Siegel had read a lot of miscellaneous books, but all of them were superficial and not in-depth at all, so it was difficult for him to synthesize all the clues. He wanted to use his knowledge of architecture and dungeons to judge the design of this place, he wanted to find the secrets of the dwarven city from historical records, and he wanted to deduce the principle of the operation of the cave from the runic language. He had a lot of ideas, but he didn't have enough knowledge. This anxiety has tormented him and made him more uncomfortable than others. Fortunately, Janet was always there for him and comforted him, which allowed him to remain patient. Fantasy is better than action, he said to himself, it is better to find any clues than to be in a daze at the pile of old papers.

He told Sir Bill of his plan, and then used his prestige to start allocating supplies according to the level of enthusiasm of the work, finally getting the mercenaries to raise their butts by the brazier and leave the camp to patrol and bring back news of the surrounding terrain. Based on the feedback and his own observations, Siegel drew a map of the movement of the mountains and rivers within a radius of 15 miles five days later. Subsequently, Siegel went into the cave several times to investigate, and thought about it day and night. Finally, on the day of the first snow of autumn, he had an inspiration.

"I've seen this topography map. Siegel said to Janet, "I once read a book called Jakun's Travels, and there was a place in it that was very similar to this one. I didn't think of it at first, but two days ago, when the clouds were at the top, it suddenly occurred to me that if there had been no landslides here, what would it be?"

Siegel took out a topographical map, drew new lines on several cliffs, and explained, "Remember the past two days I took you to various places to investigate, which were destroyed by landslides. Fill them up and you'll find that the hole is the deepest and narrowest part of the surrounding mountains. The cliff where the Black Blood Castle is located is the entrance to the canyon, and after one curved and fierce passage, you will reach the location of this camp. Do you remember the remaining staircase on the cliff? There is a road to a high bunker where people from the past can concentrate their fire and form a net attack from all sides!"

"Attack what? This is already a city, and if the enemy arrives here, the defense line has been broken. Janet asked, puzzled.

"Dragon, this is for attacking Wyverns. Siegel said excitedly, "The dwarves have come to the walled mountains, but the dragons have already arrived. If you want to conquer the mountains, if you want to build the top of Mora, there must be a lot of battles here. There is no record of that period except for the dwarves, but I believe this is one of the battlefields. Siegel took Janet's hand, led her outside the house, and pointed to the last remaining building here, saying, "Domed roofs are very rare in dwarven buildings, but they are very effective in hiding from dragon fire. The pillars of different heights here are not ornaments, but obstacles that interfere with the Wyvern's low sweep. I don't know how they lured the dragons in or how they didn't let them leave, but this was a stronghold for dragons. ”

"Okay, this is the trap for killing dragons, but what's the use of that?" asked Janet.

"It was mentioned in 'Jia Kun's Travels' - that book was stolen, so I don't have it at hand now, but I remember most of it in my head. The book mentions the treasure trove of the Dragonscatcher, which contains the golden bottle of dragon's blood essence. The owner of the book had been trying to get his hands on the treasure, but several spells had stopped him. By the time he figured out how to crack it, his lifespan had reached its limit. If this is the place mentioned in the travelogue, then I have a way to find the entrance, to find the prince, whether he is alive or not. ”

"I believe in you, Siegel. Janet stood on tiptoe and left a gentle kiss on his cheek: "What needs to be done now?"

"I need to prepare a spell ritual. ”

"Jia Kun's Travels" records several spell rituals, including the bloodline key and the lock-breaking technique. Siegel had memorized both spells a long time ago, but had never been able to fully cast them - barely even with training in magic. Some of the ritual's materials simply couldn't be found around, so Siegel had to repeatedly reduce the power and range of the spell, and replace some of the materials with his own blood. The use of blood is not a witchcraft, because the magic cast by each magician is eventually transmitted to the whole body through blood vessels, and blood is the best medium of energy. It's just that there are very few mages who can be as strong as Siegel, let alone the corresponding recovery ability. Siegel spent two days painting the magic circle, making the area around the cave entrance green.

Everyone had come to check out the strange things that Sir Bill's entourage had made, and they gathered around and pointed at them. The mercenaries are aware of the Mage Federation in Waterdeep, but most of them have never seen magic. The noble lords are better, they know the school city, the mage association and the mage union, they know the efficacy and limits of magic, and some big families will also have advisory mages. But for them, magic is also something relatively rare.

"I said, Mr. Baron, your retinue is a mage? A knight asked Sir Bill, and he pointed at Siegel, "Are you sure this is not demonic sorcery? ”

"He's an apprentice mage of the Mage Guild, and I think that's enough to answer your questions. Sir Bill looked serious and denied the accusations of witchcraft. "My retinue says he can find His Royal Highness, and I take him for granted, and let him try. ”

"If he can do it, we'll be free. I've really stayed enough of this place. You know the battle with the orcs is about to start, and my sword is about to rust when I'm stuck here. "Viscount Guiss, from the Red River Valley, patted the scabbard of his sword, which was engraved with the image of a girl on horseback - a romantic (or debauched) family, with many sons and daughters, and marriages everywhere. However, their performance on the battlefield has always been mediocre.

"We all know your valor, Mr. Viscount, we all know it. Sir Beale didn't say much, he went straight to Siegel, leaned down and asked him, "How sure are you?"

"A little more than half, Sir. Siegel hurriedly stood up and said, "If all my assumptions are correct, then my circle will be able to open the real entrance to here." But I don't have enough magic to get a lot of people through. Only those who have a good affinity for magic and who have infused their blood into the circle will be able to attach the effect of the circle and thus pass through the illusion barrier here. ”

"The illusion barrier?" asked Sir "you mean the cave we see is fake?"

"Yes, part of it is fake. "Specifically, the path to the treasury is blocked by rune illusions, and it is impossible to see without the help of magic. Even if you accidentally stumble into it, there is a danger in not seeing the trap inside. The magic I am preparing now is to give me the ability to see through illusions for the time being—as long as I don't leave this circle for more than 5 miles—which will give me three days to find His Highness. Only when my abilities continue to improve will I be able to cast this spell at any time without the help of a magic circle. ”

"I can't help you with magic, is there anything else you need to prepare?" asked Sir.

"Give me more food and water. Siegel stood in front of the magic circle and began to cast the spell he had been preparing for a long time. The onlookers all retreated, but they all looked intently at the entrance of the cave. As Siegel began to chant the incantation, the ritual circle began to change: glowing lines, shaking ground, a whirlwind that gradually blew. With Siegel's muffled voice, the visions of these spells became violent. Siegel closed his eyes and raised his hands in the air, and the whirlwind caused the energy of magic to gather in his hands. As the last syllable landed, a ball of light rose up and slowly rotated at a height of two meters above the ground. Two bright rays of light then shoot out from the ball of light, shining on Siegel and Janet respectively.

"Janet, how did you get influenced by the circle?" asked Siegel, a little strangely. Spells require two conditions for them to be effective: Spell Affinity Constitution, and Blood into the Circle. It is not surprising that Janet, as a demon descendant who is proficient in transformation, has a magical physique. So Siegel said, "How did your blood get into the circle?"

The kitten's cheeks were red, and he leaned into Siegel's ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm on my period." ”