"This time it may be different. Sir Bill said. "His Highness was seriously wounded in the trolls' attack, and his life hung by a thread. I have seen the injury, the trachea in the neck, the heart and lungs in the chest, and even if the pastor is around, there is nothing I can do but wait for death. But a lamp god flew in and brought a small bottle of potion made of unknown pieces, saying that it could heal the wound. We don't know how it found out, and we didn't trust it at first, but our lives hung by a thread, and we had to die as a horse doctor. After one night, His Highness miraculously regained his vitality and could even continue to direct the procession. The Earl did not reveal anything else the lantern god had said, but the team did turn after that night, heading north. ”

"It's unimaginable. And then, where is His Highness now?" Siegel asked.

"It's in that cave, but it's been a long time since I've lost contact. Sir Bill pointed to the half-collapsed hole and said, "You have also heard at the duty meeting that the first wave of people who went in to explore the path were infected with the plague and died, but His Royal Highness the Prince still led the party in. Lord Earl, eight Guardians of the Dawn, and the Mage of the Sanming Court entered together, and then they never came out. Both knights and mercenaries sent people in search of them, but found nothing. I also went into the cave a few times with a rope tied around my waist, but I quickly reached the bottom of the cave and had to go back the way I came. I suspect there may be spells or other magical things, but no one knows where His Highness has gone or what is going on now. So we can only wait here. ”

"In other words, everyone is trapped here because of the actions of His Royal Highness the Prince?" Siegel scratched his head, unable to do anything about the current situation. "He's a prince, and he's not an ordinary adventurer, who came to the city walls and mountains to find treasures?"

"No, Your Highness has another mission, which I know from the Earl—to pardon orcs and grant them the status of freemen. The Star Nation needs both laborers and strong soldiers, and this pardon will bring great benefits. ”

"But I see that the orcs are still afraid of steel, and they can only hide in the mountains to survive. The orc armies have been assembled and wreaked havoc on the seas. Waterdeep takes advantage of the nomads of the steppes and calls them savages. The next race war in the New World is on the verge of breaking out, and the prince is here to hunt for treasure?"

"You're right. Sir Bill held his head high, but closed his eyes. "But little cub, remember the rules of the knights? Obedience comes first. Do you think I should admonish him, or even stop him?" sighed Sir Bill, "I have tried, but many times things don't go so well, you can't expect your lord to be a perfect man, and he can't do everything right at the same time. Siegel, do you think orcs are pitiful?"

Siegel nodded and said frankly, "If we don't help them and let them have hope in life, I think the orcs will soon become lowly creatures like goblins." They were all frightened, frightened by civilization, and were already on the verge of retreating into the primitive. ”

"Siegel, you're young, you've experienced less, and orcs aren't as fragile as you think. To know that the world is so vast, how many people need to be rescued? Even if it is a goblin or an orc, even if they are evil, don't they need help? You need to know that some of them should really have the courage to save themselves. Not far from the outpost, there is a village of orcs. When I sent free mercenaries to guard, I specifically explained that as long as there are orcs who can come for help, let them come, and I will give them food, so that they can start from the combat retinue, and no longer discriminate against them. But for the first half of the month, none of the orcs had any contact with us. Later, when I went to that village, there were two orcs with disabled legs, and I brought them food and asked them to bring a message to the people in the village, saying that I would like to help the orcs here obtain civilian status, and from now on they could go out of the mountains, or go to farming, or work, but no one answered. ”

"I also passed by the village and gave them food, but they just thanked them. Siegel remembered the orcs.

"Actually, for me, it makes no difference whether I go to save the orcs or find the treasure first, it's my job. Although His Highness has a kingdom that needs to be governed, led by countless subjects waiting for him, but here ......" he hesitated for a moment, and then said: "But we can't shape the world according to our own ideas, we are just mortals, not gods. We are not beyond birth and death, we are just mortal beings in the flesh. ”

"And what else can we do?" Siegel asked, "can only wait for the king to appear?"

