There are still heavy rains, but the lightning and thunder have gradually become rarer, so the night is getting darker.
In the basement of a manor in the suburbs, Fernando sat in the corner with a gloomy expression. Roland walked back and forth anxiously, sneaking out from time to time to inquire for information.
In fact, even the owner of this manor did not know that the evil magicians had turned the basement of his manor into their stronghold.
"The night watchmen were confused by our arrangement and chased in the wrong direction." After a while, Roland sneaked in quietly, avoiding several traps while telling Fernando the news he had learned. "According to the previous training, the others
We divided into small groups and hid in other strongholds. The exact number of mages and apprentices lost will not be known until the situation calms down."
Fernando neither nodded nor shook his head: "What I want to know is, why can the black claw dog find it there?"
His bright red eyes seemed to hide a brewing terrifying storm, causing Roland, a friend who was extremely familiar with him, to subconsciously take a step back.
Roland said solemnly: "Yes, this is also my question. That stronghold is very hidden, and it is our first time to use it. There are no signs of being followed by black claw dogs along the way. I think someone may not be able to hold on anymore and join the black army."
It’s a dog’s claw.”
There was no weakness in his tone. Betrayal, killing, and escape were the themes in the later stages of the Dawn War.
"Investigate in secret, don't stir up big commotion for the time being. A good traitor might be able to 'help' us, and now two or three people are hiding in separate groups. Except for the two of us, no one knows where the other team is hiding.
"The traitor can hardly cause too much damage." Fernando's attitude was beyond Roland's expected calmness. He thought he would be furious and roaring, and would eagerly find out the traitor and torture him with various magics to help Ingrid.
revenge.
Roland nodded lightly: "I understand how to do it. To be honest, Fernando, I thought your temper would get out of control."
There was no smile on Fernando's face: "My anger is waiting for the right time to explode."
He sighed secretly in his heart. Although he and Roland have known each other for many years and are considered old friends, he still doesn't quite understand himself. He likes to find faults, has an irritable personality, likes to roar, and looks down on others, but he can
Control yourself. Understand the situation. Even if you refuse to admit defeat, you will not stubbornly persist in the face of conclusive facts and truths. Most of the time, your rants are directed at the situation rather than the person, and you know what is the best decision now. Anger
It will slowly accumulate until the day it breaks out.
"Judging from the attacking habits and signs, the person commanding the Night Watch team today is the 'Vulture'." Roland shifted the topic to analyzing today's sneak attacker, "He has been hunting us for a long time."
"Vulture" is their contemptuous name for a high-level Night Watchman, who is one of the top 30 men in the Night Watch. He is an eighth-level Sky Knight, codenamed "Hunter".
"Yes. At the end of the evacuation, he was hit by my 'Shadow Arrow', and he also shattered my defense. If it hadn't been triggered by a spell, maybe I would have had to find a way to transform into a lich." Fernando affirmed.
Roland guessed, and then said with uncontrollable anger, "We have to plan an action to strangle him secretly, so that all the night watchmen, priests and knights who dare to hunt us will be afraid and stop working so hard!"
"Assassinating ranked night watchmen will trigger a backlash from the church. Maybe there will be legends coming to hunt us soon. Are you willing to give up the foundation here?" Roland didn't agree with Fernando's idea. The "Magic" where he and others are located
The "United Teachers' Union" is very weak, and this is exactly the time when it needs to avoid attention and grow silently.
"Because we are weak, we need to do something big to let the magicians know that there is hope for following us. Anyway, there are traitors, and most of the foundations of Pephos County have to be passively abandoned. And our next goal is very clear.
That is to win over the nobles who are dissatisfied with the church and hide behind them." Fernando said as if he knew what Roland was thinking. His black hair hung down messily. The previous battle with the "Hunter" was not easy.
Roland said hesitantly: "I'll think about it again. Let's discuss this matter after we receive Douglas."
"Okay." Fernando replied briefly.
Looking at Fernando who kept silent, Roland seemed to see a human-shaped storm.
…………
The bright sunshine, clear blue sky, and the faint smell of the sea carried by the wind make Port Padre full of charm that is different from other places.
Fernando and Roland dressed up as businessmen who came to pick up the goods and walked back and forth in the fixed area of the dock. The corner of their eyes focused on the place where the sailboat was docked. According to the agreement between Garros and Douglas, this would be the meeting place, and the two wore
The white gloves he was wearing and the dark red handkerchief placed in his jacket pocket were status marks.
A classical sailing ship slowly approached, and Fernando and Roland's eyes lit up at the same time. This was the ship Douglas was on, one day later than scheduled - the weather conditions in the Storm Strait were bad, and it was very normal for ships to be late.
The two are not surprised.
"Black Claw Dog!" Suddenly, Fernando's face changed slightly. He saw several men covered in cloaks leading dozens of noble knights and attendants to the place where the ship was about to dock. Their unique black gloves showed their
identity of.
Roland's face was gloomy: "Is it a routine inspection, or is it specifically targeting Douglas?"
