Chapter 290 : The Lizardman Village
(Why did things turn out this way?)
Thinking this, Lonis's cheeks had turned completely red.
She was now wearing only thin underwear and a bra, her hair still somewhat wet, sitting on a palanquin!
Front and back, a full eight male lizardmen carried the palanquin for her, while many female lizardmen stood along the roadside to greet her.
However, compared to the males, they appeared more "human-like," at least retaining feminine characteristics. Their figures also looked quite alluring and vigorous.
"Wow... it's the fox divine messenger, so beautiful."
"But... Mama, why is the divine messenger wearing clothes?"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
......
Under the gazes of those lizardmen, Lonis felt her body heating up.
The lizardmen's various behaviors had already proven that the fox god they worshipped probably wasn't some proper deity... It was likely related to fertility worship and sexual relations.
Was she about to be taken to some plaza to battle countless lizardmen?
If that really happened, how could she possibly handle it?
(Elucia, what exactly are you planning?)
Thinking this, Lonis cast a pleading look toward Elucia... But this black-hearted girl only blinked her eyes, signaling Lonis not to make a fuss.
Was she to wait until they reached the village to decide?
But what if she really got pinned down by the lizardmen?
(No way, I have to take the initiative later. I absolutely can't be led around.)
After crossing a rugged and uneven mountain section, the procession finally entered the vicinity of the village.
And the scene that met her eyes left Lonis stunned!
A massive skeletal remains actually stood upright in this Underground World.
It was probably several hundred meters long, with ribs dozens of meters wide and over ten meters high—it formed a natural framework, providing support for the lizardman village.
There were no trees here, so the lizardman village was mostly built with clay. Besides the lizardmen around her, Lonis also saw many lizardman elders and children in the village.
Roughly estimated, there were about a thousand lizardmen here.
The village chief also eagerly ran over and greeted Lonis: "Divine Messenger, welcome to our village. We have the finest sacrifices here. I wonder if the divine messenger..."
"Um, n-no need! I see your village seems somewhat chaotic. Has something happened?"
Lonis asked with a slightly red face.
Actually, coming to a strange village and talking to them... there were probably few people in the entire world with more experience than Lonis.
After all, as a former hero, she had done far too many similar things.
"D-Divine Messenger, you've already noticed?"
The lizardman village chief, having never seen much of the world, was immediately drawn into conversation by Lonis.
"Yes, tell me the details."
"It's like this... Recently, many strange pests have suddenly appeared around our village's mushroom farms."
"Strange pests?"
"Yes, they devour mushrooms and attack people who approach. This has caused us great suffering. Also, there's been noise from the ruins recently. We sent people to investigate and discovered your... servants. That's when we felt somewhat relieved."
The lizardmen looked at the accompanying girls, seemingly the sounds from the ruins had attracted the lizardmen's attention.
"Yes, they... they are humans I captured from elsewhere. There's no danger."
"Ah, then we're relieved. Divine Messenger, will you be resting next?"
"No, take me to see the farms."
......
......
Just like that, the procession continued toward the farms.
However, in the lizardman village, Lonis discovered many interesting things.
For example, although their buildings were made of mud, circuit board fragments could be seen in the wall crevices.
The lizardmen naturally had no cattle or sheep, but they raised a type of snail that could transport small goods.
Although the village's gravel dirt roads were quite dirty, in the very center of the village stood a statue of a fox spirit!
Not an ordinary fox, but more like a fox spirit from mythology... Not only was the figure alluring, but it also had a big tail behind it! It was just that the lizardmen's carving skills were somewhat poor, so it wasn't particularly blood-pumping.
(It looks so beautiful... who exactly is this carving of?)
......
To investigate the customs of this village, the girls continued walking deeper.
After passing through the village's back road, they came to vast, boundless farmland.
However, there was no sunlight here, so naturally they weren't growing wheat... Patches of mushrooms rose and fell in succession, large and small, almost forming a continuous expanse.
The air was filled with an indescribable hawthorn flower scent that made Lonis feel strange.
But actually, this wasn't some offering to the fox god, but spores drifting from the mushrooms.
Most of the mushrooms grew very vigorously, the largest being as tall as two people. But at the end of the road was a patch of blackened mushroom forest.
The mushrooms here had all withered, becoming shriveled and scorched-looking.
The lizardman village chief picked up a pitch-black insect and said:
"Divine Messenger, it's this."
"This..."
"It's this thing wandering in our mushroom fields, destroying our crops!"
This insect was very much like a slug, with a long, soft body and faint dark purple patterns on its surface. Even when lifted up, the insect was still writhing frantically.
Lonis had never seen such a thing and only found it disgusting, but Elucia frowned and exchanged glances with Sethilu.
Both their expressions were somewhat serious, and Bai Ye also seemed to see some natural enemy, stepping back in fright.
This made Lonis understand the seriousness of the situation:
"Village Chief, how long have these things existed?"
"Ah, probably one earth vein cycle?"
"Oh, yes... Then I need to go in with my followers."
"Do you need us to enter together?"
"No need. There might be danger inside. You can guard at the entrance."
Just like that, Lonis got down from the palanquin and entered the mushroom forest with everyone.
Without outsiders, this should have been a time to breathe a sigh of relief, but Princess Sethilu shook her head and said seriously:
"Elucia, that thing just now was..."
"That's right, it's a Puppet Evil Worm."
Elucia's decisive reply made Lonis's heart skip a beat.
She wasn't unfamiliar with Puppet Evil Worms—for instance, in Snow Kingdom, in small villages—it's just that the Puppet Evil Worms in her memory were all very small and didn't have such strange patterns on their bodies.
And now...
"These aren't ordinary Puppet Evil Worms, but abyssal Puppet Evil Worms... the elite among Puppet Evil Worms. Just one can control a person's mind."
"What?"
"Hold your breath and advance carefully. Everyone try not to scatter, watch every corner."
"Yes, understood."
The girls worked together vigilantly, watching their surroundings as they gradually walked deeper into the forest.