Nimue opened her eyes and saw people gathering around her. She originally thought that everyone was preparing for the ceremony - a complicated, lengthy, incomprehensible and mysterious method - all controlled by professionals, while laymen could only stare blankly as they understood nothing.
However, the reality is that Cold Light Sita Tekapo stood alone in front of a lamp, with a nervous expression on her face and fiddling with something with her fingers. She turned her back to everyone, and they turned their backs to her. The focus of both parties' attention was clearly defined.
Not a big match. Since laying down the "Hammerhead", Nimue has followed Tekapo and become a member of the alliance's expedition team to the Holy Council of Radiance. They were warmly received in the holy city of Zangwill. In the team, leader Patience is in command, the accountant is coordinating the accounts, and the staff are performing their duties... But the burden of holding the ceremony falls entirely on Tekapo's shoulders - she herself is the real bridge between the Alliance and the Twinkling Pool. , is the key to unlocking the cross-border ladder. People should surround her.
Nimue would do this herself. At the alliance headquarters, she heard people praise her friend: experienced, knowledgeable, and calm. In fact, they are all right. Tekapo not only has considerable attainments in runes and ladder magic, but also knows the location of his hometown well. Now that she was focused on her work, Nimue couldn't understand how people could look like they had other things on their mind.
"What happened?" the frost giant said.
The crowd was tight, but it couldn't block Nimue's vast field of vision. She saw "Black Bear" Baraboo, a local nobleman who admired the Holy Knights, and was as friendless as she was. The boy looked panicked and confused. He grabbed the pharmacist who was accompanying the team and kept talking about something. Nimue felt that his dialect was far from the common language.
But these are small details. There was a figure in the corner behind him, with hands and feet hanging limply, unconscious. Judging from the curve, he was a woman. "This girl looks familiar." The frost giant couldn't help but say, "Isn't it, Della? What do you think is wrong with her?"
As a result, no one responded, and Miss Psychic was nowhere to be found. The frost giant blinked and turned his head violently, hearing people whispering about poisoning, curses, menstruation and other speculations. Now she finally realized why the other person looked familiar.
"Dela fainted?" Nimue scratched her eyebrows, but she couldn't remember that the other party had been injured. Could it be motion sickness? Or rather, the frost-stunned giant? She wasn't sure whether the two could be discussed together. In fact, after being away from the tribe for so long, she still wasn't sure about anything.
"Are you awake, Nimue?" The guard closest to her reached out and rubbed her ears. "Please keep your voice down."
No matter how low I lower my voice, you can still hear me. "I'll do my best." She coughed, "How's the ceremony going? Is anyone here?"
"No one is coming. As for the ceremony." The guard glanced at Tekapo hesitantly. The light group in front of her was so bright that the outline could not be seen clearly. "I don't know what the ritual is."
The frost giant doesn't know either. It wasn't until Della, uh, cleverly exposed the alchemy materials that Uriel noticed the plan of the alliance's top brass. To be honest, she quite liked the girl's confident appearance and her ability to talk about anything, but Uriel was disgusted by this. She just felt that Della didn't know how to pretend to understand and would always cause trouble.
No matter what, no one in the team except Tekapo and Patience knew the details of the mysterious ceremony. The frost giants knew that they were there to welcome Queen Sita, but they knew nothing about the specific process. Later, the association attacked, and the wizards of the school also participated in the obstruction, and the secret could no longer be concealed. She didn't know what the team members would think after they found out that they had taken such risks on this trip.
Fortunately, this is not a problem that Nimue has to consider. The dwarf leader is just like the captain of the "Hammerhead". She possesses a natural leadership charm and can always make people believe her explanation.
"There were cross knights passing by, but they didn't pay attention here at all." He continued, "There are no people who went straight here. We are safe for the time being and will not be disturbed."
These words made her worried. When exactly will Uriel come back? And the demon prisoner, did he escape in the chaos?
"...The one who went wrong was the young lady who joined later." The guard told her, "She was fine when you brought her back, but just now - after the local Yan Lao approached - she suddenly fainted. ” He pointed at the Black Bear Rider.
