Although it has been a hundred years since the end of the Dark Ages, the raging Aetheric Storm of that time still remains in every corner of the world. Except for most people, there are dangers everywhere except in the gathering areas. Therefore, almost everyone has been seriously admonished by parents, teachers, and guards:

"- Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, don't run outside the ghetto!"

But now Ye Qingxuan doesn't care about it, it's just a matter of climbing over the wall, which can't be difficult for him.

It's just that this direction makes him faintly feel familiar...... Is it the direction of the lighthouse?

Usually when they go to the lighthouse, they don't go through this forest at all, and there is a long way to go around from the sea directly to the main gate of the lighthouse. But he couldn't understand why Vito would choose to run out of such a dangerous shortcut.

If he wanted to get out of here, he could do so from any of the boats on the docks. Quietly hiding in the hold, by the time the sailors found him, he was already hundreds of kilometers away.

In the deep dense forest, Lao Fei suddenly stopped.

It looked down and at its feet.

Ye Qingxuan hadn't seen Lao Fei show such a fierce expression for a long time. It bared its teeth, its front paws digging at the dirt on the ground, glaring at the dark red puddle of mud in front of it...... It smelled of blood on it.

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Ye Qingxuan ignored any further hesitation, sped up his speed, and after passing through the dense forest and thorns, he ran to the bottom of the lighthouse.

The heavy iron door is hundreds of years old, and the pitch-black exterior looks rusty, but the inside is still as clean as new. It is not opened with a key, but by turning the cipher disc at the door.

The priest handed over the password to Ye Qingxuan, and even Vito knew about it.

But Vito has never been too lazy to come to this kind of place, so why would he want to come here today?

Ye Qingxuan pushed open the door with all his might, and the twilight sunlight finally rushed into the space behind the door, dancing with dust, illuminating the dark staircase and the boy sitting on the staircase.

The thick smell of blood came to my face.

On the stairs, Vito held a small box and looked at the entrance in silence with a fierce look in his eyes, like a mad beast.

Something had cut open his arm, leaving a deep scar that could be seen in the bones, and even though he was bandaged, blood was dripping out. But he still held the dagger in his hand, as if he wanted to stab any creature that dared to break in.

It wasn't until he saw Ye Qingxuan's white hair that the fierceness in his eyes gradually faded and dimmed again.

"Vito?"

Ye Qingxuan was stunned: "You...... How did it become like this?"

"I'm sorry, Yezi, you look so embarrassed. ”

He forced out a painful smile and looked down at the box in his arms: "I just wanted to steal a little money when I was running, but I ended up in trouble......"

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"Last night, I was going to leave the docks and take shelter from the limelight. There was a boat to Birmingham that docked temporarily. Jensen, who was moving the goods at the time, approached me and said that there was a deal. ”

"Buying and selling?"

Hearing this word, Ye Qingxuan frowned, of course he knew what the workers on the dock were talking about 'buying and selling'. It is nothing more than stealing passengers' luggage or goods, these people have good unpacking skills, and usually they don't steal much, so few people find out that they have stolen things. And by the time passengers find that they are missing something in their luggage, the ship may have arrived at its destination.

"He told me that a man had disembarked from our place tonight.

He looks like a man from out of town, he wears a ring set with gemstones, and his clothes are of the highest quality, so he should be very rich. So the two of them put together a layer of water to scrape down from this person. ”

He paused, his voice hoarse: "I thought I could earn some money for the journey, so I agreed." ”

"According to the plan, the two of them went up to distract him under the pretext of selling souvenirs, and I took the opportunity to take the small box he was carrying......

"You've been caught?"

"Worse than that, I succeeded. ”

Vito squeezed out an ugly smile and looked like a twitch: "I stole the box and made an appointment to meet somewhere outside the docks." I didn't go in time because I had a stomach problem.

But by the time I passed, they were all dead. ”

His pupils dilated, and his cold palm clasped Ye Qingxuan tightly, as if he had been thrown into an ice cellar, trembling slightly.

"They're all dead, Ye ...... It was cut into several pieces and thrown into the sea. ”

His voice seemed like a demon was about to rush out of his throat, vague and cold, which made Ye Qingxuan stunned and caught off guard.

"All dead?"

"I saw them cut into pieces by the man. ”

Vito looked at the scars on his arms, and the fear in his eyes could not be dissipated: "If it weren't for me running fast, I'm afraid I'm afraid I'd be broken up now, right? ”

"Don't talk nonsense, where in this world is there such a thing as retribution, you calm down. Ye Qingxuan pressed his shoulder: "Who is that guy?" I'll report to the garrison ......."

"It's useless!"

