[My name is Charles, and I'm a private investigator in the City of Steam, and we've escaped from danger, although I don't really want to mention the process, but it wasn't until this time that I realized that danger was everywhere, but we didn't pay attention to it. 】

......

Under my gaze, the pillars attached to the walls around the platform, which had been unstable due to the falling of the stones, suddenly began to shake violently because of the huge wind pressure.

Finally, with a sigh from me, the platform finally couldn't hold up, and in a tooth-sore 'stabbing' sound, it collapsed towards the bottomless darkness below.

It's over.

For a while, I felt that most of the hatred in my heart had dissipated, no matter how the enemy who killed the teacher had already paid for his life, I thought he should also be able to sleep peacefully in the kingdom of the goddess, and now I just need to follow the steps, join Miss Eve's organization, and after gaining power, I will help the teacher fulfill his last wish.

But what do I have left?

A lonely self, an unrealistic desire.

I don't know why, a sense of emptiness suddenly came over me, and I was a little confused, because I didn't know what the future would be like without a teacher, how I should live in such a future, and I didn't know how I should pursue my lofty goals.

"Don't worry, Mr. Fantasy. As if sensing my expression, Miss Eve, who was not far away, poked me with her scepter and comforted, "I promised Mr. Kobol that I would take care of you, please believe me." ”

Although your words are heartwarming to me, why do I always feel that you are not as reliable as I imagined?

"Are you speaking ill of me?"

Hearing Miss Eve's innocent and kind question, the corners of my eyes jumped, and I shook my head a little weakly and replied, "How can I speak ill of you? After all, our Miss Eve is a lovely and reliable woman. ”

"You're qualified this time, Mr. Fantasy. Miss Eve's voice was still full of suspicion, as if threatening, "Don't learn from Mr. Big Man, like a brainless gentleman you have not met, or I can guarantee that you will have a good time with us." ”

Is this the threat of the red fruit?

Mr. Big Man, Mr. No Brain, and my Mr. No Brain, how much do you like nicknames?

Putting aside the cumbersome thoughts, I subconsciously swallowed my spit, and under the pressure of Miss Eve, nodded my head in agreement.

But is the wind getting stronger?

Because I could clearly feel my body sinking, even if I was tightly wrapped around the vines summoned by Miss Eve, it didn't give me enough security.

Especially without the platform barrier, my sight can only fall into the bottomless abyss, which makes my heart beat violently.

"It's coming. ”

Hearing Miss Eve's joke again, I couldn't help but turn my head and ask, "Miss Eve, what's coming?"

As the vines around my waist suddenly loosened, an astonishing decibel scream came out of my mouth as it moved in free fall.

What do you want to do?

The strong wind pressure poured into my mouth in an instant, and the screaming stopped abruptly, and I could not ask any questions, but looked up at Miss Eve, who was smiling brightly, as if she was enjoying the thrill.

It's terrible.

However, the suction from below has become weaker, and it is obvious that the speed of his fall has slowed down a lot compared to before, and there is a faint breeze from the bottom up.

No, no...

I kept praying in my heart that what I was thinking about would not happen next, and my little heart could not withstand this kind of stimulation.

Unfortunately, the goddess did not hear my prayer again, and a stronger wind blew from below, and under the effect of the wind, a soft green flashed, and then the figures of several of us, which had fallen, flew upwards uncontrollably.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

An uncontrollable snort came out of my mouth, and unconcealed fear came out of my eyes, and Miss Eve's ridicule came to my ears, and shame and fear made me close my eyes consciously.

As long as you can't see it, fear or anything will be gone.

I continued to comfort myself in my heart, and gradually calmed down, I really no longer felt fear, although weightlessness has always made me uncomfortable, but habit has overcome it.

I have to say that habit is really a terrible emotion.

......

I don't know how long it had been, but we had been ascending in this tunnel, and then there was a sound of rock cracking, and a large beam of light shone through my eyelids, making me unconsciously open my closed eyes.

When we opened our eyes, we saw that we had left the underground base at this moment, which meant that we had also left the body of the unknown creature, and not far away was a neatly dense and tall windbreak, whose greatest effect was to prevent the industrial pollution of the western part of the steam capital from being carried into the territory of the Empire by the sea breeze of the conquered sea.

Aren't we in the capital of steam? Why are we leaving the city all of a sudden?

As our gaze shifted, we saw that we were directly above a large, pitch-black, rolling mountain range, which, unlike the green jungle ahead, had no trace of green, and was made up of strange, craggy piles of rocks that looked like the backbone of a gigantic creature from the southern cities.

This is the Black Mountains of 'Ertos'?

