The next day Irina returned to the Holy Court, and Posta changed into a bright red brocade robe, a row of golden cartouches to highlight her nobility, and silver leather boots on her feet, and walked with the scent of roses. Twelve maids followed him, and they placed steaming hot food on the long table, including honey quail, smoked salmon, kernel cake, fennel bacon, eel in garlic sauce, a refreshing dessert and vegetable salad with apples, pears and grapes, and four silver long-necked bottles. One of the maids placed an incense burner decorated with green agate on the balcony, and a wisp of green smoke swept through the violet curtain and spread across the ceiling, a rare scent containing vanilla, which was worth as much as gold. Murhain in the Land of Green Thorns bought a bottle through a smuggler and gave it to the girl Skordy. Even at dusk in the castle, this spice is a rarity.

"Oh, my friend, I don't know if I found the information you were looking for in the library, don't skimp on the food on the table this time, let's have a good drink!" Posta sat comfortably in an oak chair with a bulging belly, his butt as big as a cow, covering the entire chair.

Irina then took her seat, separated by a long wooden table, with four maids serving them. "It's a pity that I'm not interested in the food on the table, but I can taste the drink in this bottle, and I'll bring some with my friends if it's easier to travel, seahorse spirits are famous. ”

"Hehehe, that's good, Seahorse Town still has something to impress you, a beautiful woman from the south, when you came to the City of Fog, a story began to circulate in the streets and alleys, a story about the Dusk Castle of Black Hill Mountain, a story about the beautiful angel, and a story about Miss Irina. Posta struggled to get up and filled Irina's glass himself, "The sea of flowers is fragrant, the blue green coast, where your home belongs, the ice crystal strait is the country of deep blue, your blue eyes belong to, your long black hair is like the night sky, the stars are the petals dotted on your long hair, your beauty is overwhelming, your smile is unique." The singer is praising you all the time, singing praises to you, and I hope that when we finish tasting these delicacies, please walk with me to the Luogu Pavilion and feel the beauty of the city of fog up close, so that I can wash my aging heart. ”

Irina was amused by the kind words, and she hurriedly took a sip of the drink, which was light and a little cold, and the sweet tendrils moistened her throat. "Actually, I see you again and want to talk to you about ....... ”

"Come, let's taste it first, there are hundreds of delicious drinks in Seahorse Town, and I have specially selected four for you. Posta shook the silver bottle in his hand, "The blackberry fruit you drink comes from the river, it only grows once in four seasons, it blooms and bears fruit in three months, and withers and falls off in a month, the blackberry fruit will become soft after it is ripe, and the red juice in it will run out when you pinch it gently, and if you want to collect a basket smoothly, I think it will take at least a week." He picked up one of the bottles again, "This is a late autumn fruit from the Lookout Fort, the fruit is light blue with a layer of frost floating on the surface, and once it is picked from the branches, the frost disappears and the taste goes bad." So if you want to store it...... The people of Wangbao came up with a solution, they would stuff licorice in the jar in advance, and then put the late autumn fruits in it one by one, and close the lid tightly so that no air remained. Even if it is stored for a year, it is still very fresh when opened. And also....... ”

"I'm sorry, Lord Posta, but I think we'd better get down to business. Irina frowned, her eyes downcast, and she looked indifferent, she just wanted him to know that she didn't care about these strange drinks and things.

Posta lost interest and sat back in his chair with a bored expression, "It's okay, if you don't find the information you want in the Holy Court, just mention it, and I'll do it." But if you want to talk about it, it's best to talk about the agreement between you and me first, as the Minister of Public Affairs of Seahorse Town, I am also in a dilemma, it is difficult for this ancient city to wander in the fog, and someone needs to stand up to guide him, and the arrival of the man in black has actually untied a knot in the city's heart. ”

"Well, I'll settle your agreement with me, but I have other things I want to inquire about. Irina took a sip from her glass, "I've seen a lot of interesting accounts in the library, but some of them are really incomprehensible to me. The royal city of Seahorse in the north has left behind countless awesome stories and legends over the millennia, but some of them seem to have long been forgotten, have you ever heard of the 'Heart of Glory'? ”

Posta lowered his head slightly, his thumb and thumb kept drawing circles, "Glory? I seem to have heard rumors about this, it's all about children in the streets, why do you care?"

