The Luogu River pours thousands of miles from north to south, and then makes a big bend under the city of Haima Town, flowing straight to the east, running through the green field and joining the Weeping Sea. Seahorse Town is located here, on the eastern shore of the Northland Plains, and to the west by the vast forests of the green fields. Because the Luogu River under the city is turbulent, as if pouring down from a cliff above a thousand zhang, splashing a thick water mist, the water mist will always shroud Seahorse Town in a layer of water vapor, every morning, Seahorse Town will become a fog city, so it is often called the fog capital by outsiders, and this river is called the Luogu River.

Of course, Seahorse Town has another name, the city builder Isukun once called Auroville, but this name disappeared more than two hundred years ago with the sudden natural disaster. In the decades that followed, Auroville became a borderless city, and many princes came to take the city and claim the throne, and finally the southern Berta family captured Auroville and renamed it Seahorse Town. Up to now, four generations have been kings, the brave have passed away, and the young are in power.

Irina and the little girl Midara follow a wide, well-groomed avenue up a gentle slope that leads to the King's Gate in Seahorse Town. The green meadows on both sides and the fields cultivated by the villagers have been turned into a desolate ravine of burnt land, and wisps of black smoke still emit from the scorched earth, and its remnants can still be seen from the siege battle of a few days ago. The few soldiers wandered the city walls, and there was no sign of the former prosperity of the royal city. Behind them, in the northeast corner of the town, was the Sanctuary of Seahorse Town, far enough to see its vague outline, but enough to get a glimpse of its grandeur, the intertwined shadows of gold and silver.

Midara stared at the ruined wasteland with wide eyes, and she snuggled tightly to Irina's side, "Sister, I don't want to go over there, let's go back." ”

Irina hugged the little girl around her waist, "The grass here is just burned, and people are waiting for new life to break through the ground, and when the day comes, people will turn the old soil under the soil and sow crops. Don't worry, with my sister here, we will be fine. Irina promised Midara that the little girl would survive her cardamom years safely, and perhaps Midara did not understand the meaning of Irina's words. Irina gently led the little girl down the gentle slope.

"Stranger, tell me where you come from!" a rough voice came from above the city walls.

Irina looked up at the wall guards and said, "We are friends from the Dusk Castle on the south bank of the Redstone River, in the Black Hills Mountains, and in the northern royal city of Seahorse. ”

The voice fell silent again, and after a while, the guard on the city wall shouted, "I'm sorry ma'am, there have been many wars in the north recently, we must carefully check you, who is the child next to you?"

"She's my sister, and we'll just need to stay here for a few days, and ask the guards to open the gates. The little girl, Midara, was frightened and hid behind Irina.

Soon after, the guard said, "The main road between the north and the south has long been blocked, how did you get through?"

Irina no longer had the heart to continue to talk to the guards, and said bluntly, "The men in black don't need anyone's permission to pass through the Giant's Bridge, the north and south are always open for the men in black, and the gates of Seahorse Town are the same." At this time, there was silence on the city wall for a long time, and the little girl Midara tugged at Irina's sleeve and said, "Sister, why didn't he open the city gate, did he not want us to enter?" ”

"Don't worry, they'll drive. As soon as Irina finished speaking, the city gate slowly opened a crack with the deafening tearing sound of the door clasp, and Irina led the little girl into the city gate, and they were greeted by a tall guard officer with a hairy beard on his face, and he stood under the pavilion next to him with his hands behind his back, and when he saw the two slowly coming, he went up and down to inquire about them. A beautiful woman was dressed in a black cloak, the brim of the hat was inlaid with amber gold wire, and the chest was tattooed with a dark red star, which was the sign of the man in black, although it was inconspicuous, but it was enough to prove the mystery and dignity of the man in black, and the little girl next to her looked twelve or thirteen years old, her long hair was draped under her shoulders, and a few strands of golden hair flashed between her black hair, her face was covered with dust, but the eyebrows were like crystal clear dewdrops.

Seeing Irina's outfit, the guard officer stepped forward to greet Irina, "It's an honor for the men in black to come to Seahorse Town, and I'm sorry for being offended, I've never seen such a beautiful and moving man in black. With that, he bowed deeply to Irina.

