Shadow Realm.

Gawain doesn't know how the current human nations understand the Shadow Realm, but in those inherited memories, the Gondor Empire more than 700 years ago has done some research in this area - those scholars who have been exhausted all day long in front of boring texts and data, staring at the lattice ruler buried in the magic well, to speculate on the real appearance of the world, and there is a classic model used to describe the "layering" of the world.

In this classical model, scholars believe that the world is divided into several "boundaries", of which the top layer is the most stable material realm, which has laws to follow, can be directly contacted, easy to observe, and is also the boundary where most of the world's creatures live; Below the material realm is the shadow realm, which is a distorted reflection of the material realm, which cannot be directly touched and observed by ordinary humans, but can be perceived and measured through magic and spiritual skills; Further down from the Shadow Realm is the Shadow Realm, which is a more delusional and mysterious area, a reflection of the Shadow Realm, which has reached the point where no magic and spiritual power can be explored, and some lucky magicians have caught a few shadow creatures with basic reason and can communicate, only to guess the existence of the Shadow Realm from the words of those creatures.

And some radical scholars have expanded this classic model, believing that there may be a deeper layer below the shadow world, but that layer already belongs to the realm of the gods, and is the "foundation of origin" laid by the creator god when he created this world, and it is no longer a category that mortals can study.

In Gao Wen's understanding, this model is like layers of translucent brown paper, the real world is at the forefront, and the shadow of this real image is projected on the layers of paper, and the further back it goes, the more blurred and distorted.

He and Amber are on the back of the first sheet of paper, the Shadow Realm.

Even if it's just the second layer, it's already a place that most humans have never set foot in.

He wisely didn't ask Amber why she had the ability to enter the Shadow Realm at this time—and judging from Amber's words, it was the first time she had "entered such a deep place", and most of the questions would have been answered.

There are still many secrets in this world to be explored, and many things cannot be understood after hanging in the sky for many years.

After a simple judgment, Gawain felt that following Betty's footsteps was the only breakthrough point.

But before leaving the scene, he still looked back a little uneasily, Hetty, Rebecca and the others were still frozen there in the state of "porcelain dolls", their bodies were resisting the invasion of the fog of wraiths in the real world, but in the projection of the shadow world, they were frozen at the moment of attack, and the black mist that seeped out of the ground was constantly disintegrating them.

Luckily, judging by the speed of those fog erosions, they still have some time.

"Maybe that's the true state of the Wraith Mist," Amber glanced at Gawain's gaze, shook her head, and said, "How much would this discovery be worth if we sold it to the Arcane Society or the Astral Wizards' Guild?" ”

"They'll fill you with a bunch of potions and tie a recording hedron to your head, and the last banishment will throw you into the Shadow Realm to use as a human detective," Gawain glanced at Amber, "Keep up, it's important to get down to business." ”

Amber was still chattering while following behind Gao Wen: "But I can let you come forward, how can you say that you are also the founding ancestor of Ansu, can they still pour potions into the ancestors?" ”

"What do you think?" Gawain tugged at the corners of his mouth, "They are willing to hang me on the wall, write on the book, and offer me on the table, and even the king is willing to lead the whole family to personally put a bouquet for me every year and give himself three days off by the way - there is no risk and he can earn a good reputation, but if this old ancestor really jumps out of the coffin, the first reaction of the wave of people who offered me on the table before is probably to press me back into the coffin, and then nail more than 200 nails in all directions, and it is estimated that the ruthless ones will be filled with lead......"

Amber was stunned: "Why?!" ”

Gawain glanced at this half-elf who was not enlightened, and threw it back angrily: "Because the three-day tomb sweeping leave in the country is gone!" ”

After saying this, Gawain strode forward, leaving Amber to react behind for a long time before suddenly shouting: "Wait a minute! You're mistaken! There will be no holidays when you sweep the grave! Only when the founding king is commemorated, there are only three days off! You died early, so I don't know......"

Gawain almost fell headlong.

However, although Amber was dismissed from selling the information of the Shadow Realm, Gawain had his own plans, and he was curious about the Shadow Realm, or rather, ...... He was curious about the whole world.

So one day, he's going to figure it all out.

The footprints didn't go far.

Perhaps it was the special environment of the Shadow Realm that it was difficult for the material world to judge distance and distance to take effect here, and Gawain and Amber only walked a short distance along the footprints before a wooden house suddenly appeared in front of them.

