A vast and vast land shrouded in darkness is quietly emerging under the side of the Seven Seas Traveler.
Viewed from the air, the low mangroves are like a dark velvet blanket, spreading from under your feet to the end of the horizon. A thin trestle passes through the swamp, and dim lights are hung from wind lanterns, faintly passing through the forest.
Through the fog.
There are patches of bright light on the horizon in the distance, which are the open water between the woodlands, and the moonlight is pouring down from the sky.
The deck wind in mid-air was blowing the sky-blue hair into chaos, but our lovely poet lady just suppressed it with her hands. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and issued a victory-like declaration: "
We're back again!"
Yes, they are back again.
This is where it all started, that swamp, that inn.
The shadow standing on the desolate land was like a giant in the mist, and the red firelight spurting out from the giant's empty chest together outlined the outline in their memories.
Traveler's rest——
Ai Xiaoxiao was holding on to the side of the ship and stretching her neck, craning her little head and looking down, as if she wanted to greedily take in all the scenery. It made people almost worry that she would fall out of the side of the ship in the next moment.
.
Tang Xin grabbed the little princess by the collar and pulled her back: "Are you seeking death? My uncle and aunt asked me to keep an eye on you?"
"Tangtang——" Ai Xiaoxiao said in her heart: "Ai Xiaoxiao, Ai Xiaoxiao, you are already a mature girl. You can't rely on your good partner for everything. You have to
You have to learn to resist."
But no matter what I was thinking in my heart, my outward expression was just shrinking my neck and not daring to take a deep breath.
"I'll go down with you." Luo Hao suddenly said to Fang Yu and Luo Yu who were preparing things.
Luo Yu was adjusting the magic wand in his hand. Hearing these words, he couldn't help but turn around and look here.
"I didn't get off the boat when we were on Mount Piriede," said Luo Hao, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand. The white mist quickly dispersed in the wind. "If I don't find something to do, I feel like my bones are going to be rusty."
"
"Next time," Fang Plover replied: "I feel more at ease when you, the big cat man, and Mr. Baggins stay to watch the ship. There must be a selector on the ship. Who can I trust, Box and Parker? Let's talk about him."
I can’t get out of bed now.”
He put on his gloves and fastened each lock, "The Traveler's Rest is not far from here, and we don't expect to encounter any battles on this trip. You and Ai Xiaoxiao don't have to disembark, and Tang Xin is also staying.
On board."
Although Luo Hao proposed, he didn't insist. He thought about it and shrugged. Since there was no battle, there was no point in getting off the ship.
At this time, Princess Brianne was passing by the three people and glanced at a few of them. She pulled up the hood from the cloak to cover her golden hair, let the brim of the hat hang down to block her face, and then spoke calmly.
Said: "Ed."
"What's wrong, Your Highness Princess?"
"You should call me Brianne," she replied: "I have to remind you that this place is very different from when you left. It's been more than a year since I came here from Charter City to Elpa.
Xin, a lot of things have happened, you may have to be mentally prepared before going down."
Fang Yu was slightly startled. He had heard something about Charter City from Hongye before. Nicol Bolas used dragon flames to turn the place into ruins, and the high temperature burned the earth into a glass shape. It is still there today.
A paradise for the undead and all kinds of monsters.
What's even more terrifying is that people are still fighting all kinds of dragon beasts to this day, and they are all the children and descendants of the dark dragon.
The three major guilds now regard this place as a battlefield, and Elpaxin's army is also stationed in this area. He has heard of these things for a long time, but he regarded it as a rumor from the far north and did not take it to heart.
When I heard the elf princess mention it here, I realized that they had arrived in this land.
He nodded.
It is difficult for a large box-type airship like the Berio to move deep into the interior. In fact, after arriving at Rainbow Sky Gorge, it turned back in the direction of El Paxin - which was also its original destination.
