The group of people walked between the dark canyons. After leaving the gray and withered forest land, they did not set foot on the avenue opened by the South Nognes Guild. Instead, they took another road to trace the memories of the miners and go deeper. The deeper underground rosin torches could only illuminate a small area of gray in the depths. Tian Lan said that the light of the lighting crystal was as cold as bone marrow, making her upper and lower teeth tremble. Everyone felt the same, so she used it uncharacteristically. Open fire lighting was used, as if this could dispel the gloomy chill.
The swaying firelight advanced in the darkness, leaving everyone's shadows on the uneven rocks. The towering rock walls seemed to have traces of artificial chiseling, but the smooth sections were actually just some kind of geological movement. A natural product of the rain, the rock surface is as heavy as black ice, like a mirror that can identify people's figures. Those swaying shadows sometimes seem to be running against them and have a will of their own, but if you look closely, it is just the distortion of the shadows caused by the uneven surface of the rock.
The ground is filled with a thin layer of gray fog, as if the dust of time has never melted away in the ancient years. As people walk inadvertently through the geological layers, they become smaller and smaller among the mighty forces of nature, like a grain of sand under the feet of a giant. They seemed to hear the giant's pulse, and long sobs came from the darkness with every breath. But that is just the wind passing through the cracks in the ground. Those vents are connected to the outside of the mountains, noisy all year round, and etch out the world under the glacier.
The sound of the wind was sometimes high-pitched and sometimes low-pitched. Although he knew the principle, it still frightened Tianlan enough. She mustered up her courage and comforted herself in a low voice: "There's nothing to be afraid of..."
But no one answered her, which only made her more nervous.
Although he has decided to leave, Fang still plans to go on one last adventure deep underground. It was not to satisfy curiosity, but to go to the place described by the miners and see if there were any traces of the 'people with a dark aura' described by Munyarit. They were always a little worried.
Of course, at the same time, this is also to give an explanation to the tree people.
Everything has a beginning and an end. This is Fang's idea on the premise of doing things according to one's ability.
But the darkness and unknown were indeed unsettling. Even Tang Xin seemed a little nervous and held her staff tightly. She couldn't help but look at the back of the figure in front of her, wanting to get closer to her cousin just like she did when she was a child when she went to the haunted house. However, from the corner of her vision, she saw Sylveide and the maid lady beside her, and they hesitated again.
Sylvester felt something, turned around, looked at her, smiled at her, pulled Siesta aside with her hand, and made room for her. Tang Xin was stunned for a moment, but she lowered her head and gritted her teeth, determined to pretend she didn't see it. The ship officer smiled, stopped, naturally pulled her over and said, "I have something to tell you, Tangtang."
Tang Xin couldn't hold back anymore, so she softened and nodded. Only then did Fang notice the movement behind him. He turned back to look at his cousin, as if he was remembering things from his childhood, and asked, "Tangtang, are you afraid?"
Tang Xin snorted intentionally, but it turned into a weak 'hmm' when she reached her nose. She didn't dare to look at her cousin, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito's cry.
Fang was full of confidence: "Don't worry, just come closer to me, just like you did then."
Tang Xin thought you were a fool, but nodded slightly.
Sylvester smiled and held her hand, whispering to her in a low voice. But Tang Xin seemed a little absent-minded, answering every sentence.
Tian Lan looked at her with envy from behind, but she rolled her eyes and ran back to hold Jita's hand, regardless of whether the latter was happy or not. Fortunately, our naturalist lady was soft-tempered, so she only glared at her and let her go.
Parker watched this scene from a distance, thinking about Istania again in his heart, but after a while, he transformed into a beautiful Papalar girl, sitting in the bright woodland. . The big cat man stared at this guy and shook his head.
The spring of Papalar people is about a sunny afternoon, with green grass and forest songs, which is far away in a dream. Lion thought, the future is worrying.
Along the way where the miners described the last sighting of those people, they continued deeper into the ground, but the depths became increasingly difficult and bone-chilling. Before entering this canyon, the countless forks there almost made everyone give up.
However, Fang still decided to move forward some distance, although he was not sure that this was definitely the path the other party had taken, and they didn't even know what those people were doing down there. But now that he's here, he doesn't want the time he wasted to go to waste.
Of course, if they still didn't find anything, they would return the same way.
At present, more than half of the time has passed, but it seems that there is no meaningful progress. The patience in Fang's heart is gradually reaching its limit. Another danger of going deep underground is that the closer to the depths of the ground, the more likely it is that they will encounter the crystal and its minions retreating into it. Although the journey has been relatively quiet, they also It's not that I haven't encountered disordered minions, and there have been one or two battles.
When Crystal's minions appeared, he became more and more hesitant. You may not be able to find the traces left by those people ahead, but it is very possible to break into Crystal's lair. He even has a guess that the purpose of those people is Crystal's lair?
Will they lose more than they gain by going to that place?
But at this moment, Nini suddenly appeared.
Fang was startled and couldn't help but look at his 'little daughter'. The little girl was lying on his shoulder, looking motionlessly into the darkness.
Fang knew that she must have discovered something. He followed the little girl's gaze and looked in that direction. There seemed to be something shining in the darkness.
