Act 11: Vogel im Käfig (Bird in a Cage)

Foreword:

Life is like heavenly music; it requires focused attention and quiet listening.

--Wang Xiaobo

The name "Sanwanli Outpost" is a transliteration. It was originally the name of a hunting patriarch from Saladin town, named Sanfansy. This name from Turkey is difficult to translate into other languages, so the translators at the Arcane Library simply used "Sanwanli" to represent the sense of distance between the outpost and the civilized world.

Like Xue Ming, Berloberg, who used to be introverted and quiet and focused on killing people, suddenly became cheerful and outgoing, which puzzled his owner.

The mischievous sword spirit explained the whole story to Xue Ming--

[--Objects are like cages; if you lock me up, of course I can't speak.]

[Stone is the most maternal thing in the world. I am flesh that fell from the giant Mimir/Mim, a part of the Original Seed, a soul fire and spirit that sprang from the corpse of an underground god. When I transform back into a runestone from a tool, I can speak.]

At this time, Xue Ming had already begun packing his mountaineering equipment. According to Luka's instructions, he was to explore the mountains during the dead of winter. The Berloberg Soul in his possession was incomplete. According to Luka's description, there were many ruins of ancient civilizations around the Elf Holy Land, and this kind of rune stone was not a rare item.

[Gunsmith, gunsmith, oh gunsmith!]

Xue Ming didn't reply, focusing on organizing the ropes and ice axe, discussing the route into the mountains with Wolf Brother Oscar.

This road is much more difficult to travel than the mountain road. First, you have to go deep into the canyon and ravine, and then find another way through the complex caves. This is the road that the earliest settlers of Saladin Town carved out, a route from hundreds of years ago.

After learning the details of the gunsmith's feigned death, Luka didn't tell Oscar. He only explained to Oscar why the priest had gone into the mountains during the closed season. In Luka's view, the fewer people knew about the spirit of Berloberg, the better. This sword spirit was the gunsmith's good partner, a sharp blade for the nameless to slay demons. If they excavated artifacts with the hunting party's engineering team, someone would inevitably be possessed by the spirit, like Maquire.

Oscar had been in Saladin for so many years that he hadn't felt the thrill of adventure in a long time. Every mission was just a matter of following the script and procedures. No matter how difficult the obstacle was, there were always engineering machines to clear the way. But the adventurous genes in this wolf's bones were starting to howl. Without waiting for Luka's request, he immediately agreed to this trip.

The two arrived at the southwest side of Saladin town, which is also the source of an abandoned geyser. It has a history of more than 400 years and has sustained more than a dozen generations of Saladin people. If you trace it back, the town mayor's great-grandmother also drank the spring water here. If you walk another 300 meters or so, you can see the mountain rocks that become narrower and more crowded.

Between the cold mountain walls lie rounded and hard stalactite caves, which is another path leading to the Elf Holy Land. The ancients discovered this path when they were exploring the mountains and searching for water.

[Gunsmith! Gunsmith! Gunsmith!!! Ah!!!]

The sword spirit began to emit noisy screams, and if it didn't get a response from Xue Ming, it would turn its master's mind Heaven and Earth Turning.

"I don't like talking nonsense." Jiang Xueming leaned against the path, observing the pattern of the dark trail, then removed his thick face mask to feel the wind direction. "You need to finish quickly; it's too cold here, and I won't be able to speak later."

Aren't you even a little curious? Aren't you curious about my past?

"I'm not even that curious about my wife's past, so who do you think you are?" Xue Ming was extremely indifferent, just like the awful weather. It was hard to believe that someone with a body temperature of 36.5 degrees Celsius could say something like that.

[I was shattered to pieces in Shinto City! You didn't protect me properly! After coming back here, I thought maybe I should find a better friend. Maquire is very good; he treats me like a treasure! He takes good care of me every day, afraid that I might be uncomfortable or unhappy.]

How could you do this? You won't even apologize?

Jiang Xueming: "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry."

[Um.]

Oscar asked, puzzled, "Who are you talking to?"

"The Spirit of Berloberg." Jiang Xueming made no attempt to hide it; Wolf Brother had long known of the existence of this sword spirit.

Oscar: "What did it do to you?"

Jiang Xueming: "It's unhappy and wants to go back to Maquire."

[Hmm? Hmm hmm?! Hmm?!]

Jiang Xueming: "I told it not to get so angry. I apologized to it, I almost knelt down."

[Alright then! I forgive you! You go ahead, and when you can speak again, and your breathing and chest pain are gone, we'll have a proper talk.]

"Thank goodness." Jiang Xueming slipped into the narrow path, with Wolf Brother following behind.

Oscar's enormous size prevents him from leading the way, otherwise the tragedy of the shelter's passageway will repeat itself, and he will get stuck between the caves again.

Walking more than 400 meters into the cave, the terrain gradually descended, and the space above Xue Ming's head became narrow and cramped, forcing the wolf to crawl slowly along the cave wall. Fortunately, the cave did not continue to narrow. There were four forks in the path, all showing signs of human excavation. It was likely that Qingjin was among the ancient expedition team, and that the passageways had been widened to allow his reliable wolfhound companion to pass through.

