386

On a trackless horse-drawn carriage on a suburb of Queens.

Triss wore a veiled hat and sat quietly in the corner.

She didn't go straight to the Tassok River, as others think, and run down the river, or go to the nearest railway, climb the train.

She chose to return to Beckland.

Only this metropolis with a population of more than 5 million, a mix of various hidden forces, and many extraordinary beings, can help her evade the follow-up tracking of the Witch Sect!

At this moment, her spirit was highly tense, and she was always on the guard of the terrible old butler Finkel.

Suddenly, her head was dizzy. When her sight returned to normal, she realized that she had miraculously left the public carriage and was standing beside the dirt road in the suburbs.

Triss contracted sharply, looking around warily.

Then, she saw a figure in a classical robe and a black hood, and noticed the black eyes of the other man hidden in the shadows.

For some reason, Triss felt like she was back in her infancy, so weak that she couldn't resist at all.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her legs trembled violently, but she couldn't move.

It's the most terrible enemy I've ever faced...... Even the high-ranking witches I saw before didn't give me similar feelings...... Am I going to die here...... Is the escape operation that is unwilling to give up in the face of failure again and again is about to end completely...... A deep sense of despair and uncontrollable sadness took over Triss's mind, leaving her in the deepest and deepest nightmare.

Suddenly, a faint blue light flashed in front of her eyes, and the "curse" of not being able to move was lifted.

Triss looked ahead again, and there was no such terrifying figure as it was, and everything just now seemed to be the most real illusion.

But when Triss lowered her head, she was shocked to find that the sapphire ring on her left little finger had somehow torn apart and lost all its brilliance.

Slap, slap, slap, the remains of rings and gems fell one after another.

……

In the barren fields of the suburbs, the old butler Finkel was running away.

He had lost his hat, his meticulously combed gray hair hung down in a mess, and his clothes were covered in mud.

Whew, whew...... He paused slightly, gasped and looked behind him, relieved to find that there was no one there.

But when he turned his head and was about to change direction, he found that there was a figure in front of him at some point.

The figure was dressed in a hooded classical robe, its black eyes hidden in the shadows, and its face was dull and expressionless.

Finkel shrank and opened his mouth to try to pronounce an ancient Hermetian word, but was stunned to notice that his nose was disappearing and his voice was gone.

There was a little more despair in his expression, and then the whole person was like a stain in the void, wiped clean with a rag, and there was no trace of it.

…………

Crane ran away and fought, the flame jumped and burned two boxes of matches, and the "Master Key" turned to the Martian son, relying on the way to play Ince Zangwill, passed the first two levels, and then changed into a guard, spreading the news that "Ince Zangwill is a human in disguise", and successfully ran to the upper level of the underground building.

The reason why it was confirmed that it was the upper level was because Crane looked up and could already see a skylight on the ceiling more than ten meters high, and white sunlight was falling, illuminating the dust in the air.

There seemed to be chaos in the rear, so Crane was able to calm down a bit and look for the doors and stairs on the upper floors.

As a result, he found that the underground structure seemed to be funnel-shaped, and the spiraling staircase at the bottom was only twenty or thirty meters in diameter, but after entering the upper floor close to the ground, he could not see the other side of the wall clearly.

In this case, it is best to use the "master key" to open a door directly on the roof, but without the flame jump, it is difficult for me to jump to a height of more than 10 meters, and it is difficult to seize the opportunity to open the door and leave immediately......

He looked around quickly, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he carefully took the brass whistle from his pocket, put it to his mouth, and blew it hard.

The invisible fluctuations spread, and in front of his eyes appeared a half-snake, half-human spirit with white feathers like a feather coat, legs, and a tail behind him, also wearing a tattered robe with gold decorations.

It worked! Crane was overjoyed.

As soon as the demigod appeared, he grabbed Crane and entered the spirit realm.

Seeing this, Crane's heart that had been hanging finally relaxed.

But on the way through the spirit realm, Crane's mind suddenly stopped for a moment, and he saw himself appear in a dark and deep world, where the feathered demigod disappeared, and there was only a red moon in this world, and the stars in the sky were like eyes.

- Yes, the eye-like "stars"!

The occultism of this foreshadowing gave Crane goosebumps, but after a short time, Crane found himself back in the spirit realm, seemingly unaware of the demigods who were grabbing him as they were flying.

After a moment's uneasiness, Crane stiffened his head and began to plan his next move...... There's nothing to be nervous about anymore, it's just that the angel came to the door and was discovered by Ince Zangwill! But it doesn't matter! Because the Facelings have such a precise control over their bodies, Crane is confident that he doesn't have a single hair, dandruff, or nail left in the underground building, and he doesn't have to worry about being cursed by Talim.

