Chapter 97: A Gift from the Priest
The moment the wooden box opened, a burst of yellow smoke sprayed out from within.
"Cough, cough, pfft... what is this smell!"
Mickey held his breath, his hands groping around constantly, trying to get away from the carriage.
The two companions beside him were no better off; the smoke entered their eyes, causing an unbearable stinging sensation.
A moment later, the three scrambled and crawled, finally escaping the area covered by smoke.
Mickey looked panicked and hurriedly opened his carry-on bag.
"Hurry... hurry."
He frantically threw the items out of the bag, rummaging through it constantly.
Soon, Mickey grabbed a bottle of antidote.
"M... Mickey, I'm hit too!"
A companion lunged at Mickey, but was pushed away by him.
Gulp... gulp.
Mickey drank all the antidote in the glass bottle, and then took out the first aid kit.
Blood test, body temperature measurement, evaluation of poison fog invasion level...
He used all the self-rescue items once.
Finally, he got a result—he was fine.
"How is this possible??"
Mickey looked incredulous and performed the tests several times again.
But the result remained unchanged.
Now Mickey was even more confused.
Thinking back just now, being tainted by unknown smoke at such a close distance would undoubtedly be a death sentence for any demon hunter.
Therefore, he was mentally prepared the moment he opened the wooden box.
The subsequent self-rescue actions were entirely habits left by usual training.
At this time, the two companions beside him also gradually calmed down.
They tentatively opened their eyes and found that they were not blind.
"Th... what is going on?"
The three looked at each other.
A moment later, they approached the carriage again.
The yellow smoke had dissipated a lot, and there was only a launching device left in the wooden box.
"Damn it! It really is a trap!"
Mickey smashed the wooden box hard.
Just now he had confirmed that the yellow smoke was just a gas with a very distinct smell, and it was not toxic itself.
But at this moment, their bodies, as well as the supplies on the carriage, were all stained with this smell.
And this smell was difficult to dispel.
Mickey originally thought this trap was left by past demon hunters.
But the launching device in the wooden box was still very new, not looking like it had been there for a long time.
This made him suspect that the trap was set recently.
"Who on earth is it?"
Mickey kept thinking.
Soon, a light bulb went off in his head.
"A smell difficult to dispel."
"The low growls that appeared during the tavern banquet."
"The lady of the Cooper family appeared that night, and the Cooper family has not shown up today..."
Everything seemed to connect.
"Damn Coopers." Mickey gritted his teeth.
It must be this group of guys who entered the Plague Zone in advance, intending to leave a mark on us.
In this way, they can find us when we get clues or materials.
Mickey's train of thought became clearer and clearer, and he told his two companions about this.
"The bastards of the Cooper family are really ruthless!"
"They won't get away with it."
This scene was playing out in various places in the Plague Zone.
And Zod leading the Cooper clan had just arrived at the entrance at this time; they didn't know that they had gained many invisible enemies.
Time goes back to two days ago.
After the "Animal Test" was completed.
William arranged for several Allard clansmen to enter the Plague Zone—to ensure that humans could also resist the poison fog when carrying holy artifacts.
With everything ready, he took out two bottles of 20-year-old holy water.
He drank one bottle himself and soaked his clothes with the other.
Then, he confirmed again that the holy artifacts he was wearing were not missing.
After doing all this, William tried to extend his hand across the boundary.
The poison fog inside quickly surged towards him, but was isolated outside his body surface by the holy artifacts.
"Based on the current Holy Power consumption, I can last for several months just by relying on my own Holy Power." He thought to himself.
But soon, he realized he had set up a flag.
"Pfft pfft, I misspoke just now. The poison fog here is too dangerous; I must be vigilant at all times!"
William hurriedly took back his previous words.
Then, he jumped back and forth across the boundary to confirm that the consumption of Holy Power had nothing to do with the area contacting the poison fog.
Including Sadie, the group of Allard clansmen just watched this priest.
"Wil... William?"
Sadie waved her hand tentatively.
"Do you need help?"
William stopped jumping upon hearing this. He was expressionless, as if nothing had happened just now.
"No need, let's go."
Since the task allocation had been done before entering, the Allard clansmen quickly split into groups and dispersed.
Each of them held a copy of "Safety Rules."
Training on the content inside had started back at the Allard Manor.
Plus the holy artifacts given by William.
In this way, these young people could escape in time even if they encountered monsters, avoiding fighting alone under any circumstances.
And they would go to the supply stations, oases, and important material growth points on the periphery of the Plague Zone.
These were the targets of various demon hunter forces.
And the above locations were also where William set traps.
When the demon hunters were immersed in the joy of harvest, they would receive the gift William sent them.
So, for the next two days.
The Allard clansmen rushed about everywhere in the Plague Zone.
Since the scramble for "Traits" began, many originally safe places would become dangerous.
Therefore, to ensure that all major forces could receive "gifts."
The Allard clansmen set up multiple traps on the periphery as much as possible.
This also allowed them to obtain many materials and demon hunter equipment.
Even if they withdrew at this time, the Allard family could be said to have returned with a full load.
This also made everyone admire William even more.
Having developed in Saint Frian for decades, it was the first time the Allard family fought such a rich battle.
The Plague Zone was simply like their back garden.
Sadie excitedly hugged William.
Originally, she was worried that the "Seal Reshaping" would encounter obstacles.
But now, Sadie even dared to imagine the scene when the Allards got the "Trait."
At that time, their clan would go a step further in the South.
Time returns to the present.
William held a map with a place circled in red, named "River Valley Creek Bay."
The three of them were heading to this place.
A plant called "Rotting Pistil" grew there, which was one of the materials for the holy oil refining recipe.
Although finding the "Trait" required a lot of effort.
Sadie still offered to help William find all the materials first.
Before long, they came to a stream.
Starting from here, they had gone deep into the Plague Zone, and the monsters they encountered were more dangerous.
The three controlled their bodies, minimizing the sound made during movement.
After all, this might attract lurking monsters.
Sadie pushed aside a clump of grass, and then her eyes lit up.
She saw a pitch-black plant growing by the stream; this was exactly the target they were looking for.
She put on gloves and then gently took out scissors from her bag.
In the Plague Zone, some materials were very fragile; once contaminated with external aura, they might be directly damaged.
Therefore, demon hunters would prepare tools in advance for picking.
After spending some effort, Sadie put this "Rotting Pistil" into a specially made cloth bag.
She intended to tell William the good news.
But when she stood up, she froze on the spot.
Not far away, a figure was standing in the grass by the stream.
The other party was covered in fire, and occasionally a "snap" sound of burning bones could be heard.
"Immolator!" Sadie's beautiful face turned pale instantly.
This was a very tricky monster.
"As long as I don't make a sound, it won't find me."
Sadie controlled her breathing with all her might, backing away slowly.
But if one looked closely, her hands were trembling slightly at this time.
Just when she was about to leave the stream, she stepped on a dead branch.
Crack.
This sound was abruptly loud.
Sadie's heart sank to rock bottom instantly.
She raised her head tremblingly.
She saw the Immolator turn around slowly, staring dead at her.
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