It was only then that Shade noticed that the young witch was abnormally excited. This is definitely not the joy caused by being favored by a big shot, but rather like a stress reaction after being mentally affected.
However, compared to being haggard and silent, this reaction is at least somewhat normal, so there is no need to worry about it yet.
So Shade looked at the boy who was holding a torch and standing some distance away from the three of them, as if to avoid suspicion and express that he did not want to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Judging from his clothing, the boy must have come from a noble family. His figure is not strong, but he is definitely not malnourished, so his age can be inferred from his height, which is about fifteen or sixteen years old.
"He arrived earlier than you. Because each person can only hold one torch here, it is safer to gather together, so I didn't drive him away." Miss Higgins said. The boy thanked the witch tremblingly, and then answered Question: "Hello, hello, hello, I am Andorra Ade, and I am also here to buy things." His timidity at this time is much more normal. Ordinary people in this era face this kind of weirdness. Location, without any way to protect yourself.
"Now that we have introduced ourselves, it's your turn, sir." The young witch looked at Shade, and Shade gave her name: "Shade Hamilton, a travel writer and detective." The witch nodded slightly and continued to explain to Shade: "The place we are going to next is the market hidden in the black mist not far away. This is only the entrance to the market. You must have a torch to move inside, please. Be sure not to extinguish the torch. As for leaving here..." She looked around. The fire couldn't penetrate very far, and the black mist was quite oppressive. "Your Majesty, the witch emperor of the desert outside, will be there at a specific time. Answer us. But you can probably feel that this is a chaotic place of time and space, so it's hard to say how long we will have to wait." Although she said this, her tone was very relaxed: "But I don't care, if I am unlucky If you die, your Majesty will give my sister a large compensation. For a witch like me with no background, the only way to go further is to gamble on my own luck."
"Your sister and you are not twins, are you?" Shade asked quickly, and Miss Leah Higgins gave him a confused look: "Of course not, my sister has just grown up, and I have already... ...Why did you think they were twins?”
"Just pretend I didn't say it. So, the camp is over there, right?" He pointed to the direction he was about to go, and the witch nodded: "Mrs. Miles wants to make up for the past regrets. The boy's country over there was destroyed. , he wanted to save the tragedy. As for me, although I was hired, I am also prepared to make some deals. After all, this kind of place is not for nothing." She paused, and then added cautiously: "Black Mist Most of the transactions in the camp require currency, and a few require emotions, sins, or even souls, but His Majesty does not recommend that we use anything other than currency. Since you said you came here by accident, you probably don’t have any currency with you for transactions. ?" She took out a black coin from her pocket and showed it to Shade, and deliberately put her hand in front of Shade.
Shade took one look and knew that this was a coin he had never seen before. The black coin was about the same size as a one-shilling alloy silver coin. On one side was the witch's own image, and on the other side was a symbol of money, but it was not a relic.
Of course, Shade also knew that the young witch was deliberately testing him: "I don't have such a thing, don't worry, I won't snatch it away."
"You can't take it away either. These coins cannot transfer the owner through other means other than transactions. Look at my avatar on it, it means that I am the owner of this coin."
"Then can you take me with you to the Black Mist Camp?"
"Of course, let's go now." The witch said, taking the initiative to help the elderly woman. Although she claimed to be hired, she was still very dedicated.
At the same time, Shade noticed that Mrs. Miles' hat was decorated with small purple flowers, which seemed to be thyme.
The old woman smiled at Shade and said, "I am getting older and want to make up for my past regrets before I die." She took the initiative to tell Shade what she wanted to do: "When I was young, my lover said goodbye to me. I went to fight in a war far away. I promised him that I would marry him when he came back, but I ended up waiting a lifetime."
"Didn't you divine the whereabouts of the other party? Isn't your cousin very powerful?" Shade asked curiously. Mrs. Miles shook her head: "He promised to come back, and I believe he will not break his promise. .....Even if he can't come back, I want him to tell me personally what happened to him. Look at my old-fashioned hat, which he gave to me before he set off. Parsley and sage , rosemary and thyme, these are the only memories I have of the day we parted. It was such a beautiful day." She coughed a few times, and with the help of the red-haired witch, she left the campfire and came to the path. .
