Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 358 - 357: Born with the Mist...

Chapter 358: Chapter 357: Born with the Mist...

...

The train traveled through the dense forest, slow and steady. Every thirty seconds, a crisp clang echoed from beneath the carriage, the sound of the wheels rolling over the rail joints. Experienced passengers could tell from these monotonous road noises that the train was maintaining a speed of around twenty kilometers per hour.

"Ah... the fog is rolling in," Cui Zhen’en suddenly said, sticking his head out of the window.

Zhang Zhiyuan and the others followed his voice and looked out. The myriad branches between the trees had become distinctly hazy, as if a layer of unevaporable mist had permeated the air.

This was their third day since departure, and if the estimation of the journey wasn’t wrong, they would enter the territory of City of Defense before nightfall.

The previous two days had been smooth sailing, and aside from stopping to rest at night, they encountered few obstacles. Firstly, this train was not only stocked with a large supply of food, but it was also equipped with several repeating firearms. The collective beasts of the jungle couldn’t do anything to them. Additionally, a simple hoisting device was installed at the front of the train to replace broken rails. As long as the train could move, they were in what amounted to a moving fortress.

"I heard terrible monsters lurk in the fog. I hope they won’t be scared away by the train," Anthony said, polishing the classic AK in his hands as if caressing a beloved woman.

"More than monsters, I’m worried about the heretical cult," Zhou Zhi said, touching his neck. He didn’t want to go through a scene like the one with the cult’s Divine Envoy on the cruise ship again. Even though he knew he couldn’t really die, the memory of his head flying into the sky while being fully conscious was not as easily forgotten as simple pain. "Mr. Zhao said that the reason this place is swallowed by fog is all because of the heretical cult’s mischief."

"That’s all fifteen years ago. Even if there were any, they’re probably long dead by now," Anthony replied, unconcerned.

"It feels like a ghost story, and we’re the classic fools who know there are ghosts but still insist on going in," Zhang Zhiyuan looked at Ailuodi, who sat in the corner of the carriage, and asked, "Hey, are you sure Mr. Zhao doesn’t have more intelligence to offer?"

"Um..." Ailuodi, however, was deep in thought, seemingly not hearing his question.

What’s going on?

She was always so full of energy.

Zhang Zhiyuan moved closer to her to listen and realized she was mumbling a few sentences repeatedly to herself.

"Where did the Magic Goddess come from?"

"Isn’t that too small to be legal?"

"You can’t take the wrong path."

Uh...

No, why doesn’t he understand a single word? Zhang Zhiyuan scratched his head in confusion.

"How do you find the scenery here? Does it feel like coming home?" Zhou Zhi joked, wrapping his arm around Leisk’s neck. Most of the time, Leisk stayed with Luowei Siya on the Earth side, providing a temporal anchor for Paradise World. After learning about this, Zhou Zhi took the initiative to help them acclimate to life in their hometown, acting as a liaison. After a few months of interaction, their relationship had become friend-like.

"Although I’m a follower of the Hidden Mist Sect, I don’t live in the Misty Zone for extended periods," Leisk retorted with a twist of his mouth, "To be more precise, apart from praying to my lord, I don’t venture deep into the fog. The creatures lurking in the mist won’t spare your life just because you’re a believer."

"Really? Our last trip to the Huiqiu Mine felt pretty safe. Aside from limited visibility, the mist didn’t seem so terrifying."

"Naive," Anthony snorted, "Just look at Gaotian Company’s armored train. You don’t need such high-end equipment just to suppress mining slaves. If I’m not mistaken, Gaotian Company must have suffered a fair bit on those transport lines."

"I heard from Mr. Zhao that the Mist God might appear because of our actions. If a fight breaks out, it should be considered the final boss, right?" Zhou Zhi changed the subject.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Zhang Zhiyuan quickly interjected, "Freedom of religion, don’t speak rashly about others’ beliefs."

Leisk waved off the concern, "It’s ok, I know he means no harm. After all, in your world..." He stopped halfway through and closed his mouth.

"What’s wrong?"

Leisk put on an unnatural smile, "No... nothing." A world that could sense the presence of so many evil deities, yet still existed stably. He couldn’t understand it, no matter how hard he tried.

"Can you sense the Mist God if it’s approaching us?" Qianyuan Meiko asked curiously.

"Of course," Leisk took out the Fog Horn and placed it in the palm of his hand, "This is the mark my lord bestowed upon me, it spins whenever its gaze falls upon me. Although, this situation hasn’t occurred in many years..."

Before he finished speaking, the horn suddenly shifted a few degrees.

The compartment suddenly fell deathly silent.

"Uh... did I see that wrong just now?" Zhou Zhi blinked after a while.

"Just took it out, might not have held it properly," Cui Zhen’en coughed twice, "Don’t be like this... It’s more terrifying when nobody speaks."

Just then, the horn rotated half a turn.

This time, everyone saw it!

"Leisk?"

"Strange..." Leisk was also a bit dumbfounded, he closed his eyes and murmured softly, "My lord... is it you? No, there’s no echo. Wait, the mist is weeping, what is that thing... it’s threading through the forest. The moving... train?"

"Ah, are you looking at birds? There are birds flying over!" Cui Zhen’en exclaimed at this moment.

A snow-white bird descended and perched on the tree top next to the rail track, tilting its head as it observed the steel behemoth. She reached out her hand toward the bird, and to everyone’s surprise, the white bird directly alighted, landing on her arm.

"No, quite tame. Do any of you have any food on hand? Sunflower seeds, bread or something—Ahhh—!"

Cui Zhen’en hadn’t finished speaking when she suddenly screamed sharply!

Her piercing cry gave everyone a huge fright!

Anthony reacted the fastest; he grabbed the back of Cui Zhen’en’s neck and violently yanked her back into the carriage. The bird was also brought back in, and it violently flapped its wings on the floor. Only then did everyone realize, this bird was quite large, near the size of a bald eagle, yet its legs were slender like those of a crane.

He pulled out a dagger and plunged it into the bird’s spine, stopping its struggle, before separating the bird from the person.

Afterwards, everyone drew a collective breath of cold air.

Half of Cui Zhen’en’s face was gone, deep bite marks visible at the edges of her skull, and only a deep eye socket remained where her eye had been.

"Please... please..."

She moaned softly.

Without hesitation, Anthony also gave her a stab, letting her breath her last.

"What the hell kind of bird is this?" Zhou Zhi looked down at the immobile white bird on the ground, his face turning a shade paler.

No wonder he was so shocked; the big bird’s head was actually a human-like skull! It was about the size of a fist, with its wide teeth still holding remnants of Cui Zhen’en’s flesh and blood.

However, more flapping sounds came from outside the window.

Zhang Zhiyuan approached the window and couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "Fuck."

Amidst the fog-enshrouded forest, countless white birds were moving in flocks, sweeping over the treetops like dark clouds, diving towards the train!