The reddish encrypted emergency document meant that Lori had to deal with it personally. It was particularly eye-catching among the pile of documents.
She took the document out and saw that it was signed by Tiger, the leader of the second exploration team in the experimental zone.
The exploration team was responsible for cleaning up and exploring the outer regions of the experimental zone. The perennial snow had caused the edges of the Northern Continent to be covered with countless unmeltable icebergs. They were continuous and took up a lot of space. The outer region of the icebergs was the border, and beyond that was the Great Wall of Calamity that was once connected to the Northern Continent.
When Li Xiang destroyed the entire Great Wall of Calamity, it caused a huge commotion. The Night Watchers retreated to the border and crossed the snowy mountains to return to the Northern Continent. Now, the Night Watchers had changed their names. Those who could return to the seven continents had returned, and those who couldn't had pledged their loyalty to the Ochs Family with a new identity.
The Shield King was one of the few important figures who supported the work of the Great Wall of Calamity. He had a good relationship with the Night Watchers here. After taking them in, the Shield King handed them over to his youngest daughter, Lori.
Lori had also participated in the border missions of the Great Wall of Calamity. The Night Watchers who had been holed up in the Great Wall of Calamity for a long time had a good impression of her. Some of them turned into exploration teams and joined the work of the experimental zone.
Captain Tiger was once a Night Watcher, a level 3 player. In his early years, he was framed because he had offended the Non-Lu Ji Family and was exiled to the Great Wall of Calamity. He had been guarding the border in this cold area for more than ten years, and his strength was formidable.
Lori flipped open the document and read it out loud.
To Princess Lori:
Last month, the second exploration team found an ancient altar suspected to be the Eternal Altar during their exploration of the snowy mountains at the border. According to Tannas (a native of the Northern Continent who had lived at the border for more than ten years), there has never been an altar like this here. Although the altar looks old and seems to have been passed down from ancient times, it doesn't match the information provided by the locals.
I had marked the area where the ancient altar was on the map. From the map, it could be seen that there were almost no border residents living in this border area due to the annual snowstorms and irregular snowstorms. Currently, there was only one village close to it, and that was Tanjisi Village, where Tannas was born.
Twenty days ago, I followed Tannas to Tangjisi Village to investigate this matter. The people at the border all agreed that there was absolutely no belief in any gods here, nor was there any ancient altar from ancient times. They had always lived here and knew the geography of this area like the back of their hands.
When I led them to the ancient altar, the faces of the Borderkind changed.
I suspect they are lying.
After we left Tangis Village, I told Tannas about my doubts and he agreed with me. Tannas was certain that the ancient altar did not exist before, and the borderkind's reaction had also shocked him.
He was certain that the people from the same village were lying, and it was the worst kind of lies. They could fool me, an outsider, but they could not fool Tannas, a native of the village.
The borderkind did not have much fighting power, so for safety's sake, Tannas and I chose to leave temporarily. At the same time, even though Tannas emphasized that he had left the village after he turned 18 and never returned, I was still worried about him.
After ten days of investigation, I had basically eliminated the problem with Tannas. After applying to the management of the experimental zone, he and I headed to Tangis Village again. Just like the previous time, the villagers were extremely enthusiastic. However, after hearing that it was related to the ancient altar, their expressions turned hostile.
Probably because they were concerned that we were from the experimental zone and that I was a player, the villagers did not directly express their hostility. They knew how strong and scary players were, similar to most ordinary people. However, at the same time, they were not too afraid of me, which was very unnatural.
As we all know, even magic users would tremble in fear when they see a real player. Players are different from people of other classes. Although this goes against your idea of equality for all, it's a fact. Forgive me for being blunt.
I have never seen an ordinary person who dared to look directly at a player, not with much reverence.
However, I have seen many ordinary people who saw players as gods.
"We rejected the village chief's kind offer to accompany us and headed to the ancient altar alone to investigate. On the way, Tannas and I saw some strange phenomena. I feel that it is necessary to report to you alone. However, before writing this letter, I heard that you have been traveling between the Subcontinent and the Continent. You have not returned to the Northern Continent, and I do not know when you will return. Therefore, I decided to write this letter to let you know about this matter, and at the same time, I can set off for the third investigation.
