Chapter 374: Sealing the Mine (Third Watch)
Chapter 374: Sealing the Mine (Third Watch)
"Huh?"
Hu Ma was caught off guard by this response, feeling both surprised and delighted.
His delight stemmed from the fact that after a night of calling out, he finally received a response, confirming the presence of a reincarnator in this place. With someone familiar with the situation, many tasks would become much easier.
In an unfamiliar land, where one is a stranger to both the people and the surroundings, having someone who understands the situation can bring great peace of mind. Even without significant assistance, a few useful pieces of information would be welcome.
However, Hu Ma was also taken aback by the response, as it seemed somewhat unusual, almost as if the person was reluctant to be found.
"Did you... hide here?" Hu Ma asked, pausing for a moment before continuing with a smile, "It sounds like you're not too happy about being found."
"I didn't hide," the reincarnator, known as Monkey Wine, replied slowly, his voice carrying a distinct air of nonchalance. "I was born here and have grown up here all my life."
"But I don't like being called by other reincarnators..." Monkey Wine added.
"Sigh, every time I start to believe that this world is real and almost forget my past life, you guys show up and disrupt my peace. You remind me of things I had just managed to forget..." He spoke with a hint of frustration in his voice.
"I'm already feeling depressed..."
"Now, I can't even tell which world is real and which is fake..."
"..."
"Are there others like you?" Hu Ma asked, feeling a sense of strangeness.
The reincarnators he had encountered seemed to adapt well to their new identities, maintaining a stable emotional state. But now, there was one who seemed confused.
Had he consumed too much of the Dark Empyrean? Was he unable to distinguish between the real and the fake?
"Do you think I'm being silly? Do you think I shouldn't be wasting my energy on these matters?" Hu Ma asked politely, not wanting to offend.
Monkey Wine, however, spoke up unprompted, "I don't want to think about these things either, but they are right in front of me, aren't they?"
"I've analyzed the reasons why others don't think as much as I do. Perhaps they are more superficial, but I'm different. I'm a graduate from a prestigious university, and I even pursued a doctorate..."
"So, from a young age, I developed a habit of logical thinking and seeing the essence of things."
"For example, when I first came to this world, I thought it was fake."
"But as I studied and observed it, I discovered more and more that this world is real, despite its many phenomena and powers that defy scientific principles. It is a genuine world."
"Everything in it has its own internal logic, but at the foundational level, there seems to be some mysterious distortion."
"So, if this world is real, could our memories of the other world be false? Could everything from our past lives be just a dream?"
"These are real issues I've discussed with other reincarnators!"
"But they don't understand me, and some even think I'm crazy. Perhaps it's because they have lower education and aren't as intelligent..."
"..."
At this point, Monkey Wine paused, then asked, "By the way, what's your educational background?"
"Huh?" Hu Ma was caught off guard by the question and became flustered. "That's not important!"
"Brother, I've just arrived at Hollow Ridge, and there are some matters I need to attend to. So, would it be convenient for you...?"
"..."
"Don't say it!" Monkey Wine interrupted before Hu Ma could finish. "If you tell me, I'll feel compelled to help you because interacting with a reincarnator makes me feel more grounded in reality."
"But when I collaborate with a reincarnator, I can't help but doubt the authenticity of this world. And when I think that this world might be fake, I feel the urge to investigate certain things..."
"However, the things I want to research in this world seem to be taboo..."
"For instance, women born on the night of the new moon are ideal for nurturing Moth Puppets. But first, one must use precise surgical techniques to transplant the half-formed Moth Puppet into the woman's womb, seal her seven orifices with mercury, nail her vital point with a casket nail, and then nurture her body with Blood New Year Beast..."
"If this were a fake world, it would be normal research. But if this is the real world, wouldn't this be going too far?"
"..."
"Huh?"
Hu Ma was momentarily confused by Monkey Wine's words. This was indeed going too far.
It was downright cruel.
"So, I've been troubled by these questions," Monkey Wine continued, almost as if he could read Hu Ma's thoughts. "This world seems real, and the people around me are my family and clan. I can't experiment on them to verify my theories."
"Even captives are living beings. I can't subject them to anti-human experiments to cultivate poison bugs..."
"But after interacting with reincarnators, I can't help but feel that this world is fake..."
"If it's just a fake world, then doing whatever it takes to prove my theories wouldn't matter, right?"
"..."
"Hiss..."
