Located in the mountains of the southern kingdom of Neville, Garcy is part of the Garrot family, and has been built by Baron Garrot since he discovered a vein of elemental crystals nearby.

Like other miner towns, Garcy is surrounded by mountains and forests, with no stable water source, and when the Elemental Crystals are exhausted, they are abandoned. However, the nearby crystal mine has not been mined yet, and it has been abandoned.

A few years ago, a pair of ferocious nightbladed leopards moved here, and they saw the miners as prey, preying on more than 30 miners. The lord organized two sieges and suppressions, but in vain, he finally had to give up the crystal mine, and the town of Garcy became an uninhabited town.

Although the town of Garcy is called a town, it is actually not as big as a village, and only the crumbling stone fence proves its identity. A gust of north wind blew out, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the walls were pitch black, and the tattered wooden houses shivered and creaked in the cold wind, adding a touch of terror to the gloomy ruined town.

Suddenly, there was a faint light in the largest building in the center of town. The dim glow swayed in the night wind, like a lighthouse, pointing the way for the lost.

A huge owl glides across the dark night sky, flutters its wings, and lands on the decaying window frame, it glances inside the house, and jumps in without hesitation.

Inside, three people dressed as farmers were cooking around the fireplace, and when the owls rushed in in the cold wind, they hurriedly grabbed the axes beside them, and when they saw the appearance of the uninvited guests, two of them were obviously relaxed, only the youngest farmer was still nervously holding the axe, looking like he was about to chop it down at any time.

The half-human-tall owl cocked up its feathers, spread its wings, and let out a warning roar, its shadow looming over the front wall behind it, looking terrifying.

"Kaom! keep an eye on your pet!"

An angry voice sounded from the owl's mouth, and the young farmer fell to the ground in fright, and the gray-haired middle-aged farmer next to him smiled evilly, turned to the corner, and said, "Baby, this stupid bird can't eat it." Go outside and don't let strangers come near here. ”

In the shadows, the two huge nightbladed leopards shook their dark fur, put away their sharp claws, and rubbed their heads affectionately against the middle-aged farmer, and then stepped out of the room gracefully and silently.

"Kaom, one day, I'm going to skin those two stupid cats!" said the owl, cocking his wings.

"Yes, as long as you find me a few more ferocious animals, I'll pick them up for you. Kaom smiled nonchalantly.

"Alright, let's hold the ceremony. Another middle-aged man wrapped his shabby sheepskin jacket tightly, threw a piece of wood into the fire, stomped his feet and complained, "This damn weather, it's so cold!"

The owl paced two steps forward, tilted his head to look at the young farmer, and asked, "Are you Lin Du?"

The young farmer shrank back, and then felt a little ashamed, so he puffed up his chest and said fiercely, "I ...... I'm Huo ...... Lindu of Horasson, do you know me?" After speaking, he stammered and explained, "I...... I'm not scared, I'm cold...... Cold shivering. ”

"Hehe, Heller, your apprentice looks scared of the cold. The owl said to the middle-aged man closest to the fire.

Heller rubbed his hands together and said coldly, "He's really scared, I'm really scared of the cold." Messenger, even the windows here are rotten, and if there is no more ceremony, those pigs will probably freeze to death!"

"Let's get started. ”

The hairy eagle named the Courier let go of his left claw, and a pure black crystal fell to the floor, and Heller stepped forward to pick it up, looked at it carefully, and nodded at Kaom.

"Daring boy from Horazon County, work. Kaom tapped the young farmer on the shoulder and turned to walk towards the back room.

Lin Du's face turned red and white, and under Heller's forced gaze, he gritted his teeth and followed up in the back room. After a while, Kaom and Miller dragged five unconscious people out. These people, men, women, and children, lay motionless on the cold ground, and if it weren't for the heaving of their chests, they would have looked like dead people.

Heller first arranged the five men, women, and children, head to head, in a circle, and placed the black crystal in the center, and finally began to recite the obscure incantation.

As Heller chanted, a thick black mist floated out of the crystal, and the mist gradually filled until it submerged the five people on the ground, and the dark red runes appeared in the void of the room, arranged in a mysterious way into a circle, the ring slowly turned, the mist surged, and the four men and women sat up from the ground one after another.

"I'm the Vice-Speaker, Giant. ”

"I'm a councillor, Misgan. ”

"I'm a councillor, Severn. ”

"I'm a councillor, Magacia. ”

The four of them stood up and saluted each other, and the short old man, who called himself a giant, spoke, "The speaker has not arrived yet, Heller, please continue." ”

The spell did not stop, the rune ring continued to turn, but Heller's face became more and more pale, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and finally, a childish and crisp voice sounded in the black mist.

