Time flashed, and Lucius seemed to have forgotten about returning to Dayton, until one of his lieutenants reminded him that if he did not go back, he was afraid that Queen Leopold would personally come north and tie him back, and Lucius remembered that he was still in Altoona.

Before leaving, the King invites Fern and Stan to visit Durham as guests. Stan was more than happy that he had never been to Durham, but Fern remembered the promise he had made to Queen Leopold and had to refuse the king's kindness. Rachel also urged the three mages to return to Durham with her, and in the past few days, the four girls had become inseparable friends, and nothing seemed to separate them anymore. Lucius was also very embarrassed, he didn't want to go against the queen's wishes, but he felt very sorry for Fern, although the mercenary himself didn't take it seriously. After some discussion, it was decided that Fern would remain in Valdosta while the others would go to Durham with Dayton's army, but Ness was not happy about this, and she finally reunited with Fern and said that she would not leave him again. In the end, as a compromise, Fern agreed to live alone in Tulsa, a village near Durham, and Ness reluctantly agreed.

The next day, Dayton's army set out on its way back, sparsely packed, and the animals the soldiers had brought with only a dozen falcons and a few hounds.

Adeline also said goodbye to the crowd at the gate of the town, and Lucius did not forget to remind her to hurry up and find another guard, and said that he could help her find the fellow who did not know where to run, and the great sage turned his face, and the king closed his mouth in amusement.

Ness whispered curiously beside Ferne, "Who is that guy they're talking about?"

"Barrede, oh yes, you may not know who Barred is, but it's actually Rod. Fern raised an eyebrow at Ness.

"The tavern owner?!" Ness cried out in surprise, "no wonder he said those strange things to me when we left, he had so many stories. ”

Fern jumped on the back of the clouds, and the Altuna soldiers did not wait for them in the abandoned fishing grounds, so they took the horses back to Valdosta. "It's not just him, Adeline, Lucius, Elonhan, Byron, they all have many stories. ”

Everyone was ready to go, Adeline whispered a few words in Lucius's ear, and slowly paced to Fern and his companions, Fern unnaturally moved his body on horseback, and the great sage stood still in front of everyone, dignified and elegant. "Whatever you think of our relationship, I want to thank you for not being able to achieve victory at Fort Glory without your help. After speaking, the great sage nodded slightly to everyone.

Stan and the three mages nodded in return, and Fern jumped off the back of the cloud again and nodded at Adeline. "If you could tell us everything that happened more than 20 years ago, maybe we would be on the same page. ”

Adeline smiled faintly and didn't answer Fern's topic. "Make the most of this time, rest well in Durham, the war is far from over, and I will try to inform you when I need your help again. ”

Fern didn't answer, and neither did his companions, and Adeline spread her hands. "May the gods of warriors and magic be with you, guardians of Wallis. The Great Sage turned and walked back into the town with a light gait.

Stan leans over to Fern, groping his chin as he touches it. "What did she mean she said she needed our help again?"

"What's the point, we won't have a peaceful life until the dark tide is completely gone from Wallis. Fern shook his head helplessly and jumped on his horse again.

Rui gently turned on his horse and pulled the reins tight. "She finally called us the Guardians of Wallis, do you know something?"

Fern patted the clouds on the neck and stepped his feet into the stirrups. "As I said, it has to do with what happened to their generation more than twenty years ago, and on the way to Durham, I will tell you everything I know. ”

Rui nodded in satisfaction and didn't ask any more.

The line finally began to move forward, Valdosta getting smaller and smaller behind him. The weather in the north was still bitterly cold, and there was no sign of spring, and the people who had been paying attention to the battle realized that the abnormal weather still existed, and they all knew in their hearts that this was a sign that the war against the dark tide was still not over.

Traveling with the army meant that the group had no food or lodging to worry about, even traversing the Borderlands was less difficult, and with the ability to chat with their companions, time passed imperceptibly. Along the way, Fern told his companions about the incident more than twenty years ago, but he still had many details that he didn't know, and he could only speculate on some clues, but the mercenary didn't tell Hai Xiuyin, and he still needed to confirm it.

After more than ten days, the procession had entered the territory of Dayton, and the soldiers returned to their homes after experiencing the test of life and death, and immediately cheered.

Fern took advantage of this opportunity to lead the dark clouds to Lucius's side. "Your Majesty, I have a question, I wonder if I can ask you. ”

Lucius was in the right mood and patted Fern on the shoulder. "Just say anything, you're Bared's apprentice, and you're welcome to me. ”

Fern realizes that it was because of Barrede's relationship that Lucius took such good care of him and Stan. "I would like to ask if you know about Kai Xiuyin?"