But Princess Brianne, the hero of the Battle of Byrne, came to the Seven Seas Traveler and stayed with them. She also wanted to take Fang Plover and Sylvide to meet the legendary prince.
This elf princess once said that the elves in Aquin owed a favor to His Highness the Prince, but Fang Pliong had never heard of such rumors.
In terms of time, it probably happened around the time of the Battle of Bain? He couldn't help but be a little curious about what happened in the meantime.
"Captain, your cloak." Pasha held the squarely folded cloak in his hands and handed it to him respectfully.
"Thank you, Pasha."
"Captain, you're welcome." Pasha said a little embarrassedly. He felt very grateful that the captain was so polite to him every time, but he always felt sorry on his face. On any ship, an apprentice would do this.
That's right, there's no need to be polite at all.
But Fang Plover doesn't think so. At least Pasha now regards himself as an apprentice rather than a servant, which is probably an improvement. Although in Aitalia, the context of apprentice is probably not much different from that of servant.
This little boy has made rapid progress in learning alchemy recently and appears to be smart and dexterous.
In such an era, traditional cognition is disintegrating bit by bit, and the value system planned by some people is gradually becoming a thing of the past. With the awakening of citizen consciousness, an era that was once born on earth is also coming to this world.
There is nothing wrong with doing the right thing at the right time.
He reached out his hand and rubbed Pasha's head.
"Baby, call me brother."
Pasha blushed and was embarrassed to shout.
However, Fang Yu understood the hope contained in those dark eyes and shining eyes. For a person who has lost all his relatives, what he hopes for most is the feeling of being recognized as a family member.
He likes Pasha, maybe because he has the same experience, but because he is luckier.
Soon everyone was ready.
Attila did not intend to get off the ship, because the elf lady has always been gentle and considerate. On the ship, Papalar fell seriously ill and needed care - acute dysentery, which made her almost exhausted and almost unable to get out of bed.
Probably the curse mark on the Papalar people has not been completely eliminated, or it may have become active again after returning to this land. However, everyone unanimously concluded that this guy ate something he shouldn't have eaten.
thing.
If the elf lady doesn't get off the boat, the big cat man will naturally stay on the boat, so the number of people in their group has changed from the original ten to eight people. Among the group of people who went to Traveler's Rest in the past, there are three less people.
But there is one more Brianne and Alyssa.
Just as Fang Yu thought, they walked through the road in their memories - passing through the trestle in the mist, surrounded by sparse and mixed aerial roots of mangroves, listening to the sound of gurgling from time to time under the dark water around them,
But it was very quiet along the way.
Just like last time, there was no trouble.
Although the travelers once thought that the occasional weird gurgling sounds were the sounds of water ghosts, once they returned here at a higher level, they could clearly perceive that they were just the movements of some small creatures in the swamp.
.
The wind lantern hangs in the mist, looking like a halo of light from a distance. There is a bigger creature in the forest in the distance. The dim light is the bait for the anglerfish that lives in the swamp. That thing is the same as them now.
Can't afford to offend.
Alyssa walked at the front of the team, looking around curiously - this was her first time in the long-famous Traveler Swamp north of Fenris.
"Is Dolifen far from here?" she asked suddenly.
"It's quite far."
"I'm a little curious, how far is it?"
"In fact it's not in this direction."
"oh."
Everyone was talking to each other one after another.
It didn't take long for Fang Plover to see the crooked road sign again - this 'old guy' was still the same as last time. There was no change. It looked like it would fall off at any time. The bark on the outside was mottled and peeling, and the moss was covered with it.
Covered all over.
The words "Traveler's Camp" and "Traveler's Trail" are still the same and difficult to read clearly.
Not far from the road sign, there are several lonely crosses, a few more than the last time we came here.
It wasn't until he arrived at this place that Fang Yu felt the feeling in his heart - he was back again.
Although this is not Kapka, nor Rodel, nor his first stop in this world. But for him, even for Tian Lan, Luo Yu and everyone in this team, this place is
It is a place with important memories.
