My players are so fierce.

Chapter 535 534. When the hatred has disappeared
  The topography of the Dark Valley is indeed as wonderful as Adele said.

Especially after Sister Shiliu followed the NPC across three consecutive sections of the suspension bridge, she realized that it was impossible to attack this area! The roads here are too narrow for ground troops to pass through in large numbers, and the half-elves are cunning enough to leave some psychic traps along the way.

Xiao Ashina can be sure that those traps can collapse as long as they are activated. This is the only way forward and retreat. In critical moments, these half-elves don't even need to activate the traps. They only need to destroy the suspension bridge, which is enough to turn three consecutive cliffs hundreds of meters high. Every attacker’s nightmare.

The only way to enter here on a large scale is to go through the sky or underground.

For example, the scene when Mrs. Adele was forced to leave here twenty-five years ago drove a large number of kobolds to dig tunnels from the ground directly into the Shadow Valley, or dispatched enough flying soldiers to directly attack the valley stronghold.

From this point of view, the defense of Shadow Valley is far from invincible, but the problem is that this valley does not have any rare resources or important targets.

Except for the terrain, the difficulty of attacking it is completely out of proportion to its benefits!

Especially for the gnolls who want to rush into the mainland from Transia, this ghost place is really useless. They can't spend manpower to attack here and turn it into a sentry. It is too far from Transia.

But on the other hand, if the Transians were to stop the Gnolls nearby, the terrain of this valley would be perfect.

The half-elves living here also understand this truth very well. They did not panic because of the approaching black disaster. Along the way, Adele could find that the valley guards were trained quite well. Although they lacked excellent protective gear, The war bows and spears in the hands of these vigilant guys are also extraordinary.

Especially when entering the outskirts of the valley, even Lumina, who was the slowest in reconnaissance, discovered that the half-elves were preparing supplies for the war.

They put large bundles of arrows into various outposts, including some psychic arrows made with the help of the shadow elves, as well as things like kerosene and psychic stones that were transported out.

On an open cliff connected by wooden ladders and suspension bridges on the periphery, there were recruits who had just completed close combat training and were practicing shooting in the dark. Several old elves with evil faces were training them.

It is not an exaggeration to describe this valley as "rich in martial arts".

At least in Sister Pomegranate's opinion, the defense system and strength here are not as stretched as they thought before.

In fact, if you think about it, Shadow Valley is the home of a group of gladiators who escaped from the elven city. They are not lacking in strength. Living in the unfriendly area of ​​Barren Mountain for many years has also allowed them to accumulate the power to survive. wisdom.

They never take the initiative to provoke external enemies, but once a bad guy wants to put some "pressure" on them, these half-elves who have no lazy and elegant nature of the legendary elves will never be merciful.

"Look! So many tombstones!"

When entering the core area of ​​the Shadow Valley, Ashina suddenly pointed in a direction and shouted.

Pomegranate and Lumina turned to look.

Good guy!
  On the edge of a raised cliff, densely packed tombstones form a cemetery. Roughly counting, there are at least more than [-] stone monuments there. For the elves who live a long life but have difficulty breeding, this is indeed a very scary place. The number is up.

"That's the cemetery of our heroes."

A half-elf ranger who was leading the way explained in a calm tone:

"Only those who died for the valley are qualified to leave tombstones. Cowards will only end up in the wilderness with corpses here."

"Wow, your traditions really match the aggressive Transians."

Lumina commented:

"I think you half-elves with strong martial arts will be able to live very well there."

"But we already have our own home and we have no interest in going anywhere else."

The Elf Ranger frowned and looked at the calculation orb on Lumina's wrist. He could tell that the strange and incomprehensible language Lumina spoke was converted into Elvish language through this thing.

These vampires who followed Adele back are really strange.
  Sister Pomegranate stood at the intersection heading to the Elf Village. She turned around and looked around. The valley in front of her was divided into several areas. There were quite a lot of people but they were far from rich. The half-elves here lived in houses made of stone and wood. Among the houses made, there are some residences similar to "cave dwellings" near the rocks.

she asked:
  "We are the entourage accompanying Mrs. Adele to pay homage to her mother. Can we hang around here while Mrs. Adele pays homage to her mother?"

