Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

He asked Isrit again, "Who is the Duke of the Bayland now?"

"Little Trident, Bugu Kahn." Isrit replied, "He has established himself as king and is at war with the northerners."

With just these few words from Isrit, Razor couldn't figure out the whole situation.But he can be sure that the Xiongshan coup is definitely not an independent event, and all of these are somehow related.

I'm going to Bear Mountain as soon as it's over, he thought, living and dying, and Haven Ambleside is the savior of the doctrine, and he won't die so easily.

At this time, the elf spoke a few words to Estherite, and the two exchanged a few words in the ancient language, and then Estherite said: "The elf suggested that we go to bed as soon as possible, and she said that staying up late is not good for our health."

Razor was indeed tired too, so he followed the elves to their guest room.Razor had thought that the tree elves would let them live in tree holes, either caves or huts.But he never expected that there was a big mushroom in his guest room.

There are a few dark blue leaves on the upper middle layer of Pantoras, and there are many purple mushrooms growing on it.Each mushroom is as big as a two-story building, with various spots on it, and it also emits a faint fluorescence.The female elf came to a mushroom with a razor, touched the rough stem of the mushroom, and the stem split open, forming a door.The elf curtseyed at the door and invited Razor in.

Mushrooms have hidden caves inside.First, the daytime sunlight hits our faces, which is completely different from the yellow light of the oil lamp.Razor saw a mushroom growing on the roof of the first floor, emitting the light like the sun.Then when he stepped into the room, he felt the ground was soft under his feet, as if he was stepping on a velvet mattress.The elf motioned for him to take off his shoes by the door, and hung his coat on the mycelium that stood up inside the wall.

Razor did so, and followed the elf into the room.Everything around is very wonderful. The inside of the big mushroom is empty, and it is divided into two parts by the mycelium curtain. The front part is the front hall, and the soft fungus flesh constitutes the seats and tables.Under the table is a small pool of bubbling light green liquid for the tree elves to lay their roots on.There are some unnamed fruits and fungi on the table, as well as some jade-carved ornaments.

From this point of view, the front hall should be the living room and dining room.

At this time, the elf opened the mycelium curtain, and a dazzling light shot out from it, and the razor was stabbed and covered his eyes.He asked the elf, "What is so bright?"

The elf looked apologetic, and she gave a salute, then went in and did something, and then the light dimmed.Razor saw that the light was dim and went in.It was a glass room, surrounded by mirrors that were cleaner than the surface of the water, and above their heads was a golden mushroom, about the size of a fist.

Pointing to the mushroom, the elf said word by word: "Sun, mushroom, elf, eat sunshine." She pinched the mushroom, and the mushroom became brighter, and then she poked the mushroom canopy, the brightness just lowered.Razor also tried it with a prosthetic limb, and found that the thing could adjust the brightness arbitrarily. He thought it was some kind of mysterious magic, but he didn't know the principle.

It seems that the elves have used this kind of magic in their daily life, thought Razor.

The front hall is the reception room, and the back hall is the sunlight restaurant.After visiting the front and back halls, the elf led him to stand on a carpet made of mycelium.Then the rug rose of its own accord, very smoothly, and Razor's face was so quiet that he was afraid of being taken as a bumpkin, but he was amazed inside.

The mycelium lift carried them to the second floor, where the canopy was.There is only a touch of fluorescence here, giving people the feeling that it is suitable for sleep.As soon as he entered the door, he saw a big bed made of fungi.Knightway sat kneeling on the bed, wearing pajamas and a nightcap, hugging a pillow, with a cute smile on her face.

Razor frowned and said, "Why are you here?"

Netway shrugged. "Where do you think I am, Nat?"

The elf stands behind the razor, her head tilted and her face questioning.At this time, Netway said to her: "There is no need for the following things, thank you, I will introduce him here."

The elf saluted and turned to leave.

Now it was just the two of them in the house.

"Now I'll introduce you to our new home!" Netway was excited like a girl in love.

"This is a lamp! Just pinch it to light it up, poke it to turn it off!" She said as she squeezed the little mushroom on the bedside.

"This is a cabinet. Mycelium will automatically organize your items." She threw her high-heeled shoes against the mycelium wall, and the white silk threads immediately caught the shoes firmly, and then automatically recessed a space for placing shoes. , and put away a pair of high heels neatly.

Then she got out of bed and went to the side door next to her, saying: "This is the bathroom and toilet. The elves say there will never be any smell here, and there is always hot water - I don't know how they do it." She said He spread his hands.

Then she pointed to the bed and said, "This is the bed."

Razor said, "I can see that."

