87_87643Somewhere on the side of the boundless permafrost glacier north of the Northland, a frost lizard almost the size of a schooner in the harbor of Deep River waited patiently on the windswept rocks. If it was a stupid boy who had never been to the Ridge of the World, maybe even if he stood under the slope of the rock, he wouldn't have been able to spot this behemoth entrenched on it. The frost lizard clings to the iron-hard frozen ground beneath it with six strong and powerful claws, and its body is covered with a thick layer of rugged scale armor with a thick layer of ice stubble, which looks no different from the rock formations that have cracked and frozen in the low temperature, and even the cruel little eyes on the triangular head with long ice spikes are like two spherical ice beads that have just condensed by chance in the rock crevices, and occasionally reflect a little dazzling light under the light of the sun that seems to have lost its heat in the gray sky.

Generally speaking, it is rare for a glacier monster of this size to be found so close to the World's Ridge Mountains. In the cobweb-like deep crevices of the Broken Glacier, the battle and devouring are the kings, and the heterogeneous beings like it can only be regarded as small characters, the lower layers of the food chain. It would be hard for even the wisest scholar to imagine what kind of creatures would survive beneath the ice, where food was scarce, cold and dark, and even soul-shutting, and that they were bigger and more vicious than their brothers of the same species who lived on the edge of the glaciers.

The frost lizard had forgotten why it was here and how it got here.

When you are full, the blood will flow to the stomach, and it does not want to know the reason that makes the brain inflexible. I'm not interested in knowing. Not long before, it had attacked several bipedal creatures, swallowing them alive. In fact, they are not particularly satisfying to the frost lizards, except for the relatively cool shell on their bodies, which tastes good in their mouths, the warm blood of these bipedal creatures makes the frost lizards burp a little, until they are assimilated by the cold in the frost lizard's body into a hard red ice ballast.

Another gust of cold wind blew on its uneven surface, and it was hard to say which one was colder.

This was very comfortable for the frost lizard, as it didn't feel the uncomfortable heat from leaving the depths of the glacier - the semi-solid, frozen oily blood moistened its organs. The two hearts, which grow in the neck and abdomen, take turns for about a few minutes to agitate, causing the muscles in the body to squeeze and contract, stirring and stirring the blood so that they do not completely clot.

The frost lizard's perception area is subject to vibrations due to the movement of objects. Although very slight, it is still noticeable by the large number of sensitive columnar protrusions in the rocky crevices of the rocky skin that grow on the sides of the soft abdomen.

There are several hypocenters...... If you look at the trajectory, you should be passing on the other side of the slope. The frost lizard's head lifted slightly, a little too lazy to move. The previous bipedal warm-blooded creature was not to its liking. Judging from the Cheng dù of the tremor, there is a great possibility that this batch is also those things. It was now hungry enough to eat food it didn't like, so the frost lizard decided to let them go.

It lay motionless on the rock, silently feeling the comfortable cold wind blowing from the direction of the broken glacier - take a nap before deciding where to go.

The cold wind seemed to pick up all at once. Frostlizard's eyes flickered, as if a stone sculpture had suddenly been given some kind of evil life. There was a vibration in the whirring wind. The tremor was not caused by the movement of the air or a change in the environment, but by an ancient and profound sound that seeped directly into the frost lizard's pitiful brain, which was smaller than its body.

Kill.

"Kill!"

Nancy swerved to the side with all her might, dodging the blade that slid by a fraction of a second in front of her.

At the same time as losing balance. The female tattooed warrior raised her sharp-edged sword in the air and stabbed deep into the haphazardly tangled mass of metal with a roar. Dazzling sparks erupted from every crevice of the steel waste, twitching at least ten long legs still attached to it. After scratching indiscriminately and adding a few more wounds to Nancy's body, she lost her vitality.

Nancy spat at the thing hard, stepped on it with her foot, and shook it a few times before she could barely pull out the magic sword.

After a fierce battle with all his might. The wind blows on the body and is particularly cold...... What's more, Nancy was also injured in multiple places, and her body was covered in blood. But she still insisted on saluting the lively spectators who sat on the side.

She still doesn't know if this idle guy is a new construct developed by Argus or a demon summoned by Moriel from the bottomless abyss to serve him, when he proclaimed himself the "head of the 800,000 forbidden army...... Nancy guessed that this was probably a reference to the fact that he was going to train the guards of the commercial stronghold. Although this is generally the job that a high-ranking tattooed samurai like Nancy is responsible for. But she still obeyed without objection. Obey the red-robed mage and obey the strong, this is the iron law of survival in the red-robed mage club.

