The first to leave the castle at dusk was Voragon, and the girl Skordy said that she had specially prepared thirty pieces of plum orchid fruits for Voragan, which was enough for him to reach Delong Snow Mountain safely, and even if he arrived, he would have nearly half of his baggage left. However, she did not make such arrangements for Ormond, Say, and Irina. "There are many villages along the way, and inns and restaurants are everywhere, unless you choose to bypass the road and walk in the wilderness. ”

"My axe has eyes, and he's going to chop up whoever he wants won't survive tomorrow, and of course I'm not talking about people, but wild boars, elk, and rabbits. Saye holds a giant axe in one hand and beef in garlic sauce given to him by Scordy in the other, which Sei has a soft spot for. Scordy knew this, and she knew most of the people in the organization, although she had only been here for a short time, she was very smart, if something big happened to the castle, Maester Pesil would take it over, and if it was a small matter, then almost all of them would be in charge of it. What Ormond admired most was the summoning spell that swirled around the clouds, like a song and like a murmur from the depths of the sky. Schodi didn't think so, but she didn't know that it was her original summoning spell, and once she chanted, within a few minutes, the crow would fly to her side and land in the palm of her hand. This is much better than the Lore Whistle, at least to the letter crows, they like her.

"Again, friends. Ormond said goodbye to the group, followed by Sei and then Irina. The three of them then left Black Hill Mountain and hurried towards the Giant Bridge in the north. Pass through the vast Shenhe Wetland, the Passimo Plateau and the densely distributed area of the Takishui River. By the time we arrived at the Giant's Bridge in Kuchigi, six days had passed. Ormond made a preliminary estimate that Wallagon should have just arrived in the Eastern Continent at this moment.

Located on the south bank of the Redstone River, the Giant's Bridge is the gateway to the north, making it an important fortified town, with a large number of troops stationed here on a rotating basis. The commander was a local named Billyon, and his ancestors came from Basswood Fort, so the vast majority of the soldiers stationed at Giant's Bridge were from Basswood Fort.

The Red Rock River is a fast-flowing, wide, deep, and dense undercurrent, with untouched mountains in the upper reaches and into the vast Weeping Sea in its lower reaches. The whole field is thousands of miles, and its narrowest position is also two hundred meters wide, there have been people who have tried to cross the Hongshi River by boat, but the end is the same, no one can succeed, it also depends on the steep and loose embankments on both sides of the Hongshi River, once a year the river is diverted, but the width of the Hongshi River is not seen shrinking, but getting wider and wider. The Santa Scholars of Nishizawa had predicted that in another hundred years, the ice and snow of the Absolute Mountains would melt away, the sea of sunsets in the west would pour inland, the Red Rock River and the Blackwater Reef would merge into one, and one-third of the Earth-Sea Plain in the north would become an ocean. Ormond didn't believe the prophecy of the Priests of the Holy Tower, and he might have been a little worried if it had been the prophecy of the church of Dastul. For the soul revelators of the church of Dastur do have the power of such prophecy.

It was named the Giant's Bridge because it is believed to have been built by the giants of the Roof of Blades, and contains the exquisite skills of the Metir and the mysterious magic of the dwarves. But all this is just a well-known story. There is another version in the history of the Men in Black, the end of the Dark Ages, the Human Emperor Palandi announced the beginning of the second age of mankind at the Pillar of Dawn in the Holy Lake Bay, and at the suggestion of the earth elves, the twelve generals of King Parandi left the Holy Lake Bay with the will of the elves to find and build their own home.

General Hehir chose the Strange Stone Terrace, and the Stone People appeared. General Monteiquelda chose the Basswood River, and thus gave rise to today's Basswood Fort. General Bahlo chose the nearest rainforest hinterland in the west, and the Golden Tooth City rose from the ground. Although it is now barren land, and the Golden Tooth City has been renamed the Golden Tooth Ruins, to the people in black, the Golden Tooth City still has an ancient will. General Modisha and General Townnay formed an alliance to build Patumon and Silantera, and the two countries are still living up to the wishes of their ancestors after a thousand years. Instead, Generals Floros and Byna chose the vast Ellon Desert, where Teomons and Tekimons appeared, but the two cities remained in ruins for only a few hundred years, and are now occupied by green-skinned Demans.

