The empire is thriving, and although Alan and Edward have heard of many big names, it is impossible for them to know all of them. The two of them couldn't think of who the big boss behind the Golden Falcon would be, but Mark arrived this time, and only acquired their batch of equipment war horses, so he didn't say anything further, which made the two of them feel that the backer behind him was a bit unfathomable.

It was a light day and a clear breeze.

The ancient castle under the lonely peak of the northern land, which has not been seen for a few days, is very different from the gloomy and silent appearance before. The black-iron openwork gates, once covered with vines, have been repainted and now look solemn. In the plaza through the gate, the weed-infested and tattered floor has been completely repaired, and the square tiles make the pavement smooth and pleasant. The dilapidated stone sculptures were completely replaced, and the fountain in the square, which had been covered with leaves, was refilled with clear water, and the carp stone sculpture in the center of the pool was constantly splashing in all directions.

Inside the previously dimly lit castle, the servants re-polished the narrow high windows, and the dark red carpet that had been bitten by rats was replaced with a blazing color. The old candelabra stained with spider silk has been replaced with a gold-lacquered wall lamp, and even the century-old lampstand in the lobby of the castle has been given a new look.

Nowadays, the castle is brightly lit, and with servants walking around, it is full of popularity, and it is no longer the ghost realm of the past.

Not to mention the castle, even the world outside the castle is full of life.

Some wooden huts have already taken shape on the land outside the fort, craftsmen are ploughing the earth to build roads, and gardeners are preparing to plant newly purchased saplings along the roads. In the distance stands a majestic knight's stone sculpture, where a small square is to be built. Farther away, long-abandoned fields are being reorganized, and the newly arrived farmers are busy planting the seeds of the first crops in the spring.

It is conceivable that it will not be long before there will be another town outside the castle. The old butler stood on one of the terraces of the castle, and his nose was filled with the fragrance of flowers and plants that had just been placed on the terrace. He looked at the busy world outside the fort and was excited.

Footsteps rang out behind him.

A majestic voice with a bit of gentleness sounded: "Charlie, you should rest in the house, your body needs to be adjusted for a few more days." ”

The old butler turned and looked at the dignified man who was walking towards him. As if going back in time, he saw the man in front of him when he was a child, at that time he had soft black hair, and his two clear eyes seemed to be able to reflect the whole world. The old butler laughed: "Young master, it would be nice if the master and the lady could see us like this." ”

"They'll see." The man looked up at the sky and muttered, "They'll always see." ”

Then with a wave of his hand, two maids stepped forward and helped the old butler down. After the old man left, the middle-aged housekeeper came on foot and handed the man a letter. The man opened it, and after reading the letter, his eyebrows twisted slightly, and then he sighed: "The Bolin family really has some luck, there are empress scorpions and scorpion nests to drag the two outdated ten saints, so they can't kill that Nizi." It's a pity, such a good opportunity. ”

The middle-aged butler asked beside him, "Do you make any more arrangements, there is still a long way to go from Sardinia City to the Bolin family's Tsutahualing." ”

"No need, as soon as Becca Taelu came out, the Boleyn family was already alarmed. It's a long way to go, but Stamm and Sharan aren't fuel-efficient lamps, and I think the Boleyn family has sent someone to pick them up on the way. Unless I go there myself, it won't help at all. The man rubbed his hands together, and the paper spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into ashes and flying under the terrace. The man stared into the distance: "But I can't go, if I go, it will be a full-scale war." Right now...... It's not time yet. ”

South, wild highlands.

Spring always comes earlier in the south, especially in the wilderness of the highlands, which is close to Violet Harbor, not only does the temperature rise quickly, but the warm ocean currents also blow into this highland area early, causing the humidity in the jungle to rise, forming a special climate of sultry heat. When everything wakes up in spring, everything is not always welcome, and the long-legged spotted mosquito in the wild highlands is definitely a disgusting creature.

After a long winter, the weather warms up, and the mosquito multiplies, thanks to the humid climate of the highlands, reproduces quickly and abundantly. During the day, it is fine, but in the evening, they will haunt the jungle in droves, making the creatures of the highlands miserable. Except for a few creatures, as well as some strong individuals whose aura makes the spotted mosquito dare not approach, there are few creatures in the Wild Highlands that they dare not provoke.

Recently, there have been some new creatures in the highland jungle.

Mankind.

This is the creature that the spotted mosquito likes, and their blood is sweet and tasty, much sweeter than other creatures. But humans know how to use tools, such as jungle tents that are so thick that even light cannot penetrate them, that they are difficult fortresses for mosquitoes to overcome. Even if one or two lucky mosquitoes burrow into the tent, they will kill a gas that emits a strange scent, which is harmless to humans.

