Chapter 483: Props for Cheaters

Mu You felt sorry for a moment, thought about it, and changed the question: "Is there any place like a garden here?"

"No. This is an undeveloped wild forest. Let alone a garden, there is not even a flower bed." Fu Ya continued to shake her head.

"There must be some ancient creatures, right?" Mu You asked.

"Ancient creatures... do trees count? Many of the ancient trees in this forest are quite old." Fu Ya thought for a while and said.

"Well, it would be best if they can talk and communicate..." Mu You was embarrassed. The Bitter Garden disappeared more than 3,500 years ago, so his idea was to find creatures that survived from that era and ask what happened at that time.

"Ancient creatures, and they must be able to talk... Oh, you mean Gargamel?" Fu Ya suddenly remembered something.

"Gargamel?" Mu You was at a loss, but this was a name he had never heard of.

"Gargamel is an old witch living in the Bitter Forest. It is said that she is also a potion master, but she is not mentally normal. She is always crazy and never communicates with the outside world. She has been living a secluded life in the forest." Fuya said.

"Oh?" Mu You was stunned: "Isn't this the forbidden forest of your academy? Can your academy tolerate an outsider staying in your forbidden area for a long time?"

"This is also your academy!" Fuya corrected Mu You first, and then sighed and said: "Gargamel actually lived here a long time ago. No one knows which era she is from. In short, before the establishment of the academy... No, it should be said that before the establishment of the Lan El Empire, even when the imperial capital was still a wasteland, someone had seen Gargamel in the Bitter Forest, and at that time, she was already as old as she is now."

"Some people have analyzed based on the aging speed of appearance that Gargamel may be the oldest person in the human race , at least over three thousand years old!"

"So in a sense, Gargamel is actually the native here, and we, the wizards who came later, are outsiders..."

"After the Red Rose Academy was established, the academy sent people to find Gargamel several times, inviting her to teach potions in the academy with generous rewards, but Gargamel refused them all. I don't know what this person is thinking, he is determined to live a wild man's life in the forest."

"Fortunately, Gargamel never causes trouble. He usually just hides in the forest and lives in seclusion. He has never hurt students or caused trouble to the academy. The academy did not force her to leave for the sake of its reputation. "

Fuya typed several paragraphs in a row, briefly explaining Gargamel's situation.

Mu You's eyes lit up after reading it. There are actually people who have lived for thousands of years, and they happen to be in this forest. Maybe he can really find the whereabouts of the fairy tribe from him!

"Where is she?"

"Gargamel has a house deep in the forest. I'll take you there."

After saying that, Fuya began to lead the way in the game.

The monsters in this forest are basically level 17-20, which is an advanced leveling field. Students in lower grades definitely can't handle it, but it's not difficult for the two of them.

Mu You drove the mecha skin and kept the gunfire mode all the way, and the artillery fire never stopped.

At this time, Fuya finally showed the strength of an orthodox fire magician. Flames flew all the way, and the flames shot up into the sky. Basically, no monster could survive three rounds under her violent bombing.

The two of them moved forward in coordination, and they were just strolling in this forbidden forest, easily crushing it all the way, and the bitter pollen on hand accumulated more and more.

It's a pity that the shelf life of this pollen is very short. If it is not used within three days, it will lose its activity. This is also the reason why everyone can only come here to brush pollen every year during the Chocolate Festival.

Under the violent development of the two, it only took about half an hour to reach the destination.

[Led by Fuya, you came to a stream deep in the forest. ]

[There were springs nearby, green grass, and pleasant air. It was originally a peaceful natural pastoral scenery, but unfortunately the beauty was destroyed by an old tree with a dead vine by the stream. ]

[The dry old tree was covered with white bones, which seemed to indicate that the owner here was not easy to mess with. Above the stream, a simple arc bridge was built with irregular wooden boards. On the bridge stood three dome-shaped shabby wooden houses, one large and two small. The big house in the middle seemed to be the owner's bedroom, and the small houses on both sides were marked with the words "storage room" and "alchemy room" respectively. At this moment, the doors of the three houses were closed and dark. ]

["Is anyone there?" Fuya went forward and knocked on the door, but no one responded. Only a nest of crows that made their home on the top of the dead vine made a few quacks in coordination, as if to remind you: the owner here is not at home, and you should leave as soon as possible. 】

"It seems he's not at home." Fuya sent Mu You a spreading expression: "It seems that this person often goes to the mountains to collect herbs, and he's gone for several days. I don't know when he will be back... Or, let's come back another day?"

Fuya asked in a negotiating tone.

At this time, Mu You controlled the character to walk towards the dead tree.

【You came under the dead tree and saw a bell stand on the top of the dead tree. Under the bell stand was an exaggerated ancient bell. There was an iron ball hanging in the bell, and a magic circle of amplification was added to the iron ball. 】

【From the unique shape of this ancient bell, you can imagine that if the ancient bell is rung, the sound of the bell will definitely be heard very far, even at the edge of the forest. 】

【Do you want to ring the bell? 】

"Yes."

Mu You chose to confirm without thinking. This clock was placed at the door and its function was equivalent to a "doorbell". It looked like someone was going to ring the bell to remind the owner to come back.