The boy followed them with a torch, but did not dare to get too close. The witch gently patted the old woman's back a few times and continued to say to Shade: "We can't stay in the market for too long. It's okay for you and me. Mrs. Miles and the boys over there are ordinary people." People, they must return here before they can't hold on any longer." The group raised torches and walked toward the depths of the black mist. Shade asked: "How long can they stay?"
"It's hard for me to give you a time ruler in a place where time and space are confused. If it doesn't work, it won't work... You must protect the flame. Without the flame, you will be lost here forever. So, it's best for everyone to act together. , even if one person's flame is extinguished, others can protect her." She supported Mrs. Miles and walked behind Shade, while the boy was further behind.
Away from the campfire, the temperature dropped rapidly, and mist could already be exhaled from his mouth when he spoke. The visibility was further declining, the black fog became thicker, and the area illuminated by the four torches seemed to be the only safe zone left in the world.
"I have one last question." Shade, who took the initiative to lead the way, could already vaguely see that a shadow-like figure appeared in the black fog ahead.
His body was clearly able to withstand the severe cold, but he still couldn't help but shiver at this moment: "Is this strange place related to the gods?" The tree father's mission was to make deals with the god of business and wealth, not Trade with those weird things that gradually appear in front of you.
"I haven't heard of it, I don't know." The young witch raised her collar and shook her head decisively. She was covered in a thick cotton coat, and only the hand holding the torch turned white from the cold.
Shade gasped and nodded. He understood that perhaps his main task was not to help the group of people reach their respective deals, but to find the god first.
Thinking of this, he quietly looked at his three companions this time. The boy and the old woman also looked like they were out of breath due to the cold and oppression. Their faces were pale, but no one gave up on moving forward.
"I wonder if the gods have already ambushed us, just like they did in the Forest of Thousand Trees." I thought to myself, and did not forget to take out the cotton coat from my pocket and put it on.
The other three are prepared, so they don't need Shade's help. And the so-called
The "Black Mist Camp" was quite close to the campfire, but it was just not noticeable because of the influence of the black mist.
As the trembling people gradually moved forward holding torches, after a dozen steps, the end of the uphill path was their destination.
The terrain is very open, and the strange grass and wild flowers on the ground have been cleared away, revealing a black land covered with a layer of frost.
In the fog, translucent figures like shadows emerged as the fog was dispersed by the firelight. They are either sitting cross-legged or standing. These shadows have similar postures, and each has its own products and stalls in front of it.
But all the black shadows here were completely still, and there was no sound anywhere.
This place is like a solidified oil painting. In addition to black shadows, there are stalls and roads extending in all directions between the stalls.
As for the camp itself, it seemed quite large, or it could be said that the view was limited and could not see very far, so it was impossible to see the end at a glance.
Apart from four people, there should be no other guests here. The strange scene illuminated by the fire made the four of them, Sha De, subconsciously stop.
"Look over here." At the entrance to the camp at the end of the trail, a dilapidated notice board was stuck diagonally in the dirt. Holding a torch and looking carefully, various messy paw prints formed crooked letters on the notice board.
Those densely packed letters could not only be understood by Shade, who was familiar with all texts, but also by the remaining three people.
Because this is the word of this era of the Fifth Age: [Fair, fair, fair]
"That's not bad." Shade praised softly, and the white mist in his mouth extended into the mist where the firelight was not bright.
He adjusted his breathing and asked the young witch beside him: "Who do you want to trade with?" From the entrance of the camp, most of the items on the vendors were covered in thicker black mist, making it impossible to see where they were. What to sell.
The few goods that could be clearly seen were all bloody limbs, or strange pieces of flesh squirming in dirty bottles.
In addition, those black figures have no characteristics, so it is not easy to find specific targets.
"I don't know either, but I took other people's money and I can't take no risks. I already have a plan, please follow me." It could be seen that she was also a little afraid of this place, but she still stood up bravely.
First, he trembled and gave some instructions to Mrs. Miles, then crossed over to Shade and approached the stall on the left side of the camp entrance with a torch.
