Who says the Magic Cyber ​​Police can't overthrow the Heavenly Gang?

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"Speaking of which, during my investigation, I discovered that many things here are related to the Holy City of Romnia. Given that I heard that people from other villages also leave for Romnia to become White-Robed Disciples, although the way your population disappeared is a little different, I still went to Romnia to investigate."

He paused, then asked:

"The reason you don't usually eat your locally grown high-gluten rice is because it sometimes causes mild dizziness, right?"

"How did you know?" Kiriko scratched her head and said:

"Although that state is short-lived, it is still not very comfortable, so when we have a stock of fine japonica rice, we will generally give priority to using fine japonica rice."

“Hmm, these symptoms are somewhat similar to a certain force I observed in Romnia…”

Just as Latis was about to briefly describe his day's experiences, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the crowd around the campfire. He instinctively looked up and saw an elderly man stepping onto the stone platform by the campfire. Amid the cheers of the villagers, he raised his hand in greeting and then ripped open his thin shirt.

"Holy crap?!"

Latis watched as the muscular old man, resembling a KFC commercial model, flexed his muscles on the stone platform, then turned around and spread his ghostly back with a series of crackling sounds. Latis was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

Snap!

The two girls beside them stared in shock at the scene, dropping the unfinished rice cakes they were holding back onto their plates in fright.

"No... buddy." Latis quickly patted Kirito, whose face was full of envy, and asked in great shock:

"Who...who is this old man...?"

"This is our village chief," Kiriko said respectfully, gazing at the "clan crests" covering the dancing old man's body.

"He has been managing the village for two or three decades. Under his leadership, everything in the village is thriving. He is a very capable village chief."

"..."

Latis fell into a long silence.

He didn't know how powerful the village chief was, but he still couldn't quite accept watching a white-bearded KFC cop performing a vigorous prayer dance.

...Especially! This Colonel Sanders is covered in silver markings written in Elvish! It's so eye-catching!

Latis covered his eyes with a snap, tears streaming down his face, and then pounded the ground.

How could he have such a dream when a healthy, venerable old man with silver skin was dancing in front of him?

Thank Goddess, thank God of Light, he didn't bring Ate with him when he came, otherwise Ate might have fainted on the spot if she had seen this scene.

This is simply... a complete breakdown of social order.

Latis took a deep breath, lowered his hand, looked up, and then suddenly covered his face.

If he looked again, the purification spell lurking in his ring was about to explode.

Chapter 400: The Underground Passage Found!

Amid the cheers and chaotic singing of the villagers, Latis, wearing a mask of pain, watched the elderly village chief's mysterious dance. The bodybuilding show, even more mesmerizing than Colonel Sanders', left a deep impression on his mind, and he felt that he would probably never forget this experience for the rest of his life.

He had never seen anything like it before!

As the dance ended, Latis turned back to look at the two girls who were watching with great interest despite not understanding Elvish, and couldn't help but clap his hands with tears in his eyes.

It's finally over! If it hadn't ended soon, he would have suffered internal injuries from holding it in!

He was the only one in the entire place who could understand Elvish writing, and he couldn't explain it to others, so he could only watch helplessly as this bizarre scene continued.

To give an analogy, it's like witnessing a simple, honest villager in the countryside mistaking a Fijian monument for a meat-shaped lingzhi mushroom—it's unsettling...

Latis couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling that his beliefs were being tested.

By the God of Light, he was truly approaching this mission with a serious mindset. It was all the Night Elves' fault for creating these inexplicable tattoo customs...

Hey, Lazi.

Jennifer smiled and rested her head on Latis's shoulder, asking softly:

"I noticed your expression was a bit off earlier; you were frowning, squinting, and grimacing. What's wrong?"

"JieJie, why are you always peeking at me?"

Latis scratched his head helplessly, nuzzled against Jennifer, and then said sadly:

"Well... it's a long story..."

"You are my monarch. As long as you are by my side, you will always be in my sight."

