Chapter 96

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Chapter 96: Bad News

Tasmanian, located in the southeast of the Aryan Empire, occupies one-fifth of the empire’s territory. This ordinary state has almost turned into a small country in the confrontation between the dungeon and the empire, surpassing the empire in both overall strength and population (or "non-population").

The southeast of Tasmanian is the vast Angaso region, where the Angaso Mountains and Angaso Forest overlap, facing the sea to the southeast. To the north of the Angaso region is the famous city of Ribe Lake, which is not only the metropolis of Tasmanian but also the economic and cultural hub of the region. After long construction, many places can now rival the imperial capital of the Aryan Empire. As the birthplace of the dungeon, the sparsely populated Angaso region has also prospered over the past few decades, attracting many nature-loving different races to settle here.

Therefore, when anomalies appeared in this area, many people noticed it.

In the forest, some people heard strange noises like huge bats flapping their wings, with occasional metallic clangs mixed in. Curious and brave, they followed the sounds and saw a group of strange dark shadows quickly disappearing into the woods, leaving an eerie laughter, sounding like a pack of snarling hyenas.

This strange occurrence happened several times, enough to turn it from a few people’s illusions into a rumor spreading in the nearby town. The witnesses were all ordinary folks, none could provide concrete evidence. Bored professionals got involved, but all returned empty-handed. Just as the rumors of the "forest strange noises" were about to fade, and adventurers were ready to declare it a hoax, a new event unfolded.

A mysteriously dressed young lady in the busiest tavern in the town suddenly started convulsing, crying and screaming, then jumped onto a table, pulling her hair and wailing, "They’re coming! They’re coming!" When everyone’s attention was on her, she violently rolled her eyes and collapsed backward.

A quick-witted samaritan prevented her from sustaining a concussion from the fall. The tavern patrons looked at each other, eager to approach the lady who seemed to have discovered something. If not for the strong tavern owner, there could have been a crush of people around her, leaving the poor lady unable to rise again.

Centuries ago, such strange events would have put the seasoned adventurers on high alert, exercising caution. Decades ago, the openly mad young lady would likely have been swiftly taken away by soldiers. But now, in the era of Tasmanian oddities, under the rule of Governor Natasha, where peace prevailed and people faced no worries about food and shelter, they were letting their guard down, eagerly seeking novelty.

"I have seen unfortunate souls!" The psychic, awakening amidst anticipation, sobbed and with a haunting intonation said, "Oh, how dreadful! Chaos and evil spirits haunt this cursed land! Evil is on the horizon!"

The lady hesitated, revealing bits of her psychic lineage, partially uncovering a bracelet adorned with unknown but seemingly powerful gems under her veil. However, when pressed to explain what evil was or where the cursed land was located, she only shook her tearful head, refusing to say another word.

Miss Psychic soon retreated to her room and was gone the next day. Nonetheless, some received further information from her.

It was the adventurers who sprang into action.

In this part of the world where everyone is living in peace, regular folks are just enjoying themselves without any worries. Meanwhile, those who have just become professionals are full of energy like teenagers. Many people are not good enough to be hired by the authorities, they are past the age for further education, they haven’t been compelled by life to turn to crime, nor have they found themselves in a position to be irresponsible and act recklessly. So, they can only register themselves as amateur "adventurers" to have some fun.

The adventurer system has spread from the Empire to Tasmarin, a smaller place which is easier to manage. The adventurers here are more disciplined and peaceful compared to the fancy mercenaries. They are more like jacks-of-all-trades. Their daily tasks range from "help me catch the thief who stole my wallet and give him a beating" to "my cat is stuck on a tree, please help rescue him". You can imagine the excitement among these bored adventurers who came for the forest’s mysterious sounds and will soon be disappointed. Just think about how thrilled they must be to hear about Miss Psychic.

On the last night Miss Psychic stayed in the inn, countless warriors and thieves climbed her walls. As Miss Psychic packed up and left, many adventurers on the way stopped her, attracting attention due to the large number of people, making her stand out even when trying to hide. More and more people got to know about this open secret, spreading whispers among them.

