LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 272: The Knight of the Hunting Deity
As Jeremy warned the villagers, he simultaneously prepared himself for battle.
Although he believed that these villagers were not devoid of reason, his cautious nature compelled him to brace for the worst possible outcome.
Behind Jeremy, Ritchie had already begun to manipulate the shadows of the surrounding trees.
While the shadows cast by the plants lacked significant sentience, controlling them still afforded Ritchie the opportunity to delay the enemies' movements.
"I am not negotiating with you! You must answer our questions, or we will never allow you to leave this place. Anyone who seeks to harm the Goddess of Life is our enemy! We will not permit any injury to befall the Goddess of Life!"
The village chief spoke in a voice that was both aged and filled with anger.
Upon hearing these words, a look of confusion crossed Jeremy's face.
"Why would I wish any harm upon your Goddess of Life? I have merely come here to ask for directions, and we are indeed lost in this area. We have been brought here by an unknown force, and we wish to leave as quickly as possible."
What Jeremy said was indeed the truth.
Moreover, as he spoke these words, his expression was exceedingly sincere.
After observing Jeremy's demeanor for a moment, the village chief gradually relaxed his emotions.
"It appears that what you say is indeed true, you are merely lost in this area."
As the village chief delivered this statement, his tone carried not only a sense of relief but also a hint of fatigue.
"Others may lower their weapons, they pose no threat to us, nor will they endanger the Goddess of Life."
Under the chief's persuasion, the villagers slowly set down their weapons.
The chief then turned to Jeremy and Ritchie and said, "You simply need to continue along the main road I just indicated. You will eventually reach the town ahead.
Once you arrive there, you should be able to find a way to leave this area. We can only assist you up to this point, as we do not possess knowledge of anything beyond that."
After finishing this statement, the chief intended to return to the village.
At that moment, Jeremy suddenly called out to the chief.
"Please hold on! I wish to gather more information from you. If you are willing to share additional intelligence, I can offer you and your villagers some weapons.
The weapons I provide will undoubtedly be far more powerful than those you currently possess. With these weapons in your hands, you will have a significantly greater capacity for self-defense against your enemies."
As Jeremy spoke, he retrieved a powerful weapon from his pocket.
Although this formidable weapon had been brought into the Tower of Exile by Jeremy, he did not expect it to have a significant impact.
If he could leverage this weapon to obtain more information from the village chief, it would certainly be worthwhile.
The village chief turned around and scrutinized the powerful weapon that Jeremy had produced.
"The weapon you offer is indeed incredibly potent! Are you truly willing to give this weapon to us? Surely, you are not deceiving us, are you?"
While the chief had come to believe Jeremy's earlier words, that did not imply he would fully trust him.
In response to the chief's skepticism, Jeremy directly handed the weapon to the nearest young villager.
"I can entrust this weapon directly to your people for safekeeping. Surely, this demonstrates my sincerity, does it not?"
Now that Jeremy had taken such a step, the chief naturally felt reassured of Jeremy's good intentions.
The chief returned to Jeremy and calmly inquired, "What kind of information do you wish to obtain from me?"
"The information I seek is something you undoubtedly know. You previously mentioned that I might pose a threat to the Goddess of Life.
Although I harbor no animosity towards you or the Goddess of Life, your inquiry suggests that there are indeed individuals who may wish to harm her."
"I would like to inquire about your understanding of those individuals who are adversarial to the Goddess of Life. Perhaps these people could also become our enemies!"
Jeremy's words further complicated the expression on the chief's face.
With a hint of confusion in his eyes, the chief glanced at Jeremy and then at Ritchie standing behind him.
"Do you truly not possess any information regarding the hunting knights? No matter which direction you approach our village from, you will inevitably encounter the hunting knights."
The chief directly mentioned the term "hunting knights."
Neither Jeremy nor Ritchie had ever heard the term "hunting knights" before.
Thus, Jeremy quickly replied, "We were dropped into the vicinity of your village by some unknown force. Therefore, we have not encountered any hunting knights. It is possible that these hunting knights might also turn against us."
Ultimately, Jeremy's statement succeeded in alleviating the chief's suspicions.
