Shana stepped out into the outside world for the first time.
It was the first time he saw a city as big as the Fire Guard City, the first time he walked such a long way, and the first time he saw the sea.
Shana was on a merchant ship heading to the Land of the Rising Sun. The ship was full of cargo and there were not many passengers.
The captain saw that Shana was a nobleman, so he specially allowed him to board the ship.
They set out from the port of Bay Town in the east of Suinhor, and their destination was the Golden City in the Land of the Rising Sun.
People say it is a place full of gold.
Because an alchemist can turn stone into gold...
But the reason why the rumors are called rumors must be because they are outrageous compared to the truth.
Shana learned from Carmon's mouth.
There is no gold there, and alchemists are only good at making props, smelting metals, and cooking potions.
A stone is a stone and will not turn into gold.
Shana was not very interested in gold. He stood on the deck and looked into the distance from time to time like everyone else; behind him, the sailors were busy, some were cleaning the deck, some were moving things, and some were tying sail ropes.
On the other hand, he and Carmon seemed very relaxed.
Shana lay on the side of the ship, looked at the sea and asked Carmon, who was holding a sword: "What's on the other side?"
Carmon thought Shana was asking about the destination: "The Golden City!"
Shana shook his head: "No, I mean outside the Ruhe Island."
In fact, the word "giant island" does not mean an island in the eyes of snake people, but is more like a synonym for the world.
How would Carmon know? He has never been there.
However, he could still talk to Shana: "Except for the first generation of snake-men ancestors who left the Ruhe Island, only the legendary Aiweier people left the Ruhe Island and arrived in the outside world."
"That was already a hundred or two hundred years ago."
"The Aiweier people say that there is a broader world beyond the giant island of Ruhe."
Carmon's eyes also became twinkling, as if they were faintly shining.
"far away."
"There is a new world."
Shana knew about the Ewell people: "Is it the Ewell man?"
"The daughter of Samos, the mother of all snakes, a fishing and hunting clan left over from ancient times."
Carmon nodded: "Arsini is the ancestor of the city-state people, Pance is the ancestor of the animal herder tribe, and the Evel people once lived in the northernmost wilderness and the frozen plateau."
"Most of them have now crossed the sea and left the giant island of Ruhe, and the few remaining people have integrated into various cities in the city-state and various tribes in the north."
Shana asked Carmon: "Do you believe it?"
"The story of the Evel people leaving the giant island of Ruhe and finding a new world."
Carmon replied: "Actually, I have been there."
Shana was stunned for a moment: "Where have you been?"
Carmon patted Shana on the shoulder, hugged him and looked at the sea together and said: "Didn't I tell you?"
"I was once on the sea, bathing in the first ray of sunshine that day."
"then."
"I saw the raging black storm from a distance."
"I have also wanted to see what the world outside the giant Ruhe Island is like!"
Shana turned to look at Carmon: "What's the end?"
Carmon chuckled: "Finally?"
"I finally gave up!"
He let out a long breath: "The black storm is too terrifying. No one can pass through that terrible storm. Even the powerful cannot resist the devouring of the endless darkness."
A short sentence contains an experience that is unimaginable to ordinary people.
Shana couldn't understand: "Then how did the Aiweier people survive the black storm?"
"They migrated as a family, and there must be many ordinary people among them."
Kamen spread his hands: "I heard that when that period of history happened, the black storm above the sea just weakened."
"And after the Elvirs left, the door to the outside world was closed again."
"It's really a ghost."
"How come I never encountered such a good thing?"
Shana nodded.
"Maybe."
"It must be God's arrangement!"
But compared to where the Elvirs went, did they really cross the Sea of Storms and find a new world?
Shana is more curious now about what Carmon wants to do outside Ruhe Island.
Is it just to add a glory to your own journey that surpasses others?
But Carmon was unwilling to say anything.
The journey at sea was very difficult. At first I suffered from seasickness, but later on I had problems with food and drinking water.
Arrived halfway.
They encountered a storm.
The storm swept from the sky, bringing dark clouds and lightning.
The captain led people on the deck to shout and roar, and he personally controlled the rudder and the direction of the entire ship.
Even Shana and Carmon joined the crowd, joining hands to fight the coming storm and heavy rain.
The captain was soaked in the rain.
He looked at the storm behind him and raised his voice anxiously.
"quick!"
"Acceleration Navigation."
"It's catching up to us."
The captain's face was as ferocious as a fallen monster, and the muscles on his face were trembling and squeezed together, forming dense folds.
In the end, they failed to escape the storm and were caught in it.
