Thrush Lodge on Hope Island.

The goose feathers that had drifted all night and the heavy snow had buried almost the entire manor in a silvery white 'color', there was not a single pedestrian on the road, there was not the slightest movement in the ears, and even the earliest dogs, chickens, and other things that barked and chirped the earliest on weekdays were all gone.

Maria, Grand Master of the Knights of the Purple Rose, was a more alert person, and she immediately said to Richard, "We should walk in, so that we can reduce the movement, and we can better understand the situation around us."

The two asked the royal coachman to wait on the side of the road, and then carefully stepped on the snow along a path.

Richard also felt that there was something wrong with the atmosphere, thinking that back then, even if many people died, Thrushcross Cottage always gave visitors a warm glow, but today, the snow-covered manor was full of slaughter and depression, and it was not like a place for humans to live.

"Your Majesty." Maria pointed to the long string of crows perched on the branches in the distance, their eyes full of a terrible glow of blood-red, and their mouths were open and closed, but they did not make a corresponding sound." What the hell is going on?"

Richard held his breath, trying to figure out why, only to see the crows flapping their wings and scattering into the air, and the old tree where they had stayed suddenly withered and withered, with only a few shocking severed arms and stumps left.

This is definitely a problem.Maria's armor can withstand a certain amount of magic.But Richard has little special defense.Grand Master is decisive to let the young king hide first.Brave himself and take the lead.Gain something.

The farmer, the butler, and Hydra were all gone, and every room was empty. Maria subconsciously clutched the saber at her waist as she cautiously moved her steps to avoid any unexpected traps.

She noticed a faint trail of blood glistening on the ground, and with the regular rhythm, it even made a noise so small that it was barely audible. Maria didn't have time to think about it, drew her sword, and used this guidance to find clues.

The feed had just been changed, but the horses were gone, just like the people, and the blood was no longer shining after it arrived, which meant that the Grand Master had to use his own brains.

At this time, the white 'flowers' and 'flowers' in the sky were still dancing wantonly, and the sun was disturbed by them, and there was no chance to 'show' its face.

She put the grass in front of her nose and sniffed it carefully, and there seemed to be a strange fragrance on it that was more or less light but not greasy, sweet but not astringent.

"Crimson Rose." Maria blurted out.

It was too late, and then it was too fast, and suddenly a figure with a rickety back flashed in the darkness.

Thankfully, Maria's armor was thick and she was able to save her life by flicking it with her sword.

"Who are you, what's going on in Thrushcross Villa?"

"Stupid boy, I'm here to save you." The voice was very old, and it should have been made by an old woman.

"Assassinate me to save me." Maria's ability to be unfazed is pretty good, and if it were someone else, she would have stabbed it with a sword.

"You shouldn't stay here for long, or you'll just be their puppet, come with me." The old woman couldn't help but say, a hand that grabbed Maria's sword, and to his astonishment, the extremely sharp edge of the sword did not seem to be able to damage it at all, because when Maria pushed the sword over and tried it, the old woman did not dodge at all, but actually touched it.

"Wait a minute, I still have my master to take care of." Maria didn't dare say it was King Richard, after all, it was always good to have an extra heart.

"That majesty will naturally get what he deserves." The old woman's words of the prophet were like thunderbolts with a great roar in the snow.

Indeed, she was not wrong at all, in fact, not only Richard, but also the royal coachman, who was waiting on the road, was invited to a special room.

When Maria finally met with them, the three of them were amazed in unison.

The old woman would not say anything, she picked up the needlework that seemed to never finish, and her hands kept 'interspersing' on it.

Richard couldn't help asking, "Excuse me, mother-in-law, where is this, why is there not a single figure in Thrushcross Heights?"

"It is useless to say more, it is useless to say more." The old woman shook her head slightly. You wait patiently. It's not just about a small manor or anything."

The man had to bow his head under the eaves, and the mysterious and somewhat aggressive momentum of the other party made Richard and Maria, the two princes, have to bow their heads and obey her teachings.

