I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 423: The right method, easy solution

Rancid slime flowed along the rock wall. The bodies of two boar riders fell to the ground in twisted postures. Blue-black blood vessels crawled all over their stiff skin like spider webs. The monkey's hair stood on end. He used vines to wrap the empty kettle and carefully reached it towards the monster's broken abdomen. "That's it!" The monkey's voice was trembling. The mouth of the kettle pressed against a dark sac-like object. "The poison sac of the loach man will cause ulceration if it touches the skin!"

Everyone retreated as if facing a formidable enemy, the sound of metal armor colliding mixed with suppressed gasps. Fanxing tightly grasped the corner of Alpha's clothes, his emerald eyes reflecting the hideous corpses on the ground. Knight Liszt's heavy sword drew sparks on the ground, "We can't stay here for long, keep moving forward!" His command was unquestionable and majestic, but it could not hide the anxiety in his eyes - the poisoned knight was still hovering on the edge of life and death, and who knows how many similar monsters were hiding in the dark.

The team snaked forward in the darkness like a wounded python. The vanguard of the Ottoman knights crushed the gravel on the ground, their shields casting cold shadows under the torches; Alpha's guard knights stayed behind, their spears always alert to the movements behind. The elves' vine weapons rustled at their waists, and the healing staff in Evelyn's arms glowed faintly, adding a bit of uneasy silence to the team.

When they finally arrived at a cave with a high dome, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Three deep passages coiled in the shadows like giant snakes, and the bones of unknown creatures were scattered on the ground. "We must find a way to deal with those slippery things." Lister smashed his helmet on the rock, and the sparks lit up his bloodshot eyes. "Their mucus can deflect magic, and the long sword can't cut through it at all!"

Discussions were going on like a boiling oil pan. Some suggested setting an ambush in the narrow passage with ropes, some suggested collecting flammable materials to make a fire wall, and some suggested weaving a trap with vines. But Evelyn remained silent. Her emerald eyes stared at the dust condensed on the rock wall, and her fingers unconsciously stroked the hem of her skirt.

"Maybe..." Evelyn suddenly spoke, her voice so soft as if she was afraid of waking up the sleeping monster, "Can we try dust and stone powder?" The entire cave fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on the elf princess. Her ears flushed, and she twisted her fingers and explained: "The mucus will be more slippery when it comes into contact with water, but if we sprinkle dry powder on it..."

Alpha's pupils suddenly contracted. He remembered that in the previous battle, after the monster was burned by fire magic, the mucus on the surface of the skin would become sticky. "Good idea!" He stood up suddenly, and the crownless ring burst into a brilliant light on his chest. "As long as the mucus layer is destroyed, they will be no different from ordinary beasts!" The monkey scratched his head excitedly, and immediately climbed to the top of the cave, knocking the falling stalactites with vines, and the fine stone powder fell like snowflakes.

Exclamations echoed in the cave. Liszt wiped his sword thoughtfully, and finally smiled for the first time in a long time. This unexpected proposal might be the key to solving the dilemma - in this dark abyss, the most inconspicuous dust could also become a sharp blade to turn the tide of the battle.

"Each explosive pack must contain at least three pounds of stone powder. Be careful when mixing with sulfur!" Alpha's voice echoed in the cave, and the dagger in his hand accurately shaved the stalactites into powder. The light and shadow of the torch danced on his face, reflecting the piles of rubble on the rock wall - these were all knocked off the top of the cave by the crowd using vine nets.

Evelyn knelt beside the stone powder pile, her green skirt covered with dust, but she was unaware. She poured the crushed sulfur powder into the animal skin bag, her movements were gentle and quick, and from time to time she used vines to roll up the scattered stones. When the monkey came over curiously, she smiled and handed over a tied explosive pack: "Try this, remember to avoid the wind when throwing."

At dusk, twenty bulging explosive packs were neatly arranged in front of the rock wall. The knights tied them around their waists, and the sound of metal buckles colliding revealed a long-lost confidence. Fanxing jumped and stuffed the explosive packs into the vine-woven bag, with excitement flashing in her emerald eyes: "Those slippery guys are definitely going to be in trouble this time!"

