The map bought from the profiteers was a mess of the intricacies of the mountainous terrain (it was now certain that this part was entirely a man's brain), but it was a good thing that the natural mountain road was not mistaken, and the settlements were not mistaken. Immediately after passing through the mountains, Ashrufat saw a village. The village is right at the foot of the mountain.

It's a small village that is common in the south. There were no fences or other defenses on the outskirts of the village, only a few dozen simple houses clustered together, with about the same number of houses scattered around. Along the way, you can clearly feel that the roads outside the village are rough and unmaintained. But the farmland outside is quite well organized, and you can occasionally see farmers working in the fields.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the junction of Meno and Istria. As with all new land developments, many border issues are still relatively vague, so where exactly this belongs is a matter of debate. However, for the lords, such a poor village is really not worth the effort, they will focus more on special products, commercial taxes, mines, etc.

Ashrufat noticed that the people in the village seemed to be unfriendly. As he rode by, he saw someone hurrying by. People hid in their homes and watched him as a stranger through the cracks in the doors.

The profiteer who sold the map said that many people had bought maps in order to climb over the mountains, but this was a lie. Otherwise, the villagers here probably wouldn't have reacted like this. In any case, he came all the way to the middle of the village from outside, and no one met to greet him. It's not that there is no one here, but everyone notices that when he arrives, they all look for a place to hide from a distance, refusing to greet him.

This atmosphere ...... It's not quite right. Even words like xenophobia, conservative, and vigilant are not enough to describe this situation. It should be said that this is already the level of "hostility".

Right in the middle of the village is a small clearing. Although it is said to be in the middle of the village, it has not been leveled, and of course there are no flowers, sculptures, springs or other things. Ashrufat stopped his mount, and he could feel the crowd staring uneasily at his stranger. A child ran around the corner of a house and spotted Ashrufat. There he stared blankly at the stranger on horseback. Immediately, a woman emerged from the spur, grabbed the child, rushed into the house, and slammed the door shut.

Ashrufat was sure there was nothing strange about his dress. He was dressed simply, with a cloak and leather clothing common to travel. Although he wears a weapon, it is often done by people who travel long distances, and there is nothing to be particularly noticed, or wary of.

Of course, vampires have been operating in the area lately. But it was daylight, and Ashrufat was pretty sure that ordinary people wouldn't be able to tell the true identity of the Nightmare Horse.

Ashrufat had planned to pass directly through the middle of the village, asking for directions at most so that he could get to the nearest city. But when this happened, he felt the need to ask what was going on. He stopped his mount and left the small clearing.

As he expected, after a long time, when the villagers finally realized that the stranger was not going to leave, an old man came out of a house and came towards Ashrufat.

"Your Excellency. The old man was about seventy years old, with a slightly rickety figure and a cane in his hand. Ashruphat noticed the old man's clothes, which were quite good, at least much better than the humble house. In fact, not only the old man, but also the child and the woman just now, all dressed okay. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I've travelled through here. Ashrufat replied. "What's going on here?"

"Where are you from?" asked the old man. Ashruphat noticed the change in his eyes.

"North. Ashrufat gestured towards the mountains in the distance. "The road was officially blocked, and I came over the mountain. I just arrived in West Vania...... I want to know, what's going on here?"

"So you're just here?" said the old man's face with a relieved look. "My lord, I thought you were sent by the lord. ”

...... sent by the lord Ashrufat couldn't come back to his senses for a while. Then he realized that the lord here might be a harsh and greedy man, and that he was taxing too much. Then again, he really didn't ask much about the Lord of Sivania, and focused on the vampire lore.

"How often does the lord send people?" Ashrufat looked at the farmland outside the village, and it seemed that the crops were growing well.

"Nope. It was obvious that the old man did not want to continue the discussion with this stranger. After inquiring about Ashrufat's identity, his almost hostile caution diminished considerably. "My lord, where are you going? Go that way, it's Meno, and this way, Istria and Via. Just follow the road and you don't have to worry about getting lost. ”

"What's going on in the village?" Ashrufat noticed that the old man was trying to send him away.

"Nothing, sir. The old man coughed. "It's just that we rarely see outsiders like you in our village, and everyone is afraid of life. He said lightly. "You see, there are only two or three hundred people in our village, and there are no hotels or inns or the like, and there are no strangers visiting except for a few small merchants who are familiar with each other. ”

That being said, but Ashrufat was not stupid, and he clearly sensed that the old man seemed to be trying to hide something.