[You held the rope end of the iron ball and were about to hit the bell, but Fuya rushed over to stop you. ]

"Stop, you can't ring this bell!" Fuya sent a message hurriedly.

"What's the matter?"

"Gargamel hates people touching her things the most!"

"Last Valentine's Day, a female student was curious and secretly rang the bell while Gargamel was not at home. As a result, Gargamel hated her. For a month, Gargamel appeared outside the girl's door and window at midnight every day. He didn't do anything, but just grinned at her window with his hair disheveled, until the girl was scared and transferred to another school!" Fuya sent another long message.

At that time, this incident caused a sensation and scared many students, especially those who had secretly gossiped about Gargamel. After that, they never dared to discuss her casually, for fear of being remembered by this crazy witch.

The academy also issued several notices, warning students not to provoke Gargamel when they entered the Forbidden Forest. In short, no one dared to ring the bell after that.

Although Fuya did not experience this personally, she could fully imagine the despair of the girl when she dropped out of school. Anyone who was followed by a mental patient for a month and did nothing but smiled at you would have a mental breakdown.

Fuya definitely did not want this to happen to her, so she hurriedly stopped Mu You.

"What are you afraid of when you are on Earth?" Mu You asked her back.

Fuya was stunned. Yes, her real body is on Earth now, and the one in the forest is just her game character. No matter how Gargamel scares her character, can he still affect her real body through the screen?

"Then... you ring it." When Fuya thought of being on Earth, she immediately felt confident and stopped stopping Mu You. By the way, she was actually very curious about what this legendary 'oldest human' looked like.

["Dong! Dong! Dong..." You rang the ancient bell. The deafening sound of the bell echoed in the forest, and a nest of crows on the top of the dead tree was startled and flew away. 】

【The sound of the bell continued to drift in the mountains and forests until a few minutes later, when you suddenly saw a group of crows flying overhead. After circling neatly above the ancient bell for several circles, all the crows rushed to the ground together. 】

【"Quack, quack..." Amidst the noise, hundreds of crows landed in front of you and gathered into the shape of a person. Finally, accompanied by a burst of black smoke, an old man wearing a pointed wizard hat and tattered robes appeared in front of you. 】

【The old witch was white-haired, skinny, and her old face was full of wrinkles. Her left leg and right arm had disappeared, replaced by an arm and leg made of wood, and she walked with a limp. 】

【After the old witch appeared, she looked at you and Fuya with a cold look, and suddenly grinned and laughed at you. 】

【“…It has been a long time since anyone dared to disturb my sweet dreams…Very good, I remember your two faces. Remember not to sleep too deeply in the recent nights. I will definitely give you an unforgettable summer, hehe…” The old witch’s weird laughter echoed in the nearby woods, making you feel your hair stand on end. 】

“This person…”

Fuya frowned. Although she had prepared herself mentally, she still felt a chill when she saw the text.

Mu You didn’t care. It should be said that for the earthlings who have been baptized by horror movies for many years, this level of horror is really a bit childish. It’s better to find a haunted house and go in for a walk.

After the old witch appeared, Mu You immediately clicked on her name.

【Gargamel, a mysterious witch who has spent a long time alone in the mountains, has a very high level of attainments in potion science. She seems to have many secrets. You may try to explore them. 】

Four options popped up below.

【Ask about her past. 】

【Ask about her treasure. 】

【Ask her teacher. 】

【Ask about the Bitter Garden. 】

When Mu You saw the last option, he was relieved: this witch is indeed related to the Bitter Garden!

Mu You did not rush to expose the Bitter Garden, but clicked on it one by one from the first item.

【Ask about Gargamel's past. 】

【Gargamel looked at you with disdain: "I am a great existence who has survived the gap between eras. How can you young people who are still wet behind the ears spy on my past?" 】

"Survived the gap between eras?" Mu You was shocked. Does this mean that she is also a person who survived the last era?

Mu You originally guessed that this person may have existed in the Bitter Forest since the beginning of the era and lived until now, but he didn't expect that he guessed too conservatively. The other party actually crossed the era, which means that the other party witnessed at least one Great Disaster with his own eyes!

But, how is this possible?

The Great Disaster will destroy all creatures in the Star Spirit Realm. Even the Fools have to flee to the Oblivion with their entire family to survive the disaster. How did she survive?

Mu You hurriedly asked the character to scan the other party again, but the result still did not show any hints related to divinity or the Fool, indicating that the other party was just an ordinary native of the Star Spirit World.

Mu You was also a little confused. The other party didn't want to say it here, and he had no choice but to continue asking.

[You asked about Gargamel's treasure. ]

[Gargamel looked at you with great vigilance: "How dare you covet my treasure?" At the same time, she frantically took out something from her arms. After confirming that the thing was intact, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put the thing behind her. ]

[But in a flash, you still saw what Gargamel took out: a palm-sized human-shaped wooden sculpture. ]

[Fractal Device: A precious cheater's item. After using it, a non-advanced skin can be separated from the main body, becoming a clone that can exist at the same time as the main body. The clone has independent action and thinking abilities, does not share experience, divinity, and lifespan with the main body, but the level and star rating cannot exceed the main body. When the main body dies, the clone dies immediately. The main body can retract the clone at any time within the field of vision, and the main body's consciousness can enter any clone at any time. Remaining number of uses: 3 times. ]

"Huh?"

