"Oh, beauty from the south, I have done what you told me, no one has come to look for you since you left, hehehe, don't worry, no thieves dare to steal and rob here. The innkeeper said to Irina warmly, "Actually, this is almost non-existent, the king is enlightened, the gods are blessed, and the role of the city wall is immeasurable." ”

Irina then opened the door, glancing over the corner of the eye as the figure flickered in the shadows across the street. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she could confirm that it was a man, and that he was neat, not like an ordinary soldier. It must have been secretly arranged by Posta of the Holy Court, Irina secretly thought, the Holy Court was worried about the man in black, and he also did not dare to provoke the man in black easily. She turned to the enthusiastic innkeeper, "I'm sorry for you." ”

"If there is anything else you need help with at the hotel, there is the most considerate service here. The innkeeper smiled heartily. The smile annoyed Irina, who knew what was going on in the men's minds, and walked briskly up the stairs.

When he walked into the bedroom, Midara greeted him happily, "Sister, you are back, the old man downstairs gave me a bottle of perfume, it is a rose scent, you smell it, it smells very good." She raised her hand to wipe Irina's cheek, then leaned back into her own face, "I love the scent." ”

Irina squatted in front of Midara, seeing that Midara, who was in a good mood, was not hurt, and the worries in her heart fell, "After I left, everything was fine." ”

"Sister, don't worry about me. ”

"Well, what did both of you say to you before?"

"They said they were your friends, but I didn't believe them, so I lied to them, sister, are they really your friends?"

Irina gently hugged the girl's shoulders with both hands, "Clever boy, you did the right thing, those people are bad people, I am glad for your wit and bravery." Irina pulled Midara to sit on the bed, "Remember what I said, danger is all around us at all times, and if you are not careful, it will find you." ”

Midara didn't seem to understand her sister's words, "Sister, I know we're going to Seahorse Town to do something, I can help you, no matter how dangerous it is, I'm going to go down with my sister." ”

Irina felt that she should tell the truth to the girl Midara instead of leaving her in the valley, but when she thought about it, she felt that it would hurt her. "The world is changing, danger is everywhere, only by protecting yourself safely can you protect the people you love around you, smart Midara, I want to teach you some skills during this time, of course, if you don't want to, my sister won't ....... ”

"Sister teach me, I will definitely try to learn. Midara replied eagerly.

"It takes hard practice to learn these skills, and you have to be prepared. ”

"I want to be the one who can protect my mother-in-law and my sister, I want to ...... I want to learn. ”

"In a few days I will give you a bow and some feathered arrows, and you will learn to draw arrows from the bow and arrows. ”

In the evening, there were no guests walking around the inn, and a maid was cleaning the floor in the hallway. Irina closed the window and whispered to Midara, "Don't open the door until I return, whoever knocks." ”

Midara sat there silently, looking at her with clear and bright eyes, "Don't worry, sister." ”

Irina waited for the maid to come downstairs, and when there was no one in the corridor, she went to the window at the end of the corridor and looked around the street, and when she saw that there was no one, she flipped over to the eaves of the house, and walked lightly without making a sound.

The architecture of Haima Town is very different from that of Meiyan City, where the houses are crowded together, leaving only narrow gaps between buildings, and alleys stretching and crisscrossing between the gaps. This provided excellent conditions for Irina's movements. The mist of the Lokugu River gradually covered the night, the silver moonlight became dim and dappled, and the water vapor was so thick that it almost covered all sounds. At Irina's feet, dark alleys crisscrossed the streets, and the wider streets twinkled with dim lights. She quickly jumped from one building to another, and seeing that no one had noticed, she quickly headed for the abandoned winery.

From the outside, the brewery seemed to have been abandoned for many years, with moss crawling all over the walls, and the smell of dampness permeating the surroundings, as if the dilapidated house was about to collapse into a mound of earth, and the entire roof was full of holes. Irina stopped in front of the door and listened quietly, hoping to hear voices from within, but she could hear nothing, she was sure that the house was just a mess of ruins, and under the ruins, or behind some chest, behind a pile of barrels, was a hidden passage that led to any part of the city, including the royal palace, the storage room full of treasures and sumptuous food. Perhaps these people are the parasites that Posta calls them, the "saviors" of the ancient royal city.

