"Forests." Uriel blinked, but the green in his field of vision did not disappear. I must be hallucinating.
"Corpse forest," Lammons corrected.
"These are the remains of the forest. Their appearance is just an illusion of life. If you want to see the reality, you need to gaze with fire."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to use this."
"Really? I really don't know anything about this, please remind me." The Paladin Captain replied,
"This is all to take care of your fragile mind. Let's face it, you will be grateful to me." Uriel could only roll his eyes secretly.
Having had previous encounters, he would certainly not be stupid enough to retaliate.
“What does the undead want from the tree?”
"Bring it to burn." Lammons pointed forward. It was getting late, and after a certain time, the flames flashed like red meteors at the end of the night, forming a vigorous and flowing galaxy of fireworks.
The scattered light lit up Gavash, like clouds gathering in the sky at sunset. These beautiful things all originate from the forest, with countless branches reaching into the fire, and the smooth, pale trunks have a strange color of cold-tempered steel, and they are all swallowed up by a brilliant halo.
Uriel never expected to see such scenery in Gavash.
"What's going on?" He whispered softly. Walking into the aperture, they have gone deep into the blazing
"Corpse Forest". Uriel discovered that the fireworks in the sky were actually insubstantial, just a feast of colors. The most obvious difference was that they had no temperature.
wildfire. The apprentice quickly found the answer. As for these colorful lights, only mysterious phenomena can explain it. He couldn't help but think of Teacup Lady Tekapo Luminason. This Alliance warrior from the Twinkling Pool was the cold light Sita who represented a kind of phosphorous fire.
"Dead men burn cold fire," Lammons said.
"They are cold from soul to body, and can freeze the hot blood of living people. In the land shrouded in darkness, the barbaric land on the border of order, monsters, werewolves, and snowmen with bloody mouths will appear frequently. People born in the land of death Girls are called witches, while boys are stillborn. Accordingly, death is also regarded as a goddess by mortals...but this does not mean that she has the distinction between men and women like mortals. People call her 'Suviliya' or 'Suviliya' , she had the appearance of a man when she entered the world, but when she curled up in hell, she transformed into a ghostly pale woman. Because even the image that symbolizes creation and rebirth will eventually die." The table world also has A similar legend, but of course Uriel would not believe it.
Gaia believers go to the goddess' heaven after death. Lucia must also have her own territory. Sinners who have done all their evil deeds will go to hell, but no one has ever come back to tell him what kind of fire the dead light.
"What a cold and heartless god," the apprentice said dryly.
"In her territory, you'd better say less."
"Yes. I will pray." But no one knew to whom. Lammons glanced at him coldly, and was about to sneer when the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from not far away.
Both of them were stunned. You can probably only encounter dead horses in the land of the dead, Uriel was so sure just a few seconds ago.
Mons Theodore, the paladin commander of the Holy Council of Radiance, a big figure in the Sky Realm who flew around, had to walk after coming to Gavash.
He was undoubtedly well prepared, unlike the apprentice who rushed into Hell on impulse, but even he did not have a mount to travel with.
Perhaps the person who came was an envoy from Sauvillier, who came specifically to make rude remarks about their arrest.
"Keep quiet," the paladin captain warned. Shouting can attract attention, but in the end, other people's attention has no impact on the status quo.
Uriel shut his mouth knowingly. The sound got closer, and a knight rode up, his fingers wrapped around the reins.
His whole body was wrapped in light armor, and the joints shone with mysterious light. The horse slowly moved its hooves and shook the golden tassel on its shoulders.
Uriel looked at him: he had no gun or sword, and his posture was leisurely. This person looks like he is shopping, as if the Hell Outpost is some kind of small garden.
Perhaps this is an illusion visible to the naked eye, like burning woods. But compared to the hidden true appearance, his appearance is eye-catching enough.
Rammons confirmed that what he saw was real: "Paladin?" he blurted out in shock. How refreshing, Paladins can die too, right?
Uriel thought to himself.
"Paladin who went to hell," he pointed out. Lammons narrowed his eyes.
"He is a living person, not a citizen of the night. That horse is also a living thing. I want to see where his clothes come from." At this time, the knight also noticed them.
Lammons' cloak may have some mysterious effect, allowing him to move freely through the city of the undead, but when he takes the initiative to speak, the cover fails.
Uriel knew very well how strange his appearance was among the undead. To them, he was too complete, too warm, and too clean. There was not even a grain of sand on the surface of his intestines, and his tongue did not hang on his chin.
