Ido traveled non-stop, starting from the military camp in Nishizawa Town, passing through the Pasimo Heights, passing through the east of the Ito Wasteland, and arriving at the Takisui River late at night. Under the stars, at the fork of the Takisui River, a boiling fire lit up the deep night sky, and there was the fortress of the Takisui River that connected the basswood fort to the town of Nishizawa, where two castles stood side by side, and where troops from the two castles were stationed, as well as some cultists from Meiyan Castle.

However, in recent days, the war has continued, and the people have fled here to seek refuge in the castle, so whether in the castle or outside the castle, a large area of fire around the fork of the Takishui River, entrenched in a band of light, from a distance, more like a bustling market.

She was greeted by Sir Flinter, who had lost half of his palm in a battle, leaving only his thumb intact. Flint arranged for Itong to be in the fortress and prepared a delicious meal, and according to his information, two hours after Itong left Nishizawa, the fortress had sent an army of 2,000 men to Kuchigi, where the few remaining soldiers arranged for the people to be evacuated from Kuchigi. "How's the war going in Rotten Wood?" said Ito, eating a small plate of berry bread and asking Mr. Jazz, who was sitting in front of him.

Flint was not in a hurry, and filled the drink in Yi Tong's cup, "Yesterday dawned, all the Li people in Rotten Wood Town were evacuated here, the war is still ongoing, but there is not much hope of holding on. ”

"What does it mean not much. ”

"Now we are in a moment of crisis, and Alexa of Strange Stone Terrace is unwilling to send an army to support Rotten Wood Town, haven't you heard of the man in black? Red Valley Fort was attacked by an unknown enemy, and the entire city became a dead city, so only us and the people of Basswood Fort are still stubbornly resisting. Flint said.

"There are also men in black involved, and it's too early to say that it's not big. Izuku's tone was full of confidence.

"Although there are men in black who have come forward to settle this war, ...... Everything points to disaster. ”

The soldiers on the side grabbed the words, "The barbarians in the north are all physically strong, they are like blood-filled beasts, not to mention the huge disparity in numbers between the north and the south. ”

"The men in black appear frequently, and it is not surprising that adults come here, the reason is still the same, there are more enemies and fewer of us, and defeat is a matter of time. Flint waved his hand to the soldiers beside him.

Why do you soldiers who eat dry food still have the heart to sit in the warm castle and say depressing words? "Are you saying that there are still people in black who have been here?" asked Yi Tong curiously, putting down the silver goblet in his hand.

"Well, not long ago, three men in black came here, and they all rushed to Rotten Wood Town with the army, and they should still be on their way. ”

"One is called Guise, the other is called Vidal, I don't remember what it is, but he's tall, his left ear is missing, and he carries a dark black longbow on his back." ”

"Nofio!" Itong got up to leave, but was stopped by Flinter, "Man in Black, we received a letter from Black Hill Mountain. Hearing the name, Itong stopped and turned to look at Flinter.

"Shortly after the army left, a message came from someone claiming to be the leader of the Men in Black, who asked me to convey to any of the Men in Black brothers who came to the fortress of the Takisui River, not to go to Kuchigi Town, but to stay here and help the people of Li who had escaped. ”

Master Pesil, Yi Tong was a little puzzled, how could he give this order, there were people from Xize and Basswood Fort in front of him, and Holheller and King Eli would start to solve the problem of food and shelter for the people. "Where's the letter?"

Flint handed it to her, and it was an ordinary letter, signed by the Bachelor, and the handwriting was indeed written by the Bachelor Pesil. Looks like I'm late, Yi Tong thought to himself.

"We'd rather have the help of the men in black here. Flint said.

The soldier said to Yi Tong, "The fortress has received a letter from Meiyan City, and wants to escort the old and weak women and children here to Xize Town and Basswood Fort in batches in the early morning, the man in black, the task here is no easier than rushing to Kuchimu Town, and I hope you can stay here." ”

Yi Tong was silent, if Kairol was present at this time, he would definitely pay proper attention, but I don't know how Kairol's injury is now, whether he has woken up and is improving, that hairy boy Amanda must be by his side to take care of him. "The enemy is at hand, the man in black can't sit idly by, I'll rush to Kuchigi Town as soon as possible, Lord Flinter, the horses are ready, right?" Itong asked.