Mu You was stunned. This was the first time he had seen the name "cheater's item".

‘Cheaters’, by definition, generally refer to those who participated in the closed beta test of the game, understood the game mechanism earlier than other players, and are comparable to cheaters in the game.

And the props specially prepared for cheaters can even be simply understood as ‘cheating props’!

This can also be seen from the prop effects described later: it can actually peel off the skin from the body and become an independent clone!

Doesn’t this mean that multiple characters can be controlled at the same time in the game?

[“The fractal device is a gift from my teacher. It is the most important treasure to me. No one can take it away!” Gargamel tightly grasped the wooden sculpture, but when he mentioned ‘teacher’, his face was obviously complacent, as if he was a little girl who was deliberately showing off her toys. ]

Mu You was speechless. This prop was obviously prepared for the Fool. She was an ordinary person in the Star Spirit Realm and had no skin. It was a waste of heaven’s gift to hold such a prop!

By the way, this thing was actually a gift from her teacher. Who is her teacher? So rich?

[You ask Gargamel’s teacher. 】

【"My teacher is called 'Lord of Disaster', the greatest potion master in the world, unmatched and worthy of respect from everyone..." You noticed that when Gargamel mentioned his teacher's name, a mixture of admiration and love flashed in his old eyes. 】

"Disaster?"

Mu You was stunned. The name of Lord of Disaster, plus the potion master, made him instinctively think of Vivian.

But thinking about it, it didn't seem right. Although Vivian was once a famous figure in the Star Spirit World, she was only more than 900 years old in terms of age. The man in front of him was an old monster who survived the last era, at least more than 4,000 years old. It was almost right for him to be Vivian's teacher.

【Seeing that the old witch was still chattering about how great her teacher was, you suddenly interrupted Gargamel and asked her where the entrance to the 'bitter garden' was. 】

【Hearing the word Bitter Garden, Gargamel immediately shut up, turned around and looked at you in surprise, and hurriedly asked you why you knew that she controlled the entrance to the Bitter Garden? 】

Well, she confessed!

Of course, Mu You was not sure whether the Bitter Garden existed, so he just clicked on the options, but he didn't expect the other party to explode directly.

Speaking of which, this person actually controls the entrance to the Sky City. Who is she?

【You didn't answer the other party, but instead took the opportunity to ask the other party what he would do to open the entrance to you? 】

【Gargamel looked at you and Fuya with wandering eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "I can let you enter the Bitter Garden, but the premise is that you have to pass my teacher's test first!" 】

【"What test?" You asked. 】

【Gargamel took out a bottle of pink potion from his body and handed it to you: "This is a bottle of 'Sweet Potion'." 】

"Sweet Potion? I don't think I've heard of this potion. What about you?" Fuya's message came.

"I haven't heard of it either." Mu You also shook his head.

He had never seen the name of this potion in Vivian's potion book.

["Of course you haven't seen it. This is a fourth-level potion created by my teacher. After taking it, it can immediately calm all curses brought by black magic. It is an absolute genius work!" Gargamel said with great pride. ]

Mu You was shocked. It was actually a potion that could calm the curse of black magic?

As a mystic, he had been dealing with black magic for a long time. Naturally, he understood what this potion meant. Once this potion was released on a large scale, black magic would no longer be a forbidden technique. Any wizard could use black magic freely. If they accidentally lost control, they could take a bottle of potion to return to normal!

Moreover, the other party was talking about "calming all curses of black magic". The "all" here may even include deeper curses of black magic, that is, curses on human nature!

If even the curse of human nature could be avoided, then Vivian and the others would not have to commit suicide at that time. It is absolutely not an exaggeration to say that this potion is a genius work!

["The teacher's test is to reverse the formula of this potion and refine the corresponding legendary potion." Gargamel said. 】

【“Level 4? Legendary potion? Are you kidding?” Fuya exclaimed. 】

Level 4 potion, in theory, can be made by a Level 3 potion master, but once the quality requirements are added, the difficulty will increase significantly. Every time the quality is raised, the requirements for the potion master will increase exponentially. In theory, a Level 4 legendary potion can only be made by an Level 8 potion master!

However, in the current Star Spirit World, there is no eighth-level potion master at all, and the highest is only the seventh level.

In other words, this is an impossible task...

["It's true! This is the requirement left by the teacher. Including myself, we must also meet the requirements before we can enter the Bitter Garden again and meet the teacher..." Gargamel's face was bitter, pulling his white hair, and said in a painful voice: "For this goal, I have been studying here for nearly four thousand years, from a young girl to the ghost appearance now... But so far I can only refine epic potions. I know that the legendary level is a threshold that I can never cross..."]

Foya was surprised. Wasted four thousand years here, from a girl to an old man, just for such an illusory promise?

This, are you sure you didn't meet a liar?