The glittering golden runes had an aura of awe and righteousness, crawling from the wrists to the shoulders. If not for their limited length, they would have looked like the armbands of a desert chief.
Gavashri should not have heat or gold, as these things symbolize life. The other party's eyes swept across the apprentice, and finally landed on Lammons.
"Oh my god, magic. How kind." He said with emotion.
"Who are you?" The man was not surprised.
"Can't you see? We are missionaries, and we came to Gavash specifically to spread the glory of the goddess." Uriel answered.
"He may be, but it's different for you. Those locked up by divine magic should be dangerous people."
"Oh, it's just a misunderstanding. I wanted to spread the glory of Gaia more, but he fell in love with Lucia, and we had to have a fight to decide the next content of the mission." Lammons tugged on the chain angrily and pulled the The apprentice stumbled backward.
"Stop talking, kid! Otherwise I will carry you by your feet." He turned around and looked at the person with sharp eyes: "Send your name."
"Darcy." Hearing this, Lammons frowned.
"I have some forest blood. When I was in Knox, people called me Darcy." The knight explained. The forest races have their own language, which is often cumbersome and complicated, and extremely inconvenient to translate into the Common Tongue. They usually rename themselves based on syllables.
"What about you, brother?"
"Commons."
"It's sweet and sour, man," Darcy joked.
"I dare say you are a Brethian." The paladin commander looked as if he was about to plunge the sword into his nose.
"Where did you get this armor?" Darcy didn't notice at all.
"This was given to me by my mentor. After I passed the trial, the priest gave me the armor of the scorching sun." He even got off his horse and showed it to them.
"This is Lucia's holy armor." Uriel could see clearly. These words made Mons pause in drawing his sword.
I don’t know if this is a lie or the truth. If you are wearing the real thing, you should turn around and leave without any fantasies about chatting with your original colleagues.
Did you see that? He was ready to give me a companion.
"Who is your mentor?" the Paladin Captain asked. Darcy raised his eyebrows and said proudly: "It is Master Mancaster! He was a paladin during his lifetime."
"You can see that," Lammons replied.
"Can you take us to see him? I have admired Master Mancaster for a long time."
"Oh, then come with me." Poor Darcy could not hear his gnashing of teeth until now.
"Yehuo City is ahead, and his old man lives in the center of the city." He climbed on the horse's back without waving the reins, and the horse began to walk slowly on its own.
"Many people want to visit my master, but they don't know to come to me. What a strange thing! Later, I put on the holy armor every time I went out, and this kind of thing became much rarer." It probably won't happen in the future. Uriel thought to himself, whether it is to visit the master or let you lead the way.
"What a great sign," Lammons replied. After revealing the important information about his mastership, Uriel hoped that Darcy would be silent for a while so that the eldest paladin in front of him could calm down for a moment.
Now that things have happened, he suspects that this person is even more hateful than himself in Lammons' heart.
And it's not over yet. Darcy looked down at them: "There are many people visiting him, my dear fellow."
"Really? Do you recognize these people?"
"There are many strangers, but most of them are followers of Lucia. Master Mancaster was a genuine Knight of the Holy City during his lifetime, the kind blessed by the Cardinal, understand? He is not a third-rate street liar. " Lammons stared at his
"Holy Armor".
"I know this very well." Darcy suddenly reined in his horse and turned to them.
"There are a lot of people clamoring to see Master Mancaster!" he cried.
"Even if you don't want to be a disciple, you still have to take a photo with him. This is an extraordinary honor! Do you understand? But the mentor's time is limited, eh?"
"Well, a lot of people give him credit for that."
"No one doesn't believe it! He is a paladin, taught me swordsmanship and horsemanship, and gave me holy armor. Only me. Master Mancaster's only disciple. My words have weight in his ears!" Lammons frowned , seemed to want to say something.
Presumably, he would continue to nod to show how much he agreed with that master.
"The real thing." It's really playing the piano to a cow. Uriel had had enough of their jokes. He interrupted Lammons: "Let us improve the efficiency of communication. Do you have money, my lord?" There was a silence.
"What did you say?" Lammons asked in disbelief. There is no doubt that our Lord Paladin did not expect this.
Perhaps he knew nothing of these tricks. No gift is required to meet Lammons. Who dares to bribe an impartial paladin captain?
A lot of people gave gifts to others just to avoid meeting him. Darcy relaxed his brows: "Lucia requires us to be fair to everyone. You see, advance order is an injustice, and I will not do such a thing."
