"According to the information from our informants, the news about Fars Fortress was sent to Tania's city with the fastest cavalry the next day. The current city defense captain, Earl Tasker, was having a banquet at home at the time... uh, resting at home. , seemingly unprepared."
Wiesel folded his hands and looked in the direction of Duan Qing: "He broke a few of his beloved vases at that time, got furious for a while, and finally led people out in anger and ran towards the command post in the north of the city. In the past, that nervous and anxious expression... didn't look like a fake."
"Is that...what happened yesterday?"
"Yes, he is no longer here now." Wiesel tapped his fingers on the back of his hand: "Talan Village, the closest to Tania City, is the most suitable place to build defenses. He is there now, commanding As for the layout and preparations for close defense, now that the war has developed to this stage...the people in power have to start preparing for the possible invasion and city defense war."
"In other words... they are relatively dedicated now?" Duan Qing asked in a low voice: "For the safety of the principality?"
"Pamir can die, but the principality cannot be in chaos."
The man in black dress lowered his eyes and suddenly said something like this: "This is the first thing Fords said after learning the news the night before yesterday. Based on our understanding of them... Such a statement , shouldn’t be something someone who wants to murder the Speaker can say.”
"Even so, they may still be the culprits who planned the assassination." Duan Qing shook his head and said: "And...how do you know that the nobles are all of the same mind? Maybe some of them have their own plans... …”
"They are of the same mind." Wiesel spread his hands and said, "This... you should know this if you have ever entered the mansion."
"...You mean Stanford?"
"Not just him, Bor, Colania, many, many nobles... They are all of the same mind at the moment." Visser gestured with his hands exaggeratedly: "For... a certain purpose."
"What purpose."
"Oh, this is beyond the scope of the topic." Visser shook his head and said: "Anyway...that's all I can tell you. As for more things, either pay or..."
He looked at Kima behind him, then blinked: "You can guess for yourself."
"...There is neither a prompt nor a reward, so I guess what this is for."
Standing up helplessly, Duan Qing made a contemptuous gesture towards the man in front of him, and then amidst the commotion that suddenly broke out in the darkness around him, he turned and walked towards the door of the tavern: "I still... think to myself Find a way."
"I hope our meager intelligence..." Raising his hand to stop several of his men who wanted to rush over, Wiesel shook his head and said, "It did not interfere with your judgment."
"That's not necessarily the case." As the back figure gradually disappeared, Duan Qing's voice became more and more distant: "At least... I won't trust anyone anymore."
After walking out of the darkness brought by the tavern, he took a long breath, then looked around at the situation while walking in the other direction of the city. The uneasy atmosphere of silence did not surround him for long. As a familiar juggling figure suddenly appeared at the end of his field of vision, a sudden black figure also quickly appeared from the corner of the street, silently She came to his side loudly: "You shouldn't hang out with Hank."
"Uh-oh...let me guess." Looking at the male figure in front of him who had changed his appearance again, Duan Qing pushed his hands and asked: "You are Kima...right?"
"The Shadow Society has always been a neutral organization. No matter what happens around this continent, we have nothing to do with anyone." Ignoring Duan Qing's inquiry, the man known as Kima continued in the direction Duan Qing was heading. As he walked, he was like an unrelated passerby who walked with him by chance: "But... what Hank did broke this rule."
"He's stealing our business." Before Duan Qing could ask his question, he answered on his own: "About dark business."
"...When did the Warriors' House become such an organization?" Duan Qing asked without looking back, "Are you still trying to steal business from you?"
"No, it's not the Warrior's House." Kima whispered: "It's just Hank and his Walia Tavern... doing something outrageous."
"...Interesting." Looking at the crowd of onlookers getting closer and closer in front of him, Duan Qing still faced forward: "I know, but there is nothing I can do about this matter, because our group leader likes to run very much recently. In the black market, our adventure group also had some deals with Hank and the others..."
"You can change the target of cooperation." Kima's voice hesitated for a while: "Our Shadow Society... never lacks such commissions..."
"What happened recently? We adventurers suddenly became such a hot talent?" Duan Qing let out a low laugh: "Even your Shadow Society wants to tie us up for mutual benefit and win-win, eh? You guys..."
