Chapter 162: Doubts
Evelyn returned home happily after completing her task, eager to report her success to Mrs. Greenland.
" Briar agreed!" Evelyn exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, Mom, have you heard of 'jiaozi'?"
"'Jiaozi'?" The question came simultaneously from Mrs. Greenland and Mr. Greenland, who was sitting on the sofa.
Mr. Greenland had rugged features but was clean-shaven, with only stubble remaining. His hairstyle and attire were neat and tidy. As he spoke, he looked at the mother and daughter pair with gentle curiosity, his deep blue hair slightly shimmering.
"Yes, Briar said..." Evelyn recounted the "three steps to making dumplings" she had learned from Alice, as well as the tradition of hiding coins in the dumpling filling.
Mr. Greenland suddenly frowned uncomfortably and asked, "Did she mention how to make the 'jiaozi' skin and filling? Or how to wrap them?"
Evelyn hesitated, shaking her head. "I don't think so... but Briar said that finished 'jiaozi' should look like this." She gestured with her hands to demonstrate the shape of a dumpling.
Mr. Greenland nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more.
"Oh, right," Evelyn suddenly remembered something else. " Briar also said that it's best to eat 'jiaozi' with a different kind of utensil. It's, um..." She struggled to find the words. "It's two thin sticks of the same length used together. She called them 'chopsticks'."
Mr. Greenland's brow furrowed deeply.
...
In the dim candlelight, the exploration team made their way through corridors, halls, and rooms, delving deeper into the underground area of the temple.
Suddenly, they came upon a half-open gray stone door. Outside the door grew clusters of beautiful mushroom-like objects. They were about the size of a palm, with white stems and bright red caps dotted with dark golden spots.
Upon seeing these "mushrooms," the team members were overwhelmed with a strong desire to eat them, wanting to rush over, pluck one, and stuff it into their mouths.
"Gulp, gulp." The sound of many people swallowing saliva could be heard, and Derrick was no exception.
Wait, was there... another sound?
"Help me... help me..." A young, frightened, dry, and helpless voice quietly arose.
Suddenly, Derrick felt someone bump into him. He saw a team member rush out of formation towards the "mushrooms."
A long whip lashed out like a snake, wrapping around the team member's ankle. He fell to the ground and came to his senses.
It was Chief Colin Eliot.
The team member immediately got up, full of shame and apology. "I'm sorry, Chief. I just..."
Colin shook his head, scanning them with a solemn tone. "Stay alert. Don't touch anything you shouldn't."
The team member acknowledged shamefully and returned to the group.
At this moment, Joshua stepped forward and warned, "Those are rotting flesh and hairy scalps."
Derrick suddenly felt a wave of severe nausea.
Joshua extended his left palm, covered in a crimson glove, towards the door.
A flash of light, and a fiery fireball quickly formed and shot out, hitting the alluring "mushrooms" dead center.
Boom! The ground trembled slightly as waves of flame spread out two meters in all directions.
When the fire subsided, the mushrooms had completely disappeared, leaving only small pieces of flesh and traces of blood.
The team member who had almost rushed out earlier suddenly covered his mouth, retching violently.
...
Derrick jolted awake from his slumber, seeing the quietly burning campfire and the team members dutifully guarding the camp.
"Monster Hunter" Colin, sitting cross-legged by a stone pillar, opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "We leave after 50 lightning strikes."
...
Behind the altar.
Derrick stared at the small boy who called himself Jack, his expression tense as if he were looking at the most terrifying monster.
In the minds of Silver City residents, anyone who could live in pure darkness for so long was definitely not human. Perhaps they once were, but certainly not anymore.
Moreover...
Derrick looked at the frightened and helpless Jack, remembering the innocent "Fate" from the Tarot meeting.
"Monster Hunter" Colin's eyes seemed to brighten a bit because of Jack. His grip on his sword tightened, but his voice remained calm and steady: "What are you doing here?"
The blonde boy who called himself Jack answered with a slightly pained expression, "We were looking for the Lord's sanctuary."
"The Lord's sanctuary?" Colin probed.
Jack turned his head towards the pitch-black cross and the hanging human figure, replying:
"Yes.
"I remember, my father took me sailing. We sailed on the endless sea for a very long time. I don't remember how long it was...
"Father told me that as long as we kept moving in the direction of the Lord's gaze, we would reach His sanctuary.
"We kept moving forward, always forward, until one day we encountered a massive storm..."
...
Derrick looked up at the sky. The frequency of lightning hadn't noticeably increased; darkness still reigned over this land.
Thinking about the city-state they were about to reach and the temple of the fallen creator god, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
After taking some time to calm himself, Derrick ate quickly and regained his fighting spirit.
Who knows what would happen in that temple... He gripped his "Hurricane Axe" and moved to the middle of the formation.
In the camp, lanterns covered with thin animal skins were lit one by one.
...
The blonde boy who called himself Jack replied, "They told me that as long as we kept moving in the direction of the Lord's gaze, we would reach His sanctuary."
"They? You have companions?" Colin's eyeballs rolled within his eyes, revealing bloodshot whites, before returning to normal.
After taking in the surroundings, Colin continued, "Where are they?"
Hearing this question, the boy Jack was visibly stunned.
Suddenly, he clutched his throat and said with a confused and distorted expression:
"I'm so hungry...
"So hungry...
"So hungry..."
In an almost dreamlike murmur, Jack raised his head, looking at Joshua with his crimson gloves.
"So hungry..."
His mouth suddenly split open, stretching all the way to his ears, revealing rows of neat, white teeth. Thick saliva continuously flowed out.
"Drip... drip..."
The sound of saliva hitting the ground was so eerie in this environment that Derrick, who had been looking for traces of "Fate" in Jack, reacted instinctively. He raised his Hurricane Axe and swung it out.