The skies in Mortus are much gloomier and the temperature is cooler than in the Holy City. This time Uriel deliberately chose to come back here during the day, and sure enough he didn't meet Hitarian. The child would come to Dreamland at night to accompany her sister, and would have to leave when the alarm went off. Demonic things aside, she was a rare good kid, but Uriel would rather communicate with the Black Knight. What he saw in the temple was not an interesting topic.
To be honest, he didn't want to be here at all during the day.
Ruth's toy was a trembling tumbler. It was only about the size of a palm, had tacky paint and stripes, and had an extremely pungent smell. But its owner doesn't mind these minor problems and won't even let it shake on the dirt. Although she was covered in mud, at first glance she looked like a big goblin crawling out of the swamp. When she saw Uriel, she accidentally knocked the tumbler down on the stone slab, and it ended up completely unable to get up.
"It's broken." The apprentice tried to remedy it, "But I can take you to find another one."
Ruth believed what he said, and then showed the usual girl's characteristic of liking the new and hating the old, and stepped on the remains of the tumbler. Uriel was so frightened that he quickly picked her up and checked whether there were any wooden thorns between her toes.
"You should wear shoes when going out, Miss Ringott." Maybe she didn't understand. "Don't know how to tie a belt? Then avoid the sharp obstacles...forget it, it's just a dream anyway." He picked up the girl with his other hand. Whether Ruth understood or not, she was docile and did not resist. "How long have you been here, good girl? And you asked your sister to come to you in your dreams. It's not a good habit to stay up for a long time. Although reality is not as interesting as dreams, you are living in reality after all."
Uriel finally found a deserted alley. The complexity of the terrain in Mortus far exceeded that of the Four-leaf City and the Royal Capital, and only Brumnot could compare with it. However, the structure of the Floating Cloud City is extremely layered, and there is a mysterious map to guide the way. Mortus seems to be built on a hill. Even though it is unusually large, the overall environment is similar to that of a backward small village. He is among the locals. Can't get any help either.
"Watch your step." Uriel whispered as he put Ruth down. At this moment, there was a straight path in front and behind them. Even the walls and roofs were empty and there were no obstacles at all. He also changed the girl's shoes and socks into shoes that fit her feet. "Go and play, Ruth. Just go and run. Don't worry about getting lost. I will take you back." The apprentice felt a little dry after saying too many instructions. You can feel thirsty in a dream, just like you can feel fear in a dream.
"You'd better find a way to return to reality, otherwise you'll end up getting lost." A black shadow fell from the sky, and panic rose.
Is it magic or demonic power? Every time he saw the Black Knight, Uriel had to overcome his fear before he could speak. This kind of emotion comes suddenly and is easy to detect as abnormal. Fortunately, this was not the first time the apprentice encountered the undead lord, and he quickly stabilized his condition.
"For your trouble, my lord." Interestingly, it is much more natural to address the demon lord as your lord than to address his representative as your lord. "I'll leave soon."
The blue flames in the black knight's eyes stared at him. "This is the second time. What brings you back, Uriel? To be baptized?"
"Not this time. I have more important things to do with the Nameless One. You assassinated Lady Magdalena of the Glorious Council, didn't you?"
The flame burned motionlessly. "I know where you are, young man, and I know what you are doing."
"I have no doubt, my lord." Of course, I was dreaming. "Can you tell me the reason for getting rid of her? The agent is waiting for my response."
The Black Knight was quite interested: "Do you think what Cornelius needs you to get is that the prophetic dream and the cause of Magdalena's death are the same thing?"
"This is just speculation, my lord. There is a lot of evidence, but it is not conclusive unless you can tell me the truth."
“The truth has a price tag.”
"The nameless ones imprisoned in the temple, I don't think the Starless Night will reject them."
"We have rejected many people, such as the undead lunatic you met in Four Leaf City." When referring to his own kind, the Black Knight spoke with contempt. "The Society is the home of the Nameless Ones, but they will not foolishly die for unworthy family members. That Paladin is not the Nameless One. Alini left a noose on him, and his own life and death have no value."
Uriel watched the girl running around. What value would Ruth have in this case? Limit her sister Hitarian? No. There was no need for the Black Knight to enter this dream for her. It was just a dream anyway, and what happened to Ruth was none of his business. Although the child looked dirty, he was completely unharmed.
Looking for details to support one's own inference is quite subjective, but Uriel can only believe him. Time was running out, and the apprentice decided to take the initiative to show his trump card: "I will hand over the nameless ones of the temple to you, and the association only needs to be responsible for the finishing work."
"And the reason for assassinating Magdalena?" the Black Knight added coldly. His attitude is still unclear.