Generals Bird and Anas crossed the sea to the eastern continent and built Murhain and Shatarus between the Erigang Forest and the Floating Sea Plain, with the vast Lato Mountains at the northern end of the two cities. General Isfah came to the Red Valley alone and built what is now the Red Castle. Only General Isukun and his younger brother Imo and the General came to Kuchigi Town, and they spent sixteen years building the Giant's Bridge, and when crossing the river, Isukun chose to stay in the lower reaches of the Falling Valley River, while his younger brother chose the upper reaches of the Falling Valley River, and at this point, Seahorse Town, the capital of fog, and Screaming Bay appeared.

It was nearly dusk, and the three of them took a short route into an inn. The inn was crowded with locals or soldiers. In order not to attract attention, they sat down at an empty table by the wall and ordered some bread, cheese and pumpkin soup to fill their stomachs.

The three of them were still dressed in black cloaks, which was a bit unusual compared to the people in the inn. Several officers and men noticed them and probed them up and down through the bustling crowd, but Ormond had already noticed it, but only pretended to be ignorant. After a while, a drunken officer and soldier came from the other side, and he stood in front of them and said sternly, "Hey, you guys! I don't look like you are dressed like locals, where are you from?"

Ormond took off his hat and smiled, "My lord, we are merchants from the West, passing through the town, looking for an inn to rest, what do you have to command." ”

"Merchant, war is on the door, will there be any merchant coming to Kuchigi to rest?" the soldier sat down in his chair, his eyes fixed on the other man in a cloak. "Hey, you, put your head up, take off your hat!"

The man in black took off his hat, revealing a young and beautiful face, her skin was slender and delicate, white and flawless, her blue pupils were like ice crystal gems, her eyebrows were full of wisdom and deep meaning, she had long hair with a shawl, black as the night sky, her long hair was tied around her shoulders with a light blue ribbon, and her every move revealed a noble temperament. She is Irina, and she has the beauty of the country, and any man who takes a peek at her face will be glad that he has met such a beautiful white elf.

The soldier was stunned by the face in front of him, although he had experienced a hundred battles, he could not withstand one of her eyes, he was slightly nervous, and said intermittently, "The northern tribes have been... The army is already under the city, and the war may start at any time, but you can rest assured that if the Free Folk want to take the town of Rotten Wood, they must first pass through the Giant's Bridge, which has been so tightly guarded by us that even the rats can't get through. ”

Seeing this, Ormond asked, "Why did the northerners go south?"

The soldier's face was flushed with drunkenness, and the smell of liquor permeated his body, "It is rumored that a group of sorcerers has appeared in the far north, who have united the warlike tribes of the north with the aim of occupying the south, and not only that, but they are looking for a strange stone everywhere. The soldier leaned his face in front of Ormond, the smell of sweat and alcohol making it impossible for Ormond to breathe, "It's a fallen stone, it appeared a long time ago, but now...... It's long gone now, and the wizards of the north believe it's somewhere south of the Redstone River. ”

"What kind of stone?" Ormond had never heard of it, he tilted his head to look at Irina and Say, and then stubbornly put his ear to the soldier, "My friend, what kind of stone has such great magic?"

"Well, who knows, but I'm going to correct it, it's not a stone, it's a gem, eh...... I haven't seen it. The soldier staggered as he looked at Irina, "Anyway, the barbarians are whimsical, and they won't be able to get by, I promise ......." ”

Before he could finish speaking, several soldiers came from the other side, armed with weapons in their hands, threatening to take the three to the barracks. As he was about to pull out his weapon and clean up the inadequately measured soldiers, Ormond quickly stopped him and said, "My lord, we'll go with you." ”

It's almost late at night, and there are a few drunkards lying on the side of the street in the streets of Kuchigi Town, and there are occasional soldiers patrolling through the streets, but other than that, the town is very quiet, and it seems that the proximity of the war has not had much impact on Kuchigi Town.

As the group walked through the alleys and out of the town, the huge castle appeared, and the black rock walls, fortresses and towers were huddled together, and the red and yellow lights and shadows swirled around the deep high walls. Flames shot out of the castle, and the guards on the battlements seemed to patrol above the flames. Beneath the city walls, the iron gates were half-open, bronze in the light of the fire, and soldiers came in and out, and the chatter of people and the restless barking of hounds mingled into a bustle of one after another. Ormond didn't care about that, he cared more about what was outside the castle.

