At dawn.
In a thin mist.
A group of men, all male, left the town on foot and headed north.
It took them two hours to walk across the plains covered with red thorns and reach the entrance to the Mist Shadow Mountains.
The sun was rising at that time.
The view across the plains is unobstructed.
But after entering the mountain.
Visibility dropped significantly.
Even Roger's real vision lost its effect in the face of that strange mist.
“It is the power of the Person…”
Roger followed Roddick closely.
On the surface, this seems to be fulfilling one's duty.
In fact, he didn't want to lose the only guide in the team.
The composition of this team is quite complex.
Except for a group of ragged men of unknown origin.
The rest were temporary guards recruited by Roddick in the town.
Their duty is to escort the old man back and forth between "Wushan Town" and "Drovas".
But the leader is still the old man himself.
…
"Those who don't want to die, follow closely!"
“Once you enter the mountains, don’t stop no matter what happens; the situation in the mountains is very complicated, and once you get lost, you’ll be lost forever!”
"In the next five days, we have to reach the 'shelter' along the way before dark every day, so no one should hold me back..."
This is what the old man repeatedly reminded me before we set off.
The sixth sense told Roger.
Roddick wasn't exaggerating.
The Misty Mountains do have a great history.
He learned from the Minotaur Allen that -
It is rumored that many years ago, a practitioner of the Kingdom of God who specialized in the "Mist Person" died here.
I don’t know why.
Its kingdom of God did not collapse after the death of its master.
Instead, it merged into one with the mountain range.
This leads to strange things happening in the mountains from time to time.
Before Drovas was established.
This mountain range is truly a place without human habitation.
In a place like this.
Without a guide, you will end up dead.
So Roger didn't dare to be arrogant.
He followed closely behind the old man.
Because I followed too closely.
Several times he noticed the strange looks from others.
Roger didn't care.
At this stage.
He just wanted to enter Drovas safely.
Then comes the stage of acting according to circumstances.
Although the Queen asked him to investigate the abnormal situation in the city.
But she also mentioned that there are a large number of "evil crows" in Drovas.
This made it difficult for Roger to prioritize the investigation mission.
"I hope the crows in Drovas are all evil crows. The ordinary crows mixed in by Mirror Lake are really too disturbing..."
With this thought in mind.
Roger spent the first day in the mountains smoothly.
Before evening.
On the winding path shrouded in mist.
Roddick suddenly shouted:
"stop!"
Then he ran to the cliff in front alone and searched for a long time.
Very quickly.
In a field of growing weeds.
The old man dug open the entrance to a cave.
He stood at the entrance of the cave and sniffed.
After a while, he said with satisfaction:
"Everyone, go in."
"Let's stay here tonight."
The words fell.
Roddick walked in carelessly.
The next moment.
The remaining thirty or so strong men in the caravan also followed in one after another.
…
Night falls.
A great darkness enveloped everything.
Only a little light came from the cave entrance.
Roddick lit a bonfire at the deepest part of the cave and ordered that only one bonfire be lit.
So except for the guard on duty at the cave entrance, everyone else came over subconsciously.
The temperature in the mountains is not cold.
But high humidity still makes people feel uncomfortable.
The surrounding environment is very quiet.
Only the faint sound of strange cries reached everyone's ears through the cave entrance.
At the beginning.
Everyone can still bear it.
But in the second half of the night, everyone was awakened by the loud and strange screams.
Roddick is no exception.
His sleep didn't seem to be very good to begin with. Looking at the solemn expressions of the crowd, the old man cursed and said:
"Don't look like something's gonna happen to you."
"Being able to hear these calls means we are safe."
Everyone was puzzled.
A young guard asked:
"Mr. Roddick, what is the source of that strange noise?"
Roddick lit a cigarette.
After taking three deep puffs, the old man's spirits finally perked up.
He looked around at everyone and snorted:
"What else could it be? A crow!"
"Forget it. I won't get a chance to sleep today anyway."
"Since you guys haven't caused me any trouble, I'll tell you about the origins of the crows near the Mist Shadow Mountains..."
As soon as these words came out.
Everyone's attention was drawn to it.
The old man puffed and puffed for a long time before he gritted his teeth and said:
"You have certainly never heard of the story of 'The Crow Steals the Sun'?"
"In the customs of the three southern countries, crows are considered ominous. But in the mythology of the Kavas people, crows are the right-hand men of the God of Creation and the most worshipped benevolent god by the Kavas people..."
Hear this.
Roger, who was a little absent-minded, suddenly had something in his mind!
Let’s not talk about the natives of Quinan for this story.
Even he, a time traveler, has never heard of it!
"Could it be that I lost chivalry points for killing a crow, and that it has something to do with the myth of the Korvas people?"
So he listened carefully.
…
In the old man's constipated narration.
