Chapter 41: Disappearance
In the central square of the Prussian city, the dinner was carried out vividly, and His Majesty the King went back after playing for a while, accompanied by the Light Archmage Sade. Gale was a very measured man, and in the middle of the dinner he got up and went back to the palace, and there was still a great deal to be done to-morrow, and he was not a king who knew only pleasure.
As soon as His Majesty the King left, many nobles no longer cared about it, and they played even crazier than just now.
"Grandpa Langdon, why didn't Elsa come today?" Will, the knight who followed Secretary of State Hebrew Burton, looked at Robert Langdon, who was chatting happily with a big nobleman next to him.
"Oh, it turned out to be Will, Elsa was a little unwell today, so she didn't come. Langdon turned his head and smiled. This Will is the grandson of Burton's old fox. Langdon learned from the butler that Elsa had been harassed by this Vir in the market last time, and as a Hebrew family who could be equal to the Robert family, he didn't want to have too many conflicts over small things. Originally, looking at Will's family background and his own strength, he was completely compatible with his Elsa, but his conduct was not very good... Langdon had heard of this, too.
"Oh, Grandpa Langdon, so that's it. Then I'll go over first, and I'll pay a visit when I have time. Vir walked away after a standard knightly courtesy.
"I made a special visit, and it seems that he was on Elsa's attention. Langdon thought.
"Lord Langdon......." a guard hurriedly came to report.
"What's the matter,..." Langdon, who was discussing things with a nobleman next to him, was interrupted, slightly angry.
"Your Excellency, a man claiming to be the steward of your house has asked to see you. The guard bowed and reported. Because civilians could only watch from a distance, and they were not allowed to enter in the center of the square, the butler was stopped outside.
"Okay... I know, you go down," Langdon waved.
"What is the butler doing here at this time, could it be that something is going on in the house" Although Langdon chuckled in his heart, feeling that something was wrong, but on the surface he still pretended to be nothing. Slowly stood up and walked to the stage, walking a little shaky.
"Where are you going, Lord Langdon?" shouted a middle-aged nobleman with a body as good as a ball.
"Hey....Anka... I drank a little too much, so I went back first. Langdon didn't look very drunk.
"Okay, then be careful. The nobleman named Anka said with a smile.
"Okay, you cunning old fox, there must be something going on at home, pretending to be quite similar. Looking at Langdon who was walking away, the ball-shaped nobleman smiled. For this kind of little trick between nobles, everyone is already surprised.
"Hannah, what's wrong. Looking at the butler who had been stopped by the guards on the outskirts of the square, Langdon asked.
"Sir... Miss, she's gone....still ..................". Hannah replied.
"Okay, let's talk about it when we go back. Langdon interrupted the butler.
After about half an hour, Langdon returned to the Trade Secretary's mansion in his carriage. Striding back to his study, he ordered the butler to close the door.
"Hannah, tell me everything that happened. "Langdon always felt that Elsa's disappearance had a lot to do with the dragon-like creature.
Hannah, the butler, said that when he passed by the lady's study this evening, he saw that the light was still on. At that time, he was still a little puzzled, Miss Elsa, who had never been very interested in magic, had become so diligent these days, that the light in the study was on late almost every night. He didn't think much of it at the time.
Miss Elsa's behavior had changed very strangely, and the last time Master Odeli came, Miss Elsa, who had never been very close to him, had a very happy conversation with him.
Langdon knew that this Oldley was the grandson of his cousin, and his father was a great nobleman in the Duchy of Renault, and this Oldley had always had a good impression of Elsa, and Elsa didn't seem to be very willing to associate with him, seeing that his family background was not bad, Langdon didn't interfere much and let it develop.
"I overheard her asking Master Audrey about magic, like a magic lock or something," continued Hannah, the butler.
"Magic Lock ........." Hearing this, Langdon finally determined that Elsa's disappearance was indeed related to this dragon-like creature, and he had been away from home for a period of time because His Majesty was celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of his succession, and he didn't pay much attention to Elsa.
"Okay, you go on. Langdon, who looked at the butler and stopped in his contemplation, spoke.
When I passed Miss Elsa's study for the second time, I noticed that the light was still on, and that Miss had already rested at this time. Because I was afraid that Miss would be tired from reading, I knocked on the door to remind Miss Elsa to rest early, but there was no response after knocking for a long time, so I pushed the door in, and found that it was empty, only on the table I saw this, and the housekeeper took out a letter in his hand. Elsa has been acting carefully in the past two days.
"Okay, there's nothing to do with you here, I'll take care of the disappearance of Miss, and you know what to do for the rest." Langdon took the letter from Hannah, the butler, and said to him.
"Yes, sir, then I'll retire first. For this head of the family, Hannah, who has been a housekeeper in the Robert family for more than ten years, is very clear. As for the disappearance of the young lady, Langdon definitely didn't want the third person to know, so he had to deal with the following matters as a butler.
When the butler was out, Langdon opened the letter.
