Shizu closed the door, and the noise outside became fainter, as if the two worlds inside and outside the house were suddenly isolated.
With the firelight coming through the cracks in the wooden boards, Fang Plover took a look at the room: a small workshop, only about ten steps from the other end, with a low ceiling, and a dye vat in the center of the room.
There are large and small pottery plates and tools stacked on the birch wood square table. The shelves on both sides are similar, but mostly filled with jars and vases.
There is a faint earthy smell in the air.
Fang Yu noticed that the furnishings in the house were covered with a thick layer of dust, and it seemed that no one had touched these things for a long time. The girl placed the basin on the ground, protected it with her hands and carefully lit a wind lantern on the table.
She picked up the wind lantern and adjusted the brightness. The dim light outlined the outline of the room. Then she turned around and said apologetically to Fang Plover: "Since Dolifen became like this, these things haven't been moved much.
There are a lot of things, be careful not to knock your feet, sir."
"Have you always lived here?"
The girl nodded, then shook her head. "I live in the city, but not in this place. I come back here occasionally to take a look."
"Are there any other residents in the city?"
The girl suddenly waved her hand at him, signaling him not to speak. Only then did Fang Plover hear a rushing sound coming from the darkness. He traced the source of the sound and turned his head, looking through the gap in the door panel to see the scene outside clearly.
Countless undead are slowly crossing the street, walking in one direction, like a ghostly river, with dense bones floating in it. The ghosts are silent, and the footsteps of skeletons are heard.
He held his breath and watched the mighty undead army take several minutes to pass. When the last ghost disappeared from the end of the field of vision, he turned back and asked: "Why didn't they find us? Where are they going?"
?”
"They can't see the people in the building. They should be heading to the city hall. The demon is controlling them."
"That demon, Nicol Bolas?"
"Shh," Shizu nervously raised a finger to cover her mouth: "Don't mention the devil's name, sir, she will hear it."
Fang Yu thought that she wouldn't be able to come in even if she heard it. But he didn't say this, and just asked: "Do you know her?"
Shisi replied: "No one here doesn't know her. It was she who destroyed this city thirty years ago."
"Here? Is there anyone else in the city?"
Shizu nodded again.
Fang Piao was a little strange, how could there be other people living in these ruins for decades? He had never heard any adventurers mention this matter, and neither did Jita.
The girl held the lantern and walked aside. She picked up a picture frame from the table and wiped it with her hands. After wiping away the dust, there was a portrait of her and a fat middle-aged man. That should be her father. This handicraft workshop
The owner of the house, the man put his arms around his daughter's shoulders with a happy smile on his face.
"This is my father. Everyone calls him Old Kit. Before he left us, everyone said he was a good man." She said as she carefully wiped the photo frame clean and put it back in place.
Fang Yu silently looked at the girl. She put her hands on her simple dress. Her face was very thin and her complexion was not very good. She obviously lived a very poor life, but her expression was very calm. Her brown eyes looked firm and persistent. She was not that kind of girl.
A character who is easily overwhelmed by difficulties.
He asked: "Why not take it away?"
"Because it's here."
Shizu said: "I hope this place stays the same, just like it did in the past."
"Same as the old days."
Fang Yu silently chewed these words.
He looked back at the golden-red gaps between the wooden boards in the darkness and asked, "But what if the fire burns this place?"
"No," the girl shook her head. "The fire will only burn down to the lower block. This scene will reappear every few months for thirty years, but it has never changed. Even the devil can't change it.
"
"Is the past coming back again?" Fang Yu thought to himself.
He looked at the girl carefully before asking: "Thirty years?"
But the girl didn't answer his question.
She picked up the lantern again and said, "Okay, we can leave this place, sir."
Fang Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized that it was completely quiet outside, so he nodded.
However, he took another look at the workshop, scanning every detail with his eyes, and found something underneath the photo frame. When Shisi opened the door, he walked over and picked it up, and found that it was a thin
of parchment:
"Howlett College Admission Notice"
'Dear Miss Shisi, your talent and hard work have been unanimously recognized by the tutors and guides of this college, and you are hereby approved to...'
The handwriting below was stained with dirt and seemed to be unclear. Fang Lu wiped it with his hand to no avail, so he could only skip a paragraph and read on.
‘…April 15th, please prepare all personal items before then and go to…report.’
The parchment was covered with mottled traces. Fang Plover frowned and glanced at the signer, who was also blocked by the dirt. He wanted to read it through again, but the sound of the door opening was heard behind him, so he quickly put down what he was holding.
