replied nonchalantly, pretending to be inscrutable.
"... System exchange?" Sui Yuan shrank into the blanket and said in a low voice.
"Well, it must be a system exchange." 5237 nodded in deep agreement, "Food is a cheap item that requires the least points."
Leonard: "..."
Monroe & Moya: "... ???"
After driving Monroe and Moya away without mercy, Leonard who returned to the house glanced at Sui Yuan and began to pack the horned deer from the "system exchange". Sui Yuan felt a little hungry, and watched eagerly with his ears pricked up and his tail wagging, like a cat just waiting for its owner to feed it.
"How is the research going?" Lighting the fire and putting on the grill, Leonard asked in a gentle tone as he looked at Sui Yuan who silently approached him.
Sui Yuan sniffled, stared at the venison on the grill without blinking, and replied absently: "It's almost there."
"Damn it?" Leonard paused.
"Well, it's just a day or two." Sui Yuan nodded seriously.
5237: "...I really don't know how to describe your rotten conversations..."
In the original text, during this period of time, Allen and others finally completed the improvement of the research notes and drew the first spell that can be used to release the power of nature in reverse.
As the person who drew the spell himself, Allen originally planned to test its effect by himself, but Eli, who also participated in the study of spells and regarded confrontation with Allen as the first major event in his life, took the lead instead. hand.
Eli, who is at the bottom of his life and at the peak of the second stage of middle school, believes that if he succeeds this time, the person who first used the spell will definitely leave a brilliant mark in history, and he may stand out from the jedi. And if he failed... He was disgusted and abandoned by Leonard because of Allen, and he was also blamed by his family, and he had almost nothing else to lose.
—So, with this in mind, Eli, who used the spell instead of Allen, lost his life → →
The talisman was not successful, or rather, it was successful to a certain extent, and everyone was confused by its apparent perfection, forgetting that no power can be created out of thin air. The reason why this talisman can release the power of nature must be based on absorbing a certain kind of power, and this power is the mental power, perception, and even vitality of the user who uses the talisman.
Eli made troubles for Alan many times because of his willfulness, and even threatened his life several times. In the end, he exchanged his own life for Alan's survival.
When a huge torrent of power spewed out from the research institute, all the orcs who were immersed in sleep were awakened.
Under the dark night, the silver halo shot straight into the sky, and then turned into dots of silver light and spread down, entangled with the white snowflakes, which was too beautiful to behold.
A new kind of power filled the air, causing everyone to feel relieved inexplicably from the heavy snowstorm. Not knowing what happened, they gradually gathered at the research institute at the end of the beam of light, only to find that the building had collapsed.
On top of the ruins, a black cat-eared boy held a spell, closed his eyes slightly, and was shrouded in silver light. His beautiful and pious face seemed to be a god, and beside the boy was a black cheetah lying on his side. , narrowing his eyes lazily, and wagging his tail weakly.
"Eli? Leonard?!" Finally seeing who these two familiar figures belonged to, Alan turned pale with fright. He wanted to jump up but was isolated by the silver light, so he could only helplessly beat An unknown barrier, "Put down the spell! Do you know what you are doing?!"
The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is. The silver radiance mercilessly pulled power away from the young man's body. The originally rosy face was pale as snow, and the originally brilliant star-like eyes were gradually lost. The young man seemed unable to hear any sound from the outside world, and even lost his consciousness. He just tilted his head slightly at the moment when he was about to fall, and glanced in the direction of Alan and others, and then there was a trace of regret in his expression , pressing heavily on the panther.
- The timing was wrong. I didn’t expect him to be so much stronger than Eli in the original book. He persisted until the crowd gathered and he didn’t die completely. He couldn’t die alone as described in the original book. Sui Yuan felt that it was a pity. Already...
The black panther moved slightly, lowered its head, and lightly licked the boy's blood-stained cheek with his rough tongue. From his tightly closed eyes to his slightly opened lips, he let out a sob-like cry from his throat. Roaring, it seems to be filled with endless nostalgia.
"What the hell is going on!" The silver beam of light couldn't be broken by using various methods. Sen Nuo and Moya were anxious and almost crazy, but Monroe stood there silently, as if he had noticed something. , the face is full of forbearance and mourning.
"He used a spell... that spell... I originally planned to use..." Allen slid down the transparent barrier weakly, his voice choked, and he shook his head helplessly. He should have been the one who faced this situation, and Eli was bearing all this for him, but Alan couldn't feel half lucky, and his heart was full of self-blame and regret.
"... Spell, failed?" The spell study teacher walked over slowly, with a painful expression on his face. He didn't like Eli in the first place, and he wasn't satisfied with his recent research that was just perfunctory. Although he didn't want to see such a result, he cared more about the spell that would affect the life and death of the entire orc group than Eli.
"No... it succeeded... the spell succeeded..." Allen clenched his fists tightly, staring at the person and the leopard lying together as if embracing each other in the silver beam of light without blinking, even his own teeth were already bruised. I bit my lip without knowing it, "I should have thought of it long ago, I should have thought of it a long time ago! The power of nature cannot be produced out of thin air. That spell is a prop that transforms the user's spiritual power and vitality into the power of nature." !"
The spell teacher's face changed suddenly: "He used the unfinished spell secretly without authorization, Eli—"
"Because he knows that it's useless even if he says it." Monroe said suddenly, interrupted the spell teacher's words coldly, and then slowly closed his eyes under the stunned gaze of everyone, "You have always been held by Elimon. In the drum, I don't know that his perception is not the seventh level he showed, but stronger—so powerful that even I can't see how far he has reached."