*

"Psychic says there are cursed souls there!" whispered the worker who enjoys a drink after work to his colleague.

"Really?"

"That’s right, lately adventurers have been asking about this. They say souls are emerging from the underground, but who knows if it’s true."

*

"There are underground ruins in Angaso Forest, with a large group of cursed souls, eyes this big! Tongues this long! Scary!" exclaimed the worker to his family at the dinner table. "Of course it’s true! Haven’t you noticed all the adventurers heading there?"

*

"Adventurers are going to have a big showdown with cursed souls in Angaso! There are relics hidden in the deserted forest for hundreds of years! There are very scary things there, and anyone who has seen them has died!"

"Wow!" (Sound of gasping fear)

"But if everyone who’s seen them has died, how did this news spread?" a child questioned.

"You’re silly, isn’t there Orcs, dwarves, and others? People died, but what’s left isn’t human!" The quick-witted little girl explained, "I think it’s the Druids, they live in the forest, and they are powerful!"

*

"The Druids found the ruins of the evil dungeon, and many adventurers have already started a battle in Angaso Forest. Even the kids over there are talking about it," a person at the bar told a temporary drinking companion.

"Evil dungeon, really?" the friend with half his face covered in tattoos and wearing a skull necklace said, "Our boss has an ‘evil dungeon’ on top, and many people are still living there now."

"Maybe dungeons can be evil or good," the young man who started the conversation shrugged, "It’s all just exaggerated rumors, not many people believe them. I just wanted to chat with you. In my opinion, instead of calling it an evil dungeon, it sounds more down-to-earth to talk about the ruins of an evil witch, since there are not many people who know about dungeons now."

"Timothy, dear, do you realize you are drinking with an evil witch?" The companion raised an eyebrow, pointing at herself. "I thought it was quite obvious."

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were an artist or musician or something," Timothy said awkwardly. "Can I still buy you a drink? I have no bias against evil, my boss is a dark robe… Does that make things worse?"

"It’s heavy metal! Not out of tune! It’s a new form of art!" In the background, a modern minstrel with a skull tattoo, long hair, and a shirt that said "Gods and demons are dead" was being dragged out by the boss.

…

News spread throughout the Angaso region within a week, then became popular in Tasmanian within a few weeks. An author signing as "Abyss Researcher" published an article in the "Ribe Lake Weekly."

Does the emergence of visions mean the return of the abyss?

The title of this article was enticing enough.

The Heavenly Realm and the abyss have been expelled for hundreds of years. Among the living beings of Aryan, none have truly encountered gods and demons. But under various years of propaganda, the aura of the abyss remains strong.

The Heavenly Realm is much more reserved than the abyss. Gods rarely engage in battles themselves, and when they do, it must be for a good reason. The religious wars manipulated by gods are usually fought in the name of nobility, with most participants willingly considering the gods as guiding lights. Despite viewing creatures of the Primary Material Plane as resources, wealth, and cannon fodder, the image of the Heavenly Realm remains glorious. When it comes to playing the role of the villain in stories, the Heavenly Realm is far less suitable than the abyss.

Most people in the world judge others by their appearance rather than their true nature. Do heroes in stories have to face flawless celestial beings with shining wings at the end? These angels, even if they are mass-produced, still possess beauty and grace. Defeating them is like destroying a precious artwork, making people feel sorry even if they know these beings may have dangerous curses.

Which is more attractive: cutting down a shining beautiful angel or a smelly ugly monster? A melodious voiced feathered serpent hissing at you, or a Three Headed Dog from Hell growling at you? Which is scarier?

Therefore, in the propaganda of the Aryan Empire, they portray the Abyss as the enemy, not the Heavenly Realm.

The Abyssal Creation in historical books and legends is depicted as extremely powerful and terrifying, to scare the curious and emphasize the greatness of the ancestors in expelling the abyss and justify the slaughter of the "Abyssal descendants." Many rumors are exaggerated with official approval, successfully achieving the goals of the human empire but also unintentionally promoting the abyss. Fear and vigilance towards the abyss remain deeply rooted in everyone’s hearts, as it is seen as an unbeatable enemy.