The only problem is...... A drop of cold sweat ran across Crane's forehead.

He thought of Melissa and Benson, who were still in Tingen.

Ince Zangwilla's (beep-) bastard thing has definitely gone back to Tingen and kidnapped and even killed all of Crane's siblings in revenge for his actions!

Damn, I haven't spoken to Benson and Melissa in months, and I haven't been asked to investigate their situation, and now that this is happening, I'm going to have to figure it out before Ince Zangwill does it...... Praying to the Goddess? No, I have a special identity, and after I came back from the dead, I declared that I had converted to the god of steam and machinery, and there was a mysterious gray mist, and the goddess didn't know what she did on the gray mist, but she asked me for a "permission" that should be very great, and I couldn't figure out what the goddess's attitude was......

For the goddess of the night, Crane is more of a "respectful and away" attitude.

After all, if it is a relatively common network, such as a principal, a government employee, etc., it is worth bragging about being able to build a good relationship back and forth. But if the head of state suddenly comes to meet with you, it is estimated that few people can show off, but they are surprised and even more panicked.

Therefore, if it weren't for the necessity, Crane still didn't want to have anything to do with the Night Church and the Night Goddess.

Looking for someone to help? My connections in Beckland are limited to mid-to-low levels, and Miss Sharon's relationship with me is a little strained because of the previous evil spirits, so it is not suitable for me to entrust Benson and them to Miss Sharon's protection......

And if I go back in person, it will raise more questions, should I trouble Mr. Azik again?

Crane sighed heavily, feeling more and more that Mr. Azik was as kind to him as a mountain and as a sea, and that he had not only saved himself, but also his family.

Regardless of whether Mr. Azik agrees or not, he will repay this kindness in the future.

Where did the original destination of the spiritual wandering come from? Crane was suddenly stunned, and hurriedly said to the spirit demigod:

"Please take me to Mr. Azik."

There is no difference between the upper and lower parts of the spirit world, and the spirit demigod still grabs Crane's wrist and flies forward, not knowing if he has changed direction.

Soon, however, the astral demigods gave Crane instructions to "get there", and the rich colors around him gradually returned to normal, twisting into trees, floors, street lamps, tables and chairs, and an Azik.

Outside Bakeland, it was pouring rain, so heavy that it looked like the whole sky was about to fall, and Azik stood under the eaves outside a café.

Beside him were unlit gas lamps, behind him were the glass of the café, and behind the half-closed blinds were the tables and chairs and warm yellow lights that Crane saw. In front of his toes, the rain crackled down from the edge of the eaves and pooled into a babbling stream that flowed down the roadside gutter into the sewer.

It seems to have been raining for a long time, and there are almost no pedestrians on the road.

Judging from the dark sky, it's hard to believe that it's not even four o'clock in the afternoon.

The shadow of the feathered demigod appeared on the glass of the café, bowed ninety degrees to Azik and disappeared into the reflective surface of the glass.

In the real world, only Cleon Moretti suddenly appeared next to Azik.

"Mr. Azik! It's good that you're safe. ”

As soon as he landed, Crane immediately took the initiative to greet him: "But the demigod I summoned at the beginning has not returned yet, and may have been trapped by Ince Zangwill and them in that ruin, do you have any way to see his current state?" ”

Azik, who had been looking at the window across the road in contemplation, seemed to be aware of Crane's arrival now, and was silent for a few moments before he said:

"Leave him alone. As long as he is not killed by an angel-level powerhouse, or uses special methods, as long as the underworld still exists, he can be slowly reborn there."

After that, he finally made up his mind, turned his head, looked at Crane with a complicated and sad look, and said slowly:

"Crane."

"You lied to me."

Crane's heart was shocked, and he immediately thought of the reason, and hurriedly spoke: "Did Edward Vaughn say something to you?" ”

With that, he seemed to see a hint of an Azik's declining favorability.

Seeing that he didn't deny it at first, but asked this question, Azik's expression became even sadder, but he was relieved after a short while. He laughed self-deprecatingly twice, slowed his tone, and replied softly:

"That's right. She told me a lot of things. ”

"Crane, maybe I shouldn't have used such a general question, everyone has their own secrets...... Well, I'll change the question, Crane, can you tell me, why are you lying to me? ”

The question is actually more acute than the content of the lie...... Crane felt very troubled, and for a moment he was a little distracted.

