Faced with Maric's enthusiasm, Sharon, who was sitting on a high stool, was caught in a dilemma.
She was silent for a long time before giving a concise answer as usual.
"Um."
Maric looked at his friend with scarlet eyes flashing, and the smile gradually disappeared from the corners of his mouth.
This "living corpse" who often showed off his cold expression turned around a few times before he managed to squeeze out a few words from the gap between his lips.
"What did Sherlock Moriarty say to you before?"
"You seem to be paying attention to what's going on at sea lately."
Faced with her companion's question, Sharon did not answer, but shook her head slightly.
Maric finally stopped insisting, took a deep breath and said:
"Forget it, anyway, I have probably determined the accurate information about a compatriot."
"Bruce, Bruce Walker, you should remember him, a 'werewolf' boy, the one who liked bombs very much."
"Former coal miner." Sharon finally stopped being silent. Her light blue eyes surrounded by scarlet were lowered, as if she was searching for increasingly thin memories.
Maric nodded excitedly, "Yes, that's right."
"He fled to a small town near Jianhai, which is an important coal mine area in Loen. He probably didn't have any skills in the past, so he found a good job in the coal mine. Even though he has the characteristics of a Southern Continent person, he
It caused a lot of trouble."
As he talked, Maric laughed again, and had briefly forgotten the commandment of "temperance". He no longer talked a little, but talked a lot.
He and Sharon are different from other compatriots. They are white descendants like Yin En. In appearance, they are almost the same as the people of the Northern Continent. Moreover, so many years after the Age of Discovery, many native people of the Northern Continent have also contracted the disease.
Many mixed-race characteristics have become part of the society in the northern continent.
"Which city is he in?" Sharon suddenly asked.
Maric was stunned for a moment, the excitement in his eyes gradually faded, and he half-sighed:
"Tulasuo, Ford Mine in the Coal Capital."
...
Tulasuo, the capital of coal.
A thin layer of black ash hangs from the roof of the train station, which is always stained by soot. It always looks dirty from a distance.
A large number of passengers poured out of this coal kiln-like exit of the station. Some had bright eyes, full of hope for the future and opportunities; some had sharp eyes, seeming to be looking for every opportunity; some were strolling leisurely,
There were calm, well-dressed formal suits with one or two undone buttons; but more of them were lifeless men, old and young, dragging dirty linen bags forward slowly.
Dunn looked at this steel city populated by a large number of workers of different ages, looked at the factory chimneys puffing out smoke in the distance, and felt a depression far beyond Backlund's.
This kind of depression is not only visual and psychological, but also a kind of depression derived from spiritual intuition.
After being promoted to Sequence Six, Dunn rarely felt such an intuitive impact in the outside world, but the land he was standing on at this time seemed to be filled with incompletely purified undead, although it was not completely ruled by the breath of death.
, but the strong negative energy still pulls everyone on the ground equally, trying to drag them into the underworld.
Fortunately, it is far enough away from the Southern Continent and has an official deployment of extraordinary people that far exceeds that of ordinary cities. Most of the cults have been suppressed. Only the Aurora Society has taken advantage of the loopholes through the workers' groups. If the Spiritual Cult wants to do something here, it may begin to take shape.
Before, officials couldn't find anything.
But this kind of environment will be more conducive to my performance and digestion... Dunn thought this way, after a little recognition of the street signs, he took a carriage and came to a hotel with a fairly good reputation and booked a standard room.
After packing his luggage and having digested half of the "Requiem Master", Dunn casually walked out of the hotel. He used the "Ring of Shadows" (a sealed object created by the "hermit monk"'s extraordinary characteristics) to hide himself in the shadows and sneaked all the way to the vicinity of the coal mine.
.
Dunn, who has many years of experience as a Nighthawk, knows very well that this sweat industry is often accompanied by the employment of illegal armed forces and wild Beyonders to resist intrusion from other mines and officials.
It sounds ridiculous, but the number of wild Beyonders in the largest mine investigated by Nighthawks is actually comparable to that of a standard team.
Being found in a place like this often has only one ending.
Sure enough, as soon as Dunn arrived at the coal mine closest to the city, he felt a stronger sense of depression than near the train station.
"Ford Mining Area..." He glanced at the sign at the door, his eyes suddenly turned dark, and it didn't take much effort to make the patrolling guard fall into a brief slumber.