It is the birthplace of the Seven Seas Brigade.
He turned around and saw Jita's bright eyes looking this way. Miss Naturalist tightened the big book in her arms, as if it was still a wooden book. But some things cannot be returned after all.
It's past.
Just like there are many new partners in the Seven Seas Troupe.
"I really miss you." Tianlan stood beside Luo Yu and chirped, "It's like yesterday."
Luo Yu just held the magic wand in his hand and looked into the distance of the mist.
…
The sword that was stuck diagonally outside the entrance to the Egon Forest unexpectedly took on a new look.
The rusty sword disappeared, and it seemed that someone had made a brand new sword specially for it, which was also inserted diagonally into the soil - everyone noticed this the moment they walked out of the forest.
Of course, the words engraved on this gleaming sword are still the same as before:
‘Mazak’s haven’
Once upon a time, it was said that every word on it was the law of this place.
There was still a burning bonfire in the distance, with sparks flying, and a few guards sitting around it. The old man Fang Piao had seen before was gone, and the guards seemed to have changed. The people who once greeted them were gone.
He is no longer there. The square in the distance is empty and there is no poet anymore.
Also with melodious music.
But the person who listened to the music in the past was still there, and Fang Plover couldn't help but look at the person next to him. Sylvide was also looking over, and her clear eyes met his gaze, which contained a slight smile.
, as if seeing through his heart and reading his thoughts.
She touched the back of his fingers lightly with her fingertips, her eyebrows were curved, and she was smiling a little playfully.
When the guards saw people coming out of the forest, they were a little surprised and held their weapons. They raised their heads and glanced in this direction. But when they saw that they were humans, they quickly lowered their heads and no longer cared about them.
They only focused on fiddling with the charcoal in the campfire, letting the dark red sparks fall to the ground, just like the legendary scene when Talos created the dwarves. But the guards were so focused, as if there was nothing else between heaven and earth, only this one thing was left.
Works the same.
As for the strangers walking out of the forest, they seemed to have nothing to do with them.
A gust of cold wind blew away the mist in the distance, making the campfire roar, but it seemed that this sound was the only one left in the world, and the guards were as indifferent as puppets.
Fang Yu felt a little surprised. He always felt that the atmosphere here was a little strange. He suddenly remembered what Princess Brianne said not long ago and couldn't help but look to the side. But the Elf Princess didn't look back and just looked in that direction silently.
After the fog dissipated, the outline of Traveler's Rest appeared behind it. That gloomy, heavy and tall building, each layer of brown-red birch wood buildings, stacked on top of each other, revealed little bits of darkness inside.
firelight.
He and Sylvester looked at each other again, and then like Brianne, he pulled up the hood behind the cloak and lowered it to cover his face.
After walking across the pontoon, the square was busier than expected. At least there were more people gathered here than the last time they came, but the relaxed atmosphere was missing.
Crowds of people gathered together in twos and threes, all wearing the same uniforms and colors. Adventurers were rarely seen. The group even saw knights and soldiers from Elpaxin. In the distance, rows of horses were piled up in the square.
All around, sharp wooden stakes pointed straight into the sky, and several flags were planted, hanging low and motionless.
"What's going on?" Tian Lan looked at the wooden stakes curiously, "Why does it seem like this place suddenly turned into a front line? It wasn't like this last time we came here."
"It's because of what happened in Charter City, right? I heard that the military forces in the El Paxin area have been mobilized around here. Didn't Sir Dickert write a letter to us? Didn't you read it, Tianlan?" Alyssa looked around.
He replied.
"Isn't it enough that Brother Ed has seen this kind of thing? Sir Dickert is very rigid. What's so fun about it?"
Princess Brianne couldn't help but joke when she heard this: "Tianlan, what you said is absolutely right."
"right."
Tianlan immediately became proud.
