The flames embedded in the rock walls on both sides of the tunnel gradually faded with the passage of time, and the mine workers who lined up in a row could not keep silent and began to whisper, especially most of the young people with injuries on their bodies, sensing some kind of looming crisis, the fear of darkness was like the hideous hand of ghosts grasping their traumatized hearts, and they could no longer satisfy the muffled whispering conversation, and the louder and louder voices dispelled the quiet atmosphere, and the narrow corridor became a bustling downtown in the business district.

Walking at the back of the line, Princein clenched his hands into fists and squeezed to the front of the line, the mine hires were initially very unhappy with this kind of cutting in the line, but for the sake of the wise 'guides', they simply swallowed the curses of the profanity and the useless curses back into their stomachs, and only waited until he was far away to whisper a few words to Princeteen, just as he had done to Aldrich Tris.

Coming to the side of the hired man Foreman Bandeco, he also wanted to ask what was going on, Princein spread his palm, revealing two dazzling flame gems, the fire element in it had only shrunk by one percent, except for the irregular corners that became translucent, the rest of the part was like a burning fire block.

The knight had already heard the footsteps behind him, and the light of fire from behind his shoulder immediately made him understand what was going on, but his steps did not stop in the slightest, but slightly quickened the rhythm of the alternating pace.

"I've thought about it, three flame gems probably won't support us to reach the end of the secret passage, and it's too wasteful to use them for lighting, so it's better to hold them in your hands to meet the needs of unpreparedness. After lowering his voice to explain, Princeteen lifted his chin and gestured to the broad back of Aldrich Triss in front of him.

Deco thought about it, didn't find anything wrong in it, and immediately agreed. As the oldest hired worker in the Snake Mine, his eyes had long been accustomed to the dim environment, so the secret passage to the cold mountain became dim, which did not affect the mood of the foreman of the hire.

"I'm just worried about the journey, it doesn't seem to be end, how long it takes, I guess it's almost an hour. Prince, tell me the truth, when will you arrive at your destination?"

The guide, who had only read the relevant content in his grandfather's notes and did not know the length of the secret passage, was originally going to use some nice nonsense to prevaricate Deco's curiosity, but when he saw the seriousness in the eyes of the foreman of the hire, he immediately suppressed his tongue and secretly estimated the distance between Eastwood City and Cold Mountain, removed the interference of the undulating terrain, and then deducted his own footsteps to come up with a vague answer.

"From the starting point, in about three hours, we will arrive at our destination, an ancient site in the shady foothills of the snow-capped cold mountains. ”

Aldrich Tris, who was silent, gave a rare sense of humor, "You really don't know exactly how time passes, in fact the team has been in the secret passage for more than three hours, and I still don't see the end of the secret passage, and there are no obvious signs related to the destination. ”

Princeteen was silent for a while, originally planning to taunt the Knight of Triss fiercely as a tribute, and then remembered that he would not lie and deceive people, and there was no need to do so, after all, the knights' credit was still very reliable, and they had a strong sense of time, so he immediately changed his words, "How do you know that three hours have passed?"

Aldrich didn't look back, still moving at a constant pace, "Considering that many people in the team were injured, the rhythm of my legs alternating slowed down by half, sixty times a minute, three thousand six hundred steps an hour, and I took more than 10,000 steps in my mind. ”

Prince, who was extremely sensitive to numbers, immediately caught the loophole of the Knight of Tris, "It's only ten thousand times, but it's two hours and three quarters, and there are still fifteen minutes to reach the destination, and we will wait until three hours." ”

Knight Tris glanced sideways at the guide slightly, and then lightly bowed his forehead: "Yes, it's only eight thousand steps, and we are about to arrive at Cold Mountain, so there is really no need to hurry." ”

Hearing this, Deco's eyes suddenly lit up, "There are fifteen minutes to leave the secret passage!" ”

"No!" Aldridge and Princeteen said at the same time to stop the foolish idea of the foreman, and the guide, who was disgusted with Tris, did not expect to maintain a tacit understanding on this matter, and he did not want to offend his friend who was not far behind him with his ears pricked up, so he humbly allowed the 'kind-hearted' knight to be the wicked.

Aldrich didn't care that the mine hirers hated him and added a few new and extremely insulting names, he only meant to do his best to help these poor people, so he had to do the right thing. If everything is accommodated and left to their own devices, then there will be no end to this secret passage, and all kinds of strange things will happen, such as people falling behind, turning back, lying on the ground and pretending to be dead.

"This team has endured the threat of death, and because of the fear that consumes everything, it has the courage to embark on a journey towards self-reliance, and even if it is scarred, even if some people lack physical strength, it is not difficult to achieve it. But when we rest when we are about to see the end, this breath will be exhausted, and even if we start again, they will soon use all kinds of excuses to stop and rest, to recuperate, to wrap up their wounds, and to come back a third time, and their morale and courage will be exhausted. Even if the destination is close to us, it is a step out of reach. ”

Deco seemed to understand a little after hearing this, but Princein didn't expect the Knight of Tris to say this, and it was much deeper than his original meaning, and there was no lack of intriguing philosophy, "This is ...... The reverse use of the knight's harassment tactics?"

He was a little unsure of his judgment, and immediately asked, "Did I guess wrong?"

Aldrich tilted his head again, a look of surprise on his face that pleased Princeteen more than any words of approval.

"You're right, you're absolutely right. I really didn't expect that as a mine hire, you actually know the tactics of knights, are you from the same knight family as I am?"

'Damn, this wicked-eyed Tris, who has put his mind on me, what do you want to do?, do you want to divide my close ties with Deco and pull me to your side?'

