Looking at the ancient and mysterious building in front of him, looking at the incomplete and dilapidated but vaguely discernible "Eye" emblem on the stone pillar, and feeling the coldness everywhere, Thales was in a trance.
He seemed to have returned to six years ago, to that icy and snowy night, in the murderous military camp of the Black Sand Duke, when the neurotic big-nosed doctor drew those three unfamiliar patterns by the campfire.
Three magic towers.
Thales stared blankly at the emblem representing the Alchemy Tower, and sighed softly, as old memories slowly came to his mind.
Since the night of dragon blood six years ago, Ramon, the former black doctor of the Brotherhood, died tragically at the hands of the blood magician (thinking of this, Thales can't help but think of the mention of the seamstress Kez Ramon
The careless expression when looking at his long-missing father), Thales has lost an important channel to explore legendary magic and wizards. Asheida may be another source of information, but whether it is his long-term whereabouts or his
No reservation in teaching can satisfy the prince who is thirsty for knowledge.
In the past six years, Thales could only spend as much time as possible in Nekaru's library. With the help of Thelma, he searched for long-lost taboos from books. At the same time, he had to do everything possible to avoid Nicolai and Nikolai.
The spying and surveillance of Lisban and others to avoid causing disaster. According to what Ramon said during his lifetime, since magic and disaster are taboos that the world has tried hard to forget for hundreds of years, then such things as "The Prince of the Stars is obsessed with mysterious knowledge", "Tiel"
It would be better if news like "His Royal Highness is obsessed with disaster legends" rarely appear on the desks of major intelligence agencies.
"Tower of Alchemy?"
Just when Thales was immersed in his memories, Russell on the other side couldn't help but said: "Alchemy? What is it? Does it have anything to do with the alchemy ball?"
No one paid any attention to him, of course, maybe because no one knew the answer.
Samir kicked a pile of gravel at his feet and frowned: "You said, this is the legendary Alchemy Tower?"
"The source of those alchemy balls, anti-demon weapons, and various secret gadgets?"
Ricky shook his head.
"Of course not the headquarters," Ricky held the torch and looked around, looking at the desolation on this floor, seeming to sigh: "According to legend, the headquarters of the Alchemy Tower has more than a hundred magic towers, covering a vast area.
, it’s so spectacular, how can it be compared to this simple underground building.”
More than a hundred towers...
Thales looked around, thoughtfully.
"Simple," Samir snorted, lighting up the stone stairs behind them with a torch and looking at the bottomless road ahead: "You call this 'simple'?"
Ricky smiled strangely and didn't answer.
He turned around and walked towards the downward spiral staircase: "Let's go to the next floor."
The mercenaries who were immersed in shock finally came back to their senses.
"it is true."
When passing by the drill, Thales noticed that the assassin of the Shadow Shield looked around in surprise. He gently touched the dusty stone pillar with his hand and murmured to himself.
.
"Mage, magic, those legends and stories," the driller lowered his head and looked at Ricky:
"It turns out it's all true."
The drill's eyes moved: "Maybe we can find more valuable things...alchemy balls, anti-demon weapons, or even..."
"Stop dreaming." Samir walked past him and interrupted him.
"I don't know how long ago, the Kingdom of Stars turned this place into the 'dark prison' of the Bone Prison, specially used to detain their felons," the former flag officer of the royal guard said coldly: "Whether it is reconstruction or demolition, you
Do you think the Kingdom’s Secret Science will leave anything valuable to people like you?”
The driller remained silent.
The group of people continued walking downward.
Facing the unfamiliar unknown, everyone's whispers quietly sounded in the darkness.
"I remembered, Master," Russell's voice came from behind the narrow passage: "It was mentioned in some miscellaneous books, but I always thought..."
"You think that's just nonsense?" The driller answered with a chuckle.
Russell stopped talking.
Thales listened to their conversation but was distracted.
