Todd had a long dream.

In the dream, he was in a different world, and there was no existence for him.

In the universe of that world, everything and all the laws, without his participation, all proceeded in an orderly manner according to the existing track.

One kingdom after another, like a carp crossing the river, chaotic and forested, rises today and falls tomorrow.

All the events, like nodes on a circular track, occur one after the other, and the cycle continues.

He could only stand aside, as a bystander, watching the tide ebb and flow, the flowers blooming, no matter how much he shouted and struggled, but he was powerless to make any changes and fight.

Finally, a blinding light shone through the darkness and took him away from that endless nightmare.

Todd slowly woke up and found himself in a blur of vision, only faint lights and shapes.

The huge dragon's body was covered with wounds of all sizes, and the dragon wings on one side were almost completely broken, leaving only a few muscles and bones connected, and the dragon scales all over the body were exposed because of the explosion and the seven seven eight eight, revealing the bright red flesh membrane below.

Todd tries to speak, but finds that his vocal cords are also badly damaged, and he can only make some muffled noises.

"It's a miracle that you survived. Meredith's voice popped into Todd's head: "When I found you, you were like a pile of sausages hanging in the market. ”

Todd's eyes widened and he looked ahead, unable to make out anything more than a vague figure.

Meredith's voice sounded again: "You lie here like this, don't think about moving around." ”

Todd replied in his head, "Where am I?"

"Shadow Nation, it took a lot of effort for me to get you back from the battlefield. ”

Hearing Meredith's answer, Todd was subconsciously stunned.

This woman brought herself back to the Land of Shadows from the battlefield?

A dragon-shaped body, weighing dozens of tons, how did she do it?

Putting the question aside for a moment, Todd asked, "How is my injury, and how long will it take to heal completely?"

"It's hard to say, although my master Skaha has come to your rescue, your injuries are still serious. As for you wondering when you'll be healed, I'm afraid I can't give you an exact time. ”

Todd was silent for a moment, then asked again, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Five months. ”

"What did you say?!" Todd became anxious and struggled to get up, but the pain in his body forced him to lie down again.

Meredith said helplessly: "I just finished telling you, and you forgot my words. You're not healed yet, so don't think about moving around. “

Todd, who realized that he couldn't move at all, sighed slightly and slowly quieted down.

"I still remember that explosion in the battle with Cúchulainn, but what happened next?"

Meredith recalled, "The fire and vibration from that explosion could be clearly felt even by me in the Land of Shadows. By the time I arrived at the battlefield, it had turned into a huge crater about two kilometers wide and nearly 100 meters deep. “

Hearing this, Todd wondered a little, the power of spore parasites is indeed very large, but it is not big enough to do so, right?

Perhaps, the tyrantized body of Cúchulainn had an organ that digested corpses, and stored flammable gases produced during digestion (mainly carbon dioxide, methane, and sulfur-based gases)

Meredith continued: "By the time I arrived, the Valkyrie, who had been hostile to me, was already digging into the explosion with a group of men like crazy. After some coercion and temptation, I finally persuaded them to let me take your body. “

"In the first month back in the Land of Shadows, you couldn't see what you were at all. Luckily, my teacher Skaha helped in time, and you were able to save your life. “

Todd let out a long breath: "That...... Cú Chulainn he ......"

"You ask him, even though my master told me to bring back Cúchulainn's body...... But in that pit, it is no exaggeration to say, there were scraps of flesh and limbs scattered everywhere, and it was impossible to tell which wreckage belonged to that guy. ”

Meredith said helplessly, "I've always wondered, why does my master care about that kind of stubborn and old-fashioned guy?"

Remembering what Cú Chulainn had said to himself before his mutation, Todd said with emotion: "Maybe it's because of Cúchulainn's stubbornness and conservatism that Skaha feels that his soul has a special value?"

Meredith approached Todd, patted the latter's dragon head with his hand, and said in a pun: "There seems to be a saying that is true, the people who know themselves best are often not relatives, but enemies......"

Sensing Meredith walking farther and farther, Todd couldn't help but shout in his head, "Hey, where are you going?"

Meredith said angrily: "Of course I went to inform your lovers, you are awake!

Todd shrunk his neck and closed his mouth.

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Twilight City, Twilight Cathedral.

Alfonso, dressed in black armor and carrying a big sword on his back, looked at Huggins who was limping towards him in front of him, and was full of emotion for a while.

Huggins walked up to Alfonso, pounded the breastplate hard, laughed and said, "How long have we not seen each other?!two years?three years?"

Alfonso whispered: "I'm ...... in the north"

Huggins hurriedly stopped the other person from speaking: "Well, I know, don't talk about Your Majesty's affairs here...... That's right......"