Because at the end of the day, the reason for lying was somewhat embarrassing to him - of course he knew that Mr. Azik was a very kind person, and he had helped "Crane" a lot when he was teaching at Huo Yin University, and he was the same for himself. But when he was still in Tingen, when he found that the original Baron Rumd looked exactly the same as Mr. Azik hundreds of years ago, his first reaction was also nervous and a little flustered, and only after calming down did he begin to consider whether to report him to the church or hide it for Mr. Azik.

This uneasiness is naturally human, but in the end, it was not the trust in Azik Eggers that made his decision, but the result of his divination on the gray fog - if he concealed it for Azik, he would be able to get help from the other party in the future when he encountered a mortal crisis.

And this time.

However, due to the lack of accurate grasp of the strength of the other party, Crane has always been reluctant to reveal any information such as "Gray Mist", "Fool", "Tarot Society", etc., for the simple reason that he has not been able to do so. Just like not letting Sharon help him test the blasphemy card, he is worried that the other party will covet the object of Gray Mist, and at least the item will be out of his hands, and at worst, his life will be in danger.

In a sense, Crane believes that their relationship is limited to cooperation, Crane helps Azik search for some clues, Azk occasionally helps Crane do something, and is also used as a scroller, so that Tarot will be more determined about his divine identity.

In this sense, I really should give Mr. Azik more help and appearance fees...... But Mr. Azik's help to himself is actually a gesture from his level...... Crane was a little weak-hearted.

"I didn't want to believe in demons, but your reaction represents too much."

Seeing that he was silent, Azik became more and more disappointed: "However, Russell the Great once said that judging a person is based on his actions and not his thoughts. Crane, you've helped me many times to get my memories back and find myself faster, and I've always been grateful to you. ”

"Maybe it's a bit of a compulsion, but if you're willing to tell me about the lie you lied to me, I'm willing to continue with you."

…… Crane smacked his lips.

Even now, Azik still wants to hear him explain that Crane has to do something no matter how weak he is.

But considering that Mr. Azik only said that he lied to him, but did not say that he lied to him, Azik should have obtained a lot of information from Edward Vaughn and found out that I had told some lies that would make people feel guilty......

Crane had a stomach ache, and carefully picked the nearest one and said:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Azik, but I didn't mean to hide it from you, but ...... I don't even know what's going on with me. ”

Azik was not surprised, and waited for the rest of the story.

"Do you remember, when I was still in Tingen, I got a Quaternary notebook, which also caused the deaths of Welch and Naya......," Crane said simply, knowing that Azik must still remember, because the diary involved the name of Antigonus, a great nobleman of the Quaternary period.

"After that, I stumbled upon some spells, and through them, I entered a mysterious space filled with gray mist......"

"That's called Fort Source."

“…… Oh, Fort Source. For the first time, Crane knew what the name of his place was. He had gained new information and decided to search back to see if the place called "Fort of the Source" appeared in the occult books.

He looked like he was not faking, and Azik frowned imperceptibly, ready to continue listening.

"In my previous escape, I lied to you that I had obtained a magical item, when in fact I had obtained a gray ...... Source Fort. But other than that, everything else is true, and I did rely on Fort Source to assemble a party, for which the rituals and occult knowledge were prepared. ”

"Isn't that new?"

Crane thought for a moment and said with certainty, "No." ”

Azik asked again, "Is there really none?" ”

Crane thought back curiously for a moment - no, he hadn't told a lie otherwise? He nodded earnestly.

Then he saw Azik looking at him with an expression that wanted to say and couldn't stop saying a word, and Kryn felt a little hairy in his heart, he waited for Azik to speak, and Azk waited for him to add, and neither of them spoke for a while.

"You." Azik finally spoke.

"But, aren't you named Zhou Mingrui?"

Zhou-Mingrui。

Crane had a rumble in his head. He never expected Edward Vaughn to tell the story too!

His own student was impersonated by an unknown soul, which should be something that no teacher can accept!

"Well, that's ......" Crane had a brain teaser, but he was really stunned for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond to the sentence.

"Edward Vaughn told me that the man named Crane was long dead, and that you ......," he said, "you, the latecomer, the soul that occupies this body and identity, come from an ancient past. ”

Looking at Crane's stunned expression, there was a deep sadness in his eyes. But Crane has always been in a situation that doesn't seem to be playing, and Azik himself doesn't want to fully believe the words of the demon, so he can only guess that "Zhou Mingrui" is also an ancient existence, even a god, a god who has lost her memory and self like herself, and she has not yet awakened and regarded herself as a human being.