The chief nodded and spoke in a tone that was both resigned and somewhat sympathetic, saying, "The hunting knights will undoubtedly be your enemies! This is primarily because you do not worship the deity they hold sacred! The deity they venerate is a malevolent god that devours the souls of mortals."
"The Goddess of Life has continuously protected us, which is why these hunting knights consider her their enemy.
Whenever the hunting knights encounter the followers of the Goddess of Life, they will kill them without hesitation.
Many followers of the Goddess of Life have already fallen at the hands of the hunting knights, and our village has managed to survive only through great hardship. If you truly have nowhere else to go, our village can offer you shelter."
Upon realizing that Jeremy and his companions were not adversaries, the chief began to entertain the idea of bringing them into his village.
After all, Jeremy had already shown his willingness to entrust them with a remarkably powerful weapon, which implied that he must possess even more formidable ones.
Moreover, Ritchie, standing behind Jeremy, clearly exuded an aura of considerable strength in combat.
Integrating two such powerful individuals into his village would undoubtedly enhance its defensive capabilities.
After reflecting on the information provided by the chief, Jeremy paused for a moment before speaking.
"Is the deity worshiped by the hunting knights called 'Fool'?"
The instant Jeremy posed this question, the expressions on the chief and the villagers' faces underwent a dramatic transformation.
In a tone laced with palpable fear, the chief exclaimed, "Do not utter the name of the dark god! Once you mention the name, the dark god will take notice of you! The dark god will also use you to locate our village!"
Jeremy felt a slight perplexity regarding the chief's reaction.
In Jeremy's recollections, 'Fool' was indeed the most powerful deity among the creators of the apocalypse game.
However, 'Fool' did not possess the authority to directly know the identities of those who mentioned his name. Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e m,p| y r
Only another figure among the creators of the apocalypse game, known as 'the White Tower,' had such capabilities.
However, after overcoming his initial perplexity, Jeremy quickly pieced together the entire situation.
Since the White Tower was birthed within the Tower of Exile, it logically followed that shortly after its creation, the White Tower must have fought valiantly for Fool.
It was highly probable that the White Tower had manufactured a multitude of hunting knights, who acted in the name of Fool.
These knights were tasked with collecting souls for Fool, and they might even directly confront the Goddess of Life on his behalf.
Once Jeremy grasped the circumstances, he smiled at the chief and said, "Fool is unlikely to discover our presence, but his subordinates should certainly be able to do so. I suspect that some hunting knights are already en route."
"Therefore, my companions and I will not be leaving hastily, we will remain here to assist you in overcoming the hunting knights!"
Jeremy's declaration left Ritchie and all the villagers utterly astonished.
With a tone that mingled confusion and delight, the chief asked, "Are you truly willing to protect our village?! If you are indeed willing to safeguard our home, then I must apologize to you. I should not have doubted you earlier!"
The chief was immensely grateful for Jeremy's decision.
He understood that the villagers alone could not possibly triumph over the hunting knights.
Only with the addition of Jeremy and Ritchie could the village hope to withstand the onslaught of the hunting knights.
With a smile on his face, Jeremy remarked.
"You need not apologize, it is indeed wise to maintain a certain level of vigilance. For without such caution, you could easily fall prey to the deceptions of the hunting knights."
"Regardless, my companions and I cannot hastily depart to another location, so we will certainly remain here to assist you in your struggle against the hunting knights."
Jeremy's words brought a profound sense of relief to the chief and all the villagers.
Subsequently, the chief led Jeremy and Ritchie into the village.
Moreover, he took special care to find the cleanest room available for the two to reside in.
Although this was the best accommodation the chief could offer, to Ritchie and Jeremy, the room still appeared quite dilapidated. The two could only sleep on a straw mat.
"Why are you choosing to stay and confront the hunting knights? According to the chief's account, the hunting knights are likely very powerful.Their levels may even surpass level 50."
Ritchie couldn't help but complain to Jeremy.
Jeremy calmly responded, "The hunting knights are our enemies as well. You must have heard my earlier analysis.
The hunting knights are likely under the direct command of the White Tower.
This implies that during this historical segment, we are bound to engage in a direct confrontation with the hunting knights. We may even have the opportunity to face the White Tower itself!"