Even as a hostage, after six years of searching, the prince has not found nothing. However, "magic" and "mage" have left Thales with more and more doubts.
Obviously, all the books that existed before the end of the war will more or less mention magic and mages, such as:
"The Biography of Knight Needham" from the Kings period mentioned that the wise [Mage] Riven blocked the way of six knights, prevented them from robbing the law field, and gave them advice in a barn;
"Northern Martyrs" contains "Facing the severe situation, the [Mage] advisors suggested a retreat, but King Anset sternly refused. He was determined to lead his troops to stay at the Sixth Outpost and use the terrain to block the Emberbone Clan.
"the main force";
"The Union of Kings" writes that the temple guards, the Myojin priests and the [Mage] representatives tried their best to mediate, so that the two kings, the irritable King Naki and the proud King Feilun, who had a long history of feuding, could sit in the seats furthest apart.
on, facilitating the convening of the meeting;
The long bard "Telega" mentions that "faced with the princess's illness, the court [mages] were helpless".
In fact, in the heroic biographies and bardic epics of the Kings period, whether they were fighting against orcs or elves, in the context of fighting against alien races, the image of mages as wise men often appeared, and many of them were even among the princes and nobles.
Important counselor.
But in the imperial era, records about mages and magic began to decrease, and the image became more and more mysterious, evil and terrifying. However, many religious-related books mentioned some "unfaithful people", and they were usually described in a negative way:
The "Travel Notes of Saint Losona" from the ancient empire period states that Saint Losona was treated horribly in the land of the [Mage]. His eyes lost light and his limbs trembled and it was difficult to walk. Despite these inconveniences,
The believer abandons the teachings of the gods and laughs at his faith, but the steadfast Losona remains the same and pious;
"The Suppression of Bandits in the Northland Province" mentions an illegal expedition. Duke Allende wrote to the people behind the [Mage] expedition, sternly reprimanding them for invading forbidden areas as "violating the Convention".
It will bring disaster to mankind;
As one of the ancient books of the Knights Temple, "The Encyclopedia of the Knights Temple" describes a battle between knights and evil cultists. One of the knights once lamented that their enemies were "simply weirder and more evil than the mages."
The general history narrative mentions that "the Northern Temple branch had to surrender to the empire to ask for help in order to curb the mages' greed";
"Jianhu City Plague Record" even wrote: "The terrible witches warned the city lord, claiming that his contempt for [magic] would make him pay the price, but the powerful city lord laughed it off. That night, the city lord's daughter developed a high fever
”.
More recently, after the demise of the ancient empire, in the books of the final empire, the figure of the mage only appeared in very few records.
The results of Thales' efforts ended here: there were only these fragments of news about the mage's magic.
It stands to reason that these few words should indicate the existence of the group of mages, but even after the end of the war, Nekaru, who is the king of Exeter, smiled in order to fight against the queen of the sky, and gathered the efforts of the whole country to search for a large number of classics.
, Thales couldn't find any positive records about magic and mages.
From the changes in descriptions of mages, to the gradual reduction of their figures, to their complete disappearance, or even no trace at all...
This feeling is like...
Thales sighed.
He rubbed the dusty wall and followed the people in front of him down the stone stairs.
It's like there is a person. You can see his footprints, used things, written records, saved information, and photos everywhere in your life. But when you really want to go back and find this person
, everyone around you will tell you unanimously: No, there has never been such a person, he does not exist.
Even in the group photo, there is only a human-shaped blank space.
This is the mage.
This couldn't help but give Thales a strange sense of horror. Even when he was sitting alone in the library, he couldn't help but feel the chill that grew up behind him.
And just today...
Thales couldn't help but raise his head, looking over the shoulders of the people in front of him and looking at Ricky's figure.
Today, he really stepped into the legendary magic tower. Although it is only a branch, according to him, it may be the birthplace of anti-magic forces.
At this time, the drill spoke again, interrupting Thales's thoughts:
"How did you find the key, Crassus?"