Flint was silent for a moment before responding, "The people of the mountains don't need to prepare horses. ”

"Thank you for your hospitality, oh, and besides, if any more people in black come here, it is said that Heiqiu Mountain has given a death order to be stationed in the fortress, waiting for news from Rotten Wood Town. Yi Tong finished speaking and turned to leave. As she came to the courtyard and prepared the saddle, a vicissitudes of life voice came, "The man in black has just arrived here, and he is in a hurry to go to the battlefield, is your mission to kill or deprive?" An old man in a blue robe staggered to Yi Tong's side, "From the Holy Lake Bay to the Delong Snow Mountain, from the Endless Ice Field to the Widow's Sea, there are your footprints everywhere, and as far as I know, there is no place where I have ever been peaceful. ”

It is not the sea of widows, it is the sea of the Virgin. Itong threw the saddle up and tried to ride away. "Your guess is more suited to thieves, and I'm not going to bother with a twilight cultist who knows nothing. ”

"No, the birds are singing in the east, and the birds are singing in the west, and who knows where it is going and what news it will bring. ”

Yi Tong looked at the old man, he was old enough to be Yi Tong's great-grandfather, his cheeks were wrinkled and sunken, and his black eye sockets seemed to have lost his soul, which was more appropriate, like a dead man crawling out of the dirt, "Speculation and facts are very different, don't use your muddy brain to talk nonsense, be careful of offending your four Dutan brothers." ”

"When I close my eyes, I can imagine a scene like this, in the town at night, a man in a black cloak summons a convoy of dead horses with strange magic, and the place where it arrives turns into a bitter winter, life withers under my nose, and even the stars lose their brilliance. The old man said.

"Speculation plus lies, your story is good, but I don't have time to listen to your story. ”

"You can not believe the gods of Twitan, you will not believe what I see, and when death comes again, you will believe everything I say to you, and when the time comes, don't blame me for not warning you. After the old man finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the city gate.

Yi Tong was silent for a while, "Old fellow, the man in black is not afraid of rumors, let alone death. The old man motioned for her to follow, and Itong tied his horse to a stake and followed him into the hut on the left hand side of the city gate.

The room was cold and damp, and a candle was about to burn out standing next to the bed, and on the wall next to the bed was an embroidered painting, which was the scene of the four Twitan brothers fighting against the evil thing: the black shadows around them covered the earth, and the four brothers held up a red light, illuminating the starry sky and the unknown road ahead, and the evil thing outlined in thick lines was fleeing into the darkness of the sky.

The walls are also covered with large and small round stone statues, which are sacred to those who worship the gods of Dutan. Itong glanced around the wooden house, and in the corner of the bed, on a large disc spider web, a spotted spider was quietly waiting for its prey to arrive, and there was nothing else worth looking at Itong.

"Please sit down, this place is full of things that the gods of Dusk like, and the men in black may not like it here. ”

"I think it would be a little more comfortable here. Yi Tong responded coldly.

"What do you want to know from me?"

"Stories, stories you tell. ”

The old man smiled, and then took out a black jar from under the table, and took out two simple iron cups from the wooden box in the corner. "This is the green leaf tea of Basswood Castle, the reason why it is called green leaf tea, even in winter, the leaves are green when they wither, and it can clear the brain. The old man filled the cup.

Itong looked at the strange juice and hesitated whether to drink it or not. The old man said, "Don't worry, I won't murder a man in black, and I don't have that ability, just taste it." ”

Yi Tong took a sip and said, then looked at the old man, hoping to get some useful news out of his mouth. At this moment, a fly was skewering around, stopping at the corner of the table and then on the rim of the cup, and Yi Tong had no intention of driving away the fly that was on his head.

"But it's been burned down by fire for I don't know how many times, and it's hard to find something useful. The old man said.

"Where do you mean. Yi Tong was puzzled and a little angry.

"Dragonfly Town, not far from Meiyan City, behind the Aopan Mountain, a small town near the river lake. ”

"It is said that the springs of the rivers and lakes are connected to the Weeping Strait, and the water there does not freeze all year round. ”

"That's right, it's because Dragonfly Town is so beautiful that it has caused trouble. ”

"Well, ...... after that?" Itong asked curiously.

"If you really want to hear this story, I'll tell it to you, and it's good for you and me. The old man looked at Yi Tong hesitantly, and Yi Tong still stared at the old man.

"Good!" said the old man, drinking green leaf tea, "about two weeks ago, I went to Dragonfly Town to get some fine stones, and the weather was fine that day, except that the humidity of the forest would increase at dusk, so I went to the farm in the River of Tears to get a piece of clothing, but when I arrived at Aopan Mountain, the clothes were already soaked, so I had to throw away the ......."

“...... You can get to the point without having to go into detail. "Itong hates the old man's broken words.

"I saw a man in black using magic on the top of a bare mountain, and blue smoke was coming out of him, and the magic of magic was that there were magical scenes that could not be explained, and although I had seen different magic in my life, what I saw that day was something I will never forget. The smoke was quiet, moving, circling, staggering, and finally a huge black hole appeared in the smoke, which could hold the fortress. As he spoke, the old man's whole body began to tremble, he was afraid, he was worried, and he continued to describe the scene of that day. "Then, then I felt the cold seeping into my bones, it was difficult to even breathe, and the most profound thing for me was that I was like standing on an endless ice field, about to die, everything in front of me began to blur, but fortunately, I got out of there in time, and I escaped this catastrophe, and in the early morning of the second day of this incident, everyone in Dragonfly Town died. ”

"I've never heard of this, you say it's a man in black? There are people in black cloaks all over the continent. Yi Tong said in disbelief.