Hu Ma's heart suddenly filled with hesitation. Perhaps it would be better not to seek help from this reincarnator.
Reincarnators themselves have encountered many, some are cautious, some are radical, and some are ruthless...
But now, why do I seem to have met someone who isn't quite normal?
"Forget it, you go ahead and speak!"
But just at this moment, the Monkey Wine suddenly said, "I didn't want to bother with you, but since we've started talking, if you don't speak, I'll be itching to know."
Hu Ma was startled, "What kind of attitude is this?"
"Do you think my attitude is complicated and incomprehensible?"
As Hu Ma pondered, Monkey Wine said, "Actually, my attitude is quite normal, just like an ex-girlfriend's social media posts. You know that you'll regret opening them, but you won't actively seek them out. However, once you accidentally come across them, you still can't help but click..."
"Hiss..."
Listening to his rambling, Hu Ma secretly felt a bit afraid.
But after thinking carefully, he still approached with a probing attitude, slowly pondering, and said, "I haven't thought of any specific goals yet, I just want to ask, do you know about the shamans here?"
This Monkey Wine is a bit odd, let's not talk about specifics, and ask for whatever information we can...
"I remembered my past life when I was seven, and now I'm twenty-nine..."
Monkey Wine listened and slowly replied, "Over the years, I've been living here, and as soon as I open my eyes, I see them. Can you say I don't understand them?"
Listening to his words, Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly, there's an opportunity here...
It seems that Monkey Wine is a shaman in this world, and not of low status, which is perfect for gathering information.
Originally, he didn't plan to ask too much at once, but facing such a strange person, he paused for a moment, then spoke softly, "Then..."
"In Hollow Ridge, there's a blood feast mine dedicated to harvesting the blood and flesh of the New Year Beast. It used to be the property of the Green Robe Gang, but now it belongs to the Red Lantern Society. In the past, the shamans here coexisted peacefully, calling each other brothers, but now, they've been inexplicably surrounded..."
"They neither explain why nor reveal their intentions, yet they've already taken several lives."
"Have you heard of this matter, brother?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Monkey Wine also fell silent for a moment before sighing lightly, "I know. The one who sealed the blood feast mine is a Great Shaman Sage among the shamans."
"He uses the Twelve Gate Formation of the Shaman Alliance, which is formidable. Once it's sealed, outsiders who want to break the curse will have to pass through twelve levels. Failing any level will result in the death of the person attempting to break the curse."
"So, once the blood feast mine is sealed, it becomes a dead end, where one can enter but not exit, extremely dangerous."
"..."
"A Great Shaman Sage?"
Hu Ma's heart stirred, he didn't expect to ask such an important question, and quickly added, "Then, why did he seal the blood feast mine? Do you know the reason?"
"It must be that there's something in the mine that he wants."
Monkey Wine slowly said, "The shaman's craft of nurturing poison puppets is passed down from their ancestors. Long before the appearance of the New Year Beast's blood and flesh, it had been orally transmitted for many years."
"But the descent of the Age God Lord has influenced all paths and legacies, and the shamans are no exception. Long ago, some people discovered... like me, some poison bugs that require specific human blood to nurture can also be nurtured with the blood and flesh of the New Year Beast, and they will have the same, if not better, effects."
"The blood feast mine occasionally has things that shamans need, but shamans are poor, and they can't afford good blood feasts. They are also short-handed, don't know how to operate the furnace, can't hire a Blood Xiu Guardian, and can't occupy a blood feast mine."
"Fortunately, the materials shamans need for nurturing poison puppets are mostly different from what ordinary people need. Your poison is my treasure, and picking up some scraps is enough."
"But if the blood feast mine has something shamans want, they'll spare no expense to obtain it."
"..."
"Indeed..."
Hu Ma exhaled softly and slowly asked the most important question, "If that's the case, do you know the weakness of the shaman who sealed the blood feast mine?"
"Don't worry, brother, I can also exchange equivalent intelligence for it."
"Perhaps, I can owe you a favor and repay it by helping you with something big elsewhere."
"..."
After asking this question, Monkey Wine suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, he sighed, "I do know his weakness, but telling you this doesn't seem right..."
Hu Ma was taken aback and asked, "Why?"
"Because the one who sealed the blood feast mine is me..."
Monkey Wine sighed, "Although we're both reincarnators, it doesn't seem right for me to tell you my weakness and then have you come to deal with me."
(End of Chapter)
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