"Hai Xiuyin?" Lucius's face froze. "How do you know about him?"

"To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, I fought him in the battle to destroy the dragon eggs, and he not only knows all of you, but also seems to know you very well. Fern said cautiously.

Lucius sighed and shook his head. "Yes, he was our companion and went with us to the Far North, but he didn't come back. ”

"So you know he's become a demon?" said Fern, who was not at all surprised that he had met Hai Xiuyin, and boldly speculated.

"Yes, I know, and Adeline knows that he stayed there forever and became a member of the Darktide. Lucius turned his face to look at Fern.

"What the hell happened? that made him a demon? It seems that from his words it is related to other people, he turned out to be a guard, is it because of the mage who is connected to him?" Fern continued to ask, forgetting the identity of the other party.

Lucius looked ahead with a solemn expression. "Fern, you're really good at reasoning. You're right, Kai Xiuyin entered the Far North with another mage, but that mage died there, and ...... Because of Adeline's decision, she died, so Hai Xiuyin blamed Adeline for all this, so she let herself become a demon and vowed to pay for Adeline's life. ”

Fern nodded thoughtfully. "What's that mage's name, I mean, the mage who has made a connection with Hai Xiuyin?"

"Vorelle, she is also our friend, no one wants to leave her, but due to the situation at the time, Adeline had to make this cruel, but only the only decision that can be made, Vorell is actually willing to sacrifice herself, but Hayhide doesn't think so. Lucius swayed slightly on his horse, his mind drifting back to more than twenty years ago. "I don't blame Hai Xiuyin, the woman I love died in front of me, if it were me, I can't bear it, but I also can't blame Adeline, she made the right decision. ”

"I understand, so that I can explain what he said, and thank you very much for the trust you have placed in me, Your Majesty. Fern bowed to the king.

Lucius smiled and patted Fern. "Why don't you ask Adeline and ask me instead?"

Fern pouted. "To be honest, I've always been wary of Adeline, she's so ruthless, though I have to admit that it's that personality gives her hope of saving Wallis. ”

"Indeed, if it weren't for her arrangement this time, Artuna would probably have been captured by the dark tide, but ......" Lucius looked at the mercenary solemnly. "Sometimes, it might not be a bad thing to believe that a miracle will happen once in a while, and I keep wondering if if we hadn't given up on Wallell at that time, and that would have saved Wallis as well?"

Fern looked at the king with the same seriousness. "I'd like to believe that a miracle will happen, but in a situation where making the wrong decision would destroy the whole Wallis, I'm sure it's hard for anyone to take that risk, and Adeline must have been forced to do so. ”

Lucius nodded, looking back ahead. "It's good that you can understand Adeline, of course, but if it were me, I would definitely choose to live and die with my companions, not because of anything else, because I can't let go of my life and death partners. ”

"Does it matter if Wallis is destroyed?" said Fern as he looked at the king's side face in surprise.

Lucius laughed. "I'll tell you the truth, Fern, if it weren't for sitting in this position, I would have wandered the world with Barreid, and I wouldn't have bothered to think about so many things, and it was enough for Wallis to have someone like Adeline to worry about. ”

Fern raised his eyebrows, no wonder King Dayton and Barred had always been the best friends, it turned out that the two had such similar personalities.

"Be judgmental, Fern, and though we are your predecessors, don't repeat our mistakes. The king left these words, and rode forward, leaving Fern himself in deep thought, and the laughter of the girls behind him came, and Fern looked back, and saw Ness's beautiful smile like a flower shining into the deepest part of his heart like the warm winter sun. If it were me, would I have made the right decision, or would I have followed my heart despite my mistakes?

Gentle snowflakes drifted from the sky, enveloping them in white.

As Ogden and Dayton's armies retreated to their kingdoms, Valdosta's barracks deserted, and Adeline stood in the highest room of the castle, looking through the window at the barracks with only a few Altoona soldiers, and there was a knock on the door.

"Come in. The Great Sage turned his head sideways and responded to the knock at the door.

Entered, an Altoona officer, who saluted Adeline very respectfully. "Your Highness, according to your orders, four of the best ravens that Valdosta could find have been released, two to Wolfsburg and the other two to Canrito. ”

"Very good, you have worked hard, go down. Adeline waved her hand slightly, and the officer bowed respectfully again and slowly exited the room, the door closing behind him.

"The wheel of fortune turned forward a long way, but my eyes were getting more and more confused, and I couldn't see the way forward. Adeline looked up at the cloudy sky and muttered to herself.