Finally, she lay down on the bed with a "bang", pointed to herself and said, "This is your wife."

Razor called to her, "I didn't say I was going to marry you! Go back to your room and sleep! You—" Somehow he couldn't get the word out this time.

A subtle smile appeared on Netway's face. She came over, wrapped her arms around Razor's body, and whispered in his ear, "You didn't say that an hour ago."

Razor blushed, and he argued: "We were in the water at that time, and I didn't tell you anything!"

"Really? Then tell me now." She said as she pushed the razor down on the bed, and the razor realized that she was not as strong as this woman.He was unwilling to resist, but when Netwig started kissing him, he lost his strength.

"Nat, you always said that you want to find a woman who is stronger than you." Netway pressed his forehead against his, and his eyes met. "Now I will prove it to you." The smile on her face seemed to be Some kind of carnivore, Razor suddenly had a bad feeling.

Before he had time to think about it, his fiery red lips kissed him again.

Author's message:

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Razor and the Witch-King, Eleven

Razor and the Witch-King, Eleven

Pantoras couldn't use the sun and the moon to distinguish day and night, and the razor just slept by feeling.He was refreshed when he got up, the light was comfortable and the bed was just the right firmness.Netway woke up earlier than him. The woman was sitting on a chair reading a book. The cover of the book was full of ancient characters. Razor could vaguely recognize a few of them, but they didn't know what they meant when they were linked together.

"Are you awake?" Netway closed the book.

Razor nodded and asked her, "What's written in that book?"

"Barely incomprehensible."

Razor said: "Dara Kasha taught me a little bit of ancient elven writing, haven't you learned from him?"

"I've learned it, but I still can't understand it." Netway smiled wryly. "You may not believe me, Nat. I only learned it last night. The words of elves use brightness to express meaning."

Razor became interested when he heard this, and he lost all sleepiness for a while. He asked, "What do you mean?"

Knightway opened the book and pointed it out to him.Razor saw that the words above all shimmered to varying degrees, some bright and some dim.Netway pointed to the two characters with the same shape and said: "These two characters, one with a brightness of seven and the other with a brightness of two, express different meanings. They look the same, but their meanings are completely different."

Razor stared at the two twig-like characters, and asked Netway, "But I don't see any difference between the light and dark of these two characters."

Knightway said: "Our eyes can't feel such subtle changes in light and dark, but elves can. They are creatures that eat sunlight and no one is more sensitive to light than them."

Razor said: "I don't understand, why do things that can be clearly written in words have to be so complicated? Can't our human words also express clear meaning?"

Netway thought for a while and said, "Perhaps it is easier for them to perceive the brightness than the structure of words. In other words, the elves can remember dozens of meanings of 'A' from dark to bright, but they cannot A long spelled word. Nat, we're alike, but we're not the same creature. It's hard for us to understand how an elf thinks."

Razor didn't ask these things anymore, he always felt that the tree elves were bloodless, and he couldn't like such a race.

"The fiend has been dealt with, and it's time for us to leave." Razor said to her,

"We promised the elves that we will participate in the final sacrificial ceremony. The elves want us to come to the stage to accept their gifts."

"Well, we'll go when we're done," said Razor.

Afterwards, they left the mushroom house, and as soon as they went out, they saw the Faceless Ranger standing at the door.Today he changed his mask from giant eyes to a fox face.He greeted Razor, said that the elves were offering a free buffet of meat and meat, wine and meat, and told them to hurry.

Only then did Razor remember that he hadn't seen the Faceless Ranger yesterday, so Razor asked him, "What did you do yesterday?"

"I'm going to deal with some personal matters." The faceless man said.

That being the case, Razor didn't ask any more questions.He went to breakfast with Nightaway, and the pink-skinned female elf offered to show them the way.Netway and Razor talked about the Faceless Ranger, saying: "I watched him slip away in the shower. Not only did I never see his face, I never saw his body under his clothes, who knows He—" Netway corrected now, "what is it?"

Razor doesn't care about other people's private affairs, as long as the Faceless Ranger can complete the task properly.

The two left the Mushroom Hotel and took the water ladder and the big lotus leaf boat to the middle and lower part of Pantoras.On one of the growing branches, there is an open-air restaurant where many elves eat.The air here is cool, and there is a jellyfish-like creature floating in the sky not far away. It glows all over, like the morning sun.

Although elves can survive on water and sunlight, they also need to eat some other substances with their mouths and roots on their feet.Before eating, they wash the roots of their feet, just as people wash their hands before eating.Afterwards, the elves will sit around a round table with a canal or a large basin under their feet.