Roger roughly understood what "The Crow Steals the Day" was all about.
In the mythology of the Kawase people.
When the world was first formed, there was no sunlight.
People live in darkness all day long.
We can only see each other by relying on those things that emit a faint light.
In the dark.
People are always close to each other.
The God of Creation thought this was good.
Because we can't see each other's appearance clearly.
People will not dislike each other because of their appearance differences.
So He hid the sun in a secret room in the mountain and ordered the eagle on his right hand to guard the secret room.
Then He ordered the crow in His left hand to manage the world for Him.
After doing all this.
The God of Creation traveled around the universe on a starship.
When the crow was managing this world, he heard the voices of many people——
The fisherman said:
"The world is always dark, and it's really hard to catch fish to feed myself. I should change my career to something else..."
The farmer said:
"There are always people stealing crops in the fields. It's hard to tell who they are in the dark. I should change my career to something else..."
Hunter said:
"The forest is too dangerous. I can't see my prey, and my prey can't see me either. Winning or losing depends entirely on luck. I should change my career and do something else..."
These sounds made the crow feel very emotional.
On the one hand, it sympathizes with people's helplessness.
On the other hand, I am terrified by their thoughts - if everyone changes their careers, the world will be in chaos!
So the crow flew quietly to the mountains.
It stole the sun while the eagle was taking a nap!
From then on.
There is daylight in the world.
Fishermen, farmers and hunters are not prepared to change their careers.
But that's why.
People saw each other's appearance clearly and gradually developed a rift between them.
When the gods came back and saw this scene, they severely punished the crow.
He said:
"Since you stole the sun, I will punish you by making your feathers the ugliest color under the sun."
So the crow became what it is now.
The Eagles were also punished for their dereliction of duty.
So every time an eagle sees a crow, it will attack it with all its might.
What about the living beings?
Although they had a rift because of their appearance differences.
But in their hearts.
The crow that brings them daylight is still the greatest of the good gods.
…
"this……"
"It's the story of the crow stealing the sun that the Khovas believe in!"
By the campfire.
The old man yawned:
"There is a saying in Drovath that the crows near the Mist Shadow Mountains are the incarnations of the good god crow; they scream at night to scare away the monsters hiding in the fog."
“So it’s most dangerous when you can’t hear the crows calling.”
Looking at the expressions of disbelief on most people's faces.
The old man snorted again:
“But things are different now.”
"That group of evil spirits that appeared out of nowhere have attached themselves to some of the crows, making my experience useless."
"Anyway, stay away from crows along the way. Don't provoke them, no matter if they are evil crows or good crows!"
Everyone nodded.
At this moment.
Roger slowly asked:
"Then is there any way to distinguish between evil crows and good crows?"
The old man looked at him with some surprise.
Then he smiled slyly:
"Of course."
“But that’s not a free story anymore.”
Roger smiled and said nothing.
that's all.
Everyone chatted around the campfire for most of the night.
The strange screams outside the cave continued all night long.
At dawn.
Amid Roddick's cursing and urging.
The group set off again, yawning.
This day.
The caravan's progress slowed down a lot.
On the one hand, everyone did not sleep last night, and on the other hand, the mountain road was much more rugged.
Goat paths have become standard.
Along the way.
The old man cursed fiercely.
Everyone hurried forward.
Finally, we found the second shelter when the last ray of sunlight disappeared over the hill.
Second night.
There was a thick fog outside the cave.
They could still hear the crows.
The old man was very sleepy.
I actually fell asleep despite the screaming.
Fortunately, nothing happened that night.
During the day, we were busy traveling.
It was the third night.
In the cave that Roddick called "sanctuary".
Everyone looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Because it's too quiet.
"Where's the crow?"
By the campfire.
The little guard couldn't help but ask.
After a night's sleep, the old man felt much more energetic.
He leaned against the mountain wall, lit a cigarette and smoked it silently. After a while, he spoke:
"It may not be so peaceful tonight."
"But don't be too nervous. Generally speaking, the shelter is safe. Just remain reasonably vigilant."
"How about this, tonight I'm going to tell you a story about 'The Passionate Lady of the Mist', hehehe..."
In a laugh that all men understand.
The old man vividly told the story of a lost traveler and the mist girl in the mountains.
In the corner.
Roger seemed to be listening attentively.
But others have never noticed a detail -
The clothes he was wearing had turned into a milky white cloak.
…
"Hint: You have created a fog clone, which has 80% of your panel data."
…
Next second.
Roger's consciousness sank into the clone.
In the thick fog.
He ran recklessly in the mountains.
"I think I saw some monsters around here during the day."
"I don't know what attributes I can give?"
He thought so.
Haven't walked very far.
Suddenly, a nimble figure passed by in front!
…
"Hint: You found the 'Treasure Mandrill'"
…
"Huh?"
Roger perked up immediately.
…