Chapter 159 [Ice and Snow Island] The Mystery of Spontaneous Combustion, [Emerald Ancient City]

"……Um?"

Xia En raised his eyebrows, with a look of surprise in his eyes.

[The Certificate of the King of Salaries], which had not responded for a long time, would become restless again in a place like this?

Could it be said that there is also an [Ember Treasure] hidden on this [Ice and Snow Island]?

However, after carefully sensing the status of the [Salary King's Certificate] on the back of his hand, Xia En felt that something was wrong.

[The Certificate of the King of Salaries] is indeed releasing a touch of heat, but it does not guide the direction like it did on the Giant Island.

Moreover, this heat appeared and disappeared, and it was far less intense than before.

just like……

Awake, but not fully awake?

"How is this going?"

Xia En had some doubts in his heart, and also had a guess.

"Could it be that...it was not the [Ember Treasure] that caused the [Certificate of the King of Xin] to react, but other entities related to the King of Xin?"

Just when he was thinking to himself.

Yan Yan on the side said: "Captain Xia En, ahead is the village on [Ice and Snow Island]."

"I don't have a good relationship with the villagers, so I won't go in with you."

"Another point……"

Yan Yan glanced at Fei Ya and Joey who were not far away, and reminded: "You'd better not let them follow them into the village, otherwise, something bad may happen."

The subtext in his words is actually quite obvious.

A young and beautiful girl like Joey will naturally attract malicious peeps.

Especially in this kind of village that is closed all year round and rarely communicates with the outside world, their level of xenophobia is actually very high.

The attitude towards outsiders may not be too friendly.

Beauty itself is innocent, but if there is no matching strength, disaster will come unexpectedly.

Although Xia En was confident in his own strength, he did not want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Thinking of this, he planned to enter the village with An alone.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes.

suddenly.

A rude scolding came from the ice field not far away.

"Yan Yan! How dare you come to the village? Get away from me!"

Several men wearing thick fur coats were walking from the other direction of the ice field.

Obviously, because Yan Yan's presence was too strong, like a torch that could not be ignored, he was recognized by them at a glance.

But soon, this group of people also noticed the unfamiliar faces of Xia En.

They quickly showed vigilance, picked up their weapons, and stared at Xia En and others.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you staying with this monster near our village?"

monster?

Hearing this title and the villagers' bad attitude towards Yan Yan, Xia En couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Although from the outside, the image of Yan Yan burning with flames is a bit scary.

But as long as you have a little contact with him, you should be able to understand that this guy is essentially just a simple-minded and enthusiastic boy.

From this point of view, the attitude of the villagers is undoubtedly a bit strange.

Yan Yan seemed to have been used to this kind of thing for a long time, and said quickly: "Brother Gray, they are the captain and crew from the sea. They want to ask us about the location of [Ice and Snow Island]."

"Go, go, who is your elder brother?"

The brown-haired man in the lead glared at Yan Yan angrily, and then looked at Xia En and the others in surprise.

[Ice and Snow Island] is located in a remote location and has no valuable minerals or resources. No foreign ships have visited it for decades.

"You guys wait a moment, I'll go find the village chief and ask."

After leaving these words, Gray walked quickly towards the village, leaving several villagers behind to confront Xia En and others.

Taking advantage of this time, Yan Yan whispered to Xia En.

"Captain Shane, when we enter the village later, you'd better follow Brother Gray."

"He looks a little fierce, but he's actually a good person!"

Xia En raised his eyebrows in surprise: "But his attitude towards you..."

Yan Yan's head dropped slightly, and the flames on his body dimmed a little, making him think of a big dog that had been soaked by water.

"Brother Gray is actually doing this to protect me."

Xia En was a little confused, but seeing that Yan Yan seemed unwilling to say more, he didn't pursue the matter further.

…

…

Not long after.

Gray came back to Xia En and others and spoke.

"The village chief said that you can enter the village, but you have to meet him first."

Xia En nodded and said, "Of course."

He turned his head and was about to say a few more words to Yan Yan, but he saw the blazing fireman already drifting away on the ice field.

The villagers watched Yan Yan go away, with a bit of fear and disgust in their eyes.

All this was seen by Xia En.

It also made him more curious about the relationship between Yan Yan and the people in this village.

Soon, Shane led three crew members, followed Gray and other villagers, and walked into this unique village.

The village sits on a dark gray rock formation.

