Soothing and distant music came from the stairs below.
In the early morning, Lorraine Hill changed into a dark blue and bright yellow dress, gently held the handrail of the wooden stairs, and walked down. A quiet and soothing music slowly entered his ears.
The strings were not plucked very fast, but the sound did not break, but relied on the lingering sound like water in the mountains, flowing quietly and surrounding it gently.
After walking out of the stairs, Lorraine Hill looked at the lobby on the first floor of the hotel. Seven or eight tables were now occupied by several elves and humans in twos and threes. An elf poet was gently playing the lyre in his hand in the corner.
The faint singing voice is so soft, as if coming from a distant and nostalgic world, making people intoxicated.
The hall that was supposed to be noisy is now very quiet. Everyone is eating quietly and enjoying the rare music in the early morning.
After gesturing at the counter and ordering a piece of bread and hot milk, Lorraine Hill himself carried a plate to an unoccupied table.
She first placed the doll with her arms on a chair nearby, then picked up the bread and ate it slowly.
The dark brown bread is sprinkled with sparse and trace amounts of sugar granules, and it feels a little hot to the touch. After tearing it open, a hot white steam can't wait to escape from it, and it smells like wheat.
I have to say that the hotel arranged by the mission this time was really good. Even though Lorraine Hill has traveled to so many places on the mainland, there are few comparable hotels in comparison.
Although the materials used are not luxury or rare, they are all carefully made and very clean. It is a simple and high-quality hotel.
Put the bread into your mouth, wrap it with your tongue, and then chew it slowly. The starch gradually turns into a faint sweet taste, and your brain, which was originally groggy in the morning, slowly wakes up.
Soon after, the music gradually stopped, and there was a burst of light applause in the hall. Because it was still relatively early, everyone was afraid of waking others, so they didn't clap hard.
Afterwards, the elf bard leaned over to express his thanks before enjoying breakfast with everyone. The previous performance may have been part of his daily practice and habit.
Gradually, the hall became noisy and lively again, and by this time our Lorraine Hill had also finished her breakfast.
He picked up Yi Xue, the delicate doll with silver hair and black dress, and walked out like a young lady who was new to the world.
Luna just arrived last night and was very tired from the journey. She probably won't wake up until the afternoon. In the morning, she will go to the Atsugi Hotel to find Miss Heron, the witch she rescued last night.
Walking through the slightly cold windy streets and stepping on the water-logged stone slabs, the girl jumped lightly and arrived at the hotel.
Compared with the place where Lorran Hill lives, it is obviously much noisier. You can often see mercenaries carrying broad swords and wearing half-armor coming in and out. Most of them wear rough coats, and some frayed threads can be seen at the corners.
Some of these people even whistled when they saw Lorraine Hill, wanting to tease this beautiful and weak girl.
The girl shook her head slightly and ignored these people. She went directly to the hotel counter and asked about Miss Heron's room.
"If you are looking for the Heron Witch, she should be having breakfast on the second floor right now. Come with me." After saying that, the boss wiped his hands with a towel, briefly explained to the clerk on the side, and walked out of the bar.
Although there is a mix of people in this hotel, the order is relatively good. Perhaps it is because the boss is a retired powerful warrior. Even in winter, he still has his arms exposed. There are various old scars on the iron-like muscles, including knife
There are also some remnants of being torn apart by sharp claws, and there is a very obvious mark from his cheek to his neck, which makes people sigh that his amazing vitality can actually survive such an injury.
Facing the noisy hall, the boss used a pair of thick and strong arms to clear the way in front. The palms were bigger than Lorraine Hill's two hands combined. They were like iron pliers and pushed aside the mercenaries who had been drinking and bragging early in the morning.
, and then came to the stairs.
After entering the stairs, the sound suddenly became much quieter, but the smell of accumulated old millet also came from the tip of the nose, which was slightly dark and damp.
Following the boss, the girl felt that every time the boss stepped down, the wooden planks of the stairs would tremble, making her worry about whether the fragile stairs could continue to support it.
Fortunately, the second floor is not far away either.
"We're here." The boss stepped aside, and Lorraine Hill saw the situation in the lobby on the second floor. There were many guests having breakfast here, but they were obviously dressed more politely than downstairs. She even saw a man with a gold
The little aristocrat with silk glasses was flipping through the magazines recently printed in the upper class circles.
In this era of high printing costs, buying magazines can be said to be a luxury consumption.