She had to care about the situation at hand first. Baraboo Talanitas, known as "Black Bear", is a relative of Cagat Talanitas, Earl of Black City, and a rare noble and mysterious creature. The frost giant looked at him. Although this man was a noble, he had a good character and was about to enter the Order of Holy Knights. Such words would be very detrimental to him.
The guard is a gossipy, astute man who has a unique perspective on everything. "If you ask me, it must be his stinking fault." This guy said firmly, "The smell of burning certain plants is harmful to women. One of my cousins died this way."
"died?"
"Close your eyes, bury yourself in the soil, and let your cheeks rot. I'm sure the frost giants would call it death." He bared his teeth at his joke, but Nimue couldn't appreciate his sense of humor. "Hey, Master Nimue, this kind of thing is rare in your place, but it is common in the alliance."
"There are no leaves to eat over there."
"This is, uh, a local specialty." The guard immediately felt offended and began to make amends. He backed away slowly, avoiding the wafting smoke like the woman he was talking about. "The black twine leaves in Black City sell better than cicada sloughs. The dwarves want to grow them and even use the fruits to make wine. A bunch of old smokers!"
The frost giant sniffed and thought there was nothing wrong with the smell. She also chewed tobacco leaves, but she only remembered its bitter taste. She couldn't figure out why people were so attracted to it, but after all, she didn't hate the taste.
"The doctor is checking." The frost giant pointed out, "You don't have to hide so far, be careful of being seen by the devil."
The other person shrank. "Why do you need to see it? There is enough movement here."
He was right, the cellar was not a big space, and people kept speaking, even if they deliberately kept it low, the combined volume was simply overwhelming. There was a flash in front of the frost giant's eyes, and the light seemed to dim for a moment.
She heard a thud. "What's going on?" Patience held a giant hammer and knocked it on the ground. Her movements were gentle, but the sound was short and dull, drowning out the buzzing discussion.
People were quiet. The dwarf leader looked around the small underground space and asked coldly: "What are you doing?"
The pharmacist finally got rid of Barabu and said, "Someone is unconscious, probably from excessive shock."
"Then let her sleep. What's the fuss about?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "There is another person who is too frightened, but I hope he faints. Who can drag this guy away?"
The whispers came up again, and Nimue realized that people were watching a joke. For a moment, the frost giant saw the black bear blushing.
"I just use cigarettes to stay awake, not addicted!" He declared to everyone, "I swear, she only fainted after swallowing these leaves. And life! She mentioned a massacre... and Uriel. .”
His words made Della's coma become bizarre, Nimue blinked in confusion, and the crowd of spectators gradually dwindled. The caravan only stayed in the Black City for a few days, and most people did not recognize the tower messenger.
Patience frowned: "You come with me. Others are resting where they are, and no noise is allowed!" She pulled him out of the crowd and came behind Nimue, using her body to cover him. The frost giant's ears perked up, willing to help.
"Tell me carefully, Baraboo, what's going on?" the team leader asked.
"She asked me to send a message to Uriel, and then she swallowed a handful of leaves." Black Bear replied, "I think she looked like she was committing suicide." He frowned. "As a result, the pharmacist decided that she was just frightened."
"She wants to commit suicide?" Nimue didn't expect it.
"Password?" Patience seized on the word.
Barabu glared back angrily: "How do I understand! She suddenly became weird."
"In any case, she is breathing, her heartbeat and other physical signs are normal. There is no doubt that Sinsena's life is not in danger."
"My cousin!" A voice came out suddenly, and they were all startled.
Nimue quickly squeezed Patience's arm, otherwise she would have hit her with a hammer. "One of our own." She turned her head angrily and said, "Come here and listen, kid."
The eavesdropping guard swallowed his saliva and came closer. When he was chatting with Nimue just now, they happened to be very close to each other, and the dwarf leader moved too fast.
Patience stared at him: "So, you are Della Sinsena's cousin? Mr. Massua Sinsena?"
"No, no, leader, uh, I didn't mean to..."
