"It seems like we shouldn't treat her like a little girl."
When the bishop returned to Greenbrier City, he received a reply from Lemons and Arabella. Priestess was very worried and looked at the priest on the horse. But he was neither angry nor anxious. "Counting the time, she is already fifteen years old, right?"
"Not yet underage." Priestess was a little stunned.
"She was born in the Year of the Burning Shadow, the youngest daughter of Alfonso Lancoste and Tracy."
"The little princess of the Wiggins family is a good child." Arabella didn't understand why the cardinal of the parliament knew so much about the earl of a small kingdom.
"You know that in the Year of the Burning Shadow, the Battle of Zangwill ended. The people here saw her as the peacemaker who ended the war."
"Master Bishop, she is just a mortal."
"Under the gaze of the gods, we are all mortals." Bishop Edgar whispered softly, "I understand, Arabella, you doubt whether her reputation is consistent with her own person, and you doubt that our countess has used the actions of the Parliament to To enhance one's own prestige. The nobles are unparalleled in this trick, and on the surface, Danlfion Lancoste is an excellent descendant of the nobles. Now, what do you see?"
The cardinal's to-the-point comments made her very embarrassed, but Arabella had to admit that she did have complex emotions towards Danlfion - both love and pity for the pure girl, but also unavoidable worries about the hypocrisy of this innocence. People who doubt the character of others are probably not qualified to criticize others. When Arabella served the Goddess of Light, she could always repent of her actions, but after leaving Zangwill, she was a little at a loss.
She thought for a moment and responded seriously: "The countess does deserve this kind of praise. Mortals... Ordinary people are mostly ignorant. We cannot let innocent people bear the blame because of other people's misunderstandings."
"But Lord Bishop, she is full of fear of the Parliament. Friendship cannot be built on suspicion and disbelief. And we need the support of the Earl of Iceland to make the Veniwasse people and the people of Iceland Realm realize their mistakes. "In the end, she still hopes to resolve this misunderstanding. The disaster in Yotsuba Castle made her shudder.
"Wrong," the bishop repeated. He seemed to smile, and the beard around his mouth rose slightly. He no longer mentioned Dandelphin fifteen years ago. "The Paladin is not afraid of any enemy. You should have full confidence in your superior, Arabella. Just let the child go back to his warm nest. It is already cold enough in the Ice Territory."
"The Lord Knight is still injured." Priestess lowered her head. "It's still my fault."
"Don't blame yourself, the goddess will judge. All we have to do is accept it." The former paladin captain gently comforted. He turned the horse's head, "Don't forget the mission entrusted to you by the Lord Advocate, Arabella, there is no idol here. The idol is in your heart, it is an unquenchable flame."
The long-term fatigue and suffering were instantly ignited by these words, and Arabella closed her eyes. My goddess, she heard her pious call. After the Lord's instruction, she did not dare to delay for a moment. My Goddess. The god of justice and radiance. Forgive my selfishness and my sensitivity and suspicion, how dare I put my emotions above your will? I am no longer a girl, how can I get your favor again?
"We'll set off immediately." The white-robed priest whispered, meeting Bishop Edgar's penetrating gaze. "The mystery of the Tunnels of Angmar, we must find the entrance."
"There is no point in acting blindly."
"The mysterious place must be related to Greenbrier City."
"Obviously, that is the secret realm of the elves. But the golden cup is not in our hands."
"The White Envoy is here for the Golden Cup." Priestess said, "The Tower of Sky must know something. They gave Maurice's airspace to the Parliament, so they can only do anything on the ground."
"The council had anticipated this."
"Teacher him?"
"It's not just astrologers who know everything, Arabella. Cornelius asked me to help you. The undead in the Cloverland are nothing to worry about." The bishop touched the peridot on his chest. "We have long determined the location of the secret place, but if we enter it without following the rules of the mysterious place, we will bear serious losses. This is not what the council wants to see."
Arabella's heart sank. She thought of her compatriots struggling under the collapsed ruins, the spear that penetrated the shoulder of Knight Commander Lemons, and the forest of frost and snow rising in the manor. The impatience and reckless sense of mission disappeared in an instant. I must ensure their safety. I am the priest of the Holy Knights.
But what else can be done? The golden cup was lost, the White Envoy was missing, and even the paladin leader was seriously injured. Priestess was extremely frustrated and thought, besides entering the mountain again, what else can we do? I really shouldn't be here. I failed my mentor's expectations. As a vicar, Cornelius had many students, and I was the worst of them all.
Bishop Edgar was the previous paladin captain. He came to help us because the Lord Advocate was disappointed with me? She could not suppress this dark suspicion.
"We, we will change the direction this time and enter the Morris Mountains and explore along the Angmar Tunnel."
