None of Catherine could see how he had come out of the woods, as if he had come out of thin air.

The man wore knee-length robes, the bluish fabric was finely worked, and the neckline of the robe was embroidered with dark red ivy lace. The robe uses a row of lifelike gold beetle buttons, but the bottom button is not buttoned, allowing the hem to swing naturally to the sides. He was smiling and wearing a black boat-brimmed top hat. The two tips of the brim that were upturned at the front and back of the top hat had been carefully tended, and two small silver bells were attached to them. Every time he turned his head slightly, a joyful bell sounded.

"Welcome, welcome, adventurers from afar, it has been thirty years since a brave adventurer has visited the corner city. I, the Grey Cloud, welcome you on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Corner City. With his left hand behind his back, Gray Cloud took off his top hat with his right hand and leaned in front of him, slowly bending down, neither too deep to look too grand, nor too shallow to look a little sluggish. He swept his gentle gaze across the faces of each of them, pausing briefly on each of them, showing enough respect before he straightened up again.

The years didn't seem to have carved a mark on Grey Cloud's countenance, and Catherine had a hard time judging his age. Suave, handsome and upright, it may not be unbelievable to say that he is only twenty years old. But his demeanor, sophistication and open-mindedness, are far from being comparable to a young man who has never seen the world.

"Dear Mr. Grey Cloud, the Kuhl Mercenary Regiment from Daxter respects you. I'm Catherine, the head of the regiment, and they're Ace and Ferley. Catherine stepped forward as the leader, and Ace and Ferry stood behind her and raised their hands to their chests together in a standard adventurer's greeting.

"It turns out to be the brave men from the royal city of Daxt, please come with me. The committee has prepared a resting place for you, and there will be a welcome banquet in the evening, so everyone must be very interested in hearing what you have seen and heard along the way. Gray Cloud showed a slightly surprised look, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"It's not a short distance, and it's rare for a few people to get here safely. Grey Cloud invited Catherine to accompany him, and he was heartily impressed. As he spoke, Gray Cloud led the three of them towards a tree, and incredibly, Gray Cloud walked directly into the big tree.

The three Catherines followed, only to feel darkness in front of them, and came to a small passage made of vines. The passage is not wide, more than enough for one person to walk, but a little narrow for two people to go hand in hand. From the crevices above the trees, occasional sunlight penetrates, leaving a few spots on the damp mud floor.

"It's not easy, but I'm lucky with a few friends. We found here as pioneers, believing that others will come soon. Catherine and Grey Cloud walked ahead together, and the two of them staggered a little by half a step.

Catherine looked into Gray Cloud's eyes and smiled, "They must also be glad to have such a warm place to stay." ”

Ace walked behind the two of them, his right hand resting slightly on the handle of the sword. He seemed to be watching left and right with curiosity, just like Ferry beside him. However, the deputy head of the regiment kept glancing at the gray cloud out of the corner of his eye, paying attention to his reaction.

"Welcome, welcome. The more friends come to visit, the more honored the corner city feels. When I turn around, I will have the patrol send two men to meet me at the edge of the city, lest they miss it. Gray Cloud didn't show any resentment at the presence of more adventurers coming, and more joy appeared on his face.

The passage is longer than expected, and as you walk through it, you can hear the chirping of birds and insects from time to time.

"Look at the back. Felilaras pointed behind him. Ace turned his head to see that vines were growing on both sides of the passage behind him at a speed visible to the naked eye, sealing off their path entirely.

"I beg your pardon for a little precaution. Gray Cloud obviously heard the conversation between the two, and slightly stopped and bent down, "You must also know that there are many fierce beasts in the Doden Mountains. If they sneak into the city, it will cause a lot of trouble. ”

"Indeed, indeed. Ferry shook his head vigorously and sighed, as if he couldn't look back on the past, "We've had a lot of trouble along the way, like wolves, leopards, bears, and so on. I've seen a rat with a black head and a dragon that breathes fire. ”

"Oh, that's a lot. Gray Cloud kept a smile on his face, and his tone became more polite, "Captain Catherine, this journey must be very thrilling, please tell us more about it later." It's been a long time since the Doden Mountains have been so lively. Look, there's the exit. ”

As the gray clouds looked away, it was much brighter in front of them, and the peaceful sunlight shone directly into the passageway, and Catherine even saw the buildings in the city.

The four of them walked slowly out of the passage, and in front of them was a green meadow full of small blue and yellow flowers. Not far away, three or five children chased butterflies, and two women sat on the blanket grass with teacups in their hands, talking and laughing. They saw four passers-by waving at random.

