The normal way to get to the elven kingdom of the Elven Peninsula from the sphere of human influence is to first go to the Morning Light City to sign an approval, and then, if you have sufficient financial resources, you can take the special line from the Morning Light City to the Crown City, or take a boat from the Sea to the Golden Bay, the Sunset Sea, and the Elven Strait to go ashore from the Repulse Bay of the Elf Peninsula. Both roads are relatively safe and fast.

In addition, there are also overland routes from Order Town to Blade Town, across the Iron Jaw Basin, the Dust Plains, and the Bloss Grassland, and you can also reach the Elven Peninsula, which is the land of order that pays a lot of taxes along the way, and the land of the blade soldiers with a lot of taxes and dangers, and the most chaotic region of Terrakt.

The Terrakt region is the intersection of the human sphere of influence in the south, the elven sphere of influence in the west, and even the dwarven sphere of influence across the sea in the north.

However, because of the Golden Dragon Valley, where the Golden Dragon clan migrated here 80 years ago, and the fierce beasts that infested it, this place did not show the prosperity that it should normally be, but the wilderness was not opened, and only an orc tribe lived here.

Humans, elves, and dwarves mostly use this place as a transit area for passing through.

Of course, there are also some outlaws who buy and sell prohibited goods, or adventurers who can't afford to pay high taxes, and humans who want to smuggle to the Elven Peninsula, instead of taking the three conventional routes mentioned above, but specially hire horse gangs to take a small path from the reckless forests of the Midlands to the Elven Peninsula through the Terract region.

This route is fast and cheap, but it is very dangerous, and if the average merchant does not have the protection of a hired knight, he will never come out after entering the deep mountains and old forests of Midland.

For an adventurer like Darra, this trail is the first choice.

But first go to the City of Morning Light and hire a guide who knows the roads, no one wants to cross the Midland Highlands alone.

Midland Highlands Forest, the seat of the ancient human power of the Midland family, was once the peak of the Midland Empire.

1,100 years ago, the king of the Midland Empire listened to the words of the evil sorcerer Gutklaas, and united the city-states of Temos, The two juxtaposed human nations of the Westvary Empire launched an attack, and unveiled the demonic spell of the Dark Spine, summoning the demons located in the warped plane to the continent, and the first major conflict between the surface races and demons broke out, and the other two human nations were destroyed, and the Midland itself has been completely decayed, leaving only the old town, and the rest of the place is gradually covered by barren and monster-infested forests, forming the current Midland Forest.

There are many monsters in the forest, and the miasma is very heavy, even adventurers with superb martial arts or powerful magic will find a way to lead the way in the market southeast of the city of Morning Light in the bazaar southeast of the city of Dawnlight.

After Dara leaves Rosem and Angel, she soon arrives in the City of Morninglight.

He had also been to the City of Morning Light before, mostly with his father, to buy goods that could not be bought in Simplain Village.

When she first came to the City of Morning Light, Dara was only five years old, and at that time, the main city of mankind, Dara was most impressed by the tall and heavy walls that reached into the sky, the ubiquitous and glittering ornaments, the dazzling and colorful goods, the other races with different costumes and strange appearances, and the high, golden and splendid noble castles......

After returning to the village from the City of Morning Light that time, little Dara kept her mouth wide open for three days, thinking about what he had seen and heard in the city, and sighed.

Later, Dara gradually became accustomed to those prosperous appearances, and although she was still involuntarily attracted, she no longer had the shock and novelty of the first meeting.

Moreover, Dara also saw a great difference between the hierarchical aristocratic and commoner quarters, with luxury and corruption on the one hand and poverty on the other. At that time, Dara always thought that when he became a hero, he must change all this.

But now, when he re-entered the City of Dawn, Dara not only did not become a hero, but had to carefully navigate the city, trying to avoid the knights or guards.

Although this is the city of morning light, but the power of Duke Eunice still infiltrates every bit of the city, even the imperial palace, Dara already knows that Duke Eunice is looking for him everywhere, on the way to the city of morning light, he has seen his own portrait, fortunately he was in a hurry, smeared a few pieces of mud on his face, and dressed himself as a dirty-faced, dusty ranger, so that he was not recognized.