"I don't think the Stars would keep a lock with two keys and use it as a prison for felons."
This question aroused Thales' interest.
Ricky, who was walking in front, paused in his steps.
"The Star People thought they controlled this place, just like they thought they had covered up history and sent magic and mages to their graves," Ricky's laughter slowly sounded. "A grave that only the gravedigger knows."
"The problem is, they're not the only gravediggers."
"The records in the Tower of the End are no less than theirs."
"So," Drill's voice suddenly rose in the darkness: "You were once a member of the Tower of the End?"
Ricky said nothing, as if he suddenly realized his gaffe.
Thales looked stern.
"Well, that explains it," the driller's laughter came, and Thales could imagine the way he raised the corners of his mouth in the darkness: "Why not long ago, you were able to attack the Tower of the End with overwhelming force."
As time passed by, the coldness around him became more and more unbearable. In the field of vision illuminated by the torch, there were still only stairs one by one.
Thales' feet once again hit the ground.
They came to the next level.
Ricky kicked away a piece of wood blocking the road and raised the torch.
What appeared in front of us was still the central stone pillar with the emblem of the Alchemy Tower, a familiar architectural layout, and nine cells with only pitiful skeletons left.
Wait, nine?
But Thales discovered that this room was larger than the one on the upper floor.
"Still no one."
Ricky took back the torch and shook his head in disappointment:
"Keep going down."
Thales put away his curious eyes and his desire to take a closer look at this place, and was pushed forward again by Marina behind him.
The third floor was still empty, with only skeletons left.
The fourth floor, the fifth floor, the sixth floor...
Each time you go down to a floor, there are more and more corresponding cells, and the rooms are getting larger and larger.
Black Prison Thales said to himself: This is like a cone buried underground.
With repeated misses, disappointments, and the same dim scene, just like Thales trekking in the desert, he found that the people in the team were gradually affected.
In the boundless darkness, the voices of everyone gradually became less and less, only the sound of footsteps could be heard clearly, and the atmosphere became more and more depressing.
They came to the first floor of cells again.
"This is the tenth floor." Clay exhaled: "If we can't find it again, maybe we should consider a retreat."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the Swords of Disaster all darkened.
"Well," Russell looked at the drill beside him: "It makes sense."
The driller didn't answer, just glanced at Ricky.
Ricky frowned slightly and said to Samuel:
"Maybe it's further down, maybe you're sure he's still alive?"
Samir walked to each cell, held a torch and bent down, looking at the bones carefully.
"I'm sure," his voice was slightly stiff: "I'm sure."
"He must be alive."
he?
Thales saw that Clay shrugged and gave Josh a disapproving look.
Josh understood what he meant.
"Do you know how much damage incarceration can do to a person?"
Josh crossed his arms and said to Samuel: "Especially in a dark prison, you can only live alone, confused, and end miserably. From being locked up to death, you will be cut off from all contact with the outside world. You will have no contact with the outside world."
People can hear your weeping and crying."
"Believe me, I have been in many cells and very few people can last that long."
Samir paused slightly and stood up.
But a few seconds passed, and the former royal guard just shook his head firmly.
"If it were him, he would definitely be able to survive it, no matter what kind of injury it was."
Thales' heart skipped a beat.
he?
Josh smiled.
"Do you know what is the most terrible punishment for a person?"
"It's not death, it's not injury, it's not torture," Josh sighed softly, seeming to be feeling something:
"But isolation."
Samir stood still on the ground, motionless.
Thales could only see his back shaking slightly.
Josh paced slowly.
“When you lose all channels of communication with the outside world and are completely isolated, no one listens to you or talks to you, no one reacts to you or waits for your reaction, no one interacts with you or takes you to interact, you can’t see
New things, no new sounds to hear, no new things to feel, everything around you, including yourself, will remain the same day after day, back and forth, in a continuous cycle, until forever..."
