What kind of vicious and strange method could actually turn a person into this state...
He no longer had the heart to listen to Ge Lan. He just pulled the hairy monkey off and held it in his arms, watching its monkey face and lips twitching.
"...You asked me why, then I can only say I don't know?" Ge Lan continued, she spread her hands, indicating that she didn't know.
"Then let me put it another way." Li Ang frowned, "When did this phenomenon, the phenomenon of 'people turning into animals', begin?"
"Oh..." Grant narrowed his eyes, scanned the faces of the three people one by one, and finally said: "Starting from the time His Majesty the King ascended the throne."
Next, she told the three of them everything, from her perspective, how she discovered everything.
"No one cared at first, including me... I just felt that I saw more craftsmen or people with pets when I went out. People were either carrying monkeys or cats and dogs. Well, some were carrying snakes and insects, and seabirds as well."
"But gradually, this phenomenon spread all of a sudden. I thought there were too many of them, so I went to ask people what was going on. In the end, everyone told me that this was a normal phenomenon, and that 'it's just that my family members turned into animals'."
"That's all?" Li Ang felt a chill when he heard it.
He felt that compared to the weird thing of "turning people into animals", the most terrifying thing was that people had become accustomed to it.
What happened in Iverria?
Are all the people in this city cursed and their cognition tampered with?
"Including my father." Grant spread his hands. "He turned into a giant lizard... Do you understand? Every day, I have to brush the skin and bathe a giant lizard, and feed it a lot of raw meat and lettuce. How hard is this life?"
"You live with it?"
"Of course, it's my dad."
"Don't you think it's weird?" Li Ang stared. "Don't you think it's scary?"
"In the beginning, it was a little bit." Ge Lan admitted, "But it could talk at first. Every morning when I woke up, I could hear it calling me in a familiar voice, saying, 'Ge Lan, I want to eat meat again, go buy me some', or 'Ge Lan, I feel itchy, come and give me a bath' and so on... I would meet its demands first, and in the process it would teach me some knowledge of running a hotel."
"It's just a pity." She shook her hair. "It completely degenerated before it had the chance to tell me all the information about the gold bank account. Now it can't talk anymore, but it still stares at the transaction data I bring back from the store every day."
That must be why she needed the money.
After quickly digesting this information, the three of them looked at each other, and their eyes turned gentle when they looked at Ge Lan.
If, according to Yivenria, this city is really as she described, then everyone here is untrustworthy without exception.
Because they actually think that "relatives turning into animals" is a normal thing, they are no longer normal people, they may have been polluted by evil spirits, their minds have been tampered with or something. Among these people, Ge Lan, who still insisted on himself and directly said "Although I don't know what happened, I think this place is very weird and I want to escape", should be one of the few survivors.
As promised, they gave the money to Ge Lan and let her go.
This is not a one-and-done deal.
Anyway, they have no shortage of gold coins. With this cooperation as a foundation, they can ask her for help again if they have any problems in the future.
"How to say?"
After making sure the person had left, Darent weighed the monkey and asked, "Was this thing once a Shadow Lion agent?"
Leon came over and caught the monkey, then passed it to Baliu. After weighing and touching it, they confirmed that its size, outline, and fur texture were indeed those of a monkey - this proved that the transformation into an animal was not an "illusion".
"Is it possible that this is just a coincidence and it just has a slightly higher IQ?" Li Ang said.
Darent, Baliu, and the monkey in Baliu's arms all looked at him as if he were a fool.
"Okay." Li Ang nodded, "I'm a fool."
This could explain why it got close to them in the village for the first time, but it couldn't explain why it followed them all the way up.
This goes totally against the nature and customs of the Gorillas, which have a strong sense of territory and will not easily leave their range.
"This is bad news." Baliu lowered his head to tease the monkey, his face showing no emotion. "An elite team of 36 people, I'm afraid they have already..."
"Maybe someone escaped?" Li Ang comforted her.