"No, no, no, how can I be a descendant of a knight? You see my hands stained with coal dust, and all parts of my body are black except for my eyes, how can I come from a knight's family? I am just a descendant of an obscure scholar who worked as a clerk in a noble family, indulging in the dream of becoming rich one day, and using the inherited family property for the study of alchemy, until it was exhausted. ”

Aldrich keenly felt the deep resentment in the guide's tone, the reluctance to make use of his talents, the resentment of not being appreciated by the nobles, and the humiliation of being forced to be hired in the Snake Mine.

Presumably, the water-soaked whip of the mine overseer fell on him, and his eyes were filled with the flames of revenge, and his dissatisfaction with what had happened to him over the years, especially against reality, was full of hatred, as if he wanted to burn everything to satisfy his twisted mind. ’

This kind of person seems harmless, but the essence is very dangerous, once he has power and ability, I am afraid that he will ignore the old rules, cross the forbidden area of human nature without any scruples, and will also break all the rules and established rules, and do some terrible things. ’

'So, do you want to deal with him now, and nip the signs of danger in the bud?'

Aldrich Tris was deep in thought, his pace not slowing down in the slightest, alternating unhurriedly. In order to protect the interests of the majority, the Knight of Virtue does not mind having blood on his hands, which does not go against his path.

The sacrificial pillars of the spiritual realm, new sources are constantly emerging, giving him additional talents. Knight Tris noticed the cross wound that the Shadow Force had once burned on his chest, and although it had been healing for a long time, it was now hot and hot, and it felt sticky and wet, as if it was bursting and oozing blood.

Aldrich was a little strange, he put his hand into his arms and touched it gently, but found that the wound was quietly healed, and if it weren't for the fresh blood, he would have almost wondered if he had hallucinated just now.

'To hallucinate me, this caster must have a spiritual source that overpowers me. ’

Suddenly remembering the experience of the secret place in the lake, Tris immediately put away his unnecessary pride and reflected on his mistakes. It is this kind of self-discipline and moderation day after day, year after year, that he can move forward on the path of the knight of virtue, although he hesitates, but little by little, he seems to have broken through a certain bottleneck recently, and a new spiritual realm, and frequent feedback has made his strength grow by leaps and bounds.

Prince's topic was taken over casually, "The clerk of the noble family, that is not a simple job, not only ordinary copying documents and official letters, but also sometimes responsible for drafting territorial notices and official documents, and letters exchanged between the nobles are usually served by scholars of a certain reputation. ”

"Prince, you are too modest, you were born in a family of scholars, no wonder you know so many things. Your family must have amassed a large collection of books, and judging by your obsession with alchemy, it is possible that your family's origins are far back in the past, perhaps descended from the caster. Some people don't know that after losing their ability to cast spells, many powerful priests have adapted to the times and turned into scholars. ”

The young guide's face turned red abruptly, and he glanced sideways at the foreman of the hired hands, and at the curious look in Deco's eyes, Princeteen felt that his deepest secret had been exposed, and he hated Aldrich Triss to death.

This man must die! It was so hateful, he knew that he had to go too far. ’

"If you don't speak, then that means I guessed right. What an accident, I've always had bad luck not wanting to be with you, and gradually I'm starting to get lucky, definitely because of your light, Princeine. ”

The foreman gently poked the guide in the waist with his elbow, and when he turned his head, he hurriedly asked, "Is what Knight Tris said true?"

The gaffe just now fell into their eyes, and it was not easy to be confused, Princein thought for a moment and nodded lightly: "Well, what he said is all right, it's just a roundworm in my stomach, more detailed than I know myself, what do you think?"

Deco immediately shook his head, "No, at least not entirely, I admit that Aldrich is very interested, but it is impossible to guess so many things in a few words, there must be some of them wrong, otherwise you wouldn't admit it so frankly, are you trying to make fun of him?." ”

Aldrich Trisko is a knight, and although his family is in decline and he has to go to the city to earn a living, he is also a member of the noble family, even the lowest cornerstone. ”

Princeine said with a smile, still full of resentment in his heart, but he was just talking about it, and he was secretly refreshed by the benefits of his tongue.

The Knight of Tris, who had a keen sense of hearing, sighed secretly, and lowered his opinion of the young guide a little, such a shallow and ignorant person, I am afraid it is not appropriate to look up to him.

'The heir of the scholar family with low eyes, fortunately, he didn't have the intention to kill just now, this kind of joy and anger are all on his face, and people who don't hide their thoughts can't get on the stage. Even if they suddenly ascend to a high position and hold power, they will only be sold, discarded, and silently disappeared by others after squeezing out all the surplus value. ’

Everyone hid their minds and walked forward in the gradually dimming corridor, the inextinguishable torch at the top was like a candlelight, Aldrich squinted his eyes, and suddenly ordered: "The person behind reaches out and puts his hand on the shoulder of the person in front." ”

Deco and Princein immediately came to their senses, and hurriedly complied and conveyed to the people behind them, the snake-like team suddenly fell silent for a while, and then someone whispered, "Are you approaching the end of the corridor?"

That's right, after Knight Tris's eyes adjusted to the dim environment, he found that the faint irregular outline not far away was indeed the exit of the secret passage.

The flat slate beneath his feet turned into sand-paved ground, and the temperature around him dropped slightly, Aldrich slowed down, estimating that the time was indeed within three hours, and nodded to the guide behind him.

"It seems that we have arrived at the destination of this trip. ”

Princeine placed a flame gem on the wooden handle of the iron pickaxe removed, like a torch of illumination, sending out thousands of arrows of light, tearing through the deep darkness, and where no one had visited for a long time, there was a ruined tower, counting the windowsills inlaid with glass, a total of seven floors.

Aldrich Triss recalled the relevant records in the Knight's Codex and suddenly blurted out a spark of inspiration.

"Mage Tower!"