Josh's voice expanded in the darkness, with a slight hatred and low tone, which made people quite uncomfortable.
Thales saw that Samir's fist slowly tightened.
"You can still handle it on the first day."
"On the third day, you feel uncomfortable and irritable all over, jumping up and down, beating the wall and the floor."
"After a week, you'll start talking to yourself, look sluggish, and act like a madman."
"In two weeks, you will experience your final despair and madness, and do all the things you would never have thought of after being aborted."
Josh smiled softly, his eyes wandering, as if he remembered something.
"And when a month passes, most people become slurred in speech and confused in perception."
"They often lack emotions, their intelligence deteriorates, and they collapse into a beast. Even if you release them, it will be of no use."
Josh's voice was low, as if he was telling a story with a bad ending:
"They are forever lost in a lonely void, never to return."
Josh's voice slowly faded away.
The atmosphere among everyone was also depressing to the extreme.
Samir was silent for a long time.
Ricky didn't rush him, just watched silently.
After a few seconds, Samir took a deep breath.
"He must still be there."
Samir turned around suddenly: "He taught me how to fight, how to persevere, how to..."
"He can definitely do it."
Fire burst out from his eyes.
"Besides, only he knows what it is."
Josh shrugged at Clay and made a "helpless" expression.
The prince frowned: Who is the person they are looking for? What does that person know?
He wasn't the only one asking this question.
"Who are you looking for?"
Russell heard their conversation and asked displeasedly: "You know, we are in a hurry."
"Really?" Samir pointed at the stairs and snorted:
"If you want to go first, no one will stop you."
Russell was speechless for a moment.
Ricky sighed: "Go on."
So they started the downward cycle again.
Step by step, layer by layer.
Finally, after passing countless empty cells, they arrived at a room with more than a dozen cells on the first floor. This room was so big that it could be called a "hall".
Ricky stood still in this hall.
"What's wrong?"
Clay stepped forward in disgust, raised a torch and illuminated the surroundings, which also revealed many cells and a pile of skeletons.
"It's still the same, there's nothing but dead people."
But Thales noticed something different.
Among the dozen or so cells separated by metal bars, there was one cell that was particularly strange.
It's all black.
No fences could be seen, no bones could be seen, nothing behind could be seen.
There was only darkness.
It's like... it's like a dark curtain has been put on the outside
Soon, others noticed this too.
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
"Other cells only have bars," he stepped forward slowly, stepping on the rubble, holding a torch and slowly approaching the room covered by a 'curtain': "But this..."
"careful."
Samir approached from the other side, frowned and said, "You don't know how many things from the Alchemy Tower the Star People have inherited."
Ricky nodded. He stood in front of the weird cell, stretched out his torch, and carefully knocked on the thick "curtain".
Bang, bang.
The dull and thick voice echoed in the small dark cell.
Everyone subconsciously held down their weapons, wary of possible accidents.
But a few seconds passed and nothing happened.
The cell remained silent.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's made of iron. It rises or falls from the cracks in the ground outside the fence." Ricky squatted and carefully observed the contact point between the iron curtain and the ground: "At least it's some kind of metal. I think, this thing
It separates this cell from the hall outside."
He raised his head and asked Samir on the other side:
"Is it this one?"
Samir was standing on the edge of the Iron Curtain, looking at an iron plate made of unknown material hanging on the wall.
"No," Samir looked at the words above and said calmly:
"This sign says that the person imprisoned here is a lone thief who ran rampant in the south of the kingdom more than 20 years ago."
Russell narrowed his eyes: "Big thief?"
However, the iron curtain suddenly trembled!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Everyone was shocked and took a step back!
In the extremely oppressive darkness, a frightening dull sound suddenly came: "Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Calm down" Ricky instantly drew his sword in his hand and looked warily at the iron curtain that was shaking with the muffled sound.
Clay's face turned pale: "This is..."
The worried people looked at each other.
At this moment.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
A faint scream seemed to come from a place dozens of meters away.