"Generally speaking, no!"

The half-elf captain who escorted them looked at the three vampires and said coldly:

“We don’t have the habit of inviting strangers into our homes, but Adele’s mother, Lady Mona ‘Freehand’, is our eternal leader and eternal hero, so you get a little privilege too.

You can move freely in our village, but you are not allowed to go anywhere other than the village! It would be embarrassing for both of us if we were caught in a cage with unclean hands and feet, so I hope you will fulfill your obligations as unwelcome guests. "

"I'm a hunter!"

Xiao Ashina flapped her wings and floated in the air. She patted the Hammer Guard on her back and said to the half-elf captain in front of her:

"I saw the well-made hippogriff bow in your hands, and I thought it was very cool! Can I buy some bows and arrows from you and give them back to my friends? Or exchange my experiences with your hunters?
  Anyway, we're just staying one night.

Okay, if you need money, I can pay. "

"Hey, what's the use of asking for money here?"

The captain curled his lips and glanced at Ashina's weapon again. This guy was obviously a knowledgeable pragmatist, so he rolled his eyes and said:

"I am the second most powerful hunter in Shadow Valley after Elder Petunia. I would like to appreciate the vampire hunting art, but we are all warriors, and there must be a winner in the competition.

How about this.

Let's compete in archery. If I lose, the yew war bow from my mother will be yours, but if you lose."

"Ha, the cunning half-elf has taken a liking to my Hammer Guard!"

Xiao Weiming put her hands on her hips and laughed in the air:
  "It seems that you also know that this gun is very powerful. Okay, okay, let's compete. I'm not afraid of anyone challenging my shooting skills. But I'm curious. Don't all of you elves use bows?"

"Look at this damn place, guest."

The half-elf captain snorted and said:
  "We lack everything here. If we want to survive here, the meaningless traditions of the elves must be the first to be discarded.

I'm not a barbarian who hasn't seen muskets either, we have brothers and sisters who use muskets too, those weapons that are more destructive at short range are great, the only problem is that the halfling warlord from the Hungry Mountains, Luk Flywheel, has them Bullet monopoly.

That bastard will send us a batch of supplies every half month, but it is very expensive, and after the vampires of the Blood Alliance clan set up a defense line at the Black Flame Pass, the troll caravan from Hungry Mountain will not be able to get through.

We have guns, but we are short of bullets.”

"Say early!"

Xiao Ashina and Lumina looked at each other. The two clever little guys immediately opened their psychic bags, threw out several boxes of bullets produced by Brother Zhong, and took out two classic Mosin. Nagant.

Lumina has long been holding back her energy to improve the reputation of Dark Valley, and now she uses every opportunity to introduce:

“Although we Transians are as poor as you, we already have our own arsenal. The bullets we use are different from those of the halflings, but they are much cheaper than their goods.

You can buy twenty pointed bullets from us for the price of one flaming gold bullet!

Come on, give it a try, my fellow elves"

"Compatriots? No! How can we humble half-elves be the compatriots of the proud moon elves?"

The ranger captain of Dark Valley did not reject the weapon handed over by Lumina. He took a classic alien firearm and made an aiming motion in his hand. While playing with this "new weapon", he complained with some resentment. :
  "In your eyes, we are just humble evil pariahs! But you, the moon elf, are very strange. You don't have the annoying indifference and unreasonable arrogance of other moon elves."

"Huh? Have you ever seen a moon elf?"

Lumina asked:
  "Have any moon elves visited you?"

"You're trying to trick me! Ha, what a clumsy attempt."

The ranger captain glanced at Lumina, and under the guidance of Ashina, he inserted a pointed bullet into the gun chamber. He aimed at a branch not far away and then pulled the trigger. With a bang, the bullet came out of the chamber and hit accurately. Target.

"Good! A weapon with such high accuracy can allow recruits to spend their weakest period before mastering the skills of the war bow. And with a little training, civilians can also use it for self-defense. It is easier to use than the halfling's firearms, although it is less powerful. A little but not a big deal.