At first glance, the house looks like it is made of ice and snow, but in fact the main materials are stones and turf made of a special kind of moss.

The outermost layer of ice and snow are just traces of the recent snowstorm.

The whole village looks primitive and quiet, like a paradise.

And, surprisingly, after walking into the village, the surrounding temperature became significantly warmer.

So much so that the snow on the surface of the house is already melting.

Xia En looked at the ground under his feet and thought to himself: "The heat source seems to come from under the ground?"

Not long after everyone entered the village, villagers came out of the surrounding houses one after another, quietly looking at Xia En and others with different eyes.

There was curiosity in these eyes, but there was also vigilance and caution.

After seeing clearly the extremely good-looking looks of Xia En, Fei Ya, and Joey, the eyes of some villagers suddenly changed subtly.

During this process, Xia En was also silently observing these villagers.

There are old and young people in the village, men and women, but it is obvious that the number of old people and women is relatively small.

Their skin color is generally a little red, and their clothes are mostly made of animal fur, giving them a tough and savage temperament.

From the villagers, Xia En could not feel the aura of the Mystic Pathgoers, but he could sense that there was another strange power in their bodies.

The auras of some of them even made Xia En feel a certain threat.

Obviously, humans who can survive in this ice and snow must have their own extraordinary power.

However, at this moment.

A male villager on the road not far away suddenly let out a painful cry.

"So hot... so hot..."

The man's complexion became redder and redder, his body temperature became higher and higher, and sweat continued to ooze out.

So much so that he desperately tore off his clothes in an attempt to lower his body temperature.

"no, do not want……"

Next to the man, the woman who seemed to be his wife seemed to realize something, her expression suddenly changed, and she hurriedly ran towards him.

Gray strode out and stopped the woman before she touched the man's body.

"Let me go! Let me pass!"

The woman beat Gray's body hard, her eyes gradually turned red, like a crazy female beast.

But Gray's body was as unshakable as a mountain, only a flash of pity and sympathy flashed in his eyes.

"……This is?"

As an outsider, Xia En saw this scene and didn't know what happened, so he didn't act rashly.

next moment!

The shirtless man suddenly burst into flames!

The flames flowed instantly like burning grease, igniting his skin, flesh, and even bones.

The flames came so quickly and violently.

In just a few breaths, it spread throughout the man's body.

"Why me?"

"No...I don't want to die..."

The crackling sound of burning and the shrill wail sounded together, and the burning smell that made people instinctively uncomfortable spread.

Such a sight made Joey and Fei Ya turn pale.

Xia En's mood also became less calm.

But at the same time, he noticed that there was sadness, fear, and resentment in the eyes of nearby villagers...

Only not surprised!

"This weird spontaneous human combustion phenomenon seems to have happened more than once on this island?"

It was just as Xia En guessed.

After the man was burned into a ball of black ashes, the villagers silently and skillfully collected his remains and cleaned up the traces left by the flames.

Even the crazy woman calmed down and followed the crowd away with empty eyes.

…

…

After this extraordinary episode, Gray's face looked as normal, and he had no intention of explaining to Shane and others, and just continued to lead them towards the center of the village.

"We're here, please come in."

A few minutes later, the group arrived at the largest house in the village.

However, after entering the hall, Xia En did not see the village chief.

Gray explained: "The village chief is holding a fire ceremony, and he can't get away for a while. Please wait a moment."

"Fire ceremony?"

Xia En's heart moved slightly.

This ceremony sounds like some kind of religious activity?

In such a primitive and closed village, it is normal for some niche beliefs to be born.

The question is, will this religion have a special connection with King Xin?

And that weird spontaneous combustion...

Because of Yan Yan's evaluation, Xia En trusted Gray more than other villagers, so he stopped the man who was about to leave and asked.

"Mr. Gray, I have a few questions I want to ask you alone, is that okay?"

Gray glanced at Shane unexpectedly, hesitated for a moment, and nodded.

"Okay, come with me."

Pushing open a stone door, Gray and Shane came to a single room next to the hall.

Judging from his actions, Gray seemed to know the internal structure of the house very well.

Immediately afterwards, Gray took out a tobacco-like thing from his pocket, lit it with a snap of his fingers, then held it in his mouth and said with a somewhat melancholy expression.

"Tell me, what do you want to ask?"

"Seeing that you are regarded as a friend by Yan Yan, I will try my best to answer your questions."

