It was dusk, and the mist was low.

The setting sun enveloped the lonely village, the white snow, the lonely snow birch, and a cold wind blew, making it even more lonely and deserted.

An old woman in her twilight years, wearing thin clothes and leaning on a broken wooden stick, trembled every few steps and walked with difficulty. She held a clay pot in her right hand and wanted to break into the house, but was stopped outside by the mercenary.

The old woman was shivering with cold, with missing teeth in her mouth, and begged incoherently: "I want to see the mayor!"

The two mercenaries who were guarding the door looked at each other, and one of them said: "Hey, you are not young anymore, don't freeze your body, go back quickly."

The old woman still didn't give up: "Please, I want to see the mayor."

The mercenary was impatient and started to scold.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Qin Yue and Alice saw the mercenary treating an old man rudely, and immediately stepped out to stop him. Alice took off her fox fur cloak and put it on the old man's thin body.

Qin Yue's eyebrows were raised, and she scolded the mercenary, saying: "He is just an old man, how can you be so rude!"

The mercenary was very embarrassed and said: "Sorry! Sorry!"

Alice was afraid that the old man would be cold, so she took him into the house.

The old woman was already in her twilight years, with white hair, skinny, and staggering, as if she could be blown down by a gust of wind.

Her clothes were torn and old, her eyes were turbid, and her face was full of poverty, but she was holding a pot of steaming earthenware in her hand, and a fragrance was emanating from it.

"Sir..." When the old woman saw Wei Nan and Oscar, she immediately put the earthenware pot on the table and said incoherently: "This is a snow chicken stewed by the old woman. It's still hot. It will warm you up."

The old woman's clothes were simple and rough, and her body was skinny. She didn't look like a wealthy person at all. Why would she take the initiative to send food?

Oscar asked gently: "Old man, do you have anything to say?"

The old woman shivered a few times and said in a trembling voice: "If you find my poor grandson, let him go home early. Grandma misses him!"

It turned out to be the family of the missing person.

Oscar wanted to give her a few silver coins, but the old woman refused to accept them, so he had to call the mercenaries to send her home first.

The village chief sighed and said, "This is Widow Liu. Her husband died of illness at an early age, and her son and daughter-in-law also died. She raised her only grandson alone.

The child was smart since childhood. Last year, he was admitted to the White City Warlock Academy and ranked among the top in the class. He is very talented and has the opportunity to become a warlock. He is the pride of Musk Ox Village.

Widow Liu suffered a lot in her life. She thought she could enjoy a good life, but... It's a pity. If Liu Xiaozi hadn't been a filial child, he would have wanted to come back to take care of his mother-in-law during the holidays. I didn't expect that he would be gone."

The old village chief shook his head with regret.

Wei Nan's eyes twitched and he remained silent.

Qin Yue and Alice looked dim. This old man had a hard life.

Oscar asked, "How long has she been missing?"

"More than a month, the second missing person in the village. After such a long time, even if she is not killed, she will starve to death or freeze to death. There is basically no hope."

The old village chief sighed and said, "Poor Widow Liu, every time an adventurer comes, they send chickens and ducks. Her family is not rich, and she can only rely on everyone's help to make a living. The tuition for Liu boy is still collected by the villagers..."

Qin Yue clenched her fists and said indignantly, "Those monsters are damned!"

Wei Nan stuffed the purse into the village chief's hand.

"Mr. Town... Mayor!" The village chief felt the heavy purse and was a little at a loss, "What are you doing? You can't use it!"

Wei Nan did not take it back, but waved his hand and sighed, "The money is not for you. Settle Widow Liu well. She has suffered all her life. At least she can live a little better in her later years."

The village chief was very moved.

Qin Yue and Mu Alice also looked at Wei Nan with admiration.

The mayor is really a good person.

Wei Nan forced a smile and said, "You don't know, I had a bad life in my early years. After my father died of illness, my mother raised me alone. In order to earn tuition for me, she worked herself to death in the factory.

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I never had a good day, a good meal, or a good piece of clothing until my death. I feel guilty every time I think about it... The son wants to support his parents but they are no longer there!"

Wei Nan's eyes were slightly red, and he was silent for a long time before saying, "This world is unfair!"

Wei Nan is a respected magician, but there are countless bitter tears behind his achievements today!

"I'm so sorry, seeing Widow Liu reminds me of my mother."

"Mayor, don't be sad, it's not your fault."

Qin Yue sympathized with Wei Nan very much. She was born in a wealthy family, so she naturally couldn't feel the hardships of poor magicians, especially those with average talent!

Oscar thought for a moment and suddenly asked: "The grandson of Widow Liu is the second missing person. Who is the first missing person?"

"The first person to discover the missing person was the only healer in the village. He has a high status in the village, so he immediately attracted attention. However, we failed to find him back."

Oscar narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking.

The old woman's kindness should not be wasted.

Several people shared it.

The chicken soup was simple and mellow, filled with the strong expectations of the lonely old man.

…………

The next day.

Everyone was ready to go.

Among the mercenaries hired by Oscar, there were 8 warriors above 15 stars, 2 warlocks above 15 rings, plus Meng Hu of 29 stars, Qin Yue of 17 rings, and 20 ordinary mercenaries to assist.

Now with Wei Nan of 21 ring strength and two 18-star elite knights to help, it is even more powerful.