Forty-Seven was more casual in appearance - his steel armor often changed with intricate details according to his wishes, and today he chose a relatively soft and fluid style.

"Well done. He clicked and laughed: "You have already understood the Force......

He was about to say something when Moriel's voice appeared in his thoughts.

"Next time I'll consider stepping it up a little bit more. Forty-Seven stood up and walked towards the gray-black fortress-like main building of the stronghold, and as he moved, the multi-clawed machine that had been paralyzed in the field seemed to have been completely destroyed regained its vitality - it burst out again with a few bits of lightning, a few bits of red light flashing again on its torso, and its claws moved one after another, following Forty-Seven away in a strange and swift manner, picking up the parts of its body that had been slashed and scattered around by Nancy during the battle.

"Monsters. Looking at the distant backs of these two guys, Nancy swallowed a mouthful of salty saliva and whispered, while the few spectators were silent.

Different from the luxurious and extravagant style of the lower floors, the red-robed mage's study on the top floor is simply furnished. Aside from the rows of books and scrolls on the shelves on the four walls, all that remained was a comfortable high-backed chair and a huge desk in the center of the room.

"You've been quite caring lately...... Don't let it in. It's bad enough to cut furniture all the time. Morrill didn't look up, and a sheepskin scroll swayed up from the table, tied itself up, and flew back to where it had been before it was taken down—the work of the Invisible Servant.

So forty-seven

The body touched the claw of the sickle on the door frame. The multiclaw makes a noise similar to meaningless static noise. I don't know what instructions Forty-Seven gave it, and the sharp claws struck the ground and walls with a strange rhythm, and the constructor ran away.

Forty-seven brought the door: "Why didn't Wonder Woman pester you today?"

Morrill leaned back in his chair and took off his spell glasses, which could decipher many common ways of ciphering spells.

The magical chair automatically adjusted to a more appropriate position according to her posture: "Chloe, he's gone to the Brilliant Church with your kitten." ”

"In a moment, the head of the Chamber of Commerce in Deepstream City will be here to talk to us about the shortage of magical goods. Morriel rubbed his eyebrows: "I think you'll be interested in listening this time." I've almost guessed that one of them is a Shirek follower...... And it should be a very high-ranking figure in the Dark Sun Church. ”

"Trapping?" Forty-Seven rubbed his hands, "Okay, I like trapping...... Still haven't heard from Kelly?"

Morrill shook his head. Thinking of the other "god arm" that fought fiercely in the sewers with Forty-Seven that night, the female mage was still quite worried. What is her purpose? According to the "old foolish" mage Kiscain, these super weapons are the ultimate destroyers created for the purpose of divine warfare. If her target is Kairo, then with the misty lady who has just woken up, can she still say that she is extremely weak and can withstand the pursuit of the "God Arm"?

Suddenly I thought of the young prostitutes I saw when I destroyed the church in the Wharf area...... Morrill was suddenly a little upset.

"There's no urgency right now. She tried to calm down, "If that 'Kelly' is determined to hide in the huge labyrinth of Deep Stream's underground and wait for an opportunity, then as long as she doesn't want to show up." It's too hard to spot her, not to mention that she's likely to spot and avoid my detection magic......"

"Then let's talk about it, I really hope Miss Kelly is not too reserved. Forty-seven walked over to the table, opened an old book that looked very simple, and glanced at it, and found that it didn't seem to be a strange combination of long sentences and spells that turned around for miles: "Get rid of the dementia of the church of Cirek first...... Especially O'Sullivan, I've never liked the pretentious little white-faced boss. What is this?"

"That's Chloe's book. Probably this is a bard's observation...... Oh, our guests have arrived. ”

The current president of the Ferdinand Chamber of Commerce and the third viscount of the Ferdinand family. Mel Ferdinand stepped out of the carriage adorned with his family crest, wrapped tightly in a soft, warm coat, and looked up at the heavy, gloomy buildings of the commercial stronghold, which felt like a circle of fangs. It's as if they're waiting to devour a fool like him.

Hum. Ferdinand immediately dismissed this idea of weakness and absurdity. Who is he?he is a nobleman in Deep Streams, the ruler of the Ferdinand Chamber of Commerce with a strong family, and......

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Freys. Ferdinand greeted the fat merchant who had squeezed out of another carriage politely. But in my heart I despise this vulgar philistine fat pig - a speculator who has no strength, who camps in the cracks of order, and makes a fortune with a little cleverness. He was no different from the adventurers who spent their days in the inns and taverns of Deepstream. The same inferiority, the same nastyness.

