This is the cathedral of the Academy of Magic. Asa had never been in, he had rarely come near it, and the solemnity of the majestic building made him uncomfortable.

It is only now that I am in this tall building that I fully appreciate the special power of religion. Even though he had never believed in any gods, he felt the awe-inspiring majesty of his surroundings.

Dozens of meters high roofs and huge interiors give people a sense of vastness, profoundness, ethereal and grandeur, sunlight shines through the stained glass on the surroundings and on the top, turning into misty light and shadow flowing in the space, and the magnificent murals on the walls show the majesty and ambiguity of the gods. The sound of the organ filled the air, and it was impossible to tell where the hoarse and heavy tone came from, as if it were the property of a sound inherent in the austerity of the surrounding environment, an illusion that naturally arose from the convincing atmosphere.

Asa suspected that the two priests leading the way in front of him had been specially trained in this area, and walked in this solemn environment without a sound, as if he had long been accustomed to blending in with the momentum of the surroundings, except for the small and lonely sound of his own footsteps echoing in the empty room, as if to set off the majesty of the surroundings. Asa had the feeling that he had been struck by the majesty of this solemn environment, as if he were an insignificant being.

The two priests led him through the chapel and into a long hallway. Walking to the end of the hallway, the priest opened the door and said respectfully inside, "Your Excellency, the man has been brought." ”

It was a small room, with a small table, two chairs, and bookshelves all around. Compared with the grandeur and majesty of the church outside, it seemed to be a little isolated, and only a few windows opened high in the walls to let in the light. Bishop Ronis was next to the bookshelf, and he put the books back on the shelves, nodded to the two priests, and said, "Okay." Stand down. Keep the door closed and remember not to let anyone else in. ”

"Yes. The two priests exited and closed the door. All sounds and atmosphere outside were abruptly cut off.

Asa Leng was a little nervous at the door, he knew that in front of him was someone who the whole empire worshipped.

"Don't be nervous, sit down. Bishop Ronis smiled kindly at him and gestured to his chair. His pure white silk robe and thin face looked like a hermit who didn't care about the world, which matched the simplicity of the surroundings and did not make people feel the slightest pressure. Asa was a little relieved and really sat down. He did not know that if according to the liturgical terms, when the Bishop stood and spoke to people, only His Majesty the Emperor was entitled to sit.

"This is the room I had built purpose-built," Bishop Ronis said, gesturing to the walls around him. "Completely soundproofed from the outside and invisible to the people outside. So when there are only two people, you can safely dispense with all those rituals. I still like to speak without any etiquette. When there are too many rules, people tend to only pay attention to the rules and forget what they really need to do. His expression was easy-going, and there was neither condescension nor charity in his tone. This casual demeanor is mixed with his illustrious status, but it makes people feel even more intimidated from the heart.

"I heard you got a leaf of the World Tree?" Bishop Ronis asked in a casual tone, picking up the pot on the small table and pouring a cup of tea, as if he were just asking if someone had bought a handful of greens. "And then you went and saved someone?" Sandru's tone seemed rather quick.

Asa nodded and said, "Yes." Although he was sure that the Bishop would not sneer at him like Sandru, he was also reluctant to blame himself for such a venerable old man. Fortunately, Bishop Ronis only smiled wryly and shook his head, as if looking at him with some apprehension: "I can see that you are a very kind person. Bishop Ronis handed the cup to Asa. "How about a taste of this tea, I made it. ”

Asa took a sip, shook his head and said, "I don't know, I don't drink this tea, I just feel bitter." ”

Bishop Ronis smiled and said, "I heard that in some countries tea is an art. To be able to get broad and profound in this area, it must be a very leisurely country. He sat down in a chair next to Asa and said. "Alright, tell me how you got the World Tree leaf. To be specific, I'm sure it's going to be a great story. He looked at it with a smile and anticipation, as if he was really just waiting to hear a good story.

At first glance, Bishop Ronis's eyes, which looked like he hadn't slept well for a long time, seemed hazy, but when they met them, he found that two candles flickered in the depths of those eyes, a small light but a scorching look. Being watched by such a pair of eyes makes it difficult to deal with it with a perfunctory attitude.

Asa recounted what had happened to him from the time he met the red-robed man. Of course, he omitted the main point of how he had kidnapped the minister and magistrate. As for what the elven elder Crane said to him, he didn't care at all, and he didn't care about the elves' old-fashioned sluggishness, thinking that it was just their own wishful nonsense, so he almost forgot about it. To put it simply, the elves did not allow him to leave the forest because they knew what ancient legends and rules were.

Bishop Ronis didn't care about that, he seemed to be very interested in the matter of the red-robed man, and asked about every detail from time to time. He smiled slightly, occasionally nodding his head with a deeper smile, occasionally taking a deep breath with a bitter smile. The expression on that excessively thin face was very vivid, but I don't know if it was the illusion caused by his identity or the temperament he originally had, whether it was peace or a smile, it would not give people the feeling of wanting to be close, as if there was an indistinguishable majesty in it.

After listening to Asa's story, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the bookshelf across from him, as if to rearrange what he had just heard in his own mind. Asa didn't dare to interrupt, just watched from the sidelines.

Finally Bishop Ronis retracted his gaze and asked Asa, "Have you heard of the Necromantic Guild?"