After doing all this, he emerged from the shadows, took off the "Shadow Ring", and walked deeper under the cover of his extraordinary abilities.
In the "dark" vision, he saw a few weak wraiths hiding on the rocks near the exit of the coal mine. These would be good actors.
...
"Stop."
Colin half-raised his palm, and the compact team behind him, decorated with lights, suddenly stopped.
The demigod looked at the dark high sky, judging the time based on the frequency of lightning flashing across the sky from time to time, and cast his gaze further to the desolate and silent plains and the meandering dry riverbeds without water.
In the center of the plain surrounded by overgrown riverbeds, the rivers that only reflect the dim light of lights in the dark flow with the sound of rushing water. The black outlines are shadowy and layer upon layer, making it look like a city that has lost its vitality.
Judging from the traces of desolation here, this city should have lost its last resident a long time ago, and no one has set foot there since then. From a visual perspective, there are even very few monsters here, only "witchers"
The powerful perception is feeding back to Colin the fallen shadows hiding in the darkness.
"I feel a familiar power." Lovia, who was wearing a dark purple robe, walked to Colin's side, stopped and looked at the seemingly unmistakable darkness, frowning slightly.
She looked at Colin and lowered her voice:
"I feel the breath of the Lord here."
Colin was also alert, and did not pay attention to the other party's blasphemous move of equating the true Creator with that Lord. Instead, he said seriously:
"The 'God of Mystery' was once believed in here. Be careful of the additional dangers caused by the contact of the two auras."
Looking at the city ahead that was filled with mist, and even lightning could not illuminate the city, "Demon Hunter" Colin took off the two straight swords on his back, and at the same time ordered the team to prepare for battle, and skillfully painted the swords with different functions.
of ointment.
The Silver City team moved slowly and resolutely. Under the leadership of the two elders, they cleared away a small number of monsters that emerged from the darkness without haste, until they reached the edge of the dilapidated city.
Derrick, who had been following Colin closely, looked at this city that was closely related to Mr. Fool, raised his arms with curiosity, and illuminated the distance with his own condensed light.
Wherever the golden color reaches, figures as still as statues stand all over the streets. Time seems to have stopped for them. Old linen clothes are fluttering in the wind. Pairs of empty eyes look through the city gates at the terrified faces. Derrick was so frightened that the young man stepped back and almost fell down.
Derrick, who was so frightened that his light went out, bumped into a solid chest. He looked up and saw Chief Colin looking at him reproachfully, as if scolding him for his instability.
Attracted by the sudden light just now, many people in the Silver City exploration team saw the extremely terrifying scene in the city, and the low-pressure sounds of fear could not be heard.
"Your Excellency, what was that just now?"
Guilt and fear were mixed on Derrick's face. Colin glanced at him, looked at Lovia who was silently devouring flesh and blood, and said softly:
"The scene just now reminds me of the high-sequence abilities of the 'divineer' described in the classics."
"They are good at controlling people's bodies and can transform people into secret puppets, and this weird ability is often related to similar horror scenes. The previous elders speculated that this may be a requirement for high-sequence roles of 'divineers'."
As he spoke, Colin took out a silver-white pocket watch from his arms, feeling the loss of his own spirituality, and said to Lovia:
"Be careful. Derrick and I will enter the city gate first. If anything changes, you will take the team back to Silver City."
Lovia, whose mouth was stained with blood, nodded slightly, and a huge silver-white armor rose from the ground.
The illusory knight thrust his sword deeply into the ground, instantly building a defense around the team.
Colin held the sword in both hands and directed Derrick with his eyes. The two of them walked side by side towards the city gate that had returned to darkness.
This time Derrick did not try to use sunlight to clear the way, but held the lantern honestly, and the "Sword of Silence" held in his right hand was also rising in the morning light.
In Colin Yinliatt's eyes, two dark green symbols stood out, incorporating the street behind the mist and the still figure of Mo Lake into the hole.
He did not receive any impact, and even the silver pocket watch hanging around his neck showed no reaction. He still instinctively stole Colin's spirituality, but each time he stole a larger share, and even Derrick on the side was included. defined the scope of this sealed artifact.
Finally, with their spirituality disappearing like water, the two of them walked through the city gate. Their vision suddenly became brighter. The fog in front of them disappeared, and they could clearly see the still people.