"Hmph, stop talking nonsense."
"My cousin." Masuwa glanced at everyone's faces and did not dare to say another word. "She died from a tobacco overdose a few years ago."
"She died? Because of excessive smoking?"
"The priest said she was poisoned," Masuwa said. "Some people are born like this, and ordinary plants are poison to them."
poison. Nimue thought that it was probably something that could kill people. The Ice Sea Tribe doesn't have this statement because we don't have plants. She looked at the unconscious body of the psychic: slender limbs, frail body, and would panic when seeing blood. Della was a good girl, but everything about her was so different from Nimue's other friends that it was no wonder she suffered such a fate so quickly. Finally she shook her head and began to mentally measure the dimensions of the hole.
"It's just some tobacco." Baraboo couldn't believe it.
"I have heard of this kind of thing." Patience said, "There are many wild elves in the alliance. Their ancestors escaped from the Blue Forest and know information about certain forest races. Yes. Some rumors. "
"The goddess Heather will protect her people. Any pagan who steps into the Cangzhi Forest will become the nourishment of the forest." Nimue continued.
"How do you know?" They were all surprised.
Hilda told me, but she died on Greywing Island. She is a wild spirit and talks to me about everything. Nimue missed her terribly. "I have many interracial friends," she announced proudly. The dwarf leader shrugged, and Baraboo nodded absently. Masua smiled nervously. He had no sense of humor.
But the truth is so sad, Nimue only knows a few people outside the tribe, and now there is one less person. "Could this be true? Heather will kill anyone who steps into the forest?"
"An ancient superstition." Someone interjected, "It originated from the melee between various mysterious races and Saint Valoran in the ancestors' time, as well as people's underdeveloped medical system. This is plant poisoning, plant...plant...in... Poison. Tell me, Nimue, what would happen if a frost giant swallowed two liters of mercury?"
She shuddered: "It's too cruel!"
The dwarf leader suddenly turned around and came face to face with Leng Guang Sita. Their eyes met and they said nothing. Patience closed her eyes, as if asking the gods for blessing.
Tekapo stretched. "That's right. You can't digest it, and it can't tolerate the storage environment of your gastrointestinal tract." She lowered her voice. "I've seen people die from eating blackberries from the roadside. That was hundreds of years ago, and that's what mortals see as Heather's curse."
"Let's put the story aside for now." Patience finally said, "How long will the ceremony last?"
Leng Guang Sita responded with a smile, without any pretense or cunning pause. Looking at her appearance, this important event that determines the future of the alliance has come to an end. "It's not easy." Her smiling eyebrows were filled with exhaustion, "I barely managed to find enough conditions to establish a channel. The information channel has even been successfully established. I have contacted the people of the Twinkle Pond... They are on their way to notify Her Majesty the Queen. "Sita turned her head and stared at the mysterious ceremony wrapped in light. "My mission accomplished."
"I didn't see the door."
"These are assembled components, and the passage will not unfold until the opposite side steps in."
"When will she come?"
"Maybe in the next moment. I know the alliance is willing to imitate humans and put on a show, but we undoubtedly don't have this condition now."
The dwarf leader frowned: "In other words, maybe after the nightingale finds us?"
"Who is coming?" Barabu was even more confused.
His tone was sympathetic. "A big shot." Nimue told the other party, "Allies, reinforcements."
"Do you think this has anything to do with Miss Sinsena's condition?"
"Not only that." The dwarf leader said, "There are also people from the Silent School. I dare say they will find it here soon." She rubbed the weapon with her short fingers. "They'll be here soon."
Masua swallowed his saliva. "Even if the wizard can search the whole city..."
"Maybe there's no need to search," said Patience. The frost giant didn't understand, but at this moment, the "light ball" made a strange noise, which was particularly harsh in the silence. Cold light Sita rushed over, and everyone's eyes focused on the same point.
"What are you doing standing still?" Masua suddenly shouted, "Put your things away quickly!" His reminder was like a whip whipping into the crowd. People moved about in panic, rolling hay, putting on coats, lighting candles, women sweeping away nut shells and kicking away empty jars piled on the floor. Many people threw away their cigarettes in a hurry. Nimue saw a little man reaching out to grab a handful in front of the lid of the box and hiding it in his pocket.
