Chapter 288 [Fox Heart] (Yellow)
The old hunter got up. He had no extraordinary powers and was able to hold on until now entirely relying on his willpower.

Or maybe there are some other little tricks.

Lind looked at the iron box next to the old hunter. His hand had been on the box since he was surrounded. He tried to fumble to open it several times, but was interrupted again.

"Why did you come here?" Linde asked.

He was probably the only one who could speak calmly during the siege. The storm continued to push the fanatical villagers around him. The periphery of the battlefield storm was madness, while the center was unimaginably calm.

The early and middle stage BOSS came to the Novice Village, and its suppression of the monsters around the Novice Village even far exceeded its suppression of the players.

"Hunting those bloodthirsty monsters is a task that has been going on for hundreds of years." Charles answered Lind's question truthfully.

"Bloodthirsty?" Lind did not see any monster that could be called "bloodthirsty". Although the fanatical villagers behaved crazily, most of them mainly hacked and dismembered people.

Aphids may have some desire for blood, but the fact that they directly transform into mimicry after drinking blood shows that blood is just an attraction for them and not essential for survival.

"Those monsters drink blood and plant humans." Charles finally opened the iron box, and there were a few sweet-smelling grapes inside.

With his slightly trembling fingers he picked up a grape with difficulty. The severe pain in his body made it extremely difficult for him to perform such a delicate movement, and twice the grapes fell back into the box.

Finally, he put a grape into his mouth with great difficulty. The bursting texture and sweet and sour taste of the grape made his mind go blank for a moment, and it seemed that the pain in his body also disappeared.

Linde frowned as he watched his reaction. His craving for grapes like a drug addict made Linde unwilling to believe what he said.

"I'm sorry, I've become addicted to it," the old hunter took a deep breath and closed the iron box. "It makes me feel alive. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm searching for traces of the vampires for my mission or for the sake of satisfying my appetite."

Lind didn't want to judge the other's behavior: "Tell me more, hunter."

"We should go to a quieter place." The old hunter got up quickly and decisively, completely free from the shackles of pain.

The grapes helped him spiritually and psychologically far more than the potions.

Using humans for planting was nothing special to Linde, just like in the Dark Night Orchard, the Black Fire Brothers who were dominated by the Unholy Holy Grail used humans to plant vines and then hatch some kind of insects.

Thinking of this, Lin De was suddenly shocked.

[The Unholy Holy Grail of Black Flame] and the "bloodthirsty monster in the fox cave" actually have some similarities.

They were all planted by humans, and all hatched insects.

Perhaps there is some connection between the two parties... It may not be surprising that there is a connection, because all power comes from the magic ring.

Maybe he will get the answer after catching the so-called bloodthirsty monster.

Lind turned his head and looked at the increasing number of crazy villagers around him, not knowing that the fearful villagers and the bloodthirsty bionic red spirits had formed a solid wall. However, the difference in strength made Lind and them like two different creatures.

"Where are you going?" He raised his hand, and the wind forcefully tore the human wall apart.

The villagers tried to pounce with their claws and fangs bared, but were bound on both sides by the wind wall and could only stretch out their fanatical hands towards Lind and the stunned hunter.

They didn't seem to be attacking, but rather cheering for the two men to leave.

The hunter knew that he had encountered a powerful being that might be far more powerful than he had imagined: "Hunter's Society, my place of residence, follow me!"

The Fox Church is also the current home of the Hunters' Society.

As soon as Linde stepped into this place, he felt a familiar feeling. The strong attraction made him instinctively turn his head and look around.

Here is something almost in plain sight containing a fragment of a magic ring.

Because Lind had a piece of the magic ring fragment in his hand, he was very sensitive to similar things.

"Did you notice?" The old hunter took out another grape.

He slowed down his pace and put the grapes into his mouth carefully, but addictive things could not be controlled, and the grapes in the tin box would soon be eaten up.

What might be waiting for him is the addictive madness that comes from not pressing the grapes, but he still eats with his mouth full of blood, not caring at all.