"Haha, Lord Ferdinand!" Frey walked over with his stomach in his hands, even if the abnormal cold snap that enveloped Deep Stream City continued for a while, it was estimated that his body fat alone would be able to support it: "It's really hell weather...... How can it be so cold at this time!"

Ferdinand slowed down a little and paralleled Freys, he never showed his true emotions on his face, as if he was wearing a mask, "Why are you here? Isn't it, is it true that the 'Jewel Shield' has decided to open up a market for magical items?"

He made an exaggerated gesture and said in a clearly joking tone: "It seems that I am going to seriously consider adjusting the business plan and preparing countermeasures......"

"Hahaha, you're still so good at laughing. Lord Ferdinand. Frey looked like a scheming country landlord: "Your local chamber of commerce's position in the aristocratic society of Deep Stream City is unshakable!"

The two of them walked into the large living room on the first floor of the main building of the stronghold - the people were basically there, not everyone could put on a show like Ferdinand, and be as relaxed as Freys.

"Miss Moriel, we have been the patrons of the red-robed mage for many years, and we are also friends with Grand Master Jia Li. An old soldier with gray hair was sitting on the couch next to Moriel and negotiating with her: "With all due respect, you have made it a condition of your business dealings that you require us to be openly hostile to the church of Cirek...... As far as I know, this is not in line with the usual business principles of the Red Robe Mage Society. ”

"Of course, Deep Stream is now cracking down on the Church of Ciric. The old warrior pondered and said, "But for adventurers who don't settle in Deep Streams, it would be a bit too reckless to openly enmity with a servant of a powerful god. We are not afraid of dark caves. Murderous orcs, but we don't want to stay in every inn in the future, and when we drink in the tavern, we have to worry about the blade in the back, and the food is poisonous...... Please reconsider, Miss Morrier. The Red Mage is a merchant that everyone can trust, and in this case, I hope you will follow the tradition of the Red Robe Mage and make the right decision. ”

"I think you've misunderstood the business principles of the red-robed mage. Mr. Fabre. Morriel sat upright like a standard lady, poised in front of these powerful men of Deep Waterfall, while Forty-Seven sat beside her, holding an old book that wasn't too thick and reading with relish.

"I admit that I made this decision solely because of my personal vendetta with some of the Shireks. The female mage's words were understated, but they implied an unquestionable strong will: "If you really help me fight against my friends in the Shirek Church in Deep Waters, I will take care of him as much as possible in terms of the price of goods and maintain the original price." Even a little more favorable, because he paid the difference with his actions. If there are other friends who don't want to do it, I don't force it...... Then they had to buy it with money that I could see. It's just business. Both parties are voluntary. ”

"Hey, beautiful young lady, you are ruining the business foundation of the red-robed mage in Deep Waterfall. "A male elf sits on the other side

The stinger said that judging from his thin and slender body, the caster's unique arrogant mage-style robes, he should be a warlock. Generally speaking, this kind of person who is born with a certain ability to communicate with the magic net in the bloodline is not very good for mages, and it seems that he is no exception: "You want to destroy the Church of Shirek? Your ambitions are too big, aren't you...... Or is it the emotional impulsiveness of your daughter's family? Do you really think that we can't get what we need from anywhere else except the Red Robe Mage Society?"

"You're the deputy leader of the 'Punisher' adventure group, aren't you?" Morriel smiled slightly, "You've been famous in Deep Stream City lately. I'm sorry though. I don't remember your name. But as far as I know, the Punisher group suffered a lot of losses when they encountered a powerful ghost creature during their adventure in the Dead City a few days ago, and even your captain was bedridden by the wraith's curse, and your savings are barely enough to support your healing supplies, right......? Whether it's the shops in the business district or the underground black market in the port, you can go to those places to buy the magic items you need, and if you can find a better deal, I'm sure everyone here will appreciate you. ”

"Well, there's no point in fighting around. The speaker was a tall man dressed in black, with a row of glittering knives hanging from his belt: "I'm here to buy something." The 'Rattlesnake' guild thinks that Miss Morrill's request is very reasonable, since the harsh winter is coming ahead of schedule, and the sudden snowstorm has affected the trade routes of the Northland, then it is only natural that the price of goods will be raised, not to mention that a large number of materials are still needed to process and process enchanted goods? Take me to get the goods, ten magic missile staffs, ten burning magic staffs, ten first-level beast summoning staffs......"

The words of the black-clad thief were met with opposition from others: "Hey, don't try to take advantage of the chaos in the port area to grab the land! Do you want to be unruly? You ...... people who have no faith."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Freys, who had been listening to the side for a while, said with a smile: "Please calm down, Miss Morrill has already told everyone about her mention." So why not think about it seriously based on your own situation?"