Cave exploration, not too many people. The cave environment is complex, especially in narrow places or rugged terrain. If an emergency occurs, too many people will not be conducive to evacuation and will become a burden.

Alice was protected by 10 mercenaries and stayed in Musk Ox Village.

The others set off.

The cave is in a coniferous forest, with mainly snow fir trees, many shrubs in the forest, and a large number of musk deer and wild wolves.

The favorite prey of hunters in the village is musk deer. Deer meat is not only delicious food, but the musk glands extracted from musk deer are excellent materials for making perfume and can be sold to merchants at a high price.

There is no shortage of wild animals and low-level monsters in the woods.

Why would the demons go back and forth ten kilometers to kidnap humans? Even if the demons like to kill humans for fun, they don’t have to kidnap humans. This is a thankless task!

The destination has arrived.

The mercenaries surrounded the cave, which was about 2 meters high and very narrow, and only one person could move forward.

"This cave is very small, even bears can't get in." Meng Hu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I guess there are no large creatures."

Oscar reminded, "Don't take it lightly, the danger of monsters cannot be judged simply by their size!"

"There shouldn't be too many explorers, you guys stay outside to support!" Meng Hu asked 10 ordinary mercenaries to stay outside and pulled out a steel knife from his waist, "I'll go in first, and the others will follow!"

Meng Hu was the highest level and the most experienced in exploration among the mercenaries, so he led the way in front. He was wearing a total of three pieces of equipment, a heavy gun axe, an iron-framed bow, and a steel knife for narrow places. His huge body made it difficult to move here.

Others followed.

Oscar and Qin Yue were in the center, and Wei Nan and two knights were responsible for the rear.

Qin Yue held the Green Forest Staff in her hand, and her palms were full of sweat. How could a delicate rich girl have experience in cave exploration?

Both nervous and exciting!

The air circulation in the cave is good, but there is still a faint smell of decay and a fishy smell, just like entering a bear's den.

There are rocks all around, and crystal clear ice cones hang above your head. If you fall down, you are in danger of being stabbed, so you have to be careful.

The narrow and rugged space gradually becomes larger, but the light becomes weaker and weaker. It is pitch black and cold.

The air seems to be frozen.

There is a faint sound of running water, which should be an underground river.

The silence is terrifying, like a tomb!

Oscar throws a [lighting ball], a fist-sized light ball, illuminating the surrounding environment. It is a typical ice cave with gullies and rugged rocks. The crystal clear ice pillars are like diamonds refracting light, but there is a different view.

Everyone carefully dispersed to find the way.

Oscar completed a spell and cast [Spell Eye], which is a low-level but very practical skill. It allows people to have night vision temporarily and see energy fluctuations at the same time. It can last for more than ten minutes.

Wei Nan suddenly shouted, "We found the way!"

This is another narrow road. When you reach the end, it suddenly stops. It's dark ahead and there's an abyss under your feet.

"It's a low cliff." Meng Hu said to the mercenary behind him, "Bring the rope!"

The mercenary tied the rope to a sharp stone neatly and put the other end down. Meng Hu grabbed the rope and said, "It's about 15 meters high. Oscar stays on it first. Let's explore it first."

Oscar is only 11 rings strong, the weakest among them, and he is a warlock, so of course he can't take risks.

"I'll go down first!"

"I'll go too!"

The two mercenaries slid down holding the rope, scouted first, and then said, "No danger found!"

Wei Nan made a gesture, and two knights went down, drew out the knight's long sword, and held the steel shield to protect the left and right. Wei Nan followed. Oscar saw that there was no danger and was about to go down.

Suddenly!

A rustling sound came from an unknown direction!

"What's that sound?"

"Something is approaching!"

Almost all of a sudden, a large number of shadows appeared in all directions, like a black cloud covering them. Oscar threw a lighting ball over, and a large group of creatures as big as a palm were frightened by the light and ran around.

The mercenary shouted: "Damn it, sharp-toothed bats!"

Sharp-toothed bats are a ferocious carnivorous bat that does not eat insects and does not need to hibernate. They hunt in groups and can attack bison and sheep.

Hundreds of sharp-toothed bats are enough to gnaw a bison to the bone in 15 minutes!

"You guys!" Meng Hu shouted: "Find a place to hide!"

Sharp-toothed bats are fast and there are many of them. If you encounter them in an open area, you can't defend yourself at all. The teeth of these beasts can easily bite through leather armor and have certain toxins. If you are surrounded, you will die.

The bats attacked the cliff first. Meng Hu was so energetic that he swung his sword and cut off four or five bats. Thick black blood was all over the cave wall.

There were too many of them!

"Ah!"

A mercenary covered his neck with his hands, and a lot of blood flowed out of his fingertips. He couldn't even see the speed of the bats.

Meng Hu stood in front and shouted: "Protect Oscar and retreat to the gap!"

Everyone went to the gap to defend step by step.

Oscar immediately activated a [Fire Shield] talisman after Meng Hu retreated.

A bat rushed over fiercely and hit a layer of fire, which immediately burned its fur. Bats hit one by one, but they were too weak to break the magic shield and were immediately blocked outside the cliff.

"We should find a place to hide too."

Wei Nan's voice sounded.

"We'll meet up after the bat swarm passes!"

Protected by two mercenaries and two knights, Wei Nan fled in one direction immediately despite the crazy attacks of the bat swarm.