Layton didn't remember how he got out of the little room, only that he was sitting in the first room of the store when he came to his senses.

He was still in a trance, but the joy and comfort of his body and mind had not disappeared, which showed that everything that had just happened was real.

"Three silver coins, or an equivalent amount of ore, would fine. Hodge quoted the price.

Layton pulled three silver coins out of his pocket and placed them on the table, and Hodge reached for them, only to be grabbed by his arm.

"How is that done?" asked Layton.

Hodge shrugged his shoulders absently: "Guest, we won't reveal the specific method, after all, it's the ability to make a living." ”

"Is it a witch? Layton felt his mouth dry, "That experience just now, is it a witch's ability?"

"Roughly that way. ”

It's just the power of a wizard, not a witch, he said to himself.

Layton touched his body at a loss: "What did I lose?"

"You're too suspicious, my friend. Hodge stood up and walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder, "Your body is intact, and you have long said that you only need to pay three silver coins, and nothing else." ”

"And what about my soul?" Leiden, still uneasy, "am I still me?"

What a stubborn person, Hodge shook his head and patiently asked, "Do you feel something is wrong?"

Layton thought for a moment: "There doesn't seem to be anything else to feel other than being more comfortable." ”

"That's fine. Hodge said, "You're still yourself, there's nothing missing in the whole thing, you have my promise." ”

Layton left, Hodge didn't follow, he knew the process well, after all, it was what he made out himself.

Every customer would not remember the location of the store when they came and left, or they were drugged with alcohol, or they wore black hoods, and in short, no one except his trusted subordinates could know the exact location of the store, for security reasons, after all, such a blatant name of the wizard store was not something that could be seen casually.

Not long after, the middle-aged man pushed the door and walked in, he had a scar on his right eye, his hands in his chest pockets, and an arc knife hanging from his waist.

Herbert, the "Shadow Hand", this man was once the thunderous leader of the criminals in Blackstone, he is the uncrowned king of thieves, and his hands are extremely fast, whether it is stealing money bags or wielding knives, he is so fast that he only leaves an afterimage in the air, which is also the origin of his name.

However, for him, the name is in the past tense, and he enjoys his life as "Herbert" now, safer and more relaxed, and no longer takes on too many responsibilities as a leader.

And the person who made him change his identity was Hodge in front of him, a young man who suddenly appeared in Blackstone four months ago.

Herbert walked up to him, stretched out his hand in his arms, took out a yellow note, and handed it over.

Hodge looked at the message on the note and chuckled, "The vice-captain of the patrol guard, it's quite an unexpected big man, it seems that the reputation of the store is about to spread to the ground." ”

"Do you want to?" Herbert's voice was hoarse, and a finger tugged at his neck, the meaning of which could not have been more obvious, as he looked at Hodge for advice.

Hodge shook his head: "No, it's better to say that this is the result I have been expecting for a long time, you send a few of your young men to keep an eye on this vice-captain, I have to grasp his reaction." ”

"Understood. Herbert turned to leave, but suddenly stopped, "My lord, the little mice are running out of medicine. ”

"The little mice will soon get new medicine for their wounds. Hodge said calmly, "After all, I need them to be alive and kicking at all times." ”

......

The underground tunnels of Blackstone Town are quite complicated, many of them have been abandoned for a long time, they do not exist on the drawings at all, and the unrelated passages have been entangled in many expansions, and it is extremely easy for newcomers to get lost here, even old birds may not be dizzy.

Hodge wandered around for a long time, only to make sure that no one was following him, and then climbed out of one of the exits.

It is connected to a former mine that was abandoned after the veins were depleted, and at the exit there are still the remains of a cart, rusty shovels and hoes, and a large wooden house that is somewhat dilapidated.

He pushed the door open and entered, and there were several flames floating in the room, which seemed to rise out of thin air, and were not connected by lampholders.

Daphne was sitting by the fireplace flipping through an old book, and she didn't lift her head when she heard the movement.

"Coming back?"

"Hmm. Hodge found a place to sit down, and he hadn't eaten his supper when his hungry stomach screamed.

Daphne put down the book in her hand and pushed the plate in front of him, which contained three apple pies, the mere smell of which was enough to whet an appetite.

"Hera made it, eat it. ”

Hodge ate it unceremoniously, it tasted good, far from being comparable to his own foolish skills, and it seemed that Hera had inherited her mother's skills in cooking, thanks to which the three of them did not eat Hodge's hard-baked pie every day.

He was genuinely hungry, and the three servings of apple pie were quickly wiped out, and he licked the remaining flavor at his fingertips, making sure that nothing was wasted in the value of the food.

"What about her?" Hodge asked casually, referring to Hera, of course.

"Maybe practice in the woods. ”

Hodge shook his head: "It's too hard, I don't think it's necessary." ”

"After all, it was the kid's own choice. Daphne looked at him, "What about you, spending another day in that shop?"

"What is a broken shop? Hodge frowned slightly, "This is a crucial step in changing the perception of wizards. ”

According to Devine's original idea, it was best to escape from human town life.

Hodge doesn't think so, he once told Daphne that facing the problem head-on may not solve the problem, but running away will definitely not solve the problem, because in the end there will be no escape.

"People are afraid of the unknown, and if you want to dispel the notion that wizards are evil, at least you have to give them an idea of what kind of people a wizard really is. ”

This is also the reason why he chose to come to the town and open a wizard's shop, and began to trade with ordinary people.

It's all about changing people's perceptions of wizards.

It's not easy to open a small shop like this in Blackstone, where not only are there many criminals, but there are also many local snakes, and although Hodge uses "kindness and friendliness" as a way for wizards to show kindness to human society, he will not be soft on these bastards who thwart his plans.

Many hardliners have long since sunk in the small river in the town. The rest of the smart men like Herbert honestly joined his forces.

This also made him the sole leader of the underground forces in Blackstone Town, which seemed to deviate greatly from the plan, but after subduing this force, it was of great help to Hodge in both publicity and execution.

"Change? I just see that what you're changing now is just a bunch of hooligan gangsters, and most of these guys aren't really changing, they just think about how much benefit you can give, and they won't hesitate to betray you if there's a bigger good in front of them. ”

Daphne looked at him helplessly: "I've mentioned to you many times, we are wizards, we are mobile vaults in the eyes of most people, so blatantly revealing our identities, being betrayed is a dead word, this is not a joke of Lai, have you ever considered it." ”

"Of course I thought about it. Hodge's face remained unchanged and replied calmly: "It is precisely because I have thought about it many times that I think this plan is feasible." ”