"The man in black, it must be, but I don't see that your actions will harm the innocent people, so I told you about it, and after that, I have been guessing that there must be a bad group among the men in black, if you belong to them, then you can kill me now, bury my body behind the fortress, no one will know, and I will not blame you." ”

Yi Tong giggled, "You think the mission of the men in black is to kill, if I did, you would regret not putting the poison in this cup of tea, and you would regret meeting me." ”

"There are so many things that I regret in my life, I won't regret telling you this, man in black, what is the mission of some of you, I know very well, chasing the dead and maintaining balance, right?" said the old man.

"Since you know, do you know what the dead look like? ”

"I don't care whether the gods exist or not, I just care that the gods can give thousands of people a kind of belonging, and they believe in the gods so that they can find a suitable place for them in this vast land, so that they can leave in peace when they die. ”

"I can give some advice to those who are about to die, true faith comes from the heart, the heart is better than all false gods, when you leave, there is no judgment of death, the heart determines where you go, whether it is a border full of darkness or a world of light, it is up to you. Yi Tong said solemnly.

"I've decided where I'm going. ”

"I think you're ready, but your story is interesting, and when the war is over, I'll go to Dragonfly to see it. ”

The skewered flies were quietly perched on the old man's shoulder, seemingly his eyes and ears, and the enemy's henchmen, but more like enjoying the conversation between the two. The old man waved his hand and drove the flies away. "No, the beautiful town of Dragonfly doesn't exist anymore, if you want to see it, you can go east from here to Fort Red Valley, which is more suitable for you. The old man said.

"It seems that this conversation has helped me a lot, you said that you are very well-informed, what is going on in Red Valley Fort. ”

"My messages sometimes go wrong, I'm not sure what the Dragonfly Town affair has to do with Red Valley Fort, I just know that the damned are dead, and the unworthy are dying with them. ”

"It's a big price, the man in black will definitely intervene in the investigation, and you don't have to worry about things that have nothing to do with you. ”

While the two were talking, there was the sound of flies flapping their wings in the corner of the bed, and the fly, which had just been very excited, fell headlong into the spider's web, and it struggled desperately, but to no avail, the spotted spider quickly wrapped the fly with layers of spider silk, and then the room was quiet again.

The old man was not disturbed by the sound of the flies struggling, but drank the green leaf tea intently, Yi Tong looked at the dying fly, smiled and said, "The short life of a fly can be exchanged for the freedom to soar in the sky, do you say it is worth it." ”

The old man looked sideways at the spotted spider enjoying the sudden food, and responded, "In this era of the weak and the strong, it is worth it to be able to exchange a little freedom, provided that the weak side is killed by whom, if it is the spider hanging on the crack of the bed, the fly will inevitably be a little unlucky." ”

"It's not the flies that are unlucky. ”

"So what?"

"It doesn't know what a sense of crisis is, and it doesn't know that when danger lurks around it, it doesn't know that death is coming, and it can continue to fight for the freedom to fly, but comfort makes it get carried away. Yi Tong said.

"Well...... spider has an amazing talent for hunting, it can lay a unique trap for visitors to step on, it can be said that the spider is a natural predator, or it can be said that its stealth and patience have won it food. ”

"I hate the way spiders hunt, it's disgusting. Itong looked disgusted, squinting at the spider enjoying the food.

"But it's just a tiny spider. ”

"Although this war has upset the balance of the continent, it is also a reminder to those who sit comfortably that death is approaching step by step. Yi Tong said.

"There's always a chance to turn back, and it's up to the comfortable person to grasp it. ”

Yi Tong smiled, "To put it bluntly, what did the northerners take away from them, right now, the town of Rotten Wood is in danger, it is nothing to the people in the depths of the south, and when the enemy soldiers come to the city, the men in black will watch them struggle." ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Balance does not mean peace, peace does not mean that there is no war, the law of the jungle is a balance, and killing has also brought some people's comfort, so at that point, the man in black who maintains balance will look at this continent again. ”

The old man responded to Itong's smile, "It seems that the men in black have something in common with the gods of Dutan, and I believe we will live in peace." ”

"So, would you still say that my mission is to kill?"

"The one who breathes will give the answer. ”

Yi Tong nodded slightly, "The one who breathes will surely reply to someone's speculation." ”

The old man got up and filled Yi Tong's cup, and Yi Tong pushed and said, "No need, I still have important things to do, and when the battle of Rotten Wood Town is over, I will come here again to drink tea, and I will also bring a frog to peck at the spiders over there." ”

"When you come back again, the spider will get bigger, maybe even a frog will have a hard time swallowing. ”

Yi Tong smiled and said goodbye to the old man.