Looking at Alfonso, who was heavily armed, Huggins tapped on his helmet: "You don't need to carry this bucket with you in Twilight. ”

Alfonso hesitated: "I'm wearing a keel, you should know, those ...... on the head"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Huggins said with a smile, "Xenos have long been a part of Twilight City, let alone showing their heads, even if they take off their iron armor and walk around in their keels, it's not a big deal." ”

Alfonso took off his helmet, and the parasite limbs above his head slowly stretched out, twisting and wiggling.

The surrounding people who came to worship at the cathedral only glanced at Alfonso and went about their business.

Alfonso looked around and was a little determined: "The cross I brought, Your Majesty will explain ......"

"That matter has been handled by Master Emerson, you don't have to worry about these things......" Huggins pointed out the door, "I haven't been back to Twilight City for a long time, otherwise, I'll take you out for a walk." ”

"However, Your Majesty also told me that I would be responsible for taking some people away. ”

Huggins waved his hand: "That's not urgent, I'll let you meet them later." ”

Alfonso spread his hands: "In that case, I'm going to go to a place first." ”

Huggins suddenly said, "Oh yes, I think I know where you're going......"

An hour later, Alfonso and Huggins were standing in a cemetery, the former placing a bouquet of flowers on top of the tombstone.

"Adelina ......" Huggins looked at the name on the tombstone, thoughtful, "It's the woman who died in the defense of the twilight." ”

"I owe her a lot......" Alfonso, who knelt on one knee, slowly stood up: "A lot of ......"

Looking around, Alfonso asked, "There seem to be a lot of tombstones here?"

Huggins nodded: "Your Majesty has decreed that this hill be designated as a kingdom cemetery, and only those who have made great contributions to the country can be buried here after death." No one can acquire or use the land for any purpose. ”

Alfonso sighed: "I see, now think about it...... I owe Your Majesty a lot of ...... too."

Huggins nodded, "Let's go, go around the city." ”

After leaving the cemetery, the two sat in a carriage and began their journey around the city along the neat and wide streets.

"There are now more than 220,000 residents in Twilight, or more than half a million if you count tourists, laborers, and sailors. ”

Huggins pointed to the crowded streets, and said proudly: "If you look at all the countries in the diocese, even the entire population of the Papal States and its vassals, there is no comparison to the population of a single Twilight City. ”

Alfonso stuck his head out of the carriage and said helplessly: "I would rather ride a horse than sit on this." ”

Huggins laughs: "The Cabinet has issued a decree that horseback riding is not allowed in downtown areas. However, parliamentarians and knights were granted permission to own carriages. ”

Looking at Huggins' smile, Alfonso frowned, but eventually chose to remain silent.

"Look there! That is the Victory Day Fountain Garden, the largest and most luxurious man-made lake garden in the entire continent, and the huge fountain in the middle of the lake with a height of more than 20 meters alone has cost a full 30,000 gold stones. At night, fountains, lakes, spotlights, and colored glass turntables turn on at the same time, decorating this artificial lake garden like a paradise. ”

"It is the palace of the Holy King's pilgrimage, where a great deal of money was spent on the golden statue of His Majesty, and there are also precious works of art collected from various kingdoms......"

Alfonso turned his head and interrupted Huggins' speech: "Who paid for the construction of these buildings?"

"Of course it's the Cabinet, I remember when you first left, the Cabinet in charge of the public expenditure of the kingdom was poor, and sometimes even the salaries of the staff had to be borrowed from the royal family. Isn't it a good thing that everything is different now, that the city is richer, that the tax rate hasn't changed, but that the tax revenue is ten times as high, and that the cabinet can spend more money on public works and landscaping?"

Listening to Huggins's words, Alfonso turned his head noncommittally and continued to look at the dazzling "bustling scene" of Twilight City in front of him.

Suddenly, an abrupt object jumped into Alfonso's eyes, causing him to stop the carriage.

Hearing Alfonso's shout, Huggins looked in the direction of his finger.

A middle-aged man in ragged clothes, with two thin girls who were still young, huddled in the corner of the wall, looking at the passers-by with a pleading eye.

In front of them was a wooden sign with a piece of bread and a weeping face drawn with a pen on the top, and a crooked inscription in the lingua franca below: "Hungry!

Alfonso, with a surprised expression, pointed to the three people, one big, two small, and asked Huggins, "These are the refugees who came to Dusk City to flee?"

The latter looked carefully, shook his head and said, "No, these people are the legal citizens of Dusk West City. ”

Alfonso's eyes narrowed, "What are you talking about?!How could the legitimate citizens of Twilight City be reduced to begging on the streets?!"

Huggins lowered the curtain of the carriage and motioned to Alfonso to whisper: "It's a long story, I'll explain it to you as we go." ”