One Person Missing
Such words are always quite alluring.
Lorry and the others instinctively remained silent, waiting to hear what happened next.
Soon, a young male voice, probably in his early twenties, rang out. He was clearly trying to lower his voice, but it couldn't escape the ears of the three Beyonder.
"Of course it's true!"
"If you don't believe me, ask Doris. I was roommates with her brother, so she should know how unlucky I was during that time. I would even get water stuck in my teeth."
"After praying here once, all the bad luck disappeared!"
As the words fell, the previously soft, feminine voice said with a hint of doubt:
"Doris?"
A few seconds later, another woman with a slightly deeper voice spoke up:
It's true.
"I did hear my brother mention him."
Hugh looked bewildered, turning to look at Lorry and Fors, hesitant to speak.
On the way here, Lorry teased them about the bizarre things that had happened in Talin Village, which left the two enthusiastic ladies quite disappointed.
Although they had prepared themselves mentally before setting off.
But what if? People always harbor a sense of wishful thinking.
Lorry shrugged:
Don't look at me.
"I share your doubts, but personally, I feel that what the Tour Guide says, as a local, is more reliable."
At that moment, the three people who had been speaking also noticed them.
A tall, thin young man with brown hair took a few steps forward to greet him.
Hello!
"Ladies and gentlemen, are you also here to seek blessings?"
"That's right." Lorry nodded slightly.
Hello.
The brown-haired man laughed:
"Since we've met, how about we travel together?"
"I have prepared snake repellent powder, which can ensure that everyone can safely reach the deepest part of the forest without encountering a single snake."
"As far as I know, only wishes hung there can be fulfilled."
Deep in the forest? Lorry's heart stirred, and he shook his head, saying:
Thank you for your kindness.
"However, we don't plan to go any further; the Tour Guide repeatedly warned us against it."
The Tour Guide... The brown-haired man subtly pursed his lips, said nothing more, returned to his companion, and continued walking deeper into the area.
Before long, their figures disappeared into the layers of shadows cast by the trees.
"Maybe he's telling the truth..." Hugh muttered softly, staring intently in the direction they left, his face full of regret.
Seeing this, Lorry felt a surge of goodwill and secretly wondered what wish was written on the strip of cloth that made this guy so persistent.
Fors paused for a moment, a thoughtful look appearing on his face:
Did you just use "Mind Reading" again?
"He lied?"
Lorry shook his head, his tone suddenly becoming serious:
No, he wasn't lying.
As soon as the words were spoken, both ladies frowned in unison.
Lorry said in a deep voice:
"This result should be accurate, but there are two possibilities."
"First, it is true that wishes hanging deep in the forest can be fulfilled, but most people don't know that."
"Secondly, he was kept in the dark and firmly believed that it was true."
"So..." He paused briefly, a strange smile playing on his lips, "I chose to refuse their invitation and then quietly follow them."
After saying that, Lorry looked around and finally fixed his gaze on Fors:
"We take turns using the ' Shadow Ring '."
"Okay." Fors nodded slightly, quickly put on the "Shadow Ring", Lorry with one hand and held Hugh's hand with the other, and swiftly disappeared into the shadows.
The brown-haired man and his companion were clearly ordinary people, Lorry and his group followed them quietly without being detected.
Time slips away quietly.
Two groups of people arrived deep in the forest, one after the other.
Compared to the trees on the outside, the red ribbons here are pitifully few.
Perhaps the snake-repellent powder mentioned by the brown-haired man had taken effect, because the group did not see a single snake in the past half hour.
From their conversation, Lorry and his two companions learned quite a bit of information.
For example, they are from Feynapotter, come from a merchant family, are studying history at the University of Feynapotter, and will graduate next June.
For example, a brown-haired man is pursuing a woman with a soft voice.
The other woman, with a deeper voice, was a mutual friend of both of them, and also the sister of the brown-haired male roommate.
For example, a brown-haired man knows that the woman he likes has been having a bad time lately and has encountered a series of unfortunate events. Because of his previous experience of turning his luck around, he tries to persuade the two women to give up going home for the New Year holiday and come to Talin Island for a trip, hoping to get a chance to show off.
A few more minutes passed.
The brown-haired man had apparently found the place where he had made his wish last time, and gestured to his two companions to each choose a spot to hang their wishes.
"Is this all there is to it?" the woman with the soft voice asked doubtfully.
The brown-haired man nodded emphatically:
"Right."
Upon hearing this, she no longer hesitated, and stood on tiptoe to tie her Red Strip of Cloth to the tree.
A moment later, the three left.
Not far away, a thick, ancient tree cast a Distortion shadow, revealing three figures.
Hugh sighed, his face full of disappointment.
"I didn't feel anything, this must be fake."
And you?
"Same." Fors nodded with a smile, offering words of comfort:
"Alright, now that we're here, let's hang our wishes up. Who knows, they might actually come true someday."
As she spoke, she first looked around and found a branch that looked pleasing to the eye.
Hugh muttered under his breath, but he didn't want to make a wasted trip; Lorry simply stood on tiptoe nearby, stretched out his arm, and tied it to a branch overhead.
The three of them then began to head back.
As they walked and talked, Lorry suddenly said in an annoyed tone:
"Shut up, tell me the truth."
"Why were you staring at me like that when it was your turn to use the Shadow Ring?"
Hearing him say that, Fors abruptly turned his head and looked at his friend.
She was clearly one of those being watched.
Xiu covered his mouth and coughed, preparing to speak.
Lorry said quietly:
"You should know that I have a way of determining the truth or falsehood of a statement."
Upon hearing this, Xiu immediately closed his slightly open mouth and pursed it tightly, but under the intense gazes of both eyes, he finally forced himself to speak.
She chuckled awkwardly, feigning calmness, and said:
"Actually, it's nothing much. It's just that there's been a voice in my head urging me to knock you out and have a surgeon perform amputations on you..."
"Well, that's not important. What's important is that I rejected its allure!"
After he finished speaking, the air was silent for a moment.
Lorry looked at Fors and said sincerely, "In the future, unless absolutely necessary, try to avoid letting her use the ' Shadow Ring '."
"I think so too." Fors nodded vigorously, still shaken.
"Hey, that's going too far!"
Hugh said irritably, "So what were you two thinking about just now?"
Lorry looked up at the sky and quickened his pace. "It's getting dark, let's hurry or we'll miss the last Passenger Ship."
"Okay." Fors agreed earnestly, walking faster and faster.
"You!"
Xiu chuckled to himself and strode after him.
Thanks to their Beyonder physical abilities, the three arrived near the forest entrance in less than half an hour and were heading towards the dock.
At that moment, Hugh sensed that someone he had seen before had appeared nearby.
She turned her head and found it was the family she had run into repeatedly that day.
Hugh's gaze flickered slightly, preparing to avert it, when suddenly his eyes widened, and he reacted swiftly, covering his mouth before he could gasp.
The other group went in with five people, but now there are only four left.
One person is missing!