Fang Yu felt Sylvide shake her hand gently in front of her, the girl's hand was white and slender, and the tips of the five fingers were pointed, as if soaked in milk shone with a moist light, delicate like a work of art.

"What's wrong?" He came to his senses.

"Distracted?" Sylvede's gaze reflected the fire in the bar's fireplace, like a bit of blazing gold in the ocean blue, and her gaze seemed to look at the square plover in front of her as if she were looking further into the bar—a little wandering. "Every time you wander your mind, you have that look on your face. Originally, I didn't want to wake you up, but this kind of place is a place with dragons and snakes, and it's not a good place to think about problems. ”

"I'm sorry." Fang Yu picked up a plate of peeled dried fruits and placed them in front of Ji Ta on the other side of the table. "Hasn't Mr. Red come back yet?"

"Thank you, Brother Ed." Kita rubbed her glasses and whispered.

It was late in the night, and most of the guests in the bar had already dispersed, and most of the rest were some outsiders, a few dwarves, occupying a table, discussing the gold panning, so loud that they would not be heard.

On the other side is a team of adventurers, discussing the next plan around the table, the table is lit with candles, the firelight reflects everyone's face, it looks like a group of relatives and friends, the discussion is very low, and the atmosphere is harmonious.

Sylvid looked back and shook her head, "Not yet." ”

She took a sip of wine, which was actually just a faint red wine, but it reflected the candlelight, and her face was slightly rosy. She leaned forward slightly, propped her elbows on the table—the leather case containing the magic guide was within reach of the chair, not the same one—and watched with amusement as Fang Yu pried open the husk of the dried fruit with a knife.

"What were you thinking?" She asked.

In the hands of the square plover is a local specialty, dried fruit, a bit like an oak fruit, which ripens in autumn and is collected from the forest and stored for winter food.

It is only in the central region of Kaolin that such dried fruits can be seen.

There was also a candle on the table of the three, the candlelight was a little warm, and Delis sat next to the candle with a circle of snow-white neck hair, and Tata knelt beside her, as if curled up in a fur sofa, and flicked the blue light in front of her with her hand.

To outsiders, the community's information seemed to outsiders like several layers of chaotic light, a layer of ice blue light, reflected on Miss Fairy's face.

Sylvide's question made Fang Yu frown slightly. His face was not very good, as if the fireplace was not warm enough to make people feel a little uncomfortable. He shook his head, having been struck by the fact that he remembered what had happened at the Traveler's Rest a few months ago—the death-like shadow he had seen in the illusion.

A question lingered in his mind, was Doriffin's line really solved perfectly?

He still remembered that in the illusion, the dwarven Hageston, who had followed Josud, had betrayed his master and stolen the Ring of Golden Flames, but in the brief conversation that followed, it was clear that the dwarf still had great reverence for his master he had served.

And who is the middle-aged man who is talking to him?

The latter is clearly not Manlo Hollit.

From the conversation between the two, it is known that he had a fight with Joschud in Goland. But the information about the 'Dragon Witch Revolt' is too scattered. Fang Yu also tried to investigate this matter in Goland, perhaps because the royal family was trying to cover up his ugliness, and it was difficult for a person of his level to get his hands on any valuable information.

And apart from everything about the Ring of Golden Flames, Sir Duke didn't tell them much. Fang Plover can understand. As a member of aristocratic circles, Sir Duke is unlikely to discredit the royal family.

But this invisibly increased the difficulty of their trip.

Fang Yu couldn't help but think of Dorifin's party, the mastermind of the Dragon Worship Sect called 'Messenger', the other party hung up once in Dorifin's illusion, but he should still be alive, I don't know what conspiracy is being planned now.

And why is the other party called the 'messenger', whose 'messenger' is he, and to whom will the 'letter' be delivered?

Perhaps only the people of the Dragonfire Guild knew this, but the entire Dragonfire Guild, along with the 'eldest sister' he 'knew', disappeared without a trace after an attack on Tapolis.

Equally with the Rainhearers' Guild, the situation on Fenris Island is also full of suspicion, and Torragotos is supposed to be lurking, and no one knows what its plans will end up with.

Both of these lines invariably lead to the main continent of Korin, but the whereabouts of the people behind the adventurer's guild are still unknown, so they have to go to Van Rick to find clues.

What happened a hundred years ago seems to have some connection with the death of Miss Attila's brother today. What did Sir Duke's doubts about Dragon's Gills have to do with the team that had worked with Miss Sylwell?

Every clue seems to be entangled together, but it makes the truth behind it confusing. Every time Fang Yu faintly felt as if he had grasped something, but for a while, he couldn't figure it out.

Ever since he had left Grande, the closer he had gotten to the place in the history that Sir Duke had told them about, the more obvious the thoughts and signs had become, and he had often been distracted by the fact that he had thought too deeply.

Fang Yu let out a soft breath. "What do you think about your plans for the future?" He asked Sylvede.