The boat rocked violently, waves came up one after another, the buckets on the boat rolled around, and some people were beaten down while screaming.
In the strong wind, some people were blown directly into the sky.
He tied himself to a rope and blew up into the sky like a kite, screaming and shouting from a high place.
But not long after he shouted, he disappeared.
The storm was accompanied by bursts of thunder, and the flashes of light were like sharp knives cutting through the darkness.
Shana felt the power of heaven and earth for the first time.
Mortals are so insignificant in front of this power.
They clearly saw the storm approaching with their own eyes, but they could not escape. They could only watch the other party getting closer and then drowning themselves.
No matter what kind of power you have, no matter how much you scream.
There's nothing you can do to change anything.
All you can do is long for luck and take care of yourself.
That feeling is really disappointing.
One can't help but want to kneel down to the storm, kowtow to him and beg it to let him go.
Shana couldn't help but asked Carmon loudly: "Is this the Black Storm?"
Carmon shouted in the storm: "Black storm?"
He shouted word by word, as if venting his inner emotions: "That's much scarier than this."
Xana, who was going to sea for the first time, could not imagine what kind of wind and waves were more terrifying than this kind of storm.
Xia Na also shouted: "Is it even more scary?"
"What kind of scene is that? Can anyone who saw it survive?"
Carmon's voice reached the extreme level: "It depends on your fate!"
"ah!"
The two of them roared together.
I don’t know how long it took, but the storm and heavy rain finally passed.
The sun shines on the ship again.
After the disaster, everyone on the boat got up.
Some cheered and shouted, while others laughed wildly.
Carmon and Shana leaned against the cabin, looked at each other and laughed. While laughing, the sea kept lapping at the cabin wall beside them.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter and crying are the two most common emotions, but laughter is more common than crying.
It can express happiness, bitterness, pretense of strength, and even despair.
sometimes.
It can also express nothing.
Just laugh.
You don't need a reason to laugh.
The people who had been fighting against the storm felt exhausted after the excitement, and they all lay like corpses.
Shana and Carmon were lying head-to-head. Although they couldn't see each other, they could feel each other.
Carmon suddenly asked Xia Na: "Xia Na!"
"What are you looking for in Thunder Swamp?"
Shana replied: "It's fate that guides me."
Carmon asked again: "What would you want to do if fate didn't interfere?"
Shana has never thought about this problem. His family has told him since he was a child that he must prepare to fulfill the family's long-cherished wish and mission.
"my words."
"Probably will become a scholar!"
"I like to read quietly."
"I don't have high demands, as long as this is enough."
Carmon couldn't help but add: "But that place must be a spacious and bright library or a sunny garden, the table must be filled with the most exquisite pastries and fine wine, and finally there must be a beautiful lake outside."
"
"Yes or no?"
Shana suddenly stood up and looked at Carmon, as if he saw roundworms in his stomach.
Carmon rested his head on his hands: "You are so understanding."
Although the next sea journey is still difficult, compared with the previous storms and life and death, it is no longer difficult.
Kamon and Shana first arrived at the Golden City, and then arrived at the City of Lights in a vehicle pulled by pack animals.
They finally saw the Colossus of God Ivar mentioned before and completed two-thirds of their small goal of not living in vain.
The hundred-meter-tall giant statue of the god stood beside the city's moat, holding a light in his hand.
At dawn, the lights will refract thousands of rays of light before the sun appears.
Light up the entire city of lights.
It is said that this is how the god Iva appeared in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The sun gives light to the land where the sun rises, and the god Ivar gives light to all the mortals who live here.
Shana saw the statue of Xinji, the first great elder of the City of Lights, in front of the Temple of Miracles.
"Is Great Elder Xinji dead?"
Great Elder Xinji of the City of Lights has lived for more than two hundred years. Apart from gods and apostles, he should be regarded as the longest-lived mortal in the records of the snake people.
This made him a legend.
Even in Suinhor and the Ten Thousand Snakes' Court, there are various stories about him circulating.
Kamon looked at Xingi's statue and said indifferently: "Although he lived for more than two hundred years and surpassed the limits of mortals, he still died."
"After all, he is just a human being."
Xia Na was a little regretful: "I thought I could meet the world's oldest man?"
Starting from the City of Lights, we walked through the rugged mountain road to the north.
We arrived at Thunder Swamp.
At this time, it had been more than half a year since Shana left his hometown.
Thunder Swamp is not connected into one area. There are many small islands in the swamp, and the terrain is intricate.