Just start it. "

The Ranger Captain was satisfied with the gun in his hand.

He turned around and made a five sign to Ashina-chan and Lumina, and said:
  "I want five hundred! If you can bring them to us before the black disaster breaks out, you can become friends of Shadow Valley, and I will tell you everything you want to know. Oh, by the way, not yet Introduce yourself.

What a discourtesy. "

The cold ranger captain showed a fleeting smile and introduced himself:
  "My name is Mekel, Mekel Darkblade, the frontline commander of Dark Valley, and Lisa's husband."

"Hey, Mrs. Bernice will want to see you."

Sister Pomegranate blinked and whispered:

"Your mother-in-law is in our camp. Mrs. Adele thinks it's better to be prepared before letting Ms. Lisa go to see her. I mean, if you care about your wife, why not follow us to meet her first tonight? she?
  We have other weapons in the camp that you will need too. " "Um? "

Merkel suddenly frowned and said:
  "Ms. Bernice is still alive? Isn't it right? If they are alive, why don't they come back? My wife has been missing her parents. Could it be that something happened to them like Adele?"

"The situation is very complicated and cannot be explained in a sentence or two."

Xiaoweiming rolled her eyes, waved her hands and said:

"Just follow us down and have a look. Don't worry about us cheating. You can bring many people with you. Elf friends are welcome in our camp, and we can also complete the archery contest between you and me there.

I like to make friends!
  Especially those friends who are capable, so no matter you win or lose, I will give you a Hammer Guard as a gift. Anyway, I have several replacement weapons. "

"Friends? No! We're not friends yet."

Merkel was a little moved, but he still said coldly:
  "I don't know how you Transians understand friends, but in the Dark Valley, the word friend cannot be used indiscriminately until blood is shed for a common cause. Just wait for me for a while. I will tell you after I have arranged the defense. Go down.

But we must return before dawn. "
-
  "After you were taken away by my parents, your mother still struggled to survive the night. When dawn came the next day, she took her last breath in pain, and she kept calling your name in a trance before she died. .”

In a stone building that could barely be called a "temple" in Shadow Valley, Adele placed a bunch of wild flowers picked by the roadside in front of the sarcophagus where her mother was buried.

Her childhood friend Lisa Bella stood behind her, playing with a snake-shaped dagger, and said in a low tone in the flickering candlelight:

"I won't ask you where my parents are. I know they treat you as their own daughter. The fact that they will give everything for me means they will do the same for you. They will not give up on their daughter. , their failure to come back proves that something terrible happened to you during your escape.

Alas, that was a disaster.

The night you left, we lost one-fifth of our tribe. Many people died, and more people were robbed. It is said that they were captured into the Goat Man's earth palace. We tried to rescue, but the Goat The people were very cruel and we were very weak at the time and had no choice but to reluctantly give up on them.

The entire valley almost collapsed due to this, but fortunately, Merkel's parents took charge and stabilized us again.

Do you remember them? "

"Are you testing me? Lisa."

Adele knelt in front of her mother's sarcophagus, stretched out her hand to wipe the inscription on the sarcophagus, and said hoarsely in a vampire tone:
  "You are suspecting that vampires control me and use me as a sharp knife to insert into the hearts of the people. It seems that you have grown into an excellent leader. Just like when we played when we were children, you always tried to play the leader among a group of children.

You are much stronger than me and much better than me.

Yes.

I remember Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques.

Uncle Manu's left eye was blinded by the venom of the Dark Scorpion in the gladiatorial arena, but he is still the best shooter among the gladiators of the Medjeva family. He can easily shoot a skylark at a distance of three hundred yards. And Aunt Jacques is a powerful warrior like your mother. She can fight with double shields.

What she is best at is attacking enemies with flying shields.

Along with Bella and Aunt Bernice, they became my mother's guardians and my mother's most trusted friends.

I remember Merkel.

