"I've kept you waiting, Mistress Mace. Closing the door behind him, Eders took off his helmet and sat on the table in front of Mace's bed.

Looking at Elton, who was standing silent in the corner of the room, Mace nodded at Edus: "Nothing. Is everything arranged?"

"It's all done, my lord. I'll report back in turn. Eders tapped on his helmet and looked tired, "The two missing hunters have not been heard from, and there are no eyewitnesses to the Corruptor in the city. In addition, personnel have been sent to investigate whether there is still a tunnel exit like Morse's backyard. ”

"Didn't you find a way to open the entrance?" asked Mace, dismayed.

"Can't find any way to open it. Sister Aiya and Morse also made it clear that the switch was not even found at the exit of the tunnel. Eders tapped his helmet suspiciously: "So what makes people wonder is how to control the opening of the tunnel entrance." I'm afraid it's someone who is manually controlling the mechanism. ”

"Morse, the exit they left the tunnel hasn't closed yet, is it?" Mace muttered for a moment, "always make sure there are three people guarding the exit." ”

"Understood. I'll do it later. Eders nodded.

"Has martial law been issued?" Mace suddenly remembered this: "Also, we have discussed before, we want the three outposts that have not lost contact to send letters to Cold Snow Castle every day to report the situation. ”

"Martial law has been issued. Eders tapped his helmet slightly embarrassed: "As for the latter...... I haven't had time to do it yet. Your Excellency, you must know that there are no more Crows in Cold Snow Castle. Before cultivating a new letter crow, the most time-saving way is to go to the central barracks to deliver letters and instructions. ”

"Understood. You leave this to Howles, the Raven Trainer. The guy took a few days off, and tomorrow it was his return to work. Mace thought for a moment and asked again: "Captain Edus, do you have a specific number of casualties from the enemy last night?"

"The question of casualties between friend and foe...... Yes, yes. Eddes touched his slightly bowed forehead, took out a piece of paper and read the numbers above: "The total number of corpses of the corrupted has been counted to be forty-twenty-four, and our soldiers have lost two hundred and fifteen of them, and thirty-one people are missing, including the bodies that disappeared at the east and west staircases—according to the two Ayas, one of them was frozen in the tunnels by the Black Ice Spell." ”

There were many casualties, but it was the best result to celebrate...... Without those two Ayas, the casualties would probably have been more than ten times that number. Mace's heart once again filled with gratitude to Sister Aya: "How is the defense of Snowcastle arranged?"

"An additional three hundred soldiers have been ordered to be sent to all parts of the Cold Snow Castle. Four additional posts were added to the statue of the dragon god, and the number of patrols in the corridors on each floor was increased by three times, and the number of people in each shift was increased to five. In addition, eight guards are placed in the living room of your room. As for the damaged gates, walls, and arrow towers, they have been ordered to be repaired. The craftsmen had been called in three hours ago, and work could begin as soon as the afternoon. ”

Edus, who seemed to have dry lips, glanced at the teacup again.

"Drink some water, Captain Eders. Mace noticed this and said with a smile, "There's an empty cup there." ”

"Ah, thank you. Eders knocked on his helmet with some embarrassment, poured a full glass of water. Putting down the teacup, he sighed: "I was busy this morning, and I didn't drink a sip of water." ”

"Good work, Edus. Mace secretly thanked Eders for his loyalty: "Please continue." ”

"Ah, well—at the suggestion of Engineer Volcat, we intend to further strengthen the defenses of the bottom staircase—and replace the stone wall in front of it with a steel wall. And install a sturdy drop-type metal gate at the staircase openings on both sides of the abutment. You know, the same as the gate in front of the outer gate of the Highlands. This way we can arrange spearmen to strike effectively against the enemy. ”

"Walcart's advice has always been trustworthy. The budget is left to the housekeeper. Keep up the debriefing, Captain Edus. Mace opened and closed the palms of his hands slightly, looking at the white, freshly replaced bandage: the wound in his palms healed faster than he had imagined.

Turning his head to look at the teacup on the table, Eders continued: "The corpses of both the enemy and the enemy have been disposed of, and the pension will be gradually distributed to the families of the soldiers. ”

"Very well, be sure to do a good job of cleaning up the aftermath and comfort the family......" After a moment of silence for the dead soldiers, Mace suddenly remembered a question: "What happened to the corpses of those corrupted?"

According to Odyssey and Ryan Maar...... It's burned. According to the Bachelor's previous admonition, it would be dangerous for a corrupted corpse to be disposed of if it was not burned. Eders' voice was slightly hoarse: "However, after the corpse was counted, some puzzling questions arose. ”

"Let's just say it, Captain Edus. Mays was a little uneasy: it was definitely not good news.

"The corruptor who killed Quill didn't find the body, presumably fled. Eders' tone was worried: "Prague adjutants, they also seem to have disappeared into the Cold Snow Castle, without a trace...... Moreover, we didn't find the Dragon Hunter at all. ”

"I remember the two Aya saying that they were attacked by dragon arrows while they were in the air. Mace became more and more suspicious: "Among the corruptors, are there sentinels and hunting regiments?"

"Nope. Edus shook his head, "Considering the presence of dragon hunters, it is very likely that these Corruptor troops are from the Frozen Wasteland. By the way, did you know that Maester Nadia and Deerno have woken up?"

"I already know this. Mace closed his eyes slightly: "Dr. Ennis said it when he came to change the bandage in the morning." The Bachelor's mood seems to be very bad...... He blamed himself to death. ”

"We've been completely fooled by the Corruptors. Edus's tone was indignant: "I ordered someone to investigate how many people died inexplicably last night - according to Lucina, the dead should have died quietly and unconsciously. In fact, she was right. Just an hour ago, we had already investigated more than 700 children of ice who had died in their beds. I am afraid that this one-sided figure in a short period of time in the morning is less than half of the real number. ”

"......" Mace, who was in a heavy mood, opened his mouth, but could not speak.

"My lord, there's one more thing I'm concerned about. Captain Eders was silent for a moment, then spoke, "There has been no news of the merchants who visit Neverwinter regularly lately - you know, a large number of them are from Eternal Winter and later moved to Jiuquan Town. ”

"When was the last time they came?" asked Mace, puzzled.

"Think about it. Eders tapped his helmet more and more slowly: "Probably...... Four weeks ago?"

In that case, it may be because of the fear of winter's breath. Mace was convinced, "It would be wise that they didn't choose to come to Eternal Winter at this time." ”

"Maybe. Captain Eders tapped on his helmet at a faster pace: "So, my lord...... I'll go take care of the to-dos first. Today's events are a pile......"

"Let's go. Mace looked at Edus's tired face with some distress: "Remember to take a nap before the dinner starts...... I don't think you want to miss the historic moment: Miss Lucina challenging the drunkard Morse's drinking show. ”

After a pause, Eders burst out laughing. The captain then put on his helmet and walked out of the room.