"The Scarlet Fortress was built by a man named 'Stump' Ade, but he has been dead for more than seven hundred years. "'Not smiling,' Kaplin told Woragon, "this man is a strange man, and he has a record in his hand, a record that no one can surpass." Born more than a thousand years ago, he crossed the Delon Snow Mountains alone to the Black Forest in the prime of life, and Lord Awinhai recruited him into the Tomb Keeper, bestowed on him the blessing of the Grevyn Star, and only three years later, Lord Awinhai promoted him to the rank of Guard Officer at the North Gate. Pointing to the north, he said, "There are almost no undead in that land, and at first even I couldn't believe it, but that's what it is. ”

"Why do you call him 'Stump' Ade?"

"He's an archer, but he never actively tracks the undead, he likes to wait, waiting for his prey to come in. Hmph, standing in the forest is like a tree stump, and the undead can't tell him apart, sometimes even his companions. Kaplin lowered his head as he sharpened his knife and said, "It's a pity that he still hasn't survived until now." According to Master Awinhay, the stump did not die at the hands of the undead, but at the hands of his own people. He and his companion had waded through a depression to check on a certain place, but they clumsily fell into the swamp. Do you know that the River Demon Swamp is no ordinary riverside in your human world, as long as you step into it, you want to pull it out unless you tear off your bones? He put the knife in his hand on his lap and said with a blank face, "There were three people present at the time, 'Stump' Ade and a pair of twins, my brother suffered, my brother didn't want to watch his brother be swallowed by the swamp, and he didn't want to see him torn to pieces by the dark token, so he wanted to end his brother's life with the bow and arrow on his back, but he couldn't." Ade, the guard officer at the North Gate checkpoint, decided to take matters into his own hands, and his brother agreed. Later, my brother couldn't figure it out, he felt that this matter was unfair to him, why did Ade do it, why. Just one day later, he stabbed Ade in the heart with a dagger. ”

"What do you do with traitors?" said Voragon sat across from him, who had wanted to hand his weapon to Kaplin so that he could help him sharpen it, and then forget it.

"No, he's not a traitor, he's a murderer, a murderer. Angry at this, Cowplin looked like a mule choking on water, "The grave keeper does not allow such people to exist, nor does he allow such people to live. Lord Awinhai immediately sent seventy men to hunt down the murderer day and night, and finally found him on the southern ridge of the Delong Snow Mountain, and I don't need to tell you about the crime. The trial took place in the River Demon Swamp, and Lord Awinhai issued an order that no one should be allowed to light torches, no one to carry a light source, and no one to come near the River Demon Swamp. For a whole day, the blood-colored fortress was pitch black, and the only thing that confronted the murderer was the black storm and the swamp where dark tokens roamed. Can you imagine that the last moments of your life were faced with endless darkness? The murderer does not qualify for the light. This is the punishment of the murderer, and it doesn't get much more cruel than that. ”

Woragon was amazed at the way the grave keepers did things, and even more puzzled by the place where they lived. "You really haven't been to the west of Delong Snow Mountain?"

"Hey, in fact, Lan Yi is lying, if we never go out, we will be no different from the undead. I don't know which path you're taking, but we have our own shortcut over the Delong Snow Mountain. He picked up the silver knife and showed it to Volagan, "It's lightweight, it's made from the undead world, it's a gift from Orendine to the grave keepers, and it's said that the undead can sense the threat of the living world, especially weapons. Look at this one, the undead only have the ability to walk in the dark, and before they even noticed me, I had already sneaked up behind them and stabbed them in the neck. ”

Voragon took the weapon, the weight was indeed light, and he waved it, with just the right center of gravity. "You always mention the dark tokens of the River Demon Swamp, what kind of monster is that?"

"Dark tokens are the result of War of the Dead. Kaplin lowered his voice, "It's the ghost of a dead Guardian." When the Guardians arrived in the Savage Lands, it was not only Pesil, Orendine, and Lord Awinhay, who brought with them two thousand men, but unfortunately no one was spared, and half of their lives ended in this swamp. The Grevyn Star could not shine here, and the Light of Noah could not penetrate the darkness overhead, so the dead souls could not return to the Grevyn Star, and ended up becoming a dark token that wandered in the darkness. It is more terrible than death, heavier than any punishment. ”

Woragon imagined what would happen here, and if the dark tokens they spoke of were tired of being in the swamp and planning to use the Black Forest as their lair, wouldn't the grave keepers suffer. If the undead plan to ally with the dark tokens, the Scarlet Fortress will only be beaten, and then the Delon Snow Mountain will not be able to withstand the invasion of these dead. There is one more question, a very serious one. Aware of the hole, Vorragon returned the weapon to Kaplin, and said in a questioning tone, "What is your mission? Guarding the Dark Token or the Dead, maintaining balance or protecting the Contract. ”

Kaplin withdrew his treasure and squinted at him for a long time, "Are you suspicious of us?"