Facts have proved that their predictions were extremely accurate. When the first group of loach monsters rushed out from the cracks in the rock wall, Alpha raised his hand and threw the explosive pack. With a loud "bang", the gray-white dust mist flooded over the monsters like a tide. The skin that was originally smooth and shiny cracked instantly, and they screamed shrilly. The knights' swords finally penetrated the defense, and blood mixed with stone powder splashed on the ground, and the air was filled with a disgusting burnt smell.

This battle was a great victory, and everyone rushed to make another thirty explosive packs overnight. They not only became a powerful weapon against the loach monster, but also a "safety symbol" for exploring unknown passages. Whenever they encountered a deep fork in the road, there would always be an explosive pack flying in first, and the dust and fog raised would dispel potential threats.

However, the brief peace was broken by a crisp slap. Moonlight shone through the cracks in the cave, and Kaya pointed at the male elf beside her with a red face: "Rogue! How dare you..." Her voice stopped abruptly, because Evelyn had already firmly held down her hand that was trying to scratch her chest.

"Don't move! This is centipede poison!" Evelyn's vine staff glowed with a soft green light, but it was hard to hide the anxiety in her eyes. The red spots on Kaya's chest were spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a blooming blood-red flower. At this moment, a black centipede as thick as an arm sprang out from the cracks in the stone, its poisonous claws glowing with a strange purple light.

A cold light flashed, and the monkey's dagger and the knight's heavy sword fell at the same time. The centipede was nailed to the rock wall with a scream, and black body fluids splashed on the ground, corroding wisps of white smoke. What was jaw-dropping was that a boar knight strode forward, ripped off the centipede's head with his bare hands, and bit off the thorny trunk with a "crack", and the chewing sound was particularly clear in the silent cave.

"Their shells are rich in calcium, and their venom is actually a tonic for us." Lister wiped the sword calmly, as if the scene before him was just an ordinary one.

Alpha looked at the pale elves and smiled helplessly: "In this underground, everything that can be eaten is food. When we get out of the abyss, I will treat everyone to the honey fruit in the Elf Forest."

Fanxing grabbed Alpha's arm, but her eyes were fixed on the remains of the centipede in the boar rider's hand: "Is it really edible? Does it taste like a roasted lizard?" Her innocent question caused a burst of laughter, temporarily dispelling the tense atmosphere. But Alpha knew that in this dangerous underground, every accident could become a turning point between life and death.

"Not only can it be used to soak in wine, but when fried, coated with flour and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, it smells delicious." Alpha leaned against the rock wall and talked, the firelight stretched his shadow very long. The sizzling centipede skewers at the night market in his previous life seemed to be right in front of him. Although he had never really eaten them, the shouts of the vendors were very clear in his memory.

Evelyn and Melissa approached as if avoiding the plague, their emerald eyes full of disgust. "You humans are indeed greedy predators!" Evelyn's vine skirt trembled with anger, "You don't even let go of this monster covered with poisonous stings!" Melissa pinched her nose, as if she had smelled a disgusting odor.

Alpha squatted down, picked up a piece of gravel and drew a circle on the ground: "From a biological point of view, all living things need energy." He knocked the "protein" symbol he had drawn with the gravel, "After peeling off the shell of a centipede, its essence is no different from pork, beef and mutton, all of which are organic molecules composed of amino acids." When he was excited, his fingertips gestured the molecular structure in the air, as if he was back in college.

"Why don't you show me how?" Evelyn suddenly pointed to the corner, where the boar rider was picking up a few twisting centipedes with his fangs, and the venomous claws were glowing with a faint blue light. Alpha looked at the twitching arthropods, and his Adam's apple moved unconsciously: "It has to be cleaned and seasoned with spices..."

"I knew it was just a lie to fool a kid!" Evelyn turned and left, shaking her braids, but Melissa leaned close to his ear and chuckled: "If you don't dare to eat it, you can sleep in the cracks of the rocks tonight." Alpha took advantage of her unpreparedness and gently pinched her perky buttocks, which earned her a coquettish cry: "You rascal!"

Fanxing leaned over like a docile little deer, her emerald eyes full of trust: "Is it really edible?" Alpha held her in his arms, his fingertips unconsciously stroking her soft hair: "It's written in the book, but I haven't tried it." He suddenly lowered his voice, his warm breath brushed past her ears: "If you are really hungry, would you like to accompany me to try it?"

"Let me try first!" Fanxing sat up straight with a firm look in her eyes, "If you are poisoned..." Before she could finish her words, Alpha pressed his finger on her lips.