There was no furniture in this empty hut except for a few dilapidated tables and chairs, and there were some good-looking red candles in the corners of the walls, but they were very strange in size, and they were a whole circle larger than those sold in the ordinary market.

The wait was always so long, and after Richard and his party had spent moment after moment of boredom and inner trepidation, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

The man was dressed in a red robe, with a smile on his face, and came straight to Richard and said, "Your Majesty, you are frightened."

"Valentine, tell us what's going on." The young king's face was at first full of astonishment, and then gradually filled with a little puzzle and doubt.

"Your Majesty, this is a long story, the Holy See asked Bishop Benedict to collect the skin of the snake 'chicken' beast, because this thing may be used to resist the spells of the northern infidels, and later, during his illness, the old Ben accidentally discovered that the skin can not only defend against physical 'sex' or chemical 'sex' magic, but can even rise to the level of 'spirit' and god. It is like a sharp blade, in the hands of good people, it can punish 'traitors' and eliminate evil, and in ......the hands of wicked people, it can do evil."

"The scene in the jousting tournament is based on this treasure, I have heard the Holy See say this, so what is going on in this Thrushcross Villa today?" Richard's patience was clearly exhausted, and he interrupted the cardinal's rambling nonsense a little unceremoniously.

"Your Majesty, the Crimson Rose is definitely infiltrated by the Mind Flayer, they first carried out an inexplicable assassination here that didn't fit their style, and then they thought about doing something to Hydra.

"What about the stewards and the servants, and the peasants." Richard's doubts remain undispelled.

"They're all safe and sound, and this deathly silence is just so that the Crimson Rose has nowhere to start." Valentine finally pointed out the most crucial one.

"What to say." The Grand Master of the Purple Rose Knights couldn't help but ask the bottom line.

Valentine's eyes fluttered twice, as if to mock Maria, you're a political tumbler, "Crimson Rose has been used by the Mind Flayer, and the people who want to puppet the entire Thrushcross Villa, killing Hydra just to make it easier for them to '' it next."

"Isn't the Mind Flayer not killing puppets?"

"Yes, the Mind Flayer doesn't kill golems, but Hydra clearly doesn't have their eyes, or maybe Hydra has something so special that even the Mind Flayer can't help her." When Valentine said this, there was a smug look on his face, as if he had picked up a treasure like no other in the world.

"How could such a situation happen to Hydra, such a weak 'girl'?" Richard couldn't believe it.

"Your Majesty, I was about to tell you about this, Hydra's illness was not cured by Benedict."

"What, is it self-healing?"

"It's not cured, it's not self-healing, it's gone." Valentine said the word "elimination" very loudly.

"Eliminate." Obviously, Richard and Maria would not have understood the mystery without a long explanation.

"Elimination or merging is like a drop of turbid water that disappears completely when you put it into the sea of terror, and Hydra has a magical power, whether it is a strange disease that has killed many people in her family, or the mind control of the mind snatcher, once these claws are thrown into the world controlled by that magical power, they will be like ants meeting elephants, cats and fish meeting sharks, and there is nothing to be afraid of immediately."

"And where does this power come from?"

Valentine shook his head and said, "That's what we need to explore.Did Hydra carry this power all along?Or did she just get it a while ago?Did she know it herself?Can she take the initiative to detect it?Why did her illness only coincidentally heal when Brother Benedict came?Is there any special connection between this?"

One question after another was raised, and Richard and Maria were speechless for a long time.

The old woman, who had been doing needlework on the side, suddenly said, "Do you want to let Urban come?"

"Of course, the Blind Cult can't just be content with going underground." Valentine said with both smug and confidence.

When the old woman heard this, she immediately put down her work, and with a force in her mouth, blew towards the king-sized red candles in the corner.

This is a test that must be endured before you can contact the Cult.

'Want' to know what will happen next, and listen to the next breakdown.