"Have you seen that thing? What is it?" Lind asked, his eyes turning and finally looking at the mural.

The primitive animal murals do not reveal the hidden storyline.

"There is something powerful here. It is the foundation of the Fox Church. I think it is the god of this shrine." The old hunter Charles sat down on the ground. "I once investigated the story here and found that the Fox Church was born overnight. The church respects noble blood and rejects filthy blood."

"Noble blood?" Lind walked to the front of the mural and picked up the [Unclean Holy Grail of Black Flame]. The Unclean Holy Grail bound by chains had become much more obedient now. Although it always conveyed various thoughts to Lind, it also learned to be quiet after knowing that it could not give a price that would satisfy Lind.

However, after entering the church, the Holy Grail's reaction was somewhat violent.

It comes from the Church of the Sun.

Although as a cursed item it has nothing to do with the justice of the Sun Knight, it instinctively resists other cult objects.

Wars of religion go far beyond struggles for human rights.

Without Lind's reminder, black flames suddenly burst out of the Holy Grail, like a fluttering black sail that completely covered the entire wall in front.

The next moment, a wedge-shaped necklace appeared in front of them.

The black flames continued to burn and attack.

The damage of this flame is more powerful than the flame used by Lind. Not only is it more flammable, but it also has mental attacks.

The wedge-shaped necklace trembled violently and finally fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Stimulated by the black flames, the necklace always flashes red light.

Linde took two steps back.

He didn't think that no one would have discovered the peculiarity of the church until now. Putting aside other things, when the fox cave was first built, the kingdom would still send a great knight here. A great knight with extraordinary power would definitely not fail to recognize the treasure.

But there is a paradox here. It has only been three years since the magic ring was broken, and the golden wedge-shaped necklace in front of us should have appeared here for many years.

Or... the shattering of the magic ring was not instantaneous, but continued for many years, with some fragments falling every year until it completely collapsed three years ago.

The magic world is still too complicated and troublesome for the Landers who worship knights and muscles, so Lind has no information related to it in his mind.

He looked towards the Holy Grail.

The two parties communicate through a chain connection.

Simple information transfer.

Lind needs to know what the necklace is and whether he can touch it. The Holy Grail shows that it needs Lind, it needs Lind to become its Black Flame Bishop and spread its faith.

In the past, the Holy Grail had humbly hoped that Lind would capture some people for it to plant, or simply feed those people some insects. Unexpectedly, now that it saw the opportunity, it actually put forward conditions directly.

"This is impossible!"

Lind shook his head and refused, and asked a series of deadly questions: "As a religion, what is your doctrine? What is your religious thought? What can you bring to believers? Why should believers believe in you?"

The old hunter beside him rubbed his eyes.

He could guess that Lind might be talking to the Holy Grail in his hand, but the problem was, what was he talking about? What could religion bring to people? Religion brought nothing, it only demanded from believers.

This is Lind’s Chinese thought: If a God is useless, why should I believe in you?

This is also the thinking of the undead people. If you can't get any benefits, then you are not an NPC, you are a BOSS.

On the contrary, if you are really useful, and you are treated well with good food and drink, then once they are happy, no matter if you are a folk legend or an evil god of the wilderness, everyone can unite as one and make you a righteous god.

The Holy Grail had no choice but to lower the stakes.

It requires 100 voluntary devotees.

"100? Of course, but I have a condition. You must give them the same ability as the Black Fire brothers." As long as the final right of interpretation belongs to him, 100 people are nothing. He even has to worry about those people falling out over this.

Death is the least severe punishment.

The Holy Grail continued to transmit its will, and stated that the Black Fire Brothers were originally the best state for believers, but it required too much to pay. It needed the believers to devote themselves, but was not very willing to give their own strength.

The goal of the Holy Grail is to have more and more believers who can be controlled. Of course, death is also acceptable.

Of course, it never hid its goal. This was related to the fact that its way of thinking was different from that of humans. The more it stayed with Lind, the more it wanted Lind to submit to it.