I still know a lot about the daimyo of this mountain range, and it is said that a geography professor once took a few of his students to secretly cross the military blockade and go to the Black Mountains to conduct research.

According to him at the time, Ertos would never be a naturally formed mountain range, and after repeated rejections of his own investigation applications, the old professor made a decision that he regretted himself.

Privately went to the Black Mountains of Ertos to investigate.

I have no way of knowing the process of their investigation, except that several of his students later died in the Black Mountains, and the old professor who survived by luck also went crazy, speaking some words that no one could understand all day long, leaving some notes that no one could recognize, and died of illness less than a year later.

Ertos Black Mountains, secret bases, mysterious creatures.

Muttering a few unfamiliar words in my head, and remembering what Miss Eve had said to me before, gradually some kind of answer emerged in my heart, an answer that made me break out in a cold sweat.

Danger in the occult is inexplicable madness?

My eyes couldn't help but drift to Miss Eve, who was not far ahead, but my mind continued to be immersed in memories, and it is said that a reporter once went to interview the old professor who had gone crazy back then, and obtained a passage from him that is still inexplicable:

"Black mountains, endless knowledge;

Black eyes, supreme power;

Black tentacles, incomparably weird;

Black body, infinite majesty. ”

Could it be that the old professor was referring to this unknown creature hidden in the mountains?

Because he saw it, so he went crazy?

I don't know if my dull gaze stayed too long, but Miss Eve in front of me suddenly turned to look at me and smiled brightly.

For a while, the ominous coolness that had been there hit me again, and it could not dissipate for a long time hovering in my heart.

"Mr. Love Fantasy, don't be in a daze, we're ready to land. ”

Landing?

When I came back to my senses, I realized that our upward trend had stabilized, and at the same time, a sea breeze with industrial exhaust fumes filled my nostrils, and before my brain could make out the ingredients, my body fell downward.

"Ahh

Suddenly the shrill screams and Miss Eve's bright laughter inexplicably combined to form a wonderful symphony.

I can't imagine at all why Miss Eve is as if she doesn't know the meaning of fear at all.

Being able to show a pleasant mood no matter what the situation makes me feel envious and awe-inspiring at the same time.

What a terrible girl.

With the speed of falling, under the effect of gravity, it became stronger and stronger, and the intimate distance between us and the ground became closer and closer, and even the scene on the ground could not help but be reflected in my eyes.

I saw that on the Black Mountain Range, which was shaking violently, cracks of large or small appeared strangely, the same pitch black could not see the bottom, and the same spewed a large amount of air towards the sky.

Looking at the cracks in the mountains that were gradually healing, absurd and terrifying thoughts appeared in my heart for a while.

Could it be that this big mountain range is a living thing, or that this mountain range is a part of its body?

Suddenly, I heard the sound of plants stretching in my ears, and I suppressed my thoughts, and looked in the direction of the sound, only to find that a green vine had unconsciously grown from my waist, which wrapped my body tightly around me and extended upwards on the other hand, and finally formed a huge curved leaf on the top of my head that stretched out on both sides.

Is this a parachute in the wizarding world?

After waiting for the plant umbrella to be fully opened, our rapidly falling figure suddenly slowed down, and it was at this moment that my heart that had always hung was put down.

It's finally safe.

I don't know if luck was not on our side, waiting for us to land safely at the foot of the Black Mountains, and before we could catch our breath, the accident happened again.

A group of soldiers in black uniforms had long been ambushed here, and at the same time as they appeared, the military gunpowder spears in each of their hands were pointed at us, looking at the muzzle of the gun pointing at themselves, the smile that had just risen on my face instantly froze, and I subconsciously raised my hands to show that I had given up resistance.

Seeing this, the first female officer who did not wear a military rank walked up to me with a cold face, and did not relax her vigilance with a spear in her hand, and asked, "Name, occupation, purpose." ”

Feeling the tension and murderous intent of the soldiers, I didn't dare to hesitate for half a minute, and immediately trembled and said truthfully: "I'm a private investigator in the Steam Capital, named Charles Phoenix, who is investigating a missing case, and..."

While I was organizing the verbal answer, Miss Eve behind me gently kicked my calf and said with a smile: "Sister Damiya, good afternoon, we are dealing with an extraordinary incident, there was a little accident, and then it was squirted out by the big guy in the mountain." ”

"Miss Eve?" the indifferent female officer also recognized the smiling face at the same time, waved her hand to signal the soldier to put away her musket, and asked with a worried face, "You mean he is awake?"

"Probably not, just a little bit of a stress response. ”

"That's good. ”

Eve looked at the overreacted Damia, then at the extraordinary soldiers, and asked, "Sister Damia, what are you guarding?"