Being an otaku in the world of American comics

#155 - Dark Forest

Early in the morning, with a slight sense of frustration, Liang Yue began preparing breakfast for everyone.

Because he vaguely remembered that Beorn, the skin-changer, didn't seem to eat meat, so since they were staying in his house, they should respect the host's habits.

Breakfast consisted of a pile of bread, jam, nuts, milk, honey, and various vegetarian foods like fruit, without even eggs, but this couldn't hide the richness and nutritiousness of the meal.

Gandalf, the old wizard, along with the peace-loving hobbit Bilbo, opened the door and went to the yard to apologize to the host who was chopping wood.

The dwarves were quietly hiding in the house, their faces filled with apprehension and tension, observing the progress of the negotiations through the window cracks.

As for the Elven Princess Arwen, she had already gone out on her own early in the morning and hadn't returned yet.

Liang Yue wasn't worried about this at all, because according to his understanding of the plot, with the skin-changer guarding the courtyard, the Orc riders lurking around wouldn't dare to approach.

It seemed that the Orcs had suffered a lot at his hands.

"But~ haven't they already suffered a lot at my hands? Knowing that I'm in the group, the Orcs still dare to follow us, are they looking down on me...?"

With a faint吐槽 spirit in his heart, after preparing breakfast, Liang Yue didn't notify the others and went out of the house alone.

By the time he returned, more than half an hour had passed, and everyone and the skin-changer had already started sitting in the house enjoying breakfast, even Arwen had appeared there.

At this time, she was holding a piece of watermelon, eating it in small bites, her eating manner was very elegant, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding dwarves.

Seeing Liang Yue, who was completely refreshed and obviously had just washed up, Arwen glanced at him sideways before shifting her gaze elsewhere.

Liang Yue didn't care at all, he grabbed a handful of cashews that had just been taken off the charcoal fire, and shamelessly approached her.

Without saying any nonsense, he stood beside her, listening to the information that Beorn, the skin-changer, was sharing with everyone.

"...We must reach the foot of the Lonely Mountain before the end of autumn, that is, on the day of Durin's Day, so we need to pass through Mirkwood."

"Then you're running out of time, the power of darkness is shrouding that forest, and things of decay are crawling under the trees. Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't risk entering there."

"We will take the Elven path, that road is still safe."

"Doesn't matter anymore? What do you mean?"

"Now Orcs are all over this area, and their numbers are constantly increasing. Even outside of Mirkwood, it's not necessarily much safer.

I don't like dwarves. You are greedy, reckless, and indifferent to the lives of the weak, but I hate Orcs even more. Tell me, what help do you need?"

...

In the end, in order to reach Mirkwood sooner, everyone borrowed a batch of milk-white horses from Beorn, the skin-changer, as transportation.

Moreover, both parties agreed that after arriving at that forest, they would release these horses again.

Before leaving, the old wizard whispered to the skin-changer for a long time, and as a result, his face became very serious when he returned to the team.

Caw~ Caw~~

Amidst the raucous noise of a flock of crows, everyone resumed their journey.

Accompanied by the surrounding howls of wolves, they rode their horses at full speed, crossing hills and grasslands.

At the same time, in secret, Beorn, the skin-changer, had once again transformed into a giant bear, constantly wandering behind everyone, occasionally roaring to warn the surrounding Orcs lurking in wait.

Therefore, although they were surrounded by enemies, their journey was exceptionally smooth.

Finally, in the afternoon, everyone arrived at the edge of a forest with unusually dense trees.

This forest is the legendary Mirkwood.

At a glance, the trees growing inside all appear very strange, their postures like non-mainstream bonsai that have been deliberately sculpted.

The branches are winding and crooked, some resembling outstretched claws, some seem to have been blown by the wind all their lives, growing obliquely, and some have even formed distorted, grotesque faces.

A faint mist is now shrouding this place, reflecting its interior in shadowy outlines.

With a gust of wind, a faint, almost imperceptible sound of ghosts crying suddenly rang out within, comparable to the forests in horror movies.

Those wolf howls that were originally trailing behind the team, driving them forward, have now disappeared without a trace.

Obviously, even the Orcs, who are also on the side of darkness, are unwilling to enter this forest.