Seeing how straightforward he was, Xia En asked directly.

"Why is your attitude towards Yan Yan so strange?"

Gray was not surprised by this question and said: "Because in the village, Yan Yan has always been regarded as the source of ominous curses."

"The villagers were afraid of him and afraid of him, so they refused to let him step into the village."

"curse?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En immediately thought of the man who suddenly burst into flames: "That flame...is it a curse?"

"That's right."

Gray nodded: "Although there is no basis or proof."

"But anyone who sees the kind of flame that ignites the human body will probably associate Yan Yan with it."

"Such a spontaneous combustion event occurs almost every few months. No one knows when it will come, and no one knows who it will choose as its target."

At this point, Gray twitched his lips bitterly: "Moreover, we have tried all methods, but we can't stop the flames from burning."

"If anyone else is contaminated by the spontaneous combustion victims, they will also be burned to ashes."

His words revealed deep despair and helplessness.

After hearing these words, Xia En quickly understood the origin of the villagers' hatred towards Yan Yan and thought to himself.

"Maybe the villagers also know that this has nothing to do with Yan Yan."

"They probably just can't accept... why Yan Yan will not die even if he is burned in the flames, but once they are targeted by the flame curse, they will definitely die."

"Or maybe they just need a target to vent their hatred?"

But is this really fair to Yan Yan?

At this time, Gray continued: "To be honest, I also suspected that the spontaneous combustion curse was related to Yan Yan, and even... I still think so now!"

Xia En frowned: "...What do you mean?"

"You have just arrived on this island. You may think that Yan Yan is as young as he looks."

"But he's actually much older than you think."

"Let's put it this way, when my great-grandfather was a child, Yan Yan already looked like this!"

"He has lived on this island for at least hundreds of years!"

What Gray said next made Xia En feel a little horrified.

"Decades ago, in order to eliminate this curse, we tried to kill Yan Yan."

"But, it can't be done! It really can't be done!"

"Even if Yan Yan stands motionless and lets us take action, even if we cut off his head and pierce his heart, he will not really die, but will only be reborn in the blazing fire!"

There was a faint fear on Gray's face, as if he was recalling some terrible scenes, and he trembled: "That guy is truly immortal!"

"Immortality...immortal body..."

Xia En silently chewed on the secrets of the past in his heart, his thoughts fluctuating.

He had previously guessed that Yan Yan's abilities were extraordinary, but this characteristic still exceeded his expectations.

But what surprised Xia En even more was——

In such a long life of burning, regenerating, being hated and resented, Yan Yan could still maintain such an optimistic and sunny character.

Before, Xia En only regarded him as a young man with a simple mind.

Now it seems that he is looked down upon.

Shane still had some questions to ask Gray, but at this moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door.

Gray calmed down and said, "The village chief is here, let's go out."

Xia En had to give up temporarily.

…

…

Walking into the hall, Xia En met the village chief of this unknown village.

This is a thin old man with pale, short, razor-sharp hair.

His back was hunched, but he had a strong aura that was different from ordinary villagers, not even inferior to Xia En.

And those brown-red eyes, as sharp as hawks, seemed to carry an aggressive hostility, which made people instinctively unhappy.

After a simple and polite self-introduction.

Village Chief Ruel asked.

"So, you want to ask for the nautical chart of our village to confirm the next route?"

Xia En nodded and said, "That's right."

"In return, I'm willing to give you thirty kilograms of seal meat and blubber."

This offer is quite low.

But nautical charts are worth money or not. The key lies in who uses them.

For the residents of [Ice and Snow Island], they would not sail too far to the sea in the first place, so the nautical charts are of little value.

But for Xia En, this can confirm the goal for the next period of time, which is still very useful.

Furthermore, Xia En did not take the chart away, but only copied it.

This quote is naturally reasonable.

Moreover, if you can’t reach an agreement, you can still bargain!

It is impossible for Xia En to quote his bottom line price right away.

However, Xia En did not expect that Ruel responded directly: "No problem, deal!"

"Um?"

Xia En was a little surprised.

He originally thought that the village chief was not easy to talk to, but now it seems that he may have made a mistake.

Ruel continued: "Speaking of which, Captain Shane, have you heard of... [Emerald Ancient City]?"

"[Emerald Ancient City]?"

Xia En looked confused, he really had no impression of this.

Joey on the side was surprised and asked: "Is it the legendary city that was submerged in volcanic ash?"