Slide Tackle
Roger walked westward along the banks of the Serra River for a while.
The number of Underground Warthog has increased rather than decreased.
In some areas, the river water overflowed, forming new tributaries or ponds.
The scene was truly breathtaking.
Roger gazed up the Serra River, unable to fathom what had happened.
The Serra River were very quiet, giving the impression that there was no living thing for miles around.
Qi Divination Technique yielded no information, Roger dared not attempt to divine the future.
After lingering for a while, they had no choice but to head back.
On his way back, he saw a tall and handsome man on the shore.
The man, like him, was intently observing the dead pig on the river.
Roger walked over and greeted him, "Good morning."
"Good morning." The man's accent was a bit stiff, and his tone was very formal, suggesting he wasn't a local from the manor.
His attire was unlike that of an ordinary Adventurers, but also quite different from that of a merchant or farmer.
He's more like an official in Dawn Town.
"Isn't that amazing?"
The man turned his face and smiled.
He had a sculpted face with distinct features, a straight nose, a full forehead, and a pair of beautiful dark green eyes hidden in deep-set eye sockets.
His lips were always tightly pursed, conveying a sense of determination.
Even her sparse hair, with its precarious hairline, was neatly combed, revealing a certain unspeakable stubbornness.
Just that one glance.
Roger then vaguely guessed the man's identity.
"Indeed." Roger looked at the dead pig on the river and shook his head slightly. "This kind of thing is completely beyond my comprehension."
"That makes perfect sense." The man looked calmly at Roger, speaking as if reciting lines from a stage play, very deliberately. "I once heard a story."
"Beneath the Land of Buried Bones lies a vast, dark world; in the southwest corner of this dark world, there is a Mossy Plain, teeming with these Underground Warthog."
Every winter, large numbers of Underground Warthog gather in herds, running southwards.
"The warthog horde was overwhelming and unstoppable. Even the ruler of the dark world, the cunning and powerful Two-Headed Black Dragon, dared not face the fierce onslaught of hundreds of thousands of warthogs."
"During that time, all predators would avoid the warthog herds' routes. They swept across the vast underground plains all the way to the southernmost part of the Dark World."
"At the southernmost part of the Dark World is an underground river Bondrey River Bondree. White mist often rises from the river, making it eerie and unpredictable. Warthog herds rush towards the Bondrey River one after another—but as you may know, Underground Warthog cannot swim, so the first ones to rush in will only drown."
"Given the physiological structure of warthogs, after drowning they will quickly float to the surface, becoming a small patch of duckweed on the river surface; thus, later arrivals can step on the corpses of their companions to continue forward, until they themselves become part of the duckweed."
"And so it went, until one day, on a calm stretch of river, the warthogs would build a pontoon bridge with their own bones. Their companions would then have the opportunity to reach the south bank. However, things were not that simple."
"There is also a strange white mist over the Bondrey River. The mist will kill any intruder without exception."
"We still don't know how many Lucky One manage to reach the other side, no matter the cost, by stepping over the corpses of their companions during the annual warthog migration."
"All we know is that the warthogs that failed are all here."
Speaking of which...
The man fell into a long silence, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps reminiscing.
Roger was captivated by this bizarre and somewhat shocking story.
The two stood there stiffly.
They looked like two poor wretches who had been frozen in place by a human spell.
After a while.
The sound of rustling footsteps came from not far away.
"Alan.Dominic".
"You must be Master Roger."
The man came to his senses and generously extended his hand to Roger.
For Roger, this courtesy was something he hadn't done in a long time.
He instinctively grabbed Alan's hand—it was a pair of very thick and warm hands that gave him a strong sense of security.
"Just call me Roger."
He said.
Alan said seriously, "For a Martial Artist who saved the manor from a turtle infestation, 'master' is a very appropriate title."
"And on my way back to the manor, I also heard the legend of the ' White Feather Flying Hero.'"
Roger suddenly felt embarrassed by Alan's praise.
Perhaps it's because he's just too serious.
Roger told himself that.
"Just call me Roger."
He chose to become a reader.
Alan's brows furrowed, and it took him a long time to relax.
"Alright, Roger. I'll make an exception for you this time."
Roger breathed a sigh of relief.
The other people in the manor called him Master Roger in their local accents, which he found rather endearing; but in Brother Alan's serious tone, he always had the illusion that a pyramid scheme master was being publicly ridiculed and mocked.
"Lord Alan, why are the warthogs migrating south?"
Roger steered the conversation back to the main topic:
"Furthermore, if the Bondrey River is the upper reaches of the Serra River, then the so-called 'monster theory' falls apart, right?"
Alan straightened his back, his tone softening slightly:
"At least in my opinion, the idea that there are monsters at the bottom of the river is more like nonsense."
"The Lord's Manor's observation logs over the past thirteen years contain no trace of any demonic creatures."
"As for the warthogs' motivations, only the warthogs themselves probably know."
"However, we do have some preliminary guesses. The specific research results still need further investigation, and I hope Hayward can bring me the latest hydrological data when I return."
Roger nodded knowingly and didn't ask any more questions.
At their first meeting, Alan had already revealed a lot of information to him.
Whether it's true or false is another matter.
These are things that ordinary Adventurers cannot access.
Although he was very interested in the secrets of the Serra River, he also knew the proper boundaries in interpersonal relationships.
The two chatted for a while longer, mostly about the local customs, weather, and food of the manor.
Alan is indeed a very intelligent person.
He is a man of great manners and excellent eloquence, able to win the favor of others with just a few words.
Unlike the usual rhetoric used by scammers, Alan's words always get to the heart of the matter, pointing directly to the root of the problem, earning people's respect.
For Roger, Alan's analytical habits were very similar to his own, unlike those of the natives of Mystra.
This made him curious about the other person's background.
After a while.
Roger led Alan, along with Freya was watching from a distance, on a tour of the farm.
Although Senluo Farm is dilapidated, its natural scenery is still quite nice.
Freya was very thoughtful, bringing her own food, so the three of them simply had a picnic near the forest to the west.
After that, he returned to Roger's house.
The two chatted for the entire afternoon.
As dusk fell, Alan reluctantly took his leave after Freya's repeated entreaties.
It was evening.
Another guard came to visit, saying he had brought Lord Alan's gift of thanks.
Roger opened it and saw a note addressed to "White Feather Flying Hero," which made Roger feel embarrassed.
Below is a Martial Arts Manual.
"Exquisite Martial Arts Manual (slide tackle)"
I saw this name.
Roger's expression turned strange.
"Are you asking me to slide up and feed the enemy?"
However, he still habitually activated his Qi Divination Technique.
"Slide tackle: The signature move of the Pingsha School, founded by Black Tiger"
"Description: This martial arts slide tackle, containing 196 variations, possesses extremely strong armor-piercing, crippling, and opportunity-creating effects. It is a masterpiece condensed from Black Tiger Master's lifelong learning, a deadly weapon in actual combat."
Requirements: Comprehension 15 / Master at least 3 Qi Aperture