"I should have found out that Crane is a gentle but quiet child, not as active as you. He didn't get along with me much, but his love of history and seriousness in his studies made me willing to recommend him to be a university lecturer, and you ......"

"You're more mature and sophisticated than him, and you're a lot more cheerful than him, heh, blame me for not paying attention to Crane before, I should have found out a long time ago."

"However, you occupied Crane's identity, but did not do anything bad, did not hurt his family, and did not hesitate to sacrifice yourself to protect Tingen, I believe that you are also a kind and sincere person, plus many times of help, I prefer to believe in you......"

Azk said to himself for a while, he wanted to convince himself that Zhou Mingrui had no malicious intentions, and also wanted to try to appease him, but he found that the other party did not react to these words, but looked at him with his mouth open and stunned.

"...... you?"

"Mr. Azik, what did you just say?"

The young man named Zhou Mingrui looked at him through Crane's eyes and asked in a frightened tone:

"You say I'm from an old bygone era?"

Why is this his focus...... Azik was a little puzzled, but replied truthfully, "That's what the demon said." ”

"She said it was older than the First Age, and it was impossible to verify how many years had passed."

This sentence seemed to be a lifesaver, and a smile instantly appeared on Crane's face: "Great, then this must be fake, the demon must be trying to deceive me again, she actually tried to attack the heart, it seems that she really wants to kill me." ”

Azik tilted his head: "...... What if it's true? ”

"No way, this absolutely can't be true." Crane was determined.

How can it be true? How can it be true? I still want to go back, I want to see my parents, I want to see my friends, I haven't even eaten my favorite barbecue downstairs at my house before I came here......

How can this be true?

"It can't be true......"

Azik's eyes widened slightly, and he could clearly see a tear gleam in Crane's eyes.

It is impossible for a great being or a god to grieve for something, much less to endure grief, they are more indifferent than a stone statue, and they are longer than a stone statue. Therefore, at this moment, Azik was more convinced than ever that Zhou Mingrui must be a human being, a human who may only be a little older than Crane, and not some ancient god who has not yet been revived.

It's just a kid after all......

Azk hesitated to say something more comforting, but suddenly the words of the devil sounded in his ears:

"Mr. Azik, think carefully about your life, everything you have been through. What do you think you are now? The conspiracy of the goddess of the night appeared in this warm you, and it also gave you a fatal weakness. If every life you have is under the control of others, who you meet and fall in love with is just a story arranged by someone else...... Crane is the Lady of the Night's Scroller, and you're ......"

“…… Don't you have a moment of anger and want to slam the script on the face of the self-asserted god for the sake of your real and warm life and the human beings you love? ”

387

After throwing Richard back where she was and wishing her an early death, the King of Decay put on Edward Vaughn's skin again.

She paced around the kingdom of God, and after a few hours, she suddenly pinched her fingers and counted a good time, and flashed out of the kingdom of God.

She saw a beautiful woman in a black robe standing in the air opposite, with dark black eyes and long hair that were dull.

Edward's facial expression instantly turned from the eternal sun to the lord of the storm, she immediately flashed back to the kingdom of God, more than ten minutes later, she appeared on the edge of the southern continent, from a crack on the land relatively close to the abyss, she set up a tent in the crater of this dormant volcano, brought a picnic stew pot and newspapers, prepared blankets and shelters, as if she was ready to survive in the crater wilderness for more than ten years.

Seeing all this, 0-17 turned her head, and with a quiet smile on her face turned in the direction of Crane and Azik, she looked at them silently for a moment, and saw that they seemed to have an argument, a gap, and then slowly calmed down, and stood under the eaves and chatted.

The goddess of the night looked at it for a while, and her body disappeared as if it had been erased by an eraser.

……

In the Red Rose Manor, Prince Edsak sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes unusually empty.

"Your Royal Highness, please as soon as possible." A voice rang out beside him.

Edsak's eyes came alive, and he took a breath, picked up the revolver on the table, and pressed it against his temple, where there was a bullet that could destroy a spirit.

He looked back and looked wistfully at the golf course and the horses walking.

Bang!

He pulled the trigger.

TBC

——————

With a gunshot from an innocent person, this chapter of the great smog will end.

Before the prince died, I was deeply moved by a glance at the pitch and the horses, and I wonder if the squid did it on purpose. The prince invites Sherlock to play on the golf course after all this is over, and Triss's pastime at the manor is horseback riding.

Writing headaches. This week, after writing the follow-up to the Great Smog (about two or three chapters), take a break and take a break.