The City of Morning Light is worthy of being the capital of the Stanley Empire.

Even after nightfall, the endless flow of people, busy streets, and tall and dense buildings still exude the vitality of the entire capital city in the magical flames and colorful lights, giving people a lively and extraordinary feeling. Humans from all regions of the continent of Tuya, as well as dwarves and elves that can be seen from time to time, create a complex and complex atmosphere in the city.

All this is very beneficial to Darra, who is on the run.

In the same way, the safest place to hide a leaf is to hide in the woods, and in the same way, the safest place to hide a person is to hide a pile of people.

Darla squeezed through the crowd, and no one else noticed him, except for the occasional glance from a few young girls.

Unable to enjoy the bustling night view of the city, Dara had to make his way to the east, where there was a bazaar, and he had to find a way to hire a guide and mount before curfew and set out on the journey to the Elven Peninsula as soon as possible.

At the stall of the rental horse team in the bazaar, only two people were left chattering around an old man who was driving horses.

One is a handsome boy who calls himself "Franz", and the other is a dark-skinned one-eyed man, one of his eyes is covered with a black blindfold, and the rest of the eye exudes a shocking cold light, even brighter than the light emitted by the two eyes of ordinary people.

The old man who drove the horse, wearing a soft hat and a short white coat, stood lazily beside the three pack horses, and looked unhurriedly at the two people who were arguing. At his feet, there were two riding dogs that were constantly grumbling.

"Two hundred gold coins, I'll take it all!" said Franz, his eyes glaring at the one-eyed man, but he was not afraid of the one-eyed one that no one dared to look at.

"Five hundred!" said the one-eyed man coldly, not at the old man who was driving the horse, but at Franz.

Franz's face flushed with annoyance, and then he sneered.

Seeing this, Dara wanted to forget it and stop fighting with them, but when he looked around, he found that only the old man, a guide, was still soliciting customers at the stall. When he left, he didn't have much money with him, and he gave a lot of money to the Rosem brothers and sisters, and there was not much left, and he didn't know if he could support the destination, so he thought that he could save as much as he could, and habitually talked about the price.

As soon as his words fell, the other three all looked at Dara with strange eyes. Now that the tide is rising, everyone is desperately trying to raise the price, lest they will not be able to hire horses. This fool still wants to lower the price?

Franz's eyes were full of contempt, and the one-eyed man also showed a mocking look, but he still stared at Franz.

Only the old man smiled kindly, did not speak, and looked at Dara with a hint of warmth in his eyes.

Although Dara knew that she was shy, she continued to plead with the old man: "I have something urgent, please." ”

The old man groaned, but still did not speak.

There was also mockery in the Han's one-eyed eyes. But this kind of ridicule in Franz's eyes greatly increased his anger, and a poor ghost appeared in the air, and he dared to come to join in the fun, could it be that he was eyeing his own goods? Thinking of this, the handsome boy's eyes were almost spewing fire, he raised his eyebrows, and said: "I advise you, if you are fatal, get out of the way as soon as possible!"

Dara was so angry that before he could react, the one-eyed man on the side pressed the sword on his waist with his hand, and a murderous aura suddenly spread around.

"Okay, don't fight, I'll find two more horses, and I'll camel both of your goods." The old man waved his hand, persuaded him, and then turned to Dara and said, "You too!"

"No!" Franz objected first.

The one-eyed man unsheathed his sword by half an inch, and at the same time squinted at Franz and Darla, and said expressionlessly: "Of course!" Although his sword was not completely unsheathed, it was more murderous.

"Fight slowly, the living will be waiting for me tomorrow morning. The old man was unmoved, he had seen this kind of scene a lot. These people, who do not take the main road and specialize in digging deep into the mountains and old forests, have their own ulterior motives and reasons, and they will never delay the city of morning light for a whole night, and they dare not take him as a guide before they reach their destination. At this age, an old man who has been drilling in and out of the deep mountains and old forests for many years, and dealing with all kinds of people who have not seen the light, how can he be a person who has no eyesight.

The murderous aura suddenly dissipated, and the one-eyed man stared at Dara with that one-eyed for a while, then nodded slightly. Dara exhaled with relief and thanked the old man incessantly.

