Chapter 187 Chapter 187: Silent Crisis 2: The Village
Chapter 187: Silent Crisis 2: The Village
"Let's go. I don't want my arrival to interfere with your mission."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kevin proactively ended the conversation.
The three of them walked side by side into the village.
Despite being a rare stopover point on a main route, the streets were practically empty of people.
Knock, knock, knock—
Outcast knocked on the wooden door of one of the houses.
There was no helping it. Whether it was FrostNova or Kevin, when facing outsiders, they both wore almost the same icy expression.
They'd probably scare people off before even exchanging a few words.
So, the heavy responsibility of interacting with people still had to rest on her shoulders.
"Hello, is anyone home?"
The wooden door was very dilapidated. The intense humidity had covered it in moss, making it so fragile it seemed like a gentle push would scatter it into planks across the ground.
Creak—
The hinges made a grating sound as the door opened.
A little girl peeked out. Her slightly dark skin was somewhat rough, bearing the marks of sea winds.
"Wh-what is it?" she asked timidly.
"We are tourists traveling in Iberia. We're passing by and would like some water. Are you home alone?" Outcast revealed her kindly side, patting the little girl's head.
The wrinkles and white hair she couldn't hide made her actions seem less abrupt.
Perhaps her inherent approachable aura worked; the little girl didn't resist her gesture.
"Who is it?"
An elderly man who looked even older slowly walked out, leaning on a cane.
"Masha, didn't I tell you not to open the door for strangers casually?" The old man was very stern. He gripped his cane and thumped it hard on the ground twice.
Masha instinctively shrank her head back, but she didn't seem overly frightened.
"Grandpa, I won't do it again next time."
"What are you here for? We don't welcome guests here." The old man no longer paid attention to his granddaughter. His turbid eyes looked at the three "uninvited guests" outside the door.
At least for him, for this village, that statement wasn't wrong.
Outcast repeated the same story she used earlier.
"Hmph, tourists? Ha, are there still people who come to this backwater place for tourism? Have their brains been gnawed by swinebeasts?" The old man sneered, clearly not as easy to fool as the little girl earlier. He simply didn't believe this excuse.
"If you want water, come in quickly. Refill and leave immediately."
His attitude remained cold and hard, but after glancing at something, he still let them in.
"Let's go in." Outcast said with a smile, simultaneously pulling her coat back down to cover the Guardian Gun she had intentionally revealed at her waist earlier.
Sometimes, whether an excuse is cliché isn't that important; supplementing it with something else works just fine.
Facing a dark gun barrel, probably not many would dare muster the courage to say no.
The three entered the house. The scene inside was still unsurprising.
Dirty, messy, poor. Even "bare walls" couldn't fully describe the poverty here.
The bed made of rammed earth was covered with a straw mat. The damp soil in the corners was overgrown with moss. The air was also filled with a strange sour smell.
The only thing that could be considered a highlight was the severely rusted spear hanging on the wall, resembling a harpoon.
"Here, water." Masha brought out the only small pot in the house that could barely be considered clean. At least the water inside wasn't a muddy yellowish-brown color.
"Thank you." Outcast took out two water flasks from her waist. Her ring finger seemed to inadvertently skim across the water's surface.
Data and results immediately flashed on her watch.
She subtly winked at FrostNiva, indicating there was no problem.
"Finish filling up and leave immediately." Seeing the two had finished filling their flasks, the old man immediately issued an order to leave.
However, none of the three were normal people; they were completely unaffected by his cold, hard attitude.
Let alone getting into a huff with him.
"Alright. But, old sir, do you know which direction Salt Wind City is in?" Outcast could even smile and ask him for information.
Hearing that name, the old man's eyes contracted slightly but quickly returned to their previous state.
"Don't know, don't know. I'm just a country bumpkin; I don't know what you're talking about... cough cough cough." The old man refused to answer. As he spoke, he suddenly choked and started coughing violently.
The little girl quickly patted his thin back lightly, as if trying to alleviate her grandfather's pain through this action.
"Fine, then we won't overstay." Seeing the old man clearly didn't want to say more, Outcast didn't press further. She stood up readily.
"Let's go." She called out.
FrostNova was puzzled. This old man clearly had something on his mind. If they probed a bit deeper with a few more questions, perhaps they could obtain some useful information?
Leaving directly like this... wasn't it a bit...?
"Let's go." Kevin spoke up at this moment too.
Unable to figure it out, FrostNova had no choice but to follow the two.
Creak—
Outside the door, the three had already stepped out.
The old man followed. Before closing the door, this old man who had been cold and hard towards them since they entered surprisingly hesitated for once.
"If you don't want to die, don't go near Salt Wind City. That place is no good. If you must go somewhere, go where the Inquisition is. Finally, get going. Don't trust anyone in this area."
He finished in a low voice and then mercilessly closed the main door.
With a bang, he shut the three outside.
"He definitely knows something." FrostNova realized belatedly. But his attitude was already very clear; he didn't want trouble.
Rather, reminding them before they left could be considered going above and beyond.
"Let's leave this place first." Eyes sharp as a hawk scanned their surroundings.
This wasn't a place to linger. Outcast could already sense unfriendly gazes directed at them from within the rammed-earth houses throughout the village.
......
"That person... the weapon on his wall is standard-issue for the Iberian National Defense Force sixty years ago." Outcast narrated as they walked.
"Sixty years ago... a retired soldier?"
"Not exactly. The Iberia of today no longer has the National Defense Force as a military system."
Long ago, during the Great Silence period, when the Iberian royal family fell apart, the National Defense Force basically dispersed or left.
She had only read about it in records.
She never expected that sixty years later today, she would encounter a living member of the National Defense Force.
"You sensed it too, right?" Kevin glanced at Outcast.
"A little bit, but not specifically."
From the moment they entered, that old National Defense Force soldier kept trying to drive them away.
This definitely wasn't just out of dislike; rather—
"More like... a kind of 'warning'?" This was Outcast's speculation.
"That village... Didn't you say you wanted to investigate the Deep Sea Church?" Kevin crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.
"Could it be...?" FrostNova frowned. They wouldn't be that (un)lucky as to run into them right away?
"No. But since it's the Deep Sea Church, they should have some connection with those 'Seaborn' you mentioned." Kevin added.
"Those villagers carry the aura of Seaborn."
"A lot of them?" Outcast was also startled.
"No..." Kevin shook his head. But before she could sigh in relief, he continued:
"...Just about half the village."
"!!!"
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