It doesn’t matter what people think as long as things continue this way. Since the abyss has been completely driven away, what does it matter if the enemy is portrayed as more terrifying? After all, it won’t come back again.

The article "Has the Abyss Returned?" published in the front page of the "Ribe Lake Weekly" sold out quickly that day.

The article summarized the recent anomalies in the Angaso Forest, from widespread shadows and strange sounds, to psychics seeing evil souls, and some ominous details. Areas experiencing snow in incorrect seasons, a dried-up well and a bloodstained abandoned wall, all these phenomena were documented and compared to past records.

"These anomalies are not isolated incidents; there are so many aspects that perfectly match the characteristics of areas in contact with the abyss as recorded in the past. The abyss has been gone for too long; can we really be truly at peace? Heroes who once moved mountains and fought demons are gone. If the abyss returns, do we still have the ability to face it?"

This article stirred up a lot of unease.

Rumors were first brought to light. After jokes and gossips were analyzed by experts, a rather scary result was presented. Laughter turned into nervous whispers, and the adventurous minds no longer rushed into Angaso Forest. The overheated atmosphere was doused with a bucket of water and temporarily cooled down.

However, it was not yet at the point of causing panic among the people.

Tasmanian had many newspapers, where the official stance was mostly hands-off, even if this article was published in the well-known "Ribe Lake Weekly" of Tasmania, it could not be called a government mouthpiece. It had a certain credibility, but that’s about it. The articles in it might not necessarily be the truth.

Some people started to hope for exact answers from the officials, and the answer given by the officials was "still under investigation."

When the officials remained silent, the voices of the common folks became quite lively. The day after "Ribe Lake Weekly" quickly sold out, all newspapers followed the trend and discussed the matter. Some reprinted excerpts from the article, starting to reveal more about the "Aryan Forest rumors;" while others remained neutral, cautiously stating that the evidence provided by Abyss Researcher was insufficient. In less than a week, Tasmarin’s most famous radio station in Tasmania officially began discussing the matter as well.

"In the quiet forest, terrifying strange sounds suddenly rang out. Eyewitnesses heard swords clashing, saw shadows flying around, but why did they never see the creators of these strange sounds when they ventured in? A psychic suddenly fainted in a tavern, what secrets lie beneath the ominous words ‘they are coming’? Feathers drifted down from a clear sky like snow, is the legendary monster lurking on the horizon? Blood seeped from an abandoned well, does it foretell unknown evil or the return of a creature from the pages of history? What lies behind all this, twisted magic or hints from the abyss, stay tuned for ‘Approaching Aryan’ – the mystery of forest strange sounds!"

"Hello, dear listeners! I am your old friend Lily Ann, the time is eight o’clock in the evening, welcome to this episode of ‘Approaching Aryan’!" The host’s sweet voice rang out on the radio, "The dreadful rumors about Angaso Forest are all over the place. Are you tired of all the cryptic explanations? Are you fed up with various rumors plaguing you, not knowing what is true or false? Don’t worry! The ‘Approaching Aryan’ team is here near Angaso Forest today, we will be on site to bring you the most authentic truth!"

"Firstly, we interviewed the first eyewitness of this incident, Mr. John, a farmer from Deer Horn Town. On a night half a month ago, Mr. John woke up in the middle of the night to relieve himself, as he was about to return to his room, he heard strange noises while passing by the outskirts of Angaso Forest. Mr. John, could you please tell us what kind of sound it was?"

"It sounded like many shovels knocking against each other, like many birds flapping loudly, mixed together, it was quite scary!"

"Yes, in the late night, scary strange noises echoed, and no one knew what it was! With great courage, Mr. John bravely walked into the forest. He thought it might be the dragon knights passing nearby, but it turned out to be unseen black shadows! Mr. John found nothing and had to go back home to sleep. The next morning, with the sun shining and birds singing, he thought everything that happened last night was just a nightmare. However, something unexpected happened…"

"The next day, I felt something was wrong." The farmer’s hoarse voice sounded particularly eerie at that moment, "My pig didn’t give birth!"

