Lothar's footsteps were a little heavy, probably because he hadn't climbed such a high staircase in four years, after all, there were no tall buildings in Heartless Bay. It is also possible that the crutches he was carrying in his hand, which he had cut from driftwood that had drifted onto the beach in front of his house in Lost Heart, and had a blacksmith wrap it with a tin layer at the bottom, leaving the whole cane without any ornamentation, only a natural wooden texture. The lame tarantula, known to those who have come to Heartless Bay in the last two years. In fact, Lothar's leg was not lame, and the injuries left after fighting the demons three years ago had recovered surprisingly well under the witch's ointment and conditioning. But he just wanted to hold on to the crutch, as if without it, the weight of his back would crush him.

The staircase came to an end, and the Count blinked, the door in front of him familiar and unfamiliar. He took two deep breaths, then finally put his hand on the door and pushed it open. What greeted me was a strange smell of books mixed with herbs, complicated, but not unpleasant. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the room illuminating the large table with books and scrolls, and a man in a gray robe was writing something on his desk. When Lothar walked to the other half of the table and pulled out a chair and sat down, the gray-robed man had just finished writing the last word.

"You don't need that crutch, it doesn't mean anything other than slowing you down. Cheese wiped the ink off the quill and set it aside.

Lothar just smiled at the mage's suggestion, "At first I didn't know why I wanted to make this crutch, but then I realized that I just wanted something in my hand, not a weapon. Oh, it's hard to change old habits. By the way, I heard, you just came back?"

"Just like you, went on a long trip. But you don't need to take a boat back and forth, Longji Mountain is on it, and I really can't stand that bumpy feeling. Cheese shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the cabinet behind Lothar, "That's the souvenir I brought back, a device that could replace the crossbow in the future." However, I don't recommend that the Greylion start developing it now, it's too early. ”

The Count turned his head, and sure enough, he saw that the top floor of the six-tiered bookcase full of books was unusually empty. There were only two things in it now, one was the lantern Dawn Breath that André the Dwarf of the Hammerhammer had given to Cheese after the rat-man plague, and this lantern contained the morning light of an early morning. The other one, Lothar couldn't see the use, but since Cheese said it could replace the crossbow arrow, it was supposed to be a ranged weapon. The thing generally seems to be composed of two sticks, one long and one short, at an angle close to right angles, with the shorter side being the grip and the longer side having a cylindrical front end. There was a strange bulge outside the right-angled joint, and Lothar could not see its effect, but the trigger protruding from under the longer stick resembled a crossbow arrow.

"What's that?" the Count asked, curiously, but didn't get up to fiddle with it. Now Lothar is not so keen on weapons.

"There are so many names, but I'm not sure of its name. Let's call it a musket, it can fire a metal spear head with medicinal powder, which is faster than a crossbow arrow, but slightly worse in range. The place where I brought this stuff back was a little bigger, and the muskets could shoot farther. But the powder that detonates destroys the natural magic around it, and as a spellcaster I don't really like it. Cheese replied casually.

Lothar retracted his gaze, he had never heard of such a weapon, not even in Heartbreaker Bay, which could be found in all kinds of cargo. As a warrior, he quickly realized that if the weapon was indeed as powerful and fast as Cheese described, it would quickly change the way people thought about warfare. But since the mage said that now is not the time, let it continue to be quietly displayed on the bookshelf as a trophy. That wasn't the purpose of his visit to Cheese this time.

"You always surprise me. The Count said with a sigh.

Unexpectedly, Cheese showed a subtle expression, "No, this time you brought a bigger surprise." The details of the situation have been sent to me by the one-eyed side, and I regret it. ”

"Nothing to regret. There was still a smile on the corner of Lothar's mouth when she spoke, but this smile could not hide the sadness that would spread to eternity, "We will eventually return to our destination, the world may have no end, but there must be an end to life, right? Besides, she still kept her. ”

"Is it called Helen? Helen Siggat Montenegro, your daughter, you have given her the names of two of the most respectable people you know. As a three-year-old child, it is not easy for her to withstand the rush from Heartless Bay to the Grey Lion, and many people in this land have never traveled such a long distance in their lives. "Cheese hasn't met the Black Mountain princess who was born in the bay yet, because today is the day when Lothar and her party have just arrived in the valley.

