There is nothing worth mentioning inside the sign up building. The lobby is not high, the long wooden tables are littered with scratches and suspicious stains, and there are not even seats for guests to sit on. As for the Sizhang mercenaries—the leading man nodded at the staff, and left directly through the back door, not staying for long. The only sound left in the room was the slow footsteps of the applicants, occasionally mixed with a few coughs, no one communicated, and no one asked any questions. Everyone seemed to know what awaited, and the air was thicker and colder than the streets.
People were lining up crookedly leading the test to prove that the line was moving fast. Nemo suspects that the staff behind the reception desk did not verify the identities of the participants at all.
It was completely different from what he had imagined. The test should be more tense, more formal, and the atmosphere should be tense rather than lifeless.
"Ann Savage." Those with the certificate quickly left the back door, and it was their turn in less than ten minutes. The receptionist was a small, red-haired youth with a weak voice, and it was difficult to tell whether he wanted to talk or was just talking to himself. "Well... the twenty-sixth time, one hundred gold coins."
Nemo decided not to ponder what the number meant.
"Nemo Wright, a gold coin. Someone pays for it." The receptionist glanced hurriedly at him, still in that weak voice. "Looks like me, take it."
The receptionist, who seemed to hate being touched, threw a small metal nugget with a sling over the table and waved weakly. The badge that had just been covered by the cloth was exposed - a black circular badge, not so delicate, with a simple owl embossed on the front.
"Thank you for choosing Garland, and I wish you all the best." He lowered his head and murmured dispassionately, and Nemo almost didn't catch what he was saying.
"Is this really a formal test?" Nemo rolled up the dice-sized, cheap-looking metal square. It has a few simple spells drawn on it, more like a gadget sold to children at the market.
"Refugees don't have name records," An said dryly. "Most people think of one for themselves. Refugees' names don't mean anything. Official residents who become criminals are better checked—if that's what you want to ask."
"But he didn't say anything about the test," Nemo said. "What do we need to do? Fight monsters, or...?"
"It's the same every time, and it's useless to explain. You'll know when the time comes."
Nemo pouted, feeling an itching sensation in the back of his neck being swept away by his gaze. He turned his head sensitively, just in time to see Oliver turn his face away.
Delusions, he thought.
It took a few steps to reach the back door, and the courtyard behind the door was equally unremarkable. Most of the people who had just entered seemed to be gone. The two mercenaries were sticking their palms against the soil, and the magic circle under them exuded a soft silver light. The space above the circle was cut with a square cut, just enough for one person to pass through. The view beyond the opening was clearly visible—a familiar green, accompanied by the melodious chirping of birds.
The people taking the quiz are walking slowly inside. Nemo suddenly had an ominous premonition that materialized as he passed the "door"—the gray-white ridges of the Ash Mountains were crystal clear.
They went round and round and returned to the ghostly place of the Frontier Forest, and looking at the distance from the mountains, it was considered to be the hinterland of the forest - as far as they could see, the trunks were astonishingly thick, and the bark was covered with thick dark red moss. There was a strange hoarseness in the birdsong, and the air was humid but not fresh, mixed with a faint rancid stench.
The only reassuring thing was that the mercenaries followed at the end and entered this open space with them. One of the mercenaries leaned down and opened the box in his hand - countless beetle-sized flying insects rushed into the sky and scattered in all directions. The man who had just nodded with the employees stretched out his hand to draw a simple spell on his chest, and then cleared his throat loudly.
In fact, it was quite unnecessary. Nemo looked around and held the heavy staff in another hand. The people taking the test were eerily quiet, like some new breed of humanoid.
"The border has been drawn, this is the center. When approaching the border, the warning pendant will heat up, and if it crosses the border at will, it will melt." The man's voice was particularly loud. The rope vibrated a few times. "Tomorrow morning, people are still alive, and the warning is still there, even if they pass."
"We will monitor your movements, so don't think about doing things that shouldn't be done." He added, gesturing to his companions, obviously not intending to mercifully allow time for questions. The mercenaries nodded to each other, scattered in all directions, and were quickly swallowed up by the dense bushes and thick tree trunks.
The humanoid plants that were standing still just now finally came to life, and three or five people gathered together, talking in low voices and dispersing. The mother holding the child was particularly eye-catching. She tied the child to her chest with a cloth belt and quickly got into the woods.
"That's it?" Nemo put the sling around his neck, keeping the metal against the skin of his chest.
"Yes, that's it." An chuckled and clenched the hunting spear. "Heizhang doesn't support idlers."
As soon as she finished speaking, a male scream came not far away. I don't know if it was startled by the screams or just full of sleep, but the grey parrot finally woke up. It stuck its head out of Nemo's backpack and shook it vigorously.
