Shizu closed the door, and the noise outside became fainter, as if the two worlds inside and outside the house were suddenly isolated.
With the firelight coming through the gaps in the wooden boards, Fang Plover looked at the room: a small workshop, only about ten steps from the other end, with a low ceiling, and a dye vat in the center of the room. There are large and small pottery plates and tools stacked on the birch wood square table. The shelves on both sides are similar, but mostly filled with jars and vases.
There is a faint earthy smell in the air.
Fang Yu noticed that the furnishings in the house were covered with a thick layer of dust. It seemed that no one had touched these things for a long time. The girl placed the basin on the ground, protected it with her hands and carefully lit a wind lantern on the table.
She picked up the wind lantern and adjusted the brightness. The dim light outlined the outline of the room. Then she turned around and said apologetically to Fang Plover: "Since Dolifen became like this, these things haven't been moved much. There are a lot of things, be careful not to knock your feet, sir."
"Have you always lived here?"
The girl nodded, then shook her head. "I live in the city, but not this place, and I come back here occasionally to have a look."
"Are there any other residents in the city?"
The girl suddenly waved her hand at him, signaling him not to speak. Only then did Fang Yu hear a rushing sound in the darkness. He looked back towards the source of the sound and saw the scene outside clearly through the gap in the door panel.
Countless undead are slowly crossing the street, walking in one direction, like a ghost river, with dense bones floating in it. The ghosts are silent, and the footsteps of skeletons are heard.
He held his breath and watched as the mighty undead army took several minutes to pass. When the last ghost disappeared from the end of the field of vision, he turned back and asked: "Why didn't they find us? Where are they going?"
"They can't see anyone in the building, which is supposed to be heading to City Hall, and that demon is controlling them."
"That demon, Nicol Bolas?"
"Shh," Shisi raised a finger nervously, covering her mouth: "Don't mention the devil's name, sir, she will hear it."
Fang Yu thought that she wouldn't be able to come in even if she heard it. But he didn't say this, he just asked: "Do you know her?"
Shizu replied: "No one here doesn't know her. It was she who destroyed this city thirty years ago."
"Here? Is there anyone else in the city?"
Shizu nodded again.
Fang Piao was a little strange, how could there be other people living in these ruins for decades? He had never heard any adventurers mention this matter, not even Jita.
The girl held the lantern and walked aside. She picked up a picture frame from the table and wiped it with her hands. After wiping away the dust, there was a portrait of her and a fat middle-aged man. That should be her father. This handicraft workshop The owner of the house, the man put his arms around his daughter's shoulders with a happy smile on his face.
"This is my father. Everyone calls him Old Kit. Before he left us, everyone said he was a good man." She said as she carefully wiped the photo frame clean and put it back in place.
Fang Yu silently looked at the girl. She put her hands on her simple long skirt. Her face was very thin and her complexion was not very good. She obviously lived a very poor life, but her expression was very calm. Her brown eyes looked firm and persistent. She was not that kind of girl. A character who is easily overwhelmed by difficulties.
He asked, "Why not take it away?"
"Because it's here."
"I want this place to stay the same as it was in the past," Shis said.
"Same as the old days."
Fang Yu silently chewed these words.
He looked back at the golden-red gaps between the wooden boards in the darkness and asked, "But what if the fire burns this place?"
"No," the girl shook her head. "The fire will only burn down to the lower block. This scene will reappear every few months for thirty years, but it has never changed. Not even the devil can change it."
"Is it the past again?" Fang Yu thought.
He looked at the girl carefully before asking: "Thirty years?"
But the girl didn't answer his question.
She picked up the lantern again and said, "Well, we can leave this place, sir."
Fang Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized that it was completely quiet outside, so he nodded.
But he took another look at the workshop, scanning every detail with his eyes, and then he discovered something was pressed under the picture frame. While Shisi opened the door, he walked over and picked it up, and found it was a thin piece of parchment:
"Howlett College Admission Notice"
'Dear Miss Shisi, your talent and hard work have been unanimously recognized by the tutors and guides of this college, and you are hereby approved to...'
The handwriting below was stained with dirt and seemed unclear. Fang Lu wiped it with his hand to no avail, so he could only skip a paragraph and read on.
'...April 15th, please prepare all personal items before then and go to...report. '
The parchment was covered with mottled marks, and Fang Plover frowned and glanced at the signer, who was also blocked by the dirt. He wanted to read it through again, but the sound of the door opening was heard behind him, so he quickly put down what he was holding.