After exploring the other three forks in the road, they came across a natural hot spring, now a scorched mud pit. Volcanic activity had made it look dirty and smelly, with a pungent sulfurous odor. The two rested there for a while, then walked around the hot spring, finding only a few barely habitable hollows where ancient expeditions slept. These hollows, which used to release geothermal heat effectively, were now scalding hot even when wearing hiking boots.

Turning back to explore the other two forks in the road, Xue Ming's luck wasn't great; he chose almost all the wrong answers. One of these forks led to an artificially bred bat nest. Ancient expeditions, lacking food, carved hundreds of vents into this cave, cultivating mushrooms and vegetation within them, and raising rats for food. Over time, the food chain evolved, and it has now become a bat cave of sixty cubic meters in size.

Another fork in the road leads to a branch of the geyser from which water is drawn. There are a dozen or so fissures here, beneath which are pools built by masons, now abandoned along with the dried-up geyser.

Further in, Xue Ming had to crawl on the ground. This most difficult and narrowest path was a circular hole from which there was no turning back. Teacher Luka had not provided a map of this part, and it had been far too long since the expedition team and the hunting party had ventured onto this old path.

Wolf followed behind Xue Ming, and halfway up, he was in a state where he couldn't bend his arms and legs.

He cursed and swore, "Are you sure this is the way? It looks like it just crawled out of its mother's womb!"

Jiang Xueming: "I'm sure, Professor Luka said that all the information about the old route has been destroyed. In the past, many brave explorers, having nothing better to do, came to challenge this route—abandoning the mountain cable car and the modern tools of the transport team, just to test their physical abilities. The result, of course, was frequent accidents, causing a lot of trouble for the rescue team. In the decades that followed, Saladin's quartermaster destroyed some of the information about the old route every year, and eventually no one remembered this route anymore."

The way to eliminate urban legends is to make people forget about them, so no one will dare to do anything reckless.

"We're almost there." Xue Ming's clothes were covered in bird droppings, which meant the exit was just around the corner.

The air outside was getting colder and the wind was getting stronger, which made Xue Ming wary. He had just poked his head out of the dark hole when he immediately told Wolf Brother to stop.

"Don't go any further, Oscar!"

The thick gloves suddenly pressed down on empty space, startling Jiang Xueming, who then fell heavily onto the rock face.

There was no path outside the cave. Just now, my right arm was hanging on the edge of the cliff, and I pushed a few stones out. It took a full six seconds before I heard the stones hit the ground. Looking down, there was only a dark ravine with no place to stand.

Xue Ming turned on his headlamp and looked closely. The cliff beside the mountain stream had a 70-degree slope. There used to be a foothold, but the cold weather had covered the path with a thick layer of ice.

Xue Ming pulled an ice axe from his backpack. "Wait, Wolf, wait a minute, don't rush me."

This difficulty was no obstacle for Xue Ming. He had once clung to a rock for hours during a trap set by Kang Que Connor, and now his body was even stronger, so he should be able to continue.

"Grab one of my legs, Oscar, and then slowly crawl forward."

Oscar: "Okay!"

Slowly, Xue Ming emerged from his cocoon and repeatedly struck the frozen rock layer with the manuscript, first knocking off pieces of ice, then striking into the more solid ice and rock. He gradually straightened his body from the upside-down position and finally lay on the edge of the cliff.

Oscar was much more capable; he extended his four claws and slid along the cliff for more than ten meters before coming to a stop, clinging to the edge of the cliff.

Xue Ming was initially worried about Oscar's safety, until she heard the clatter of startled birds flapping their wings at her feet, along with Oscar's cries.

"Isn't he amazing? Isn't your Brother Wolf amazing?"

"Wow, awesome!" Jiang Xueming replied.

Conquering nature is a true pleasure; life is like heavenly music, requiring focused attention and quiet contemplation.

They didn't use safety ropes; the ice on the cliff was unreliable, and even in the stalactite caves, there were no stable anchor points to drive nails in. Slowly climbing back was the most reliable option.

Jiang Xueming maintained his even breathing and slowly lowered his body down with the pickaxe. More than an hour later, he finally reached the bottom of the valley safely.

This is the starting point of the Elf Holy Land. Looking back, the iron chain bridge swaying in the gale becomes the only road connecting the civilized world. Further on, along the winding mountain road and various cable cars, passing through caves and hills, more than 140 kilometers away lies the Spinach Heights.

Many lighthouses in settlements can still be seen burning – even during the closed season, skilled and daring hunters still live in these settlements. These people prefer to stay in the wilderness, as Saladin is too noisy for them.

Walking further ahead along the mountain stream, you'll find yourself on a wide, sunny road that gradually widens.

Oscar stepped on the soft bird droppings, his headlamp illuminating the moss and weeds on either side of the road, occasionally turning back to warn the priest to be careful. The wolf was introducing the local customs and animals of the Elf Holy Land.

"We call this place the feeding point."

