Chapter 216

"Well! It's true that the brothers came to the north because they couldn't survive in the south. But they just relied on us being aborigines to trick us into settling here. Then they slowly used their own men to control us, and then they exploited us. , we have to cut trees and hunt for them, and we have to hand over half of the rewards.”

"This... don't be rude. The supplies we collected are of no use to you. They are all hoarded as emergency supplies."

"Oh? Then do you dare to open the warehouse and show us?"

Rice was silent. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

The other party turned his attention to Leeteuk for help.

Li Teuk nodded after hearing this.

"Mr. Rice, where is the warehouse? Open it and take a look? Since you said that half of the hunting supplies they collected were turned in, they should have a lot stored in the warehouse, right?"

"Uh...well..." Rice was about to retort when he saw Lena squinting her eyes and looking at him "kindly".

His hands were trembling, but he finally nodded.

"Then... then I will lead the way, but... adults, please let us go when the time comes. At least... at least spare our lives..."

"Of course." Lit nodded.

Afterwards, several people came to the warehouse.

Looking at the empty warehouse, Rice finally knelt down.

"I'm sorry, I did use the authority of the village chief to enrich myself. I am guilty, please forgive me..."

"Spare

you? OK. "Li nodded.

Although she was still very angry inside, she thought about it and was ready to spare him.

Lianka and Lena would not want to kill all these people, they were not heinous.

But at the same time, they also need to get the lessons they deserve.

"Let me think about it..." Li Te thought for a while, and then said: "Mr. Rice, you have been the village chief for so long, is it time for you to step aside?"

"Yes! Yes, I will never be the village chief here again."

"Then, you can also stay in the village, but as civilians, you can no longer bully others. Otherwise...you know we have ninth-level people, right? You have to try to see how far you can run before we can't find you. You?"

"No, no, no, I definitely won't dare!" Rice shook his head quickly.

Seeing that his threat had worked, Li nodded.

"Go back first. You can make arrangements for the village affairs internally. Of course, you people who bully the people have no right to participate."

With that said, Lite took Lianka and Lena back to the original house.

They want to gather other people in the village to discuss the future affairs of the village.

Chapter 18: The Lonely God (5K)

"Good morning, Orson."

Early in the morning, Orson saw Ilyich chopping firewood at the door.

"Aren't you afraid that the wood will freeze hard?"

Orson shouted loudly through the wind and snow.

"It's okay, even if it freezes into stone, I can split it open." Ilyich said this and smiled.

Orson walked up to Ilyich, watched him chop wood for a while, and then asked: "Village Chief Ilyich, have you ever heard of the temple deep in the snowfield? It is dedicated to honoring the man who transformed you from the snow monster. The temple of the hero saved by his hand.”

"You said this...I think I've heard of it, but...you know, it's already difficult for us to survive on our own, let alone worship. In my generation, basically no one tries to go to the temple. It’s a pilgrimage, isn’t it right…”

As Ilyich said this, he suddenly stared directly at Orson.

"If you hadn't mentioned the temple, I, a local, wouldn't even remember it. How did you know about it?"

His tone was much colder than the enthusiasm just now.

When Orson saw this, he realized that he had made a mistake, so he thought of an excuse in a hurry.

"That... is actually because I... I had heard about this before I came here." Orson explained.

"Although the outside world knows very little about Lapland, we have compiled some clues through the various stories he brought back from merchants. After all, this fur trade route has lasted for thousands of years, hasn't it?"

After hearing Orson's explanation, Ilyich lowered his guard and then said: "It's exactly as you said. When I was young, the older generation would occasionally mention the matter of sacrifice. When I was young, At the beginning of every year, the elders in the village hold a celebration, both to enliven the atmosphere in the village and to offer sacrifices to the gods.”

"But, as you can see, as the older generation in the village moves away, fewer and fewer of our new generation believe in God. Gradually, we no longer mention this matter."

"Why?" Orson asked puzzledly. "Didn't He help you drive away the snow monsters that were ravaging the snowfield? Isn't He your hero?"

"Yes, of course he is our hero, but apart from this rumor, there is nothing else, especially since I have led the village for decades."

Ilyich put down the ax in his hand and moved his shoulders.

"After years of fighting against nature, I have become more and more aware that although the legendary hero saved us at that time, we have to walk our own path later."

"The fight against the wind and snow and the wild beasts are all the result of our people's self-reliance. No one can protect us for a lifetime. If we don't work hard, no matter how strong our faith is, it will be useless."

"Well, if your goal is to go to that temple, go find old lady Sherney. She is older than me. She was already an adult when I could remember and started preparing for the sacrifice. She should know more. "

With that said, Ilyich pointed to a house in the village.

"That's where she lives. Remember not to be too impatient when knocking on the door. She moves slowly."

"Okay." When Orson heard this, he nodded and prepared to turn around and leave.

"That's right." Ilyich suddenly stopped Orson.

Orson

He stopped, turned around, looked at Ilyich, and asked doubtfully: "Village Chief Ilyich, is there anything else you can do?"

"...After you know the information about the temple, you can go directly. If you need anything, you can take some from the warehouse in the village. However, please do us a favor."

"Please speak."

"If you really arrive at the temple, please help me tell the god that we have not forgotten Him, but we need to inherit His will and live better. He lives in the legends of each generation of us."

The expression on Ilyich's face was very sincere. Orson and he looked at each other, and then nodded clearly.

"I understand, don't worry, I will definitely convey your meaning to the ears of the gods."