He is a very shy boy. He has been following you as a follower since he was a child. The night before we encountered the disaster, he even picked flowers to express his love to you. "

"Hey, I was deceived by that guy in the end. There was no way, there were so many people in this valley, I could only choose a general from among the dwarfs. Fortunately, Merkel was very good at it. With Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques, With help, he became our 'Ranger General'.

Haha, in fact, he is just a team leader, but we also need to pay attention to a sense of ceremony.

By the way, Uncle Manu and Aunt Jacques are already the elders of the valley. They will also be very happy to see you back. I will take you to meet them later. "

When Adele told these past memories, Lisa, who had always been wary, showed her first smile, and she whispered:

"Actually, Markle and I have always wanted a child, and I have decided to name the child Adele, just to commemorate my former best friend. Then, fate sent you back to me.

I really don’t want to talk about politics with you at this time. I would rather chat with you about the stories we have experienced with each other over the years. But maybe this is also destiny, allowing you to return to us at this precarious moment.

Just like the miracles your mother once performed, Adele, you may be the one sent by Avalon to save Dark Valley. "

"Ok?"

Lady Adele heard a hint of ominous news from her childhood friend.

She stood up, carefully released the spell on her bracelet to isolate the building from all prying eyes, and then looked at her friend.

she says:

"Something happened to you? I guess it has something to do with those shadow elves? Is your dislike of us just faked? Or is this conversation itself a bait? I must tell you, Lisa, you must know before taking the next step. , Uncle Bella and Aunt Bernice did not die as you imagined.

They actually did die.

But their peace was disturbed by the gnoll warlock, and now they wander the world as undead.

They miss you.

Don't let them down. "

"This"

The valley leader, whose face was not as delicate as Adele's but could definitely be called beautiful, widened her eyes. Her figure was a standard elf figure and had nothing to do with the Great Demon King Dudu.

She looked at Adele.

The Mistress of Shadow Hollow clenched her fists when she realized that Adele wasn't playing a nasty joke.

She hesitated for a long time before speaking:

"We are not in danger, at least not yet, but at this moment when you appear, several elders and I in the valley are hesitating whether to truly accept those members of the Medjeva family. To be honest with you, Adele.

Merkle and I both hate them because we know what our fathers suffered in the Eternal Rift.

But many tribesmen in the valley don't think so.

Especially now that we have confirmed the destruction of the Medjeva family, many people think that we should absorb the escaped shadow elves, who hold the spellcasting power we need.

And their leader is a fate-weaver girl!
  You know those priests of the Spider Lady can predict fate, and we need their prophecies. "

"The Medjeva family was really destroyed? Why? Is it because of the shadow elves' machinations?"

Adele asked:

"And why would they come to seek refuge with you? This doesn't make sense at all!"

"That family died in a natural disaster."

Lisa whispered:
  "We don't know the specific situation, but after they first appeared more than a year ago, we sent a team of Far Travelers to venture across the Dark Mountains and return to the Eternal Rift for reconnaissance. Elder Petunia personally led the team there , she came back and confirmed that Mejwa City had indeed fallen.

Monsters emerging from the Underdark have taken over. Matron Medjeva and her warrior leader have disappeared, and the entire city has turned into hell.

As for the specific situation, the shadow elf exiles have never said anything.

The reason why they came to join us is because their fate-weaver girl made a prophecy. She said that here they can find an opportunity for the Medjeva family to rise again. "

"Prophecy? It doesn't sound reliable."

Adele scoffed at this, saying:

"Where is the fate-weaver girl? Can I see her?"

"She disappeared."

Lisa sighed helplessly and said:

"This is the worst thing that happened in the valley in the past month. To be precise, she was kidnapped. That fool took a few sword chanters to try to establish contact with the difficult blood alliance vampires in Black Flame Pass, but after they Ambushed by goatmen on return.

Several sword chanters were seriously injured, and the unlucky fateweaver girl was captured and taken to Baphomet Canyon. Those shadow elves are bewitching my people and trying to persuade us to send people to rescue their prophet. I am having a headache because of this.

But you came just in time!
  You said you brought Transian warriors?
  It just so happens that I have a job for them here, and I want to confirm whether they are really fearless."

(End of this chapter)