The shopkeeper finished his lunch break and hurriedly came up to greet the guests, adding an extra room by the way. The group went to wash first, and after thoroughly washing away the fatigue of travel, they sat comfortably in the dining area on the first floor and enjoyed a cold glass of fruit wine. Thanks to the guidance of Jeff, a local, they were able to create a good dinner for very little money. Hot soup, fruit salad and apple pie were on the table, and roasted quail and roast rabbit were soon served, along with a few hot bars of fresh bread.

Since they lived here very well, and there was still a long time before they set off for Longshi Cliff, the group decided to spend a few more days. Sir Bill and Leah plan to wander around the surrounding towns and villages and might spot trolls. Jeff has been granted asylum by the Jazz, but he still has some debts to wrap up. Siegel continued to practice his martial arts meticulously.

Despite his high level of understanding, Siegel did not let up in the slightest, and he did not want to be reprimanded by Sir Bill. Jazz is a picky man, he has a very keen eye and the ability to find problems, even the smallest negligence and mistakes can be detected by him. So Siegel sang elven hymns and practiced the sword dance over and over again.

The day continued into the evening, and Jazz and the elves still did not return, and Jeff went out with some old goods. Siegel finishes dinner alone and takes care of his pony in the stable. Groom it and get ready to take it out for a spin.

On both sides of the road are all kinds of people, who are enjoying their leisure time here after a busy day. There are humans, a few dwarves who talk and laugh loudly, and dwarfs who swallow clouds. In the corner of the alley, there were still a few vague figures sitting quietly.

Siegel was a strong lad with a scimitar on his body, and he looked like he was not easy to provoke. Although the foal he was holding looked healthy, pretty, and a Terekner breed that could be bred into a war horse, those with bad intentions would also weigh the risks and would not take it lightly.

He led his horse out of town and into a clearing beside the valley. There is a river embankment built during the time of the Count of Starter, and there is a smooth post road next to it. Siegel rolls over and lets the foal walk slowly. You can't ride hard now, but you can gradually build up the horse's gravity. The horse was still young, and there was no way to equip it with a saddle now, so Leah taught him the elven war dance and let him learn the elven bareback riding technique by the way.

The cool breeze of the summer evening blows in his face, and the air is mixed with the scent of earth and firewood, which makes Siegel feel very calm. He liked the feeling and closed his eyes and let the horse carry him forward. They paced on the road to the countryside.

Suddenly, the foal let out a frightened cry and jumped to its feet. Siegel hugged the horse's neck and quickly opened his eyes. He saw a speeding carriage speeding by, and the driver whipped in the air. The foal is startled and leaves the road and runs wild through the fields.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm with you, it's nothing!" said Siegel trying to calm the foal's emotions and instruct it to avoid dangerous places where it could easily fall and break its leg. Turning the corner of a house, Siegel suddenly saw a figure crouching in the corner, like a child. He struggled to turn his horse's head and avoid the figure, but he was thrown out himself.

He saw a large black circle lunge towards him, and then realized it was a well. Siegel took advantage of the training the elves had given him during this time, bending over and twisting in the air, trying to gain balance. With a loud noise, Siegel fell to the bottom of the well. Fortunately, he was on his head and feet, and he didn't choke on the water or get hurt.

The wellhead was about 10 meters deep from the bottom, and at this time, a figure peeked out from above, shouting downward. The voice rumbled through the well, barely discernible, "Are you alright?

Siegel wiped a handful of water from his face and replied to him, "It's okay!"

The above replied, "Do you want me to pull you up?"

"Thank you!"

"But I don't have a rope! wait until I figure out a way......"

Siegel looked at it, and the well was not wide, and he could touch both walls at the same time with his open hands, and maybe he could try to climb up on his own. Although the wall of the well is wet and slippery, fortunately it is not smooth, and there are some bumps that can be picked up with your fingers. Siegel moved cautiously upward, his muscles holding his body in place.

Suddenly, the wall on the left side of his hand caved down, revealing a passage a man high. Siegel didn't pay attention, and fell down with a thud. The voice above shouted anxiously, "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I'm fine! there's a secret door!" replied Siegel, "I'll be there in a moment." ”

"Secret door! wait for me to find the rope!" the figure disappeared from the mouth of the well, presumably looking for something.

Siegel climbed up again, and he bypassed the narrow passage of the secret door, and only wanted to go up. With the help of the light coming down from the wellhead, he barely managed to observe the secret door. Behind the open gap is a sloping passage, and the steep steps point diagonally downward, not knowing where it leads. Siegel's eyesight was barely visible, and at the end of the steps was a stone door carved with the symbol of a bow and arrow.

Siegel climbed out of the well and saw his horse standing quietly on the side, looking at its owner with embarrassment. Next to the horse, a ragged, emaciated teenager struggled to pull the rope that bound the fence. This kid looks like he is fifteen or sixteen years old, he usually can't eat enough, and his slightly wide torn robe flickering around his slender body. He wore a rag turban on his head, and his face was mud and ash. No wonder I only saw a dark shadow just now, but I couldn't see the face.