.
At this time, a small object slipped from behind the photo frame. Fang Pulver was slightly startled and picked up the object.
The girl opened the door and looked around outside. After confirming that it was safe, she turned back and said, "Sir, where are you going? This city is not safe. I will take you there."
"Call me Ed, Miss Shisi, thank you for your help." Fang Pliong silently put away the things and walked out of the house. But he shook his head: "But I will go to the city hall next, where I will meet you.
Said it was too dangerous."
"City Hall?" Shisi looked at him in surprise: "Mr. Ed, what are you doing there?"
"My companion is in that place."
Shisi was silent for a moment and suddenly nodded. "I understand. I'll take you somewhere, Mr. Ed."
Fang Yu was slightly startled.
Although he didn't want to involve other people, Shizu's next words dispelled his doubts.
"The city hall is the work of the master architect Rogerta. By the way, Lord Rogerta is also one of the four major craftsmen of the Elpaxin Craftsmen Association. Because he is a dwarf, he also gave Dolifen the city hall.
An underground defense facility has been designed, and I happen to know one of the tunnels leading to the city hall. By passing there, we should be able to avoid the undead outside."
The girl explained to him.
Fang Yu was a little surprised, but after weighing it for a moment, he nodded. With his current fighting power, there was really nothing he could do when encountering the undead.
If this road is really safe, it is not impossible to consider it. "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Shis," he replied.
"You're welcome. It's hard to see outsiders here. Everyone should help each other." The girl smiled slightly and replied.
The two of them passed the street one after the other.
Fang Plover looked back, and saw that a few blocks away the fire was still soaring into the sky, dyeing the night sky red. It should be about three or four o'clock in the morning, but the night was as deep as the abyss, and there was no trace of what it was like before dawn.
He even doubted whether there would be a second day in this illusion. Before everything dissipated, it might remain at this moment forever.
Under Shizu's guidance, the two of them went around an alley. The girl stopped in front of a rusty iron gate and checked the lock on it.
"This is it, Mr. Ed," she turned around and said, "This is the entrance to the sewer, and the tunnel is also in it."
Fang Plover stepped forward and pulled the rusty chain with his hand, and the lock fell with a sound. Decades of time had already made it rusty.
Seeing this scene, Shisi didn't seem surprised and just opened the door with a creak.
But Fang Yu looked at the girl's back and suddenly said: "Miss Shisi, Mr. Rogerta is now the president of the Elpaxin Craftsmen Association."
"Ah?" The girl was slightly surprised. "Has Lord Rogerta become the president of the Craftsmen's Association? Sorry, the news here is too limited."
Fang Yu nodded. "About ten years ago."
The girl closed her mouth for a moment, looking a little embarrassed.
Fang Yu looked at her, but did not continue to ask further. He just said: "Let's go, Miss Xisi. I can talk to you slowly about the outside affairs when I have the opportunity."
The former nodded.
There is a mutilated leaflet posted at the entrance of the sewer, which has long been mottled and faded, with a strange emblem painted on it:
A dragon head with one horn missing.
The emblem was dark, like the color of dried blood.
'...to our gospel, the Church of Lofenlier...our fathers, brothers, and sisters, all salvation will finally come on that day...'
The writing on the back has long been blurred.
Fang Yu only glanced at it, and he had some vague understanding in his heart. He looked at the girl who was walking into the sewer, and followed her.
The next section of the journey seems a bit lackluster. Dolifen's sewers are just a trek in the dark, and there are no unexpected encounters. There is not even a rat in the sewers.
But this is very strange in itself.
The girl walked in front holding a wind lantern. She seemed to be very familiar with the road. She rarely hesitated at forks in the road and often chose the right route without thinking.
The surroundings seemed very quiet, like an isolated world. The gray light passed by some skeletons, as if they had been there centuries ago.
Buried under dust.
Fang Yu didn't know if they were victims from thirty years ago, but he had a question in his mind a long time ago, why there were so few survivors of Dolifen.
Where did Xinghui go?
The answer seemed to be hidden in the darkness ahead. For some reason, a picture suddenly flashed in his mind:
In the darkness, a pair of golden-red eyes were staring at him indifferently, which was chilling to the bone.
Then there is the brightly lit hall of Traveler's Rest. The air is filled with the strong aroma of cinnamon, which makes people salivate.
An old man with a pale face and meticulously combed hair stood beside him and said to him:
"Be careful, the dragon's wings foreshadow death. People who see dragon wings often see signs of death."