This is actually an additional condition. Since Magdalena was assassinated by a demon in front of the Holy City, it means that the secret society is well aware of the prophecy she holds. However, the weight of the prophetic dream is enough for the association to risk assassination, and it is unlikely that the prophet can safely relay the news through Uriel. Of course, maybe Starless Night just wanted to seek revenge from her. When the Black Knight led the undead invasion, the Council of Radiance was well prepared due to White's prophecy and drove the undead back to the fallen plane of Gavash.
The basis for reaching an agreement is trust, but in the mysterious realm, even fire contracts are sometimes not foolproof. The secret society could not trust Uriel, a tower apprentice, but the Black Knight knew his secret. To this day, Uriel cannot tell whether this is good or bad for him.
"Have you made a choice?" The undead lord's voice seemed calm.
"No." There are indeed lunatics like Newell among the Unknowns, but this does not mean that people like the Ringott sisters should be tied to the stake and burned to death. The purification given to the Paladins and the Nameless Ones by Bishop Cocian was completely different. "I will not betray my oath, my lord." It seemed as if the words came from the sincerity.
"Your actions amount to betrayal."
Uriel couldn't deny it. Goddess Mercy, I ask for your guidance. "It would be a betrayal of faith if I watched innocent people burn to death."
"Do you think the Nameless People are innocent? Like Ringot? Tell you, her sister will become the Society's doctor in the future and save countless Nameless People. These people who are saved will be motivated by hatred and a sense of mission. , launch an attack on the mysterious realm. Maybe your friends will die in their hands, maybe someone has died long ago. Have you asked those nameless ones? How many knights of order died before they were captured by demon hunters and taken into the temple? In the process? Can you trample on the achievements that the Paladins have made with their lives and treat their beliefs as a few grains of sand between your toes? Who gives you the power to do this?"
Uriel gritted his teeth. "Why do you care?"
The other party didn't take his rhetorical question seriously. "Answer the question or I'll kill you."
Does he really not care about the life and death of the Nameless One in the Temple Dungeon? In any case, the apprentice did not dare to try. The Black Knight may not know the situation in the dungeon, but he himself knows the current situation clearly. Uriel swallowed. "No one can decide the future of others. The differences between the Nameless Ones and humans may one day be resolved... As for the mysterious realm's propaganda that the Nameless Ones will become demons, no one mentioned it before the Dawn War."
Not all societies choose to side with the evil dragon. Uriel borrowed books from the Great Alliance of St. Mirend and found that many human kingdoms had surrendered to the Abyss Legion. Of course, they were all destroyed in the end. Why didn't anyone say that all humans have the possibility of becoming demons? "The point is not the reason for hating each other. A thousand years have passed since the War of the Dawn."
"When the time comes, will they forget their hatred and coexist peacefully?"
"Even if they are both in the order camp, the mysterious fulcrums will go to war with each other. I mean, at least they won't treat the nameless people as human beings like they do now." Do I believe this myself?
The Black Knight's visor shook slightly, and he seemed to be laughing at the apprentice.
"A small good is a great evil, Uriel. Didn't your goddess tell you?" The silver-white cloak of the undead knight undulated in the silent street, and the bone-like tassels were as light as smoke. "Your position was destined by the gods when you were born, and you can't get rid of it throughout your life. You are the sharp knife in the hands of fate, executing the judgment of certain people. At the same time, you are also the target of fate's judgment." Maybe he didn't smile at all. "Curse and hatred will be worn away by time, but the discrimination caused by differences will not."
Humans can coexist with mysterious races, and the differences are not absolute. "Thank you for your guidance, sir." Uriel had had enough of his preaching. "We're pressed for time."
"The cause of Magdalena's death won't help you. She didn't die for the agent's puzzle," the Black Knight told him.
Then why did the devil want to kill her? It seems that he can't get an answer from the Black Knight. But even if Uriel was disappointed, he didn't show it. "Our agreement still stands, my lord."
The Black Knight's soulfire studied him. "You want to kidnap our compatriots under the eyes of the agent?"
There may also be a gentler way. "I can't do it, sir, so I have to find another way out." Uriel didn't want to say more. "Are there any nightingales in Zangwill on a starless night? I need to let them take those people away."
"If you succeed, of course you will get reinforcements. My compatriots will not accompany you to death." The black knight said coldly, "Pray to your goddess, it is best to buy some indulgences to make up for the small sin of betraying the order. "There was a silence of two or three seconds. “An agent is not a prophet.”
There is also a Gaia church in Zangwill, but it is sparsely visited. The Church of Gaia will not devote any effort to the church established in the Holy City. It is just a facade, providing a place of prayer for pagan travelers. Forget it, at least there won't be any shady deals in it. "I wish the gods would blink a little." To be honest, they didn't open their eyes that often. Uriel saw the world falling apart before his eyes, but he knew that he was the only one who was destroyed.
"The Nameless Ones also believe in gods. But true peace only exists in the Bible. Uriel, you are pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven in the real world." The Black Knight warned, "Don't come here again, or you will regret it."