At this time, a small thing slipped from behind the photo frame. Fang Pliance was slightly startled and picked up the thing.
The girl opened the door and looked around outside. After confirming that it was safe, she turned back and said, "Sir, where are you going? This city is not safe. I will take you there."
"Call me Ed, Miss Shisi, thank you for your help." Fang Pliong silently put away the thing and walked out of the house. But he shook his head: "But I'm going to the city hall next. It's too dangerous for you there."
"City Hall?" Shisi looked at him in surprise: "Mr. Ed, what are you doing there?"
"My companion is in that place."
Shizu was silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded. "I understand, I'll take you somewhere, Mr. Ed."
Fang Yu was slightly startled.
Although he didn't want to involve other people, Shizu's next words dispelled his doubts.
"The city hall is the work of the master architect Rogerta. By the way, Lord Rogerta is also one of the four major craftsmen of the Elpaxin Craftsmen Association. Because he is a dwarf, he also gave Dolifen the city hall. An underground defense facility was designed, and I happen to know one of the tunnels leading to the city hall. By passing there, we should be able to avoid the undead outside."
The girl explained to him.
Fang Yu was a little surprised, but after weighing it for a moment, he nodded. With his current fighting power, there was really nothing he could do when encountering the undead.
If this road is really safe, it is not impossible to consider. "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Shizu." He replied.
"You're welcome. It's hard to see outsiders here. Everyone should help each other." The girl smiled slightly and replied.
The two passed through the street one behind the other.
Fang Plover looked back and saw that a few blocks away, the fire was still soaring into the sky, dyeing the night sky red. It should be about three or four o'clock in the morning, but the night is as deep as the abyss, and there is no trace of what it was like before dawn.
He even doubted whether there would be a second day in this illusion. Before everything dissipated, it might remain at this moment forever.
Under Shizu's guidance, the two of them went around an alley. The girl stopped in front of a rusty iron gate and checked the lock on it.
"This is it, Mr. Ed," she turned around and said, "This is the entrance to the sewer, and the tunnel is also inside."
Fang Plover stepped forward and pulled the rusty chain with his hand, and the lock fell with a sound. Decades of time had already made it rusty.
Seeing this scene, Shisi didn't seem surprised and just opened the door with a creak.
But Fang Yu looked at the girl's back and suddenly said: "Miss Shisi, Mr. Rogerta is now the president of the Elpaxin Craftsmen Association."
"Ah?" The girl was slightly surprised. "Has Lord Rogerta become the president of the Craftsmen's Association? Sorry, the news here is too limited."
Fang Plover nodded. "About ten years ago."
The girl closed her mouth for a moment, looking a little embarrassed.
Fang Yu looked at her, but did not continue to ask. He just said, "Let's go, Miss Xisi. I can talk to you about the outside affairs slowly when I have the opportunity."
The former nodded.
There is a mutilated leaflet posted at the entrance of the sewer. It has long been mottled and faded, with a strange emblem painted on it:
A dragon head with one horn missing.
The emblem was dark, like the color of dried blood.
'...To our gospel, the Church of Lofenlier...our fathers, brothers, and sisters, all salvation will finally come on that day...'
The writing on the back has long been blurred.
Fang Yu only glanced at it, and he had some vague understanding in his heart. He looked at the girl who was walking into the sewer, and followed her.
The next section of the road seemed a bit lackluster. Dolifen's sewers were just a trek in the dark, and there were no unexpected encounters. There was not even a rat in the sewers.
But that's pretty weird in itself.
The girl walked in front holding a wind lantern. She seemed to be very familiar with the road. She rarely hesitated at forks in the road and often chose the right route without thinking.
The surroundings seemed very quiet, like an isolated world, and the gray light passed by some skeletons, which seemed to have been there centuries ago.
Buried under dust.
Fang Yu didn't know if they were victims from thirty years ago, but he had a question in his mind a long time ago, why there were so few survivors of Dolifen.
Where did Xinghui go?
The answer seemed to be hidden in the darkness ahead. For some reason, a picture suddenly flashed in his mind:
In the darkness, a pair of golden-red eyes were staring at him indifferently, which was chilling to the bone.
Then there is the brightly lit hall of Traveler's Rest. The air is filled with the strong aroma of cinnamon, which makes people salivate.