Woragon snorted, "Looks like you can't speak. Yes, I'm just suspicious of you, why are there so many dead people in the place west of Delong Snow Mountain, if I'm not mistaken, the opposite side of the river demon swamp is the entrance to the undead realm, you are guarding here, how can there be so many dead people escaping?"

"Stop!" Cowling's serious expression was like that of a normal person, and he raised his hand to refuse Voragon's question, "Do you know how long the River Demon Swamp is?" I told you a little story and you will know that more than 300 years ago, Lord Avenhai set out from the Gate of Blood and walked all the way north, trying to find the end of the river demon swamp and see what the end was, but it was this exploration that Lord Awinhai walked for seventy-two years, and when he came back, he told the grave keeper that at the end of the north was a nameless ocean, where the reef was a hundred feet high, the waves were a hundred feet high, and the storm never stopped. After that, Lord Awinhai walked all the way south from the South Gate Gate, and after forty-five years, he found that at the end of the south was a barren land of black earth and black rocks, where the air was thin, uninhabited, and all beasts were extinct. So you know how long the River Demon Swamp is. We can't completely hold the River Demon Swamp, we have to cut them down. Of course, you're right, the entrance to the realm of the undead is in that storm, where tens of thousands of roaring beasts have laid a net, and derivatives of the river demon swamp that roam stop anyone in their path, especially the dead. But none of us can imagine how many dead there are in the undead realm, and I estimate that all the ants on the continent of Lanya combined are less than half the number of dead. This world has existed forever, and the laws have been set. ”

Woragan was speechless at this tirade, and he scratched his ears, having to admit that he had no idea of the facts that Cowlin had told him. What kind of world is this, how big is it? "Thank you for saying this to me, then...... Go out for a walk with me, it's going to be dizzying to stay in the house for a long time. He wasn't sure that Kaplin would agree. Lan promised me to come and go as I pleased, but for the whole day, Cowplin looked at me like a prisoner.

"Okay, I'll go out for a walk with you. "Coplin is a little taller than Woragon, and at first glance, he is a little older than Woragon.

"At what age did you receive the blessing of the Grevin Star?" said Volagon as he walked forward, and as he pushed the door, he found it locked. These damn grave keepers. He gritted his teeth and held his breath to make way for Kaplin.

"I was born in Outpost Town, Lan Yi is my hometown, but he will live one hundred and twenty-one years longer than me. Kaplin took an iron bar from his waist and twisted it in the crack, and the door opened. "But what's interesting is that now Lan is a year older than me, hahaha, you say it's not angry. As for me, I was twenty-eight years old when I received the blessing of the Grevyn Star, and I was the one hundred and third person to cross the Delon Snow Mountain alive. He leaned between the door frames and asked, "What about you? I heard that the people in black on the Lanya continent are very young. ”

It's not that he's young, but no one is lucky enough to live more than one hundred and fifty years, and Woracan said truthfully, "twenty-five years old, thirty years after receiving the blessing of the Grevyn star." ”

"You're really young. The two walked around a corridor several meters long and made their way to the courtyard. The triangular inner courtyard is comparable to the triumphal square of half of Seahorse Town, with white stone pillars and arches surrounding the courtyard, colored beams of light flowing slowly above, and the darkness overhead stops at the fortress, which seems powerless in the face of light. In the center of the courtyard, a middle-aged man was sweeping the ground, and under the eaves opposite, three or two people sat on three stone steps and talked. Sometimes someone hurried through the courtyard into another room, and sometimes someone chatted and laughed while leisurely entering another corridor. On the city walls, guards dressed in brown cloaks shuttled back and forth, numbering more than a dozen people. Each of them was armed with a longbow, their faces covered with a veil, and their cloaks were wide but did not hinder their movements in the slightest. In the fortress above the gates, a guard sat on a pheasant moat, his eyes fixed on the direction of the storm, and behind him was a large horn, his milky white body reflected in the flowing colored light. Under the city gates, two guards huddled in the corners of the white stone steps, and the sound of chatter and laughter came from there.

Living in this kind of eternal night can suffocate people, they can still laugh, worthy of being a grave keeper, Woragon thought to himself, I am the most unsuitable man in black to be a grave keeper, in my opinion, Baruelin can adapt quickly, that guy is always sullen, just like the joy of the world has nothing to do with him, he is suitable to be a grave keeper, but unfortunately I am the one who came here. "How many people are in the castle?"

"A hundred? maybe more. "The Black Forest is too big to imagine, so in addition to the three guarded checkpoints in the River Demon Swamp, the daily patrols of the Black Forest are also a must. In the early morning, forty men would go out of the city to patrol, fifteen in the south, fifteen in the north, and ten in the west, and they would return in the morning, and then another forty would take over their patrols until night. ”

"Early morning, night?" Voragon glanced up overhead, "what time is it?"

"Probably in the afternoon. ”

"Your concept of time is also very vague. Worakon sneered to himself, he shook his head in disbelief, "What drove you to join the Grave Keeper?"