Witch Heron is sitting at the table in the corner. She is wearing a black robe and looks like one of those ancient shady wizards. She is eating breakfast carelessly at the moment. Her attention has long been attracted by the newspaper in front of her.
The milk is now cold too.
Lorraine Hill thanked the boss, and then walked over with the doll Yi Xue in his arms.
Year of the Double Rose, October 9
"The army of griffins is united under the Queen's flag and is gathering towards the New Rose Castle"
…
"Mysterious news in the Emerald Forest, will the elves also have a civil war?"
…
"The Envoy from the Sanctuary Visits the Eastern Territory of the Empire, Will This Bring Change?"
…
"New-style fresh-keeping cabinets are beginning to become popular among the nobles, if you want to eat the most delicious food"
…
"The Tragedy of Titania, the City of Rime Still Crying"
…
"Fifteen counties and provinces in the northern interior began to migrate residents..."
…
"Changes in Fashion, from Red Roses to Red and White Roses"
…
"The Champions Knights Conference is expected to be held in the spring of next year, and the winner will be awarded the title by Her Majesty Queen Evelyn"
Although it is a newspaper, it is not available every day. The newspapers of this era are only available in some cities, with three issues per month and limited content. However, they are still very popular among nobles and wealthy people. After all, it is really important to have the latest information.
.
It is said that this was handled by a wizarding organization and the organization made a lot of profits.
When Lorraine Hill gently sat in front of Miss Heron, she woke up from the information in the newspaper.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." She said, putting away the newspaper with a little embarrassment, and then quickly finished the rest of the food.
After that, he adjusted his clothes a little and hesitated for a second or two before taking off the black hood, revealing the dark chestnut hair underneath.
The dark chestnut hair looked softer, with a few spirals at the ends, revealing a bit of girlish cuteness, which made Lorraine Hill realize that the witch in front of her was actually only in her 20s, so she was not very old.
After shaking his head to show that he didn't care, Lorraine Hill spoke.
"I didn't expect it to be chestnut hair. It's very beautiful. The lighting was not good last night, so I thought it was black." Lorraine Hill did not get down to business at the beginning and relaxed the atmosphere a little.
Hearing the girl's praise, Heron was slightly excited, but he resisted showing it, but he still proudly introduced his origins in his subsequent words.
"My father has short chestnut brown hair. He comes from the Western Region. He worked as a mercenary and a small businessman in his early years, and later settled in the Northern Region."
"As for my mother, her hair is indeed black. My grandfather's family ran a pharmacy, and my mother helped there when she was young. Once, because my father was injured, he came to the pharmacy to buy herbs and medicines, and then he met my mother."
"Because my grandfather didn't want his daughter to go far away, my father later settled down in that small town and the two got married."
"Then how did you become a witch? I heard that the inheritance of witches today is not public." Lorraine Hill held the doll and looked at Miss Heron curiously.
"Me, it has to start from an accident when I was a child..." Heron slowly stroked his hair with his hands and fell into memories.
"When I was about 10 years old, I lost my way in the forest because of my playfulness. I was walking and came to an uninhabited cemetery."
"A very special cemetery. There are no roads around it, only tall oak trees. It is also very quiet, and you can't even hear the birds singing..."
Even though many years have passed, Miss Heron still clearly remembers the scene that day.
Under the shade of dark trees, incomplete stone tablets stood quietly, many of them were covered with moss, and even the words on them were somewhat unclear.
The tombstone is in the shape of a ring, surrounding a dead oak tree in the center. The oak tree seems to have been broken by lightning. Most of it was charred black, but only a small part of the branches still have green leaves growing.
Unable to get out of the forest, tired and hungry, Heron was very scared and squatted in the corner of the dilapidated cemetery, crying softly.
The sky was getting darker and darker, the surroundings were getting darker and darker, and she was getting more and more frightened inside.
She didn't know how long she had been crying, but her voice was hoarse and she buried her head in her knees.
Until the sound of slight footsteps came from the quiet darkness.
At that moment, she was so frightened that she thought it was some undead spirits waking up at night. She heard the old people say that these undead spirits would devour the flesh and blood of living people and then turn them into the same person as herself.
Heron wanted to run away at that time, but unfortunately everything was pitch black, with no stars or moon. Even a place one meter in front of him could not be seen clearly, as if his eyes had never existed and were open.