Luckily, humans don't stay in tents all day, and during the day they work by a large lake that has bottomed out. Although mosquitoes don't like to be in the sun, there are so many places to hide at the bottom of the lake that they tend to hide in swarms somewhere in the dark. Just wait for humans to appear, and it will be covered like a dark cloud. The first few times humans suffered a big loss, and soon they learned to be smart.

During the operation, they put on coveralls similar to tent materials, so that mosquitoes could not get their hands on them. They also sprayed mosquito repellent on the operation area, causing the mosquitoes to die in pieces. After about ten days, there are few mosquitoes near the lake.

On this day, as soon as Kuru woke up, he heard his assistant shouting outside, "My lord." Mistress Kuru, the entrance to the ruins has been cleared. Hearing this, the pain in Kuru's whole body disappeared. He quickly put on the gold-rimmed robe on a black background that represented the Ancient Ruins Investigation Committee, pinned a gray-and-white coat of arms engraved with books and shovels to his chest, and finally grabbed a wooden battle made from the trunk of a highland tree, and hurried out.

The assistant Yumi is a young and clever young man who has been an apprentice to Kuru for seven or eight years. His soft, flaxen hair refracted in circles of light in the faint golden sunlight of the morning, just like the unstoppable excitement in Yumi's eyes. He helped Kuru, who was already close to his sixtieth birthday, and gestured: "Today, the silt at the bottom of the lake has been almost cleared, and we have found a few things that resemble drains. It turned out that it did lead to the inside of the ruins, and with half a day's work, it should be possible to organize an advance team to conduct a preliminary investigation inside the ruins. ”

"That's good news, my dear Yumi." Kuru also patted the young man's shoulder excitedly: "You know what? This is the second ancient ruin found in our country after the Blood King's Graveyard. But with the Blood King's Graveyard as a precedent, we have to be a little more cautious. However, based on the environment and mountain materials in the Highlands, I'm sure this ruin is not as large as the Blood King's Graveyard. But whatever, we have to keep this second ancient relic firmly in our hands, and we can't give Pierre's bastard a chance to intervene. ”

There was not always harmony in the commission of inquiry, with many scholars and researchers forming their own factions, and the competition was fierce in the shadows. A team like Kuru's was originally a relatively powerful member of the committee. This time, they were able to win the investigation work of the Wild Highlands, thanks to this status on the edge of the border, and the other investigation teams were reluctant to run to the Wild Highlands because of the big cake of the Blood King's Graveyard. In addition, there was a general suspicion in the investigation of whether there was another ancient ruin in the Wild Highlands.

Who would have thought that Kuru had really won the jackpot this time, and he actually found a second ancient ruin in the wild highlands. As a result, the task of excavating the ruins fell to him, and the Empire not only provided sufficient funds for this, but also directly transferred a Bucks Army Corps, with the bloodmane general Keller in charge. It's just that the entrance to the ruins is actually opened in the bottom of the lake for some reason, and a lot of silt is piled up.

After a long winter, the sludge froze like iron, making it a hassle to excavate. If it weren't for the fact that the weather is warmer and the silt is gradually softening, I don't know when it will be cleaned up.

Kuru excitedly and his young assistant went to the shore of the big lake, where several working platforms were set up and simple lifting equipment was set up. On the west side of the lake, the mud that has been cleared from the bottom of the lake has formed a hill, and even so, most of the workers in the lake are still stuck in the mud with half their legs. Kuru stood on one of the wooden platforms, and in the distance he could see several large holes in the mountain wall on the other side, which looked like the exit of some kind of drainage channel. There is now a lot of rubble there, which is more troublesome than cleaning up the silt.

In order to complete the operation as soon as possible, the captain of the hundred-person team even went into battle in person and used the source power to blast down the rocks so as to clear the entrances of these ruins.

At this time, the attention of the people on the shore of the lake was all about the entrances, so that when some bubbles bubbled unnaturally in the mud at the bottom of the lake, no one immediately noticed. After a while, suddenly a worker in a mosquito repellent suit screamed: "Something bites me, something bites me." ”

Kuru was stunned, and then the cries rang out one after the other. Yumi, who was next to him, saw two snakes emerging from the mud in a muddy field near the platform. The triangular head was held high, and it bit down on the legs of a nearby worker.

Another scream.

Finally, people found that in the mud layer at the bottom of the lake, snakes appeared out of nowhere. There are so many snakes that the whole bottom of the lake seems to be "boiling", as if you have stepped into a snake's den. It's just that this snake den is a little too big!