Irina put her right hand on her chest, smiled and nodded, "I hope it didn't cause trouble for the guards." ”

"Of course not, it's our job and we'll give you the best accommodation and unique service. The officer said.

"Don't bother, I just need to find a suitable hotel to stay in. Irina said.

"It would be a breach of our duty. The guard officer said, beckoning to the two soldiers beside him, "Take this young lady in black into the city and arrange the best hotel." ”

The two guards stepped forward, and Midara, who seemed to be a little frightened, tugged hard at Irina's sleeve, and Irina, who could sense her uneasiness, opened her mouth and announced, "Thank you again for your hospitality, but I still want to refuse you." ”

The guard had no choice but to give up, "Okay, just listen to you, Miss." ”

After Irina left with Midara, she chose to take the central avenue she was familiar with: on both sides of the row of white buildings, the ancient and clean stone floor winds to the Triumphal Square in the center of the city, the crowd is bustling and endless, the sound of shouting and bargaining never stops, and the whole long street is full of mixed tastes.

But that's just the way it used to be, and now that you're here, everything seems to have changed. The streets are still the same as before, the buildings are still old, but the prosperity of the past is gone, the shops and taverns have closed down, the pedestrians are embarrassed, the streets are full of huddled beggars and barefoot children, the sour smell fills the alleys, drifting into the streets, and the two have to cover their mouths and noses and walk away quickly.

The people of the past did not notice her, because in their eyes a weak and beautiful woman was nothing more than a woman of a wealthy merchant, and even if several beautiful women warmed his bed at the same time, it was only the right of the nobles, and Irina did not care how the people here lived. This is not in the actions of the men in black, and the men in black do not need to care about the politics of other countries.

In the past, if you stood in this position, you could still faintly see the statue of the emperor standing in Triumph Square, but less than 500 meters in front of the two of them, a city wall was erected high, blocking the way, and the holy court on the hill was also hidden behind the high wall. The gate was narrow and low, with two stakes lying in front of it, a few listless guards chatting and laughing, and guards patrolling back and forth on the city walls. Irina wondered when the wall had been erected and what it meant, but the guards guarding the wall had no intention of denying the men in black their way.

When I came to the Triumph Square, the statue of the emperor was no longer there, a golden pool was built in the center of the square, the pool was very large, enough to accommodate a hundred people, in the center of the pool was a statue of a noble and elegant woman, with a gentle expression as if to welcome friends from afar, she held a crystal basin full of petals in one hand, and sowed petals in one hand. Irina already knew that the place had changed dramatically, and the only thing that hadn't changed was the old buildings and the temples in the distance.

"You're not locals. An old woman walked up to the two of them, "I was born and raised here, and I have the privilege of meeting people dressed in the same clothes as you, and if you think about it, it must have been more than thirty years ago." Irina glanced sideways, her silver hair was full and her cheeks were covered with deep wrinkles, and she looked up at the statue in front of her with her hands behind her back.

Irina replied, "Been here a long time ago. ”

The old man nodded, "I still remember that year I was pregnant, and the town was full of terrible rumors, that someone saw a dead man crawling out of the cemetery and walking, and killing the living, and for a moment people were terrified, and every night a large number of soldiers would search from house to house, oh...! When they left, nothing terrible had happened to Seahorse. ”

Irina only smiled slightly, and the old man added, "If I remember correctly, there was one of them, short, with a long beard, and a big bald head, and I was afraid of him at that time, so I always hid in the house and watched him through the window. I haven't seen these strange people since they left!"

After Irina heard this, Sei suddenly popped up in her head, yes, a long time ago, the undead broke into Seahorse Town, Ormond, Sai and Edith have also come here to capture the undead, but Irina does not remember when the old man said thirty years ago, if you count carefully, she has been here more than once or twice, as early as more than a hundred years ago, Irina came to Seahorse Town, fought side by side with Dencan II, at that time, the statue of the emperor was a unique scenery in this ancient city, people would come here every day to pay homage to the heroes, tell those endless stories, but when Irina stood here again, there was no longer the glory and prosperity of the past, on the contrary, there was silence all around, as if the ancient city had long lost its soul, only the decayed body remained。

When the old man saw the young woman staring at the statue and hesitated, he said to her, "This is the statue of the true god Panla, which was built a year ago, and she has replaced the old statue as a symbol of Seahorse Town, and a year ago, the year of the succession of King Denkan IV. ”

Irina didn't seem to understand, "I don't see the prosperity here anymore, and the loss of the statue of the emperor means that the royal city has entered its twilight years." ”

"In the twilight of our lives, we are the old people who are still alive, and Denkan IV will make this place prosperous. ”

Irina disagreed, "It takes time to confirm, time will tell." With that, Irina saluted the old man, and sat down by the pool with Midara in her arms.