Franz was still hesitating, he really couldn't stay here for a long time, the sooner he brought his goods to the destination and got rid of them, the sooner he completed the task, the longer the delay on the road, the easier it was to change over time, and the nights were long and dreamy. But this time ......

Eventually, the group got together and set off in the night.

Upon entering the Great Forest, all the people became more silent, and everything familiar to humans was left behind. When you look back from afar, you will see the city of morning light flickering on the mountainside in the distance.

Even a fugitive like Dara couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow about leaving his homeland, remembering that he was now homeless and had no revenge, Darla's heart was even more painful, and his face was gloomy.

The only fortunate thing is that this is already a large forest that is rarely inhabited, and he no longer has to worry about being recognized and caught by Duke Sarah.

Suddenly, he remembered Fernia, this was the first time he thought of Fernia since the death of his family, is she still alive, where is the person now? Dara felt sad in her heart, if it weren't for her, she wouldn't have acted recklessly and killed her family. However, he immediately dispelled such remorse. How can a real man put his own responsibilities and faults on the woman he loves? If he wants to blame, he can only blame himself for being impulsive and inconsiderate.

In order to dispel the pain in her heart, Dara took the initiative to talk to the old man who was driving the horse.

"My name is Darla, sir, what do you call you?"

"Wari. ”

"You must have been driving horses for some years?"

"More than 40 years. Old Man Wari said lightly.

"So long?" said Darrah, with a sincere look of admiration.

Old man Wari couldn't help but feel a little proud when he saw it: "I started driving horses when I was a teenager. ”

"Hmph!" an incongruous nasal voice interrupted their conversation. It turned out to be the handsome boy Franz who heard the conversation between Dara and Old Man Wari and involuntarily made a contemptuous voice.

Franz was the one who was most disgusted by having to travel with other people, which probably had the most to do with his goods. On the surface, his goods consisted of inconspicuous stones and ornaments, but in fact they were mixed with a large number of precious stones from the amethyst mines in the Herbert region.

Gnomes are well known for their love and exploration of gemstones, and they are tiny almost wherever they are found. Therefore, this cave in the Herbert area, which is rich in amethyst and other gemstones, is naturally occupied by the gnomes in the area of the pygmy mound.

As early as 150 years ago, some gnomes formed an alliance with humans to resist the invasion of Drow, and the human king at that time was very "generous" to carve a small group of hills for these dwarfs, which is now the dwarf. What's more, although these gnomes occupy this place, it does not prevent humans from obtaining the gems that have been mined from them.

In particular, some greedy lawless organizations can more or less profit from cheating, stealing, or robbing.

Among the group, Franz happened to belong to some greedy lawless organization. He has always been hostile and wary of the other two people who have to go with him.

Most of them were two fellows who were scouting for goods, especially the one-eyed man, whose goods turned out to be two crates of ale wine, and how much was this kind of thing worth? It was worth taking such a big risk to follow the horse team into the mountains and forests? The man named "Dara" seemed to be a novice, and he didn't bring any goods, so he came to pry his hands empty-handed, and it was clear that he was eyeing his own goods.

Looking sideways at the other two companions again, a grim smile rose into the corner of Franz's mouth: It's tonight!

The one-eyed man had a mocking smile on his face, occasionally gazing with interest at Franz's arrogant face, as if he had discovered some secret from it, and smiled mischievously.

The two of them had their own hearts and minds, and they didn't care about the strange scenery in the forest.

Only Dara was the only one who looked curiously at the mysterious forest, not under the light of the torch.

All this fell into the eyes of the old man Wari.

The Midland Highlands Forest struck Darla, who had glimpsed its mysterious face for the first time: it was a real forest! Completely different from the mosquito forest, it was warm and humid, full of towering trees, and the vines between the trees were lush, and it stretched for miles as if there was no end. Anyone who enters such a large forest will feel as small as a drop in the ocean.

Especially on such a night, although the torches in the hands of the people illuminate a large area around it as if it were day, in the places where the torches cannot be touched, there are still reckless and green bushes, like ghosts.

However, even in such a large forest, there is still a path that seems to be absent.

