There was a hollow sound moving through the darkness, deep and thick, rumbling.
Outside, it seemed like we were experiencing a mythical war since ancient times, a war between dragons and dragons, giants and gods. I could see bright comets trailing long green flames on the endless plains. Penetrating through layers of dark clouds, the flames lit up the sky and broke through the clouds.
In the center of the sky there hung a huge and approaching satellite, emitting a chilling light.
It was like a heavy pupil, watching everything on the earth.
When Delan woke up from this dream again, he was still sweating all over.
It seemed that this scene that only existed in imagination could not make him accustomed or numb for more than ten years. After a while, his mind was still immersed in the cold fear, and his ears were still surrounded by the rumbling giant. There was a sound - but it was not the echo of the ancient battle, but the sound of wind. The sandstorm outside seemed to be getting bigger - not far away, the square stones forming a wall seemed to be trembling, and the quicksand rustled. Sliding down between the cracks in the wall and accumulating in the corner.
There was dim light in the dungeon, and the shadow of the iron base was longer or shorter, swaying uncertainly. To him, it seemed like the treacherous shadow of a devil approaching him.
The wine barrel was overturned, and bright red wine flowed out from the opening, like rose-colored blood, seeping into the floor tiles in a large dark area. There was also a sweet and intoxicating smell in the air, but his stiff brain seemed to be hallucinating, telling him that there was a hint of blood in the aroma of wine.
This may be the reason why it got its name... The Bein people regard it as a treasure that they are proud of, and although it comes from the work of the lowest farmers, it is not these people who can finally taste it. Delan recalled a period of glorious days. At that time, he was still proud to drink this kind of wine. He was deeply trusted by the royal family and the princess was full of wisdom and determination. Everything in the past was like old paper. Colors were layered in his mind.
But in the end they all fell silent.
The low sound of the wind contained a low humming sound at a unique frequency.
This voice seemed to awaken some kind of memory. Delan raised his head, his gray brows gradually gathered, and his eyes were fixed in the direction of the entrance to the dungeon.
A bright light burst out from the swaying flames of the rosin torch, making the long shadows on the ground sway. There were stone steps leading to the ground. It went up seven steps, then turned around, and then went up again. After ten steps, there is a door that is ajar.
The buzzing sound gradually amplified, and a golden light shot out from between the cracks in the door and flew into the dungeon. It stopped suddenly in mid-air, turned half a circle and returned to Delan. It was a small golden ball, vibrating two pairs of wings, turned around, and stared at him with the crystal in the diamond hole.
An old, gray face was reflected in the dark crystal.
Then the cell door was pushed open with a bang, and several people dressed as adventurers filed in. "He's here." The people who came in shouted when they saw him. With the sound of chaotic footsteps, they rushed down the stone steps and walked in this direction.
The sound made Delan look at these people. They were all wearing gray cloth cloaks common to desert travelers. The hoods were lifted, revealing young faces, with shoulders, hoodies, hair and eyebrows. Everything above was covered with dust, and these figures seemed to have just stepped out of a sandstorm.
Their origins are also revealed.
The young adventurers did not have much experience. They quickly came to his cell and eagerly identified themselves to him: "We finally found you, Mr. Deland."
"We are from the Southern Alliance, Elfendor Council. You must have heard of that place, right?"
"We're here to get you out."
Delan rarely spoke.
He pursed his lips, and with a heavy gaze, he just looked at the ups and downs of the clockwork fairy in front of him silently.
The young adventurers looked at each other, took a step back with some feeling, and placed a crystal on the ground. The next moment, the crystal glowed with light, forming a beam and projecting an image in front of everyone. What appeared in the picture was a middle-aged man with a serious expression.
If I have to describe it, except for his serious look, it seems that it is difficult to find any characteristics on the middle-aged man. He is only wearing an ordinary blue-gray coat. The only thing that can leave a little impression on others is probably this person. He takes care of himself a little too meticulously.
His silver-gray hair was not messy at all, and every corner of his coat seemed to have been carefully trimmed, with not a single extra wrinkle visible. Although the fabric of the coat looked old, it was clean and spotless. He also wore a pair of White gloves are the type rarely seen by alchemists except for reinforced gloves.
As soon as the middle-aged man appeared, he said:
"Long time no see, Delan."
"Since the princess passed away, we haven't seen each other for at least ten years, right?"
"You have stayed here long enough. Your promise to the princess has almost been fulfilled."
Delan was silent for a long time.
But in the end, he asked calmly: "Have you found 'him'?"
…
The conversation in the dungeon continues.
But the young adventurers have already retreated from the dungeon first. They came to complete the task, but they may not know about the task itself, and they are just following orders. This is how the Chosen One and the Aboriginal people sometimes maintain their relationship with each other in this world——
They have their own purposes, but many times they don't care about each other. The former are more like passers-by in this world, and perhaps they themselves identify with their own identities in this way.