Irina sneaked into the brewery silently, and it didn't look much different from the inside and the outside, the moss crawled all over every corner, and the deep cracks in the wall could hardly withstand the wind and rain. The furnishings are cluttered, with old wine racks and vats becoming a haven for rats, and an old family crest hanging on the wall: a green mammoth stepping on a wine barrel. This probably indicates the identity of the owner of this winery. Irina looked around carefully, the two large barrels were very neatly cubic in the corner of the wall, and there were signs of movement, she gently pushed the barrel open, a large wooden board was stacked there, close to the wooden board you could feel the damp cool breeze blowing from within.

She gently opened the plank, and a huge square hole appeared in front of her, if it was a regular square, it was just hastily tidied up, and it seemed to be more regular. Following the staircase made of worn wooden planks, Irina walked slowly inside. The hole was deep, two adults deep, with the walls on either side of the cave arching out of misshapen roots, wide enough for three adults to walk side by side, and the ground was damp, and in some places it was so thick with mud that it was easy to sink into it with one foot. Irina raised her hands, and with a secret whisper, the light of the fireflies appeared, and all the ten meters of the cave were illuminated. She deliberately lowered the brightness of the light so that no one would notice her. Jujube flames danced and flickered overhead, and black shadows swirled across the walls of the cave.

The air in the cave was fresher than she had expected, but the deeper you went, the more humid it became, and the smell of soil and decay and rancidity intensified. It wasn't until she went deeper than a hundred meters that a fork suddenly appeared under the light of the flowing fireflies, and the unpleasant smell came from the dark hole on her right, which was a downhill road, and an uphill road opposite. It should be uphill, Irina guessed, the road is wider and the air is much fresher.

She carefully slipped through the mud to the top of the uphill slope, where she could faintly hear someone talking, and Irina whispered it again, and the glow of the glow slowly extinguished until it was pitch black.

Walking along the dimly lit passage, the light footsteps could not hear the slightest sound, except for the sound of conversation echoing in the empty and dark cavern. When she came to another fork, the direction was almost indiscernible, and the sound of conversation came from a dim light in one of the caverns, about fifty meters from Irina, and the road between them was filled with empty barrels.

Using the barrel as cover, Irina slowly approached the sound until the two figures appeared in Irina's sight. One appeared to be an old man, probably in his sixties, and the other in his thirties, all dressed in rudimentary black linen robes covered with brown wooden armor and rusty iron knee pads at their elbows. Two sickles lay diagonally beside the wooden table, and at their feet were empty jars of wine. Irina hid behind the barrel and listened carefully.

"If Thomas were to do this, it would not be an ordinary task for the Brotherhood, you and I could die in a filthy pigsty, and the carcasses would be fed by the fat pigs, and I have a lot of things to do. The old man's voice was muffled and hoarse.

"Shut up, Daddy Raku, we'll just sit here staring at the cold stone and drink, and if you can, I'll be your god grandfather, and you can kneel down and look at me and swear that the day you go, I'll bless you, and bless you that when you come to that world, you'll be rich and prosperous, and your children and grandchildren will be full." ”

"Hehehe, I'm in my prime, it's okay to go with you, do you think, will Thomas ....... ”

"Yes, of course it will, Seahorse Town has lost too much compared to two years ago, you and I can't get it back, you said he wouldn't do it, that's the gods kidnapping us. There is always hope for survival,...... Now there is no hope, of course it will be done, old man! ”

"No, I mean if Thomas will betray the Brotherhood, and when the day comes, Thomas will stand at the King's side and point at us, shouting our names, the Premeditators, the Rebels, the Parasites of Seahorsetown, oh! ”

The young man whispered, "Shhhh The young man picked up his wine glass~Goodo~Goodo~ and poured all the wine in the glass into his stomach, "Be careful that you are the one who planned the rebellion, and you are the one who died in the pigsty, I will talk to Master Thomas, if you talk nonsense like this again." ”

"Hey, I won't say anything, I hope this trick can change the current Seahorse Town. ”

"Hmph, that's a good thing to say, Daddy Raku, you've lived most of your life, you haven't seen anything, where has your courage gone, if it were me, I'd rush to the stupid king and stab him in the heart, dig out his intestines and entrails and hang them on the wall. ”

"If you are brave and resourceful, before you reach the palace, you will be trampled under the feet of the tall guards like rotten watermelons. The old man mocked the young man.

"Daddy Raku, it's entirely possible that I'm talking about! You have to believe in my strength, you forgot how I escaped from dozens of guards a year ago? You forgot how I killed ....... ”

"Gotta gotcha, needless to say, one more glass of wine and you can kill the king smoothly, come, I'll fill it up for you." ”

"Hey...... In fact, all the previous plans are under control, you said that Master Thomas and Dastur's maesters are already fully capable of carrying out the mission according to the plan, but!But the man in black came at this time, it's over, it's all over!" the young man slammed the table hard, took another big sip, and poured the wine from the cup into his stomach.