Old man Wari had a machete in his hand and split some of the regrown thick grass and thorn branches on the side of the road in front of him, and his two riding dogs sniffed faithfully in front of him, barking at the slightest sign of anything unusual, but apart from a few frightened little creatures fleeing in a hurry to the sound of dogs, there was nothing too big to deal with.

After repeating this situation a few times, everyone gradually got used to it and calmed down.

In the evening, there was a clattering sound of sliding down the small dirt slope above them.

The sound was so loud that it suddenly appeared, and everyone immediately became nervous, and reflexively jumped to the side, and then raised their torches one after another.

By the light of the fire, everyone found a big man dressed as a hunter, clinging to a large branch and climbing up, as if he had accidentally slipped while walking on the hillside.

"Who are you, a hunter?" asked Old Man Warri in a loud voice at once.

"I? yes, yes, unlucky, I didn't even hit a rabbit. The big man replied angrily.

"My dog sniffed a few more just now. ”

"Ah, then, I'll take a look. As he spoke, the big man climbed up the dirt slope, made a search motion, and ran away from the front.

Hunting so late?And without hounds, without feathered arrows?Darala looked at the rest of his companions, and the old man Wari and One-Eye, who were with him, were expressionless, except for the one Franz, who showed a hint of anger.

Late at night, at the suggestion of the old man who drove the horse, the group decided to rest and go back the next morning.

Franz was the first to pick a good spot and immediately announced: "This is mine!"

Dara was on the run, but begged not to be noticed, and despite Franz's disgusting tone, Dara did not argue with him.

Old man Wari saw that Franz was a patron after all, and he had no objection.

Strangely, the one-eyed man also agreed, and he even nodded and said, "It's okay!" After saying that, he turned around and left, and chose another place for himself. However, when he turned around, the corners of the one-eyed man's mouth secretly floated into an imperceptible smile.

Dara and Old Man Wari looked at each other without saying a word, and walked away together.

Old Man Wari chose a big tree, set up a simple tent under the tree, set up his sleeping bag, called two dogs to lie outside the tent, and whispered to Darra, "Don't sleep too hard." ”

Hearing the old man's words, Dara was slightly stunned, and immediately understood that there were dangers everywhere in the forest, and the old man was reminding himself to be vigilant, and he couldn't imagine that he could meet someone who cared about him on the way to escape, and his heart swelled with warmth, and he looked at the old man gratefully and nodded.

Before getting into the sleeping bag, Darla silently laid out a few simple traps outside the tent, as his teacher Gibri had taught, and completely protected their tent in a circle of traps, so that no other creature would try to approach them silently.

Old Man Wari watched in silence as Dara did all this.

The young man obviously went out for the first time, and his face showed a sad expression from time to time, as if he had just suffered some great changes in his life, but he did not hide the essence of kindness, and he was also smart, and he could see through a little. Although his method of setting traps is very simple, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that he has been trained for a long time. It seems that he is not simple either!

However, compared to the other two, Old Man Wari still felt kind because of Darla's simple kindness, and couldn't help but think about the young man.

The forest in the middle of the night is very hideous and terrifying, and the whirring wind blows through the leaves, like a witch's wail.

In the night, a figure deftly burrowed into the woods and learned the call of an owl.

After a while, a stout figure emerged from the woods, and it turned out to be the "hunter" that Dara had met on the road.

"Give you a day, and get rid of that one-eyed man and the silly boy before sunrise the day after tomorrow!" commanded the dexterous figure.

"What if it's exposed?"

"That's your business, you know the consequences. ”

"Why don't you just slaughter them all while it's getting dark?" asked the other cautiously.

"Fool, scare the old man away, you come and drive the horse, do as I say!"

The two muttered for a while, and then quickly dispersed.

After they left, a burly figure also emerged from the shadows of the bushes on the side, sneering softly in the direction where the two had left.

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the leaves on the man's face, and his only eye shone with a terrifying cold light.

When he set off the next day, Franz showed a happy expression that he had rarely seen since yesterday's journey, and even hummed a song with some pleasure.

The one-eyed man didn't react in any way, still looking like he didn't care about anything.

Dara didn't see the scene in the woods last night, didn't know anything about the intrigue of the night, and still chatted with Old Man Wari without a match.

As soon as he walked out of the road, Dara found that the atmosphere of the whole horse team seemed a little dull, and the old man was a little absent-minded, and the old man kept answering his questions. Seeing the strange atmosphere, Dara closed her mouth in amusement.