"Wow, you can climb up on your own, that's amazing. The boy said, revealing a mouthful of snow-white crystal teeth. "Quick, help me pull a rope, I'm going down to find the baby!"

Siegel looked at him as a vagabond, and was suspicious: "You can't be a thief, right?"

"You are so unreasonable!" said the young man, "before he died, my father said that there was a treasure hidden under the house of the family, and that he could take out flowers after he died." I was looking for the entrance, and I was almost killed by you, and you accused me of being a thief!"

"Sorry I almost ran into you. My horse was frightened and galloped. It took me a long time to get under control. Siegel scratched his head embarrassedly: "As long as you're not a thief." But how can you climb down, you with thin arms and legs?"

"Hey, I'm about to get angry! It's just that you framed me, and you still talk cool things!" The man picked up a small stone on the ground and smashed it: "Hurry up!

How could this stone hit Siegel, he easily avoided it.

The foal was a little unhappy when he saw his master being beaten, and arched the boy from behind. The boy shouted, "Even the horses are bullying me!"

Siegel was even more embarrassed, whistled, called the pony to his side, and said, "I'll help you, okay?"

The young man was stunned for a moment, and said angrily, "You must be trying to steal our family's treasure! ”

Siegel had a clear conscience and naturally did not become angry, and he explained: "It is dangerous to go down the well, and something may happen to you who is so thin. Besides, you need someone to help you get things up. I won't take your family's things, I only think that after I help you, I can offset the debt that bullied you. ”

The young man thought about it, and saw that Siegel said sincerely, so he smiled and said, "Okay!"

Siegel tied the horse to the corner, the fence was torn apart, and the rope was removed. The boy took out an oil lamp, a woodcutter and a large pocket from the house. They fixed the ropes and climbed down one by one.

The small oil lamp emitted a faint light, and the two of them could only see a short distance between their feet and their eyes. This sloping downward passage was wet and slippery, overgrown with moss and small mushrooms. Siegel took the boy by the hand and walked forward with a relaxed step.

"By the way, what's your name, I can't feed you and call you. The young man said, "I am malt, but you can call me Little Thumb." ”

"My name is Siegel Squid. Do you know what a squid is?"

"I don't know, it's a very powerful creature. Little Thumb asked curiously, with a sparkling eye.

"Uh...... To some extent, yes. I've heard sailors say that a squid in the deep sea can be the size of a hill. However, the average squid is as long as an arm. ”

"Well, then, hello, Mr. Squid," the boy said solemnly.

"You, Mr. Malt. ”

The two men stopped in front of the gate, and this time by the light they could finally see the carvings and handwriting on it. A large, stretched statue of a bow and arrow, like a door latch, was surrounded by a circle of graceful lines that faintly emitted silvery text. The door is not very old, and all the patterns on it are clearly visible. Siegel reached out and touched it, it was obviously carved in stone, but it had a feeling of wood.

"It's elven writing, and I can barely read it. Siegel said. He struggled to recall the knowledge of the Elvish language that had been made up for a while in the last few days, trying to discern the meaning of the above sentence. He could barely read a few words, but he couldn't put them together in sentences.

"Oh, the bow is like a full moon and the arrows are like stars. Little Thumb said in Elfish language.

The arrows on the door glowed with bits of light, then turned into a cloud of starlight, illuminating the passageway. The full bowstring retracted, and the door opened.

"How do you know how to open the door?" Siegel asked.

"This is my home place, how could I not know?"

"Then why are you still looking for the gate?"

"I want to ask someone this question too!" Little Thumb began to get angry again: "He didn't make it clear. ”

Siegel naturally thinks that this "he" is referring to Littlethumb's father.

Behind the gate is a courtyard with plants that emit light. The subterranean glows milky white, the glowworm glows yellow, the lizard grass is red, and the guide mushroom is green. A marble circular gazebo is in the center of this courtyard, in which a small stone table and two small stone benches are placed.

On the ground of the gazebo, a set of tea sets is scattered. Little Thumb picked up the tea set, wiped the dust off it, and found that it was actually a set of crystal tea sets, with beautiful elf characters engraved on it. Siegel leaned over and read: "To the love of this life, may everything last as long as the moon." ”

"Hey, don't mess around, this is my family. Littlethumb rudely put the thing in the sack and looked around again.

The courtyard is tall and straight, surrounded by smooth walls that can be swept away at a glance. Siegel scratched his head and said puzzledly: "This is your treasure room?

"Fool, do you think someone will climb down the well and come here for tea?" said Little Thumb as he groped for the wall, "There must be a secret door!"

Sure enough, he soon discovers that a clump of screaming grass hidden next to the Guiding Mushroom is a fake, which has been imitated with great shaping skills. She pulled harder, only to hear a slight grinding sound, and a crack slipped open in the wall, revealing a curved path.