The Kingdom of Ulster is located at the northwestern tip of the Savage Continent and is one of the most powerful countries in the northern region.

Located in the easternmost part of the Ulster Kingdom, Gumicheng is the largest trading city in the kingdom and even in the entire northern continent.

Boyle, carrying two hares on his back and pretending to be Orion, led Todd and Richer through the streets of the market district, trying not to attract the attention of others.

Hiding his half-mutated body under a heavy black cloak, Todd followed behind Boyle, carefully watching everything in front of him.

The vast and chaotic bazaar is filled with merchants of different colors and accents. Traders from neighboring countries, tall and strong Northerners, and a dozen or so eccentric groups that spoke the lingua franca and were neatly dressed in black robes......

Todd curiously used his "see-through" ability to look at the group of people, and through the "surface" of those coats, the black cross on his shirt, and the cross pendant on his chest startled him: "How can there be a church merchant here?!"

Boyle glanced at the group of people and said in a deep voice: "There have always been people in the church in the south, who are secretly trading with the north, which is already a secret that cannot be put on the table in the Ulster Kingdom. There are even rumors that the reason why the church wants to ban the trade between the Silver Ring Kingdom and the north is because it does not want others to get involved in this business. ”

"It can't be. Todd shook his head in disbelief and said, "If it is just to maintain the secret trade between the Church and the North, then the cost of this war is too great! More than half of the troops of the Holy Acropolis were killed and wounded, and the deputy commander of the Templar Knights was killed in battle......

Todd's voice grew lower and lower, and the expression on his face grew more solemn.

Rachel glanced at him and turned to Boyle, "What are the specialties of the North, which make the Church so important?"

"Furs, herbs, timber,......" Boyle raised his chin and pointed to the largest platform in the market area, "but compared to that, these are only small deals that don't make much money." ”

Todd looked in the direction he had pointed, and hundreds of people had gathered beside the largest platform in the market, shouting and selling.

If you take a closer look, the goods on the market platform are actually people.

Men, women, the elderly, and children, each tied together in chains, with wooden signs marked with price codes at their feet.

A slave trader foams at the mouth as he tells the buyers about the origin of the goods. Most of them were prisoners captured in the war, and a small number were slaves of the southern barbarians.

"The people of the Silver Ring, the people of the Holy Acropolis, and some people from the Orthodox Diocese. Boyle touched his chin and said, "These commodities are the biggest 'specialty' of the Northern Kingdom. ”

"Human ......" Todd lowered his head in pain, looked at his monster-like sharp claws, and said slowly: "Humans are such things, even if they don't need to mutate, they can easily lose their humanity. ”

Richel's eyes narrowed slightly: "Where will these people be sold?"

"The Church and the caravans of the North Island buy them, and most of them will be sold to the Southern Empire. Those who believe in Allah have a very strong demand for these "white slaves". ”

With the sound of shrill whipping and terrible cries in his ears, Todd gritted his teeth and turned to leave the bazaar, his voice full of helplessness and sadness: "It's easy to save people, but it's hard to save hearts." ”

After the group of three left, an old and a young walked out of the shadows.

"The wonder of this world is not overly described by the word wonderful!" Claurence's leaned over and looked at the distant figure, with a dry laugh coming out of his mouth: "Who would have thought that there would be a fateful encounter in such a place?!"

Sabrina turned around and asked, confused, "Strange, I didn't find any other guards." ”

"It's not hard to guess, King Twilight has no heirs and no legitimate heirs, and he has no choice but to travel in secret. Claurence's steps shifted, struggling forward.

Sabrina rolled up her sleeves: "Then we can intercept him in front!"

Clorence waved his hand: "It's too conspicuous to do it here, besides, if I'm not mistaken, his destination ...... Should be as ...... as I am."

Before he could finish speaking, he frowned, put his trembling hand into his mouth, and pulled out a bloody tooth.

Looking at the yellow, rotten thing in his hand, Lawrence held it tightly in his hand: "The aging caused by the collapse of the soul is accelerating, and my time is running out. ”

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"This is the place where I originally agreed to meet you. Boyle took Todd and Richier on foot for half a day, to the seashore north of the ancient city, and said this to a shallow sandy beach.

"If it weren't for that damn storm, we could have arrived here half a month earlier. Richer said with annoyance.

Todd looked at the endless sea in front of him and said to Boyle, "Where should we go next?"

"Follow me. ”

With that, Boyle followed the beach to a hidden cave, uncovered the branches and fishing nets used for camouflage, and an improvised sailboat appeared in front of the trio.

"The Land of Shadows is located in the midst of mist, with reefs and complex currents. Boyle patted the sailboat and said with a smile: "Large ships can't get close there, only small boats can get in." ”

Todd asks himself, "The Land of Shadows is an island?"

Boyle thought for a moment and replied, "According to the accounts of those who have returned from there, some say it is an island, while others say that there is nothing there. Depending on the seasons, climate, and ocean currents, the Land of Shadows seems to take on different shapes and sizes. ”

Boyle looked at the setting sun, took out the hare and sleeping bag from the package he was carrying, and said as he cleaned up the burrow, "Rest well tonight, and we will set out for the Land of Shadows early tomorrow morning." ”

Early the next morning, the boat hoisted its sails, Boyle took the helm, and the group of three sailed to the legendary land.

The sailboat traveled nine kilometres north and then five kilometres east, and the fog on the sea grew heavier and visibility gradually decreased.

Boyle stretched out his hand, feeling the humidity in the air, and said to Todd and Richel, "The signposts to the Land of Shadows are a bit special, you have to follow the fog, the heavier the fog, the more humid it is, the closer you are to your destination. ”

After driving for about twenty minutes, the fog was so thick that even his companions who were a meter in front of him could not see clearly.

Boyle lowered the sails, took out the fishing net tied with branches from the cabin, hung it on the edge of the boat as a cushion, and motioned for the two men to pick up the oars: "From now on, I will speed the boat to the slowest speed." You paddle gently, and if you encounter a collision, don't panic, just stop paddling. ”

In this way, the sailboat sailed like a fish, through the reefs and shoals, towards the depths of the mist, farther and farther.

After another half an hour of slow sailing, with the sound of sand rubbing, the hull of the sailboat suddenly froze.

Boyle looked at the mist that should have been white in the distance, turned gray, his body trembled slightly, and he said softly, "We have arrived." ”

Todd and Richel grabbed their bags, jumped off the boat, and officially set foot on the land of the "Land of Shadows".

Boyle grabbed the helm of the sailboat, looked at the figures of the two men who disappeared into the fog, and suddenly shouted: "Richelle!"

The woman turned her head, her face hazy in the mist, and she couldn't see it clearly.

Boyle mustered up his courage and exclaimed, "Do you want to go on here, and you can go back and continue your destiny instead of disappearing into this forgotten land!"

The two in the mist seemed to argue for a moment.

Eventually, the woman's resolute voice pierced through the mist and echoed in this dead space: "My fate, I decide it myself!