"Why is the god a woman?" Midara said curiously to Irina.

Irina lit some water with flower petals and washed the dust off the girl's face, "Because the people have not seen their gods, but are listening attentively to the blessings from the heavens, and they believe that the gods who love them are beautiful and pure women. ”

"Then why would the good, merciful gods take away my family. The girl couldn't stop crying.

Irina comforted the girl, "You have to be strong and brave, the loss of our loved ones does not mean that we have been deprived of everything, sometimes, we cannot guess the intentions of the gods, she will always hold us in her arms when we are sad and sad, give us courage and confidence, and encourage us to get through difficulties." Sitting by the pool, Irina pointed to the petals in the water, and said to the little girl, "Sometimes we are like the bright petals in the water, and the fall of the petals does not mean the death of life, but a beauty that everyone admires." ”

They washed away the wind and frost from their bodies with clean water, and sat down by the pool together to rest for a long time.

In the afternoon, the sun was very warm, and Irina wanted to find answers here, so she found an inn in the city and settled the little girl Midara here temporarily. The inn was deserted, with no customers in the three-story attic, who were among the first guests to come during this time, and the innkeeper told them, "The northern tribes have wantonly burned the villages around the town, killing countless people, and during this time, Seahorse Town is heavily guarded, and there are no travelers, hunters, or merchants coming here, so business is unusually deserted, and if it continues like this, the inn will have to close." ”

The proprietor was a tall, thin middle-aged man, who was always dressed in a white suit with colorful patterns, which, according to him, was prepared to greet the king, who he had always believed to come here on a horse with golden hair and sideburns, and said that when his inn was opened, Denkan III came to his inn, and his business was so prosperous that it became the most famous inn in Seahorse Town. But no matter how famous it is, it can't compare to the arrival of customers, which always makes the innkeeper sigh.

When it comes to how Denkan III died, I'm afraid it's 'attributed' to the steps outside the king's bedchamber. The King's drunkenness seemed to be unknown to no one in Seahorseland, but his life was cut short at the wedding to Marthalee, and the joy turned into a loss, and the king fell from a platform less than two meters high, breaking his neck. After that, the whole city mourned King Denkan III for three days, in order not to let the world know that the king was drunk and fell to his death, the Holy Court conveyed the news, saying that the king had made a sacrifice to protect the northern land, and even the Church of Dashtur recorded this lie in the annals of Seahorse Town, and an absurd accident became a heroic story that needs to be embellished to be remembered forever.

But no matter how seamlessly all this is done, it can't fool the men in black in the Dusk Castle, only they know the truth of the facts, but it's not worth mentioning. "A friend of mine visited the inn a few years ago, and according to him, it was really lively at the time, and he stayed in the room on the second floor by the north window for two days, but then changed the name of the inn. Irina replied with a smile.

"This is the king's order, the new king is going to make a huge change to the whole Seahorse Town, so the previous plaque has been replaced with the current one, hey, I thought that changing the plaque will make business better. The innkeeper said truthfully.

"Business will be fine. Irina deliberately comforted.

"Of course, since there are guests coming, we will provide you with the best quality service, if there is anything you need to ask, please do not hesitate to mention. The innkeeper smiled a little wryly.

After staying at the inn, Irina and the girl begin to investigate the mission given to her by Ormond, knowing that the royal family of Seahorse has a crush on the Men in Black, so she comes to the Holy Court in the afternoon to ask for help as dusk approaches. However, this is not an easy journey, the huge Sanctuary is also blocked by a high wall, and the gates are guarded by the capital guards of the Sanctuary, who are even more ornately dressed: they wear golden Tenghaima King helmets, silver chain mail all over their bodies, white cloaks and glittering white cloaks, and they are equipped with semicircular gold-rimmed oak shields, and their unsheathed swords pinned to their waists, making them look heroic.