"Unless we pay a price to make up for the injustice caused by jumping in line." Uriel added.
"After all, I'm just a mortal and I can't be absolutely fair. If you pay something to make the people behind you feel fair..." Darcy raised his chin.
"You're right. Did you end up like this because you talked too much, Priest Gaia?" There was a sound of drawing a sword.
Uriel blinked: "Well, I can't compare to you."... Soon they were back on the road.
Lammons kicked the horse in the belly, and the horse spread its hooves and managed to run. Uriel resignedly followed the horse's butt, while Master Mancaster's only disciple desperately maintained his balance and squeezed every ounce of strength from his bones for running.
The reason why he was not dragged behind was probably due to the mercy of his previous master. This look is really pitiful.
"Are you really a disciple of the Paladin?" the apprentice slowed down and asked beside Darcy.
"I...Manka...the only one..."
"Adjust your breathing." The apprentice suggested,
"Follow the rhythm of the horse's hooves... Well, adjust your mentality first. I think you have to adapt for a while." Darcy's face was full of tears, his nose was red, and he was breathing heavily.
His chest contracted to its limit and expanded even more horribly. Even so, his steps were stumbling.
"……you wear……"
"Holy Armor." Uriel finished for him,
"I reminded you to take it off, man. But then the horse will run faster, can you keep up?" This was not a good thing to say, because more tears were squeezed out of Darcy's half-open eyes, and he was The horse's tail swept away.
He was just panting and couldn't utter a single word. When they arrived at the city gate, the Holy Knight Captain finally tightened his reins.
A large flaming torch tree stood four yards to the side, and the horse raised its head unsteadily, chewing a piece of rag torn from the tree as it walked.
He dismounted and turned around, looked at the two bags tied behind his back, and frowned at the state of one of them: "Did you beat him?" I want to beat you even more.
Apparently, he didn't see the jogging as punishment at all. Uriel only felt humiliated, but he was no longer angry about it.
"Darcy is a mortal, and you almost killed him." Master Mancaster's only apprentice was lying on the ground, breathing heavily for air and closing his eyes tightly as if he had survived the disaster.
"He's got fire," Lammons pointed out. Uriel realized the problem.
"Maybe his career doesn't support it..." was the belated explanation. The paladin commander's face darkened: "Devil." He dragged Darcy up and shook his shoulders.
"Don't sleep. Do you hear me?"
"What are you doing?"
"Wake him up."
"Then pronounce a sentence on him so that he can be judged by fire?" the apprentice asked,
"There's no sense of accomplishment in burning unrepentant sinners, is there?"
"Feel free to gloat about your misfortune, kid, there will be times when you are unlucky." Lammons ignored him and used his sword to open the joints of the armor.
After getting rid of his iron shell, and with the personal rescue of the Holy Knight Commander, Master Mancaster's only disciple finally regained his life.
He was dragged to his feet and hung helplessly on a branch, coughing.
"Who is in the city?" Lammons began to question.
"……You and I……"
"Stop talking useless words. Otherwise I'll teach you to run away again."
"No! No..." Darcy groaned.
"You..." Lammons snorted,
"Being honest will save you the trouble."
"...This...disrespects...God..."
"The devil is worthy of standing under Lucia's banner." Lammons said coldly,
"Every word you say proves that you are guilty." The judgment of the Holy Knight Captain was of course not just a reproach. When he put the sword in front of Darcy's eyes, all this man's nonsense disappeared.
The interrogation finally got on track. Master Mancaster's only disciple quickly explained the situation in the city, the location of the buildings and the origin of the Paladin's armor.
Thanks to him, Lammons found Master Mancaster's residence without much effort.
"This is the headquarters of the secret society." Uriel reminded him when he entered the city. According to Darcy's information, this city is not as simple as Green Man City or Ghost Valley. There are many living people in it - people like Darcy - who survive. All the necessary supplies are distributed by the city guards. No one has seen the transport convoy. .
Residents move freely in Gavash, and the undead will not attack them, just like another form of night people.
There was a precedent in Ferriani, and the apprentice suspected that this place was a factory where the association manufactured undead soldiers. The hatred-filled Nameless One left the protection of the association and attempted to return to Knox as a dead person to vent his anger in the land of order... In any case, the news of Starless Night's alliance with Garvash was no longer a secret. The Black Knight led After the undead attacked the empty island, every mysterious fulcrum stepped up their vigilance and sent people to burn the bodies of the deceased.