But what do you want to hide?

"Master, you might as well ask about the vampires. In her mind, Carrie made a suggestion. "Let's inquire a little. Whatever happened in the village, it didn't seem to be a particularly noteworthy thing. ”

This time, Ashrufat took Carrie's advice.

"I hear," Ashrufat asked the old man. "There are vampires operating in Sylvania, have you heard?"

A hint of horror flashed in the old man's eyes, it was a very brief expression, but Ashrufat noticed it.

"We're a small place, haven't heard much. Half-loud, the old man struggled to reply.

"Oh, thank you. Ashrufat replied. He took his farewell to the old man and headed in the direction of Meno. This place was chosen because, according to rumors, Meno was the place where vampires first appeared. If a vampire had a lair, there was a good chance that it would be in Meno.

They walked a short distance out of the village, almost out of the confines of the village. Mimilu, who had been silently behind Ashrufat, suddenly spoke.

"Master, he must have been lying just now. Mimilu grabbed Ashrufat's cloak hard. "You can't just be fooled, he must know about that vampire. ”

"That's right. Ashrufat stopped. "I think he knows something, too!"

"Then why are you leaving?" Mimi asked, puzzled.

If I asked, he wouldn't answer. Ashrufat said. "So I know there's no point in asking...... And, Mimilu, do you think that the old man just now is definitely more than just 'knowing what to say'?"

"Ah......h

"Mimilu, help me go back and see. Let's see what they say and what they do!" said Ashrufat. Mimilu immediately jumped off her horse, got on all fours, and ran forward as fast as she could. She used her talent for changing color, and soon became one with the road, making it difficult to distinguish.

Although it was daylight, with Mimilu's ability to hide, Ashrufar thought it would be difficult for the villagers to find her. When he met Mimilu for the first time, he almost didn't notice Mimilu's tracking.

He didn't wait very long. Mimilu jumped up from the side of the road and jumped to his side.

"They do know what to say. Mimilu was a little out of breath because of the sprinting all the way. "I saw several of them gathered together and seemed to be discussing something. Eventually, they gave a boy a letter and told him to deliver it to the 'baron'. ”

"Baron?" Ashrufar remembered as if someone had mentioned it, because the hellish place of Sivania was remote and desolate, and there were many plagues, so it was only divided into three counties, and there were no barons.

However, the so-called "baron" is not necessarily really a baron, it is likely to be a nickname or something.

"Shall we snatch the letter?" Mimilu suggested.

"Nope. Ashrufat thought for a moment. Although there are some inexplicable things in this village, this matter can be put aside first. Maybe the village was a den of robbers or something, and "The Baron" was the nickname of a gang of robbers. Although he was a newcomer and didn't know much about the situation, he had heard that in addition to vampires, there were also many bandits in Sivania.

But then again, he really doesn't have much information at the moment. When he was in Mill City, although he actively inquired, most of the information he heard was second-hand, third-hand information, and even unreliable rumors. After all, because of the blockade of trade routes, the merchants gathered in Mir City were all merchants from the north who were going to West Sylvania, and the merchants from West Sylvania had long since left.

"Let's leave first. Ashrufat said. "Go to Meno first. "Before proceeding to the next step, it is necessary to take a closer look at the situation in the whole place.

"Hey, master, aren't you going to see that vampire? Mimilu questioned.

"No, I can't go directly to him. Ashruphat explained. "If he has ill will towards me, and set a trap for me when the time comes, I will be in danger. ”

"Isn't the master saying he's your kind?

"It doesn't have to hurt me, but be prepared for it. Ashrufat said. "I haven't seen anything like it since I was turned into a vampire...... In fact, I don't know a single vampire. He realized that there was a loophole in this sentence, and he knew the queen of vampires, Kotoshin.

"In other words, the master can't directly identify himself to see him, so what is the master going to do?" Mimilu tilted her head, thinking carefully.

"I'm thinking about it, too. Ashrufat replied.

Mimilu thought of a good idea. Suddenly, Mimilu jumped up for joy. "The owner can pretend to be a human. Pretend to want to take refuge with the vampire so you can meet him unprepared. ”