"It's too late. With the Elf Gold Cup, Croita can do more."
"We are not looking for the secret realm." The white-robed priest bit his lip, "Let's go find the White Envoy. We can also find the secret realm by following him -"
"This is a good method." The bishop praised, guiding the young priest. "You can think differently."
Arabella looked at him doubtfully.
"The first person to find the golden cup is in the town."
Bishop Edgar's words are full of profound meaning. "Real projections don't appear out of thin air. There must be a reason why the Elf Gold Cup came to this town. Since the mystery chose Bonfire Town, it must be connected to the anomalies in Angmar."
There was a sound of horse hooves outside the manor, but it sounded from near to far. Arabella couldn't help but listen carefully, which team had left?
"Lemmons went to find the entrance."
Priestess seemed to have thought of something, "Shall we go after the White Envoy?"
"For you, this is not an experience worth cherishing. The White Envoy is too dangerous, and your service to the goddess will take longer." The bishop shook his head, "I will catch up with the Elf Gold Cup, and you will lead some knights to Venetian Watts.”
"Winnie Watts? My lord, Miss Delphine, she——"
"The Ice Territory is too chaotic, and you need to protect her safety. Demons and fallen people are happy to see something happen to this angel lady, just like the accident in Yotsuye City. What's more, she left after contacting us of."
Priestess woke up with horror. "I understand what you mean." Once Danlfien is in danger, the White Envoy will have more reason to intervene in the actions of the Parliament.
And Arabella can almost guess what the envoy will do: he will treat the Elf Gold Cup as private property and threaten the earl to stop helping the Glorious Parliament; he will spare no effort to avenge the resident Eze Haynes and maintain the Tower of Sky. dignity and glory; they may also be expelled from the Ice Territory - most of the Morris Mountains belong to the Eastman Kingdom, and the kingdom is a subordinate of Croita.
Of course, in a sense, it was the Count who protected the Holy Knights. The bishop gently clamped his mount and said, "Let's go, child. When we find the entrance, I will come to pick you up. Now let's see which method is more efficient."
…
After selling the gold cup, Damon noticed that his neighbor's life had become simpler. Sometimes he would see hunters entering the mountains in the early morning and returning to the town at noon. In his hands he carried scrawny prey—a pheasant, a cottontail rabbit, a brood of voles, a gray duck. At his best, Daemon saw him grabbing a goat by its horns on the street leading to the city gate, dragging the fallen beast from the mud onto the stone slabs of the town.
The streets of Greenbrier City were boringly complicated, and Daemon watched with regret as the dead sheep disappeared around the corner. Originally, there were no three big trees between him and the hunter's hut, but now, these chestnut trees that sprouted up overnight restricted the view he longed for.
In the past, the hunter would sell his kills for coins in his pocket, but these days he sets up pots and barbecues in his yard. The sizzling grease can only be heard but not seen, let alone the mouth. The taste makes people want to press their heads into a water tank to cool down for an hour.
The civilians of Bonfire Town eat two meals a day, hard bread in the morning and evening. When the hungriest moment at noon arrives, Damon will tiptoe behind the tree like a man possessed, using his ears, nose and fantasy to make a feast for himself.
Damon listened to sermons in church and thanked Gaia every day with his parents and sister for his blessings. But Gaia had never taught him this kind of peeping behavior, and Damon did it without any hesitation. He had even forgotten the name of the goddess, let alone doubted the piety of his faith. Perhaps the goddess should tell us how to fill our stomachs before teaching us to accumulate virtue and do good deeds.
Damon spent the entire morning picking apples in the orchard. Ever since the town changed, these things have become less in demand. Dorothy said she would take the fruit to Whinneys to sell, as their goods were everywhere in Bonfire. But Upton refused without a second thought.
"You will never go to Winnie Watts in your life." Their father was a carpenter, short in stature and with a loud voice. "Go to the market." He held the planer in one hand and growled at his daughter.
Damon took advantage of Upton's anger and slipped out of the door, followed by Dorothy. The expression on her face was hard to say but hatred, but Damon didn't want his sister to leave.
"I can go to the market with you," he said carefully, "and I'll sell the apples."
"leave me alone."
"Dorothy, you can't—"
"Get away, Damon!"
Why should I meddle in her business? Damon was still thinking when he walked to the corner. When he changed direction, he caught a glimpse of Dorothy standing there with a basket full of fresh apples at her feet. Without looking back, he headed towards the hunter's yard. Passing by the river bank along the way, the boy threw a stone into the water, and a string of foam appeared on the surface of the river. The water was clear and transparent, but Damon didn't notice where the pebbles fell.
Foam bubbled up behind him.
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