Razor saw some elves drinking water in the ditch with their roots, holding goblets like humans drinking, chatting with friends while drinking.Razor found Isrit and the two orcs in the shade.The wounds of the two orcs have been properly treated. The severed arm of the male orc was connected and fixed with ointment and dry mud like green moss, hanging firmly on his chest; the female orc was wrapped in bandages, And also have the same ointment.

Razor remembered that both men were badly wounded.He had thought that the two of them would have to rest in bed for a month or two, but he didn't expect that they could move around on their own today. It was one aspect that the orcs were strong, but more importantly, the elves had excellent medical skills.The first time Razorhead heard that severed limbs could be reattached, he couldn't help thinking: If I had foreseen these elves earlier, would I still be able to keep my hands?

But this idea quickly disappeared, after all, there is nothing wrong now.

Razor said hello to Isrit, and sat down at the table.There was no water channel under their feet, but there was plenty of food on the table.It includes two drinks, one red and one blue, a plate of mushrooms mixed with flower petals poured in honey sauce, pies exuding the aroma of apples, and a small bowl of unknown frozen food.Other than that, there were four pots of meat—the razor stared at one of the pots.The thing smelled and looked like roast mutton, but Razor wasn't sure.

"Is this real meat?" Razor asked Isrit.

Isrit shook her head, took out a small piece of ribs, and said, "Of course not. Elves don't eat meat, let alone slaughter cows and sheep."

"Then what is this?"

"The elves told me that it is made of soybeans, dried fruits, oil flowers, and some plants whose names I can't understand. The elves specialize in cooking these 'vegetarian meats' to entertain guests from other nations. You know, in At the time of the tree elves, there was not only their civilization. For example, the ancestors of the orcs existed at that time." Isrit frowned, put the piece of sheep between her teeth, and began to bite the "meat" on it.

The female orc went on to say: "The spirits of the ancestors have existed since ancient times. The moment the earth and the sky were born, there were orcs." She also began to eat meat.The male orc cut a piece of fat with a dagger nervously, put it under his nose, sniffed it, licked it, and then began to chew.

Razor looked at the food on the table and couldn't help thinking: Humans are still hungry today, but those elves have created delicious food like magic.The gap between us is too far.

But now we need to face mass extinction.

We do not have the great strength of our ancestors, but we have to face the same terrible disaster.

We have no escape.

Razor and the Witch-king, XII

Razor and the Witch-king, XII

The breakfast was very enjoyable.Although the meat is fake, it tastes delicious.Later, even the cautious male orc ate ​​it up.After the meal, the seven-faced god of the tree elves came to them.What came this time was not his body, but one-seventh of him, that is, one of his seven faces.

It was a handsome elf man with fair skin and a tall and straight body.Despite the different customs and etiquette, Razor still felt that he behaved elegantly, like a nobleman.

The man said to them: "My name is Hei Nanmu." His human language is already very fluent, and he must have studied it this night, "I am a ritual officer and diplomat democratically elected by the elves. Green life welcomes you." He said and bowed to a human being, and Razor and others immediately returned the salute.

Yisruite is the only noble among them, she has learned some social etiquette, so she negotiates with Hei Nanmu on behalf of the adults.During this process, Razor watched from behind.

Tree elves are generally gentle and approachable, and this diplomat is no exception.After a short exchange, the diplomat said: "Then please prepare a few times, and we will set off after you make up your mind."

"Okay." Isrit said.

Afterwards, Isrit turned around and said to Razor and the others: "I've finished talking to this gentleman, and then he will take us to visit the Pantoras, and then tonight we will hold the ceremony of saving the dead and thanking us. After that, you can leave if you want, and I will stay here for a while until the elves continue to sleep."

Razor asked: "How long do you want to stay here by yourself?"

Yisruite said: "The longer the better, but the elves can't live here forever. Today's Pantoras lacks resources, and the outside environment is not suitable for them to survive, so they will turn back to bronze after seven days. During this period Here, I plan to learn real elven magic—whether it is academic or liberal, or druid, the source of wizards is elven magic. If I can get their words and deeds, then I will be able to gain a lot. And I I also want to take away some grain seeds, or their other technologies. The shock here is too great for me, and I can't just leave so easily."

Razor glanced at her swollen belly and asked, "Ma'am, when is the due date?"

"About a month."

"I think you should find a place to rest now."

