Wizard From Afar

This is the ocean port of Eboden.

The harbour connecting the Gem River and the Misty Sea, until now is Eboden’s most important tax channel-a large number of warehouses, processing workshops, alchemy shops and luxury goods vendors all over it.

With the help of ocean-going luxury goods trade, commodities from the Elf Kingdom of Yasul under the rule of Xiong Yingwang, those exquisite silks, dyes, gems, carvings, weapons...make this seaport an empire. be counted on one's fingers bulk commodity distribution center.

Of course, it is also the most chaotic distribution center-as long as your pocket is filled with small shiny metal discs, maybe in a street where sewage runs freely, from someone wearing a linen cloak In the hands of Beggar, he bought the Imperial Family tribute that should have appeared in the Sky Palace.

Although the Sky Vault quickly realized these problems, and tried all kinds of methods to strictly check the smuggling trade; but the huge profit space makes people still keen to take risks and be on the edge of the gallows. "Crazy temptation", so that the situation not only did not get any better, but even worsened.

The free Eboden has given smugglers plenty of room for activities, and the huge trade volume and huge net of interests also make searches difficult as heavenly ascension.

Brandon I of the sixth generation known as the "sage", Charlotte I of the tenth generation known as "Quick As Fire", and even known as the "natural ruler" "Eckhardt II of the Twelfth generation can only sigh in the face of rampant to blatant smuggling.

Everything has pros and cons; commercial ports, terminal unions, shops Chamber of Commerce, and mercenary groups that thrive on ocean trade will also experience the ups and downs of ocean trade. , And then was severely affected.

Due to the "disappearance" of the ocean-going fleet, the prosperity that was originally brought about by the "jewel route" also withered. Large and small warehouses and shops were empty, leaving only empty markets; Vendors and workers are even more out of ten, making the "free parliament" that has to face a large number of unemployed people to be frustrated.

In the dilapidated and muddy streets, two men in the same cloaks met in this unmanned "prosperous market".

The two sides noticed each other almost at the same time, and their sharp gazes staggered in the silent air.

"I thought you would have to wait for two days to arrive, but you came so soon... It was beyond my expectation." The long and vigorous voice came from the cloth under the hood. The lips full of white beards sounded:

"And my predictions are usually very accurate."

"I received this from a businessman on the way, and I just Speed ​​up." With a one-armed Knight carrying a broken sword, he handed over a letter in his arms:

"It was a businessman from East Sackland. He entered Byrne The wine, I am going to exchange Sackland’s native produce for Lotaire’s leather and wild honey-I guess, now the entire empire has seen this letter."

"Yes Ah, our bold Duke of Byrne has given us all a big surprise...Although for some people, there is probably only surprise but not joy."

With a mocking tone, the old man slowly He took off the hood he wore on the top of his head, revealing a high head, bright eyes with a convincing look: "And as the half of the guide for him to step into the wizard, the old man is quite proud of him. Here comes."

"The chaos he brought to the empire made everyone with faith restless;" One-armed Knight is also unabashedly sarcasm:

"Or for the Innocent Archbishop and the Heresy Inquisition, who were almost killed by him and were so angry?"

"These are only a part, a small part." The old man is loose and full of folds. But his face was filled with youngster-like vitality:

"Of course, a very important part."

One-armed Knight did not speak, letting the old man entertain himself.

After a few seconds, it seemed as if the old man who had just slowed down from the heartbeat brought by joy was relieved. He gently pressed his chest, bowed to the indifferent one-armed Knight and bowed his head. Completely lower down:

"In the name of the Archon of Eboden, the first veteran of the nine-pointed star wizard tower, old man Corona grandly welcomes you to accept our invitation, the honorable oath, Your Excellency Knight is here Here!"

In the face of a humble old man, even a respectful old man, Knight was not touched by his one-armed oath, and on his still cold face there was only a pair of eternally piercing eyes.

But the old man still didn’t care, he smiled and showed enthusiasm: “I heard that you are here, and everyone on the wizard tower is very encouraged and very fortunate. Of course, because of some as everyone knows For the reason, we can’t prepare a grand welcome ceremony and banquet for your arrival, and we still look at the sea.

But...the “sword of oath” that saved mankind in the past, punishes and punishes evil, appears again. It's really hard not to remind people of the good old days."

"It was a good day to be treated as an Evil God Cult group and hunted everywhere, right?" Knight vows to interrupt him again: "I remember' The number of "Swords of Oaths" has dropped sharply, and there are also your great achievements in the wizard tower?"

Corona smiled slightly, not paying attention.

He folded his haggard hands in front of him, and raised his chest—no longer the easygoing or humble old man, but the elder of the nine-pointed star wizard tower, the archon of Eboden.

The leading wizard in the world.

After being quiet for a moment, he vowed that Knight said faintly: "How did you find me?"

"Of course like everyone else." Corona first smiled in astonishment. , Didn’t expect this is actually the first question of Knight’s oath: "As the guard of the former bishop Farnesis, you are a double wanted person for the church and Eboden. Anyone can find the wanted person with your portrait at any place. Order."

"In addition, as the consul of Eboden, of course I also have my own intelligence network and the eyeliner of Chamber of Commerce all over the country. Any time you appear, it is impossible to quietly, do not leave. As the first elder of the tower of the wizard, the nominal leader of the wizard of the entire empire, they are also obliged to inform me of the recent anomaly."

Between the words, the old man’s voice still carries A trace of pride.

The silent vow Knight waited until he finished speaking before speaking again blankly: "How did you find me?"

"I told you, I The expectation is always very accurate." Corona smiled slowly and said:

"And there are very few mistakes."

This answer seems to be worse than the pile of content just now. To be "persuasive," he vowed that Knight would not continue to ask questions.