"I'm glad you're here, Mr. Freys. Morrill stood up, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a qualified merchant, nor am I a competent manager of a commercial base. But until the city of Searle sent a new high-ranking red-robed mage to replace me, I insisted on my condition that my friends who sincerely helped me fight the Shirek Church would be compensated with the greatest discount, and those who were unwilling to do so for various reasons would have to buy supplies from me at a reasonable price in the market at this stage. I have now asked Mr. Freys, the vice president of the 'Jewel Shield' Chamber of Commerce, to represent you in my place, and you can put your comments to him. I'm not going to change my conditions, though. Other than that...... Believe me, in the face of the current situation, there will not be any red-robed mage who is more tolerant than me, if you don't believe me, you can go to other cities to investigate. ”

Then she turned to Viscount Ferdinand, who was also standing by: "Leave it to Mr. Freys to deal with, please come up and talk about the matter between me and you." ”

Forty-seven closed the book and glanced at the elven warlock as he left: "I dare to call the punisher even if I don't even wear a skeleton vest." How can I help you?"

"It's been said so clearly, and it's going to be noisy...... What a headache. In his private office on the second floor, Morrill took out a bottle of amber wine from the wine cabinet: "What do you want to drink, Sir Ferdinand?"

"You're welcome, Miss Morriel. The priest of the temple advised me to quit drinking. Ferdinand said kindly. Hmph, I don't know if I'm alive or dead.

He tried to ignore the guy at the door, who was leaning against the wall and reading a book—the new kid was talking about him?

"Miss Morriel. Ferdinand decided to end the meeting as much as possible, and he had to go back and prepare his countermeasures: "About the contract for this batch of structures...... IMHO, it should have been delivered before Grand Master Jia Li left. You know. The people in Deepstream who could afford to buy a construct were the richest and noblest...... They are now a little disgruntled, accusing us of not following the agreement. But this shipment was ordered by me from Archmage Jia Li a long time ago. A deposit was also paid. I don't think this damn anomaly is going to affect our business, right?"

Morrill thought for a moment, then smiled kindly, "Of course, Sir Ferdinand. You see, hectic these days. has been dealing with those vile and evil Shireks...... Forgot about it. ”

Damn it. What qualifications does a red-robed mage have to say despicable and evil?

Ferdinand's smile also deepened: "So...... Look, I'm going to be able to pick up those goods today?"

"Of course, you can always take what belongs to you. But ......," Morrill put down his glass, "and there is one thing. I hope to get your advice. What do you think I should do with those Shireks next?"

This surprised Ferdinand, who seemed to smell something ominous—but the viscount quickly calmed down. No one knew who he was, not even his colleagues in the church.

"Hehe, you're doing a very good job. Ferdinand complimented him insincerely: "You have made the most of your advantages and united as many forces as possible to fight against these servants of the dark sun...... I believe that the Syrics are already struggling in the Deep Stream. ”

"Thank you for the compliment. Morrill was still smiling, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes, "But I don't want to just make it difficult for them. I'm going to exterminate the Shireks...... Including you, Sir Ferdinand. ”

Ferdinand didn't hesitate at all, and immediately activated the magic protection on the ring, and at the same time pounced on Morriel with the speed that a pampered aristocratic merchant like him would never have - Ferdinand didn't explain, after so many years of business, he could tell from a person's tone whether he was doing what he said or bluffing.

A hand grabbed his arm through the talisman fire shield, and the red, scorching flames seemed to him as if they were just a layer of green smoke.

Before Ferdinand could react, he was already pressed to the ground by the demonic hand.

The impact of his back touching the floor almost made him spit his stomach out of his mouth, and the last words he heard before he fell unconscious was Moriel's disgust: "Lightly, you think."

What?"

"Moriel, I'm the Viscount of Deep Streams!What right do you have to hold me here!, I want to see the Holy Warrior Milia!" Ferdinand, bound to the torture table, realized that he could not escape by force no matter what, and finally began to shout with a broken expression.

"Hey, hey. Do you think of the benefits of the Paladin?" said Kani, standing beside Moriel, sneering at him.

"Sir Ferdinand, if you want to hide without leaving a trace, you can't just wear a mask on your face. Morrill raised his hand to lay the torture table flat, walked over to him and looked down at the viscount, "I'll give you a chance." Break away from the church of Ciric, help me find O'Sullivan, find Kairo, and make your momentary loss a secret forever. After this is over, you are still the superior of Deep Streams. Maybe I can do a little favor...... Earl Ferdinand, how's it going?"