There were two strange phenomena.
"First, Tannas and I saw a broken statue of His Majesty the Shield King. The statue was incomplete, and only the remains were casually thrown into the grass. The statue was destroyed beyond recognition. It was obvious that the person who destroyed it was malicious.
I'm sure you're aware that the Northern Continent is in poverty all year round. The people living at the border are often attacked by the mutants that occasionally cross the border. There are also bandits, criminals, cultists, and so on. These people have made their lives miserable. Thanks to the help of the Oakes family, things have stabilized a little.
"Therefore, many border residents would erect statues of His Majesty in their homes as a sign of respect. At the same time, they would also hint to those people that they were protected by the Oakes family, the Shield King.
"Because of this, His Majesty became a living god in the hearts of many Northerners.
"Very few other religious beliefs in the Northern Continent originated from this.
"Now that these statues are broken, does this mean that some of the people nearby have changed their beliefs? After all, it is common for people to change their beliefs, but it is rare to see a statue destroyed.
"When I was in Tangjisi Village, I specifically observed that there were no statues of His Majesty in every house. This was very unusual. After asking Tannas, I was even more convinced that these broken statues were from Tangjisi Village. He said that when he was young, there were many statues of His Majesty in the village.
"The second anomaly.
Tannas and I arrived at the ancient altar. It was still the same as the last time. It looked ancient, but there were not many changes. The only visible change was that someone was constantly cleaning it. As an ancient altar, it would be spotless in the snowstorm every time I came here.
After a few deep explorations, I found that this ancient altar showed signs of being used before!
There were some remains left behind after the sacrificial ceremony. Thanks to the sharp senses of a player, I noticed this and collected a part of it when Tannas was not paying attention. I brought it back to the test area.
"Three days ago, I received a reply from the test center. They told me that most of the remains were human skin tissue and internal organs. Judging from the activity, the time of death was less than ten days ago. Also, the original owner was just an ordinary person. He was neither a magic user nor a player.
"At this point, I suspect that this incident involves the worship of evil gods and the change of beliefs. There is also the issue of bloody sacrificial ceremonies.
"I personally don't think that the matter of His Majesty's broken statue should be made public. Thus, I did not choose to report to the test area management. Instead, I wrote this letter to report to you privately.
"Today, I asked Tannas to prepare to head to Tangjisi Village for the third investigation. Coincidentally, Exploration Team 2 is on holiday, so the members can rest for a day. I also have some free time to investigate this anomaly for you.
If Your Highness sees this letter, please reply.
— Your most loyal subordinate, LV 3 Guardian, Tiger.
Lori put down the letter, and a faint flame ignited on her fingertips. When she wrote this letter, Captain Tiger had already left for Tangjisi Village to investigate. She looked at the female assistant, cleared her throat, and asked indifferently, "Where is Captain Tiger of the second exploration team now?"
The female assistant remembered all the information regarding the players clearly. She took out her communicator and opened a screen. "Your Highness, Captain Tiger left the test area during the public holiday a week ago. His whereabouts are unknown. As it involves the players, this information has been uploaded. Back then, your reply was for the test area management to investigate."
"Is that so?" Lori rubbed her head. She really did not remember such things. She had been too busy these days and had completely forgotten about many things that were not very important.
The disappearance of a player could be a big or small matter. As it only involved Tiger, it was not considered a Level 1 incident. However, this week, Lori had dealt with as many as seven Level 1 incidents.
"The test area management also gave a new report a few days ago. They did not find any traces of Captain Tiger in the nearby area. At the same time, he did not show any signs of returning to the seven continents. All the assets under his name have not changed."
The female assistant tapped on the screen and said quickly.
"Captain Tiger was once a Night Watcher. His family and family were wiped out more than ten years ago. He has been alone all these years."
"Tell me more about Tiger. Also, show me the information of a member of Exploration Team 2 called Tannas." Lori nodded slightly. Her expression did not change much.