…

Orson came to Shernie's house. He knocked on the door. After making sure that his knocking could be heard by the people in the house, Orson waited quietly at the door.

Five minutes passed and the door still didn't open.

Orson thought of what Ilych had just told him, and was not impatient, but continued to wait in the wind and snow.

Another ten minutes passed, and the wind and snow gradually became stronger. Orson was motionless, and some snow was also covered on his shoulders and top of his head.

The door still didn't open.

Another ten minutes passed. As Orson breathed, the snow covering his body was shaken off, briefly covering the sight in front of him.

When Orson could see the front clearly again, there was just the sound of the door opening.

At the door, a wrinkled old woman stood there, looking at Orson in front of her, her eyes full of surprise.

"Ah... you are... a guest from outside, right? Oh, I've kept you waiting for so long. I'm sorry, come in quickly."

Saying this, she quickly made way for Orson to enter the house.

"It's okay, I've only been here not long." Orson smiled, dusted off the snow on his body, and then walked into the room.

"I was still lying on the bed when I heard the knock on the door. Forgive me, old lady, I moved too slowly. It was already so late when I changed my clothes and prepared to open the door."

"It's okay, it's me. If I knew Granny Sherney that it was so inconvenient for you, I would have waited until you got up and came to see you again." Orson also politely walked down the steps.

"Okay, young man, tell me, why did you come to see me?"

Serni said this and brought the kettle on the stove to the table.

"I would like to ask, Granny Serni, do you know where the temple of the three-winged god that the Laplanders believe in is located?"

Xieerni was about to pour a glass of hot water for Orson. When she heard Orson say this, she was stunned for a moment, and the movements of her hands stopped.

Then, she continued to complete her actions, and then sat opposite Orson.

"Young man, what are you asking this question for? Where are you going?"

"Of course, I feel that the story of this hero should not only be passed down among the Laplanders. He also serves as a role model for other people in the empire."

"So, I plan to go to that temple and record His deeds for future generations to admire."

Hearing this, Xieerni held the water glass in her hand, took a sip, and showed a smile.

"Young man, I'm old and I can't remember some things clearly. However, are you sure that you lost your worship and did not steal?"

"We would never dare to steal a god's temple."

"Okay, old lady, I'm just going to think about it and see if I can dig out some useful information for you from the past few decades."

After hearing this, Orson politely thanked her, and then began to wait for Sheerni quietly.

"I seem to have some clues." Serni said this, made a few gestures with her fingers, and continued: "I remember that when I was young, adults said that the greatest thing and the most glorious thing for a Lappish person is The mission is to protect the holy place surrounded by mountains.”

"That holy land is said to be the place where the hero who rescued Lapland sealed the snow monster."

"Towering snow-capped mountains and bottomless ice caves. This is the description of the Holy Land that I heard at that time."

"However, don't take it too seriously. You have also seen Lapland. It is completely white everywhere. Where can you find towering snow-capped mountains and bottomless ice caves?" Sheerni said with a smile. arrive.

"This kind of thing originally only existed in the legends of our local people. Every village, and even everyone may have their own version of it. There are countless things, so just listen to it."

"Okay, thank you Granny Sherney.

"Ossen said this, stood up, and said thank you to Xieerni.

"Young man, are you...really planning to go there?" Sheerni asked in surprise when she saw Orson's reaction.

Orson nodded.

"You have to give it a try, right? If there are mountains deep in the snowfield, it must be the holy place you mentioned."

"But... it will be colder there. We locals are not used to the environment inside. You outsiders..."

"You have to try. After all, He probably doesn't want to be forgotten, right?"

"Frozen for thousands of years, He must be very lonely, right?"

After Orson left these two words with unclear meaning, he bowed again to thank him, and then left Xieerni's house.

Xieerni looked at the door, and the light in her pupils suddenly dissipated a little.

"Oh, young man." She said this, shook her head, then lay back on the bed, closed her eyes, and continued to sleep.

Orson returned to the temporary residence. Elsa and Olivia had also packed their bags at this time. Orson had told them early in the morning that they would head into the depths of the snowfield today regardless of whether they received any further information.

"Oson, you're back? How's the situation? Did you get any useful information?" Olivia asked first as she watched Orson come back.

"Yes, but it may be difficult to walk." Orson said, repeating Xie Ni's words to the two of them.

"..." Elsa heard Orson's words, thought for a while, and then said worriedly: "Since the other party said so, will it be similar to the barrier Limusa set up in the desert? Ordinary people can't do anything about it. Pass directly."

"You have to give it a try, right? Besides, since Teacher Tris allowed us to go deep into the snowfield, it proves that she has some knowledge of the situation in advance. The danger should not be mentioned, but it will be a lot more difficult."

Olivia shook her head when she heard this.

"I don't mind the difficulty, but do you really believe what an old man said? There is no comparison, just one-sided words. What if we don't find any 'towering snow-capped mountains and bottomless ice caves' at all? Woolen cloth?"

"It depends on whether the local people have deep enough belief in their gods."

"After all, he was the one who saved their lives. If I can't even remember the address of the temple, then I would feel sad for this god. Even when I went to the desert, a small orc tribe had a path leading to it. Map of the Temple of Limusa."

Orson said with a smile.

"Then, without further ado, let's set off directly?" Elsa suggested.

"Yeah." Orson nodded.

…

On the other side, Lee Teuk gathered the oppressed villagers in the village and held a meeting.