Shana and Carmon took a small boat to a small island called Whitebait Island, which went deep into the Thunder Swamp and produced a kind of precious whitebait, which was the favorite food of the nobles, elders, and alchemists in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The boat goes deep into the silent and deep water jungle.
The rickety boat emerged from a passage tangled with trees, and the world ahead completely changed.
In the distance is a lake with no end in sight like the sea, but the surface of the lake is extremely calm.
Reflecting the blue sea and sky.
At the end of the lake, there are endless clouds and fog.
The blue sky and the lake are connected together. The heavy cloud mountains connect the sky and the blue lake water presses down.
Xia Na felt that he had entered the legendary fairy tale world of fairies.
The snake man boatman holding the boat also noticed the expressions of Shana and Carmon: "Dear guest, do you think it is beautiful?"
Shana and Carmon nodded involuntarily. They couldn't find any other words to describe this place except beauty.
Any superfluous words seem to tarnish this beauty.
The boatman warned two people as usual.
"But it's also dangerous."
"Never go near the depths of Thunder Swamp, it's a forbidden area of death."
"The white mist will swallow up all living life, and only dead things can survive there."
There are often desperate people who want to go into the depths and touch those beautiful clouds.
Shana asked: "Why does the white mist only devour living things and not attack dead things?"
"Are they conscious too?"
The boatman replied solemnly: "This is the will of the gods. The gods do not allow mortals to enter there."
When it comes to gods, it’s hard to say much.
The boat became quiet.
And this time.
A ray of light slanted down from above the sea of clouds.
The light seemed to be leaking from the clouds, spreading out and shining on the lake.
The whole world suddenly changed qualitatively.
On the sea of clouds at the end of the sky, a looming city appeared.
When the sun shines in the city above the clouds, you can feel its antiquity and vicissitudes, and appreciate its former prosperity and heaviness.
Both Shana and Carmon stood up from the ship and moved to the front.
Shana blurted out: "The Lost Kingdom!"
Carmon didn't speak, but his eyes were blank.
That's right.
displayed in front of them.
It is exactly the city of gods depicted in "The Lost Kingdom" in the Fire Protector Temple.
It was a city built with the power of giants and decorated with the power of miracles.
The first land city built by the second-generation wisdom king Jeser, it is one of the oldest cities.
Even though Master Breman's paintings have been handed down from generation to generation, they are just paintings.
It was completely incomparable to the scene they actually saw at this moment.
A command from Sally, the master of life, not to block it but to show it.
Let the city of God's descent be completely revealed to people.
Then.
The Ruch monster did not hear the order from the Lord of Life to put it away.
It allowed the city to appear in the sight of mortals every once in a while, when the fog was lightest.
But even so, it’s just for you to see.
No living creature can break into the lost kingdom in the sky.
Xia Na looked at it for a long time before finally speaking.
He was very excited. He didn't expect to find the answer he wanted to find so smoothly.
"really have."
"It really exists."
Carmon wanted to say something, but his mouth trembled for a long time, and finally he could only say: "This is really spectacular."
Shana pointed to the city on the sea of clouds and said to Kamon.
"I want to get in there."
Carmon asked him: "How are you going to fly up?"
"And the depths are filled with white mist and scary monsters."
"Are you sure you want to go?"
Shana kept looking at the city above the clouds: "I must go in."
Carmon looked at Xia Na and saw the determination in Xia Na's eyes.
After a long time, he nodded and said.
"Yes, you will definitely go in."
"Anyway, you pay and I'll do the work."
-------------------
When the ship arrived at Silver Fish Island, the dispersed clouds and mist became dense again, completely covering the city on the sea of clouds.
Shana and Carmon finally stopped looking at the sky and calmed down and landed on the island.
It's like a paradise here.
The buildings on the island are all made of wood, and the houses are stacked on top of each other and crowded in the south.
Fishing nets were hung out in front of every house, with dried fish hanging on them.
It seems to be a fairly wealthy village. After all, they make a living by fishing for whitebait.
The female snake people on the island are busy repairing, while the male snake people are tugging the boat; people wear coarse cloth clothes and tie their hair into a ponytail with ropes, and some have short hair.
Some children were running around on the shore, making playful laughter.
Shana saw a mother shouting: "Stop running around."
"Wait a minute and I'll catch you before I beat your ass to pieces."
The child turned around and made a face. Children of this age can move very quickly and nimbly, and adults simply cannot keep up with them.
The mother was angry: "Don't come back at night. I'll see how good you are."
Carmon looked at the island and couldn't help but said: "It's really nice here."
"When I am no longer a mercenary, I will definitely live here."