Sir Bill looked into Siegel's eyes and saw confusion and doubt. Thinking about fate and the future is a necessary step for a boy to grow into a man, and only through this step can the boy go from "what others want me to do" to understand what he wants and what he wants to do. Siegel stood at the doorway of this step, waiting for Jazz's answer. So Tiger Beale said, "Do you know why I have to become a lord knight?" He paused for a moment, and then said, "Only by becoming a lord can I improve the lives of the people under my rule according to my heart, and realize my own ideas." I can't change the whole world by force, and I don't want to do that, I only want to be an example to the knights, because I believe that the power of example can change the world. I have lost a chance, but as long as His Highness and the Earl are safe, I will be able to regain this opportunity to realize my dream of running my territory in the Star Country. ”

"I'll help your sir, always. Siegel nodded, his black eyes looking at the cave entrance to the mountain. An expedition, Siegel thought to himself, an expedition to rescue His Highness, what is this? He stroked the twenty-sided dice on his chest, and his mind was full of spells.

The tiresome rain finally stopped, but the temperature in the mountains was getting colder, the frost had begun to fall in the higher places, and autumn was coming to an end. Everyone was still trapped here, no news of the prince, no news of the Dawn Guard, only news from the steppe.

Waterdeep has completed the knighthood competition, and Iban Staten from the Weak River has become the double champion of swordsmanship and horsemanship, and has been given the title of knight. He's rallying with the guards of Waterdeep, crossing the grasslands, ready to fight the orcs to the death. "There were 40,000 men, including wizards. The wind on the steppe is also carrying such a message, so that every "wild man" will know. Many nomadic tribes moved out of the way and decided to wait and see. However, most of the tribes joined the expeditionary force in Waterdeep. Because they knew the dangers of orcs, and the merchants of Waterdeep had always been happy to pay a gratuity—with food, cloth, iron, and salt.

The news reached the city walls, and all the castles on the defensive line were put under martial law, because everyone knew that there must be a despicable spy who would pass the news to the orcs, and the orcs could strike first at any time. Spears and bows were removed from the cellar and re-polished, shields were re-strengthened, and swords were polished. A large amount of timber and rolling stones were carried up the city walls, and all the grain and grass within a radius of hundreds of miles were collected and piled up in the castle's storage room. Civilians at the foot of the mountain were driven from their homes, and long whips kept them heading south. To the south, you can avoid the front lines of the war, where there is also Waterdeep, the legendary city of abundance and peace. So two long processions appeared on the steppe, one marching north in high spirits, the other stumbling south to flee.

"I have no objection to killing orcs. But whoever dies of me, he must feed me. "The lords of the walled mountains basically think like this.

The pace of war is getting closer, but Siegel has no time to care. The young mage apprentice had been observing the situation in the cave, using his limited knowledge to analyze it. Obviously, there was once a dwarven castle here, and although only ruins remain, there are still many clues to refer to. The runes on the walls are in the ancient dwarven language, also known as the Mora dwarven language, which was the original script of the dwarves. There were too few words in this script, and the meaning was too refined, so it was gradually replaced by the popular dwarven language, which was only used by the learned dwarven rune master and the priest of the dwarven patronus. Even the dwarven kings and lords knew only a little about the language. It was a surprise to find a large amount of Mora Dwarven language here.

"I've learned this script in the library at the top of Mora, but I haven't mastered it, and I can only read it roughly. Siegel explained to Janet - they were always inseparable. "It seems to be talking about 'land that captures the sky,' and I don't quite understand what that means. Dwarven fortresses are rarely exposed to the outdoors, which goes against their nature. Dwarves prefer to make their home in the interior of the mountain, and only the rocks overhead give them a sense of security. The city is the opposite, with a lot of space outside. It may have something to do with what they meant by capturing the sky, but I couldn't figure out what it meant. ”

"Maybe that's why the fortress was destroyed?" said Janet, "If it was in the mountain, it wouldn't have been smashed by the landslide, would it?"

Siegel nodded, and the two men held hands and continued to walk forward. Janet was also mindful of her surroundings, but she was looking for a sign of the Knox Society. "In the basin near the Black Blood Castle, there is a possible ancient ruin. This is what she saw from the materials of the association. Similar to this account are the remains of several ruins in the walled mountains, most of which are hidden by the treacherous terrain and the passage of time. Janet wasn't sure if the cave was one of the ruins, she was just worried that the Knox Guild had already taken the lead and even set a trap in advance. However, judging from her investigation, there is only one group of people here, that is, the team of His Royal Highness the Prince.