The exterior of the closed gate was painted with a brown glaze, which made it particularly bright in the twilight. When Irina walked in, and no one stepped forward to stop him, one of the guards said in a northern accent, "Lord Posta has been waiting for a long time, please come with me." The metal boots made a crisp tapping sound on the stone slabs, like a blacksmith hammering iron, but they were soft and silent compared to the glossy black leather boots that Irina wore.

The Guardian of the Capital led her to a tower with a semicircular painted dome, the palace of the King of the Holy Court was located on its east side, blocked by two towers like pinnacles, the appearance of the tower was an elegant lilac appearance, the surface had dozens of windows, the colorful glass was separated by a wooden window lattice, reflecting the colorful light, and the rich smell of lilacs overflowed from the tower and wafted into Irina's room, mixed with the smell of green mint.

Through the two arched white gold windows, you can clearly see half of the Holy Court, the neat streets, the manicured gardens, the golden pools, the pavilions with coiled vines, the stone statues and the crisscrossing stone bridges. Sunlight streams through the white gold windows on the beige stone slabs in the hall, giving the hall an illusory beauty. Irina walked slowly to the center of the hall and sat down on a large chair made of antelope wood, the color of which matched the golden amber walls, and four silver columns scattered around it, carved with ancient beasts. The walls of the hall are hung with the golden hammers of the Metir, which seems to represent the many exquisite and beautiful buildings and objects that the Metir people have made for Seahorse Town, and it also means that Seahorse Town is a wealthy city. The walls are also hung with the family crests of the major families in the north and various gifts of various items, such as gold, silver, precious stones, wooden iron, scroll paintings, and so on.

She was met by a fat, white man, who was Posta, the Minister of the Holy Court of Seahorse, and Irina had heard of him, but had not heard anything good. Posta was dressed in a golden robe made of satin, with various patterns and a white floating orchid pinned to his waist. Only the bulging belly seemed to tear through the robes, and the bare head made him look like a rich butcher overnight. Posta looked very enthusiastic when he saw Irina, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting for my distant friend, welcome to Seahorse Town, how is my brother in black now." ”

Irina replied softly, "There is a lot of turmoil in various places, and the task of organizing is very heavy, so I came here to investigate some things. ”

Posta sat down in a chair and ordered the maid to pour a drink for Irina, the delicate round cup filled with Lantian juice. "It must be very tiring to come from the far south, first taste the unique Lantian juice in the north, you should not drink, the seahorse spirits in Seahorse Town are very tasty, you can bring some for the brothers in black when you leave. ”

Irina looked a little impatient, "Seahorse Town should be familiar with the northern tribes, they burn and loot the villages along the way, why would they stand idly by as the imperial capital of the north?"

Posta straightened up, and the chair creaked as a result, "The Man in Black is here for this?...... The barbarians have slept enough in the grass hut and come out for a walk, we can't take care of it, and when we have had enough, we will naturally turn around and return to the grass hut that belongs to them, so why bother about it. ”

"It's a pity that you didn't take this city and wake up your dreams. ”

Posta disagreed, "These thieves and grass cowards can't do anything big, if they want to capture Seahorse Town, at least double the number of people, not to mention that they already know how painful it is to attack Seahorse Town, if they are not mistaken, these people have already pressed into the Giant Bridge of the Redstone River, and the bet is not in Seahorse Town, but in the south." ”

Irina got up and walked to the window, looking up at the fading twilight and the silent courtyard, "A hundred years ago, I fought side by side with the king of the north, Dengkan, and now Dengkan II has long since fallen asleep, and the city has entered its twilight years, and decay and vanity fill this place. Irina's expression was disappointed, "Seahorse Town's reputation is gone. ”

The maids were putting all kinds of delicious dishes on the table, ignoring the conversation between the two, and in the center of the table, a golden incense burner was emitting green smoke, filling the golden hall, and the faint coolness made people feel very comfortable. Posta smiled and said to Irina, "History will be remembered, heroes will be loved, I understand your feelings, but we can't control the direction of history, and doing what is in front of us is what we should do." Posta gestured for a few maids to wait at the door, and stood up and walked towards Irina, "As a member of the royal family, I have the ability to handle all the trivial affairs of the royal family, you look out the window, the expression of every commoner is relaxed, this is what I should do, but outside the city walls, parents have lost their children, and their homes have been burned down, I want to take off my silk brocade and put on armor to go out to fight, but my real duty is not there." ”