Asa nodded. There is hardly anyone who has not heard of this name. It is located in the southernmost valley of the continent called Deya, where an association of dark magicians who believe in death, and legend has it that they eat human flesh, drink blood, and manipulate zombies and ghosts, almost synonymous with horror.

"The mage you just met in the Whispering Forest is a member of the Necromantic Guild. ”

Asa nodded, he had probably guessed it early in the morning.

"Sandru is also a member of the Necromantic Guild, at least a long time ago. ”

"Huh?" Asa was surprised, he couldn't really make the connection between the old man who had lived with him for so long and would wander the streets every day and the horrible monster who was said to eat human flesh and drink human blood. I really didn't expect it, and I couldn't think of it at all.

"For a long time, because they lacked a real leader among themselves, they gradually became a relatively loose organization of magicians, and some were completely disconnected from them, such as Sandru. But there has always been a small group of extreme people among them who are determined to let darkness and death cover the world. Over the years, they have been operating in the shadows, constantly demagoguery within the empire, establishing pagan organizations, dividing and shaking the faith of the people. This kind of destruction is the most dangerous. When faith breaks, the whole country spirals out of control. There have been countless wars and tragedies in history due to the madness of faith. ”

"Do you know what that book you lent Duke Mrak's daughter is?" Bishop Ronis abruptly turned to Asa's concerns.

"I don't know. Asa found himself feeling a little weak-hearted, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting for an adult to judge. Before he knew it, he had been completely impressed by the prosaic majesty of Bishop Ronis.

"That's a note left by Archibald, the founder of the Necromantic Guild. It records in ancient texts all kinds of magical things that he knew. What's more, it also contains a dark meditation technique that he supposedly created for the leader of the Necromantic Guild. ”

Asa swallowed his saliva, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Bishop Ronis didn't pay attention.

"Fortunately, no one has been able to actually practice this kind of meditation for hundreds of years. Most of the people who dare to practice will be eaten to death by the dark magic power in their hearts when they are halfway through the practice. Sandru stole the book twenty years ago. I had suggested to Sandru that it be destroyed, but Sandru stubbornly said that it was a great book, and that I couldn't force him, so I kept it. Sandru told me that he kept it in a very private and safe place, so I wasn't worried, but I didn't expect to be found by you, and you borrowed it without your knowledge...... I'm worried about the dark mage you said about taking the leaves of the World Tree, if he wants to use the life force in it to neutralize the backlash of the dark magic in meditation, and this thing falls back into their hands, then the result may really be to create a Necromantic King, and at that time, not only the empire, but the entire world will be in danger of being swallowed by the darkness. ”

This time Asa didn't say anything about me. It's about itself, and it's about the Bishop and Sandru. He respected the Bishop very much, and he didn't want to be scolded by Sandru, not to mention that this incident was indeed caused by himself.

"But I don't dare to go to this book with much fanfare, I suspect that there are already many eyes and ears of the Necromantic Guild in the royal capital, and maybe even many people in high positions have joined them. If they knew where the book was going, they probably got ahead of us. So now.... I can only ask you to help me with this. Please go and get that book back.... Or... You just destroy it. ”

"I know you're a very capable young man. Bishop Ronis patted him on the shoulder. "So I'm sure you can, please. ”

"Yes. I'll definitely get it back. Asa stood up and agreed in a very firm tone. He hated anyone ordering him, but he couldn't resist a plea, especially if it was a request from the Bishop.

Ronis looked at Asa and smiled and nodded, and suddenly he was stunned, as if he had noticed something strange in Asa's face. The surprise was only a fleeting fluctuation, and he immediately reverted to his calm expression and tone and asked, "Young man, where were you born?"

"The Calondo Basin is the mining area in the southwest of the empire. Asa didn't notice the slightest fluctuation in the Bishop's expression.

"Oh. Bishop Ronis smiled and nodded, still at ease.

Duke Mrak looked at this incredible scene, took a deep breath, and put down the iron cylinder in his hand.

It is a long, cylindrical iron cylinder with one thick end and one thin end, with a piece of glass at each end. It's a very wonderful thing, probably the invention of some dwarven craftsman. As with all of their inventions, there is no magic in them, but when one looks into the smaller end, one can see the situation far away.

He was now standing by the window of the attic at the top of a tall building far away from the Academy of Magic. It was here that this strange thing could be used to see clearly from the window the inside of the Bishop's study.

The Duke now knew very well the preferences, personalities, and habits of all the powerful people in the royal capital, but the Bishop knew nothing about him.

The bishop doesn't seem to have any hobbies, a personality that doesn't stand out, and he doesn't have any special habits. So I don't know what he likes, what he dislikes, or even what he's doing, so there's no way to do what he likes, let alone deal with it. And even if the bishop has never had any political stance and is not obviously biased towards anyone, he has always been a very important link in the power circle of the entire royal capital.

Hearing that the Bishop had a special private room, the Duke spent enough money to buy a small town to buy this wonderful iron cylinder from a dwarven treasure dealer. Then spent a few days looking for a place in the city where it could be used.

Now the Duke would rather spend half of his family fortune on a prop that could hear speech in the distance.

It's a pity that there is no such thing. Since there is none, there is only imagination.

What kind of identity is enough to see the bishop not kneel? to be on an equal footing with the bishop? what kind of relationship can the bishop pour him tea? and pat him on the shoulder so intimately?

It's really unexpected. The Duke took a cool breath.