Hearing his words, everyone's eyes were full of disbelief, and even Sen Nuo didn't realize that such a secret was hidden in his younger brother.
"I just discovered it by chance. I don't know why he did this. The only thing I know is probably there." Monroe cast his eyes on the black panther in the beam of light, with undisguised admiration and admiration in his tone. Painful, and even proud—it was the only sub-beast he ever wanted to sacrifice everything—"Eli knows more about spells than all of you, and he must have seen the disadvantages of this spell long ago, so, He chose to do it quietly before Allen tested it. If there is one person who can maximize his own power into the force of nature and solve the current predicament, then that person is only Eli, and the others can only do it. It's a meaningless sacrifice."
Monroe's voice echoed in the silent night sky, making the orcs involuntarily hold their breath, and even subconsciously breathe lightly. They didn't know whether to believe what Monroe said, after all, all this happened so abruptly, without any warning, that they couldn't react at all.
"Fool..." After a long time, Allen, who had been staring at the beam of light, finally spit out these two words softly, and raised his hands to cover his face. He has always believed that men do not shed tears lightly, but now he has no way to suppress the idea of crying to vent the heavy and dull pain in his heart.
Sen Nuo didn't go to comfort Allen, he just leaned against the transparent barrier, staring at his beloved brother without blinking. He didn't know what he'd done wrong that Eli never told him the secret, and then left forever without saying a word, without saying goodbye.
He died to replace Alan who was going to test the spell, and also for him who loved Alan. Sennuo didn't know what kind of mood Eli said "good night" with a smile at night, and he also He didn't notice anything strange at all, he just turned around and left so ordinaryly.
... Recalling the last scene, Sen Nuo felt like a sinner who had let down his beloved brother.
No one spoke a word until the silver beam of light gradually dissipated, and the transparent barrier in front of everyone was finally opened.
Compared with the rest of the people who were timid because they did not dare to face the truth, Monroe, who had always remained calm and rational, walked up first and came to Eli and Leonard.
Eli lay peacefully in Leonard's arms, surrounded by black cheetahs as if they were treasures. Monroe squatted down, raised his hand and lightly tested the breath of the two, then slowly closed his eyes, lowered his head, and said Out of the most revered etiquette of the orcs for the deceased venerable.
— This etiquette severely shattered the meager hopes that everyone had originally held.
"He is your pride, Sennuo." Monroe stretched out his arms, carefully lifted Eli out of Leonard's arms, and solemnly handed Eli to Sennuo, who was pale and gloomy.
Sen Nuo took Eli, reluctantly raised a bitter smile, lowered his head, and kissed his younger brother's forehead: "Of course, he has always been, he sacrificed for our ethnic group, our family and parents - will Proud of him."
Seeing Sennuo's smile that was more sad than crying, Allen took a deep breath, slowly raised his hand, put it on Sennuo's arm, imitated his appearance, and imprinted a trembling smile on Eli's cold forehead. kiss.
Warm liquid flowed from the eye sockets and dripped on Eli's quiet face. Allen turned his head abruptly to hide his uncontrollable tears.
Recalling the first time that Eli took the initiative to talk to him, and took the initiative to take himself to read the text that recorded the research, Allen suddenly felt that since then, Eli already knew the fate he was going to face next, so he So calm, so calm, as if he finally found the true meaning of life, just quietly waiting for the end to come, and then put it into practice without hesitation, just like the emissary sent by the beast god to save this group.
—Maybe, this is just his wishful thinking, maybe this is the truth, but everything can no longer be verified.
Taking a last look at Eli, who was carefully and cherished by Sen Nuo and Allen, Monroe turned his head again to look at the lonely black panther on the ground.
Moya stood beside Monroe. He still couldn't face the death of the sub-beast he had always followed and loved, so he didn't walk over, but together with Monroe, he lifted Leonard's body up.
"I really don't know whether you are shrewd or stupid." Monroe murmured softly, "I never understood you."
"...Actually, I envy him very much. He can always be with Eli, and even death can't separate them." Moya lowered his eyes and said in a harsh voice, "If Eli allows, I can do this for him too. Do, but it's a pity that there is never a third person between him and Leonard, even death."
"...Although I have a crush on Eli, I haven't reached this point yet, so I can't understand your feelings." Monroe looked at Moya, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly, "But I believe, you You'll meet another subbeast worthy of your devotion."
"Maybe." Moya smiled wryly, nodded slightly, and then shook his head slowly, "But there is only one Eli, and no one can replace him."
The first ray of morning light pierced through the thick clouds and shrouded several people in the ruins of the research institute. An orc who was watching everything silently seemed to be blinded by the light of the morning light. He suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky, surprised. Suddenly, "ah".
With his movements and exclamations, more and more orcs raised their heads.
The dense clouds began to dissipate, revealing the long-lost blue sky and the unglamorous morning sun.
"... the snow finally stopped..."
The heavy snow that has lasted for several months has finally stopped, and the sun shining on the body has a warm feeling of spring.
The first catastrophe has finally passed, and the orcs still have a lot to do in order to restore the vitality of nature, but no matter what, they will not go on the wrong old path, and will not disappoint the people who sacrificed their lives to call for spring. people...