"It's up to the captain," Sylvid said to him. She put down the glass in her hand and crossed her fingers. "Roughly you still have to go through the Great Creek Valley. It was an ancient road, which existed before the establishment of the Eastern Trade Route in the Cave Bottom Mountains. The Great Brook Valley runs through the mountainous terrain to the south of here, and in the mountains there is a ruined castle, just south of here—"

"What's that castle saying?"

"It used to belong to a noble family, but now its ownership is unknown, and even I can't find its noble pedigree. Now there are ghosts and monsters abounding there, and there are some legends about 'strange shadows' - the captain should know that there are many undead creatures near Tibia Creek, so it is especially dangerous there. Generally, adventurers who are not strong will bypass that direction. ”

"Strange shadows?"

"Yes," Sylvid nodded, she had inquired carefully. "A few people have seen this monster in the forest, saying that it resembles a long, narrow ghost, reflecting on rocks or snow—it only appears in winter, with a biting chill, and moves quickly and silently. All who have seen it have been resurrected. ”

Fang Yu was a little curious: "Are there no exceptions?" ”

The ship's master took another sip of wine. "Yes, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily strong, in your words, there's a regular distribution of monsters in our world, and these things shouldn't be beyond the danger level in this area. Unless they're all 'bosses'. ”

Fang Yu took a breath, a little surprised that she could speak such a 'game-like' colloquial. But apparently, Miss Ship Officer is very open-minded and very good at receiving the knowledge of these 'earthlings'.

"After all, I once considered seeking political asylum in 'Xingmen Port'." Facing Fang Yu's surprised gaze. She tilted her head and said a little cutely.

"Really?" Kita asked a little curiously, holding her cup with a white milk mark on her mouth.

Sylvid shook her head. "In the end, it didn't work out, but they were all politicians, and there was no difference. I was worried that I didn't have enough chips, but I still had doubts about them. ”

"But why did you choose us again?"

"That's not because of your captain, I'm so liar." Fang Yu replied angrily.

Sylvid couldn't help but smile.

She brought the conversation back to business. "Let's not talk about whether the legend of the 'Strange Shadow' is true or not, but the reason why there are no living people who witnessed it, I think there are only two."

"One is that they're strong enough to kill all witnesses, but that's probably unlikely, and I've heard that there are some strong teams around here. The second is that the intelligence of these 'strange shadows' is quite high, and they are sure to hit the shot, which shows that they are good at choosing targets. ”

"I've checked the records of several raids in recent years, and I found a common pattern, they rarely attack large teams, and every time they attack, they are sneak attacks."

"How does Miss Sylvede know this?" Kita was a little curious, even she hadn't heard anything about these 'weird shadows'.

"When I was in the Adventurer's Guild before, I took a look at the mission records of the previous years, this is just a small place, and the guild records are not too many, so it doesn't take much time to get a lot of useful information."

"Miss Sylvede is so attentive." Kita sighed heartily.

Sylvide smiled, "Miss Tata has helped me a lot, and I can't see it that fast alone." ”

Miss Leprechaun heard her mentioned, and she looked up from her intently reading and glanced at a few people.

Fang Yu 'clicked' and pried open the dried fruit shell in his hand.

The dwarves not far away had finished arguing before they left to settle the bill, and one by one they put on their cloaks and walked out into the cold wind outside. Fang Yu put down the knife in his hand. When he was in the Adventurers' Guild before, he found out that Sylvid was looking through the records of the guild's previous missions, and it turned out that he was looking up information in this area.

However, these 'strange shadows', whether they are the first or the second, are very tricky. Although they are here to improve themselves, this does not mean that they are looking for trouble, and those who are familiar with the 'game' should understand that 'leveling' is of course the most cost-effective way to kill those simple, easy, and experienced monsters.

Although Aitalia is a high-dimensional information world, the concept of the Elector is similar.

He asked, "We don't have to be the only one to get to Dulun, right?" ”

Whether the legend of the 'Strange Shadow' is true or not. But Fang Plover at least knew that in those places where the dark magic was pervasive, especially in such ancient castles, it was most likely a lair of vampires. He hadn't forgotten the vampire he had encountered on the boat on the way here, and they had to fight in the bilge before they restrained each other.

But in the end, it was allowed to escape.

Vampires are one of the few difficult high-level undead, not to mention a mysterious 'monster'.

"It can at least get you to the Ash Forest." A voice came from behind the two men.

The voice was ripe and hoarse, and should have belonged to a lady, but it sounded weather-beaten: "No one else wants to go to that place if they bypass that barren valley." ”

Fang Yu turned around, only to find that it was the big cat man who had returned.

Beside Red stood a lady, about forty years of age, tall in a thick coat with black hair scattered behind her. She is not outstanding in appearance, with high cheekbones, but her expression is very resolute, as if she has been walking outside all year round, her skin is wheat black, and there are layers of sunburn marks on it.

Apparently it was this lady who spoke before.

"Mr. Red, who is this ......?"

The Lion Paladin took his glass, took a sip, and spat out a mouthful of white mist to dispel the chill on his body before he introduced, "This is Lady Quisu, and her team is the best lumberjack in the area. ”

Kuisu stretched out his hand to Fang Yuan, who realized that it was a calloused hand, strong and powerful. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Captain."