Passing by a tall bush, the old man, who was walking in front, suddenly whispered to Darra, "Follow me, don't take a wrong step." ”

Darla nodded, as she said. In fact, he had already sensed the unusual atmosphere in the forest, especially not far away, as if someone had been secretly following them.

Just after a bend, the old man suddenly whispered: "Be careful", and wanted to pull Dala a hand, but the outstretched hand was empty.

A sharp stump suddenly swept through the air and whistled past the old man! The stump of the sky like a visitor went straight towards the one-eyed man in the middle of the caravan, and the one-eyed man was about to be nailed to the core.

The one-eyed man only took a quick step to the right just as the stake was about to nail himself, but the stump almost brushed against him, and then nailed down the path, revealing only the head of the stake.

The one-eyed man squinted at the stump pinned to his feet and sneered.

Hearing the sound, Franz on the other side of the road immediately asked, "What's wrong?" and his voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement. Due to the crossbarway of the mound, he did not see everything that was happening in front of him.

"See for yourself. The one-eyed man replied coldly.

"Damn, idiot!" Franz scolded, knowing that his opponent was still alive and well.

Old Man Wari looked at it and shook his head secretly. A figure jumped down from the tree beside the old man, but it was Dara who the old man did not hold, and he didn't know when he ran to the tree.

Seeing that Dara was so alert, the one-eyed man's face showed a slightly vigilant look.

Dara looked at the old man, who was looking deep into the bushes Nunu's mouth, out of which two dogs had just emerged, one of them still holding a piece of cloth in his mouth, apparently torn from someone else.

The old man tore the cloth from the dog's mouth, formed a ball, and put it in his arms. Dara whispered to the old man, "Is that the 'hunter'?" the old man nodded, but did not speak.

The stake, apparently man-made, still had marks of a large knife on it. And judging from the time and direction of its flight, who sent the person who was secretly spying on it? Duke Eunice Dara suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. But looking back at the performance of the "Hunter" yesterday, there should not be such a stupid hunter under Duke Younis. So, who owns this clumsy "hunter" and who is the prey of the "hunter"?

Seeing Dara in deep thought, the old man just smiled and said, "Let's go! The road ahead will be more difficult." ”

The group set off again as if nothing had happened. It's just that everyone seems to be preoccupied, and if they go any further, they will enter the territory of the transformation spider.

The Shapeshifter is an intelligent, shapeshifting spider with the ability to cast spells like a warlock.

The spider's original appearance was not much different from that of a normal medium-sized spider, with a body that was usually 3 feet long, 7 feet wide, and weighed about 150 pounds, with a strange lump on its back in which their brains resided. A pair of jaws protrude from the front of the body, and at the base of the lower jaw are two slender arms, one of which is about 2 feet long. At the front of each arm is a palm consisting of four multi-phalange fingers and a two-knuckle thumb.

For the team of adventurers who enter the territory of the Shapeshifting Spider, the most terrifying thing is not their obnoxious appearance, but the way they fight. These guys will avoid physical combat and instead use their cobwebs and spells to fight. When fighting, they will try to trap or distract their most aggressive opponents first, and most annoyingly, they also like to demand ransom from opponents who are restrained by them.

They can also transform into small or medium-sized humanoids such as gnomes and dwarves, although spiders that take on human form are not able to attack with arachnweb or toxins. There are also spider-man hybrids, which at first glance look like humanoids, and their hidden fangs and spinners cannot be seen unless the opponent uses the spell of "True Gaze". Shapeshifters are the most difficult to deal with, as they can still use weapons and webs.

Franz, who had heard about the Morphing Spider for a long time, became nervous, and the two bastards who were looking for fault in the same company had not yet been solved, and he had to beware of dealing with the greedy monster of the Morphing Spider.

How did the organization send that idiot to be his assistant to escort such an important item?

"The fog is coming, stay put!" Old Man Wari suddenly shouted in a deep voice.

As soon as the old man's words fell, Dara felt his hand being pulled, he turned his head to look to the side, it was the old man Wari, looking at the old man's calm and clear eyes, feeling the warmth from the old man's palm, Darra's originally tense nerves gradually stabilized.