Jennifer chuckled, glanced around, and seeing that no one was watching them except for Little Leafa, she quietly leaned against Latis's chest, tilted her head back, and bit his chin.

"You little knight, don't do anything naughty!"

Latis didn't dodge, but flicked her forehead after she kissed him, then helplessly pushed her away. He glanced at Leafa, who was covering her face and trying to appear calm, and sighed, saying:

"What kind of master are you? You're not setting a good example at all... Anyway, it's about elven culture. I'll tell you about it in private later."

To be honest, he felt that if he told Jennifer the whole story, she would probably start to have wild imaginations again. The love story he got from the simulation was still in the interdimensional gap. All he could say was that it was like an energy source for him, a legendary captain, that could take off indefinitely.

"In private?" Jennifer blinked, sat back in her seat, pinched her chin and looked at Latis curiously, then lowered her head with a slightly flushed face.

"...Why are you blushing like a teapot?"

Latis couldn't help but complain loudly. He took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to become the one making sarcastic remarks in front of Jennifer.

jingle!

Suddenly, the sound of a bell came from the stone platform. Latis turned around and saw the village chief, who had already put on his shirt and regained his serious demeanor, holding a small bell. After shaking it a few times, he called out in a hoarse but still strong voice:

"Pray for blessings!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers sitting around the campfire put down their rice cakes, crossed their hands over their chests, closed their eyes, and began to pray.

Latis's eyes flickered slightly, and his powerful senses instantly picked up all the mingled whispers.

"what?"

He was surprised to find that, in addition to praying to their ancestors and the earth, Shuluan Village also prayed to the light most of the time, but this part of the prayer was obviously not done with much care, like reciting a text by habit, without any emotion.

Latis stroked his chin, recalling Miss Snyder, who had accompanied him that afternoon, and who also prayed from time to time.

The difference is quite obvious in this comparison. First, the prayers of the villagers of Shuluan Village are not clearly directed, pointing to the light rather than the God of Light; second, they are not devout enough. Of course, this is understandable, since in the eastern part of the Mountain Wasteland, the holy city of Romnia, which symbolizes the light, gives people a feeling that is too oppressive, which will inevitably affect their attitude towards the light.

Perhaps, otherwise, one or two of these villagers would have received a response from the God of Light.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then noticed that Kiriko had finished praying. He patted Kiriko on the shoulder and, amidst the crackling of burning rice stalks in the campfire, asked softly:

"Mr. Kiriko, could you briefly explain what happened earlier? Is it a custom in your village?"

"Ah, yes, Lady Titania."

Amidst the villagers' renewed chatter, Kiriko turned around, scratched her head, gathered her thoughts, and explained to the curious Latis and the other two:

“In Shuluan Village, there is a day every week when we first pray before the bonfire. After the fire goes out, we return to our respective houses to meditate. So this day is called ‘Prayer and Contemplation Day.’”

"..."

Latis was silent for a moment, his lips twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath before asking:

"Hmm...hmm, I saw the prayer, but what does visualization mean? Also, this custom seems quite rare. Are there any legends related to this custom?"

"Sir, your investigation of Shuluan Village has been truly thorough and responsible."

Kirito smiled and flattered him. Having learned that Latis didn't intend to force them to relocate, his current thought was to help Latis complete the investigation and save the village as much as possible. Therefore, he immediately thought carefully and explained:

"This custom seems to have existed since the time of the village chief of the previous two generations ago. However, there aren't many educated people in our village, so it wasn't recorded much. It's just passed down orally, and I heard that the 'prayer-observation day' originated from the pursuit of light."

"Is that so...then prayer is truly magnificent..."

Latis's head was buzzing, and he reluctantly echoed, then saw a look of reminiscence gradually appear on Kiriko's face, and said in a low voice:

"I heard...that was a very difficult time..."

……

……

Many years ago, during the time of the former village chief of Shuluan Village, Shuluan Village was just an ordinary small village built against the mountain, far from being as resource-rich as it is today.