Grandfather
When you read this letter, I was already far away from Xingluo City, I thank you for your nurturing grace for so many years, but I want to go and find my parents, from childhood to adulthood, I really envy to see that every child has their own parental love. Although you are also very fond of me, Grandpa, Elsa also needs parents, and you have always told me that they are dead. I don't know why you have such a deep hatred for them. But I can always feel their presence... Maybe this is a kind of connection where blood is thicker than water! Grandpa, after Elsa is gone, take care of your body!
Love your granddaughter Elsa forever!
The letter slowly slipped from Langdon's hand, and he looked a little melancholy at this time, no one would have thought that Langdon, the leader of the dragon hunting organization who had always been ruthless, would have such a side.
Ever since I was forced to join that "apocalypse" more than a decade ago, my life has been completely different from before. The former Robert family was the hero of the empire, and he was also proud. His only son became a low-level swordsman at a young age, which is why he is proud.
After becoming a tool of the "Doomsday", at their behest, the current dragon hunting organization was established. As a member of the Empire's leading position, he used his position to create a lot of opportunities for the development of the organization, and the dragon hunting organization also developed at a rapid pace.
One day, his son, Robert Gru, who had been training outside for nearly ten years, came back with his daughter-in-law, Sophie, a beautiful and generous girl, who was also a light magician. Robert Langdon was extremely happy, and in less than a month, a grand wedding was held for the two, and the family lived happily ever after.
A little more than a year later, little Elsa was born. Her arrival excites the parents of Gru and Sophie, and Langdon is also very fond of this little granddaughter.
But the good times didn't last long, and once, Gru, who accidentally discovered that his father had a deep relationship with the dragon hunting organization, was very angry. When he traveled to the mainland in the past, he also hated this dragon hunting organization very much, and his wife Sophie's parents and good friend Clyde's family all died at the hands of this dragon hunting organization. When he approached his father for questioning, Langdon told him the truth, and Gru understood that his father had a last resort, but his wife Sophie didn't know what it would be like if she knew that the murderer of her parents was her husband's father.
Young Robert Gru is in pain, with his father who has fallen into darkness on the one hand, and his beloved wife on the other, and he is confused........ In desperation, they had to leave with their wife Sophie and daughter Elsa to find a place where no one knew them to live. But things were not as he imagined, not far from Xingluo City, they were still attacked by a group of black-robed people, in order to protect his wife and daughter, he killed all those black-robed people, but he was also seriously injured. When Langdon arrives when he learns of this, Gru is covered in blood and hugs his unconscious wife, Sophie, and tells his father that he never wants to see him again.
Thinking of this, Langdon's expression was a little stiff, the white hair on his temples became more and more pale, and his gray-yellow eyes were a little cloudy, far from the sharp brilliance of the past, and he suddenly seemed to be many years older.
"Gru, my son............ It's Father, I'm sorry for you," Langdon's eyes reddened a little. In fact, he didn't send killers to intercept his son and daughter-in-law back then, and when he learned that the incident arrived, he found that the corpses of the dragon hunters were all around. Without giving him a chance to explain, the son pointed his sword at him. For the sake of his Robert family, he begged his son to keep his granddaughter Elsa to himself, hoping only to keep Robert's lineage.
But now even Elsa is gone.
It wasn't until later that he learned that although he was the leader of the dragon hunting organization, he was just a "puppet". Everything is still under the control of "Doomsday", and the reason why the dragon hunting organization can gather a large number of strong people is also deeply related to "Doomsday". Because his daughter-in-law Sophie's parents were members of the "hermitage", he was secretly ordered to send assassins to kill him.
"Hermitage" and "Doomsday" are two extremely powerful and opposing organizations, for the rival "Hermitage", "Doomsday" has always been based on the principle of cutting down the grass and eradicating the roots, when it was learned that Sophie was a descendant of the "ascetics" of the hermitage, "Doomsday" secretly ordered the dragon hunting organization to attack and kill the Gru couple who were preparing to stay away from the city of Star Luo without their knowledge.
Langdon slowly stood up and walked out of the house, looking a little rickety.
In the dimly lit secret room, a purple-robed man with a mask sat on a chair in the middle.
"Lord, I just received a message from the Doom Guard telling us to get that dragon-like creature ready and they will receive it in these two days. Mud, the Magister in charge of contacting Doomsday, said.
The magic lamp flickered slightly. Two figures are printed upside down on the walls of the chamber. The masked purple-robed man didn't speak, just sat quietly.
"Lord........................" Seeing that the Lord had not responded for a long time, Mulder couldn't help but cry softly.
At this time, Langdon's mind was full of his son and granddaughter, and when Elsa was there before, at least he still had some hope, but now that she is gone, ....... heart suddenly feels that everything has lost hope.
"What's the matter, what's wrong with today's Lord?" Mud, who was Shangguan Yunlong, was a little surprised, he had never seen the always decisive and ruthless Lord so abnormal today.
"Lord.......... I just received a message from the Doom Guard that they will receive the dragon-like creature for the next two days. Looking at the Lord, who still had not reacted in the slightest, Mulder repeated it again.
"I see. Langdon was pulled back from his memory by Mulder's words.
