Four cups are placed on the wooden table. Their wooden handles are carved in the shape of a bow-shaped snake - that is the 'Wox', the mythical creature that is said to swallow the sun and the Gemini moon - such a decorative technique

It is not uncommon. South of the Grass River, this tradition has been handed down since before the Magical Era; local residents in the Six Towns area and the Forte del Carmen Peninsula have such a habit: they carve mythical creatures.

On daily utensils, it is believed that this can bring good luck and avoid bad luck.

But the lighting in the hall was so dim that it felt depressing. The windows on all sides were sealed with wooden bars, and a gray oil lamp was hung from the ceiling by a hemp rope. When the wick burned, it would occasionally burst out a dim ball.

Halo.

The light, which is not bright, moves slowly along the rough wooden tabletop, carving out lines and lines of dense dark shadows between the wooden textures. The lines are stretched indefinitely by the shadows - just like this dull time.

, there is no end.

The silence finally needed someone to break it. The halfling grabbed the cup and took a big sip of wine, smacking his lips: "It's really terrible——"

The other three people looked at him, and the 'female' poet with picturesque features seemed indifferent.

"Let's talk about your opinions?"

"Same as before," the poet said succinctly, expressionlessly, "I went to the port, and the Black Guards were still guarding it; and we have been stuck here for several months, and the situation has not changed."

"Ha, don't say that! Look, at least we don't have to live in that damn little dark room anymore, right?"

The other three looked at the halfling——

"Okay, okay. I admit that it was a mistake," he quickly put down the cup and gestured, "but you know, what I mean is - are there any other discoveries?"

"Eh?" The female thief sitting on the side, holding the cup in both hands and sipping the fruit wine, suddenly became energetic. She widened her eyes and asked innocently: "Do you mean that? Why can't the kitten hear it?

I remember that Xiaomao’s Chinese scores weren’t that bad—?”

The halfling gave her a hard look.

"There is a group of patrol cavalry on the other side of the sluice. Judging from the chest badge, it should be the third column belonging to Aix," the 'female' poet nodded. She still looked indifferent, as if she was reciting an article.

Boring text: "I asked, the reason is that someone escaped from the city through the sluice last month, there seemed to be 6 or 7 people."

"Isn't the third column of Aix under the jurisdiction of that disgusting fat man? Do you mean to change the defense again?" The halfling glanced in the direction of the bar and asked in a low voice - because the business was light, this tree house bar

The boss was snoring in the corner with his chin in one hand - the sound was long and low, but rhythmic.

"It doesn't seem like a routine, the last time was only twenty days."

"That is to say, under the surface, it is obvious that someone wants to bring in private goods?" Mao Mao raised a finger and tapped his chin.

"Don't talk nonsense here. What about you, stupid cat? How about the investigation of the excavation site in the city that I entrusted you with?" The halfling glanced at this man with a ponytail and a pair of black eyes that kept turning around and looked ancient.

A look at the weird female thief.

"Ah la——"

"God knows what the hell they are digging inside. The protection measures are so tight, there are patrols every ten feet, and there are mages in the sky. Who can get in - damn it!"

As the kitten spoke, he took a sip of wine angrily.

"In general, I make so many excuses. Is it because someone is incompetent?"

"What, what are you talking about!" The kitten raised his voice slightly as if his tail had been stepped on and said, "Xiao, the kitten has discovered something too. Damn it, stop looking down on people!"

"Oh? For example?" Half Apple smiled successfully.

"Kitten followed their carriage carrying gravel and soil, and found that there were a lot of armors and remains of weapons mixed in, but they were all extremely rusty. They must be old?"

"Ancient battlefield." The halfling caught a term keenly, and then he turned his attention to the poet.

The 'female' poet seemed stunned for a moment, which was a sign of retrieving knowledge, "The ancient battlefield of Foguta. There are very few hints about it in the anecdotes. It probably requires historical knowledge - but the history is very long. It seems that it will still be in hr

Before the chronology."

"Before the Era of Honor Returned, was it a certain war that took place in the Age of Magical War?"

"I'm afraid it's earlier than that," the poet added.

"Xinyu, what do you think?"

"That..." The little girl sitting in the corner who had been silent wriggled her lips: "I, I'm not very good at historical knowledge. If, if there is any knowledge about buildings or animals, plants, monsters, etc.

,I, I will definitely tell everyone - I'm sorry!"

The halfling shook his head and smiled: "You don't have to worry so much. No one will blame you for this, right?"

The little girl looked obviously relieved.

"Okay," Half Apple shrugged, "Anyway, because someone is incompetent and can't bring back more information, this clue ends here -"

"Hey, who are you talking about!" The kitten stared at the dark eyes and patted the table, as if it wanted to eat someone.