"So I'm complaining! Actually, I've seen through the clues here, all the good and bad are completely under my control, and I suggest that Thomas don't rush forward with the plan, but speaking of which, I'm also wondering why the man in black is here, but this... Come at this time. ”

Of course, the Brotherhood is just a group of ants running around in the eyes of the men in black, and when you gently grind your fingers, the ants will become muddy, hum, the men in black can't afford to mess with them!"

"Come, I'll fill you up again, or we will leave Seahorse Town and go to the south as soon as possible, and there will be no lingering in the south like now. ”

"Go south, Daddy Raku! We're going to die at Giant's Bridge right now, haven't you heard? The barbarians have already stormed into Rotten Wood, and even if a bird wants to fly there, it has to think about how to fly. ”

"Then just take refuge in the barbarians, perhaps there is more hope of survival. ”

"You want to take refuge in the barbarians? You're joking again, Daddy Raku! The barbarians are barbarians because they have no humanity at all, and even if you succeed, you probably lose two ears, or two legs, or two arms. ”

"Hey...... The gods have never been on our side. ”

The young man staggered to his feet, "Daddy, Daddy, don't complain, there will always be luck, it depends on how you grasp it." There was a plop, and the young man fell to the ground drunk.

The old man hurriedly went up to help him up, "Okay, see if I take advantage of this non-existent luck, I will die in a good place, when the plan fails." ”

......

Irina understood their conversation, and the scourge of the city that Posta spoke of were these people, a brotherhood hiding in the shadows, and if all they did was peace, then the men in black would reach out to save the ancient city. All I have to do is try to make the Brotherhood understand that I'm not here to point to them, because the Men in Black have always been just spectators, unless the balance is broken. But what is the plan they are talking about? It must be investigated further.

The old man helped the drunk young man to the bed and instructed, "It's still early, hurry up and rest, tomorrow at noon, there will be a final negotiation with the man in black, I'll go to the winery to patrol." The old man muttered as he cleaned up the messy items on the table, "It's not easy to solve now, isn't it the same as gambling with the man in black to negotiate terms with the grim reaper......?" ”

Why did the Brotherhood negotiate with the Man in Black? Irina was puzzled, and Midara's figure suddenly flashed in her mind, and Irina realized that Midara would be in danger, so she quickly turned around and ran towards the hole. When she returned to the inn, Midara slept soundly, the window still closed, and she covered the girl with a blanket, wondering about the terms of the Brotherhood's negotiations. If these people want to get this condition, they don't have any advantage other than taking Midara hostage, so if they can't break through?

It was nearly midnight and the streets were eerily quiet, with no pedestrians and no lights. Irina lurks on the roof of the inn, waiting for the Brotherhood to break in. Finally, an hour later, the people who should have appeared appeared, seven or eight people gathered on the street corner to the northeast, and soon another group of people came from all directions, numbering nearly twenty. If they were going to carry out the plan, it would alarm everyone, and if it failed, everyone would be arrested, and besides, it was only the first step for them, and the stakes were a bit big. As for success, they will not succeed. After thinking about it, Irina planned to make contact with them head-on.

She jumped off the eaves and walked alone to the men. They had already discovered her, but no one flinched. When she got close enough, Irina spoke, "It seems that the rules of the wealthy section of Seahorse Town do not allow anyone to walk around the streets late at night, let alone a group of people. ”

Everyone did not dare to come forward to talk to Irina, and after a moment of silence, a man with a mask on his face stepped forward and retorted, "These rules are only for the faint of heart, and for those who are submissive. ”

"So, what are so many people going to do when they come together?" Irina raised her hand, and the riddle reappeared, and the light of the fireflies rose, and everyone's faces were clearly visible except for the masked ones, including underage children, bearded old men, hunchbacked drunks, and thin young men, each with fear engraved on their faces. They looked up at the faint flames floating in midair, their hands clenching their weapons. It was not a weapon at all, someone was armed with a sickle or pickaxe, someone was armed with a dagger and a kitchen knife, and there were even people who used wooden sticks and bent iron rods as weapons. These people have no combat power at all, Irina thought to herself, but these people are still going to fight the men in black, what kind of faith compels you to do so.