She fell to the ground, and a small cut was made in her palm by a stone, which made her feel hot and painful. The dirt was stained between her fingers, and her head hit an unknown stone tablet. She was in a dark place.
Finally, like a match being struck, an orange lantern lit up at night, and two figures in black robes stood quietly in front of her.
"It's really strange. How did she get in? She has no power at all." One of them spoke, with a clear female voice.
"Perhaps this is an accident of fate. Due to the influence of the shade array, this place is only open once every three years. This child is really lucky, or maybe he is unlucky." The voice of the other one was much older, and also had a little kindness.
.
"Do you want to accept her? Now that our inheritance is about to be cut off, this may be His Highness's final revelation."
"The witch's legacy, the witch's legacy, maybe it's time to retire... Originally I had given up hope, but this child..."
The old voice sighed with emotion, then slowly bent down and picked up Heron.
When those hands touched him, Heron felt as if he was being held up by old tree roots, and the skin on his wrists was very rough.
A faint halo appeared, and the pain on her body gradually disappeared, and she soon fell into a peaceful sleep.
…
"Since then, I began to follow Grandma Avona to learn all kinds of knowledge necessary for witches, from the identification of herbs to the casting of spells, from the making of potions to the familiarity of history, etc."
"Every afternoon, I would go to look for her under the oak tree house in the forest. Occasionally, Grandma Avuna would prepare some snacks for me. That was also the happiest time when I was a child."
"The 'Warm Oak' witch school is the follower and inheritance of the Oak Witch. However, the Oak Witch passed away hundreds of years ago, so our school has slowly withered away." Miss Heron finally introduced her school.
.
"Actually, a long time ago, I mean during the chaotic era at the beginning of the Third Age after the Mercury Dynasty fell apart."
"At that time, there were several countries, large and small, in the north. Because they had just left the Mercury Dynasty, some systems and traditions were still preserved. Many nobles still had witches serving them."
"The undead sequence was banned, and other sequences were vigorously developed again, and the 'Oak Witch' Rowling Rilla is good at the natural sequence."
"After the disintegration of the dynasty, the original policy of immigration and resettlement in the north no longer existed, and a large amount of support materials were no longer available. Winters became more and more difficult. Many people died at night due to hunger and cold, or
He was attacked by wild beasts such as demon wolves wandering in the mountains, disappeared and died.”
"Countries large and small are busy with wars and turn a blind eye to the situation below."
"At this time, Her Royal Highness Rowlingrilla appeared. As a witch born in the new era, she has experienced a lot of sorrow, so she wants to change the situation in the North."
"The witch named after oak trees. Wherever she goes, oak trees stand tall and grow like giants, blocking the wind and snow. Then she lets people build treehouses in the oak trees as their homes, using the thick tree walls to survive the wind and snow.
warmth."
"In this way, many people survived because of her kindness, and the reputation of the Oak Witch gradually spread throughout the North."
"In midsummer, people collect oak seeds and store them. In winter, people sit in warm tree houses and cook acorns to survive hunger."
"More and more people are following His Highness Rowling Rilla, and the 'Warm Oak' witch school was also established at this time."
"This violet-haired witch often wears dark green and brown clothes and walks among the forests. There are always celebrations held wherever she goes."
"People gathered in villages surrounded by oak trees, lit bonfires, and danced to their heart's content. At that time, there were very few big cities in the north. Most of them were villages like this, or small towns where treehouses gathered."
"Then how did the Oak Witch pass away later? If she was a witch, it wouldn't be a problem even if she lived for thousands of years." Lorraine Hill continued to ask curiously.
"Because of the war, or perhaps because of too simple ideals, Her Highness Rowling Rilla, the 'Oak Witch Without Cry', only lived to be 27 years old and died young."
"Even if the 'Warm Oak' later expanded into the largest witch faction in the North, it still could not change this regrettable fact."
"If Her Royal Highness Rowlingrilla had been given a little more time to grow up, the North would never be what it is now."
"It will be a forest country that stands proudly in the cold wind, an ideal place isolated from frost, and a cradle of eternity that is as warm as blazing fire."
"But, with Her Highness Rowlingrilla gone, everything will slowly dissipate." At this point, Heron's voice was filled with melancholy and sadness.
When people die and government ceases to exist, the passing of a witch also represents the dissipation of certain possibilities.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Starting tomorrow, we will resume normal updates. I will probably take two days off from the 2nd to the 5th because I have to go back to my hometown. I will update every day at other times. 00/