"I was just attracted by this story, because the record is so old, even I haven't heard of this story, I want to hear what the children have to say, can you tell me?"

"Oh... No problem, I will tell you everything I know, even the words that children abuse each other will be said in the same words. Posta said lightly. His casualness didn't seem to make Irina feel very comfortable. "What do you want to know from me about the heart of glory in the north?"

"In the story of the church of Dastur, the Heart of Glory descended from heaven, and it was a crown, the crown of some god, which fell on the Deslan Plateau, and a wild beast watched over it. I don't know how many years passed, and a knight took the crown from the hands of the beast. ”

"A warrior, not a knight. Posta interrupted him, "In northern cultures, warriors can be royalty, grasshoppers, murderers, and saviors, but knights are different. ”

"So who is this warrior and where does it come from?"

Posta shook his head again, "The warriors are indispensable to the story, but often these warriors are only supporting characters, and as time passes, they will be forgotten. The real protagonist is the one who holds the authority, Sarkegha, the last emperor of Auroville, who received the crown of the true god Panla, if I guessed correctly, it is a crown, a crown that can control life and death, and those who have the crown can control the life and death of the world. Even so, no one has seen it with their own eyes, when the king of Sahr got the crown through supreme power and endless money, and since then, the crown has enslaved the king of Saar, according to folk legends, the king of Saar did not become the agent of the gods, but became... Turned into a living statue. ”

"If this is the case, then if he got the crown, why didn't he become an agent of the gods?"

"In fact, the reason is very simple, King Sahr killed the warrior by vicious means, and the cruelty was exchanged for a tragic end, King Sahr became a living statue, leaned on the throne for several years, and locked himself in the underground palace, and finally one day he disappeared with the throne, disappeared in a closed room. ”

"Then why hasn't there been anything about this for hundreds of years?

"This brings us to the aftermath of King Saar's disappearance, have you ever heard of King Saar's curse, the wrath of the gods?"

"You mean that fire?"

"The north lost its king and lost its rule, many families rose up to rebel in order to become the new king, and even some families from the south came to the north to capture the city, and the town of Seahorse began to experience several years of turmoil, and finally in a stormy and rainy night, the families were killed one after another, and half of the people in Seahorse Town also died overnight, and everything related to King Saar, or those who knew the crown of King Saar, were killed that night, and the survivors were glad that they were not punished by the gods. Posta gulped down his glass and gulped down the spirits, "No one has ever spoken of it since." ”

"Another version I've heard is that there was no thunder and lightning in the heavy rain, no rebellion among the major families, and there was still peace in the north. ”

Posta couldn't help but smile, "I've also heard that it was a disaster that came down to the gods of Dutan, and some northerners believed it to be true, because they left the north and went to a new faith. I've also heard that this has nothing to do with you men in black, and that crown is now stored in the Black Hill Mountain, the ancient castle that mortals will never find. But what the truth of the matter is, no one knows. ”

Irina is determined to get to the bottom of the story and uncover the mystery of King Thor and his crown, but now very few people know about it, and if these forgotten stories can only be heard in the streets, then they can only go down to the lowest levels of the population to find the truth. Irina looked at Posta with a flushed face and said, "That's pretty much all I want to know, thank you for your hospitality." ”

"This is what I should do, if there is anything else you need to come to the royal family to find me, I will do my best to help you. Posta staggered over to Irina with a wine glass, and the smell of alcohol filled around Irina, who hurriedly got up and wanted to leave.

"And the agreement between you and me? no, it's an agreement between the Man in Black and the Holy Court. ”

"As I said, I'm only going to help you solve this matter on my own behalf. ”

Posta picked up the bottle of Late Autumn Fruit and poured it for Irina, "The conspirators live outside the double walls, they have a loud name, the Brotherhood, and their leader is called Thomas, who has gathered scum from all over the ground, and wants to rely on these people to overthrow the kingship of the Holy Court and live the life of the last dynasty again. It's just nonsense, at that time, none of these people's ancestors were born. Therefore I will trouble Miss Irina and help the Holy Court to find out the hiding places of the Brotherhood, so that these people may be judged justly. ”

Scum, rebellious party, just trial. Thinking of these sharp words, Irina couldn't help but ask, "Seahorse used to be just one city, but now it's three. Why are these walls being built, and what is the Holy See worried about?"