Since the fall of Antiphore, more and more magicians have come to the Kingdom of Holm, and the church has begun to pay attention to the inspection of ships. Of course, with the manpower and energy they allocate, most magicians can still successfully hide their identities, as long as
Not specifically, a great mage is not afraid of this level of inspection at all.
"How do I know!" Fernando roared in a low voice, "You have to judge by the strength of the night watcher."
At this time, a neatly dressed businessman walked in from outside the dock. The two immediately stopped their discussion and continued to pretend to be waiting for their goods.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen, have your goods arrived?" The businessman is tall, about thirty years old, with a high nose, thick black hair, and a full forehead. His facial features can only be regarded as regular, not handsome.
But those deep blue eyes gave him a unique temperament, a temperament that Fernando was quite familiar with.
Roland chuckled and said: "Not yet. The sailboat carrying our goods is probably blocked by the storm. Where is yours?"
He communicated enthusiastically like a true businessman.
"My goods have arrived, right in front of you." The businessman said with a smile, his tone was gentle, which made people feel like spring breeze.
"What?" Roland was stunned for a moment.
Fernando suddenly understood and whispered: "Douglas?"
Roland looked at the other person in shock, and then noticed that the young businessman was also wearing white gloves and had a dark red handkerchief in his breast pocket.
"Yes, are you friends of Garros?" The young businessman frankly admitted his identity and asked warmly, seemingly not at all afraid of the night watchman on the other side or of an ambush nearby.
"Yes, you, how did you come in from the outside?" Roland felt a little confused.
Douglas chuckled: "I disembarked early, came from the bottom of the sea, and waited for you at the port all day."
His smile was slightly playful, and he seemed to have a child-like innocence that was untainted by the world.
No wonder he wasn't worried about encountering night watchmen or ambushes. He had already carefully checked his surroundings before, and Roland suddenly understood.
"The goods are delayed, let's come back tomorrow, let's go have a glass of wine and communicate." Fernando said in the language of a businessman. He felt a little disgusted with Douglas in front of him, because he was also a head taller than him! And he was not as skinny as Roland!
While the night watchmen were inspecting the sailboat, the three magicians did not attract anyone's attention. They left like other merchants on the dock, got on a temporarily hired carriage, and returned to the capital of Pephoth County.
After changing several carriages in succession, the coachman became a member of the "United Magician Union", and it was then that Fernando and Roland formally introduced themselves.
"I am the president of the Peforth County branch of the United Trade Union, Fernando Ballista. You can just call me Fernando. I don't like my last name very much." Fernando curled his lips quietly.
"Fernando Ballista?" Douglas repeated with a slightly raised tone, and then smiled, "The 'Dark Storm' of the 296th place in the purification sequence?"
Roland nodded on behalf of Fernando, indicating that it was him.
"You can be included in the purification sequence when you first enter the high level, and after reaching the seventh level, you will be promoted to the top 300. Fernando, your magic power is probably much stronger than that of a normal high-level mage." Douglas praised with a smile.
During this period, most of the magic empire's strength remained, there were many archmages and high-level magicians, and there were seven or eight hundred people in the purification sequence.
Fernando chuckled: "I have only mastered and improved some spells and killed the Cardinal. How can I compare to you, the Archmage of the Nine Rings?"
Not paying much attention to Fernando's unconscious comparison, Douglas smiled calmly and said, "Me? I couldn't even get into the purification sequence."
"I have always been wondering about this matter. You are the Archmage, how come you didn't enter the purification sequence?" Roland learned about the purification sequence from the night watchman he killed, but Derek Douglas's name was not on it.
Douglas laughed softly and said: "When I was in Antiphore, I was always considered a strange guy. I didn't have any future in magic. I was able to become an archmage because of the accumulation of time, the legacy of my teacher, and my experience in the Dawn War."
It is normal for the church not to pay attention to the tempering, chance encounters and little ideas of your own. After all, the mages who have taken refuge in the church will give up their ideas and tell them that Douglass will never be able to become a legendary magician, nor will he.
What kind of ambition can he have? He will only ask his own questions and wait to die slowly. It is not worth wasting too much energy."
He joked to himself, not at all annoyed at being looked down upon.
"Strange?" Roland and Fernando asked at the same time. In the previous conversation, Douglas not only showed no strangeness, but also had a funny conversation and a warm attitude, which made people listen to him unconsciously, as if he had a natural leadership temperament.
At the same time, Fernando had a much better impression of Douglas, and he admitted that his ability to become an archmage depended on the accumulation of time.
Douglas smiled: "Yes, I am good at asking questions."
"What's weird about this?" Fernando said in confusion, and then continued to introduce himself.
Douglas suddenly interrupted him: "You should be good at elemental storm and lightning spells, right?"
"Of course, night watchmen rarely get nicknames incorrectly." Fernando nodded lightly.
Douglas fell into silence and murmured to himself: "Why can lightning kill people... How is lightning produced..."
Fernando and Roland looked at him in shock and confusion. Isn't it natural that lightning can kill people? Why do you ask? What a weirdo...