"Mud, you immediately ordered the dragon hunting group, the second group, the third group, and the fourth group to intensify the search in the four directions of Star Luo City, east, west, north and south, and that dragon-like creature has fled. The masked Langdon ordered in a deep voice.
"Lord, what's going on... It's impossible... The cell where the dragon-like creature was held could withstand as much of an attack as the Sword Saint and the Magic Saint, and the magic lock was made by a fire archmage," Mudder asked, a little disbelieving.
When the dragon hunting organization was established, a prison was secretly established in Robert Langdon's mansion, and this Robert Langdon was also one of the internal members of the dragon hunting organization, but Mulder did not know that the real identity of this Langdon was the lord in front of him. When the prison was built, the walls of the cells were all made of thousand-year-old mica stone, and he also blessed them with magic that could isolate mental power and increase defense. Mica stone, itself is an extremely hard ore, and it is particularly rare, it is an ideal item for casting armor, and the thousand-year-old mica stone is the best among them. In order to prevent accidents, all the craftsmen involved in the construction were killed, and only the high-ranking members of the dragon hunting organization knew about the secret prison.
"Well, now the process is not important, the most important thing is to find him as quickly as possible, I believe he will not be able to run far. The voice from under the Lord's mask was tinged with anger.
"Yes, Lord... The subordinates will do it. The black-robed magister hurried out.
In the middle of the night, Xingluo City was dark, and the banquet had long since dispersed. After playing for half the night, people who were tired of playing quickly fell asleep. In the dimly lit streets, only a few houses were still faintly lit, and from inside there were the heavy panting of men and the moans of women, apparently due to the fact that some people in the excitement were doing something that made them excited.
The wind blew gently through the streets, and there was a rustling sound. More than a dozen sturdy black-clothed men quickly walked through the streets and alleys of Star Luo City, as if they were carefully searching for something.
"Sir, the guard at the east gate has just come to report that three hours ago, the young lady once went out with a man dressed in blue with an auxiliary political token. The butler hurried to report, and apparently he had not been idle during this time.
"Okay, I know, you go down, and you can deal with the guards as soon as possible. Langdon said.
The housekeeper knew in his heart that if he didn't deal with it in time, it wouldn't be long before the news of the eldest lady of the Robert family eloping with someone would spread all over the streets and alleys, becoming the laughing stock of Xingluo City.
After the butler withdrew, Langdon, who was sitting at the table, stood up sharply. A fierce murderous aura spread from him, and the whole room felt a little cold for a moment.
"You hateful little bastard, I'm going to tear you to pieces. The dragon-like creature fled and made it impossible for him to account for Doomsday, and even more abominable was that he kidnapped his most beloved little granddaughter, Elsa. Since the loss of her son Gru, Elsa has had almost all her hopes......... Now that even she is gone, the disappointed Langdon vents all his hatred on Shangguan Yunlong.
"Brother Long, can you take a break? I really can't walk. For Elsa, who has never walked so much, the non-stop journey for more than three hours is obviously a bit unbearable.
"Okay, then take a little rest" Shangguan Yunlong pointed to a small forest on the slope of the mountain in front of him, which was more secluded than this unsheltered plain, and he still had these common sense.
After escaping from the city of Star Luo, according to Elsa, about a hundred miles northeast of the city is the city of Kórdoba, from where they can take the Thunder Eagle to Kabul City, which is close to the Lanxi Empire, in three days at most, and then they will be truly safe. For more than three hours, they have been on the road non-stop. In terms of Shangguan Yunlong's strong physique, this more than 100 miles is nothing, but after only walking more than 30 miles, Elsa is no longer good, and her low-level magic apprentice's physique is far from being comparable to Shangguan Yunlong.
As soon as the two of them entered the grove, Elsa quickly sat down, and Shangguan Yunlong didn't dare to be careless. When they were in the Dark Forest, monsters were rampant, and they could all sneak up on them unexpectedly, and they must have something that could track or sense them.
After talking with Elsa, Shangguan Yunlong slowly understood this continent. Elsa tells him that the four countries on the continent occupy only two-quarters of the land. In addition to the dark forests, the largest magical beast colony on the continent, there are also places that humans cannot set foot in, they are located in the farthest north of the continent, and according to legend, they are covered in ice and snow all year round, and they are inaccessible. In addition, he also talked about the four top guilds in the continent, the Wizards' Guild, the Mercenary Guild, the Hunters' Guild, and the mysterious history of the Thieves' Guild.
Magician is the most noble profession in the whole continent, only people with magical physique are suitable for learning, and only one in 10,000 people can appear on average, and there are relatively many martial artists who perceive sword qi. But the conditions are still harsh.
Basically, all magicians will register with the Magicians Guild of the Lanxi Empire, and the most famous Dragon Soul Magic Academy in the whole continent is located in Valencia, the capital of the Lanxi Empire, which is the holy place of magicians in the whole continent. Along the way, Guan Yunlong listened attentively, and Elsa didn't take the trouble to talk about it, although it was only from books.
Shangguan Yunlong decided that if he had time in the future, he would definitely go to Valencia to have a look.