Large birds like the Golden Eagle Gryphon will drop their hard-to-kill prey off the cliff before coming down to hunt for food.

As he spoke, he dodged the sharp bone fragments, some from wild beasts, and many from unfortunate pathfinders who had perished in their jaws.

"The last time I saw Ako and Aki, they were fighting for food underground."

Xue Ming asked, completely bewildered, "Ake and Aji?"

"Two human-faced eagles, I've named them," Wolf said without turning his head. "Last year, these two silly birds ate some fluorescent grass and got poisoned, flying around wildly. A hunter shot them down with two shots, and we were just about to send them to the kitchen."

"Oh, by the way, fluorescent grass is also a staple food of balloon scorpions. The leaves of this grass have an anesthetic effect. Balloon scorpions aren't born with venom; they rely on eating grass to protect themselves."

"I immediately told the people in the kitchen, 'You can't eat this, it'll cause problems.'"

"I named the two eagles and released them. The next day when I went back into the mountains, I saw them fighting over a Chimera —a species that hasn't been named yet. There are all sorts of strange things, like tiger heads and human bodies, deer antlers and cow eyes, and so on. Anything that's hard to define is called Chimera."

"This monstrous beast must have been killed by a more powerful hunter and thrown off the cliff. At that time, Ako and Aki were tearing at its internal organs. Their beaks had difficulty pecking through the fur, so they started pecking at the wounds that had ripped open its belly."

"Wait a minute."

Wolf Brother's story was halfway through when he asked Xue Ming to stop.

On one side of the mountain stream, there is a vacuum zone. Unlike the complex environment of flowers, grass, manure, and food scraps, this place is very clean.

"We've arrived at Coolcard's territory."

Xue Ming: "What is it?"

"It looks like a mole, but much fiercer." Wolf Brother lowered his voice, crouching down as he carefully pulled Xue Ming forward.

Along the relatively clean valley road, there are dozens of dry and tidy stone caves, with pink flower petals adorning the area around them, and a layer of fine sand drying beside the caves.

Wolf continued, "Kukuka are social rodents. They live in huddles, are very clean, and will hunt in packs even if they see a creature larger than themselves—it's best not to provoke them."

"The sand in front of the door is their bathhouse for cleaning themselves."

"They don't eat carrion, and they settle their nests at the bottom of the valley, also because of these things."

Before the words were finished, a shrill scream of "Kukuka" came from a cave.

Xue Ming immediately covered his ears; the sound almost ripped his eardrums apart.

--These sound waves vibrated back and forth in the mountain stream, making the valley the best mixing space.

A giant mole, about 120 centimeters long, crawled out of the stone cave. It had a bright red nose and two dark, shiny eyes. When it saw humans, it stood upright and spread its paws in a show of intimidation. Suddenly, its throat swelled and bulged, and a fierce gust of wind blew out of its Barry.

"Cool card!!!--"

The powerful sonic attack also made Oscar delirious. He saw that the other moles in the caves were about to crawl out and roar a few times. If an ordinary Homo sapiens were to suffer such a fate, he might actually be knocked unconscious by the roars of these fifty or so moles, and then dragged into the cave to be eaten.

In the blink of an eye, Wolf Brother pulled a purplish-red ceramic doll from his waist pouch. The doll looked fierce and menacing, just like the Skull Earth Dragon Skull and Bones Society's blood-letting unit that Xue Ming had seen before, and resembled the shrewish head of the Bock Society.

Three or four small clay figurines smashed against the entrance to a burrow. The sleek, fat mole king, its eyes widening in fright, immediately scurried back into its hole. The other moles did the same, too terrified by the strange clay pot to utter a sound.

Then look at the pottery jar, which is splattered with foul-smelling, bloody feces, and a couple of white, bare tailbones.

Oscar explained, "This is the poop from the Earth Dragon. Kukuka is terrified of Earth Dragon. To withstand the cold, they can't climb into the caves and can only build their nests at the bottom of the valley. These dead moles are too big; not many creatures can subdue them. Even flying creatures are afraid of their roar. The only ones that can climb this far and defeat them are Earth Dragon like Miss Anna, which are over two meters long."

After passing through this relatively clean area, another obstacle appeared.

It was a clumsy bird, the same Golden Eagle Gryphon that Alfons and the geologists had encountered on the settlement platform during their cave exploration.

It was so hungry that it was emaciated and looked quite strange.

Its cry was hoarse, and it was trapped inside a huge skeleton.

Xue Ming: "What's going on?"

Wolf Brother couldn't understand it either. This raptor was a full four meters long, surrounded by a circle of bone cages, as if it were bound by evil magic, keeping the giant eagle firmly trapped in place and unable to move.

"Oh!"

Oscar thought about it for a long time and finally figured it out.

"It throws down a larger prey to its death, then starts eating from the soft belly. It can't finish it in one meal, and worried that other hunters will come and steal it, so it stays there."

"As a result, during the hunting ban season, the dung and dirt around the griffin froze together, which happened to freeze the griffin's breastbone firmly to the ground, trapping it."