The hut was small and dilapidated, and I don't know how long it had been here, but around the hut there was a circle of broken fences, and judging by the sparseness of the fences, I am afraid that it could no longer serve any defensive purpose. And in the corner of the wooden house, Gawain noticed a splash of color.

It was the color of moss, and it stood out in this black-and-white world, and that little bit of color was fading rapidly over time.

Betty's footprints stretched all the way to the door of the wooden house.

Amber pulled out his small dagger and nervously gestured on his chest: "Wait for your old man to rush in directly with the gods to cut melons and vegetables, and I will press you in the back......"

Gawain thought for a moment, resisting the urge to throw her in with her amber collar and mine it, and instead pressed one hand on the hilt of the Pioneer Sword, and with the other hand carefully pushed open the gray-white door.

However, no attacks struck.

The inside of the wooden house is just an ordinary room, old and dilapidated, like an old black and white photograph.

But there are people inside.

A bearded man in a shabby robe sat behind a square table in the middle of the cabin, so haggard and vicissitudes that Gawain could not tell his true age, and behind this man, two wooden shelves filled with jars and jars and an old alchemy table could be seen.

Everywhere in the room, you can see the devices needed to conduct magical experiments, but they are all piled up with more tattered debris, and any normal mage will probably want to cry when they see this shabby and miserable scene.

The man behind the square table looked up and looked in Gawain's direction, and he showed a stiff smile: "Ah, the guest - it's been a long time since a guest has come to my lab. And it's two? ”

Amber poked her little head out from Gawain's side, and the half-elf girl's face was full of vigilance: "No...... Don't fight? ”

Gawain didn't draw his sword, but he didn't let his hand go too far from the hilt of the sword, and he walked into the cabin in a ready state of attack: "We passed by here, and came to find someone—it was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, and she was holding a frying pan ......"

However, the man behind the table didn't seem to hear Gawain's words, he just smiled sluggishly and nodded slightly: "Please find a place to sit, Anne is preparing lunch, and I can't find a place to rest in the deep mountains and old forests, so if you don't dislike it, stay here to eat." ”

"Annie?" Gawain asked subconsciously.

"It's my daughter," the man laughed, "very well-behaved." ”

At this time, a girl's exclamation came from the side: "Master? ”

Gawain followed the prestige and saw Betty standing by a small door in the corner of the cabin with a surprised expression.

"Betty? It's good that you're okay," Gawain breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm here to pick you up." ”

However, Betty shook her head slightly, and the man behind the square table also looked at the little girl and asked gently, "Anne, is lunch ready?" ”

Betty nodded obediently, "It's almost there, Dad." ”

The little girl turned and went back to the kitchen, and Gawain and Amber exchanged a look, and after making sure that the strange man behind the square table was not reacting, they followed.

Betty was cooking in the kitchen, using her baby-like pan. A pale flame danced in the stove, and sausages on the pan sizzled from frying.

Amber's focus was very strange: "You can even cook in the Shadow Realm?" ”

"What's going on?" Gawain came over to Betty and asked in a low voice.

Judging by the little girl's demeanor, she was not affected by spells such as mind control, but she stayed here to cook of her own volition, and called the strange man outside "Daddy" - which was a bit strange.

"I don't really understand," Betty said with the same confused look on her face, "but the guy out there seems to be a treat on me for his daughter......"

Amber's eyes widened: "Then you treat people as fathers so obediently?" ”

Betty shook her head: "He's pathetic...... So I just wanted to cook him a meal before leaving. ”

Gawain and Amber looked at each other.

Then Betty suddenly reached into her maid's skirt pocket and took out an old notebook and handed it to Gawain.

"Master, give it - this is from that man, I can't understand a lot of things in it, but you should be able to understand it."

Knowing suspiciously, Gawain took the not-so-thick notebook, opened it, and hurriedly flipped through the last few pages of the record.

Amber leaned her head forward curiously, "What?" I'll take a look, I'll see...... Magic formula? Rune sorting? ”

Miss Half-Elf, who was confused by those complex symbols and calculations, raised her head and looked at Gawain with a confused expression: "It turns out that that strange old man is still a mage?" ”

"Strictly speaking, a wild mage," Gawain rolled up his notebook and tapped it on Amber's head, "and didn't you see it when you entered the door and saw so many magical experimental equipment!" ”