During this period, they have repeatedly tested the time gloves and have discovered the secret - reversing time too quickly will cause objects to turn into ashes, but if it is precisely controlled, it can heal all injuries; accelerating time is a shortcut to practice, but every time she uses it, she has to endure a tearing mental pain.

Just as Alpha was about to continue teasing, Fanxing suddenly blushed and struggled: "Don't, don't do it here..." Her protest was interrupted by a sharp scream. The monkey hung upside down on the stalactite, its hair blown up like a mess of grass: "Centipede tide! We fell into the nest!"

The moment everyone looked up, countless scarlet compound eyes lit up in the darkness. Densely packed centipedes swarmed over the rock walls, the ground, and the cave ceiling like a black tide, and the "crackling" sound of their poisonous pincers colliding was like the sickle of the god of death approaching.

The rock wall suddenly made a grinding sound, and thousands of compound eyes lit up in the darkness. Scarlet, dark purple, dark gold, all kinds of centipedes poured out from the cracks in the rocks like a tide, and their dense tentacles dragged on the ground, making strange rustling sounds.

Evelyn's vine staff snapped taut, her emerald eyes reflecting the wriggling carpet of life - she had never seen such ugly creatures, let alone such a terrifying number hidden underground.

"Wall of fire! Watch out!" Alpha's roar mixed with the sound of metal swords exploded. The knights immediately threw torches to the ground. The moment the flames soared into the air, countless centipedes were burned into charred spirals, and the air was filled with the disgusting smell of burnt protein. However, the centipedes hanging from the top of the cave were like black curtains, and a few poisonous pincers brushed against Melissa's hair and corroded holes in the stone wall that emitted white smoke.

The symphony of magic and steel suddenly sounded. The elves' fingertips glowed with various colors: Evelyn's vines turned into a giant net to catch the centipedes in the air, Maven's flames drew flowing fire patterns on the rock wall, and the young elves controlled the wind blades to crush the insects into pieces. The human knight's heavy sword rose and fell, and the gilded shield was covered with the remains of the crushed centipedes. The dark red juice flowed down along the lines, like a strange totem.

The intensity of the battle was beyond imagination. The shells of these centipedes were shiny, and when the fire magic hit them, dazzling sparks flew. Ice magic could only temporarily freeze the surface, but they broke free in the blink of an eye. A purple centipede suddenly jumped up, and its poisonous pincers accurately clamped the corner of the monkey's clothes, but the monkey used a dagger to cut open its abdomen, and the smelly dark green mucus gushed out.

Alpha's crownless ring burst into brilliant golden light, and wherever the power of purification passed, centipedes curled up and twitched. He swung his sword to split the siege, but saw a giant centipede as thick as an arm breaking out of the ground, and the venom dripping from its fangs corroded the ground into a deep pit. "Concentrate firepower!" His roar penetrated the battlefield, and the elves immediately turned their magic, and the blazing beams of light devoured the giant beast in a dazzling white light.

When the last centipede twitched and died, everyone collapsed on the ground full of debris. The torches on the rock wall were about to burn out. In the flickering light and shadow, the charred bodies on the ground were still emitting smoke. Knight Commander Lister took off his helmet, wiped the blood off his face, and suddenly twitched his nose: "This smell... a bit like roasted chicken?"

"Remove the venom glands and the shell, and you'll get top-quality protein." Alpha picked up a centipede with the tip of his sword, and the metal and the shell collided with each other, making a crisp sound. "It's a pity that there is no strong liquor or spices." He demonstrated by peeling off the shell, revealing the white and pink meat inside, but the shell was too tightly attached to the muscles, and he almost cut his fingers several times.

Liszt suddenly reached out and grabbed the meat, swallowing it with his Adam's apple rolling. He frowned as he chewed, resisting the urge to swallow: "Indeed... it looks like chicken." Before he finished speaking, the boar riders were already snoring excitedly. These giant beasts directly bit off the centipede's head with their fangs and swallowed it whole, including the shell and meat. The sharp shell made a grinding sound in their mouths that made people's teeth ache.

"Gather them, this is life-saving food." Alpha's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty. Everyone looked at the wreckage on the ground and suddenly realized that these monsters that once made them tremble were now the hope for the continuation of life. The sound of tearing could be heard in the cave, and in the embers of the torches, new rules of survival were quietly being established.