Sword and Magic and Taxi

What kind of weirdo will I meet? Zhao Mai asked curiously. Since Wadsworth said the word body, the thing walking outside should be a clone, or it would be more appropriate to call it a clone. In Zhao Mai's knowledge system, there are more bad guys who have a lot of clones or are proficient in this technology. It seems that good people fight evil alone and die when they die. But after one bad guy dies, another one appears, and some don't even bother to say I'll be back.

The thoughts in his head did not affect Zhao Mai's actions. He followed the strong Wadsworth all the way deep into the mangrove forest. It was already dark at this time, and it should have been time to eat and rest, but the natural force around him was still strong, and Zhao Mai didn't feel hungry or sleepy. A crescent moon rises from the horizon, and the cold and sharp moonlight is like a blade, cutting a gap in the black curtain. Accompanied by the moonlight, gray-white mist rose from the swamp, hazily covering the black ground and the lower wild arrowheads. Only the reeds could poke their heads out of the mist, swaying gently with the breeze.

In the distance, a crow flew by, and its squawking sound made the night even colder. It passed over the mist, and the rolling white mist entangled its wings like pale tentacles. Zhao Mai shivered and suddenly remembered many scenes from horror movies. Numerous white bones stood up from the mist, with orange-red light in their skulls, forming an army of the undead. Wherever the footsteps of the dead tread, extinction sweeps everything.

What are you thinking? Wadsworth said suddenly: Your natural force is a little unstable. Is it caused by fatigue?

Well, I was just thinking wildly, there's nothing wrong with it. Zhao Mai laughed awkwardly.

The thick fog of the swamp stopped at the border of the mangrove, and it seemed that they knew whose territory this was. The crow flew through the thick fog and entered the mangrove area, resting on the branches and preening its feathers. After a while, a group of crows flew over and stopped next to the previous crows. They stopped making noise and looked around quietly with pairs of red eyes.

They won't hurt my friends, right? Zhao Mai asked worriedly.

They won't hurt anyone, especially your friends. They are my eyes and ears, bringing me news from the swamp. What bad things are the goblins doing? Where are the dangerous traps? Are there any adventurers entering? This is a dangerous place. Wadsworth knocked on the thickest tree with his staff, and its roots moved away, revealing the sloping hole below. I'm right inside, you go in.

Only by squatting down could Zhao Mai enter the hole. This is a warm and comfortable hole in the ground. There is no dirty smell at all, and there are no bugs burrowing around. Although there is no furniture here, the twisted tree roots can be used as tables, chairs and even beds. Above his head and on his sides, the fluorescent moss barely provided illumination, allowing Zhao Mai to see clearly the path under his feet and the direction he was going.

We have to go a little further, young druid, Wadsworth's voice came from the front, no different from his clone, except that the voice was very soft, erratic and swaying like a whisper in the wind. Zhao Mai took a few quick steps and finally arrived at a circular cave, which should be right under a big tree. When the tree roots reach the top of the head, they move around in all directions, leaving space while holding on to the soil tightly to form a stable wall here. This is no longer a wilderness style, but a warm and comfortable home. Several carpets with completely different styles were spread throughout the room. Patched quilts and pillows were placed in the corner. A kettle hissed with steam, but there was no flame burning underneath.

If Wadsworth didn't deliberately deceive, then the halfling in front of him should be his true form - or to be precise, the former halfling. This race can only reach the waist level of an adult, and will always have a baby face and a child's skin. Except that a lot of work will make them look slightly more mature, otherwise they always look like children.

Everyone loves halflings because everyone loves to eat. Of course, not eating halflings, that would be too evil. Halflings are good gardeners, good cooks, master brewers, and master cigarette rollers. Although this sentence is a bit too absolute and even biased like dwarves are all good blacksmiths, it can also fully reflect the reason why this race is popular.

However, the halfling that Zhao Mai saw was old and weak. His skin was covered with a layer of hard bark, and he made a tooth-piercing friction sound when he moved. Druid does have a spell called Tree Skin, which can add an extra layer of bark armor to people. But that spell will never affect people's actions, let alone give people such a terrifying appearance.

Hello, let me introduce you formally. I am Wadsworth, a halfling druid. He spoke in a very soft voice that could only be heard if he concentrated hard. Then he stretched out his hand, and a tree root hung from the ceiling and stopped in front of Zhao Mai. Five branches spread out from the top of the tree root, like a palm.

Zhao Mai thought about it, walked around the tree roots, and shook hands with the halfling. Like the previous Wadsworth clone, the halfling in front of him also had no sense of the natural force. So how does he manipulate these trees? How did he survive?

I'm glad to see Druid again. He is still an apprentice full of vitality and active thinking. Wadsworth sighed: It has been a long time. I can only meet goblins, beasts, and greedy or brave adventurers. I don't trust them, just as they don't trust the force of nature. You are a person who is willing to learn, and you are just starting out, which is the best time.

What do you do with the best time? Zhao Mai asked.

When a tree is strongest, it is not when its branches and leaves are luxuriant, but when its seeds burst out of the ground. That is the time when life conquers death, and that is the time when it first connects itself to the Force. At that time, I made a great wish, hoping To be able to live as long as the heaven and the earth, and to shine with the sun and the moon. I hope to become a new god in charge of the power of nature, and to protect the continuous growth of generations of druids.

Uh, what a big wish. Zhao Mai scratched his head: Obviously you failed, right?

Yes. It is impossible for a god to be trapped in a tree hole, and of course it is even less possible for a god to lose progress and imprison himself. Wadsworth smiled, and the bark fell off his face, revealing... …new bark. He said in a hoarse voice: My failure is that I am too proud. I have not yet obtained the power of God, but I already have the shortcomings of God. How can I succeed? I have been to the Infernal Walker Community. At that time, I could still My legs moved, and I could see with my eyes. I saw the tree of realization, the wisdom of countless predecessors who warned me that I would fail, and then came the persuasion.

'You are just the thoughts of the Druid, the wisdom of the Druid, not the force of nature!' That's how I answered them at the time. After that, I came here quietly and tried to create something by myself. A new tree of realization. But this time, I will record my thoughts about the force of nature and learn the wisdom of the way of nature. Flowers, grass, fish, insects, wind, rain, snow and mist can all leave their realization here.

So I am trapped here, and even my own natural force has been assimilated by the mangroves. Once I leave, it will be equivalent to losing all vitality and will only turn into mud and dust. Wadsworth smiled bitterly: I wanted to become a god, but ended up becoming a tree demon. I only have one wish left in my life, and that is to see the Enlightenment Tree again, tell it my mistakes, and warn future generations.

The tree-shaped halfling tilted his body, turned his head sideways, and looked at the flowerpot behind Zhao Mai: Did you hear that, little enlightenment tree?