"You saw it when we came in. Ivanria doesn't restrict people from coming in and out... If someone had discovered something was wrong earlier and left, then maybe..."
"Okay." He got stuck at the end, "I hope this is the only one who turns into an animal."
Obviously, this explanation cannot explain why there has been no contact for so long.
Chapter 46: Mechanical Kingdom
After some discussion, the three of them unanimously agreed that there was something strange about the monkey. It was most likely a member of the 36-member elite team, because it happened to hear their conversation and followed them.
"So you can understand us?"
On the table where the water pitcher was placed, Darent lowered his head and looked at the monkey. Next to him were a notebook and a pen, which were covered with messy drawings by the monkey.
"Give it, give it, give it." The monkey nodded first, then looked around blankly, then turned back and grinned at him: "Quack!"
"What does 'give give give give' mean?" Darent turned to his companions for help.
Li Ang shook his head.
Baliwu also shook his head.
"The captain didn't ask you two to be fans..."
"I think you shouldn't try." Li Ang couldn't help but smile, "It has obviously forgotten a lot of things. It doesn't even know how to read. It is dominated by its animal instincts most of the time."
Although this incident is inherently sad, Darent is extremely funny.
How did he do that, just sitting there and having this kind of comedy effect?
"There are two most critical issues now," Baliu analyzed. "The first is whether we should still find a way to contact Aman, whether we should continue to stay or go back now."
"I think we can keep it for now." Darent raised his hand. "Indeed, this discovery is quite significant and surprising... but knowing this is useless. Even if she were to come, she would still have to investigate from the beginning, which would be a waste of precious time."
Mr. and Mrs. Cornerell nodded slightly, agreeing with his opinion.
"The second is the hidden danger of mutation." Speaking of this, Baliu raised his hands and rubbed his arms, always feeling a little uneasy.
"According to Gran, anyone who is within the 'ruling area' of Iverria has a 'probability' of turning into an animal." She emphasized the pronunciation of a few words, "We need to figure out how far this range is and what the probability is."
This is a very important matter, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the most important thing. After all, no one wants to turn into a monkey or baboon while investigating.
The tree people are naturally resistant to evil curses, but Baliu has not yet understood the principles of the curse, and she dare not guarantee that she will be fine.
And there is also Li Ang.
She had finally found happiness, finding someone worth spending her life with and her best comrade and partner. How could she bear to see Li Ang fall into such a predicament?
"Range, if the range is too large, we may have to set off immediately..." Li Ang pondered.
The others were stunned for a moment, then their faces darkened as they realized he was referring to the Pierre.
Pierre - it was docked on the north shore of Goli, strictly speaking not far from Iverria and could be included in its jurisdiction.
If the curse also includes the submarine, doesn't that mean that the people on the ship may also turn into animals while sleeping?
This is indeed the most important thing right now. They have to find a way to figure it out, and it would be best to go find Grant later.
"Then I'll go now." Li Ang stood up and fanned himself by pulling his collar.
It was such a horrible weather, and it was so stuffy sitting in the room that his clothes were all wet.
The heat was so unbearable that he paused on his way to the door and wanted to pour himself a glass of water.
Baliu's eyes kept wandering over him until she saw him stop, bend down, and reach out to take the water cup and jug.
A terrible thought came to my mind.
With a crisp "snap" sound, Darent looked up and was surprised to see that Baliu's arms turned into vines and tightly wrapped around Leon's hands.
Frightened by this, Leon lost his grip on the cup, causing it to fall to the ground and break into pieces.
"What are you doing?" Darent was shocked. "I know you have that need... but get it! I'm still here!"
"Shut up!" Baliu glared at him fiercely, rushed over quickly to untie the restraints, and snatched the water jug from her husband.
Now, everyone knew what she was thinking.
"Water?" Darent raised his eyebrows. "Water? Indeed, it is the best medium for curses."
The entire Goli is located in a tropical climate zone, and it is extremely hot during the day. It can be said that no one can resist not drinking water.
