Dirty and worn, and even with a foul smell, the cloth bag fell heavily in the arms, feeling like stone or metal.

Ed took the bag, tugging at the dead knot at the mouth of the bag, and before he could ask anything, Nigel nodded casually at him and disappeared.

“...... You just let him escape!" Tates exclaimed angrily as she wrenched away from Norvi's hand.

"He said 'farewell'. Norway said.

"That's an escape!" Tess glared at him angrily, "Otherwise would he need to use teleportation?!"

She snatched the bag from Ed's hand, and opened it with two casual pulls, emptying the contents into the palm of her hand...... And the moment he saw it, he threw it out without hesitation.

The elf quickly grabbed the "gift" that almost smashed on the stone wall, and looked down in silence for a long time, his expression so solemn that Ed unconsciously panicked.

"What's that?" he whispered, "have you seen that?"

The elf nodded, shook his head again, and handed the thing to Ed with a wry smile.

It was a stone tablet half the size of his palm, carved with strange symbols, some of which looked like elven words, but were just "like". Ed's knowledge of Elvish language is no worse than that of any elf, and he can even read several ancient elves that even ordinary elves may not understand, but he can't recognize any of them.

The characters are large and small, arranged irregularly, and are clearly not meant to be remembered. Ed suspected that it was used for some kind of ritual or magic...... But that doesn't seem to be what makes Norway seem so uneasy.

"I've seen ...... Something like that. ”

At the look of his inquiry, Norway hesitated for a moment. Finally spoke softly: "From the necromancer's ...... who was killed by Isis in Ankelam In the corpse. It was about the same size and shape, and I think it was something he found in that underground chamber...... It's just that the symbols above are different. ”

Ed looked down at the stone slab lying in his palm. It was ordinary obsidian. It was polished very smoothly, and it was dull as if it could absorb all the light, and it was impossible to see how much time had passed, although it was impossible to feel any magical power...... But it suddenly made him feel like he was holding a piece of ice, and the chill seeped from his palms to the bottom of his heart with the blood flowing.

So...... Is this thing from Ankland?

"Where's the other one?" Narya glanced at curiously, "maybe you can see something by putting them together." ”

“...... In Grivar. The elf replied in a low voice, "I used to take it with me...... When I was brought back to Grivar, they took everything I had. Most of them ended up being returned to me...... But that slate didn't. ”

"And I think we should throw this one into the water as well...... Or just smash it. Tess kept her face gloomy, "I knew that guy didn't have any good intentions! he had this thing in his hand and said he didn't know what 'Anclain' was?!"

"Calm down, Tess. Norway reluctantly reassured him. "There's no 'Ankeland' engraved on it. ”

"And I suspect he doesn't even know what it is, otherwise he wouldn't have just thrown it at us. "I suspect he's counting on us to figure out what the hell this is." ”

"And let him sit back and enjoy it?" Tess looked like she still wanted to grab the unpleasant priest's dagger and slam it, "Then he can at least tell us where he got it?!"

“...... I think he's already told us. Ed lifted the sack that Tess had thrown on the ground. The dirty bag is not bad. It's just like someone has been thrown down the drain and stepped on several times. The mouth of the bag was embroidered with a small line of writing very neatly—if Tess was calm enough. It shouldn't be missed.

It was a familiar, but almost forgotten name, D'Amor Karp, a mage who was funded and driven by Aaron Mancini to "use a chain of lightning", but who was uninformed and always bitter-faced.

“...... Why did this involve that foolish mage again!" Tess frowned, "Isn't he missing?—wait, maybe he was killed by Nigel! he killed him and robbed him of his things!"

It's a malicious accusation in the midst of anger. No one took it seriously...... Although there really seemed to be a few sporadic traces of blood on the cloth bag.

Ed stared blankly at the cloth bag and slate in his hand, and just wanted to crouch on the ground with his head in his hands. He didn't know what it was all about - whenever he wanted to find something. He always found that all he found was another mess.

He remembered Rosa's speculations, of the place where D'Amo might have disappeared, of the mysterious tower and its unfathomable powers, of the madness of Casagrande I and his shattered dreams, of the "one and only god" that Ankeland preached, of Scott's unexpected resurrection and his unexplained actions......

Something flashed in his mind, as if he could finally grasp a glimmer of light in the chaos.

"The three-storied tower of Stonebuch. He muttered, not knowing that he had unconsciously uttered it, "Ankeland, Blacktower, Lockburg, Casagrande, Ante......"

“...... And Scott and the gods he believes in. The elf understood his vague suspicion accurately, and his expression was calm and heavy, "There is some kind of connection between them...... I haven't told you because I'm not sure what it means - the slab I got from Ankeland has the sign of Nesses on it. ”.

Scott stood in the sunlit courtyard, gazing at the gentle face of the stone statue in front of him.

That's the goddess Nyo...... The old statues of the gods looked mostly stern and cold, but the one in front of him, with a faint smile in the lines blurred by the wind and rain, seemed to soothe his tired soul and make him feel a long-lost peace—and the face of the god Nesses, which was almost identical to his in the temple of the Sidney Basin, only upset him.

Fortunately, at his insistence, there were no statues of gods in Stunbuch's temple, only the hourglass-shaped symbol of Nessus, otherwise he probably wouldn't have stayed for a moment.

Now he was sure that his gods didn't care about that. He didn't care if what he believed in was still the merciful goddess, he didn't care what method he used...... He only cares about the result, and he is getting closer and closer, but he is also more and more anxious to get the result.

That was probably his only chance...... But it also means that he doesn't have much time.

"Scott. ”

Brooke's old voice rang out behind him.

He didn't call him a "Sage...... That made Scott grateful.

"Your Excellency. ”

He saluted the old man respectfully, as he had done in his youth, "I'm sorry...... Even if I'm no longer a knight of the goddess, I'm still causing trouble for you. ”

Brooke laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to be much deeper, but his impressive blue-purple eyes were still calm and clear.

"What you ask for is not difficult. "But that doesn't mean there isn't danger...... I believe you don't need my reminder. ”

"I know. Scott bowed his head again with apologies, "That's why I'm here to ask for your help." This should just be a once...... Friendly meeting, but if something goes wrong, this is the only place I know of where I can control the danger. ”

-- and the only place where he can face danger with confidence.

Brooke shook his head a little helplessly, and made no further attempt to stop it.

"Come with me. He said, "Your friend has arrived." ”.

Nia Meyer sat cross-legged outside the door, with a look on his face that Scott had never seen before, and he couldn't help but wonder with some bitterness whether the thief, who had been able to laugh under any circumstances, was still willing to consider him a friend.

“...... It's too late to regret it now. Nia looked up at him, irritable and restless, "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I suspect you don't either—you don't know what's up against you, Scott...... It doesn't matter if you're a Sage or whatever, no matter what kind of power you have...... If you provoke her, you will be eaten by her to the bone!"

"If she's as hot as you've been described to be, maybe that's the good ending. Scott replied with a smile.

Nia, who loves to joke the most, is obviously not in the mood to joke at the moment. He stared straight at him, his eyes wide open with unconcealed anger...... and fear.

“...... You don't know anything at all. He said through gritted teeth, jumping up and pushing the door open before Scott could respond, striding in without looking back.

Scott sighed silently and followed. As the heavy gate closed behind them, he heard the thief curse in a low voice:

"I shouldn't come back!" (to be continued......)