When night came, the old road shone silver in the moonlight. A soft wind blew through the forest, making dry leaves rustle. The captain of Brissmelie's escort team, holding a map in hand, walked steadily at the front of the team, occasionally looking back to confirm the progress of everyone.
"According to the route, if everything goes smoothly, we can reach the White Tower Academy within about three weeks," the escort captain said. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for the nearby team captains to hear.
"I hope there won't be any unexpected situations," Augur Dapoe of the Dapoe Squad said in a deep voice. His fingers curled firmly around the battle axe, and the muscles in his hand tensed, signaling his disbelief that the trip would be so uneventful.
Indeed, it was too smooth.
Lin Yuan gently rubbed the center of his brows inside the carriage. Since they left the viscount's mansion, they had been on the road for several days. Not to mention bandits and monsters, they hadn't even seen the most common goblins or low-level predators.
"Master, maybe our large group scared them away?" Ute, who was driving the carriage, said with a smile.
Lin Yuan glanced at the night sky and frowned. "Maybe." But he still stayed alert.
From my experience, this is more like the calm before the storm.
That night, after dinner, the escort team didn't stop to rest but continued on their way in the dark.
This puzzled some young adventurers who were on their first long-distance escort mission.
"There's been no danger at all. Why can't we take a night's rest? If we keep walking continuously, our combat effectiveness will decrease, right?" A young warrior muttered in a low voice. Beside him, an experienced female assassin sneered.
"Go ahead and camp here if you have a death wish," she sneered, folding her arms and eyeing the surroundings suspiciously. "What, you've never heard of the Dreamland Dwellers?"
"Dreamland Dwellers?"
As soon as these three words were spoken, the faces of several young adventurers turned slightly pale. Apparently, they had heard the rumors about this name.
At this moment, Vansil walked over and explained softly, "The 'Dreamland Dwellers' are a kind of strange creatures that parasitize in dreams. They won't attack directly but wait for the prey to fall asleep. Then they quietly enter the dream and completely devour the person. The scariest part? If the Dreamland Dwellers go after you, dying in your dream means dying for real."
The young warrior's throat rolled slightly, and he couldn't help asking, "Then... is there any way to defend against them?"
"There are several ways," Lin Yuan's voice came from inside the carriage. He opened the carriage window, looked at the team outside, and said indifferently, "The first way is to rest in a familiar town or a shelter protected by defensive magic. The Dreamland Dwellers can't penetrate a powerful magic barrier. The second way is to use specific magic tools or runes to protect yourself, such as items like the 'Dream Purifying Stone' and the 'Dream Repelling Bell', but the effect is limited. The third option, the most convenient one, is to avoid lingering in one spot and keep on the move."
"I see..." The young warrior nodded and finally understood why the team chose to keep going at night.
But Lin Yuan's words weren't over yet.
"Of course, the Dreamland Dwellers aren't the only threat," he said meaningfully. "Compared to them, the 'Seven Blaze Monsters' are the things that are truly terrifying."
Upon hearing this name, the expressions of several older adventurers immediately became serious. Even Augur Dapoe and Sharoa Desanro frowned slightly.
"The Seven Blaze Monsters..." Vansil sighed softly. "Yeah, if those things show up, it'll likely be a really tough fight."
The young adventurers stared at one another. Finally, someone blurted out, "What are these Seven Blaze Monsters?"
Lin Yuan yawned widely and said, "You'll find out tomorrow at daybreak," before sliding the carriage window shut.
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夜幕低垂,古道在月光的映照下泛着淡淡的银辉,微风拂过林间,带起枯叶沙沙作响.士嫆莉的护卫队长手持地图,脚步稳健地走在队伍最前方,时不时回头确认众人的行进情况.
"按照路线来看,若是一切顺利,我们大约三周内就能抵达白塔学院." 护卫队长说道,声音不大,却足以让周围的几位队长听得清楚.
"希望不会有什么意外." 达破恩小队的奥古沉声道,手握战斧的肌肉微微紧绷着,似乎并不相信这一路能如此顺利.
的确,太顺利了.
林远在马车内轻轻揉了揉眉心,自他们离开子爵府以来,已经行进了数天,可别说是强盗,魔物,就连最常见的哥布林和低级掠食者都没见到.
"老爷,或许是我们这一大队人吓到它们了吧?" 赶车的乌特笑着说道.
林远望着夜空,微微皱眉:"嗯,或许吧..."
但他的内心却并未放松警惕.
以我的经验来看,这更像是暴风雨前的宁静.
当晚,用完晚餐后,护送队伍并未停留休息,而是继续踏上夜路.
这让部分初次执行远途护送任务的年轻冒险者感到疑惑.
"明明没遇到什么危险,我们为什么不能休息一晚?连续赶路的话,战斗力会下降吧?" 一名年轻的战士低声嘀咕道,他的身旁,一位经验丰富的女刺客嗤笑了一声.
"你想死的话,当然可以原地扎营." 她抱着双臂,目光扫视着四周,仿佛在防备着什么,"没听说过 '梦乡人' 吗?"
"梦乡人?"
这三个字一出口,几名年轻的冒险者脸色微微发白,显然是听过这个名字的传闻.
万玟丝这时走了过来,轻声解释道:" '梦乡人' 是一种寄生于梦境中的诡异生物,它们不会直接攻击,而是等待猎物入眠后,悄然进入梦境,将人彻底吞噬.最可怕的是,若是被 '梦乡人'盯上了,梦境中的死亡就会成为现实."
年轻战士的喉咙微微滚动了一下,忍不住问道:"那... 有什么方法可以防御它们?"
"有几种." 林远的声音从马车里传出,他拉开车窗,看着外面的队伍,淡然道,"第一种,在熟悉的镇上或有防御魔法的庇护所内休息,梦乡人无法渗透强大的魔法屏障.第二种,使用特定的法器或符文保护自己,比如 '净梦石','驱梦铃' 这类道具,但效果有限.第三种,也是最省时省力的方法,别在一个地方停留太久,保持移动."
"原来如此..." 年轻战士点点头,终于明白为何队伍在夜晚依旧选择赶路.
但林远的话并未结束.
"当然,梦乡人并不是唯一的威胁." 他意味深长地说道,"比起它们,'七燃怪物' 才是真正该令人恐惧的东西."
听到这个名字,几名年长的冒险者神色顿时凝重起来,就连奥古·达破恩和莎洛娅·德珊萝都微微皱起眉头.
"七燃怪物..." 万玟丝轻轻叹息, "确实,那种东西若是出现,恐怕是一场硬战."
年轻冒险者们面面相觑,终于有人忍不住问道:"七燃怪物...是什么?"
"明天早上,我再告诉你." 林远打了个哈欠,关上车窗.