On either side of the castle, miles of defensive fortresses were hidden in the night, their black outlines obscuring the northern half of the stars. And in addition to man-made sounds, there are even more terrifying sounds: the great river flows, rushes and surges, hits the piers, and pours for thousands of miles. I wonder how many Horgents there are on the other side of the Redstone River, Ormond thought to himself.

The soldiers led the three into the hall of the castle, and the commander stationed in the town of Kuchigi heard that he had captured the three men in black, and he was already sitting in the hall waiting. The soldiers in the hall were heavily armed, as if ready for a fierce battle. At least judging from Sey's angry expression, he didn't like this atmosphere, and if it dragged on for a long time, I was afraid that it would not be him, but the group of soldiers.

Commander Billion sat alone on the high platform, he made a hasty inquiry, then got up and walked forward slowly, "On the eve of the war, three merchants came to Rotten Wood Town, which makes people wonder, a woman, a bearded dwarf, a poor ghost farmer, again, what are you doing!"

Sei glanced at the commander with contempt, "Tell me what your name is, and respectfully invite me to take a seat, maybe I'll tell you." ”

Officer Billion sneered, "Who gave this dwarf so much courage?, is it the town's escort?" the soldiers on the side couldn't help but laugh. The commander said, "Men in black, is that right, how about tying you up and throwing you into the Redstone River, or hanging your head in front of the city gate as a special reward?"

Sai suppressed his anger and whispered, "Hmph, when the war is over, you will know whose head is on the wall." ”

Seeing this, Ormond hurriedly stepped forward, "Since the adults know that we are the men in black, presumably the adults also know the purpose of the men in black, there is nothing between you and me, if the adults really want to do this, it will be a big mistake, do you want to wade into this troubled water?"

Billion listened and thought for a moment, and the soldiers around him were talking earnestly. In Ormond's opinion, the people of Basswood Castle don't have the courage to challenge the Men in Black, their king Ilquilda regards the Men in Black as friends, and Billion of Rotten Wood will not do it, he is just doubting our identity, maybe yes.

"To be an enemy of me is to be an enemy of Meiyan City, outnumbered, can you become a laughing stock here? If the man in black is an enemy of the murderer on the other side of the river, we are allies, if you and I are against each other. The soldiers were ready to do it at this time, and the hall was full of soldiers, Billion waved his hand and continued, "My soldiers and the people have different opinions about the men in black, if it is convenient, the men in black can tell me the purpose of your trip and where you are loyal." ”

The three of them were not frightened by the soldiers' encirclement, but instead looked calm, because they believed that the dozens of people in the hall simply did not have enough ability to take down the three men in black, not to mention that the opposite side of the Red Stone River was the northern army that was eyeing the tiger, if they really wanted to do it, then they would lose more than a few lives.

Ormond smiled unkindly, "The men in black don't help either side, we're just spectators. He raised his hands slightly, indicating peace, "Of course, we will never allow the northern tribes to invade various cities at will, burn, kill and loot, and the men in black are here to pay attention to this war that is about to take place outside the door."

Billion ordered the soldiers to stand back, "Then we'll be allies for the time being?" ”

The three did not answer, expressing their agreement with the commander, Ormond had already guessed that such an outcome would come, "but we would like to know the specific situation." ”

"As you can see, the freedmen of the north are like hungry wolves, they are recklessly burning the cities along their way, the Lookout Fort and the town of Oxhead are gone, and the villages around the Blackwater Reef have been burned down, and few people have survived. ”

"Seahorse Town in the northern hinterland has just experienced a catastrophe, and the northern freedmen do not have enough ability to capture the city of Seahorse Town, is there any connection between this and Seahorse Town?"

The soldiers in the hall scattered one after another, and Billion invited the three to sit down, "My men have not received any reliable news from Seahorse Town, but just three days ago, when the northern refugees came here, they claimed that these northern freedmen who suddenly appeared were Horkings, and their leaders were a few strange wizards, and as for where the wizards came from, we do not have a definite conclusion. ”

"If I remember correctly, the leader of the Horking people is not dead, they will not obey any outsiders. Ormond asserted.

