Edge of the swamp.
After Shawn’s figure left, it was unknown how much time passed before a group of sneaky monsters crept over, a total of six deformed Lizardmen, forming a complete combat squad. The leading monster checked the corpse of its companion, its expression full of madness and anger.
"Take the bodies back!" (Lizardman language)
The leader of the team looked at the sky, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "We’ll track the enemy tomorrow."
It’s getting dark.
Even they wouldn’t easily leave their swamp tribe at night, for under the cover of darkness lurk more terrifying evil beings, and without the protection of the Blood Sacrifice Totem, they could die at any time by such hands.
The bodies of their companions, naturally, weren’t taken back for burial but as reserved food.
The survival environment in the Bizarre Realm is extremely harsh; not a single bit of edible meat can be wasted. Moreover, some Lizardmen already started gnawing on the arm of their dead companion.
They ate the monster initially killed by Shawn, then carried the remaining bodies back into the Poison Gas Swamp.
Before leaving, the leader of the monsters also took the spent bullet casings. The enemy used these weapons to kill their kind, and he intended to take them back for the tribe’s priest to examine. To survive in this treacherous swamp, even deformed monsters must remain vigilant.
.........
Thousand Faces Valley.
This is an enormous gorge, with steep cliffs hundreds of meters high, each carved with a gigantic human face, around three meters in diameter. There are a thousand faces in total, each different in appearance and expression, some fierce, some resentful, some crying, all seemingly lifelike.
Beneath the gorge lay numerous caves, surrounded by settled humans.
Stone-Blind Barbarians.
A subspecies entirely devolved and deformed, the human lineage unable to enter the real world back then. Their intelligence is extremely low, roughly equivalent to a clever dog (Intelligence 7 points). They live like troglodytes, having evolved a self-protection mechanism after devolving—giving up all mind power, letting themselves become blind and foolish.
They cannot see any spiritual bodies, cannot see those bizarre evil objects, basically incapable of perceiving any supernatural oddities, always shrouded in blind foolishness.
Of course, when those eerie presences hunt them down, they remain unaware, merely hiding and retreating into caves.
Their memory is poor.
Even if their parents or children are killed and eaten by monsters today, they will quickly forget everything and continue living in this bizarre land by sheer primal instinct.
They have closed off their inner selves.
In many places within the Bizarre Realm, Stone-Blind Barbarians are kept as food by bizarre existences, similar to how humans rear cattle and sheep.
They farm and obey some simple commands but never leave their tribe. They have almost devolved into humanoid beasts, retaining only a portion of human innate instincts. The blindness and foolishness is a self-protective barrier—whether an evolution or devolution, they ultimately survived, living on as domesticated food.
This is the sorrow of the weak. Humans living in the Bizarre Realm, who have not ascended to become Transcendents, all eventually deformed and degenerated.
With a light breeze, Aemon, expressionless, walked into this Thousand Faces Valley.
A strange wave of mind power emerged.
On the cliff face, one of the ferocious carved human faces suddenly opened its eyes. It stared at Aemon’s figure, a cautious look on its face as it said, "Aemon! What brings you here?"
Seeing Aemon’s figure, those Stone-Blind Barbarians fearfully hid inside their caves.
Their instinct sensed fear.
Aemon looked upon these Stone-Blind Barbarians with a trace of pity, calmly speaking, "I want Su’en’s Brain. You’re the only one nearby who has it."
Curios Tracking Skill.
It can directly prophesy and locate what one seeks, providing the corresponding information. The stronger the ability, the more accurate the divined information.
Shawn has not yet learned the Prophetic Skill, and for Low Tier Casters, the prophetic skill is not precise.
The speaking human face changed, glaring at Aemon before him: "What if I refuse to give it to you?"
Aemon gently stepped forward.
In an instant!
The ground melted, streaks of lava traces spread across the surface, reaching the end of the gorge. Behind Aemon loomed the massive shadow of a Balrog Flame Demon Lord over a hundred meters tall. As he raised his hand, the entire gorge seemed like a volcano about to erupt at any moment; the crust lightly trembled, with the Law’s power twisting everything on the Material Plane.
This is the authority of an Abyssal Lord!
Aemon wore a slight smile, appearing refined and amiable, yet his words were unequivocal. He calmly said, "Give it to me. I’ll owe you a favor."
"Refuse, and I’ll unravel your Thousand Faces Valley."
All around fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, a creature resembling a giant tumor, covered with tendrils and eye stems, floated over from mid-air. It respectfully presented a black box before Aemon.
"Thank you." Aemon politely took his leave.
He is a man of refinement.
.........