This episode of "Enter Aryan" program was very popular, with many people stopping to listen. They spent forty minutes hearing how the drama group discovered the strange figure in the pigsty, and realized in the end that it was a bear’s story. The drama group had Druid take away the bear, and the same Druid also examined the farmer John’s pig. The conclusion was that his pig had a cold.

"The strange noises and black shadows were from a fierce bear, but why would a bear that never came close to people become fierce? How would psychic explain this? Things are far from simple!" Lily Ann said in the last minute of the program, "The ‘Enter Aryan’ drama group will continue to reveal the mystery of the forest noises in the next episode, stay tuned!"

Due to its popularity, this series had a total of eighteen episodes.

In the following time, the drama group verified that the reason for the fierce brown bear’s behavior was due to hunger; the owners of the bleeding wells and high walls received fines. Tasmarin Voice Broadcasting Station emphasized that using dye in wells randomly was highly irresponsible behavior; an unnamed Echo Witch was responsible for out-of-season snow, and according to enforcers, she would be fined up to XXXX dollars for this. The Ribe Lake Law Enforcement Department warned all witches, wizards, and Druids that any large-scale, widespread weather-changing spells must be submitted for registration to the Tasmanian Spellcaster Management Association, and apprentices should practice spells under the supervision of a mentor.

In the final episode of the program, the police arrested a lady who claimed to be a psychic. The lady admitted after being arrested that she pretended to be a psychic and earned a lot of money from adventurers by selling "secret predictions" and charging fees for pointing out locations.

"Who would fall for this disguise?" Miss Medusa, the program group’s spell advisor, said, "The bracelet is gold-plated, the gems are glass, not convincing enough to pass as a fortune teller. Who is that veil trying to deceive? You’re clever, if you dare to claim to be a witch, we’ll make you run naked around Ribe Lake and apologize to all witches."

"I was just trying to boost tourism in Deer Horn Town…" the lady said weakly.

Considering this lady heavily criticized the group of spellcasters, the Tasmanian Casters Association reserves the right to further prosecute her.

The show started in a tense atmosphere and ended in a cheerful mood. After the 18th episode, public opinion shifted from supporting the Abyss Researcher to mocking and opposing his stance.

People started unequivocally refuting the theory of the "Abyss Researcher," pointing out that summarizing brawls by drunks as "kind souls becoming restless," labeling hungry bears attacking a farm’s pigpen as "neutral creatures becoming aggressive," and attributing the chaos and rise in crime rates due to the influx of adventurers as "chaotic evil creatures entering the region" was not only ridiculous but also irresponsible. The "Abyss Researcher’s" theory became a joke for a while, and the Ribe Lake Weekly also published a statement, mentioning that articles in the weekly do not represent the publication’s stance.

The mysterious events in the Angaso forest did not calm down as a result; instead, the intensity increased, not only within Tasmania but also spreading to other parts of Aryan. The Aryan Empire has been closely monitoring Tasmania’s movements, and despite the easing relations, the Empire wouldn’t miss the opportunity for a joke about entering a dungeon.

In the midst of this excitement, discussions became more intense and widespread.

Titles of articles like "What is the Abyss? – True Abyss Researchers reveal the mystery of the Abyss," "Is Decaying Disaster really that scary? – Narrating the major battle distorted by political propaganda," "Restoring the true anti-magic heroes, the real heroes behind the exaggerated propaganda," and "The Abyss is not scary, teaching you how to deal with magic – Comprehensive Monster Guide (by the true Abyss Researcherwizard, heir of the Cretaceous College, the esteemed Websterwizard. Note: The hardcover version will be released next spring, and the first ten with pre-orders will receive the author’s blessing signature ‘Those who touch my book will not have a good death’)," would be a bit extensive.

The tense atmosphere gradually transformed into a cheerful one, and in this delightful mood, the official statement finally arrived.

Confirmed: Abyssal presence found in Angaso Forest.