Catherine noticed a teapot, saucer, and a plate of biscuits on the blanket, and it appeared that the two ladies were having a leisurely and leisurely afternoon tea. The streets of the city were on the other side of the meadow, just a dozen meters away from Catherine's family. Ace looked back at the dense woods, which were lush and green, and the previous passage was long gone.

"Isn't it autumn?" said Feeley, who was dazzled, "how could there be so many butterflies? ”

"It's so beautiful here. Catherine liked the serenity of the place, "Mr. Greycloud, the corner city is indeed a good place. ”

"Haha, thanks for the compliment. Our corner city is like spring all year round. Gray Cloud stretched out his left hand forward, "Look, this is the main street, we call it 'Afternoon Street'. The town hall was on the other side of the street in the afternoon, where the committee's welcome banquet was held in the evening. ”

In fact, Catherine did not appear so happy, on the contrary, her heart was full of vigilance. Don't look at Ferry as the last to join the mercenary group, but this does not affect the tacit understanding between several people. In many cases, tentative words are always spoken by the seemingly unscrupulous Ferry Phyll, while Ass is ready to strike at any moment, and Catherine observes the other party's reaction.

You know, Fee's series of words didn't surprise or question this gray cloud. Clearly, the gray clouds are well aware of the various presences in the Doden Mountains. From the very beginning, Catherine was uneasy by the gray aura that enveloped the entire corner city. At this moment, the scene of the four seasons is like spring, which makes the female mage tighten a string in her heart.

In the afternoon, the street can be lined with two horse-drawn carriages, and the ground is paved with cyan pebbles. The streets are lined with shops and signs.

"Come, come, three brave. Gray Cloud invited the three of Catherine to walk to a small two-story spire building, "This is a resting place for you, and the three of you must not be polite." The one with the big scissors hanging on the right is our famous gold scissors tailor shop, and the one with the bucket hanging on the left is a small wooden barrel bathhouse. The three of them enjoy the service inside and eliminate the fatigue of the next trip, and the committee will pay for everything. ”

Catherine looked to both sides, and there was a silver baguette in front of the Golden Scissors Tailor's shop, with a cloth flower tied with a red, yellow and blue ribbon at the top, and a huge pair of golden scissors hanging underneath, and the door of the shop was blocked by a curtain stitched with various colors of fabric, and through the arched window, the storefront could be seen full of cloth. The shop was nothing more than a one-story bungalow, boxy, and there were a few long-haired white rabbits on the roof, poking their heads out of the eaves from time to time.

The small barrel bathhouse is very imposing, full of three stories high, and the whole body is red. However, the building has a row of round windows on the third floor, and a large chimney on the roof spews white gas abruptly. As Catherine stood far away, she could feel the heat rushing in her face. The door of the small barrel bathhouse is a high-end carved sliding door, which is afraid that it will be wide for five people. On each side of the door hung a small old wooden barrel on the wall, like two small eyes of the whole house.

"Commander. Ferry whispered in Catherine's ear, "You see how much this little spire building looks like our headquarters in the royal city, and there is almost no little garden in front of it. ”

Catherine nodded, her mind growing more and more confused. It's too similar, it's exactly the same as No. 17 West Street in Wangcheng, with off-white walls, dark red tiles, and even a golden rooster weather vane on the spire.

"A few people, let me give you a brief introduction. Grey Cloud smiled and opened the door, like the owner of the house leading the way for the three of them.

The hallway, the staircase, the furniture, the fireplace on the wall, the more Catherine looked, the more surprised she became, all the same. Behind her, As's face was already full of alertness, and the knuckles of the hand holding the handle of the sword were a little white.

"Please be polite, at seven o'clock in the evening, I will personally come to pick up the three distinguished guests. Gray Cloud didn't seem to notice the slightest abnormality of Catherine's people, and after leading them around the bedroom on the second floor, he took his leave very politely.

Catherine sent the gray cloud to the door, and outside the door appeared a small garden—an apple tree planted on the green grass, and small green apples were growing on the tree. Catherine, along with Ferry and As, who had followed to the door, watched in amazement as the gray clouds strolled away through the small garden.

"I thought we were going home. Ferry sat in his favorite wooden rocking chair and said, "It's weird here." Captain, do we really want to stay here?"

"I don't know. If Ash Cloud is malicious, I don't understand why he should be so polite to us. Catherine stood by the window and looked outside, "Or if he really doesn't work against us, I don't think we have a chance to win." With his ability to control the woods, he could have killed us even now. Besides, how do you walk through the woods outside?"

"Anyway, if you want to go, you have to find a way to get out of the Brown Moon Altar before leaving. Ace leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the door, as if someone was about to enter.

"Papapa" Who knew that someone really knocked on the door, and Catherine by the window nodded to As. Ace winked at Ferry and stepped forward to open the door.