"Isn't it for the so-called resources?"
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned back with a serious face and spread his hands: "Those underground..."
He curled his lips and had to stop what he was saying, because the man who looked like a passerby just walked past him, as if he had never spoken to him before. Helplessly putting down his open hands, Duan Qing shook his head angrily and laughed, looking up at the sky above his head, but a subtle voice passed through the complicated noise made by the crowd not far away. , came to his ear accurately.
"Let's talk later."
"You idiots..." So Duan Qing shook his head again and said, "It would be a shame if you could win over someone like this."
He turned around and sighed at the performing Rex who was surrounded by the crowd, then ignored his magic show and the onlookers who were cheering around him, and just walked past them - - He was already upset by all kinds of information. He seemed to be in no mood to find out the origin of what a drunk man said that night. However, the next moment, a petite girl's voice suddenly Stopped him: "Hey, isn't that Brother Qingshan?"
"You are..." Duan Qing, who stopped after hearing the sound, turned his head again, and then gradually raised his eyes along the source of the sound: "Are you the one..."
"Hello." Spartak, who was holding his hand, showed a helpless expression, and then said hello to Duan Qing: "Moshang Qingshan."
"Uh..." Duan Qing's eyes widened: "Why are you here? Over there at the fortress..."
"We left there very early." Looking at the girl's eyes who were once again attracted by a magic show, Spartak replied expressionlessly: "Just after you left."
"What about the battlefield dungeon?" Duan Qing asked, "Didn't you hang out there for a long time? Why did you leave so quickly?"
"I'm not a peaceful person to begin with." Looking at the crowd of onlookers who were once again excited, Spartak frowned, but the little girl next to him looked happy and excited, and then raised his eyebrows Smoothed: "The battlefield, the dungeon, and the battle between the two countries are all just the joy of fighting to me. Instead of continuing to fight in that place, it would be more interesting to find a few masters to fight..."
"...Well, now the fortress has fallen, so it doesn't matter whether it is there or not." Duan Qing scratched his head, and then said calmly: "Although I don't know if the situation will change if you stay there. , but staying away from the quagmire of war is a good thing after all, and that kind of scene... it’s better to be less familiar with it.”
"I like fighting." The armored man with his chest half exposed shook his head lightly, and then said this: "Fighting with players like you is my only pursuit in this game. .”
"Well……"
"But... this guy is not suitable to stay there." Pointing to the little girl with braids next to him, his tone softened again: "So when she asked to go somewhere else, , I agreed immediately.”
"...Is she your sister?"
"No, I don't know her."
Still in that indifferent tone, Spartak told the truth that shocked Duan Qing: "I met her...a long time ago, and then...we stayed together..."
The real version of pedophilia!
Duan Qing shouted in his heart, and the muscles on his face became twitching: "Haha, ah hahaha, then you are really destined to be together, and you can travel around the mainland together... You have traveled to Tania Of?"
"Yes." Spartak replied simply: "The next step may be to continue eastward, all the way... to the seaside."
"Things related to the principality...well, forget it." Duan Qing hesitated for a while, then shook his head: "You probably don't care about the things here. Rather than tell you...it's better to leave quickly. good."
"Are you talking about those Imperial people?" Spartak showed a strange look: "Those guys who have already touched the city?"
"What? They have already reached the city?" Duan Qing was shocked: "Why so fast? Didn't Tasker go to defend Taran? Could it be..."
"Well, maybe I didn't make it clear." Spartak immediately shook his head: "When I entered the city before, I saw a few familiar faces... I once fought against them on the battlefield, so I still have some impressions of them..."
"They came into the city with me." He finally added: "As adventurers."
"... Something is going to happen."
Duan Qing sighed, then wiped his forehead: "Are they really going to turn this place into a battlefield? Hey, that's a good plan..."
"It sounds very serious... If you need help, you can tell me." Spartak, with his back to the crowd, lowered his head and thought for a while, then clasped his hands and showed a rather ferocious smile. : "We have been fighting with them for so long, and they seem...not to give up yet."
"What did you say?"
