Uriel dismounted by the river.
This was not the river beach in his dream. There were no pebbles or reeds on the ground, only fragments of all kinds of things that were not seen on ordinary days. He saw tiles and lampposts, and a piece of cloth of an indistinguishable color sandwiched between the gears of a carriage. Some strange heraldic patterns were carved on the parts of another carriage. A long-handled farm tool with only the handle was pierced deeply into its center. There were bloodstains on the wood that had not been completely faded by the river water. Garbage replaced sand and stones to become the river beach.
How many people died in the flood? He didn't see the body here, but he still couldn't help but think about this problem. The Kinque River dyke collapsed, and the worst-hit place should be Six Fingers Fort rather than the entire river bank downstream. But in fact, starting from Silverdome City, the entire Golden Bird River was setting off terrifying waves, and all the towns and villages Uriel saw along the way were not spared. It became impossible to tell the direction based on the terrain. These days, he had to travel day and night, finding his way according to the constellations and the broken moon. By the gods, I learned a lot about astronomy from Mr. Oswide.
Similarly, after leaving Silverdome City, Uriel was forced to take a detour. The flood has reduced the Scarecrow's field by almost one-sixth, and only a river with a slightly calmer wind and waves can allow him to cross it with magic. The real rapids are enough to swallow up the mountain peaks and destroy the city walls, and it is far from the mystery of the ring steps that can calm down the trampling. Of course, if he is already a mysterious person in the sky, he doesn't need to worry about crossing the river.
Maybe he doesn't have to worry about anything. What does empty space mean? This is another question Uriel thinks about. The first answer is power. If he had the power, Iaconi would not betray him, or he would still choose to betray but ultimately fail. In the final analysis, they just believe in different things. The apprentice found that he could not call it a betrayal. In short, under this hypothetical condition, Roma would not disappear at the dock, and Azby Zion would not be able to have his mind on him. This answer was voted down just as quickly as it appeared.
He didn't even have the magic sword Joey gave him when he escaped from the church. The mysterious profession brought by the Scroll of Oath is enough for its user to deal with most greed and covetousness, but most of his opponents seem to not know this. In any case, Uriel has realized that he is a little different from the orthodox mysterious creatures. Perhaps this is because his profession is not the one that the mystics are familiar with.
What's more, he's a devil.
The fire magic used by Brother Azby is an extremely complex mystery that Uriel has read in the scriptures, but can only look up to at present. This can be seen from the casting time of the high-level ascetic monk. If it were to be used by Uriel, he would need a long preparation time, meticulous control, the positioning of companions and opponents, and a lot of luck. Therefore, apprentices hardly practice it and have no way of understanding its rules and flaws.
What he used to defeat Azibi Zion was Joey's ice magic and "spiritual vision". Needless to say, the former, the latter ensured the success rate of his countermeasures, which was enough to keep Uriel in a battle where no dawn could be seen. victory in the battle. It is not without reason that the mysterious realm is so afraid of the unknown.
Not power, maybe responsibility? The importance of the Sky Realm to the mysterious fulcrum is needless to say. Joey defeated Cardinal Daniel Edgar in the Moon Capital of Kamaria. He was fully capable of killing him. If he told Uriel that he was just suffering If the skin injury is completely true. Even if the mentor is showing off, Uriel will take action at the slightest hint... There is no need for the tower to rescue the captives. At that time, the apprentice discovered that the relationship between the mysterious fulcrums was somewhat similar to that of nobles. They would exchange important information and hostages to protect each other instead of falling into a vicious circle of mutual consumption.
Later he learned of the existence of the Department of Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as an astronomy room and an observation deck. Whatever names the astrologers give them, these departments perform their duties and make Croita function like a kingdom. The only difference is the system and laws implemented in the Floating Cloud City. Uriel has not been to many places, but many books he has read in the outer world have explained that different kingdoms may have different laws. In the real world of Knox, there are many non-human races, and this situation will probably become more common.
The Sky Realm bears the responsibility. Every Sky Realm Master Uriel has ever met was born in the mysterious Fulcrum. It is obvious that they have a dual connection with the emotional morality and material needs of cultivating their own organization. The importance of the two is unknown, but they are undoubtedly the cohesive force of the entire mysterious pivot.
In the same way, the St. Mirend Alliance thousands of years ago was probably forced to unite by some force, and the evil dragon Winserspon was the key factor. Therefore, when it was killed, the army was expelled from the Land of Order, and the responsibilities of the members of the Order Front disappeared, this great alliance also fell apart and became the mysterious realm now dominated by the seven mysterious fulcrums.
