Heretics

"Two pieces of Everlasting Moss!"

"That kid is from the Bremen Family, right?" The people began discussing among themselves.

"What a brave young man."

"What a lucky guy!"

Under the envious gazes of everyone around him, the young man in mage robes returned to the Bremen Family's camp.

He was greeted by smiling family members and elders, as well as a church priest approaching from not far away.

From a distance, Gagnor noticed that, after some haggling, the lucky young mage from the Bremen Family seemed to have sold the two pieces of Everlasting Moss to the church.

The church seemed to have a great demand for Everlasting Moss.

This inevitably set Gagnor's imagination running...

After the excitement of the first round of adventuring, most of the people outside Serpent's Cut Line were rather excited. They all stared at the tranquil Tidal Lands, rubbing their fists and eagerly itching to give it a try.

The moon rose once more.

Then, exactly the same scene as last night played out again. As the scenery of the Tidal Lands shifted, everyone gradually realized that the level restriction of Serpent's Cut Line had changed from Tier 1 to Tier 2.

"Tier 2 soldiers can enter now. As I said before, remember to return before the moon rises again!" the captain shouted. "Those who went in last night—you, go in again tonight and lead the others. When you return, I'll record another military merit for you!"

He assigned a thin, tall new recruit in leather armor to serve as the guide for the second round of adventuring.

The assigned recruit seemed somewhat unwilling, but ultimately obeyed the order.

Gagnor did not enter right away. Instead, he looked at a sheet of paper in his hand, where he had tallied the number of people who entered and returned using tally marks.

Two people had not returned...

Considering that more than a hundred people had entered the previous night, the death rate was around 2%.

One person brought back two pieces of Everlasting Moss, which could be counted as ten thousand silver coins, or one hundred gold coins—roughly equivalent to the money an ordinary worker would save over two lifetimes without eating or drinking.

There was a 97% chance of making the trip for nothing, a 2% chance of dying, and a 1% chance of finding two lifetimes' worth of wages.

From an economic perspective, the risks and rewards were fairly well matched. At the very least, this showed that adventuring in the Tidal Lands was not a foolish endeavor.

"So, have you decided?" John glanced at the strange symbols Gagnor had written on the paper, clearly unable to understand what they meant.

Gagnor nodded. "I've decided to go in."

"Then let's set out!" John had been ready for a long time, and the other Tier 2 members of the mercenary group were also waiting beside Serpent's Cut Line, ready to enter at any moment.

Gagnor readied his weapons, potions, and other supplies, then followed John as they prepared to enter the Tidal Lands.

At that moment, Ryan walked over and leaned close to his ear. "Be careful of those Heretics."

"Heretics?" Following Ryan's gaze, Gagnor only saw several hunters walking toward the Tidal Lands together. They seemed no different from anyone else.

"Based on my experience, they're almost certainly Heretics who sneaked in from the west," Ryan said in a low voice. "You grew up in the church. You shouldn't need me to teach you how to deal with Heretics."

"Take this." He shoved a small gray bottle into Gagnor's hand. "Apply it to your weapon. It can easily kill Tier 2 Demon Beasts, and Tier 3 Demon Beasts will also be significantly affected."

"Thanks. I'll be careful."

Gagnor thanked him, then crossed Serpent's Cut Line with John and several other Gray Eagle Soldiers.

When he crossed Serpent's Cut Line, a dense, mysterious power brushed past every pore in his skin. It felt like passing through a curtain of water.

Thinking of how its ebb and flow resembled the tides, he had to admit that "Tidal Lands" was indeed an apt name.

"Why does it look different from the outside?" someone asked in surprise. Inside the Tidal Lands, details such as the height of the trees and the distribution of the grass were indeed different from what they looked like outside.

Gagnor recalled the information he had gathered recently. "When we look inward from outside, only the scenery near Serpent's Cut Line is real. As for the scenery deep within the Tidal Lands, it's merely an illusion solidified when it was last sealed."

Everyone noticed the apothecary's robe he wore, and their trust and sense of familiarity toward him increased somewhat. Someone asked, "Where do you think we should look for Everlasting Moss?"

"The most likely place to find Everlasting Moss is naturally the center of the Tidal Lands. No one may have reached it yet, so there's a good chance we'll find some there. However, we also need to consider the routes taken by others and avoid overlapping with them as much as possible," said a middle-aged hunter in the group.

He was also the leader of this temporary group. The several wrinkles on his face seemed to suggest that he was fairly reliable.

As he spoke, the hunter captain observed the footprints around them and also asked the thin, tall new recruit serving as their guide. After a brief discussion, the group reached an agreement and quickly headed in a certain southeastern direction.

Whenever they found fresh footprints along the way, they immediately adjusted their direction, searching for places no one had passed through as much as possible.

This was not only to avoid conflict but also a requirement for finding Eternal Bloom Plants.

The greatest characteristic of Eternal Bloom Plants was that once sensed by an intelligent creature in any form—even if merely caught in the corner of someone's eye—they would immediately stop growing. Within at most a day, they would merge into the place where they had grown and disappear without a trace.

Therefore, wherever people had passed, there could absolutely be no Eternal Bloom Plants nearby.

Strictly speaking, Eternal Bloom Plants would grow randomly anywhere. However, most places were under the concentrated gaze of humans. Even if Eternal Bloom Plants grew there, they would quickly disappear, which was effectively the same as never having grown at all.

Only isolated places like the Tidal Lands could produce Eternal Bloom Plants that were available for harvesting.

When dawn was nearly breaking, someone suggested taking a short rest. The group built a fire, took out dried food and water, and replenished their strength.

"I'm a little sleepy..." A square-faced warrior yawned.

The hunter captain said, "We basically only have one day. Sleeping in the Tidal Lands isn't a good idea."

"You're right." The square-faced warrior yawned again. "But I was too excited to sleep last night, and I'm really exhausted. Let me sleep for a little while. Wake me when we're ready to set out..."

As he spoke, he leaned against a large tree and fell asleep.

The others exchanged glances. The hunter captain said, "We'll set out in half an hour."

However, just as he finished speaking, a faint rustling sound drifted over, almost impossible to detect.

"What was that?" More than one person noticed the sound, but they could not immediately find its source.

"Hiss!" Immediately afterward, a thick, lengthy green figure suddenly extended from the tree. As it let out a hiss, it wrapped itself around the square-faced warrior who was sleeping in the blink of an eye.

"A Forest Python!"

"Ah—" The square-faced warrior was swept up into the tree by the python, and his scream rang out with him.