"I am the Speaker of the Shadows. Heller, hard work, you can stop. ”

Heller sighed and stopped chanting, and the rings of runes turned into points of light and dissipated into the air. Except for the young farmer Lin Du, everyone present crossed their hands on their chests and said in unison to the little girl who had just stood up, "I've seen the speaker." ”

The little girl nodded, turned her eyes to Lin Du, who was bowing there again and again, and said kindly: "Child, you are Lin Du, right? ”

Lin Du relaxed at this time, he looked at the mysterious little girl curiously, only to see that she was 7 or 8 years old, wearing ordinary coarse linen clothes and sheepskin jackets, she was completely an ordinary peasant girl, only those clear eyes revealed the wisdom and vicissitudes of people's hearts. When Lin Du was about to take a closer look, he was pressed by Kaom next to him, and his strength made him bend down.

No one cared about the movement in the corner, and the deputy speaker Giant took the lead in speaking: "Speaker, this meeting is being held in time, and I have important things to report." Our operation in the Centaur Hills failed, and the target of the assassination turned out to be a Silver Rank Archer of the Wind Range. Moreover, both the Bewitcher and the Beastmaster on the mission are missing. I suspect they're dead!"

"How is this possible?!!The Beastmaster has been able to transform into a dragonman, and has killed an ogre overseer head-on, and with the reflection of the soul of the Bewitcher, even the Golden Knight must not be their opponent, could it be that the legendary paladin killed them? "Aren't we exposed?" Severn shouted in disbelief.

"The Courier?"

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, the big owl hurriedly said, "I'm pretty sure that the six legendary paladins are all fighting the centaur tribe in the Eastern Wilderness. I just don't know if the referee Lesta and the first paladin Nakhtigar have left El。。。。。 ”

"There's no way those two will leave El, and once they're gone, the whole world will know. Could it be that the Beastmaster and the Bewitcher have defected?" said Councilor Majiaxia, shaking his head.

"No way!"

Councillor Misgen only said one word, and everyone nodded in approval.

The dwarf "giant" said, "Do you remember the fire raven? He claimed to have been inspired by the Lord of Shadows to incite the council to exterminate the elven blood nobles, and after being vetoed, he acted on his own initiative, and as a result, he lost the life of the Broken Soul in the Centaur Hills, and now the Beastmaster and the Bewitcher are also missing in the Centaur Hills, and their targets are the same person!

"Seconded. The Bewitcher is important to the Council, his whereabouts are unknown now, and we should send someone to the Centaur Hills to find his traces. ”

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Why are you going to die?" the little girl speaker asked, looking around at the crowd, "Or why do you want to obey the Whisperer's arrangement?"

The room fell silent for a moment, only the fire crackled and burned, and the speaker said slowly: "The disappearance of the two companions has nothing to do with the church, nor does it have anything to do with the nobles, it can only be related to the whisperers." Let us not forget that the Whisperers are not the teachers of our Chosen One, much less our masters, but a bunch of vile liars, hiding in the shadows like rats, luring us to their ends with lies and deceptions. However, their purpose is the opposite of ours. If we want to restore the glory of the Chosen One, we must not do what they intended. They want us to go to the Centaur Hills, and we can't! Guys, our hope is in the East, not the Centaur Hills!"

"Indeed, when the Church catches a sorcerer, it must have held a purification ritual with great fanfare, and it is impossible to execute them silently and secretly. What's more, the noble Golden Knight is by no means an opponent of the Beastmaster. The giant bowed to the Speaker and said, "My lord, I was so reckless that I almost fell for the tricks of the whisperers. It's just that I don't understand, why is our hope in the East?"

The Speaker shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate the strength of the Golden Knight. The Beastmaster can escape from the hands of the Golden Knight, but it is impossible to defeat the Golden Knight head-on, not even the Bewitcher! Ladies and gentlemen, I solemnly warn you, stay away from the Golden Knights, whose presence in the Age of the Chosen One is enough to earn our respect. In the future, we will cooperate with the knights on an equal footing, but now is not the time. As for the relationship that used to be, it is impossible to do it again. ”

Everyone was speechless, and the speaker turned his gaze to Lin Du, who was cowering and dazed, and asked, "Lin Du, do you understand?"

These wizards, a legendary paladin, a golden knight, a whisperer or something, Lin Du can understand there, he was an ordinary farmer in the Kingdom of Duoduo half a year ago. However, Lin Du also knew that the "little girl" in front of him was everyone's head, just as big as the village chief, and his questions had to be answered honestly.

"Big ...... My lord, I ...... I don't understand. Lin Du replied tremblingly.

The speaker glanced at Heller lightly, and Heller suddenly chuckled in his heart, he didn't expect that this rookie newcomer would be valued by the president.