At this time, Parker had already left the beast of burden and trotted over to pick up the shining thing in the dark. Others didn't even have time to stop him, but the Papalars were lucky and it was not a trap. He only made a slightly disappointed sound, and this sigh made others realize that those must not be gems and gold coins, otherwise the Papalar people would not be like this.
Parker then came back with the thing in his hand, and Fang couldn't help but was slightly startled when he saw the thing in his hand. It was a metal root about the length of a palm and the thickness of a thumb, with runes engraved on the surface. If you didn't know it, People who use it may think it is some kind of work of art after seeing it. However, for those who choose, especially for alchemists, this thing is very familiar. It is a magic storage item. To be precise, it is a wand.
Of course, the wand itself is still very valuable. Even an I-level magic wand, as long as it is brand new, is worth several thousand lisels. But for it to be abandoned in this place so casually can only mean one thing: it is an empty wand.
Fang connected the magic wand with his own magic furnace and checked it. Sure enough, it was a low-level wand. This kind of wand was usually used to store some small spells that could be used repeatedly during adventures. For example, water making, lighting, bright flame, camping, etc. are not high cost, save trouble and are easy to carry.
But the miners won't carry these things. They don't even have magic furnaces. The patrols belonging to the South Nognis guilds shouldn't carry them either, because they return to the control area every day and don't need to camp. . Therefore, the owners of these things are most likely the people those miners have met.
That's their goal.
Fang became somewhat interested, and this time the god of luck seemed to favor them, allowing them to find the right place the first time. He asked Parker and the big cat man to continue searching in that direction. At the same time, he also released the clockwork goblins to search in all directions. In fact, not long after, they had another harvest.
Soon they discovered an abandoned camp. In the center of the camp was a bonfire that had long been deserted. There were signs of tents being pitched around the camp, and some domestic garbage was scattered around. There were no personal belongings left in the camp, and there were no traces of fighting, which indicates that the owner of the camp may have left on his own initiative.
They may have been away for several months, but the lack of changes in the underground environment allowed traces of this camp to remain to this day. This is undoubtedly beneficial information for them. In fact, after discovering this campsite, Fang could basically confirm that they had found the person they were looking for.
The most important thing is that the big cat man also discovered a crucial clue in the camp.
The lion paladin found this small thing among a pile of domestic garbage. He bent down and swept away the other things, picked it up, and took a look. A trace of surprise flashed in his silver-gray eyes. of light. Then he brought this thing to Fang, who recognized its origin at a glance.
On that piece of rag was a dragon-shaped emblem with one corner and one pupil missing, and this seal was so familiar to them that even Tian Lan couldn't help but exclaimed when she saw the seal:
"Dragon Cultist!"
"It seems they are really them." Fang already had some expectations in his mind when he listened to the miners' descriptions, but now he just confirmed this guess. He looked at the big cat man holding the piece of rag and said, "There is only one question left now. What are they doing here?"
"You may have to ask them themselves to know this," the big cat man threw the piece of rag to the ground, clapped his hands, and replied: "In any case, the Dragon Worshipers have left this place for several months. , we only know that they may have used the Heart of the Mountain to change the direction of the Aether River in Nognis, and drove one of the guardians here crazy."
"Think about it, that was around the time we were in Idos. The Dragon Cult was not only making waves in the north, but also had arrangements in Nognis. It seems that a hundred years after the Dragon Witch incident, they want to use help again. Corin Ithurion's turmoil has gone to welcome their Dark Saints back to the world."
Although Rhett's tone was relaxed, he frowned when he said this. Regardless of whether he was a Corinthian or not, he was the Paladin of Marland after all, and these dark forces were born to be his and his goddess's enemies.
Fang also pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time. He thought that they had seriously foiled the Dragon Worshipers' conspiracy in Idos. Not to mention that they had completely failed, but at least they had kept those people busy for a while.
Later, they defeated the blind god Descartes in Istania, and completely defeated another dark force back to his hometown. These two events made him feel a series of events after Fenris Island. The sense of urgency has been reduced a lot for a while.
He thought that they had finally gone ahead of the Dark Believers, not to mention being the saviors of Corin Ithurian, but they had made a small contribution. But unexpectedly, while they were fighting to the death with the wanderers in Idos, the Dragon Cultists were still able to separate their forces and carry out their plans in Nognis in an orderly manner.
By the time they discovered this plan, more than half a year had passed.
This is still them. How many people are not aware of the threat of Dragon Worshipers at all?
How many people are there in the Dragon Worshipers? The Seven Seas Brigade discovered their plans in Idos, Fenris, Dorifin and even Naugness, but what about other places? Are there no Dragon Worshipers in Is, in the ancient pagoda, in Talun, or even in places like Kapka and the ancient pagoda, the Treasure Staff Coast, Ithulian and St. Xiu'an?
I'm afraid he's not so sure now.
"Ed."
At this time, the big cat man suddenly said: "Actually, there is one thing that I have always wanted to tell you, but before that, I never found a suitable opportunity. But here today, I guess you should have realized something. , take this opportunity, let’s talk.”
