Chapter 99: Monsters of the Plague Zone
If an outsider saw this scene now, they would be astonished.
These materials are not easy to obtain; there are even monster corpses.
Lance quickly selected a swamp leech and placed it into a glass container beside him.
There were many such items around; the whole room looked like a laboratory.
Lance cut open the leech's surface with a small knife and began his research.
A moment later.
"There is an unknown aura in the monster's body. Only by dispelling it can the monster's mutation be stopped."
Lance muttered to himself in front of the glass container.
"But this seems very difficult."
Plague Zone, Red Leaf Bay.
A demon hunter team was resting here; they came from the Calvin family of Saint Frian.
The leader was Daphne Calvin, a young female demon hunter.
At this time, she was holding a stone shaped much like an eye.
This was the "Stone of Revelation" given by the Tribal High Priest, which could indicate clues to the "Trait" in the Plague Zone.
Each demon hunter squad had one.
After entering the Plague Zone, as long as one closed their eyes and held the "Stone of Revelation," they could "see" the approximate direction of the clue.
And as long as three clues were found, the final direction of the "Trait" could be revealed.
Although it seemed simple.
In actual search, one not only had to guard against monsters that might appear at any time but also the prying eyes of other demon hunters.
Even if luck was bad, the clue might appear in an area with dense poison fog.
At this time, one had to weigh the pros and cons.
Risk one's life to get a clue, or give up the opportunity to advance the family further.
Fortunately, Daphne had good luck; the clue in her hand was not far from the periphery of the Plague Zone.
"The clue is nearby." Daphne closed her eyes again to confirm the direction.
"After getting the first clue, we'll go to the oasis marked by our family first." She looked at her two companions and said seriously.
The poison fog nearby began to thicken, and the consumption of Swamp Leaves was faster than she expected.
Plus the "gift" from the Cooper family, the situation was not optimistic.
Thinking of this, Daphne sniffed her sleeve again, her nose wrinkling tightly.
"Damn Cooper dogs!" She cursed inwardly.
At the same time, insect chirping suddenly sounded in the dense forest aside.
Daphne immediately took out her musket from her waist.
A slender figure appeared in the forest, seemingly a "woman" wearing a white dress.
But after seeing the other party, Daphne's expression became even more solemn.
That "woman's" chest ribs were turned outward, and her entire upper body was tilted to one side.
And a strange stone grew within the ribs, with poisonous bees climbing on the surface.
"Hive Queen!"
Daphne called out the monster's name.
And the Hive Queen seemed to hear her voice too, turning around slowly.
Deep in the Plague Zone, River Mouth Cave.
Demon hunters of the Walter family were lying behind the rocks opposite.
At this time, several plants glowing red grew at the entrance of the cave.
This was "Bloody Kale," a material that could help demon hunters comprehend "Spiritual Vision."
In the bounty commissions released by the Dead Dog Saloon, the demand for this thing ranked among the top all year round.
But because it grew deep in the Plague Zone and powerful monsters often appeared nearby.
Therefore, the bounty for "Bloody Kale" had always been high.
And at this time, a huge figure was wandering beside this plant.
Enrique Walter swallowed hard.
That monster had no head, its body was at least three meters tall, its entire intestines were exposed to the air, and many Split-Mouth Leeches parasitized on the surface.
"Meathead."
Enrique silently recited the monster's name.
"Luck is not very good..."
This kind of monster had thick skin and flesh, and it was difficult to kill in a short time.
Although the monster itself had no vision, the leeches parasitizing on it could guide its direction.
It was one of the monsters demon hunters least wanted to encounter.
Enrique spat the "Heart of Blackwater" in his mouth into his hand.
He frowned, seeing that this thing had been consumed mostly.
Enrique's eyes wandered back and forth between the "Bloody Kale" and the "Heart of Blackwater," weighing the pros and cons in his heart.
Plague Zone Entrance.
Dozens of hounds were entrenched here, and the demon hunters of the Cooper family were located in the center.
Dolbora carried a leather backpack.
Many white cloths were placed in the bag, each isolated from smell with special dry grass.
She took out one of them, marked with the words "Mecker Family."
Dolbora placed the white cloth under the nose of one of the hounds.
The latter sniffed for a moment and soon barked in one direction.
To ensure accurate results, she let other hounds cross-verify.
But Dolbora soon looked confused.
The hounds pointed to at least three different directions.
This is absolutely impossible!
Cooper hounds had undergone special training, plus the influence of the [Endless Breath] Trait.
They would not be interfered with by residual smells but would only lock onto the location of the real person.
Dolbora didn't give up and took out other white cloths.
But Allard, Calvin, Beneke...
The results for these families were exactly the same as before.
"What happened?"
Zod aside also noticed the abnormality.
Dolbora told her brother about the anomaly uneasily.
Zod frowned upon hearing this.
A moment later, he said: "Then choose the direction closest to the clue."
Immediately after, Zod looked at a young and beautiful girl beside him.
She was Zod's fiancée Vinia Cecil, from the mysterious family in Saint Frian—Cecil.
The latter were also descendants of the First People, believing in the Deer God in the forest.
The Cecil family made a living by taming "Horned Deer."
Their shed antlers could resist the mental attacks of evil spirits and demons to a certain extent.
The Cecil clansmen believed this was the Deer God's protection for them.
And the Cooper family discovered this secret.
But they did not slaughter the Cecil clansmen; instead, they took the initiative to form a marriage alliance with the other party, attempting to completely control this power.
The Cooper family promised the Cecil clan to use the "Trait" this time as a witness to the cooperation between the two families.
At the same time, the latter also intended to use the Cooper family to ascend and go further in Saint Frian.
"Vinia, distribute the antlers to the lead hounds." Zod's tone allowed no doubt.
He was like an officer giving orders to soldiers.
"O... okay."
Vinia trembled, seeming very afraid of this Cooper family heir.
Her voice was very gentle; rather than a demon hunter, Vinia was more like a weak lady from a big family.
"Pl... please take care of it."
She looked reluctant, hanging a section of antler around a hound's neck.
This thing was taken from the horned deer she fed personally, very precious to Vinia.
Originally she planned to give it to Zod as a wedding token.
But the latter scolded Vinia severely and called her a "meddlesome woman."
This made Vinia very sad for a time.
"Set off." Zod ordered.
Tap... tap.
The hounds stood up instantly, behaving very disciplined.
Zod chose one direction and quickly left the entrance of the Plague Zone.
And a few kilometers away in that direction, William and the other two were walking out of a swamp.
"Why do those monsters run away when they see me?"
William rubbed his chin, looking worried.
Aside, Sadie and Raph looked a little strange upon hearing this.
Thinking back just now, this priest rushed up to have a "sincere exchange" with the other party whenever he saw a monster.
At first, the monsters resisted fiercely.
But gradually, the three found that there were fewer and fewer monsters around.
Even some places with precious materials could be entered and exited at will.
In the past, there would definitely be powerful monsters stationed here.
Although the two were puzzled, they guessed this must be related to Father William.
Just as they were thinking, musket fire suddenly came from ahead.
Sadie and Raph immediately assumed a fighting stance, and William also took out a bottle of holy water.
The three quietly sneaked closer.
After seeing the scene opposite, Sadie raised an eyebrow.
"Hive Queen?"
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