23 "Characteristics" that make you different

The cool wind blew through the sea, over the mountains, and across the plains, driving away the last heat over the Dream Hill and kicking off the coming autumn. Under the towering cedar tree, Kolan was sitting down leaning against the thick trunk and bending her legs, her eyes naturally closed, and a faint smile on her quiet face, as if she was enjoying a beautiful dream. On the side of the lawn, white flowers are placed, and the petals nod gently in the breeze.

At this time, it was September 14th, and after two months of running and turning, Kelan returned to her hometown, which took half a month longer than she originally planned. After disembarking from the ship, Koran asked Parrett to inquire about various news in the city, and then went to the cedar tree in the Dream Hill to relive the good memories of that year.

Not far away came the sound of soft horses' hooves, which gradually approached, and the rider dismounted from his horse......

"Little Barty, don't fall when you go uphill." Kelan said softly, her eyes not open.

Kolan's adopted son, Barty Dutwid, who is over sixty years old, came to the fir tree with a white bouquet in his hand and respectfully placed the bouquet next to the lawn monument, "I am no longer a child, mother. ”

"You will always be a child in my eyes." Kran opened his eyes and got up to hug Barty, "How do you know I'm back?" ”

"A servant said that he saw the strong man you were with when you last came in the city, so I guess you can only come here if you don't go home." Barty said, leashing his horse at the same time, "By the way, Mother, the last time you came back, you said that you had found the clue to what your father had entrusted you with, is it related to this fight against the 'Curse of the Stars'?" ”

"Hey, it's okay," Kran replied, a hint of sadness on his face, "but as long as it lasts for half a year, the 'curse of the stars' will be a thing of the past forever, my child." ”

"Can you elaborate on that?" Barty asked with great concern, in fact, wondering what fate her mother would face in the midst of this.

Klan smiled and shook his head, and instead of answering the question, he asked Barty, "How is Komet preparing here?" ”

Barty replied a little helplessly: "Since the Grand Duke returned last month with Spreett's weapons and steamship, he has summoned the nobles and us big merchants to discuss how to plan for this crucial year. Armies can be recruited to replenish their troops, but there are no factories that can produce those weapons, and if they are not built on a temporary basis, they will be wasted. That's why we decided to prioritize the construction of shelters for civilians, using the mines that we had dug in the mountains, and they were all protected by thick layers of soil and hard stones, which would definitely withstand the disasters that followed......"

Kelan smiled and shook his head, "Barty, you know-"

- Know to fear your opponents and don't easily feel that you are prepared. I know that, Mother. So I also contacted my friends at Floating Turtle Island, and they also promised to provide shelter for civilians in Komet next year. ”

"Ah, it's great that they're willing to help!" Kelan sighed in surprise, as if he remembered a story from a long time ago.

Barty added: "Yes, they haven't forgotten how kind you were to them back then. ”

"Hey, I didn't expect all these years to pass......" Kelan said with a wave of his hand, not thinking that he had done something great, "That's fine, don't take everyone together to take refuge in one place, you must understand this...... Also, what are the moves of the Green Dragon mercenaries? ”

"After Elder Agatha's death......" Barty hesitated for a moment, looking at her mother's expression, "the Green Dragon mercenaries have abandoned the Green Dragon Fortress, and now they are all opening new shelters and fortifications in the mountains, and they will occasionally send people to the city market to buy large quantities of building materials and food, and we will send people to help them transport them to the mountains. I went there once and saw that they dug deep caves and trenches and stored quite a lot of food supplies...... But the other day I heard that they didn't have enough money, so I ......."

Kelan understood what Barty meant: "Hey, as before, unconditionally fund them." ”

"We've done that, and in fact half of the family's assets have been used up in just one month, donating to the state or building civilian shelters – it's a lot of money."

"We can save more people, money is just something outside of the body, and there is no need to hesitate to invest the remaining half of the assets." After speaking, Kelan looked in the direction of the city, and saw that there were several more military camps next to the bustling town than before, and the overall look was very incongruous.

"Yes, Mother...... Where are you going next? Would you like to go home for a meal? Barty asked with concern.

"There's no hurry, I'll be staying for a long time this time, so I'm going to figure something out now." Kelan said, and began to walk towards the bottom of the Dream Hill.

"You can ride my horse ......"

Klan didn't respond, and left straight away, and by the time Barty let go of the reins and rode after her, she was gone.

……

We can all guess where Koran has gone, and the answer is naturally the Green Dragon Fortress. The gate was closed but unlocked, and Kelan entered the unguarded interior of the fortress, passing the foyer, the council chamber, and the common room along the way, and the past was as vivid as yesterday...... Eventually, they came to Elder Agatha's bedroom. Since there were no windows, Kolan lit candles and oil lamps in the room and inspected the furnishings, which were slightly dusty but neatly arranged, indicating that someone was occasionally cleaning the place.

"Okay teacher, I'm here to look for clues." Kelan muttered to himself, "If it was in the past, you wouldn't have let me in, now let me see what you've left behind...... Why do you and Carl keep looking for me? ”

We recall that Elder Agatha wrote in the letter that the mole entrusted to Kolan was written: "...... It's no accident that you've met Carl Dutved and I've met me in your life, in fact we're looking for you – yes, your husband and I have known each other for a long time, and we've been looking for you......"