Shana couldn't help but smile, thinking of his hometown, Yoan Town.
Seeing the new arrival on the island, the children surrounded Shana curiously.
Kamen's body was filled with evil spirits, which was a bit scary.
So the children avoided him.
Shana looked elegant and elegant, like a scholar.
The child who had just made his mother angry with his naughtiness looked at Shana and curiously stared at his long sword and ring, which were things that could not be seen on the island.
"where u from?"
"It should come from a big place, the land of the rising sun?"
"I'm from Suinhall," Shaner said.
This is much further than the Land of the Rising Sun.
The children's eyes lit up: "You are from the city."
The children were shocked. People from the Land of the Rising Sun and the King's Court of Ten Thousand Snakes often come here, but they rarely see people from the city-state.
"I heard that there were so many people there that there were one hundred thousand people in one city. When the king showed up, they were so crowded that they were crushed into meat pies. Is this true?"
"I heard that the king over there has immortality and is possessed by a spirit."
"I also heard..."
This rumor is as unreliable as the fact that there is gold everywhere in the Golden City.
Shana answered some questions and satisfied the curiosity of these children.
He and Shana were taken to his home by the boatman, where they would stay.
Carmon tidied up his room and came to Shana.
He asked Shana seriously: "How are you going to get up there?"
Shana said: "I have extraordinary power."
Carmon said to Shana: "In such a forbidden place of death, there is no difference between you and ordinary people."
"Even though Thunder Swamp is in the Forbidden Land of Death, the danger level is relatively low."
"That's also a forbidden area of death."
Carmon said seriously: "You have to pass through that terrible white fog to reach the city above the clouds."
"Leave aside whether there is any danger up there, how can you get through the white mist?"
Shana said: "It's just our first day here, so we're not in a hurry."
“Give it a try!”
"There will always be a way."
Shana said to Carmon: "The price I offer is that you can send me here, and you don't need to participate in the rest."
Carmon put his sword on the ground: "I never accept such a half-way mission."
"The tasks I took on were all completed successfully."
"Never fails."
Carmon said loudly: "I will not allow my record of winning every battle to be broken by you."
Shana looked at Carmon and was suddenly moved.
"Carmon..."
Carmon's stern face suddenly burst into laughter: "Were you moved instantly?"
"Are you ready to give me more money?"
-----------------------
at night.
When Shana fell asleep, the mark on his hand suddenly emitted light.
White threads ran out of Xia Na's body and filled the whole room.
The threads kept moving back and forth, condensing together.
The white silk threads gathered into a human figure with four limbs.
The thread ball man stood next to Shana and looked at him. The white silk threads that made up it were constantly squirming, looking a little scary.
The thread man first glanced at the sleeping Xia Na, and then walked to the window.
It opened the window and quietly looked at the moonlit lake and sea of clouds in the distance.
It raised its head and focused its gaze on a certain point.
Although the city hidden deep in the sea of clouds is not revealed, it knows that the other party is there.
"The city where the gods descended!"
The language spoken by the Xiantuan people is clearly the language of the Sanye people.
"If Shana comes here, then he must be here."
"It can't be wrong."
"Right in there."
"The Stone of Wisdom finally appears."
"The thread of fate is about to be untied, and everything will come to an end."
"Or is this just the beginning?"
The thread man then looked towards the direction of the sea.
"Owner."
"Where did you go? Why can't we find you?"
"Aren't you on the giant island of Ruhe? Are you in the outside world?"
"If you have become a god, if you have gained true eternal life!"
"Just please come back to us!"
"Don't keep us waiting any longer."
"Please come back!"
"Back to...where it all began."
The human figure formed by the gathering of silk threads twisted in front of the window, and its shape gradually became crazy and indescribable.
Its body burst out and turned into dense lines that wrapped around Xia Na's room and wrapped around Xia Na's bed.
Only one head poked up, approaching Xia Na's sleeping face from a high place.
The four eyes are only a few inches apart from each other.
One is tightly closed, and the other is only a deep hollow under the thread.
There was no emotion in the thread man's voice, but the words he spoke showed that he was very familiar with Shana.
"Shaina!"
"We've waited too long."
"It's been too long to wait."
The thread is getting more and more twisted, which means it is getting closer to madness.
"We are long dead, we don't exist at all."
"Death is nothing, our despair is far greater than death."
"They are all dead, but they bind us to time forever."
"It's time to end..."
"It's time to end..."
"Get it, get it at any cost!"
"Got to get it!"
I don't know how long has passed.
Amidst the dense white shadows and distortions, the thread figure completely dissipated.