An old man with a pale face and meticulously combed hair stood beside him and said to him:
"Be careful, the dragon's wings are a sign of death. People who see dragon wings often see signs of death."
He shivered for a while before coming back to consciousness from the many illusions. He subconsciously pressed the back of his right hand, and the mark on the back of his hand was slightly warm.
At this time, the girl had already led him to the exit of the tunnel.
There was a cliff in front of him, and a ladder hung down from the top of the cliff. Fang Plover looked up and saw a black hole above, and he didn't know where it led.
He tested the firmness of the ladder with his hands, and surprisingly found that there was almost no sign of loosening at all, and it looked very solid.
Shisi put the lantern on the ground and said to him: "The courtyard above is the city hall. The undead cannot enter the city hall. It is generally very safe inside."
Fang Yu turned around and said, "Are you going back?"
Shizu nodded. "I can't be away from home for too long. It's been quite a while since I left home this time."
Fang Yu saluted her and said, "Then take care of yourself. Thank you, Miss Shisi."
"Don't worry, the way back is safe," the girl replied, "I'll wait for you to go up first, Mr. Ed. I'll take away the lantern later."
Fang Plover nodded, reached out and grabbed the ladder, and prepared to climb up.
But then the girl's voice asked again: "By the way, is Mr. Ed a friend of Hu Di?"
"Hu Di?" Fang Yu was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at her: "Do you know him?"
"I have met Mr. Hu Di several times. He is a very good person."
Fang Yu was silent for a moment and asked: "Then can I ask you a question, Miss Shisi?"
Shizu nodded.
"Are you an apprentice alchemist?"
A surprised expression appeared on the girl's face: "Mr. Ed, how did you know?"
"I saw the notice."
Shisi lowered her eyelids, and after hearing these words, the expression on her thin face seemed a little shaken. She clenched her fists, then raised her head and replied: "Yes, when my mother was seriously ill, my father always sighed. The family had no choice but to mortgage the workshop."
"In Dolifen, the only way for ordinary people to get ahead is to become an alchemist. I know that I am just a girl, but I also hope that I can be stronger and help my father share some of the pressure."
"I can rely on my own efforts to redeem the workshop bit by bit. If that thing hadn't happened, everything would have slowly gotten better..."
She rambled on about something that seemed completely unrelated.
But Fang Yu looked at her and didn't speak immediately.
After a while, he asked: "Miss Xisi, did you come to see me because of Hu Di?"
The girl shook her head: "Not exactly, Mr. Ed."
"not completely?"
Fang Yu nodded, as if he had a clear understanding in his heart, and his previous doubts seemed to have an answer at this moment. "I see."
He raised his head and looked above his head in the direction of City Hall.
Chess game? he thought.
Shizu forced a smile. "Mr. Ed, if you see Hu Di, can you help me thank him?"
"thank?"
"——Because thanks to Mr. Hu Di, he helped me a lot when I was most desperate. My father's workshop... all depends on his efforts."
"Why don't you tell him in person?" Fang Plover asked.
Shizu shook her head and took a step back.
"Okay," Fang Plover sighed and replied, "I promise you."
"Thank you, Mr. Ed."
The girl bowed to him, then ignored the lantern, turned around and ran into the darkness.
Fang Yu saw her disappear and didn't stop her. He lowered his head and opened his palm. In his palm was a brooch - a dark round shield with a dark silver dragon head missing a horn.
When he turned on the system, he could clearly see the label of the brooch.
Mark of the Zealot's Sacrifice.
Fang Plover raised his head, recalling a past incident he had learned about when he was in Kapka and studying the history of alchemists.
In the Sea of Clouds region, there was once a prosperous alchemy school - the Hollit School. The members of the school called themselves immortals. Unlike the magic craftsmen, this school was famous for studying the art of immortality.
But this school fell about ten years ago due to its involvement in the Battle of Byrne, its possible connection with the Oshur Empire, and the exposure of its use of 'forbidden alchemy' - including scandals such as body modification and demonic blood sacrifice. , was eventually defined as a cult organization by the kingdom and was wiped out in one fell swoop.
Howlett College emerged more than half a century ago.
Its birthplace seems to be in Doliphon.
Fang Yu slowly recalled the name of the founder of this school - Howlett-Manlo.
He took one last look at the dark corridor and put away the mark. He did not expect that this matter would be related to Hu Di. Then he turned around, grabbed the ladder and climbed up slowly.
This huge chess game seemed to gradually become clear in his mind.
…