"……nothing."
Facing a little girl who suddenly turned around and asked, the man's originally ferocious face immediately softened: "Do you want to see other places?"
"Um... no." The little girl named Beancake Cat immediately shook her head, and then looked at the performance between the people again with her pigtails straightened out: "I want to watch magic! There is no such show in reality!"
"...Okay." Spartak shook his head, and then straightened his strong and broad back again: "Are you familiar with this place? If you don't mind... we need a tour guide."
"Well... to be honest, I'm not familiar with this city yet." Duan Qing shook his head and said, "And I have other things to do, so..."
"You can go to the Adventurers Association." Looking at the other party's slowly serious face, Duan Qing finally pointed to a certain direction on the street: "The residence of our adventure group is there, and it is a temporary accommodation lent to us. It’s a small room, and if you’re lucky, you might be able to meet our group leader, or a few members who stay there, and they know this city... much better than I do.”
"Is this... your guild's latest way to recruit members?" Spartak showed a sarcastic smile.
"Guild? There are only six people in our adventure group now, and one of them is still pending. It can't be called a guild after all, right?" Duan Qing curled his lips disdainfully: "And... you think you want to join our adventure group? Is it an easy task? Let’s pay three hundred and twenty-eight first!”
"Three...three hundred and twenty-eight? What do you mean?"
"Of course it's gold coins."
In the crowd, Duan Qing looked at Spartak's increasingly puzzled expression and showed a strange smile.
"It has to be earned by doing tasks yourself."
*************************************
"The ultimate in swordsmanship, even in the most ancient times, no book can describe it in complete language, because everyone who can be called a master of swordsmanship has no knowledge of the swordsmanship they have understood. There are no understandable records of stunts. This situation has not changed at all even today when the Magic Empire dissipated and the status of warriors has re-emerged. In the words of Riet Roland, the sword master who once assisted Emperor Frey, the ultimate Swordsmanship has tended to be a state of energy and magic, both in terms of moves and internally, using something that can be called artistic conception, breaking away from the ordinary categories of slashing and blocking. Although it sounds like It sounds a little unbelievable, but there are indeed some people in history, such as Qerys and Ketra, who once showed the same realm..."
"What the hell is this!"
Slapping the book in his hand on the table, Duan Qing took a long breath, then turned to look at the old man beside him: "How many more books do I need to read to be qualified?"
"Well, if you find it unbearable..." the old man sitting in the corner said sleepily: "You can choose the book you like to read."
"whispering sound……"
Angrily putting down the books in his hands, Duan Qing patted the table and took a step forward. Then he put his hands on his waist and walked to the nearest row of bookshelves - after visiting the closed Valia Tavern one after another, Valais was strictly prohibited from entering or exiting. After visiting Ta Hospital and Anweina's house where no one was home, Duan Qing, who had nowhere to go for the time being, finally remembered the strange library located in the north of Tania and the mysterious old man in the library, so he hugged The idea of "the other party may know something" came to this place. However, the old man didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about Duan Qing's visit this time, and he didn't have any positive response to Duan Qing's insinuating questions. Only the seemingly endless task of organizing bookshelves and recommending books, Still after two days, it fell on Duan Qing's head exactly as if he had become a frequent visitor here and a free employee of the library.
Of course, if Duan Qing raises questions about the contents recorded in the books, the old man will still give a feeble response.
"What era is Ketra from?"
"In the new calendar year, there is a master of swordsmanship who rules the continent. For a detailed introduction, you can read his biography on the third bookshelf from the left..."
"What is the ultimate in swordsmanship?"
"It's magic."
"...Aren't you kidding?"
"Well, it's not magic, but it's almost the same. The elements, or all the powers on the Free Continent, will be borrowed by the ultimate swordsmanship to a certain extent, thus achieving a kind of unity."
"... Regarding this passage: The limit of power needs to be explored, otherwise it will decrease at an incomprehensible rate... What does this sentence mean?"
"This..."
The drowsy old man opened his eyes for the first time since Duan Qing arrived, but what was revealed was not his sleepy eyes, but some kind of strange light.
"What it refers to...is actually a prophecy."
