There was a soft creak, and a glimmer of light penetrated through the crack in the door into the dark room, and the black shadow outside the door waited quietly for a short while, and suddenly pushed open the door and rushed in like a mouse, and carefully closed the door.

He stood in the dark, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. Blurred silhouettes gradually emerged from the darkness, this room was obviously already the most "luxurious" in the Stormy Fortress, but the simple furnishings were probably not as simple as the most ordinary rooms in the Limestone Castle, and even the fireplace was cold...... This is probably not due to negligence.

The man lying on the bed did not need the warmth of the flames, even in the coldest part of winter—Ed tiptoed over, bent down, and whispered, "Is...... Are you really drunk?"

He didn't get an answer. The smell of alcohol came to his face, and Is's breathing was light and fast, as if he had really fallen into a stupor.

Ed straightened up and sighed silently—at least, he now knew that a dragon would get drunk, too.

He was a little overwhelmed. Scott's appearance was not entirely out of his plans...... But Isis did not immediately "evacuate in a rage" as planned.

It left him in a dilemma.

He scratched his face, hesitating to go back to his room and sleep through the night before trying to find another way, but he was a little reluctant - he wasn't sure if they would have such a chance to sneak into the fortress without a trace. And...... There may not be anything wrong with this situation now.

No matter what secrets Scott hires, there is at least one thing that cannot be doubted - he will not hurt Is. Before dragging his friends to find the "truth", he should probably think more about whether the so-called truth is worth destroying the rare family relationship between Iss and Scott.

He thinks he's actually selfish. He chose to tell Isis everything frankly. More or less, he was afraid that he would lose his friends...... He didn't want to be alone anymore with what was hidden in the dark.

It took him months, but he still didn't find his true courage – the courage to bear it alone.

He tiptoed back. Quietly exited the room.

The fortress has been crumbling over time, and most of the damage has been reinforced rather than repaired. Outside the room in the hallway. The ceiling had either collapsed completely, or it was so badly damaged that it was simply smashed off. Ed looked up and saw the night sky—the moon was vaguely like a painting blurred by water, and like a gloomy and thoughtful face, looking down at him indifferently.

Ed shuddered, hesitated for a moment, and walked down the winding hallway.

He didn't expect to discover any more shocking secrets - Scott was here, and whether the secrets were hidden here at his behest or secretly from him, they would undoubtedly be more carefully protected. But he can at least walk around. Knowing a little more about this place, if one day he has to "sneak in" silently, at least he won't be confused.

He spun around a few times, and felt more and more that his decision was extremely wise. From the outside, the structure of this fortress seems to be very simple, but inside it is almost like a dwarven pit, with ups and downs, leading in all directions, full of meaningless corners and inexplicable dead ends. If the upper layer or two is not damaged. The whole fortress will probably feel more like a labyrinth...... If this layout was to fend off enemies storming the fortress, the orcs who built it were much smarter than he had previously thought.

The fortress's guards looked lax. It took him a long time to come across two guards, and from a distance he could hear their laughter, which seemed to be trying to suppress. Ed greeted them with a smile that was so natural, as if it was natural to run out in the middle of the night without sleep—and they only smiled back in a little panic. He was not asked where he was going, nor what he wanted to do.

"It's a big place. Ed simply stood there and began to talk to them. "Much more than it looks from the outside. I feel like I'm going to get lost. ”

"Yes, sir. The younger guard replied kindly. "I was really lost when I first arrived, and I've heard that the ghosts of the orcs are still hovering here. Sometimes they will let the path under your feet lead to another world......"

His companion stabbed him with his elbow a little nervously, as if to remind him of something, but the young man blushed and seemed to be even more agitated by the questioning.

"That's true!" he said, raising his voice unconsciously, "Didn't you hear Mohr say that?

"That was when we first came here to hide. The other guard spoke embarrassed and annoyed, "Nothing like that has happened since the priest and the Sage purified this place!"

The young guard opened his mouth and closed it again, his flushed face rapidly turning white, as if he finally realized that he had said something wrong.

"Yes...... That's right!" he nodded desperately, stiffly agreeing.

