For four days, Fern and his party insisted on camping in the wilderness, and they no longer dared to set foot in any village, and what happened to Bainbridge made them feel uneasy. Luckily, there was no rain for four days, and although there were occasional snowflakes in the sky, it was nothing compared to getting wet.

Quiai had been following the mercenary closely, and it could be seen that the previous capture had caused a lot of shadow on her psyche, even if she slept in the woods at night, the girl would sleep next to Fern. Every night after going to bed, she would reach out from under her cloak to Fern's cloak and grasp the mercenary's hand tightly. Fern no longer refused Quiai's approach, but gently shook the girl's hand so that she was no longer afraid.

On the fourth night, as on the previous two nights, Quiai held the mercenary's hand tightly, but this time, the girl's palms were soaked with sweat. "Fern, past Ogden is Artuna, is our journey coming to an end?" Queai lay on a pillow made of clothes, looking at the mercenary's blurred face in the darkness.

"No, Quiai, we have a long journey ahead of us, so long that I can't see the end. Fern reached out his other hand from the cloak and pulled the girl's hair back behind her ear.

"Can I always be by your side and walk with you to the end of the world, even if it's ......" Quiai hesitated. "Even if I'm not as good as you think. ”

"As long as you are not afraid to endure hardships with me, I will always go with you. Fern gently stroked the girl's cheek. "Queai, you're so perfect, I can't imagine anything about you that you're not as good as I thought. ”

"I wish what you said would come true, and I would like to travel with you forever. Quiai said softly, his hand tightening a little tighter.

"What's the matter, Quiai, were you frightened by those mages before? It's okay, I promise you, they don't try to take you away from me again. Fern took the girl's hand in the middle.

Quiai's shoulders trembled slightly. "I know, Fern, you've been so nice to me, if only I had met you sooner. ”

"It's not too late, and I promise you that when the danger is over, I'll tell you everything I encountered on my journey before I met you. The mercenary's hand slowly groped upwards along the girl's arm.

Quiai's body shook a little, and his other hand stopped Fern's hand from continuing to move upward. "I'm sorry, Fern, but ...... I'm not ready. ”

Fern hurriedly withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, I thought ...... From the moment you got into my cloak at Sarah, I thought you were ...... Sorry, I'm too anxious. ”

"It's not your fault, Fern, it's all my fault. The girl began to cry, tears running down the bridge of her nose and onto the pillow.

"What's the matter, Quiai, it's obviously my fault. Furn couldn't figure out what was going on, and patted the girl on the shoulder at a loss. "You seem to have something wrong today, are you too tired, let's rest early. ”

Quiai nodded. "Well, maybe...... I slept first. The girl let go of the mercenary's hand and turned away.

Early the next morning, the group hit the road early, heading towards Ogden's capital, Grand Rapids. Enoch wanted to get there by noon, so he woke everyone up at dawn. Fern was surprised to see that Quiai's eyes were red and swollen, apparently crying all night, and the mercenary asked the mage with concern, but Quiai shook his head and refused to say anything.

The road that approached Grand Rapids was built on high ground not far from the sea, and the endless sea with no edge in sight kept lapping against the cliffs on the side of the road, and the sound of the waves filled my ears. As the terrain rises, the cliffs get higher and higher, and at the end of the road, and at the highest point of the cliffs, is the legendary city that is said to be more difficult to capture than Doyle's Watch Fortress, Grand Rapids.

The city was built on a cliff jutting out of the sea, and was surrounded on three sides by cliffs, except for the road that Fern and his men took that led to the city's only gate. On either side of the gate were walls two hundred yards wide, made of hard white marble, so thick that even a large catapult could not smash through them. On the fortified walls, there were towers every twenty yards, on which were placed small catapults, compound longbows and oil barrels with a very long range. In addition, countless dark blue flags bearing the Ogden emblem and white unicorns are planted on the walls, and the flags are constantly waving in the sea breeze. The soldiers were heavily armed, patrolling back and forth on the city walls, as if war was approaching.

It was the first time for Quiai and Miruria to see such a majestic city, and they couldn't help but be amazed, Quiai opened his mouth and looked at the white unicorn pattern, which was completely devoid of the sad look he had before. "King Ogden has a peculiar taste, the walls are dazzlingly white, and this emblem, so why not choose a more ferocious animal, such as the wolf of Doyle and the lion of Deville. ”

Both Fern and Enoch laughed, and the mercenary looked at the mage's puzzled expression. "You wouldn't be surprised to know that it was a queen, not a king, who ruled Ogden, Queen Darthali had been on the throne for more than twenty years. ”

"Queen?" Quiai's mouth widened. "I really didn't expect it. ”

"Ogden is the only kingdom in Wallis ruled by women, and I think we'd better not get into trouble, women don't always think rationally. Enoch shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the two ladies.