Noticing her gaze, Masuwa hurriedly explained: "You can't let a serious ceremony be like the arrival of an evil god, sir. This is too offensive."
"No matter how you clean it up, this is just a cellar, not a church."
"Maybe if we are miserable, it will be more helpful to the alliance." Barabu muttered.
"Don't make any sound!" Tekapo glared at him, "I can't hear you clearly... Huh?"
Suddenly, all sounds disappeared, and most people did not dare to move or even held their breath. Others were kneeling on the ground, silently chanting. Is this how to welcome? When the frost giant saw their faces, he felt the laughter gathering in his throat for no reason, and had to fight hard to keep it from spreading.
In the darkness, at first only the dim light of candles flickered. But then, the blazing light rose up like a bonfire, and the cellar was suddenly bright.
Nimue quickly covered her eyes. Now people's welcome style is unified. "coming?"
She heard the sound of the lake, the wind, and the chirping of birds, which seemed to be a harbinger of rain. But there was still the smell of the sun in the humidity, and Nimue felt wet all over as the heat slapped her cheeks.
Beyond that, she sensed a strange sense of displacement, as if she were in a completely different world. When she breathed, she drew the magic power blankly. Something is wrong, the frost giant thought. Her fire sensed the rule change before she did.
Leng Guang Sita did not feel the same way. "Welcome to Your Majesty Yin Wenjielin." She said with piety, "My name is Tekapo, and I would like to open the door to Knox for you. The ancient allies of the Oath Keepers Alliance also welcome our clan back. To show sincerity.”
Her voice should have echoed in the small and bright space, but now it was carried smoothly into the distance. Nimue tried to open her eyes, but the light was too bright, and she could only see a series of intertwining and merging flickering outlines between her fingers. The only remaining shadow in the room at the base of the ceremony also continued to stretch and shrink suddenly. .
There was silence in the cellar, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Did the other party answer? Through the door? Nimue couldn't hear anything. She had never thought that her heartbeat could be so loud, and she wanted to press her blood vessels.
"The Sword Comes"
At this time, the frost giant's ears caught a clear, soft voice, which was undoubtedly the voice of Queen Yin Wenjielin.
"Allies," said the Sita Sage of the Glitter Pool, "Thank you for your efforts. But Ms. Tekapo, please pass on my response: Our agreement does not occur at this moment."
"The alliance has passed a meeting and voted. Your Majesty, the alliance hopes that you will return as soon as possible to give us the strength to face the demon hunting war." Tekapo explained.
"I also participated in the vote at that time, Tekapo. However, time has changed and the alliance is not united. It is difficult for this trip to succeed."
Nimue heard a prayer uttered by someone. She could not identify the source of the sound, but she felt the same. In fact, the only thing she heard clearly was Lengguang Sita's voice, which trembled: "What...are you willing?"
"It's a pity I can't go."
"But we need you..."
"Our kindred people also need it, Tekapo. I already know the intentions of the alliance, and you will return to your hometown soon."
Tekapo took a breath and fell silent. "The association attacked the caravan, Her Majesty the Queen." The dwarf leader had to take over, "Before that, Starless Night and the Undead teamed up to capture the Sky Island Huoklin. In order to fight against the devil, Croyin Tower had an alliance with the Silent School. The tendency to form alliances…”
"The saint made an agreement to fight the devil and will not take action against the mysterious fulcrum." Yin Wenjielin remained unmoved, "And the devil will not abide by the agreement. Going to Knox and waiting will put the people in danger... I know You may not understand, but I have lost many of my people and can no longer take risks for the Alliance."
The team leader also fell silent. The Queen of the Twinkling Pool refused so firmly that Patience could no longer persuade her. The alliance is just an alliance, not a whole country. I am afraid that no member clan will sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the entire alliance. In the final analysis, the mysterious races in the alliance chose to join for the benefit of the ethnic group. This is the foundation for the establishment and continuation of the alliance to this day.