Fang was slightly startled and raised his head to look at the other party.
The big cat man twirled his beard and was silent for a moment, then squinted his silver-grey pupils and said, "We have experienced a lot of things along the way from Traveler's Rest, and the purpose of the trip has also changed a lot. Although We have dealt with these dark believers a lot along the way, and indeed, they can also be said to be the enemies of the lady."
He paused: "But Ed, the confrontation with the power of darkness is not temporary. Light and darkness always ebb and flow. The struggle between the two has been going on for perhaps tens of thousands of years. So I urgently want to know. Yes, little one, what do you think?"
Nini seemed to understand the big cat man's words. She lay on Fang's shoulder, raised her head, rubbed her face with her little face and said in a slightly uneasy voice: "Papa."
But Fang looked at the big cat man as if he didn't realize it, and asked: "I don't quite understand what you mean, Mr. Reid."
"My point is very simple," the big cat man replied: "Even I can't always find trouble with these dark believers. Of course, except for some people, such as Miss May, maybe she has Justice drives her to do this, and she also has such motivation."
"But," he changed the subject: "As for you, Ed, you are not a paladin. Of course, that does not mean that what we are doing is wrong, but the purpose of the establishment of the Seven Seas Brigade is, on the one hand, to realize your On the one hand, it is to find your Miss Sylvide’s father, Sir Mawei.”
The big cat man looked at the noble lady beside him, and Sylvide only smiled slightly.
"But……"
"No, but, Ed," the lion paladin shook his head: "Haven't you discovered that to the Dragon Worshipers, neither your power nor the power of the Seven Seas Brigade is insignificant. But worshipers The Dragon Cult is just one of the forces of darkness. Even if you are like a fire fighter, even if you go everywhere to extinguish the fires lit by the Dark Cult, you are exhausted and put all your time and energy into it, but you may not be able to put it out in time. Every point of fire.”
"But what should I do, Mr. Reed." Fang was a little annoyed, but he couldn't blame him. Why are there so many followers of darkness in this world. Forget about the aborigines, even the electors have come to cause trouble. This is the 22nd century, and there are still people who believe in cults. The nine years of compulsory education have been wasted.
"Idiot," Tang Xin finally couldn't listen anymore and couldn't help but hold her forehead: "Mr. Reid has made it so clear, but you still can't understand. This is not your problem alone, Dark Believer What he did threatens everyone, whether they are indigenous people or chosen ones."
"Ms. Marland and the military are really blind. They chose you as their spokesperson. Ms. Marland has thousands of knights. Is Mr. Reid inferior to you when it comes to fighting against evil?" She shook her head and sighed: "What Ms. Malan needs is not a knight, but a voter, someone who can respond to everything. You have so many resources and so much power on your back, and you still want to fight alone. Dark believer, you are really a rotten tree that cannot be carved. I think you are addicted to the illusion of a savior and can’t extricate yourself!"
Fang stared at Tang Xin with wide eyes, what could he do to him? He worked hard as a firefighter, putting out fires all the way from Fenris to this place, but in the end he was wrong? This reason is unacceptable to him. But he finally understood what his cousin meant:
"You mean, let me make these things public?"
"Of course," Tang Xin replied: "In the past, the Seven Seas Brigade could not do that because we were not strong enough and lacked credibility. But it is different now. The matter of Dolifen and Istania has long been spread. There has been an uproar, and after the Seven Seas Traveler is built, we also have the ability to protect ourselves, why not let more people participate? Although some of the chosen ones have defected to the Dark Saints, most of the chosen ones can still be relied on , can be regarded as one of our own, whether it is for profit or for other reasons."
Fang was startled for a moment, but suddenly he suddenly understood. He looked at the big cat man with some understanding and couldn't help but ask: "Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because you are stupid," Tang Xin rolled her eyes, "You are the captain, or am I the captain? Why don't you give me the captaincy and I can stay and fly with your Miss Silverd."
That wouldn't work, so Fang immediately pretended not to hear this. But the big cat man on the side smiled: "It's better for you to think of these things yourself, because it is related to what the Seven Seas Brigade should do in the future and what our goal is. But today, I am taking advantage of this opportunity to say Just come out."
Fang couldn't help but feel like he was enlightened. It was indeed true. He could use the community to announce the conspiracy they discovered about the Dragon Worship Cult. The actions of the dark believers harm the interests of everyone, and they themselves are also valuable targets. With the collective efforts of the people, these people will always be plunged into the vast sea of people's war.
At that time, it will not be that they are on the defensive, but that they will switch offense and defense. However, he was still a little hesitant about how to operate it specifically. He thought for a while and said, "But I still have to think about how to do it specifically."
"This is your business, our captain, of course, you have the final say," the big cat man looked into the depths of the canyon: "But since we have arrived here today and found the tails of these people, the rest of the matter is also up to you. There’s no need for anyone else to do it for you.”
Fang nodded, but then asked: "Mr. Reid, do you think we can discover the true purpose of these people if we continue the investigation?"
"That's not necessarily true," Rhett shook his head, "But since their camp is here, it means that the place shouldn't be too far away. What's the discovery? Just go and see it?"
…