And in the eyes of the latter, the same is true.
Outside the dungeon door, Ye Hua, who was wearing a long bow and a military uniform, was asking them, "What's wrong?"
"We found someone."
"What about the rest?"
"They are not inside, President, is the news reliable?"
"The arrested people should be people from Rufu's Shield. They were investigating smuggling cases in that area before. This is the task of the Tansnier Port Authority."
"He's from Rufu's Shield."
The young people suddenly realized that Rufu's Shield was once a member of the Southern Alliance. It was a small adventure group, but they had more or less heard of such a name.
Someone else asked: "Are the...combat craftsmen also from the Shield of Lufu? Maybe we can bring them in?"
Everyone couldn't help but look at Ye Hua.
That was the guy who dismantled Mr. Gu's four clockwork goblins, making them almost think they were exposed.
Ye Hua thought for a while, and felt a vague feeling of troubled times in his heart. Genius alchemists appeared one after another in the Chinese competition area, and rookies emerged one after another in the major guilds. It was very different from the stagnant situation a few years ago. When he mentioned the genius alchemist, he couldn't help but think of a person to whom he still owed an apology because of some wrong decisions.
He also nodded in response to everyone's questions.
And then someone suddenly asked:
"It seems that the defense of the fortress today is much worse than usual."
"There are no guards in the outer area. Is it because of the sandstorm?"
…
The castle blocks out the wind outside.
Through the thick stone walls, only a low whistling could be heard faintly.
In the darkness not far away, there was a huge painting hanging on the wall. The man in a robe on it was probably an ancestor of the Aimerben family, but the darkness made everything lose its color. There are also some decorative paintings on the wall, with a round shield, two staggered scimitars, a pair of armor, and a halberd standing quietly at the entrance of the corridor.
Two flowerpots hung from the beams, their curly fern leaves hanging motionless from the ceiling. The walkway below was covered with a thick carpet, and walking on it gave you the feeling of being soaked in soft cotton. There seemed to be some patterns on the carpet, but it was also dim in color in the darkness.
A group of bright light came from a distance, and the color of the carpet became vivid again in the firelight - brown, red and bright yellow, forming intertwined diamond-shaped patterns, followed by a low sound. The footsteps were uniform. The knights carried the lanterns and walked away, taking away the sound of the clash of armor.
Wu Xiaopang watched the knights leave, then turned around and lowered his voice and asked Fang Pliance: "Boss, have you found it?"
"Don't make any noise."
Luo Yu and Luo Hao reminded him at the same time.
But Fang Yu raised his goggles at this time, stood up and looked up, and saw a ray of silver light passing through the window and flying into his hand.
Then more silver streams of light gathered over and floated in front of everyone. Fang Plover picked them off one by one and put them into the information crystal. Then he looked at the others and replied, "We found the place."
He really spent some time looking for the living quarters of the rich lady. After all, the interior space of this castle is really not small, and in this weather, there are almost no servants walking around, and there are almost no shortcuts. He can only take one by one. Ways to exclude.
First of all, the hall around the first floor seemed to be the residence of servants. It was obviously unlikely that relatives related to the owner of this place lived on this floor; on the second floor, he saw many mystics, and even a study-like room. Outside, he saw the Governor. Although he didn't know him, he could probably infer this from the people around him.
He also saw a middle-aged mystic, who seemed to be the leader who besieged Wu Xiaopang and his group at that time, but he only flew around the second floor and did not dare to get close. Even so, it still attracted the attention of the temple guard, who was so frightened that he flew directly into the third floor.
There are many empty rooms on the third floor, which seem to be guest rooms, but obviously in this bad weather, except for mystics, no one will come to Bein as a guest. Behind them were some rooms belonging to the female family members, and Fang Yu accidentally ran into some embarrassing scenes, but he could only look at them with his eyes and nose, and just pretend he didn't see them.
He was not sure what the status of these women were here. For the nobles of Istania, it was natural to have many wives and concubines. However, there was no one here who matched Wu Xiaopang's description in terms of age. What gave Fang Yu a bit of a headache was that this guy, as a 'fan' of the earl's daughter, had never seen the other person's true appearance.
Fang Yu was almost stunned by this discovery.
This guy actually only knew a few things about the other party's age, unreliable hobbies, and some gossip.
But thinking about it, he probably understood that with Istania's strict hierarchy, how many adventurers outside could actually meet such a noble daughter? I heard that Count Nurman regarded his daughter as a treasure and naturally took great care of her, keeping her in seclusion. How could he let the 'lower people' outside taint his daughter's eyes?
Fang Yu couldn't help but shook his head. This little fat man's dream was really more outrageous than Parker's, but the other party probably didn't care about this either?
Is this the legendary death... a fat house?
It's terrible.
