But Wendy was not as excited as she was, but asked in a skeptical tone, "Did he really say that?"
"Yeah, before I got there, he saved Anna and Nana. The prince never thought that the witch's power came from the devil. He said it was our own power—" Nightingale stopped suddenly, she realized They didn't believe what they said.
Well, she thought, it wasn't Wendy's fault. If it is me, I am afraid I will not yearn for it based on the description of a witch. The witches have been oppressed for too long. They traveled from the Eastern Realm to the Desolate Mountains. There are too many living examples in front of them. It is common for them to be betrayed and abandoned, and they can no longer trust others.
Thinking of this, her excitement gradually subsided, maybe this trip will not be as smooth as she thought.
"Wendy, you know my branch ability, in addition to being able to see the flow of magic power, it can also tell if someone is lying," Nightingale said seriously, "I once asked him why he took such a big risk to do it for a witch. At this point, he replied to me, "Border Town doesn't care about their background." He wanted all witches to become free people. "
"If he does this, he will become a thorn in the church's side," Wendy frowned. "Even if the prince doesn't know what it means, don't you know?"
Nightingale couldn't help but chuckle, "My initial thoughts were almost the same as yours. I asked him, can this really be done? In the end, guess how he answered me?" She paused and said every word. "If you don't take this step, you'll never know the answer," he said.
"Not lying?"
"No lie." Nightingale affirmed.
"It sounds unbelievable," Wendy's tone loosened a little. For this long-time friend, she really couldn't think of a reason for him to deceive her.
"Yeah," Nightingale felt the same way. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes and had the ability to verify it, she probably wouldn't have made up her mind so quickly. Looking back now, as Roland said to himself on the watchtower of the city wall, he really seldom lied. In the past two months of getting along, except for the use of Bingmang, he did not explain honestly, everything else made Nightingale very satisfied.
Of course, she didn't care about that little deception. It would be strange to be completely open to a strange witch who had just known each other for a while.
"Tonight, when everyone comes back, I will tell the sisters this important news!" She looked at Wendy and said in a deep voice, "I hope you can help me persuade everyone."
When evening came, the witches who were busy outside began to return to the camp one after another. Seeing Yeying's safe return, everyone was very happy and gathered around to ask questions. Seeing the white cloth belts wrapped around their arms, Nightingale felt heavy in her heart. After answering a few questions casually, she raised her hand to calm everyone down.
What follows is a longer story. She started talking about sneaking into Border Town, meeting Roland, Anna, and Nana, building city walls, assembling steam engines, and finally resisting evil beasts and Anna becoming an adult. Nightingale took out the scroll of steam engine design drawings from her arms, proving to everyone that she was not lying.
Most of the witches lived in isolation after joining the mutual aid society. It was difficult to imagine the life outside, and they listened attentively. When Nightingale said that Anna had not suffered any pain and had lived through her adult life unharmed, the crowd suddenly exploded. This is a major event that has plagued the witches all their lives. They endured a life of lack of food and clothing to keep out the cold, and they came to the Desolate Mountains just to find the legendary holy mountain. If, as Nightingale said, the lords of a territory are willing to accept them, and at the same time, it is possible to avoid the suffering of the demons, wouldn't it be more perfect than the holy mountain residence
At this moment, a path split from the crowd, and a witch with green hair and half a serpentine face walked up to Nightingale.
"Hello, esteemed mentor." Nightingale bowed and saluted her. The person who came was the founder of the Mutual Aid Society, the snake demon Hakara. In the meeting, the sisters called her a mentor.
"I heard the stories you told," her voice was hoarse and hollow. "Do you want to tell everyone that what we're doing now is wrong?"
"No, Tutor, those aren't stories, I mean—"
"Enough," she waved her hand impatiently, "I don't know what you encountered in Border Town this time, that would make you say such a thing. A prince who sympathizes with a witch? It's as ridiculous as sympathizing with a frog." She turned around with a sneer, opened her arms and asked loudly, "Sisters! Have you all forgotten how those mortals dealt with you!"
Without waiting for Nightingale to explain, she continued to accuse: "That's right, mortals, those incompetent people pretended to be the prestige of gods and aimed their sharp blades and whips at us. If there was no God's Stone of Retaliation, why would they trample the witch under their feet? Our ability does not come from the devil, but a gift from the gods. It should not be the church, but us! The sisters of the Co-Aid Association! The holy mountain recorded in the ancient books is the residence of the gods!"
What... Nightingale couldn't believe her ears. Although she used to think that the leader of the Mutual Aid Society was a bit eccentric and had an extraordinary obsession with finding the holy mountain, it was still far from madness. Although Hakara was not as approachable as Wendy, at least she cared about her sisters sincerely and sincerely. But she didn't expect that she was so hostile to ordinary people.
So she has been suppressing her hatred and anger for the past few years? The so-called non-interference in worldly affairs is only to accumulate strength in exchange for a thunderous revenge one day? Nightingale thought to herself, what made her not want to hide herself anymore? Is it...
"We have found the clues of the opening of the holy mountain, just as recorded in ancient books! In just twenty days, when a blood-dropping red moon appears in the night sky and passes through the huge stone gate that rises from the ground, we will reach the final destination. The other side!" She turned back and looked directly at Nightingale, "You have been deceived by mortals, and we have been living in a huge deception since we were born. The suffering of adulthood is the test of the spirit and the body by the gods, only the determination of the will. , A tenacious and unyielding person deserves real power. As for the church," she sneered twice, "a group of mortals dare to act in the name of gods in vain, and sooner or later they will go to hell."
"And you... child, it's too late to look back now," Hakara paused, "forget those stories you told, I can forgive your ignorance and mistakes, re-accept you as a member of the mutual aid society, and join us in Find eternity in the holy mountain."
Nightingale's heart has completely cooled down. Is suffering a test? Those sisters who suffered from the phagocytosis on the awakening day and failed to survive, are all worthless eliminations? This statement is almost the same as the church. The surrounding witches actually showed an expression of approval, and Wendy did not stand up... She suddenly felt that she was not interested. Before blinking, the founder of the mutual aid society, the guide of the witches, had become a stranger. .
She shook her head, "Since that's the case, I will take the sisters who are willing to leave with me, and decide to stay here... I wish you good luck."
Just as Nightingale was about to retire, a slight tingling pain came from her calf. She lowered her head and found a black snake with shining blue stripes biting her calf - this is a magical snake, silent and capable of using a variety of poisons, the usual ability of the snake demon Hakkara.
The paralysis quickly spread throughout her body, and Nightingale opened her mouth to say something, but she was greeted by darkness.