Although the birth of the goddess instantly changed the landscape of the entire continent, the radiance of magic did not fully illuminate all the villages in the Wilderness Territory. On the contrary, it is said that due to the departure of the "Supreme Radiance," the entire Wilderness Territory fell into a kind of "dark age."

Of course, this was not true darkness. The sun still rose in the east and set in the west every day, and the daily routines of ordinary people were not greatly affected. Except for the decades of cold and gloom caused by the decline of the power of light, but now it has returned to normal with the accumulation of the power of light.

However, during those decades of cold and gloomy "dark times," the villages and towns of the Mountain Wasteland gradually became accustomed to praying on sunny days. Even after the environment of the Mountain Wasteland returned to normal, this custom was passed down and evolved into a fixed festival.

Specifically in Shuluan Village, the process of their ancestors' struggle during the cold and dark period was reenacted around the campfire, along with the story of how they gradually won a better life under the blessing of the "clan markings" that appeared out of nowhere over the years. So even though the village chief's dance moves were a bit unusual, the villagers were still very excited.

As for visualization, on the night of "Prayer Day," villagers often have a dreamlike feeling, and some dream of performing strange ceremonies with many blurry figures.

Often, after having this dream, the villagers would find that their "clan markings" had increased the next day. Although they were very tired, they felt surprisingly full of energy. Over time, they called this experience a spiritual journey in meditation, and regarded it as a kind of blessing from the gods.

Kiriko himself had also experienced such a dream several times. According to him, after having such a dream, he would feel tired for three to five days. However, after recovering, he would feel that his physical vitality and recovery ability had increased. Although it could not be compared with the physical fitness of warriors, it could be seen from the physical fitness of the old village chief that it at least had the effect of prolonging life.

Upon hearing this, Latis muttered to himself:

"That sounds a bit like the effect of life energy... So, while the night elves do come to Tree Peak Village to conscript men, it's ultimately a sustainable, short-sighted approach... They've been doing this for so many years, there shouldn't be any reason for them to randomly conscript people and not release them, right?"

"That's about it. Forgive me for not being very educated; I might not have explained it clearly." Kirito scratched his head, glanced at the villagers who had all dispersed to rest in their caves, patted his legs, stood up, and said:

"Lord Titania, I sincerely hope that you can investigate the reason why those villagers went missing, both for the future of the village and for the sake of my brotherhood... If there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Thank you for your explanation.

Latis snapped out of his reverie and nodded. Watching Kirito gradually leave, he stroked his chin and fell into deep thought again, facing the remaining straw and embers in the campfire.

During the conversation, he also inquired about the possible existence of underground passages within Kiriko Village.

At first glance, Kiriko was a little confused by the description "a remote corner where hardly anyone goes", but after thinking about it carefully, she still came up with a few possibilities.

First, there are the caves used for storing grain. Because the climate in the mountain wilderness is dry, the village of Shuluan only cleans out its inventory once every five years, so there is indeed a possibility that underground passages exist.

Secondly, there was an area where plant roots were tangled together. Although there were natural caves, they were blocked by roots and could not be used, so they were left unused.

Finally, there is the cave where "scented grass" is planted. It is quite deep and winding. Since this plant does not need to absorb the power of light, it is planted in large numbers in the cave.

Latis felt that the cave was the most likely place to find underground passages, and since it was deep and dark, it wasn't very friendly to the two girls, so she volunteered to explore the cave first. Liz chose to study the grains that she was more familiar with, and the remaining unused cave was left to Jennifer.

"Alright, then we'll meet in ten minutes at the guesthouse arranged by the villagers."

Latis clapped his hands, stood up, and one last time warmed the dying embers of the campfire before striding decisively toward the cave behind the dense rice paddies.

Leafa and Jennifer exchanged a glance, then placed their hands on the swords at their waists in a very similar gesture before heading off to their respective search locations.

Hmm...so many different grains...