Suddenly, a young man rushed out, and he slashed at Irina with a stick. Irina moved lightly and easily dodged the head-on blow, and the young man turned around and pounced on Irina again, this time Irina did not relent, her hand was gently raised, and hit him in the stomach, and the force she endured was like being hit the chest by a fierce and strong bison, and she flew several meters away, foaming at the mouth and fainting to the ground. The others watched as their companions fainted, but there was nothing they could do to help him, they stood there in a daze, and some were even quietly holding back. "Is that how you meet the lady?" said Irina.

"Men in black, I know very well that our strength cannot fight you, I want to know, why did the men in black come from the far south to Seahorse Town to oppose us, you and I have never known each other, and we have no hatred. ”

"That's right, you and I don't know each other, and I didn't interfere in your affairs, so where does the hatred come from?" said Irina, "You are members of the Brotherhood, and the Brotherhood should not be here, let alone provoke the men in black. ”

After a moment of silence, the masked man said, "It's us who blame the man in black, and the matter has come to this point, how will you solve us, Miss Black?"

Irina shook her head and muttered, the flame above her head fading away. "If you know the men in black, you will know that the men in black do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and I don't have time to care about your affairs. But I heard about you when I was in the Holy See, and the Holy Court and the nobles of the city hate you, and I'm right. ”

"Hate us ....... The masked man smiled, "I hate it indeed, they used the money they stole to buy clothes, they used the money they stole to buy food, they used the money they stole to buy jewels and women, and they built this city wall with the money they stood." for they feared that those whom they had robbed would come and take revenge. Hate, of course they hate us. It is we who have been helping those who are underfed and clothed, and it is we who are stopping the nobles who claim to have noble blood. ”

"You think I'm here to help the Holy Court get rid of you?" Irina denied, "Don't get me wrong, the Men in Black wouldn't do that. ”

The man took off his mask, and his face looked pale in the hazy moonlight. "Allow our brethren to lift him up. ”

Irina made way for the men, and then came to him, "Are you the leader of the Brotherhood?"

The man nodded, "My name is Thomas." ”

"No one in the Holy Court knows your name, and I guess no one has actually seen you. ”

"They may have seen me, but they won't recognize me. "My roles are varied, sometimes I'll dress up as an apprentice blacksmith, sometimes as a porter, sometimes as a carpenter, a juggler, a slave, a beggar." The Holy Court will not pay attention to those of humble origin, especially the rich men, who want us to be crushed to death like ants. ”

"And what is your purpose?"

The crowd woke up the young man, who needed help at this point, and Thomas ordered the others to leave the street and dive into the burrow. "If the man in black pays close attention to the changes in the city of fog, you will find that the king of Seahorse Town is just a puppet now, and the real power is the rich people who have endless money, Tosteides, Chutai Mahler, Pitos, and Silva. It was they who suggested that these two walls be built in Little Dengkan in order to ...... It is to starve to death for those of us who are poor. I will not let them succeed. ”

That's right with what I thought, Seahorse Town is in decline, and someone has to stand up for the people. "I'm not going to tell anyone about tonight's meeting. ”

"Thank you, Miss Black. Thomas leaned down in thanks. "Actually, when you passed through the gates of Seahorse Town, the Brotherhood already knew about it, and it was all thanks to the help of the Church of Dashtur. ”

Dashtur's Church, where Irina heard the name of the church and thought of the flames and their prophecies, as well as clues in the library. The scribbled record may have been written by the church of Dashtur, who should have learned about King Thor and the crown, and the wrath of the gods. "Take me to meet them. ”

"If Miss believes me, I'll take you to them. ”

Irina was taken to the entrance to a ruined site, close to the second wall, but the area was abandoned and uninhabited. They followed the entrance into a hidden underground passage, which was large and wide. Compared to the passage hidden in the abandoned brewery, it was brighter and warmer. Torches on both sides of the passage lit the passage red, and guards guarded it. After a few detours, they arrived at a large cave with an underground hot spring. The cave is surrounded by torches, and the light of the fire turns the otherwise dark cave into an open-air plaza like the scorching sun, and adults and children gather around the hot springs, using straw mats and cotton blankets as beds, but there is no fear or fear in their eyes.

Irina was taken to a small room next to the cave. There is no one here except Thomas. "The men in black came to Seahorse Town to learn about the northern tribes, and what does the Brotherhood know about the leaders of the northern army?"

"These barbarians of the north just want to sit on the throne of the Holy Court, but as far as I know, the strong walls make those barbarians miserable. "I admire the ability of the leaders of the North to unite these barbarians, and I don't know much about the rest." ”

"The Brotherhood should know something about King Thor and his crown. ”

"With all due respect, why would the Man in Black be interested in this story? Thomas said.