But he didn't mind, but ZXC almost dragged this unreliable guy out and killed him. Although he knew that the other party intended to do this, Fang Yu still smiled bitterly and stopped him. On normal days, he wouldn't care about this guy suffering a little, but right now there are only eight of them in total, so it's better not to cause any trouble.
Fortunately, after the clockwork fairy flew into the fourth floor, he finally made some discoveries.
With the luxurious room, the numerous maids, and the exquisitely dressed little girl, Fang Yu felt that if he could admit his mistake, he must be mentally retarded.
He immediately took back the clockwork fairy, and then said to everyone: "Find a way to get to the fourth floor."
"On the fourth floor?"
Fang Plover nodded.
"That's just right," Wu Xiaopang replied: "The patrolling guards just passed by. We went to investigate just now. The stairs leading upstairs are in that direction. Let's leave quickly."
He said as he prepared to walk out.
But at this moment, Luo Hao grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled him back from outside. Fang Plover actually heard the footsteps coming from a distance at this moment. Just a moment later, everyone saw a group of light shining from the corner. The light of the lantern swept over. Behind the light, a group of people The knight was approaching with the sound of clanking metal coming from far away.
Wu Xiaopang, who was dragged back by Luo Hao, stared at this scene with wide eyes.
He was not brainless. He had been estimating the patrol time of these people before, but no matter what, this time the other party came back too quickly. Could it be that he was exposed? Wu Xiaopang suddenly turned pale as he thought of a terrible possibility, but seeing the other people's composure, he did not dare to show such emotions.
But the reality is not what he thought——
A group of knights walked forward in a hurry, but did not notice them hiding in the corner. A group of people held lanterns and passed in this direction quickly without even looking back. Chaotic footsteps continued through the end of the corridor, and finally the light disappeared in that direction.
After a while, Wu Xiaopang heard the sound of a door opening in the distance, coming back from that direction, and then the messy footsteps gradually faded away.
He turned around and looked at the crowd in disbelief and said:
"What's going on? They've never gone in that direction before."
"They may have discovered something." ZXC came back to his senses at this time.
Among the few people, only Luo Hao took his time and looked over there, and then calmly said to everyone: "That's the direction we came from."
"We-" Wu Xiaopang was stunned and suddenly thought about it. In fact, they didn't take that route when they came, but the courtyard under the city wall where they arrived in the inner city seemed to be in that direction - something stirred in his mind, and he couldn't help but look at ZXC and the others.
The two members of Lufu's Shield also looked at Fang Pliance with lingering fears. Fang Yu said before that the mystics might have discovered them, but they were not willing to believe it at first, thinking that they were unaware of the ghosts. But judging from the reactions of the knights, it was obvious that this time the boss said correct.
And because of the bad weather, there should be a certain delay in the news coming from the mystic. Therefore, based on this calculation, the mystic should have noticed it shortly after they arrived in the inner city.
Wu Xiaopang broke out in a cold sweat. The inner city was much more tightly guarded than the outside. He knew how many patrolling knights there were. If the other party took action, where could they hide in a mere castle? He wiped his sweat and asked quickly: "Then what should we do? Do we want to fight now?"
I originally thought I had a chance to win, but now I feel like my hope is slim.
But Fang Yu had already passed the stage of surprise. He just shook his head and replied: "No need. Fortunately, under the current weather conditions, there will be a big delay in their news feedback. But sooner or later the knights will find someone." Invasion, then they should be mobilized, but until then we are safe."
He looked ahead: "So there is still not much time left for us. Now that it is safe here, take us to the stairs."
At this moment, Wu Xiaopang and others had completely put away their contempt for their opponents and only nodded seriously.
Sure enough, just as Fang Lu said, the few people walked through the corridor on the first floor and entered the second floor through the stairs. The surrounding environment seemed to be the same as before, without any change. However, they spent a little more time on the second floor to avoid the eyes of the mystics. After arriving on the third floor, they heard a loud noise coming from below.
It seemed like someone was giving orders, followed by bursts of chaotic footsteps. Obviously, the defense forces in the castle were mobilized, and the other party had discovered that someone had invaded.
This is one level away from the destination.
It seems that the other party hasn't found them yet. On the surface, it seems to be safe here for the time being, but Fang Yu has already sensed a hint of danger.
He suddenly stopped and glanced up——
If the mystic and the governor were not stupid, they should have realized that the information they had was lagging behind - Jita was not in this inner city from the beginning, and the valuable targets here for them were also There are only a few. Especially for the Governor, he would definitely think of his daughter first.
It is definitely unrealistic to expect the opponent to search from the second floor up one level at a time. Every level in the castle has defense forces. Maybe the guards on the fourth level have already been mobilized.
As long as they take a chance and hesitate for a moment, they will miss the last opportunity.
So without thinking, Fang Yu took out a yellow clockwork fairy from under his coat.
Now the only solution is to use force to overcome skill.
…