"The land west of Delong Snow Mountain, and the town where I once lived, all of this needs someone to stand up and protect her. Well, everyone comes here for different reasons, partly because of gratitude, and then because of curiosity about the world, and I am one of them. ”

For a good reason, Wallagoon and Coplin walked around the courtyard, and the sweepers kept staring at Wallagoon as if they had never seen anyone before. "You should really go over the snowy mountains, ferry through the Weeping Sea, and go to Lanya to make sure you make the trip worthwhile. You should know that the Holy Lake Bay, home to the Earth Elves, is located on the shores of the Sunset Sea, which is the end of the world, I mean, the westernmost point of the world. And here, the easternmost point of the world, is thousands of miles apart. ”

"Holy Lake Bay, yes, there's a lighthouse on it, called the Pillar of Dawn, I've heard of it. I had also heard that the treasure left behind by the sons of Parandi in the Pillar of Dawn had been looted by robbers, and the Lanians had given the robbery a nice name, the Battle for the Gold of the Pillar of Dawn. ”

"It is ownerless wealth that can be possessed by all men and is not contrary to conscience. The trio sitting on the stone steps chatting glanced at them, then got up and walked slowly towards Woragon and Cowplin. One had a white beard and was about forty years old, the other was thin and listless as if he had been starved for ten days, and the other spoke as a strong young man with a delicate face and short black hair, and a smile full of sincerity. "The man in black of the Lanya Continent, the Vorragon of the Dusk Castle of the Black Hill Mountain, it is an honor to know you. He raised one arm to his chest, and the other two did the same. "Mazr Abbas, once upon a time from Shatarus of the Land of the Green Thorns, the four hundred and seventy-seventh man who crossed the Delon Snow Mountain. ”

"Harunshad, from Murhain in the Land of the Green Thorns, the three hundred and second to cross the Delon Snow Mountain. The middle-aged man with the white beard said.

"Just call me Hyde. The little man who lacked nutrition smiled and said, "We should be half a countryman, I'm from Lannia, but that's a hundred years back, and I remember when King Rocco of Zealandella went north to fight the traitor Cybers, and built the Soul Tower in Lethe. It was in the summer of that year that I left Lanya in search of the traces of the War of the Dead, and luckily I made it through the Delon Snow Mountains alive to meet Master Awinhay. ”

Voragon knew this history, but he was not born at that time. "I'm lucky, this snowy mountain road is extremely difficult, almost impossible for mortals to cross, and I am impressed by your ability. ”

"It's a test of being a grave keeper. Maizr Abastan confessed, his physique unusually muscular and the contours of his muscles clinging to the robes even though the fat brown robe obscured his figure. "You just said that the Pillar of Dawn in the Holy Lake Bay has this story in my homeland, the battle for gold heralded the end of the Second Age of mankind, the earth elves sailed to the end of the sea of sunset, the heirs of Palandi became beggars on the streets, and the beacon towers that stretched east and west became ruins. The noble race of elves regards gold as dung, so the scavengers like to pout and eat themselves, and they enjoy it. ”

Who's nagging are you listening to, Voragon secretly denied his conclusion, but he didn't say what he thought, as a guest from afar, he should be as he pleased, this is their right. "It seems that Delong Snow Mountain is much safer than the West, at least the dead like to go on a rampage, and it is more convenient for us to clean it up. He smiled and promised.

"How many undead have you killed?" Hyde asked

"How many have I killed?" Voragon suddenly didn't know how to answer him. Cowplin stamped his foot to the side, then told him, "The undead are cunning and intelligent. ”

I've killed more than a hundred undead and never missed, they have no brains, no thoughts, that's all. "Are we talking about the undead? Maybe the topic should be ....... ”

"Whatever. The white-bearded middle-aged man interrupted him, "In a few hours it will be time for us to leave, and I hope the man in black will go on patrol with us in the Black Forest." ”

"No!" Lan Yi walked up, and the man sweeping the floor followed closely behind him, "You can safely pass through the Black Forest not because you are a man in black, nor because you have killed the undead, my brother is firmly in control here, so you can come here alive." He dismissed the others with his eyes, leaving only Lan Yi and the white-faced young man with a broom in his hand, he was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, and his small eyes looked directly at Voragon.

"Brave grave keeper, you want to attack me with words just because I am outnumbered?" Vorragon responded with his disrespect, "I don't want to have an unpleasant relationship with you until I have met Awinhay. He took two steps forward and moved closer to Lan Yi, "If you think my words are a joke on me, I will respond to you with a joke." ”

The boy couldn't help but step back. "Stop. Lan Yi ordered him, and then said to Voragon, "I don't like you, and I don't like the man in black, you will only dispose of the leftover food of the grave keeper and clean up the garbage thrown away by the grave keeper, you are like that broom, there is no value at all." You have been blessed by the Grewin Stars, and it is pure luck. ”

Voragon laughed, "Poor fellow, I sympathize with you, but I'm not interested in telling you this. I'm disappointed, sorry. He bumped Lan Yi's shoulder and walked towards the cell.