However, Mechanical Tea, who was familiar with her, knew that Lori had already entered work mode. For her to be able to quickly adjust and get rid of her laziness meant that this matter was very serious.
Otherwise, she would not be able to move at all during her afternoon nap and would temporarily put all her work aside.
As the information shows, Captain Tiger offended the Ji Family in his early years. His entire family was labeled as a traitor and was wiped out. His wife and children also died in the massacre. At that time, he was only a Level 1 Guardian. He came to the Northern Border alone to serve as a guard. Due to his strong combat power, he was promoted as an exception. The Ji Family did not forgive him. The border commander who had high hopes for him secretly sent him to the Great Wall of Calamity. From then on, he joined the Night Watchers … until that incident happened. "
At this point, she paused and subconsciously looked at Lori to observe the changes in her expression. Every time she talked about Li Xiang, she would be distracted for a while. If she was interrupted at this time, Lori would be furious.
As expected, Lori was distracted for a few minutes before she allowed her to continue.
"After leaving the Great Wall of Calamity, Tiger went to the Ochs Family. After His Majesty personally met him, he was sent to Experimental Area 1. Because His Majesty had tested him, we never doubted his loyalty or any problems. The truth is as such. Other than Tiger being quiet and difficult to communicate with due to his early experiences, his ability and combat power are top-notch. "
"In other words, we can rule out the possibility of him escaping or betraying the family." Lori nodded. The contents of the letter confirmed this point. If it was another player, they might not have investigated thoroughly.
The female assistant nodded and continued to speak to the light screen. "After Captain Tiger went missing, the management sent many soldiers to search for him. However, it was as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth. There was no trace of him. Because players sometimes mistakenly enter the Void World, after a few days of fruitless searching, this matter was put aside. Also, on the day he left, he did not tell anyone where he was going. "
"As for Tannas … I'm sorry, Your Highness. Please confirm if there is a member by this name? Or an alias? " The female assistant searched through the records and then displayed the information of Exploration Team Two on the light screen for Lori to see.
There was indeed no one by the name of Tannas.
Lori's eyes slowly narrowed. "Also investigate a village called Tang Jisi. Also, investigate Tiger's whereabouts, activities, and people he came into contact with in the month before he went missing. The places where Exploration Team Two carried out missions."
"Yes." The female assistant's fingers moved quickly. Lori's expression and tone had already indicated that this matter was not ordinary. She did not dare to delay and instantly retrieved all the information according to Lori's instructions.
Looking at the words and pictures on the light screen.
All signs indicated that there was no member by the name of Tannas in Exploration Team Two. At the same time, Tiger's recent actions were all alone. However, some members had secretly discussed some of Tiger's unusual actions.
They were talking to themselves.
However, because he came from the Great Wall of Disaster, many people were not surprised. Those who returned from that place did not feel that it was normal, so no one paid much attention to it.
As for Tang Jisi Village, there was indeed an exploration record more than a month ago. Exploration Team Two accidentally encountered a Snow Mountain Village while exploring the border. That day, only Tiger went deep into the village. When he returned, he said that it was an ordinary Snow Mountain Village and did not need to pay attention to it.
According to the timeline, Tiger's unusual actions happened after he left Tang Jisi Village.
Lori passed the letter in her hand to Mechanical Tea. The female assistant was very curious about the contents, but she did not dare to raise her head.
After reading the letter, Mechanical Tea said calmly, "It looks like some cult's ritual and belief. However, very few people really know how to use the ancient altar. I suggest that you ask a scholar who knows about the occult."
"Scholar … The Chronometer Tower is gone. Where did it come from … Wait, Sister Mili?" Lori patted her head and said, "Sis, send a message to Sister Mili in my name. Tell her to come and deal with the problem of the ancient altar. By the way, tell her everything."
"Okay." Mechanical Tea nodded.
Tiger's disappearance, Tannas' non-existence, and all these strange phenomena made her not dare to let her guard down. Lori got up and prepared to follow the female assistant to take a look at Exploration Team Two.
If there was an evil existence that could make a Level-3 Guardian evaporate quietly, it would be a great threat to the test area. It had to be eliminated.
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