"It's nothing, she's more energetic than me. And Captain Havedan, I mean, the captain of the Black Arrow, the guy who retired from Heartless Bay and came here to retire is pretty steady. Peg spoiled her a little too much, and I doubted that the girl really realized she was on the boat. Along with Lothar are Kirly, Peg, Hela, and the rest of the witches who yearn for a peaceful life. After the death of the Great Witch, the new leader of the Witch Order, Eaton, lifted the ban on the closure of the Lost Heart Witch Order, allowing the witches to leave the Lost Heart Bay. At the same time, Cheese also hears that the new Archwitch is actively in contact with witches scattered around the world, and it is said that she intends to revive the tradition of Witches' Nights. Whether this is good or bad, he can't see clearly for the time being.

"You're so comfortable letting her hang out with the witches, especially Kirly. "Cheese's concern is not unreasonable, witches are moody beings, and for a child who does not yet understand this, the slightest mistake can anger these spellcasters, and it will have disastrous consequences.

"She was born without a mother, and to be honest I don't know how to take care of a baby. It was Peg who fed her, so I figured if she didn't make them angry when she smeared and urine on the witch's clothes when she was a kid, she didn't do now. Speaking of her daughter, Lothar's expression turned soft, "But you did remind me that it would be better to find someone to teach her etiquette when she is older, and it is one thing to obey or not, and it is another thing to understand or not." I don't know if Gloria has the time, why don't you help me ask? No, I'll ask myself, and she still has literacy, conversation, all kinds of knowledge, she can't do anything but fight and kill like me and her mother. ”

"Why don't I teach her. Cheese said almost subconsciously, "If you don't mind if I don't have experience teaching." Don't worry, I won't teach her magic. "Jack the Wolfwalker and Lothar were probably the mage's best male friends since coming to Greylion, and he wanted to do something for the friend he hadn't seen in years.

Originally, Cheese thought that the Earl should be hesitant to let him teach his daughter, but as soon as Lothar heard his words, he immediately showed a successful expression, "Of course I can't ask for it, I don't know anyone more knowledgeable than you." And if you're worried about not having experience in teaching, why don't you take some time to give a lecture to the rats? I remember you had the title of mentor for all the rats, but Gloria said you didn't give a lecture seriously. Just for your future disciples, how about it?"

The mage opened his mouth and froze for a few seconds as he realized that he had been calculated by his old friend and Gloria, which made him laugh a little, "Okay. I'll arrange it. ”

After completing the task given to him by the nezumi lady, Lothar relaxed and lay down in the backrest behind him, he looked at the large number of books behind Cheese, and suddenly said, "The transformation magic on my body will be lifted as soon as it arrives at the blue lion." Did you do it?"

"You have the answer, don't you? I'm just a gloomy wizard who sits in this tower all year round, and has neither the ability nor the interest to spy on the kingdom. After all, magic is about the human will, and when you don't want to disguise yourself anymore, the magic used to disguise will naturally disappear. ”

"yes, that's... What about gods, what about souls, and do they exist as long as we think they exist?"

Cheese didn't answer immediately, he looked at Lothar and leaned back in his chair, "In the old days, that is, the era of what we call it, the stars in the sky were still closely related to all the spirits on the earth, and astrologers could judge the different fates of all beings by the direction of the stars. In those days, God and man lived together, and the heavens were not so high that we could not go up in any way, and the earth was not so deep and gloomy. At that time, no one would ask questions about gods and spirits, because they were real and palpable. ”

"Then the heavens became higher and the earth thicker. The stars are so far away from us that they no longer have such a close relationship with the people of the earth, and the things they foretell begin to become obscure, and even divination begins to wander between accuracy and inaccuracy, and the gods are nowhere to be found. And so magic came into being, as a way for us to go back in time to that time that was gone. But they still haven't really left us, they're still here, doing things that make us happy or painful. ”

"Nothing lasts forever, my friend. So our time will pass, and the era after us will pass, and so will the era after us. At that time, we will become the era in which we will be posterity, that time. At that time, there was still magic in the world, dragons could occasionally be seen in the sky, and the direction of the sea breeze was manipulated like the tides. ”

"We will eventually become those times. But is that something that should be sad? No. Because no matter how the world changes, there is always something that can transcend time. For example, the story, even if the name, location, and plot are gone, the core of the story will still remain and be reborn with a new look. And we will be eternal in the story. ”

(The Dawn of the Grey Tower: The Boat Song of the Heartless Bay, End)