The trees that had lost their leaves could not even hold back the snow, so they had to stretch their carbon branches into the gray sky. However, the occasional sparkling ice cube can be regarded as adding a different color to it.

It's a pity that the players who saw this piece of 'Devil's Forest' had how ugly and ugly their faces were. Of course, this is not because of the strange shape of the forest in front of you, but because according to the route in the player's mind, it does not affect the appearance in front of you.

"Damn! What the hell is this place now? Claudia, who had been trekking through the wind and snow for days, finally couldn't help but let out such a roar. However, in the 'whirring' wind, the roar of the real name master was blown away before it could be heard.

At this time, Noodles was lying on horseback and fiddling with the map, trying to find out exactly where the woods in front of him were. And Barrett turned over directly, walked to the edge of the woods and patted the trunk: "There are a lot of deciduous woodlands in the territory of Norhan, but most of them are concentrated in the west, and it seems that we are indeed getting closer and closer to the Bolim Territory." But what to do next is a big question now. ”

If it was in the past, Barrett could also try to observe the surrounding landscape to roughly estimate where the group is now. But now it's not just because the snow has turned everything around him beyond recognition, but more importantly, Barrett can't even see the scene 30 meters away. Under such conditions, it is possible to identify the location by identifying the environment, which is not possible even for the locals who were born and raised in the area.

"Doesn't it depend on my divination in the end?" Kleimatis took out a few dominoes very proudly, apparently she hadn't been preparing this spell for a day or two. It's just that I haven't had a chance to show it until now, and the urge to turn the tide has indeed been held back for a long time.

Barrett, who found that he had no other good way for a while, could only nod: "It seems that you can only let Clematis make a move." ”

"Leave it to me!" After saying this, Clematis dismounted, used the horse's body as a low wall to protect him from the wind and snow, and began to use those dominoes to perform magical magic. With Clematis's prayer, the dominoes in front of her kept flipping, and when she finally stopped, her eyes lit up: "To the south!" The result of the prayer is a reminder to head south. ”

"Heading south? Could it be that when I went north to rest before, I went too far? He scribbled the noodles on the map with a charcoal pen, and then put the pen on his ear.

Barrett, who re-picked up the reins, jumped over and got on his horse with an easy jump: "It's been so many days, and we've encountered a lot of small troubles on the way. I'm afraid it's not clear what the reason is. At the moment, I can only try it according to the results of Klamatis's divination. Hopefully there won't be any more problems. ”

Although the magic of 'divination' has a certain chance of failure, the interpretation of the divination results depends entirely on the experience of the caster. But this time, Clematis finally didn't drop the chain. By noon on the second day of walking south, the players finally saw a passable passage instead of the strange woods that seemed to be oozing.

"Before it was buried by heavy snow, it should have been a passing trade route." Speaking of this, Barrett turned his head to look at the woods on both sides that were still in sight, "With these two constraints, we won't leave the business road until we get out of this forest." ”

"But we don't know where this road leads now!" Rielly was still a little worried.

Barrett didn't care about this: "It's a big deal that I just went to other territories, anyway, as long as I find the town, I can confirm my current location." When the time comes, it will be very convenient to correct the direction of progress. ”

After about 4 days of moving on, the players' ears kept hearing the 'clanging' sound of metal colliding and the 'clang' of steam. When the falling snow could no longer cover everyone's sight, what came into the eyes of the players was the cloud pillar that had been a little crooked.

Gamelil City, the most important steel production base in Boreham, suddenly appeared in front of the players. Barrett, who recognized the town, waved his arm: "Guys, looks like we're in luck this time. Of course, the most important thing is the magic of Klematis. It's finally home, even though it's a terrible place to go. But anyway, we're finally back in Boreham. ”

It didn't take long for the players who found the gates to be subjected to routine interrogations and checks again. The guards in the cold wind wore thick leather jackets, but they tightened the tweed capes on their backs. Even though they were still stamping their feet, the guards kept their duty—holding their blades in their hands, keeping an eye out for any creatures that might approach the gates.

"Stop! Keep a safe distance! Sign up! The guards who spotted Barrett and his party immediately reported three sentences in a loud voice.

Barrett, who responded to them, rolled over and dismounted, and then threw the badge to prove his identity: "I'm Barrett from the family, and this time on the way back to the territory with my fellow adventurers, I suddenly encountered this damn ghost weather. As a result, I was a little disoriented, and I was supposed to go to Poitu City, but I didn't expect to come here. ”

The soldier who reached out to take the badge took off one of his leather gloves despite the cold weather. Then he rubbed it on the badge, and waited until his fingers were a little frozen and white, and then threw the badge back into Barrett's hand: "Welcome home!" Sir, are these your teammates behind you? ”

"That's a member of my mercenary group, and their names are on this certificate." Barrett, who had received the kindness, stepped forward and immediately took out the supporting paperwork.

The soldier carefully checked and stabilized it, and then sent it back: "It's time to delay you, we are also doing our business. ”

"Direction! We understand. After all, it's all for everyone's safety! Barrett nodded as he collected his proof. The two guards quickly made way for the players.

Players who walked into the city noticed that the goose-feathered snow didn't seem to make much of a difference. The flames burned all the time, and the smoke was constantly emitted from the flames. Only the white smoke emitted from the pipes swirled softly under the cold north wind.