"It's just a devil's lair. Being outside the order, we can't expect anything from Gavash's condition." Lammons was unwavering.
"We're going into town."
"For a bluffing undead?"
"The ladder back to Knox. Your good days are over, Uriel." Lammons dragged him into the city, leaving Master Mancaster's only disciple among the burning branches.
This time it's not phosphorus fire. Uriel was already in the city, but Darcy's screams were still lingering in his ears. It almost made him regret using the truth as an excuse.
The paladin captain wanted to expose his identity rather than let him die in an unknown manner, but after witnessing the devil's fate, the apprentice felt that it would be more satisfying to seal his throat with a sword.
He did not have the courage to face the fire calmly. Fortunately, the Paladin Captain has an unparalleled persistence in his faith, which drives him to get to the bottom of the scammer who pretends to be a Paladin.
At least this time, Uriel was very happy about it. Master Mancaster's residence is a dilapidated cellar, with a stone tablet at the entrance and surrounded by withered flowers.
Just looking at the detailed birth and death dates and several meritorious deeds in the inscription, it actually looks a bit like the tomb of a paladin.
There is no doubt that Lammons looked at this piece of land with the most critical eye.
"Tomb of the Paladin". If there was even the slightest mistake, he would follow his previous judgment and draw his sword to tear the cellar and the old liar in it to pieces.
But he stood in front of the stone tablet and did not move for a long time. Uriel noticed: "This monument looks real."
"Of course it's true." A slender gray figure emerged from the ground.
"This is my monument." The owner of the cemetery is very different from the ghost Uriel saw: the body is not transparent, and the outline of the hands and feet are not hollow.
He is down to earth and clearly identifiable. Just looking at this posture, you can hardly imagine that he just walked out of the earth.
"My name was Mancaster when I was alive, and I came from the Bures Empire." The man declared.
"Darcy is your apprentice, sir?" Uriel asked.
"I never promised, but he found my grave, pocketed all my life's knowledge, and put on my armor. Well, anything I say at this time is a lie. Before I die, I just hope There could be a successor, but I really never thought it would be Darcy." Master Mancaster shook his head.
"I'm afraid he asked for something from you. Don't pay attention to him. Just come to me to get it back when the time comes."
"Forget it, we don't have anything good to give him." Uriel said. Mancaster heard it. He looked at the apprentice: "A criminal who talks faster than the guards. Who are you?"
"Preacher," Rammons answered this time. Uriel found himself unable to speak again.
"Are you really a paladin, Mancaster? I have heard of the names of the knights who died in the Battle of Oasis, and there was indeed one Mancaster among them, but you seem to have the same name as him."
"That's me. In order to recapture the oasis, forty-seven of my comrades died under the quicksand. I luckily returned to the Holy City, but was seriously injured and lost my life. Of course, I'm not blaming the priest. After all, I lost half of myself. On the battlefield. She tried her best." Uriel could not pry into other people's thoughts, but even so, he could guess what Rammons was thinking at this moment: Mancaster was telling the truth.
Otherwise he would have taken action long ago. Only the parties involved and senior members of the parliament know about it
"Battle of the Oasis", the apprentice has never heard of it.
"Everything in the world is unpredictable." Mancaster lamented,
"Darcy is a good boy, but it's a pity that he was born in the wrong place. If he were in Bulles, he would definitely make a good squire."
"In Blyth, Darcy would have been burned to death at birth." Lammons commented,
"You know very well that he is a devil." Mancaster glanced at the stone monument hesitantly. The words of praise and condolence for him on it were still vivid in his mind after hundreds of years.
"This is a last resort. It turns out that Darcy is just a mortal, but without the magic potion, he cannot light the fire." Magic potion.
Uriel caught the word. The image of Sauvero's potion immediately appeared in his mind. A viscous liquid like molten gold, gold leaves under the pool...
"To be honest, I shouldn't have done this," Mancaster told them.
"But when I was alive, I burned my soul for my faith, and after my death, I woke up in hell. I had to choose a demon to be my successor! Is there no place for me in Lucia's Kingdom of God?" The Holy Knight Captain did not answer on behalf of the gods.
"The gods are gone," Lammons whispered.
"it's not your fault."
"Maybe. I forgive her, and I hope she will forgive me. Darcy is a devil, but don't forget, he has no access to order in Gavash, let alone cause destruction. He is already destined to be ours One of them." Not even now.
Uriel thought to himself. What can be done with ashes?
"It's not your fault," Lammons repeated.
"Because you are just the fire born in Mancaster's body, not him himself."