Vito interrupted him and clasped him stiffly on the shoulder: "Yezi, let's go, don't stay here, just act like you haven't seen me." You have no idea who I have offended. ”

Ye Qingxuan broke away from his hand and snatched the small box from his arms. The lock of the long black box has been smashed, and you can feel the soft texture of the leather when you touch it, and you can know that it is worth a lot just by touching it.

Although he had already prepared to hide a box of jewels or lapis bars inside, when he opened the box, Ye Qingxuan couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.

In the box was a layer of soft sponge, and the sponge was also padded with a layer of black brocade, which was well made, and when stroked it was as smooth as running water. On the edge of the sponge pad, there are also a few lattices with some delicate spare parts. They are exquisitely and ornately made, with a forged metal pattern.

But nothing can take away the position of the thing in the middle of the box.

It was a dark red piece of iron, which had been finely forged and lacquered by the craftsmen themselves. The surface of the brilliance was spotless, reflecting the pale ground holes of two people.

-- It was a clarinet.

"You stole a musician's weapon?"

Ye Qingxuan looked at the contents of the box blankly, and felt a vicious chill spread from his feet to the top of his head:

"Vito, do you know what exactly was done?"

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In the great Holy Land of Anglo, the House of Lords had issued a rule decades ago that once a citizen had attained official musicianship, he himself would automatically attain the status of nobility and the same status as a baron.

There is no military service, no taxes, and no law observance, and crimes can only be tried by specialized courts. All offenses against musicians are an insult to the kingdom, and the sin is added to the sin of the first degree.

And such a status is nothing more than the most basic respect for musicians. Because even more famous is the terrifying reputation of musicians who bring nightmares once they go on a killing spree.

Once, in the Hamelin region, a village repented of hiring a wandering musician to drive out the bandits, refused to pay the honorarium, and planned to drive him away by force. Annoyed, the musician played the recorder and controlled the ruthless employers to form a queue, singing and dancing, digging their own graves, then slitting each other's wrists and lying down in coffins.

The whole village, chickens and dogs are not left.

To this day, the musician is still ranked 62nd on the most wanted list, and is known as 'Harmerin's recorder'.

Like it, there are dozens of bedtime stories designed to scare children, such as the Snow White Musician who created seven golems to storm the castle and kill the Queen, the Wizard of the Seas who manipulated the tide of beasts to attack the village and robbed the grandmother's red hat, the puppeteer who strangled a lying child on a long-nosed puppet, the gray banshee who kidnapped the crown prince with a pumpkin cart for a pair of crystal slippers, and the sea wizard who transformed half of his body into a fish and called for a storm to flood the 'prince's fleet'......

Some of these stories are nonsense, and some are adaptations of actual events, and in the above stories, there are several parties lying on the wanted list and have not moved their rankings for more than ten years.

I don't know how much blood and tears are included in countless horror rumors, true or false, and perhaps some demonize musicians...... But at least it shows that no one wants to mess with a musician.

Now, Vito has stolen the instrument that the musician values as his life......

"I know a musician, let's go find him!"

Ye Qingxuan stuffed the clarinet into the box again, and dragged Vito out of the windmill without saying a word.

"Whatever it takes, I'll let him help you get rid of it. ”

Ye Qingxuan said softly: "Vito, no matter who that musician is, I won't watch you die in front of me." ”

"But it's too late, Leaf. ”

Vito seemed to feel something, and his expression became bitter.

He turned his head and looked around, "He's already here." ”

In the middle of the dense forest, suddenly a foul-smelling wind blew from the deepest depths, carrying the smell of decay.

The leaves shook and rustled.

The dim setting sun was already setting below the sea level, and the last remaining light illuminated the withered leaves on the branches and the mist that spread from afar.

The mist slowly stretched in all directions, like a living thing. It seems extremely slow, but it instantly overwhelms them. Countless eerie shadows flashed in the mist, a grayish-white with a disgusting clammy cold.

In a frightened gasp, Ye Qingxuan heard a deep voice singing faintly.

"The Avalon bridge is going to collapse, collapse, collapse......"

Then a foul-smelling mist rose from all directions, thicker and thicker, and it was impossible to distinguish things. It was as if some wraith was tugging at their hands, feet, and hair, causing them to run so slowly that they could barely breathe.

"Build it up with iron bars, iron bars, iron bars, iron bars......"

Then the sound of the iron pieces rubbing against each other came from the paleness.

In the deep singing, Ye Qingxuan felt that the box in his arms was vibrating, and it was the instruments in it that resonated because of the familiar singing, sending their own voices to the master.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of countless pieces of iron staggered pierced the silence.