Ferdinand shuddered at the female mage's gaze. Then he yelled, "Bastards, you are a naked crime! filthy red robes! I'm going to accuse you of the League of Lords—"

Morriel snorted coldly.

"Do it your way, Carney. ”

The nude clapped her hands excitedly, "No problem, Moriel." ”

Ferdinand's neck was clasped by a lock, allowing his head to turn in a small range. There was a rustling sound somewhere in the dimly lit room, as if some mollusk had crawled out of a corner.

"Let's go, Moriel. I swear you're not going to enjoy it. What about you, Iron Samurai?"

............

"Oh, I guess you want to appreciate it. ”

Open the door. Close the door.

The rustle is getting closer...... At the same time, a smelly smell of grease rushes to the mouth and nose.

It's groping his legs. Even through the pants, you can feel the disgusting and slippery touch. Its fingers wriggled around Ferdinand's leg like a mass of tangled maggots.

Ferdinand tried to tilt his head, but he couldn't see anything, but the sensation it brought grew stronger, as if the viscount was sinking deep in a large mass of semi-solid oil, gradually suffocating.

It was touching Ferdinand's body, carefully. Leave no stone untouched.

When the thing finally came into Ferdinand's view, he finally turned the curse into a hysterical howl.

It was a flat, pale face with no bulges, and even the two eyes were a blurry film of white to yellowish color. Look at its expression. It seems to be laughing, but it can't be sure because it doesn't have clear facial features.

Shapeshifters.

"Ants, the dark sun will reign over the world, the great eternal Cirek will kill you, your souls will endure all the punishments you can imagine in his purgatory, wailing forever, and I will be your executioner!"

Forty-seven looked away from the book.

"Hmm......" he seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say. So he turned a few more pages back to the book and read: "There is a Tahiriya proverb: 'The world will never be as you think.'" I love this book and you should read it too. ”

But Ferdinand couldn't hear him anymore. The shapeshifters covered him entirely. Taste Ferdinand's body and soul with its oily, slippery pale skin. The shapeshifter wrapped the entire viscount in it, and then began to gradually wriggle itself into a new form.

The door to the underground room opened, and Ferdinand and Forty-Seven walked out.

Morriel glanced the viscount up and down for a moment, and had to admit that this strange mimicry ability was absolutely perfect - even he who already knew the truth could hardly tell the truth from the fake for a while.

"Where's O'Sullivan?" asked the mage.

The shapeshifter in Ferdinand's clothes shook his head and said in the same accent as the viscount, "He doesn't know either." He also had very little information about O'Sullivan in his head...... Instead, I learned that they had a new meeting place. However, I couldn't find out the exact location, and the man was very strong-willed, and I couldn't fully get his thoughts. ”

"As long as you don't kill him, I'll figure it out. Morriel was not fond of this strange thing: "Go back, you are now Viscount Ferdinand, I will inform you if I need you to do anything." ”

The shapeshifter replied and smiled slyly. It stuck out its tongue - miserable white.

But the next moment, Moriel's staff touched its back. The extreme pressure and pain caused the shapeshifter to kneel on the ground screaming, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, his voice distorted into meaningless screams, and his face showed signs of dissolving.

"I'll let you know what needs to be done. Moriel's cold voice was like a thousand needles, "I don't need you to decide what to do for yourself. Hide your filthy thoughts forever, and don't let me find out -- if this viscount's family is missing a cold hair, even if you and his wife hold hands, I will peel off your skin and sew it upside down, you see? ”

The shapeshifter lay on the ground, twitching and nodding, but couldn't.

Thankfully, Morrill still needs it. The female mage stopped the power of the "Command Technique" and left behind the shapeshifter, who was still in pain, and turned away.

"It seems that you don't have the good fortune of Castelloy. Forty-seven admired the scene, and then mocked as usual a remark that no one but himself could understand.

As the shapeshifters slowly sat into the carriage with a great fear of the female mage, Morriel watched from the window.

So far, the progress of a qiē has been quite smooth.

But finding O'Sullivan doesn't mean that you can find Kairo, and destroying the Shirek Church in Deep Flow doesn't mean that you can save Kairo from the control of the Mist Lady - and even on the other hand, maybe she is just helping the Goddess of Lies to achieve her goals more conveniently.

The future is always blank and full of uncertainty, which is also the most helpless point of being a prophetic mage. The prediction is correct, but when you peek into the tip of the iceberg of the future, you are on a very different path than when you were ignorant...... Destiny is a raging ocean, let alone fighting with the gods in it?

A little white glued to the glass of the window. It was a hexagonal snowflake, perfect and impeccable, witnessing the most mysterious and incredible power of nature in its subtleties.

It's snowing.

Winter is coming