Quiai snorted dissatisfied, and Miruria glanced coldly at the warrior. Fern laughed and rode with his companions towards the city gates.

There were many guards at the city gates, but there were more travelers, and the four of them lined up behind the crowded crowd, and to their relief, there were really no mages in the group. Queai wore a blue tight-fitting coat to disguise her identity as a mage, and the girl looked ahead in confusion. "It's already on the edge of the Endless Sea, why are there so many people?"

Fern smiled lightly. "Because to the north of Grand Rapids, there is a passage that leads directly to the southernmost town of Altoona, and almost all travelers to and from the countries of the South will pass through it, and this passage is very spectacular, and we will pass through it, and when the time comes, I bet your mouth will be wider than before. ”

"Really, Fern, I envy you for seeing so much and not understanding anything. Quiai pouted and pouted at Fern, as if she were not the same person as the girl who had cried her nose last night.

"Didn't you keep saying I don't understand anything? Besides, aren't you seeing more and more now?" Fern's smile was like the warm sun on a winter day, and it melted Queai's heart.

"Fern ......" The girl slowly leaned into the mercenary's arms.

Enoch coughed unnaturally, and Miruria blushed as she looked at the two of them, embarrassed to find something to say. "Then why is the city named after Grand Rapids?"

Enoch rushed to answer the scout's question as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. "Right in the passage that Fern just said, you'll get the answer. The warrior looked up at the castle towering over the cliff. "Grand Rapids is legendary, even more legendary than Fort Watch and Fort Magnus. ”

Finally, it was Fern and the others' turn to be questioned by the guards, because Enoch had the obvious appearance of Altu, and the guards only asked them briefly and let them pass.

The buildings in the city are staggered, with a large number of houses built directly on the high cliffs, and sometimes walking up from the third floor of an inn to the balcony only to find the entrance to the basement of another house on the cliff behind you. Sometimes, to get to a tavern that doesn't seem too far, you have to make several bends up the steep street, and the distance you walk is much farther than it seems. Many streets pass under the houses, which are arched for aesthetic reasons, and when pedestrians pass underneath, it looks like they are walking through a bridge hole. Most of the light is obscured by the towering houses, and the streets of the city are mostly secluded and elegant, making it feel like exploring a labyrinth.

Except for the crowded avenue leading to the north, the other forks were quite spacious, and the group turned around and left the avenue, ready to eat something in a tavern. From the moment he entered the city, Quiai was like a bird released from a birdcage, happily holding Fern's hand. "I love it so much, Fern, not only because I don't have to worry about those annoying mages here, but also because this city is so special, I never thought a city could be like this. ”

"Still can't be taken lightly, since you can sneak in, then the mages of the Mage Tower can do the same. Fern was still looking around vigilantly.

Quiai also immediately calmed down and walked slowly with the mercenary's side.

The four of them walked up a ramp and found a well-dressed and elegant woman standing at the top of the slope. The woman saw them and stepped forward politely. "Is it a guest from Canrito?"

Enoch's hand was already pressed on the hilt of his sword, and the warrior stepped forward, blocking the way. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled slightly, without any fear. "Don't worry, I have no ill will, I have been waiting for you here for several days on the orders of Queen Dar Sali, and now, please come with me to the castle, the queen has asked to meet you. ”

"Why should we trust you? Why don't you wait for us at the gates, but on this sparsely populated path. The soldier asked alarmedly.

"Do you think there are no mages in Grand Riptide City? Even at the gates, I dare say there are no less than ten mages watching over you. The woman looked at the crowd triumphantly. "After you entered this street, my men have blocked those who are following you, otherwise you will even be followed into the inn. ”

"What!?" Enoch looked behind him in surprise, and there was no one else on the street except for them and the woman in front of them.

"We'd better get out of here as soon as possible, my people can't hold those mages for too long. The woman's tone was a little harsh, but still very polite.

Enoch was still hesitating, and Fern patted him on the shoulder and looked at the woman. "Please take us to the castle and meet Queen Darthally. ”

"Very well, please come with me. The woman turned and walked forward with graceful steps, leaving a faint scent behind her.