"Why are you willing to advance your trip?" the frost giant asked with his eyes closed.
"When the risk is reduced to a level that I can bear, people of Farbuti. However, in my eyes, threats are everywhere, lurking around you." Yin Wenjielin told her, "Either eliminate the hidden danger, or continue to wait. That's it. "
"Next to me?" Tekapo asked in surprise.
"There is one not far away. And you are in a foreign country, and there are countless nightingales." The Queen of Light pointed out, "Listen to me, my people, your trip is funded by the allies of the alliance, but the winner of the White Prophecy She was buried here not long ago, and her experience reminds us." She paused briefly. "What's more, I sent Nightingale back to Knox, but he lost contact with me due to Lucia's magic."
"Although Lady Magdalena has the ability to predict, she is just a witch of the Lyre Seat and needs to rely on others for protection." Patience said, "The Twinkle Pool is different, Your Majesty."
"The witch died of murder. This is the key." Queen Sita said quietly, "She was assassinated by the devil under heavy protection. In fact, she lived well before joining the Holy Knights. Why do you think this is? ?”
Holy Knights, the Frost Giant thought, the Council of Light has always been our ally. She heard someone's breathing, rapid, intense, and full of fear. In her heart, Nimue felt that the Paladin was not untrustworthy, but she did not dare to express her judgment.
"The Radiant Council is not trustworthy?" Baraboo blurted out, "How is this possible?"
Cold light Sita stopped him from continuing. "How can you question His Majesty?" she warned.
The black bear woke up like a dream: "No, sir, I mean..."
Yin Wenjielin didn't care about Barabu's offense. "I never speculate on possibilities. I just base my judgment on the facts."
For a while, no one spoke again before the ceremony, and the light gradually faded. Nimue opened her eyes and saw the cold light Sita rushing towards the ceremony.
"Your Majesty, please..."
"I can't help you." Yin Wenjielin said before she made the request. "The agent is in Knox, and I am far away in the Twinkling Pool. However, since they think they are our allies, they should show sincerity and stay away from us." Very sincere in welcoming the ceremony.”
Tekapo wanted to say something else, but the light died. Mysterious rituals collapse in the darkness like decaying stairs until they fall apart, the fragments darker than the light of a candle, and eventually turn into dust.
The ladder is closed. Nimue thought. she left.
After a long, suffocating silence, Patience suddenly spoke: "Barabu, do you know how de la Sinsena entered the caravan?"
The black bear hesitated for a moment, as if to judge whether she was really asking, rather than asking. "Uriel saved her life in the attic, and then the devil attacked the city. Lord Lammons asked her to accompany him in order to save the people."
"The key is our tower messenger. Even if Della does such a thing, he must give his life back first."
Baraboo turned his head and took a step back. "Do...such a thing?"
"In any case, she is too suspicious at this moment." Patience sighed, "This is why I am acting separately from you. There are many people and we must be wary of Nightingale. Even if she is not her, there are many in our team. Opportunists available for purchase.”
"You don't mean." The Frost Giant didn't understand. "Dela tipped off the Silent School? Why did she do this?"
"How new." Tekapo also sighed, "That's how things are in the world, Nimue. People's good intentions are often not rewarded. But if you ask me, if she had known that Uriel was the messenger of the tower, she would have considered it differently. .”
"We have no evidence."
"The situation is critical and we cannot be blind to evidence. This is not a detective game."
No one had anything to say.
Nimue stood at the exit of the cellar, but she seemed to feel uncomfortable among the crowd. When she tried to reach out, she would always hit the ceiling, and the brick wall would break like tissue paper, but if she didn't move, the wall would collapse on her. This feeling of unresolved feeling is excruciating. What should I tell Uriel when he comes back? Thinking of this, Nimue almost reached for the shovel.
"Tell Lord Lammons about this." Patience changed the subject. "The outcome of the ceremony has been decided, and he must know it."
Tekapo opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The team leader has turned his head: "Be prepared, the wizard of the school will come soon!"