"Something must have happened inside the Horkings, perhaps the dark magic of the wizards has disturbed the minds of these barbarians. "Stones, they're looking for a strange stone, and we don't know what kind of stone it is." ”

"It must be a stone with some kind of power. Ormond said, "It's not the first time we've talked about this strange stone since we've been in Rotten Wood. ”

......

The next morning, it was drizzling in the sky and the humid air was suffocating. The Giant's Bridge lies quietly on the river, and there are no pedestrians on the bridge, and of course, there will be no pedestrians at this moment. Irina stood alone on the rampart, her black cloak staring across the river, where there were stacks of military sheds for miles, wisps of green smoke rising from the tents and drifting into the forest with the wind. It was a morning washed by raindrops, but I didn't feel its freshness and fragrance, and every corner was filled with anger and fear.

Ormond and Say approached Irina's side, and the three of them simultaneously set their sights on the barracks across the river. "The Horking people are making final preparations, and when their numbers are gathered, the war will begin. Say spoke.

Irina raised her hand slightly, and the raindrops hit her slender hand, "Maybe it won't start, the northern tribes are good at winning wars with the advantage of numbers, and guerrilla warfare is more certain for them, if you want to conquer the Giant's Bridge guarded by regular troops, you need to pay a terrible price, I think a few mysterious people in the north have won over the tribe to be loyal to him, and they will not easily lose a large number of people and launch a useless attack on the Giant's Bridge." ”

"Then all that's left is negotiation?" Said, a little puzzled, "If our guesses are all wrong, and the northern army will easily take Kuchigi Town, it will all be in vain, not to mention that there are a few wizards on the other side who can play with magic." ”

Ormond shook his head slightly, "The occupation of the north is only the first step for those mysterious people, and there is still a lot to come, the point is that what they are looking for has not yet been found." "Hopefully, the mystical wizards mentioned by these mouths are fanatical heretics, and may the anger of the Horkings slowly subside. "Irina, I'm going to give you a mission, cross the Giant's Bridge late at night, go to the north to investigate the origin of those mysterious wizards and what the stones they are looking for, and if there is any result, let me know as soon as possible, and this is for me and Sai. ”

Irina nodded, and Sai said, "I know you're skilled, but don't be stupid enough to contact these wizards, think of the black and white warlocks who inhabit Screaming Bay, although they are clumsy and slower than snails, but the flames they control are not so friendly." There are also these wizards, anyway, as long as it's wizards and warlocks and the like, don't have anything to do with them, it's not good for us. ”

Irina couldn't help but smile faintly after hearing this, "Don't worry, I'm not a warrior, but a scout, I'll deal with all this." ”

"That's good, that's good. ”

"I can give you some advice. Ormond reminded her, "If the trails along the way can't find the origin of the mysterious wizard of the north, then go to the City of the Mists and seek the help of the Holy Court." ”

"The Horking people came from north of Deslan on the Silent Plateau, and their route south bypassed the Northland Plains, and the first city to burn down was Niutou Town, followed by the Lookout Fort of Gunny. I can....... ”

"No, you can't. Ormond immediately rejected Irina's request, saying, "I understand your thoughts, but Bullhead and Lookout are in ruins, and we can't afford to take too many risks if we don't return." You'll find out the truth around Blackwater Reef and then head to the City of Mist, where you'll find the answers to the secret of the world's hidden secrets in the Fog City's underground palaces. ”

"The stone they were looking for. Irina understood the purpose of the investigation, and she whispered, "I know what I should do, but Leoya and his party are still in the Endless Ice Fields deep in the north, and perhaps they are investigating this as well. ”

"Then let them do it. Ormond replied that he didn't care about Leoya, who had left for love, but about what the Erkings would do next, and that the Battle of the City of Fog had taught them the difficulty of the invasion of the south, that it was only Seahorse Town, and that the Giant's Bridge would make them helpless. The purpose of the alliance agreement between the City of the Gods and the Red Castle, Basswood Castle, Strange Stone Terrace, and Nishizawa Town includes maintaining peace in the land, and the kings of the four kingdoms and the gods will not let it go, and this upcoming war on Giantbridge will provoke the wrath of the Five Kingdoms, and the alliance agreement will also work at the call of the Twitans.