Ed smiled and said, "Of course there won't be any more ghosts here...... But there are always strange things happening in the ancient ruins. Dwarves believe that stones have souls, elves believe that plants and trees have their own joys and sorrows, and it is not impossible to have a fortress like this that has gone through many years and witnessed many battles and legends, if it has its own memories and souls. ”

When he spoke, he just wanted to find a random topic to talk about, but when it was over, he unconsciously became serious.

He shared memories of Klossersburg in his dreams and was helped by Miaz Weiss...... He believed in their existence as much as he believed in ...... It's like believing that Valla's soul has gone to a more peaceful and beautiful place.

The two guards looked at each other, as if they had never heard such a statement.

"So...... You mean this place...... Is it alive?" asked the young guard, a little uneasy, and couldn't help but look at the wall behind him, as if he feared that a few eyes would pop out of it.

"Uh...... Not like that. Ed scratched his head, suddenly at a loss for what to answer. If this orc fortress really had a soul of its own, it probably wouldn't like them uninvited, fragile and useless humans.

"Don't pay attention to what I say...... That's just unfounded legends. "But why do you want to stay here, I know you had to hide from the Anktann soldiers, but now you're safe." ”

The two guards glanced at each other, and the older one shrugged his shoulders with a somewhat gloomy expression.

"Our village has burned down. "A lot of people don't think there's anything wrong with staying here...... At least it's safer, and it's warmer in the winter – much warmer than our wooden houses. We're going to plant some crops around and raise some pigs and sheep......"

“...... That's good. Ed said quickly, realizing that the topic wasn't very pleasant.

"I guess I'd better leave you alone and go on my walk. He smiled a little awkwardly.

The younger guard seemed to be more inclined to continue the conversation, but the older one was visibly relieved.

"Of course, sir. "Turn right three times and then turn left, and at the end of the road there is a statue left by an orc, which is ugly...... We wanted to smash it when we found it, but the Sage said that after all, the orcs built this place, and we couldn't do this with the little thing they had left behind...... Maybe you'd be happy to check it out. However, after that, don't go any further, the corridor in front of you collapsed only half a month ago, and it's not very safe. ”

Ed nodded in acknowledgment and strode forward, silently thinking about the corridor that "collapsed half a month ago...... Half a month ago, it was about the time when Sesyana found the mage who had escaped from the fortress.

He didn't follow the guards' instructions, but he walked around to the statue. Although he had been warned in advance, he was still startled by the hideous face that suddenly appeared in the darkness and had tangled muscles.

The statue was located at the end of a few roads, with a large clearing in front of it, and it looked like a place for gathering and resting. The statue was as tall as a barbarian, but its head took up nearly half of its entire body, its mouth seemed to be open enough to fit a person, and the curved fangs that protruded from the lips were probably broken long ago, leaving only a few marks.

But it didn't have eyes—where it should have been, there was neither a bulge, nor a sunken, and it didn't look like it had been chiseled off.

Ed's heart moved, and he suddenly realized that this was not an ordinary statue...... It was a god that the orcs worshipped.

He had seen in a book in the Temple of Corinth, a god who could see everything without eyes, the past and the future, and a god who could devour the whole world with a big mouth, which the orcs called the almighty Bartlet, but in the accounts of the dwarves and elves, it was really just a cunning demon from hell who used the faith of the orcs to make himself stronger and stronger, in vain to become a true god...... With the defeat and extinction of the orcs, his ambitions have naturally been dashed, but no one can say what will happen to him.

It's unlikely that Scott didn't know what the statue was...... But allow a stone statue of a false god that the orcs believe in to stand here?

Curious, he stepped forward and took a closer look at the ancient statue. The orc statues are rough and powerful, and they appear more casual than the dwarven works, with no balance and proportions that must be observed, and no beauty to humans...... But there is also an undeniable, vivid and strong momentum.

The legendary orcs are ferocious and stupid...... But the civilization that can carve such works may have something other than "cruelty and stupidity".

He stared for a long time at the face, which had no eyes and, indeed, no expression, and suddenly he was in a trance.

(To be continued......)