Kolan went straight to his desk and rummaged through the drawers: if there were any clues, they would usually be written objects such as diaries or letters, which would naturally be kept in the desk he used most often.

Sure enough, Klan found several letters in the bottom drawer, three of which were written by Karl Dutved, Klan's husband, to Elder Agatha, as described in the previous letter: Agatha and Karl had known each other for a long time.

Kolan drew out three letters and arranged them chronologically, one in 1730 and two in 1731.

"When I was twelve...... "When I saw this vintage, Kelan seemed to recall the past a long time ago, she couldn't wait to open the first letter, and saw her husband's handwriting again, Kelan felt a long and familiar feeling in her heart, and her eyes moistened slightly......

Drying away tears and putting on wide-rimmed glasses, Kolan began to read the first letter:

"February 1, 1730. Agatha, I heard that you have been successfully elected as the new elder of the Green Dragon Mercenary Organization, congratulations. I used my position last month to gather some information about the purple comet, but so far I have only recorded one observation of this comet, and I have to check whether the cycle is 16 or 24 years, but it could be 8 or 4 years...... Also, the copy of Pala Dax's notes that you sent me last time contains a very strange dialogue, most likely the legendary 'Voice of the Future', and I'm working on the details of it, and I'll mark the page numbers and paragraphs later, and you can help me see if I have any clues......"

There was no more useful information in the first letter, and the mention of the "Voice of the Future" reminded Koran of what Umi Ryu had said on the halfway island about the orb of light summoned with the magic of precognition, and the two were supposed to be the same thing. "It seems that the clues can be connected...... "Kelan thought to herself, and after checking the contents of the first letter again, and making sure that nothing important was left behind, she opened the second letter-

"Agatha, January 12, 1731, I think you have a right guess, that the reason why the written records are so strange is the reason you say, and if that is the case, I think we can even find such a man now, or someday in the future...... Yes, I believe that this is also the reason why the surname Dutved can be mentioned in such a form, it is definitely no coincidence! So next you have to entrust the Green Dragon mercenaries to pay attention to the people with this 'trait', there must be nothing wrong! ……”

The second letter is short, but the content is noteworthy: Karl and Agatha determine who they are looking for, and this person has something that distinguishes them. "Obviously, this person is me...... But what 'characteristics' do I have that caught their attention? How is this feature recognized? Kelan didn't rush to read the third letter, but she couldn't think of any unusual "characteristics" of herself, maybe there would be an answer in the next letter-

"Agatha, December 22, 1731, if what you say is true, it will be the most significant contribution we have made to breaking the curse of the stars, and I still can't believe that there really is such a person. Is it really that coincidental in Komet? I'll follow your advice and get over there, but I have to finish my work first...... It may take another year or two or so, so please protect her during this time...... I really can't wait, but now Obey is mobilizing warships to rush to the southern seas, and he may have to attack Komet! Bless this letter must be sent to ......"

"I see," said Koran, putting down his letter and muttering to himself, "at the Battle of the Gulf of Komet at the beginning of 1732, when I was fourteen years old, I saw the cruelty of the battlefield for the first time, but my mother smeared the blood of the enemy on my face and kept me smiling...... This is the culture of war in Komet......"

Obviously, the third letter did not answer Kelan's doubts, what characteristics did he have that attracted the attention of the two? Kelan quickly read the other letters, and looked elsewhere on the desk and in the bookcase, but found no other valuable clues.

"It seems that the teacher doesn't keep a diary......," Kelan said, taking off his glasses and returning the letters and other items to their places, "what is it...... Well? Kelan pondered, and suddenly noticed someone approaching outside the fortress.

"Kolan! Are you in there? It was Parrett's booming voice.

"Hey, I'm here!" Klan replied loudly, extinguishing the lights in the room, and went outside the fort to ask Parrett, "How did you know I was here?" She had asked a similar question not long ago.

Parrett, riding one horse and leading another, explained, "I met Lord Barty in the city, and he didn't worry about looking for you everywhere, saying that you were probably here, so let me come and see you." ”

Kelan smiled helplessly and whispered, "Sure enough, it's still a child." ”

"This horse gives you ...... Where to go next? Parrett handed the reins to Koran.

As if he suddenly remembered something, Kelan asked seriously, "Parrett, do you think there are any unique and distinctive 'characteristics' in me?" ”

Parrett's eyes widened and he scratched his head—he never expected Klan to ask him such a question.

"This ...... I guess it's a reassuring temperament......" Parrett replied after a moment's thought.

Kelan smiled self-deprecatingly and shook her head, maybe this answer is not so easy to find, maybe the current worries are just mediocre self-disturbance, but even if she doesn't explore the answer now, this answer will one day take the initiative to reveal itself.

"Thank you." She thanked Parrett for the compliment, mounted her horse and greeted, "Follow me, you haven't been to our house yet, have you?" ”

"Oh yes...... Do you want to go home now? ”

"Hey, go home!" Koran tightened the reins and let the horse gallop.

Yes, the answer lies ahead.