At three o'clock in the afternoon, Austin and his party arrived at the City Lord's Mansion on time.

Unlike the manor houses in the south, the architecture in the north is mostly dominated by castles. The Beiwangcheng City Lord's Mansion is not so much a castle as a solid fortress, with large-caliber shotguns on thick stone walls, and a fortress cannon every ten meters. As the afterglow swept by, Austin seemed to see the shadow of several heavy cannons.

The castle is like a giant beast with its mouth wide open, and the coldness in its eyes silently intimidates those who dare to approach it. And those who are still going to enter, must be prepared to be devoured.

Even if the Northern Barbarians break through Beiwang City, they will still pay a heavy price if they take the City Lord's Mansion, and no one will be suspicious of this.

Passing through the steel wall, Gucci appeared in front of everyone and led the group to the gate of the main castle building, where Austin and the others were surprised to see Zoro personally go out to meet them.

Without any doubt, Austin knew at a glance that it was Sauron, the one who really exercised the power of "City Lord" in Beiwang City.

Sauron was not tall, perhaps because of his injuries in his early years, and even a little rickety, wrapping himself in a thick thick thick coat in the cold wind. His face can be said to be a little heroic, even if the years have crushed the once straight backbone of this old man who is nearly seventy years old, it still can't erase his high-spirited look at all times.

Unlike those famous conspirators, no matter what he had done, there was no trace of gloom and coldness on his face, but he had a sunny kindness, and the eyes of Austin and others were like the old people in the family looking at their beloved juniors.

It's a pity, perhaps from the heart, Zoro's huge hooked nose spoils the beauty of the whole face, and although there are no flaws in the smile, it always makes people feel a little awkward. It's not treachery or hypocrisy, it's just plain incongruity.

Zoro seemed to be ignorant of the situation, and greeted Austin and the others with a smile that he thought was bright, and exaggerated his arms to give Austin a warm hug.

"I have long heard of the prestige of His Excellency Baron Austin, and now I see that it is really magnificent, heroes are young people, we are still old, and we can't compare to the vigor of your young people. ”

As Sauron approached, Austin felt a strong smell of men's perfume come to his face, while concealing a hint of imperceptible decay, as if it had been a spice that had been placed for many years in the gloomy and humid weather.

Finally breaking free from Zoro's embrace, Austin took a slight step back and saluted the thin old man who was half a head lower than himself, and those who followed him followed suit.

Gucci's brow furrowed slightly, as if he was a little dissatisfied with Austin's response. Sauron didn't say anything, smiled and led Austin towards the castle.

The gate of the castle retains the original color of the cyan stone, and is not decorated with ostentatious paints as some nobles do, but is carved with reliefs, which seem to be a part of a battlefield.

The group continued to walk inside, and found that behind the gate that was not very majestic was a long corridor, and the main hall was the main hall for the reception, and on both sides was the side hall and the roundabout staircase, which did not know where it led.

Sauron took the lead, walked to the main seat at the end of the hall and sat down, and took off the large coat that wrapped his body, and underneath it was a simple armor. Due to its special material, the armor was obviously very light, but the flickering black light on it and the alchemical carvings that lit up from time to time made Austin not doubt its defensive power in the slightest.

The main seat is carved out of red stone, in the shape of a hideous five-headed snake, and the entrenched snake body and the towering snake head form the shape of the palm, which follows the curve of Sauron's body after sitting down, allowing him to receive guests in the most suitable position.

The stone continued to emit fiery energy, warming the entire main hall, and Zoro sat on it as if he didn't feel the burn, revealing a comfortable expression, wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, as if soaking in a slightly hot spring.

There was no imaginary tension at the scene, and it seemed that the two sides were in the best state of getting along. Indeed, there is no unnecessary conflict between Austin and Zoro, and even the oppression released by Gucci when he comes to the door may be just a personal act, and Zoro may not know about it.

The entourage was no longer necessary, and was arranged to rest in the side hall, and the four of Austin, Anna, and other guests of honor, remained in the hall and sat below Zoro. Looking at Sauron rubbing the armrest from this angle, his previous fatigue was swept away, as if a real king was inspecting his realm.

Austin looked at the walls around him, he was curious about the reliefs he had seen before, and sure enough, the four walls of the main hall were still carved with the epic war.

Angels are born of light, draw their weapons from the flames, sing hymns of praise to God the Father, and make a fearless charge to the earth.

On the other side, countless monsters poured out of the cracks in the earth, the winged lion tiger, the white wolf with scales, and the giant serpent with bone spurs, like an endless tide, roaring into the sky, with a large thick fog, clustered around a figure whose shape could not be seen clearly, but only knew to be very large, as if worshipping their king, as if praying for help.

The two sides are sandwiched between the forests of the earth, and surprisingly there are no humans, most of them are various alien races that appeared in ancient times, suffering from the scorching flames and the corrosive fog on the other, and letting out a silent wail.

"Mr. Austin seems to be interested in this relief?" the hall was silent for a long time, and the attendants stood aside without daring to breathe, and at last, Sauron asked with a smile.

Austin came back to his senses and said, "Lord Sauron smiled, this relief seems to describe a war. I didn't know anything about sculpture or history, but I was amazed by the grandeur of the scene and the elaborate workmanship described in this mural, which is absolutely rare in the world. ”

Zoro nodded with some satisfaction and said, "Actually, I don't know anything about bullshit art, people like us know more about blood and gold. Many years ago, when my castle was first built, a young artist who had traveled around the continent asked him to create an epic relief mural, and I asked him to try it, but it wasn't until two years ago that he finished the work and left. ”

Moroji said on the side: "It seems that Lord Sauron is indeed famous, and there have long been people who have been among the dragons and phoenixes, and all kinds of characters want to work for you. ”

The praise made by the honest face is always easier to believe, and even if the content is a bit far-fetched, it makes Zoro feel very comfortable and accept it with a smile.

"I wonder what the name of this masterpiece is?" Austin asked.

"There is no name, the sculptor said that it describes the early days of the coexistence of all races in the world in ancient times, the so-called decisive battle between the gods and the devils of the other world, human beings have not yet appeared, or they are not qualified to enter this main hall and act as the suffering masses. If you wish, you might find the shadow of early humans in a corner of this castle, behind the layers of aliens. ”

Sauron's words seemed to be a little disrespectful to God the Father and the Holy See, and to be precise, contrary to the teachings of the Holy See of Seamus, but Austin was not stupid enough to exercise the power of the magistrate of the Inquisition, but he did not answer.

Seeing that Austin was as cautious as ever in his words and deeds, Zoro's eyes finally flashed with interest, put away the somewhat uncomfortable smile, leaned slightly sideways in a serious manner, supported his chin on his still strong fingers, and said, "If Mr. Austin is willing, how about helping me choose a name for this work?"

Austin was shocked, he was immersed in the shocking war scene for some reason just now, and now he recalled the name Sauron used in the last sentence, "we", he seemed to be courting himself?