At this moment, a thick fog rose as if it were flat ground, and in an instant, the entire horse team melted in.

Suddenly, the whole forest was silent as death, everyone could only hear their own heartbeat, and through their clothes, they could feel the dampness and cold brought by the thick fog, and this cold eroded the stiff body through the thick fog and penetrated deep into the bone marrow.

The fear of the unknown has gripped everyone here, and everyone's hearts are beating like birds in the palms of their hands.

"It's a cold fog peculiar to the forest, you can only wait, you can't move. In the thick fog, the old man's words came again.

A great silence enveloped the horse team like a mist.

Although he couldn't see anything, his hearing was unusually clear, and it seemed that even the sound of blood flowing was like a river, and the sound of his heartbeat was like thunder, which was unbearable for everyone in the team.

I don't know how long it took, but the fog finally cleared as the old man had said.

Only then did everyone realize that Franz, who had been arrogant before, was standing in place, clenching his fists tightly, his eyes closed, and his whole body trembling slightly. The one-eyed man stepped forward, the heat from his mouth almost squirting into his face, and snorting contemptuously.

Franz opened his eyes suddenly, startled by the rude and vicious face and tone of the one-eyed man in front of him, and his face couldn't help but flush with annoyance again. The one-eyed man sniffed lightly, laughed twice, and walked away.

Looking at the distant back of the one-eyed man, Franz clenched his teeth, and a cold and vicious light shot out of his eyes, but the blush on his face had not disappeared. The strange expression made Dara stunned, as if she felt something, but she couldn't grasp it when she thought about it.

Old Man Wari shrugged at Darrah and said, "Let's go, we need to get to Old Midland before dark." ”

Dara nodded, in the entire horse team, only the old man gave him a kind feeling, which made him feel a little warm sense of dependence in his heart when he had just suffered a big change and was alone away from home and the end of the world for the first time. Both Franz and One-Eyed are unapproachable, and whenever he tries to speak to them, the arrogance of the other makes Dara feel like a complete fool.

The One-Eyed Man, in particular, quickly made Dara understand that there were people who were even worse to mess with than they looked.

Once, Dara walked beside the one-eyed blind eye without paying attention, and although Dara had inadvertently committed a taboo, the one-eyed man was still very angry, and immediately took out his sword unequivocally and stabbed Dara fiercely, quickly and accurately, straight to the point. Instinctively, Dara quickly turned sideways, and despite the movement, the tip of the sword pressed against Darra's body, cutting through his coat. When Dara inspected the soft armor at night, he was shocked to find that this self-defense armor had been marked by the one-eyed man.

Whether it was the one-eyed swordsmanship or Darra's dodge, they all surprised the other party! The one-eyed man and Franz looked at Dara with a little more solemnity in their eyes.

But Dara then turned away from the one-eyed man's blind eye and refused to approach it easily.

It was getting dark, and instead of reaching the old town of Midland, as Old Man Warry had expected, the group was surprised to find that in the middle of the forest like Midland, there was an inn with thatched roof and beams.

Unlike the hotel's new vegetation, the cloth banner with the word "accommodation" written on it at the entrance of the hotel was tattered and dusty.

The inn was not supposed to be in such a primeval forest, but it did appear, and it was located right at the fork in the forest path, stimulating the fragile nerves of everyone who passed by.

What kind of inn is this, and what kind of people dare to run an inn in such a big forest?

The group was deeply surprised, looked at each other, and none of them dared to take the first half step into the inn, even the old man of Wari, who was accustomed to walking in the mountains and forests, was unheard of for this inn, and suddenly gave birth to a feeling of being on his back.

Probably hearing the neighing of horses, a smiling middle-aged human woman greeted the inn, who warmly beckoned the group of guests to their accommodation.

When I inquired, the price was quite cheap, almost no different from the inn outside the forest, only two gold coins a day.

The crowd was even more surprised.

And no matter how this middle-aged woman looks, she is indeed just a human woman.

Although I felt that something was wrong, but a group of people wanted to guard the hotel and sleep in the forest, but no one was willing, and finally, under the enthusiastic persuasion of the proprietress, all the people slowly walked into the hotel and decided to stay overnight.