He shivered for a while before coming back to his senses from the many illusions. He subconsciously pressed the back of his right hand, and the mark on the back of his hand felt slightly warm.
At this time, the girl had already led him to the exit of the tunnel.
There was a cliff in front of him, and a ladder hung down from the top of the cliff. Fang Plover looked up and saw that it was full of black holes, and he didn't know where it led.
He tested the firmness of the ladder with his hands, and surprisingly found that there was almost no sign of looseness at all, and it looked very solid.
Shisi put the lantern on the ground and said to him: "The courtyard above is the city hall. The undead cannot enter the city hall. It is generally very safe inside."
Fang Yu turned around and said, "Are you going back?"
Shisi nodded. "I can't leave home for too long. It's been quite a while since I left home this time."
Fang Yu saluted her and said, "Then take care of yourself. Thank you, Miss Xisi."
"Don't worry, the way back is safe," the girl replied, "I'll wait for you to go up first, Mr. Ed. I'll take away the lantern later."
Fang Plover nodded, reached out and grabbed the ladder, and prepared to climb up.
But then the girl's voice asked again: "By the way, is Mr. Ed a friend of Hu Di?"
"Hu Di?" Fang Yu was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at her: "Do you know him?"
"I have met Mr. Hu Di several times. He is a very good person."
Fang Yu was silent for a moment and asked: "Then can I ask you a question, Miss Xisi?"
Shizu nodded.
"Are you an apprentice alchemist?"
A surprised expression appeared on the girl's face: "Mr. Ed, how did you know?"
"I saw that notice."
Xisi lowered her eyelids, and after hearing these words, the expression on her thin face seemed a little shaken. She clenched her fists, then raised her head and replied: "Yes, when my mother was seriously ill, my father always sighed, and there was nothing we could do at home.
, we can only pledge the workshop out."
"In Dolifen, the only way for ordinary people to get ahead is to become an alchemist. I know that I am just a girl, but I also hope that I can be stronger and help my father share some of the pressure."
"I can rely on my own efforts to redeem the workshop little by little. If that incident had not happened, everything would have slowly gotten better..."
She rambled on about something that seemed completely unrelated.
But Fang Yu looked at her and didn't speak immediately.
After a while, he asked: "Miss Xisi, why did you come to see me because of Hu Di?"
The girl shook her head: "Not exactly, Mr. Ed."
"not completely?"
Fang Yu nodded, as if he had a clear understanding in his heart, and his previous doubts seemed to have an answer at this moment. "I understand."
He raised his head and looked above his head, which was in the direction of the city hall.
A chess game? He thought to himself.
Shisi forced a smile. "Mr. Ed, if you see Hu Di, can you help me say thank you to him?"
"thank?"
"Because thanks to Mr. Hu Di, he helped me a lot when I was most desperate. My father's workshop... all depends on his efforts."
"Why don't you go and tell him yourself?" Fang Yu asked.
Shizu shook her head and took a step back.
"Okay," Fang Plover sighed and replied, "I promise you."
"Thank you, Mr. Ed."
The girl bowed to him, then ignored the lantern and turned around and ran into the darkness.
Fang Yu saw her disappearing and did not call her. He lowered his head and opened his palm. In his palm was a black round shield with a brooch, and above it was a dark silver dragon head with one horn missing.
When he turned on the system, he could clearly see the label of the brooch.
Zealot's Mark of Sacrifice.
Fang Plover raised his head, recalling a past incident he had learned about when he was in Kapka and studying the history of alchemists.
In the Sea of Clouds region, there was once a very prosperous alchemy school, the Holit School. The members of the school called themselves immortals. Unlike the magic craftsmen, this school was famous for studying the art of immortality.
But this school of thought fell about ten years ago, due to its involvement in the Battle of Byrne, its possible connection with the Oshur Empire, and the exposure of scandals involving the use of 'forbidden alchemy', including body modification and demonic blood sacrifice.
Defined by the kingdom as a cult organization, it was wiped out in one fell swoop.
Hollett College emerged more than half a century ago.
Its birthplace seems to be in Doliphon.
Fang Yu slowly recalled the name of the founder of this school, Hollett-Manlo.
He took one last look at the corridor in the darkness and put away the mark. He did not expect that this matter would be related to Hu Di. Then he turned back, grabbed the ladder and climbed up slowly.
This huge chess game seemed to gradually become clear in his mind.
