The Gentleman at the End

Chapter 98: Chapter 97: The Pathological Village (10th Update)

[Shebolt Village]

The burning ‘firewood’ in the Village Chief’s fireplace was actually emitting billowing black smoke, more resembling dried up limbs of a creature than any kind of wood.

The Village Chief, about two and a half meters tall, was sitting at the dining table,

even his thick coat could not conceal his robust and unreasonably large physique, and the oversized waterproof leather shoes on the floor seemed to be custom-made for him by the village cobbler.

A standard wooden table in front of him looked almost like a toy,

black skin and pure black pupils,

his large hands, calloused and marked with black runes, lay flat on the tabletop,

Such a Village Chief appeared restrained because sitting opposite him was a ‘guest’ wrapped in a black church robe.

In front of the guest was a ‘Fine Wine’ specially prepared by the Village Chief – light pink, bubbling, and emitting a slight fishy smell.

“What brings the Assistant here to my place?”

“Two humans are approaching the village…”

“Like the situation last time, are they sacrificial offerings coming to meet their demise?”

“It’s not quite the same; just the two of them easily infiltrated the ‘Human Tree Wall’ we cultivated, and they broke through the first test designed by me without a scratch.

Their performance was very good, and that person values them highly; they might become critical [sacrifices].

And your village will be their second test.

If necessary, allow them to destroy the whole village… After all, the lord’s ritual has reached its final stage, and everything here has no significance for ‘His Birth’ anymore.

Furthermore,

this is the grace you have earned through your hard work, bestowed personally by that lord.”

A hexagonal Black Ebony Box was placed on the table, the lid carved with the Church symbol – a newborn wrapped in an umbilical cord.

Even though the box was tightly sealed, one could still smell the ‘Aura of Birth’ inside.

Upon seeing this object, the Village Chief’s entire body began to tremble with excitement; everything he had done was for this moment, to receive this gift that could bestow ‘birth’.

Opening the lid,

a bloodstained umbilical cord was coiled inside in a disc shape.

When the Village Chief reached out his hand, the umbilical cord also began to crawl.

The moment they touched, the Village Chief instantly plunged into memories of his youth, even clearly feeling the vigor of that time and his lively physical body.

Just as the Village Chief wanted to connect further with the umbilical cord.

The black-robed Assistant suddenly pressed down on the Village Chief’s wrist, momentarily interrupting the connection.

“Remember! Once you receive the umbilical cord, it means you have established a ‘blood kinship’ with the lord… If you act against the Church, against the lord’s will in any way, this relationship will be forcibly severed. @@novelbin@@

You will be stripped from the ranks of the ‘new mankind’.”

“I will complete the mission.”

…

The camera cuts back (Yi Chen and Jin)

On their way to the village, nothing happened; not even a single villager was seen.

“It’s strange, even if the villagers created through hastening don’t hinder us much, there should still be some presence, even a Watcher or two.

It’s as if they are actively waiting for us to come, waiting for us to step foot into this critical site of the village,

There might be traps laid inside the village, or perhaps the Church that occupies this place is brewing a special plan we don’t know about.”

Jin was unconcerned,

“Nothing to worry about… Only the weak like to delay.

I’ve encountered many similar situations before, and no matter what they tried, they were still easily crushed by me in the end.”

She continued with her light steps, hopping and skipping ahead.

Soon,

buildings of the village began to appear in their view, and even Jin slowed down and eventually stopped.

Little Grape also poked out from the collar, joining Yi Chen in gazing at the spectacular scene ahead:

“No wonder we haven’t seen any animals other than the ‘chickens’ since we entered the tree wall… Were they all concentrated in the village?”

“What in the world happened here…”

Yi Chen moved to a higher spot nearby, observing a corner of the completely Pathological village.

According to the village map provided by Mrs. Chicken, Shebolt Village had been the largest village among the valley forests.

By area, it was even larger than Green Lake Town.

Currently, the village Yi Chen saw was enveloped in a mystical fog distinctly different from the grayification, primarily purple and red.

It was as if a thin veil had covered the village, and any creature that set foot in the village was inevitably affected and eroded by this mystical fog.

The mammals that once lived inside the tree wall had all gathered in the village for some reason,

The roads and building surfaces within sight were crowded with animals’ ‘bodies’; they even seemed to be a major part of the village’s environment.

The use of ‘bodies’ is because it was unclear whether these animals were alive or dead and their exact condition.

Their physical forms had merged with one another, sticking to the ground, clinging or hanging on the surfaces of residential buildings, and even completely embedded between the soil and roads, for instance:

1. One could see a buffalo covered in rabbit fur lying in the middle of the road, its abdomen still wriggling white hair that resembled a rabbit’s tail,

2. A goat, drenched with bats, hung from the edge of a roof, even sprouting bat-like wing buds on its back,

3. Also, a bizarre swollen mass that combined traits of rats, pigs, horses, and black bears crawling slowly in the streets,

4. Some roofs had…, even floating elephant carcasses that were enormously swollen due to bizarre gases accumulated inside, glowing pink like oversized realistic balloons.

Their trunks lifted high, each breath spraying out a vast amount of phantasmic substances.

…

However, all these animals shared one common feature.

Their bodies were covered with large, colorful, uniquely shaped fungi (more inside the elephants).

The fungi connected their bodies, and the caps of these fungi often had pores that released spores as the animals breathed… It was these spores that formed the mystical fog enveloping the village.

Moreover,

From what could currently be seen of the village, there was not a single ‘person’.

“Is it a deliberate lure to draw us into the village, or a kind of ’empty fort strategy’ to urge us to bypass it and quickly head towards the Church in the back mountain?

The information we have is still far from sufficient. Since we are in the investigation phase, it’s better to clear up everything.

Heading straight to the Church might cause us to miss some important details, even key clues.”

Just then, Grape suddenly transmitted a message:

“William, the village you see before you can now be considered a ‘Gray Domain’… Although you are protected by plants, clothing, and me, you still need to be careful.

The creature capable of creating a ‘Non-Natural Grey Zone’ is hard to deal with. Make sure to ensure your own condition before finding this creature.”

“Non-Natural Grey Zone, got it.”

Yi Chen spread his fingers and pressed his hands to his face, weaving a full-protection mask.

“Jin, do you need help making a filtering mask?”

Jin lightly tapped the colorful mask on her face with her fingertip, indicating she didn’t need one… and her body also started to tremble.

“Grey Zone! Although it’s very small, it indeed is a Grey Zone… The environment is thoroughly infected and chaotic, my body actually refuses to step into the village; how interesting.

Come over here, I can’t wait to go inside and take a look.”

When Yi Chen jumped down from the high point and walked along the village stone road, Jin surprisingly took his hand very actively, locking fingers with him.

It wasn’t meant in a romantic way,

‘Contact-Explore’

is a common method for rookies investigating the Grey Zone, implying that explorers should maintain direct physical contact during their first Grey Zone investigation,

This contact can effectively prevent the dynamic environment within the Grey Zone from separating the team and also allows them to detect each other’s mental states, reminding each other and reducing the possibility of mental invasion.

Although Jin seemed very impulsive, wanting to obtain the body of a stronger being, it was still her first Grey Zone exploration. If she were lost, the fun would be over.

As the two stepped into the village together,

the village seemed to sense the arrival of outsiders, the airborne spore dust gathering specifically,

Even with the protection of clothing, their body temperatures began to rise progressively, and a primal biological desire started to spread within their bodies.