Xinyu looked at these two guys who were facing each other, and was a little worried. She thought for a moment and whispered: "It would be great if Brother Palin is here, he will definitely know."

The poet was slightly startled after hearing this, and then nodded.

"Yeah, that guy can definitely do it." Half Apple seemed to have wanted to retort to a certain cat, but after hearing such words, he couldn't help but change his tune and sigh.

Only the kitten curled his lips in obvious disdain, but then thought of something and shuddered.

The light of the oil lamp dimmed, and the light swayed, and the edge spread over the rough wooden texture of the tabletop - although it has been smoothed by the guests' palms over the years; several people sitting here almost thought that the oil lamp might be extinguished. They -

—Xinyu, the cat and half an apple raised their heads, only Yun immediately looked towards the window on one side.

The light swayed again, and this time everyone realized that it was not that the lamp was running out, but that there was an earthquake somewhere outside that had been transmitted to here - the vibration should be very violent, but it was also very far away from here.

The bar owner smacked his lips in his sleep, his chin slipped from his palms, and he opened his eyes suddenly in shock. But he still looked sleepy. He glanced around blankly, and it took him a long time to recall his out-of-body soul.

Shaking his head, he picked up a rag and began to wipe the wooden table.

"It's in the direction of the excavation site." Half Apple sensed it and said.

"For the first time today," the poet added.

"I really want to know what those people are doing. Palin also entrusted me to investigate the forces behind the Hand of Despair in the south." The halfling took a sip of wine and said with some depression: "But those damn guys are a little bit different.

There are no mistakes left. If those nobles were half as smart as they were during the civil strife in Dragon City, I think we would all be in trouble——"

This sentence seemed to remind the poet of the previous scenes, and he smiled rarely.

"Okay. Let's get back to the topic. What about you, Xinyu?" Half Apple turned his head. He understood that Xinyu is a girl with a delicate and sensitive heart. Such girls are more vulnerable to injury than ordinary people, but they are delicate.

Their thoughtfulness and sensitivity often allow them to notice details that others would overlook.

"I, I just walked around the streets as Brother Apple told me to do."

Same."

"I specifically counted those familiar faces. I, I mean, there is a Babu Demon that often brags to those players about how many humans it has killed -" the girl's face became a little pale: "It's gone;

In addition, there are a few timid demons. There are also two hunting spiders at the entrance of the Grand Duke Machinoka’s mansion, but they are also missing..."

"It seems that since last week, I have noticed that their number has been decreasing, but I was not sure at that time."

"The devil is withdrawing its troops, or has it been transferred elsewhere?" the halfling frowned.

"I don't know, but Brother Apple, I, I seem to have discovered that demons are divided into two factions," Xinyu thought for a while, and finally made up her mind to continue: "I don't know if you have noticed that there is a kind of demon that seems to be divided into two factions.

Not in our knowledge list."

"The one who is three or four feet tall, wearing a cloak, and with a hammer on each hand?" The poet thought for a moment and said.

"kindness."

"Lao Pa and the others have encountered him too. In the north." Half Apple suddenly said.

The small bar suddenly fell silent.

Without exception, all the official members and trainee members of Shining Gold Coin present realized that they were uncovering or had already uncovered the inside story of a huge plot: but now they seemed to have only touched a corner of this huge vortex, but the shocking power of that huge thing

It seems that the momentum can be imagined——

"Speaking of which, why were we attacked by men in black when we first arrived at the Futcamen Peninsula?" Half Apple thought for a moment, then broke the silence and said, "I mean - originally I thought it was done by my old enemy.

Ghosts, but now it seems that they don’t have that much earth energy - you should understand that the demons are hunting us."

"It must be because of that idiot captain of yours, damn it." Kitty snorted.

"It's our captain -" although the poet was usually stern, he still corrected him seriously at this time.

The kitten pouted again.

"The timeline is wrong, it was the autumn of last year, and the Battle of Allenbisi hadn't ended yet," the halfling immediately rejected the proposal: "Maybe, think of something else?"

The small bar fell silent once again.

The poet was silent for a while, then took out a scroll from his arms: "It's because of this."

The scroll is a very ordinary sheepskin scroll, but the words on it are floating and emitting a faint blue light.

"Didn't you get this... from King Asuo's treasure? I remember it was called..." Half Apple frowned slightly, "Overture of the Gods?"

"Prelude to the Gods, Chapter 3. Resonating Nature and the Elements."

The poet added plainly: "It is said that the Canaanite gods created the world with seven chapters of music and sealed them in seven ancient stone slabs. These slabs contain the ultimate meaning of the world; and the Ella people worship these full of

I have made countless forgeries of stone slabs with great magical power - which are the scrolls in my hand."

"After countless years, only a few of these fakes are left that are closest to the originals; and there is a legend that the corresponding stone tablets can be found through them."
To be continued...