"Me too, Ms. Quisu." Although Fang Yu had some doubts in his heart, he still stood up and shook the other party's hand politely, and replied.

The big cat man then took off his snow-covered cloak, hung it on his chair, then took out his pipe, took out another one, and handed it to Quesu on the side: "Would you like to take a sip, Ms. Quesu, it may warm you up." ”

"Thanks, Red," Quisu didn't give in, taking his pipe, but not lighting it. She looked a little anxious, and there seemed to be an unsolvable boredom between her brows. The lady held her pipe and looked at the young alchemist before she asked in a hoarse voice, "I heard you need a team to go to the palm mangroves of the south?" ”

Fang Yu couldn't help but look at the big cat man on the side.

He had asked Red to ask how many lumberjacks in the town were willing to go south with them in this weather, the main purpose of which was to understand the 'market' first, but he didn't expect that the other party would bring someone back directly.

However, as early as Elpahin, Fang Yu understood that Mr. Lionman Paladin was actually an 'old Jianghu', and he would never act recklessly, and he must have his own reasons for making his own judgments.

Sure enough, the big cat man scraped a flint and steel on his sharp claws, sparked a few sparks, lit his pipe, and then looked up and replied, "It's colder outside than the coldest winter I've ever seen in Rotao, and I'll have to go out less in this kind of weather." ”

He sighed before returning to the topic: "Ed, this lady Quesu is willing to go south with us." As for the others, as long as they heard that we were going through the ashes of the forest, none of them wanted to go with us. ”

"It's natural," Kuisu said, "The Ash Mountain Forest was once part of the Jadeite Woodland, and it was lush a few generations ago, and it was one of the best forest farms in the north of Dulun. But when Joshud fought with the dragon there, the forest was destroyed, and the valley was left with only rocks, and legend has it that it was cursed with the dragon's blood, and anyone who went to that place would be cursed. ”

She shook her head. "Whether the curse is true or false is unknown, but for those of us who do it, going to the Ash Mountains is a taboo. If it weren't for some reason, I wouldn't have agreed to your request. ”

"Some reasons?" Fang Yu asked.

Quesu looked at a few people. To be honest, Fang Yuan's age made her a little uneasy, but the ability shown by the big cat next to her before only convinced her a little, not to mention that in this place, I am afraid that no one else can help her.

She hesitated before she made up her mind, "Yes, my men and I can go south with you, even if it means through the ashes of the mountains. But before I leave for the South, I want you to do me a favor. ”

Fang Yu paused for a moment.

And he hadn't opened his mouth yet. The lady continued: "I'm going to find someone, a month ago, someone saw him go to the Bloodthistle Forest with a group of people, and disappeared around there. ”

Quesu looked into Fang Yuan's eyes and paused word by word. "I'm going to go there myself to find out his whereabouts, but no one in this place wants to go near that place - I can only turn to you for help. If you're willing to help me, whether you succeed or not, for the next six months, my people and I can do the work for you for free—"

Fang Yu hesitated, of course free workers are good, but he knows that there is no free lunch in this world. He didn't know what the so-called Blood Thistle Mountain Forest was, but if everyone else didn't want to go near it, it wouldn't be a good place.

Although they are also an adventure party, they are not going to run to a place where others are unwilling to go to die, Dorifin and Fenris and their party are just accidents, but they are not the inherent attributes of their team.

And Quisu, of course, understood what the young man was hesitating about, and continued: "Mr. Captain, in the north of Dulun, you can't find a team of lumberjacks more experienced than my people. Not to mention, it's unlikely that anyone else will travel with you to the Ash Forest, which is the biggest taboo in the ranger's business. ”

"Of course, you might as well go to the south of Dulun and hire lumberjacks there. But I think the reason why you have planned to hire people here to go to the South must be aware that in the warmer parts of the South, the workers are asking for much more than us. ”

"And there are many local forces, and if you hire people in the local area, you will have to deal with local guilds and local forces. There's a lot more trouble in this than if you hired us here. ”

It was about the last sentence that moved Fang Yuan.

Indeed, the reason why he chose to hire people at the Masunke Creek station to go south was precisely because he did not intend to get involved with the intricate guild forces in the south. The chaotic water in there is much more complicated than the several big guilds in the north.

Then he asked, "Then what is the relationship between the person you are looking for and you?" ”

"That's my son, the only blood left of my dead husband, so whether he's alive or dead, I always want to know his whereabouts." Quesu set his pipe aside and spoke lightly.

Fang Yu was suddenly a little silent, he had been missing for a month, and most of this lady's son had been murderous. But he looked at the lady and, somehow, suddenly thought of Miss Attila.

The experiences of both men are so similar.

He couldn't help but look at the big cat man on the side, presumably Mr. Rhett brought the other party over for this reason.

Fang Yu pondered for a moment, and made a decision in his heart: "Then where is the Blood Thistle Mountain Forest?" ”

"To the south of here," but it wasn't Quisu who answered him, but Sylvid, "that place used to be called Fort Worm, but it's been abandoned for over a hundred years—"

……