"Times are changing, and so are we, and of course cities need to be reinvented. He pointed out the window with his glass, "Otherwise the city will be in chaos and will go into decline." When you enter Seahorse Town, have you noticed that the people living in the third-order city are scantily dressed, talk badly, and commit atrocities. The people living in the second-order city are completely different, and the Holy Court is simply a pure land, where there are large and small forest gardens and springs, towers and palaces are resplendent with gold, and the people who come and go are all nobles and men dressed in silk and satin, and the greetings are all dignitaries, and even the collar around the neck of the pet is made of pure gold. It's hard to say that the city is thriving, but you can never see its beautiful side without putting it into practice. ”

You must have stolen a lot of money from the poor people to become a minister, and you should be grateful. Irina couldn't accept the fat guy's quibbles, but she didn't have the heart to argue with him, maybe the Brotherhood was founded with the right intention, and the city within a city was a wrong decision, which would only make the poor poorer and the rich richer. The city needs someone to step up. "I'm sorry, Lord Posta, I can't stay here for long, I have important business to do, thank you. She didn't say a polite goodbye to Posta, for she didn't want to take another step into the Holy Court, much less to see this fat man full of slander.

Ever since Denkan III succeeded to the throne, the entire city has been controlled by money-hungry villains. In desperation, he was forced to divide the once equal city into three classes: the royal nobles were in the first class, the merchants, slave owners, and those with some status and status were in the second class, and at the bottom were the poor and destitute people, and the nobles and slave owners were eager to let these people of humble origin be carried away by the plague or sudden gales overnight, so as not to spoil the interest in day and night pleasures. The royal family and nobles hired people to build layers of walls in the city at the lowest price, and finally formed the current city within a city. A large number of officers and soldiers were stationed on each wall, guarding those who crossed the border without permission and did not obey the discipline, and only those with status were allowed to enter and leave the city gates at will. In Irina's view, all this was just a fortress built to prevent the people from rebelling and attacking the unsuspecting palace.

Irina walked back to the hotel, opened the door, and bumped into two thin middle-aged men, who hurried away with their heads down when they saw Irina. Irina thought it strange that the two of them were dressed in new clothes, but their hair and faces looked very messy, so she hurried into the inn and inquired about their origins.

The tall and lanky boss wiped his glass and said, "Oh...?they said they were friends with you, and they had just had a few conversations with the little girls in the house, but they left as soon as you came back, don't you remember them?" The innkeeper was confused by Irina's words, and looked at Irina.

"Well, thank you. After saying that, Irina ran upstairs to see if Midara was safe, and opened the door to see Midara singing nursery rhymes while arranging her clothes, not noticing that Irina was in the doorway behind her. At this time, Irina was relieved, but she still had great doubts in her heart, and after thinking about it, she decided to follow the two strange men to see what their intentions were. So he went downstairs and instructed the boss who was cleaning up the counter, "Trouble boss, when I leave, I must take good care of the little girl upstairs and don't let any strangers approach him." ”

"Rest assured, noble lady, my hotel is a regular visitor to me, and there have never been robbers and thieves here, and there has never been a ....... Before the innkeeper could finish speaking, Irina rushed out the door. She walked in the direction the two had just left, and because the time was very accurate, she didn't go far before she saw the two of them hurrying in the narrow alley. They walked through two abandoned alleys, past a deserted blacksmith shop, and then followed the alley to the right hand of the blacksmith into an old winery. Almost no one has ever been here, the windows of the brewery are nailed with wooden boards, the main entrance is smashed, and it is pitch black inside. Empty barrels and sour-smelling clothing were piled around the distillery, and the wall was tall and cold less than a hundred meters from the distillery, like a prison wall.

Spotting and tracking skills were easy for Irina, who surveyed her surroundings and decided not to approach the brewery head-on to avoid being spotted in an open area, she planned to sneak into the brewery in the evening to find out. But the reality is not so simple, Irina suddenly realizes that there is someone watching her all the time, in the house not far behind her.