"The mysterious people who have appeared in the north have been looking for a strange stone, and perhaps they will use it for some purpose. I've investigated in the Holy Court, and there must be some connection between the Mysteries, King Thor, the Heart of Glory, the Blue Jewels in the Crown. ”

"Do you think the Church of Dashtur knows this?" said Thomas, whispering, "Indeed, Church Dashtur has been helping Seahorse keep track of things big and small, and has always had the King's trust. ”

"Where are they?"

"It should be almost there. Thomas told her, "There is a hole in the ground that leads directly to the church, and it doesn't take any time for the spirit revelators of Dashtur Church to come here." As soon as he finished speaking, two emaciated and elderly men walked in from outside the door. They were dressed in brownish-red robes with strange totems painted on them, the totems hovered around their necks like a python wrapped around their bodies, long black suspenders around their waists, and a delicate necklace of red quartz around their necks, which in the Church of Dashtur symbolized the key to the land of purity, which could open the door to the salvation of the god Panla, and could obtain eternal tranquility.

Thomas stood up and said, "These two are the soul revelators of the Dashtur Church, they have been staying in Seahorse Town and pointing those who are lost in the right direction, the people believe in and love Dashtur Church, and believe that one day Seahorse Town can return to the prosperous times, Men in Black, they will do their best to help you." ”

The soul revelators of the Dashtur Church, no, they don't do their best to help the Men in Black, they hate the Men in Black just as much, Irina knows the Southern Lands where the Dashtur Church left for some reason, and of course knows that these Christians will never forget what is gone. "King Saar and his crown disappeared in that fire more than two hundred years ago, and I wonder what happened?"

An old man kept looking at Irina and was silent for a while and said, "The man in black will bring darkness to the continent, and will also awaken the day of dawn when the darkness comes, you shouldn't come here, the man in black! He clenched the red crystal necklace on his chest with trembling hands, "The truth will bring destruction." ”

Thomas heard the unpleasantness in his words, and helped the old man out of the bedroom, while the cultists kept chattering, and Irina did not understand what he was saying, and of course she did not believe in the prophecies of the soul revelators.

The other old man who stayed here looked and was in a better state than the one just now. Irina looked sideways at him, "I understand what the Church of Dashtur thinks about the Men in Black, but I don't want our meeting to always be unpleasant. Can you tell me what's going on?"

He sat silently on the stone chair, looked at Irina, and said, "When the wrath of the gods descended on Seahorse, several apprentices from the Dashtur church survived, and they recorded the disaster on a scroll of paper and sealed it in the library of Hippony, and no one was allowed to enter the library until Denkan became the king of the north, and the Dashtur church returned to its rightful place. The patriarchs of the church had always believed that King Thor would return, and that the day he would return would be the end of the world, unless...... Don't bother King Saar and the crown. ”

Irina didn't believe the old man's words at all, because she knew very well in her heart that the organization had been guarding this place for thousands of years, and no force could easily destroy a civilization, let alone in the existence of such amazing people as Master Pesil, Orendine of the Undead Realm, and Avenhay the Grave Keeper, these false lies would only win people's hearts. But there was something interesting to these strange church words, so Irina continued, "What did they see when a few of the apprentices survived?"

"It was lightning, lightning that streaked across the sky, through the woods, through the valleys, through the streets, and the curse of King Saar was fulfilled! The more the old man spoke, the more excited he became, his hands clasped the necklace, and his eyes lowered, "I hope that the man in black will not disturb King Saar, and I hope that the gods in the sky will not hear our conversation." ”

"King Saar and the crown are gone, and are they buried in the ruins of the underground palace? Irina recalled, "When I entered that dusty library, the entrance to the underground palace was sealed by an iron door, what was hidden inside?"

"There's nothing in there. The old man replied, "All the valuable treasures have been destroyed, and the ones that are intact have been moved to the brand new library." ”

"How do you know these things?" said Irina, with some doubts, "the Holy See has two walls, and your church is in the ghetto. ”

"The Church of Dashtur is worried for the people, and wherever there are people, there will be Dashtur Church, and the Holy Church will not leave us out. ”

"Won't you reveal the Brotherhood's hideout to the rich?"

"Enough, Men in Black, I won't talk to you about this, and I won't tell you about the deceased again. The old man got up and prepared to leave, "My friend has already told you that the truth will only lead to destruction. ”