However, there was an inexplicable tense atmosphere filling the square at the moment. The surrounding soldiers and members of the major guilds made this group of people look out of place among the crowd. Fang Yu frowned, fearing that he would get into trouble.
, but sometimes even if you don’t look for trouble, things will still come to you.
People looked at them with a surprised look, and soon a slightly hostile voice came over: "You have gone to the wrong place, right now. This is not a place for children. El Paxin's announcement to you
Haven’t you seen it?”
The person who spoke was a warrior with a big sword on his back. When Tianlan saw the sharp-mouthed monkey-cheeked figure on the other side, she became very angry - not because of anything else, but because the other person was wearing the red uniforms of Jefflett.
Battle robe.
However, the Jefflett Red Team has been banned by the league, so this person is a peripheral member at first glance, one of the most fringe people.
Tian Lan glared at the other party and said angrily: "We are not from El Paxin."
"That's no wonder," the big sword warrior joked: "I advise you to leave early, so as not to waste a life. Children, please don't cry in the resurrection point of the temple later, hahahaha.
"
Tian Lan hates people calling her a child - she is obviously a charming, mature and generous lady, but this damn guy is simply blind.
She put her hands on her hips and was about to attack, but someone struck before her.
A ray of silver light shot out from behind Tian Lan and flew past the cheek of the sword warrior who opened his mouth. Before the man could react, the silver light disappeared into the swamp behind.
Tianlan turned around in surprise, only to find that the one who took action was actually Princess Brianne - the heroic lady of the Battle of Byrne. How could she have such a hot temper? However, Brianne did not look at her, she just raised her head slightly.
Come on, seems to be watching something.
"You dare to take action!?" The sword warrior was shocked.
But before he finished speaking, where the silver light disappeared behind him, a low sound suddenly came from the swamp. Then the water surface splashed with a splash, and three huge black shadows flew out from the water, one of which
They were rushing towards the sword warrior who had his back turned to them.
"Dragon beast lurker!" There was a low cry from the crowd, and there was an uproar.
Only then did the sword warrior react and turned around, only to see a black shadow covering him, and the sharp claws had reached his chest.
His face was miserable, so pale that he lost all color in an instant, as if he had seen the tragic scene of himself being disemboweled and his intestines flowing all over the floor. But how could the dragon beast lurk so close and no one noticed it?
Suddenly a surprised light flashed in his eyes, because he suddenly remembered the silver light from before.
——So that wasn’t the one who attacked him?
That woman?
But just as he closed his eyes and waited to die, everyone let out a cry of surprise, and at that moment Brianne moved.
The heroic lady of the Battle of Bain seemed to disappear from the place all of a sudden, and the next moment her afterimage appeared in front of the sword warrior. Before people even had time to see her movements clearly, they only saw that
A bright sword light flashed out from under the opened cloak.
The long and narrow sword was as ice-like as snow, with a white and crystal clear slender tip. It pierced the dragon beast's throat like lightning, and then quickly retracted it.
The monster wailed in mid-air, covered its throat with both hands, lost its balance, and bumped into it. Brianne pushed the sword warrior away with a backhand, and then looked at the dragon beast that hit her head-on.
Zhan Zhan.
Not seeing any movement from her, the dragon beast flew back and fell back into the lake with a crash, causing a splash of water.
And then a hexagonal grid flashed in front of Brianne. The gray shield blocked every drop of water, forming a transparent hemispherical sphere, allowing the muddy water to slowly slide down from it.
She then turned around and prepared to help Fang Plover behind her.
But just as he turned around, a bright light was reflected in his eyes. The huge black shadow had been split into two, and the upper and lower parts of his body fell off separately. Blood gushed out like a spring, blooming like bloody petals.
Behind the giant shadow, a slender construct with red light flashing in its eyes was slowly sheathing its sword, and the mellow blood like rose wine on the dark blade was gurgling down, forming a
Beautiful markings.