"A wall can separate the freedom of life, a foolish idea can deprive countless lives, and the royal family could have protected the unarmed people outside the city before the war came. ”

"If that's the case, Seahorse Town will be overcrowded, and then it will bring a shortage of food, an increase in disease, and death will spread in the city, and the right decision is related to the fate of Seahorse Town, and the trade-off must be made. ”

Irina had no intention of continuing the conversation with the quibble Posta, and confessed, "The destruction of the city will follow, and I hope Seahorse will escape this." She turned her gaze to Posta, "I came to Seahorse to borrow the Holy Court's library, hoping not to give you any trouble. ”

Posta smiled, and wanted to help Irina to sit down, "The underground palace of Seahorse Town records the rings of history, and if you want to go, the door is always open for you, light or dark, you can find everything you want." ”

Irina didn't reach out to answer him, but walked straight to the chair and sat down, "On what terms?"

"As long as the men in black help the royal family get rid of the parasites living in the city, the royal family will be paid more. ”

Irina picked up the round cup filled with Lantian juice and took a sip, "The man in black doesn't make any deals, he doesn't do anything for anyone, but I can help you in my own name, let's talk about the rebels first, maybe I will promise you." ”

"The rebels are waiting in the shadows for the opportunity to overthrow the royal power, but they have not succeeded, if the opportunity comes, it will definitely bring serious losses to the Holy Court, these rebels are demagogic and affect the peace of Seahorse Town, the royal family has detected the rebels' intentions, but the royal family has nothing to do with these parasites hidden in the shadows, so ...... I'm sure the man in black can easily resolve the matter. ”

The fallen royal family is only a shell, and the people of Seahorse Town may need these people to come out and reclaim the former imperial capital for them, or perhaps they should investigate carefully, judge, and then deal with the wrong side. "I can help you investigate these so-called parasites in depth, but... Men in black don't do unfair trades, and we can talk about this again. ”

"Well, I like what the Men in Black say, Seahorse Town and the Men in Black have a long friendship, and we can get through this together, no matter what the situation, because our purpose is for the people of Dawn. Posta spoke, stretching out his hands and feasting.

Irina just looked at him quietly, "The army of Seahorse Town has fought with the northern tribes, what kind of army the northern tribes are. ”

"I don't see any difference between these wild people who live in the wilderness. When riding a war horse to hunt elk in the forest, you will see their figures, all of them are short and ugly, and suddenly one day when they can't compete with wolves and tigers and leopards, they will take sticks and stones, come to the city gate, and vainly want to capture this thousand-year-old royal city, which is ridiculous. ”

Irina didn't know how to speak when she heard Posta's words, maybe when the army pressed in, this white-faced coward who spoke big was hiding under the table and didn't dare to come out, "Of course, above the walls of the royal city is a well-trained regular army, it is impossible for the northern tribes to conquer the city, you should have heard of it, there are people in these northern tribes who are leading them, and Seahorse Town has heard of these people." ”

"Oh, of course, when the enemy came to the city, it would attract an overwhelming cloud of black smoke, which obscured the view of the army, but fortunately the wall left the enemy with nothing to do, and all I heard for a whole day and a night was the screams of the enemy. Don't worry, the northern army can't make a big climate, and those who know magic can't do anything. Posta said proudly, "What are the men in black still worried about, come, the royal family has arranged a delicious banquet for the young lady, and then I will take you to visit the Logu River Pavilion and the vast green forest behind the palace, as long as the man in black stays here with peace of mind." ”

"Thank you for the royal hospitality, I will investigate the agreement between you and me afterwards, and I will give you a satisfactory answer at that time, but I still have important things to deal with, I hope you don't mind. ”

Posta wiped the grease off his hands with a silk handkerchief, and the whole table shook a little, he was really too fat, and Irina was guessing, his stomach was full of greasy and sweet foods, and laziness and selfishness. "Give you this, the pass card to enter the underground palace, in the Holy Court, as long as you show him to any attendant, he will obey the order, of course, he will also take you into the underground palace to find what you want. ”