Having a hundred or a thousand Black Flame Brothers is far inferior to having one Linde.

The Holy Grail stated that if Lind was willing to become a bishop, it was willing to give all of its strength to allow Lind to completely control the Black Flame and become a being more powerful than the Black Flame Brothers, and it would never allow Lind to sacrifice.

Lind still refused. This little thing couldn't impress him.

However, the first cooperation between the two parties has been reached. Lind will give the Holy Grail to 100 people, and let these people eat the maggots in the Holy Grail, and the Holy Grail will answer all his questions about the necklace in front of him.

Both parties believe that the other party has paid a huge price and only they have made the most money.

100 people is not a small cost.

But for Lind, a piece of secret knowledge that is impossible to know is the price of the goods. As for 100 people, it is really not a problem.

Being able to obtain instructions on how to use various items from the Holy Grail was Lind's greatest gain.

He decided to make a fortune in silence, and he had to maintain an attitude of "I've lost a lot of money" and keep his mouth straight, only in this way could he continue the transaction.

The Unholy Grail of the Black Flame also sent a message to Lind.

"Fox Heart?" Lind bent down and picked up the golden wedge necklace. If what the Holy Grail showed was correct, the necklace named "Fox Heart" contained a large piece of the magic ring fragment, which was far larger than the Holy Grail.

However, it does not have the ability to attack, and has not yet developed consciousness. It just instinctively uses those with noble and pure blood as screening criteria.

What is noble blood?
Those who share the same origin with it are of noble blood. As the BOSS in the internal testing period, the power of the nobles comes from the magic ring.

The moment he picked up the necklace, the world in front of Lind suddenly changed, and his thoughts seemed to be pulled out of his body in an instant.

Open your eyes.

The orange sunset hangs in the sky, and the refreshing white clouds float before your eyes. Looking into the distance, there is white snow, and looking down, there is green grass under your feet.

Turning around, I saw a park bench covered with a thick layer of yellow maple leaves, and a green willow bent down to provide shade for the bench.

This is a place that encompasses all four seasons.

There is a stone slab path under your feet, and the slight undulations on it feel like a massage for your feet.

A few stray cats ran by in front, and one of them leisurely came to Lind and gently rubbed his ankle with its body. The touch felt real, and the cat was real.

Linde walked towards the bench, turned around and sat down.

"What is this place?"

A voice came from deep within, transmitted in the form of thoughts, but it was unclear.

It seems nothing surprising that the power of the magic ring fragments can create a space. The sacrificial space of [Banshee Horn] can also operate in the same way.

He looked up at the sky, and it seemed as if there were pairs of huge eyes looking down at him. The so-called fox heart seemed to have turned into an ant nest, and those huge monsters high above might be trying to pick up a twig and poke him gently.

Linde!

Someone was calling him, but the sound sounded like his heart beating violently.

Linde suddenly opened his eyes and found himself still standing in the Fox Church, holding the [Fox Heart] in his hand. The voice calling him came from his heart, from his second heart.

"What on earth is this?" Lind held the Holy Grail in one hand and the necklace in the other.

The Holy Grail sent a message, and although it could not use language, the direct penetration of consciousness ensured that the message was absolutely correct: this is the "womb that hatches God."

Lind was always wary of God, and he even felt that the necklace was a little hot.

"So, were those eyes I just saw gods? Or were they fertilized eggs ready to be reincarnated?" He just felt that something was wrong.

Although he didn't have to pay any price for using [Fox Heart], the awkward feeling in his heart made him very uncomfortable.

The Holy Grail delivered the message again, this time more clearly: this is the womb that hatches gods, the womb that allows gods to be born again, if you can find a god.

Something that is useless even if you get it.

If he could capture a god, he wouldn't have any use for this thing.

The Holy Grail also shows that even if a god is reborn from the "womb", it is still impossible for him to control him. Each god has his own power and ideas.

"Who are you?" The old hunter's voice suddenly came.

(End of this chapter)