The snow on the roads in the city is not deep, and you can see small carts full of snow and ice on both sides of the road. The ice under the eaves is melted by the heat emitted from the hearth. It wasn't long to step on the sand-sprinkled ground when a wagon filled with viscous tar headed towards the players. Occasionally, tar spilled through the cracks in the barrels. In this way, they left one black mark after another in the originally white snow.

While the air is as uncomfortable as ever, players who have been trekking in the snow for days won't care anymore. They found a hotel in the city as quickly as possible, and the group immediately moved in - there was no open space in the city to spread out the 'warm home'. Although this strange object seems to blend into its surroundings. But it's not really a part of it. After the actual molding, the area occupied is not small.

Of course, there is another reason, and that is because players are already a little tired of Barrett's big pot of soup. As the saying goes, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, just a few ingredients, even if the best cooking skills can have many changes-this snowy season, there is no way to hunt and eat! Of course, for this reason, the rest of the players dare not say. Otherwise, the next time they go back to the wilderness, most of them will be waiting for them, 'Love to eat, not to eat!' 'That's it.

After enjoying the meal that was not delicious in the inn, but was rich and varied. The players gathered in the big room they had set before. In this unfamiliar environment, Noodle habitually stood behind the door.

Rielly, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly spoke at this time: "Barrett, have you noticed, this time the inspection of the city gate is much stricter than before!" It seems that the Earl has summoned us back, and I am afraid that something big is about to happen. ”

"In such an environment with a bad line of sight, it is inevitable that the inspection of the city gate should be stricter!" Barrett, who is well aware of Boreham's collar routines, doesn't have much thought about this.

Knowing that he was inferior to Barrett's mage in this regard, he immediately lost his temper: "Okay! I'm self-inflicted on this. ”

"Do you need to worry so much? Now that we're all here, the city of Poitu isn't far away. Instead of thinking about it yourself, why don't you let Barrett ask in a few days! Stretching his waist, Clematis just lay down on the bed. Then she rolled over and said, "The mattresses here are not as good as the ones conjured up in the 'Warm Home'." ”

"That's it! All right! You don't want to think about how expensive that thing is. Naturally, it can't be compared to this kind of small hotel. Barrett also patted his mattress, "If there's nothing to do, let's rest early!" After hitting the road tomorrow morning, our destination will soon be there. ”

After leaving the Steel City the next day, the players continue to gallop south. Although the road is still under snow, Barrett, who is very familiar with Boreham, is still able to lead his companions in the right direction. Finally, before the sun completely sets, the players, who have lost a lap of their horses under their crotches, step into the gates of Poitou, a snowy trek and a final rapid march that negatively affects their mounts. According to Barrett's experience, these cute animals are not well kept for a week or two, and I am afraid that they will not be able to fully recover.

After a short rest in the hotel, Barrett got up early the next morning to take care of his personal hygiene. Horse-drawn carriages were then hired to go to the town hall according to previous experience. After requesting a meeting, Barrett waited outside City Hall for a response from the messenger.

It didn't take long for the guard who had entered the town hall to walk directly in front of Barrett: "Lord Earl is waiting for you in the office upstairs now. Need me to lead the way? ”

"Nope! No need. I've been here once before and know how to get there. Barrett nodded in understanding.

Walking into the familiar town hall, Barrett, who came to the door of the office, knocked lightly three times: "Lord Earl, Barrett is waiting outside for your reception." ”

"Come in! Remember to close the door. Immediately from behind the door came the voice of the Earl of Boreham. Barrett, who pushed the door in, immediately bowed and saluted: "I'm very sorry! I seem to be late. ”

"Nope! It's actually not too late! No one can predict this damn weather, I'm afraid you've suffered a lot along the way! The Earl of Boreham, who sat behind his desk, did not mean to blame at all, but teased Barrett with a smile.

Barrett, who heard this, straightened up: "It's not enough to endure hardship. It's just that there are a lot of detours in the snow. ”

"You didn't tell anyone why you left!" The Earl of Boreham's expression became serious, when the chatter was over.

Barrett nodded: "Didn't tell anyone." Ever since I found out that it was a secret letter, I was very careful. And in order not to be seen, we did not even dare to move with the caravan. Don't dare to hire a spellcaster to use teleportation spells. ”

"Very nice! That's a good way to do that at your age. The Earl of Boreham nodded with satisfaction, "Then do you want to know why I summoned you back this time?" ”

"I want to think about it. But if you don't tell me, I won't take the initiative to ask. If you want to tell me, you will naturally give the order. I didn't mention that topic because the timing was wrong. Letting us know too early would be a burden. Barrett was blunt.

Hearing this, the serious expression of the Earl of Boreham disappeared, and a brief smile appeared on his face: "This kind of thinking is good, it is not only good for the execution of the mission. At the same time, it can effectively ensure their own safety. Knowing too much information could make you a target for the enemy. ”

"Yes! There are not a few enemies who can threaten us at the moment. In this case, you must be careful. Barrett said with a slight hint of shame.

But the Earl of Boreham was still satisfied: "It's good to be careful. At least it's not easy to be hot-headed and do stupid things. It is especially important for young people. Remember that brains are often better than knives. (To be continued.) )