Many files involving "city-destroying" disasters have recorded that water has served as a medium for curses many times, including but not limited to the spread of epidemics, insect eggs, and spiritual curses... This is a master key for the caster.
"Did you two drink this water yesterday?" Baliu asked them seriously.
"No!" Leon and Darent shook their heads. "We drank from our water bags and ate the biscuits we brought with us."
They are professionals after all. Even if they don’t think of it at the moment, the habits they have developed over the years are still restraining them.
Baliu breathed a sigh of relief and began to stare at the water jug in a daze with a frown.
"Is this what you are drinking?" Li Ang asked her.
"Yes." Baliu nodded, and then explained: "The Tree People are not afraid of this... All the evil disasters inflicted on the water cannot touch me, so I can drink it, but you can't."
"Okay, now we have a hypothesis." Darent tilted his head, "How can we be sure?"
"Go ask Ge Lan," Li Ang said affirmatively, "Ask her if she knows the approximate range of the spread of this phenomenon. If she doesn't know, give her money to ask... Then we can refer to the topographic map of the area to see if the water sources in those areas are connected."
Iverria is not a "modern" city. There is no running water here. When they were riding in the donkey cart yesterday, they saw passers-by queuing up at the well to get water more than once.
But the city is indeed very large, with at least hundreds of wells in the city. The groundwater associated with them may not be connected, and the approximate scope of the curse's impact can be inferred based on the location of the spread of the ground phenomenon.
After bidding farewell to his companions, Li Ang prepared to go and come back quickly.
Time was still very tight. He had to inquire about the things in the palace and investigate this strange curse. As he went downstairs, he thought that he might need to act separately next.
"It is here... sir."
A pause in his steps.
Li Ang was very sure that this was Ge Lan's voice.
This was the second floor. He looked around and found a room with a "Vacant" sign on the door. He took out a thick wire from his pocket and opened the lock in less than two seconds.
Leon slipped in, opened the door a little, and squatted behind it - this angle was just right for him to catch a glimpse of the bend in the corridor.
The sound of footsteps and conversations came quickly, and it sounded like there were more than a dozen people.
Their breathing was rapid, showing that they were very nervous.
"I'll ask you again."
As he said this, Li Ang saw a burly man leaning out from the corner of the corridor. "Are you sure those people are spies? You're not mistaken?"
"Sure, sir!"
Then he saw Glenn show her head. The girl's expression changed completely. She clasped her hands together and looked very pitiful.
"It's not like I haven't seen outsiders before... Those people do inquire about what's going on in the city, but who would be interested in Your Majesty?"
"You did hear them snooping around the palace..."
"Yes! Including the Concubine Selection! They must be spies from the Mechanical Kingdom! They are trying to sneak in!"
Mechanical Kingdom?
Li Ang's brain was a little confused.
He had never heard of the term.
Could it be describing us...describing Sarah?
But Sarah doesn't seem to be qualified to be given such a title.
In an instant, a gear-shaped monster in a cloak and a mechanical castle that was rapidly unfolding on the rails with a click-click sound emerged in his mind.
"I disagree, Mr. Joad."
He heard a third voice.
"The Mechanical Kingdom and the Corrupted Blood Kingdom are fighting fiercely right now. Goli's side has not yet been covered by the gray fog. I don't think they have the heart to care about our affairs."
"Then what else is possible?" He heard Ge Lan screaming in rebuttal: "It can't be the Sara people? Everyone knows that the Sara people can't go out on the streets now? They are only allowed to move around in the mansion!"
It seems you know much more than you let on, Miss Grant...
Li Ang grinned, revealing a smile full of chill.
At the same time, he also knew what he should do now.
Without warning, he opened the door.
This noise naturally attracted a group of people at the corridor entrance to look over.
Li Ang looked at them calmly and found that they were a group of policemen in white clothes? They looked like this profession... The man in the front had shoulders twice as wide as his. Next to him stood a thin man with a gloomy face. Compared with him, Ge Lan looked like a long-necked turkey, staring at them.