Isrit sighed, and said: "I know, I know. After I leave here, I will immediately find the nearest place to rest, and then give birth to him smoothly." She stroked her swollen abdomen, "But now I I can't leave, I want to learn everything I can learn, and take everything I can take away." She said that she took out some seed samples and herbs that the razor could not name from the backpack, as well as several tree books. The book of the elves, "Look, here are the rice seeds of the elves, and the elves say they can grow in any water, whether it is salt water, sour water, or black sea water; this is the seed of yellow rice, and this grain can be ripened four times a year , drought and cold resistance; this herbal medicine can cure smallpox, this one can deal with dysentery! Also, this book tells how to predict the weather, this one is about navigation, this one is about the theory of internal medicine... these things alone are enough to change The world is gone."

The razor said to her: "This is not something you should worry about, madam, it's a man's business. You just need to give birth to the earl's flesh and blood and raise him up healthy and healthy."

Isrit shook her head at him and said: "He...or, or she, if it is a boy, I will teach him the knowledge of governing the fief and make him an excellent earl like his father; if it is a girl, I will teach her witchcraft and make her a first-class forest witch. But no matter which one, I need the knowledge of tree elves. What's more..." A smile floated on the corner of her mouth, "If Lord Haven is really alive, this knowledge will It must come in handy."

"Okay, since you said that...then listen to you. I will stay here with you until you give birth to the child safely."

"Thank you, Fasnat." She saluted.

"It's your job, madam." The razor returned the salute.

Next they followed the spirit god to visit Pantoras.

After seeing the magical magic of the tree elves, Razor's curiosity was aroused.The elf god originally wanted to take them on a big-winged bird to visit Pantoras in the air, but Isrit was a little "bird sick" and she was about to give birth, so she couldn't take the risk of taking this kind of transportation.So they still took a small boat and traveled by water to visit Pantoras.

There are intricate waterways on the branches of Pantoras. These waterways are the blood vessels of Pantoras. They shuttle between the branches and leaves of giant trees in lotus-leaf boats.Heinanmu diplomat introduced them from the bronze forest at the bottom. He pointed to the endless bronze forest and said: "The people living here are ordinary treants, and one of our compatriots sleeps in every bronze tree."

Estelle asked him, "Why didn't these people wake up?"

Hei Nanmu said: "Now there are not so many resources for them to use, so they can only sleep."

Razor couldn't help but look sideways, and he asked Hei Nanmu, "That is to say, the tree elves who are awakening now are all nobles or high-status people?"

Hei Nanmu shook his head and said, "Everyone is equal in the elves. Nobles and high-status people do not exist. Those who wake up now are those with labor force and special skills. They wake up to overhaul the Pan Trust and ensure that our race Continue to sleep for an era."

Razor looked at the elves who were busy on Pantoras, and couldn't help thinking: If there were no nobles, how would elves rule the country?

Then they came to the city inside the tree trunk. Black Phoebe introduced them to the structure of the city and the purpose of the building, and took them around the city a few times.Most of the time they are pushed by the waterway, so this trip down is not strenuous.

The smallest city of the tree elves is larger and more advanced than the largest human city.There are not only common things such as tall buildings, castles, temples, and markets, but also dense elf workshops, schools more luxurious than noble manors, libraries taller than castles, clean sewers, urban temperature control systems, magic suns, Transportation pipelines, traffic waterways... and a series of things that the razor has never heard of.He suddenly remembered that Haiwen had mentioned the city construction to him. Many of Haiwen's ideas coincided with the tree elves' urban planning, which made him admire the Earl of Bear Mountain even more.

Then they came to the upper floors and branches, here were the villages, farms and factories... Razor was shocked by everything here, but what shocked him most: He didn't see a weapon here, a guard , let alone the army.

Don't the tree elves have any violent mechanisms?He couldn't believe it.

Razor and the Witch-King, Thirteen

Razor and the Witch-King, Thirteen

There really wasn't any violent mechanism, at least Razor didn't see it.At this moment, a large number of elves are active, working or carousing.With each new leaf, they could see some new people dancing.Their innocent appearance is like a group of children who have never been out of the village.Razor looked everywhere for policemen, guards, and soldiers, but he found none.

He asked Isrit, "Do you see where the elf soldiers are?"

Isrit shook her head, and she replied: "I remember Teacher Gerrit told me about the tree elves." At this time, Isrit said, "It is said that there were no wars or rebellions in the era when they lived. , people don’t have to learn how to fight, they don’t have to know how to kill. So they don’t have soldiers.”

Razor shook his head and said, "But people will have evil thoughts, and if they have evil thoughts, they will commit crimes. Someone needs to maintain law and order."

Isrit said: "Tree elves have no evil thoughts, and they don't know how to lie. All they have to do is sing, dance, and produce fruit." She looked at a pair of elf couples dancing hand in hand, with a longing smile on her face .

Razor said puzzledly: "How is this possible? All life has desires, and if there are desires, there will be evil thoughts and selfishness."