This scene that revealed the horror reminded Colin of another city-state he had explored when he was young, the ancient city of Nos.
"Chief, my spirituality is constantly losing."
Derrick, who felt that half of the spiritual energy in his body had evaporated, frowned and said uncomfortably.
"This is the negative effect of the sealed objects." Colin said in a hoarse voice as he examined the towers, churches and other buildings that were vaguely visible in the darkness.
"But... look around." Derrick raised the "Sword of the Silent", and the morning light illuminated the nearby humanoid sculptures.
Colin, who was attracted by the dilapidation of the ancient city, suddenly withdrew his gaze and looked around himself. While he was wondering about the lack of response to the spiritual warning, he narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the corpse closest to him. The muscles were rapidly decaying, and the madness of the years was suspended. He counterattacked and turned the corpse into a withered skeleton in just a few seconds.
Coincidentally, all the corpses around Colin had the same mutation. They all turned into white bones and fell down unable to support themselves. The traces of time were etched and imprinted on these bones. If you look at them, you can see that they are not the same as those placed naturally. The corpses are the same.
The sealed artifact evolved from the "Insect of Time" left behind by "Parasite" Amon seems to have reacted with some kind of power in this ruins!
The thin mist from outside the city filled the streets silently, and the clock tower that modeled the outline of the lake in the distance gave off a little starlight. The whole city was instantly lit up. The weak lights brought this city-state that had been abandoned for thousands of years back to the night it once was, orange and red.
The warmth illuminated every house, and only the stationary pedestrians on the street still maintained their last expressions under this warmth.
Suddenly, Colin groaned, but he did not dare to use the pocket watch around his neck. He could only try his best to restrain the blue-black skin on his body and grab Derrick.
"leave here."
Derrick, who had experienced many dangers, did not panic. He quickly pushed out of the city-state with the pace of the chief. He was slightly relieved when he saw Elder Lovia standing at the front of the team.
Colin, who barely suppressed the strange movement in his body, put away his pocket watch.
"The high-sequence legacy of the 'Stealer' has had an impact on things in the city-state, and time-traveling scenes have emerged. What are your thoughts and opinions?"
Lovia, who was being watched by him, didn't rush to speak. She licked the remaining blood at the corner of her mouth before saying:
"'Soothsayer', 'Stealer' and 'Apprentice' are all channels corresponding to the authority of the 'God of Mysteries'. Maybe we should try another entrance."
She glanced at the bulge in Colin's chest pocket and said, "We can try to rule out the influence of the pocket watch."
...
Backlund Bridge area.
The postman in a dark green uniform held his satchel and hummed a tune as he walked back to his rented apartment.
He followed common sense and opened the door with the key. He looked at a young man who looked exactly like him sitting on his favorite recliner in the room and raised his eyebrows.
"According to the last referendum, the main body should not bully the clone too much. I think this is our consensus."
The young man on the recliner was unmoved. Instead, he grabbed a glass of beer from the air and took a sip.
The postman turned around and saw that, as expected, the beer glass he placed under the cupboard was missing one, and the liquid in the wine bottle next to it was half lower than when he left the house in the morning.
"It seems that you are here to take me back?" The postman shrugged nonchalantly and sat on the bench opposite the recliner. The postal package he was holding was thrown somewhere.
"Of course not." Amon drank the last drop of beer in the glass, smiled and shook his head.
She looked at her clone, and some light spots spread out from the body surface and were pushed into the clone.
"I happened to pass by here, it's closest to you."
"I'm here to give you a promotion."
"Surprise?"
The postman shook his head, then took out a monocle from nowhere and put it on his right eye.
"I'm not surprised at all. Promotion without reason often means that the leader needs you to take the blame."
"Tell me, what are we going to do?"
Amon raised a smile on his lips, pinched his monocle and said:
"It's very simple. I need you to contact Antigonus."
The postman suddenly understood and started to take action while complaining.
"Can't you do this yourself? The 'mysterious' pollution is not fatal to you."
She stretched out her hand and pulled it into the air, and her arm instantly collapsed into a ball of worms.
But the twelve-linked worm remained strong and faithfully completed its mission.
Watching the postman disintegrate and disappear, replaced by a young man with long black and white hair occupying the seat, Amon's smile became even brighter.