Removing the horse gear from the horses beside them, and patting them on the back, the horses ran back on their own.

Liang Yue was standing there with his hands on his hips, looking at the mysterious woodland in front of him, he subconsciously frowned, and said somewhat helplessly.

"I miss Rachel a little~"

"What? A knight who aspires to slay dragons, is actually afraid of this little thing?"

Arwen was standing next to him at this time, and after hearing his words, she immediately said with some disdain.

"It's just troublesome, the miasma in this forest is obviously mixed with toxins. Although it won't be fatal, breathing too much of it can make people dizzy and gradually lose their minds."

Liang Yue sighed softly, still feeling somewhat resentful about Gandalf's release of the giant eagle yesterday...

"Then what do you think, how should we cross this forest?"

"It would be best if we could just cut out a path, so that the sunlight from the sky could shine down and everything would be fine~"

...

"...I will be waiting for you in front of Erebor. Keep the map and key to the Lonely Mountain safe. Do not enter the Lonely Mountain before I arrive..."

"This forest is no longer the Greenwood of old. Now darkness is shrouding this place. Also, there is a stream in the forest that has been cast with black magic. Be careful not to touch the water.

You can only cross the stream via the stone bridge above."

"...The air in the forest is very turbid, and it also contains hallucinogenic toxins. They will affect your thinking and make you lose your way, so~"

"So you must follow the road, don't go the wrong way, otherwise, you will be lost there forever, and you will never find your way out again."

"Don't forget, take the main road, don't wander around..."

Looking at the figure of the old wizard, Gandalf, riding away on his horse, Liang Yue couldn't help but shake his head.

Now, Gandalf, as he said before, has chosen to temporarily leave the team, so inadvertently, Liang Yue has now become the backbone of the entire team.

Even Thorin, the dwarf prince, was now looking at him.

Seeing this, Liang Yue didn't say much. He walked directly to the front of the team, and then led the team along the forest path, heading into the depths of the forest.

"Everyone, pay attention and keep up, don't fall behind. As agreed, we must reach the foot of Durin's Day before sunset. Time is running out.

Also, I feel that there should be many enemies hidden in this forest, not necessarily Orcs, but all are minions of darkness."

Rumble~

Just after entering the forest, a cloud of darkness shrouded over from the horizon, followed by a drizzle.

Arwen was now using her special skills as an elf, relying on her light body and agile figure, constantly leaping on the tall branches, observing the surrounding situation for everyone.

Liang Yue led the dwarves and Bilbo, walking along the forest path.

He was leading the way very quickly, and the people behind him, in order to keep up with his pace, didn't even have time to speak, only focusing on hurrying along.

In just a moment, Liang Yue had already led them to the stream that Gandalf had mentioned before.

A strong smell of decay and rottenness was constantly emanating from the stream.

Clusters of mold, transformed from poisonous mushrooms, were floating on the surface of the water.

The entire stream seemed to have been deliberately blocked from front to back, unable to flow, turning into a stagnant water.

Standing on the bank, everyone could even see bubbles occasionally emerging from the bottom of the water, as if it were rotting and fermenting.

Arwen had already flipped down from the tree at this time, holding her nose with some disgust, standing behind, her brows slightly furrowed.

And what's even more frustrating is that the only stone bridge over this stream has now been damaged and broken for some unknown reason.

There is at least a distance of more than ten meters between the two banks~

Of course, this mere broken bridge, and the blocked dirty water river, naturally couldn't stump Liang Yue.

After all, building bridges when encountering water and opening roads when encountering mountains has always been his strength!

At this time, Liang Yue slowly came to the gap in the bridgehead, turned his sleeves, and the small cube representing the rock cube immediately appeared in his palm.

Pa Pa Pa~

With a few consecutive flicks of his hand, a brand-new stone pier with a height of ninety centimeters was immediately covered on the original bridgehead.

Then, Liang Yue stepped onto the rock, and while walking, he flicked his hand, and the bridge surface under his feet extended forward section by section.

In just a few seconds, he had already arrived on the other side.

Turning around and looking back, a stone bridge that wasn't very beautiful, but looked exceptionally sturdy at a glance, appeared in front of everyone.

"Hurry up and keep up, we don't have much time left~!"