"This is the end of the chat, let's talk about business." After gently leading the topic, the old man only has the same smile on his face, pointing to the ruined port market behind him:

"Standing here, compared to the fact that the matter is already clear-the ocean-going fleet accident not only caused Eboden and the Empire to lose important financial resources, thousands of people were displaced, but also we and Yasu were cut off. The last line of contact with the Elves, there is no longer any possibility of communication with them."

"As a result, the Yunling Kingdom of the Southern Dwarves was completely cut off from the empire due to Byrne's actions and civil war disputes. Relationship; Xiong Yingwang, proud of the Western Azores, will no longer have any too much involvement with us; the turbulent empire has completely turned into an isolated island."

"Empire from start to Finish is an island. The past and the future will also be."

Shaking his head, swears that Knight seems to disagree with Corona’s pessimistic attitude:

"In the ancient wood forest When the elves invaded Lothar, did Xiong Yingwang in the distance have any compassion? When the centaur trampled on the big green sea, it was them who saved the herdsmen of Poi; not to mention the Baine who was once a dwarf colony. Sometimes the Arlesians are still fighting with the monsters to this day."

"The only people who can save the empire are the humble and pious believers of the Holy Cross, and...the self-saving heart of his ungodly believers. "

Looking at Knight's difficult expression when he said the second half of the vow, Corona's eyes flashed an imperceptible smile.

"Perhaps, but friends are the more the better at any time, even if they are friends who are sly or even two-sided." The old man smiled slyly and said softly:

"In any case, We must all restore the smooth flow of the gem route as soon as possible and open up the passage to the Azores Elf Kingdom; since it is impossible, we must at least figure out what caused the destruction of the ocean-going fleet, and there will be no survivors."

The plain words made Oath Knight show a solemn expression: "Do you think... Evil God?"

"Oath Lord Knight, have you ever hunted a wild beast or Mutant monster?" Corona still didn't answer directly, but changed the conversation:

"When I was young...ah, when it was the ninth generation, I used to be with my mentor in Lotte Hunting ogre in the ancient wood forest of Seoul to obtain leather, bones, brains... are all important alchemy materials."

The oath Knight complexion turned cold, "telling stories and reasoning for the elderly" "The way of talking is very impatient.

"Interestingly, the blood, eyeballs and auditory organs of ogre... are not important, so we thin wizards hunt them in a more'special' way."

Corona took a step forward, his expression in a trance with memories:

"First, use pyrophores and explosions to make noise to attract their attention;"

"Then, lead it into the trap that has already been prepared; after it falls into the trap, use a crossbow to blind its eyes and ears;"

"The pit that crawled out of the trap On the soil wall, there are large and small traps made of sharp stones and iron hooks. It tears its flesh and bleeds;"

"The crossbow that shoots through its eyes and ears has long been smeared. With the special alchemy potion, its plasma cannot be solidified and flowed more;"

"Finally...faced with a person who had no power to resist, couldn't find the enemy, and was so weak that he couldn't even call for help. Ogre, is finally so weak that even a few of our weak wizards can take it."

Vow Knight's pupils condensed slightly.

"If we let our eyes be blinded, if we hide on our own island and watch the enemy massacre our allies, or turn them into our enemies; if we want Do your best to survive, and then become the last one to survive..."

Corona sighed: "When the enemy comes towards us, what should we do?"

The silent vow Knight never responded.

But Corona knew that he moved him.

No...It should be said from the very beginning that he would definitely not refuse, but the purpose is the same and the means are the same, but the concept is different.

I hope that this temporary new story can make him a little more alert and look farther instead of looking for an enemy that may be impossible to find?

"When will your ship leave?"

Go one step forward and vow Knight solemnly asked.

Corona smiled gently and waved his hand gracefully: "No, that ship is not for you, but for the Sky Palace-more precisely, for Eckhardt II. Your majesty’s eyeliners prepared it."

"Although the wizard tower has been kept as confidential as possible and has been foolproof, I guess...that ship should have at least two-handed night watchman spies. Even real night watchmen; we don’t have to spend too much effort to investigate the scene. They are the real professionals."

"As for you...I will arrange another boat for you—— Although small, it is very stable. If there is sunshine and stars, you can even cross the sea of ​​mist and go to the kingdom of the elves."

Vow that Knight will stare at him, frowning and tightening.

"What are you trying to say?" Swearing Knight looked impatient: "Do you think that the ocean-going fleet's accident is the work of those sharp ears?"

"I am a wizard, people who don’t have evidence won’t be able to draw conclusions easily." The calm and composed Corona shook his head, but gently raised his index finger: "Yes, I don’t have any evidence to prove that all this is a wizard. What they did; but...I have no evidence to prove that all this has nothing to do with them."

"And I really hope that all this has nothing to do with them."

" Speaking of the Azorean elves on the other side of the sea, our empire always seems to have misunderstood them-either excessively exaggerated or excessively demeaning." Corona slowly walked in, calm and soft words full of power:

"Most Eboden people describe it as a rich country with gold everywhere, where the elves live in the Warm Countryside where they will never be disturbed, never have to fight, never kill; use thick fog The barrier formed prevents us from outside the'Barbarian Race' and cannot be approached;"

"A friend who once visited a remote island in the elven kingdom, Harimvan Ashamai Tell me that the nobles there love art and enjoy life; compared with their sword technique of dancing in the rain and groaning in the wind, our proud Knights are just like the hybrid animals of stupid horses and donkeys;"

"As for the colleagues in the wizard tower, they all agree that...the Azores' mastery of magic and Void Power has already surpassed us, even..."

"Following the giant dragon kingdom that was inexhaustible back then, Niederhogg!"