Heller stiffened his head and stepped forward and said, "Speaker, we are busy on our way, and we haven't had time to educate Lin Du yet, but I have already introduced him to the entanglement between the Chosen and the church, and there are some precautions. ”

The speaker nodded, and said to the young farmer, "Lin Du, it seems that you still don't agree with your current identity?"

"I ...... I don't know?!"

Lin Du sat on the ground with his face covered, tears flowing from his fingers. He had always been a devout disciple of the Lord of Light, and he never thought that he would become an evil wizard, and if he hadn't been found by these people, he would have been burned to death in the square. Thinking of this, Lin Du was confused and scared, and couldn't help crying.

Seeing the rookie wizard's weak appearance, everyone showed disdainful expressions, they seemed to have forgotten that they were no better in the first place. Only the speaker asked beside him, "Lin Du, do you think you are evil?"

"I'm not a bad person! I've never done anything bad. Lin Du stood up excitedly and defended loudly, and felt that this was not convincing, so he gave an example: "Gavin asked me to steal vegetables, but I didn't go!"

"Haha. ”

The crowd laughed, even the owl, but when they saw the disgruntled look in the Speaker's dissatisfied, the laughter stopped abruptly.

The Speaker said to Lin Du gently: "Child, you are not an evil one, nor are you an heir of the devil. You are the noble Chosen One, even more noble than the Knight. The nobility of a knight lies in the bloodline, and ours lies in the soul. ”

"That'...... Then why did the Lord of the Supreme Radiance purify me?" asked Lin Du puzzled.

"It's a liar!" Kaom shouted through gritted teeth.

"Don't discredit the Lord of Radiance. His greatness is unquestionable. The Speaker said displeased.

"The Lord of Radiance's enemies are those who whisper, not us. This is evidenced by the fact that the Lord of Light never appeared before the turbulent times. If the Director of Radiance were to exterminate mortals by the Whisperers, we Chosen would also perish, and in this sense, it was the Lord of Radiance who saved us. It's just that the Radiant Church wants to seize power, so it insists on eliminating the Chosen One, but this is impossible. ”

Lin Du said excitedly: "My lord, the Most High Lord has never abandoned me, has he? Father Nigel is the blasphemer, isn't he?"

"The same cannot be said. The speaker was silent for a while, and then patiently explained: "There is no need for faith for real existence, it is the church itself that needs to be believed. The Lord of Light transforms the faith of mortals into divine power and feeds back to the clergy of the Church according to the agreement, so that mortals are the foundation of the Church. The Church cannot afford to risk the extinction of humanity, which is why we have to destroy our Chosen One. In fact, the church is aimed at the whisperers, because they know that as long as there are mortals, the Chosen ones will not be extinct. ”

Lindu looked confused, Heller was deep in thought, and Kaom was indignant. The big owl stepped forward and asked the Speaker for instructions, "My lord, let me explain." ”

The Speaker nodded, and the owl said, "Listen up, you three, the following content is only known to the top of the council." ”

"Our Shadow Council has a much older history than the Church of the Radiance. Before the Turbulent Times, the Chosen One was divided into two camps, one was the Council and the other was the Pantheon. Our council focuses on the study and transmission of witchcraft, advocating the development of its own potential and the formation of a complete system of witchcraft. The Pantheon, on the other hand, focuses on expansion, and they increase their power by talking to whisperers. With the help of the Whisperers, the Pantheon is much stronger than the Council, but they need a lot of resources. This has led to occasional clashes between the two sides. ”

"The Council has made great strides in the study of the sorcery system, and we have broken through the limitations of talent to form a new system of spellcasting. For example, Heller's Advent Technique, which he has just performed, is one of the results, and as long as he is trained, every Chosen One can perform it. So, the council called itself a mage, and the pantheon guys called a warlock. ”

"Whether it's a mage or a warlock, they all face the problem of inheritance. Our lifespans are too short, and our abilities cannot be inherited in our bloodlines. Andrew the legendary archmage of the council, tempted by the Whisperers, invented the Blood Sacrifice, which led to the end of the Chosen Ones and the rise of the Church of Radiance. ”

"Later in the war, the Council had sensed the dangers of blood sacrifices and the sinister intentions of the whisperers, but neither side could stop. The awakening of the Lord of Radiance gives hope to the Council. The mages began to work with the first popes, and it was with the help of the Council that the Church of Radiance was able to grow and form a system of divine magic. Hehe, the magic of the Church is the result of the work of our council. ”