Fang Plover stood beside the construct, flicking his gloves without even raising his head. Sylvide stood behind him gracefully, but the maid lady did not move from the beginning to the end.
Brianne looked at this scene and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. It seemed like this little guy had grown up a lot since she last met.
She didn't bother with the third dragon beast.
Because before the dragon beast had time to leave the water, a sheet of white frost had spread from the silver dagger stuck on its body, forming a layer of ice in an instant, freezing the huge monster and the lake at its feet into a sculpture.
.
Then it crashed down behind her.
Seeing this scene, people woke up as if from a dream.
"The Elf of Aquin."
The knights from Elpaxin whispered and exchanged opinions with each other.
The Whisper of the North Wind and the Fairy of Winter refer to the elves of Aquin's branch. Just like the forest elves living in harmony with nature, their affinity with ice and the power of the elements is what their clan is renowned for.
Proud ability.
However, those who can transform their talents into actual abilities are considered to be the best among the Aquin elves.
At least it's awe-inspiring.
Only then did a knight come up and ask: "Are you guests from the direction of Charter City?"
The battle seemed to have come to an end. People did not expect that dragon beast lurkers would come here in this way. If the Aquin elf hadn't discovered them, they didn't know how long they would have stayed down there.
They checked the nearby swamp, but found no more enemies.
This is even more surprising, as it shows that the elf lady in front of her seems to be well aware of the surrounding situation.
After this short battle, no one dared to underestimate the Seven Seas Brigade. The sword warrior who was rescued by Brianne was even more embarrassed to stay here anymore and secretly walked away without even saying thanks.
.
"Is there anyone else in the direction of Charter City?" Brianne looked at the knight and asked.
The knight couldn't help but glance at the construct next to Fang Plover - a high-level combat craftsman. He felt that the origin of this team was mysterious, but it did not come from the direction of Charter City, nor did it come from Elpaxin.
, he was a little confused.
He glanced at everyone a little uneasily, then nodded and said: "People from the Silver Forest Spear Guild and the Rose Crusaders are stationed in that place, and many experts have gone there, so I thought everyone..."
"We are not coming from Charter City," Brianne replied bluntly: "We are just passing through this place, you don't need to worry about us."
Her tone sounded like giving orders, but the knight didn't feel any difference at all and immediately nodded and retreated.
But after a while, he felt something was wrong - the other party was not his superior, so why did he feel like he was facing the head of the group, and he had no objection at all.
Brianne then turned around, and Tianlan was looking at the dragon beast that had turned into solid ice - they looked a bit like giant toads, with pits on their bodies, and the bumps and bumps were glands on the skin. This giant
The strange body is dark green, but it is not completely solid, and its body is shrouded in a dense black mist.
The black mist was all too familiar to them, and Fang Plover could even smell a hint of Nicol Bolas in it.
"Why did the dragon beast appear in this place?" he couldn't help but ask.
But the crowd retreated one after another, making way for them, leading to the direction of Traveller's Rest.
Brianne glanced in that direction before replying calmly: "This place is no longer what you think. Nicol Bolas's power has already penetrated into this area, and it's only the people in front of them who can barely block its dragons.
An army of beasts.”
Her voice was soft, as if she was telling a matter of course, "Although that person's words were unpleasant, he didn't say anything wrong. The former Traveler Swamp is completely different from the current Traveler Swamp. You must
Get familiar with it all as soon as possible.”
"Get familiar with all this as soon as possible?" Fang Yu was slightly stunned, not quite understanding what this meant.
But the elf princess did not answer them. She only looked in the direction of the tall shadow, changed the topic and said: "Come with me, there seems to be someone waiting for you over there."
"Sister Brianne, you said someone is waiting for us?"
This time it was Tian Lan and others' turn to be surprised.
Didn't it mean that Mazak and Rune-Lynthius had already left Traveler's Rest? Who else would be waiting for them here?