But this binding force did not completely disappear after all, which resulted in the ambiguous tacit understanding between the mysterious fulcrums - otherwise the tower would not care how much resources and time the Radiant Council wasted in cultivating a cardinal. Joey must be responsible for Knox, and as Kongjing is an important force for Knox, killing Edgar is undoubtedly a kind of internal friction. The Nameless Ones, represented by Starless Night, are active in Knox as descendants of a mysterious race that once surrendered to the devil. No matter what the Nameless Ones think, they are traitors to the order who need to be vigilant and need to be eliminated. The seven pivots dominate the mysterious realm, just like the princes and nobles in a kingdom. There are still differences, frictions and even large-scale wars between them. However, when spies from the enemy country appear, most nobles still remember the dawn a thousand years ago. of war.
But if this is the answer, then how can the tower allow its Sky Realm leader to fall into a dead end for a mortal kingdom? Uriel only thought of this when he walked into the river. What's more, Joey is also a devil like him. Even if he chooses to be loyal to his faith, he cannot erase this fact.
Regarding the camp and the road, they had a conversation when they returned to Yotsuba City. At that time, Uriel was full of fear. The truth about the church and the starless night, and his confusion and fear about the future made him unable to help but find someone to talk to. He hoped Joey would give him advice, but the mentor refused. No, you can't say that, Uriel thought. He told me his choice, but he didn't force me to do it. He wanted me to be brave enough to face reality, but still said "Reality is when you close your eyes in a dream." kind of words. To this day, Uriel still doesn’t understand the meaning of that sentence, but he can feel the belief he conveyed: He wants me to decide my own path.
He suddenly realized that responsibility was not the answer, at least not the whole answer. Kongjing does not mean doing whatever you want, but what binds them is not only heavy principles, but also softer things. Every Lord Kong Jing who participated in this operation knew the danger of the Red Prophecy, but this did not stop their decision. Mr. Lion is definitely not just coming to Eastman for the mission. He has a close relationship with Roma and is probably worried. Ms. Helen is quite prejudiced against the Silent School and Eastman, but she is also willing to go to Iron Claw. The city is coming. Even Joey... he is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Commander of the Air Realm. He doesn't need to think about Eastman.
The river water was as cold as in a dream, and Uriel's soul could sense the extraordinary magic in it. The mystery it contains is unattainable, and the apprentice has only experienced similar feelings at the altar of Broken Moon. The Black Knight told him that Mercury Lord Rametta had laid a trap for him in Six Fingers Castle. Uriel accidentally avoided it with "Spirit Vision", but he will not forget what he saw in that future.
What other reasons are there for Joey to go to Six Finger Castle? Now, this towering city has followed in Kamaria's footsteps. When Uriel returned here, he recognized the peaks on the river bank, and then realized that the ruins not far from him were the Six-Finger Fort. Only one of its iconic six towers remains, and the streets and city walls merge together like a small fishing village stuck in a swamp after a heavy rain.
On the wide waterway where snow-white waves are constantly flowing, the magnificent embankments connecting the cities on both sides of the river have completely disappeared, leaving only large transparent ice walls shining. In other words, the remains of the ice wall. Its twisted shape and jagged spikes at the break are enough for everyone to witness the tremendous force it withstood at that time. Joey easily blocked the attack of the Steel Rock Guards in the Valley of Sleep, but all the Steel Rock Giants standing side by side on the embankment would probably only be washed away by flooding. The Golden Bird River is the longest and broadest river in the Eastman. The fishmen who are accustomed to living in the deep sea once traced the waterway all the way inland, and its flow even required the construction of a dam to control it.
In the face of such vast power, even Joey's magic is powerless. He held on for two days, Uriel knew, before the dike completely collapsed, leading the Church of Gaia to conclude.
The Jinque River stretches as far as the eye can see, with rolling waves and no boats or debris. From time to time, ice chunks slipped from the remnants on both sides of the mountain and were quickly rushed downstream by the rapids, making the river even colder. This section of the river is full of lingering magic. Even if the ice wall is washed away, the mystery will remain here.
"I'm sorry." Uriel knelt in the turbid river water, sand and water plants flowing between his fingers. He encountered shards of metal and countless rocks. "I shouldn't have come back to Eastman. Lord Quicksilver, Lady Manet, and Aiken, and the Confessions, and the Church, those are no reasons." I'm a stubborn fool, always trying to do things I can't do.
After a few seconds, he stood up and waded alone toward the center of the river. Occasionally, debris will hit his body, but Uriel has learned how to protect himself. "If you forgive me, Joey, please tell me yourself."
The horse stamped behind him, watching the river reach his chest.
Cold magic swims in the water, almost freezing a person's soul. Maybe that's why no one dares to go into the water, but it doesn't matter to him. Uriel took a deep breath, lowered his head and plunged into the turbid rapids.