"Ouch," it marveled. "There are quite a few demons here—what's the matter with you, are you going to kill yourself in style while I'm not looking? Don't do that."
Its contractor gave it a painful look, not knowing whether it was out of disgust or anger for not getting enough sleep, and was completely in no mood to answer.
"Come with me and find a safe base first," Ann said. "You two don't touch anything."
Nemo silently withdrew the hand that was poking at Moss, and the feeling of being scrutinized returned. He frowned, directly meeting Oliver's gaze this time. He looked at the other party suspiciously, a little unsure whether to ask questions - after all, his expression looked like constipation. If the other party was really sick and embarrassed to say it, it would be rude to ask directly in front of the lady.
Oliver quickly looked away again.
Nemo shrugged inexplicably and followed Ann on. It seems that there are quite a few experienced participants, and there are four or five people who are heading in the same direction, only a dozen steps apart. He finally had some real sense of the test now, which might be a good sign that the wild, elusive days of late were on the right track. After passing this test, everything will return to his common sense-
Nemo's eyes widened.
The two people walking in front suddenly fell to their knees, and then fell heavily into the grass. Blood and brains splattered everywhere, and the strong smell of blood quickly dissipated. The two men who seemed to be older quickly lay down and did not move, and the young man who was with him didn't seem to respond - he looked around blankly, trying to pull his companion who was lying next to him, but couldn't get any response. The young boy collapsed, and he stumbled towards Ann behind him, screaming for help incoherently.
Nemo stared at Ann's back, the female warrior didn't say a word, didn't move, and let the boy run towards him. However, when he was four or five steps away from Ann, his body shook violently, and then fell limply - the boy's head above the chin disappeared without a trace, the whole tongue was exposed to the air, and the wounds gurgled. with blood blister.
With a slight click, a living person died in front of them.
This is completely different from the old Ramon's time. Nemo suddenly felt his stomach turned upside down. If his stomach was not empty, he would turn his head and spit Oliver all over. Oliver's face was pale and he didn't look very well.
"Let's go," Ann said briefly. At the same time, the two men not far away also stood up silently. "It's full and won't attack again."
Nemo glared at Ann in disbelief. Her tone seemed to describe the just-fed dog in her yard, as if it wasn't a dead person, but a lack of feed. For the first time in days he had been so clearly aware of the difference between them that he had indeed been living in another world—another world where death was so heavy.
Less than an hour ago, he selfishly thought she was a gentle but inexpressive person, but her eyes couldn't lie - she really didn't care.
"We just..." Oliver swallowed, "can save him... let's go."
"It's not necessary," An replied calmly, looking not in a good mood. "It's thankless to fight that thing. It didn't attack us. It's the most reasonable thing to do when it's full and walk away."
"But that's..." Oliver seemed to be hit harder.
Ann turned around and took a few steps. She was very tall herself, and she didn't lose much momentum when she stood in front of Oliver, who was about 1.8 meters tall.
"Can you save him?" she asked coldly.
"I have no idea."
"Sympathy is the most useless thing here. That kid just now doesn't want your sympathy, he wants you to risk your life to save him. You say you don't know, then what are you expecting, I'll save him? "
"Listen, little boy." She grabbed Oliver by the collar, "you seem to have done something wrong—one, compassion without the premise of strength will make you die faster; two, I think my own life is stranger than stranger. People are much more valuable, and I don't owe you anything - I'm not obligated to respond to any of your expectations. It's common sense."
"Listen, too." Ann gave Nemo a sideways glance, and the latter shrank his neck subconsciously. "It's understandable for young people to have heroic fantasies, but you'd better remember to me - if you're in trouble, it's not my style to give up your life to wipe your ass."
After she said that, she swung the hunting spear at will, and a strange tentacle broke off beside Oliver, spewing thick purple mucus.
Nemo didn't dare look at the boy's corpse—he was too small to even tell if he was an adult. The joy of returning to the world of common sense just now vanished.
Ann didn't ask him, but he felt that terrible feeling of powerlessness. Can he save the child? Will he die like this—quietly, without a grave or tombstone, and the first impression of those in the know is relief? He began to feel nauseous in another sense.
Ann was right, he did get something wrong - what he thought was a rightful life and a rightful death, none of it existed here.
"Oliver." He approached the dejected brown-haired youth. "Are we friends?"
Oliver raised his head and looked at him with a complicated expression for a moment. "… Probably."
"She's got a point, but I still can't accept it." Nemo's voice trembled a little boneless, but his tone was firm. "If I accidentally rush out and get into trouble, don't save me."
Oliver gave him a deep look, was silent for a moment, and finally sighed.
"Then I have the same request," he replied hoarsely, kicking the turf on the ground uncomfortably.
,Wonderful!
(m.. = )