Honored... guests?

The stark contrast in attitude of the black-armored man instantly put everyone on alert, and without uttering a word, the trial takers gathered back-to-back together.

Chu Xiu felt countless greedy gazes sweeping over him, making him feel like a lamb entered into a pack of wolves.

"Hehe, there's no need for everyone to be tense," the black-armored man let out a hoarse, dry laugh, explaining somewhat feebly, "Earlier, you disturbed the ritual, which made me respond poorly. Our Meteor Village is known for its hospitality, hehe..."

Before Chu Xiu and the others could speak, a villager shouted from below, "High Priest, let me entertain them. I have freshly slaughtered cattle and sheep at home!"

"And me! I'll go home and kill my old hen to make soup for the esteemed guests!"

"What's that? My calf was just born, not even a month old. The meat is the most tender, hehe..."

The villagers' noisy clamor sent a chill up the spines of Chu Xiu and the others.

"Alright, stop the commotion."

The black-armored man waved his hand to quiet the crowd, then turned to Chu Xiu and the others, saying, "You all have come a long way, and must be tired? We have prepared exquisite food and fine accommodations in the castle. Please follow me."

Despite the black-armored man's words, no one moved.

He squinted his eyes, then spoke slowly, "I heard from the villagers that you are inquiring about the great Az Ilituay Mgos? If you follow me, I am willing to introduce you to our village elders, only they have the authority to disclose such information."

The black-armored man's words left everyone glancing at each other, unsure of what to do.

"What should we do now?" Jiang Xue asked quietly.

No one answered her.

With the current information, nothing can be concluded.

It's a blatant scheme; although they know the other side might be plotting something, if they don't go, they'll remain trapped in their current predicament, like headless flies not knowing what to do.

The ideal situation would be having someone in the team act as a trailblazer, going alone to meet the elders to gather information, but obviously, no one is willing to do this.

After sweeping his gaze over the clueless crowd, Chu Xiu carefully thought it over and then spoke:

"We go."

Zhou Juncai furrowed his brows, "Aren't you afraid it's a trap?"

"We've been in this village for only a quarter of an hour, and just drew their attention; they probably wouldn't have prepared so quickly."

"Besides, they have plans for us, but we also have our own plans, don't we?"

Determination flickered in Chu Xiu's eyes, "We must not let them lead us by the nose!"

"When we meet those so-called elders, we first try to extract useful information; if nothing comes of it, we launch an attack, eliminating as many defending forces in the village as possible!"

"Whatever devious plot they have, without power, they accomplish nothing!"

"And if their strength surpasses our expectations, we will kidnap their elders and escape to safety before interrogating them further!"

Chu Xiu said all this in Chinese, unconcerned about whether the black-armored man understood.

He originally planned to capture the village leaders to extract information, and the fact that they willingly wanted to meet made bypassing many layers of defense possible.

Of course, venturing into their lair has inherent dangers, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

They do not have the luxury to delay any further.

If they were to launch a direct attack, the elders would likely hide, making it impossible to find them in such a vast village in just three hours!

Moreover, the plan has another advantage: it provides an opportunity to root out the mole hidden among them.

Once the confrontation begins, any attempt by a traitor to muddy the waters would become blatantly obvious.

This problem, though currently dormant, is something Chu Xiu cannot allow to continue festering.

The others showed expressions of shock upon hearing his audacious plan.

"Is this not too risky?" Chai San hesitated.

This plan almost amounts to tearing down the facade with the entire village.

"We're short on time, we have to take some risks!" Chu Xiu asserted decisively.

After hesitating for a time, Zhou Juncai stepped forward and said, "Alright! I like this plan! Let's gamble everything on it!"

With someone leading the way, the others gradually agreed, as they truly had no better alternatives.

Reaching a consensus, they followed the black-armored man to the highest point of the village.

Walking up a main road, before long they arrived before a grand castle.

The castle's design was exceedingly bizarre, with protruding spikes everywhere: on the walls, corridors, even the ceiling had spikes hanging down.

"This is a village custom," the black-armored man explained.

Everyone felt a creeping unease but had no choice but to follow through.

Despite his pacifist nature, Chai San took up the great shield and led the way.

"Would you like something to eat first?" the black-armored man asked.

Upon receiving a negative answer, he continued without further ado, leading them deeper into the building via a downward passage. This passageway was deep, akin to a dark dungeon, lit only by torches hanging on the walls which cast dim glows.

The High Priest went to the deepest point, opened a door, and respectfully said, "Elders, I have brought the people."

Walking in among the crowd, Chu Xiu's face subtly shifted upon stepping into the room.

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

At the far end of the room stood a statue identical to the one in the square; a face contorted with pain, a void of darkness, and limbs like spider legs which invoked an innate dread just by looking.

Before the statue, there were three chairs.

No, instead of chairs, they looked more like torture devices, complete with restraining straps and slender spikes all over them.

On these chairs sat three elders, their appearances gaunt and their skin deathly pale. Their thighs and arms were pierced through by spikes, with dark red blood congealed around the wounds. What was even more horrifying was each elder wore a helmet resembling a birdcage, with spikes inside that pressed against their skin, ready to tear their faces at the slightest movement.

All the trial takers went pale.

"These are the 'elders' you speak of?" Chai San shouted at the High Priest in rage.

Nonetheless, the black-armored man's expression remained unchanged, "These are indeed our tribe's elders."

As his words fell, one of the elders cackled hoarsely, the motion causing the spikes in his helmet to tear his face, with viscous dark red blood trickling down his cheeks, though he seemed oblivious to the pain.

He merely looked at the group, grinning as he spoke:

"I heard you're looking for the great Az Ilituay Mgos?"

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