"After the Pantheon was defeated, the Pope tore up the covenant and turned his head against the council. Despite the repeated statements of the mages that they would no longer listen to the whisperers, the Pope asked how to guarantee that? Honestly, we can't. Isn't that the idiot of the fire crow? As you all know, the church is one with mortals, and the mages and warlocks are one with mortals, but there is no trust in all three parties. But our legacy is still there, and the Council has become a Shadow Council. ”

"We don't know why the Whisperers are trying to exterminate humanity, but it is certain that the Lord of Light is only targeting the Whisperers, and He is protecting humanity from the threat of the Whisperers, including our Chosen One. This is the basis for the rise of our mages again. ”

"You may not know that there is no requirement in the Radiant Codex to exterminate wizards, because it is impossible. The Code of Radiance is only a contract between the Church and the Lord of Light, and if the Lord of Light awakens again, the Code will also be invalid, which the Church cannot tolerate. But humanity is far from the threat of whisperers, but faces the threat of wild monsters, which is again unacceptable to all. ”

"If, the Sassan Empire is broken by orcs, humanity is still in danger of extinction, the smaller the number of mortals, the weaker the strength of the church, they will have to admit the existence of our mages. The premise is that we mages must resist the attack of the orcs and prevent the appearance of warlocks. That's why parliament bans those who listen to whispers. At that time, we mages will regain their glory and become nobles among the human race. ”

Lin Du asked excitedly, "My lord, I can also become a nobleman?"

"It's true. The Speaker nodded affirmatively and said, "However, we will only live until then!" More than 10,000 years ago, the Council set up a mage tower in the Nydham Swamp to study how to extend lifespan, and although it failed to achieve great results, it succeeded in developing a secret elixir that made mages violent. This will increase our lifespan by at least 20 years, and it will also increase our ability to survive in battle. Finding the secret elixir is crucial to the council's next steps. ”

"Lin Du, as long as you look at something, you can always search for the same thing, right?"

Lin Du nodded again and again, and said proudly and obscenely: "Yes, when I see a gopher, I know that other gophers are there." I'm a gopher hole-digger, and Gavin can't beat me. Once, I saw Rena during the day, and when I went to bed at night, I saw her in the shower, that fart...... Hey, hey!"

"That's good!"

The Speaker said, "The secret medicine is sealed in a crystal. We've found samples of that crystal, kept in the custody of the Eastern Nightmare. I now propose that Lindu be the councillor and be tasked with searching for the remains of the Mage Tower in the Nydamham Swamp. Members of the council also rushed to the east as far as possible to cooperate with the search plan. ”

"Seconded. ”

"Seconded. ”

The top brass of the council unanimously approved the Speaker's proposal, much to the envy of Heller and Kaom.

"You two, take care of escorting Councilor Lindu to the east and join the Nightmare. I'll arrange for Nightmares to guide you in your spells. The Speaker said to the two.

Heller and Kaom were overjoyed, and they should have been. The Speaker then asked Councillor Severn: "Is there a way to send them to the east?"

Saiwen pondered for a moment, and then said, "In three days, a caravan from the Borui Kingdom will pass through Baron Garrot's town, and the caravan steward is my man, I can let him bring Councilor Lindu." Only as a dude, of course. By the way, you'll leave tonight. I've heard that Baron Garrot has recruited a large number of mercenaries to encircle and suppress the ferocious animals here, and if you leave late, I'm afraid you'll be in trouble. ”

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll leave right away. Kaom nodded.

"Okay, that's it for the meeting. The Speaker spoke.

Everyone saluted the Speaker again, and then the five high-ranking people fell to the ground one after the other. Lin Du saw the little girl's gloomy eyes and asked worriedly, "What's wrong with them?"

"Dead!" Kaom said, nonchalantly.

"How can this be? how can this be?" Lin Du muttered.

Heller was just about to teach Lin Du a lesson, thinking that his current identity was still above him, so he had to say kindly: "The adults have left. Lindu, you are now a noble Chosen One. These are just untouchables, not to be sorry for. ”

Lin Du took a deep breath, tried to puff up his chest, and asked, "I heard that the east is full of man-eating monsters, and only criminals will be exiled there, will we be in danger?" As he spoke, his chest collapsed, and his voice became quieter and quieter.

Kaom and Heller looked at each other and grinned, "The east is our paradise." The council has been in business in the east for a hundred years, and when we get there, we don't have to worry about being afraid, we can eat and drink well, and there are noble ladies to sleep with. I promise you won't want to come back if you go. ”

"Is it a noble lady like the village chief's daughter?" Lin Du asked in shock and excitement.

"Can the village chief's daughter be considered a noble lady?" Heller shook her head disdainfully and said, "Only those who have noble blood are called noble misses...... I can't tell you clearly, but you'll know when you get to the east. ”

"So what are we waiting for?

"Yes, let's go now! to the east!"