Shadow of the Beautiful World

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Under the twist of light, Merlin came to a corner of an office in a university in Spain. This rather large office was filled with books, all kinds of books, old, brand new, with covers, Or cheap print.

As many as nearly a thousand books were placed on several large bookshelves and placed side by side in the corner, occupying almost half of the area of ​​the office.

In the remaining half, there is a slightly luxurious mahogany desk and a well-cut rug.

This is the office of Dr. Elliot Randolph, a famous European historian and occultist, who has spent more than half of the last 40 years here. It is worth mentioning that he was also the first person to completely translate the original version of Norse Mythology.

The documents he translated were not those children's bedtime stories, but the original Norse mythology written in incomplete runes. Scholar of runes.

This brought him great glory in the literary world, and someone even nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but was rejected by Dr. Randolph, who was indifferent to fame and wealth by nature.

Of course, he refused this honor not because he was really indifferent to fame and fortune, but purely because he didn't want to show off, let alone cause trouble.

After all, this Dr. Randolph was not a native of Earth.

I said, when you come over next time, can you knock on the door first?

Dr. Randolph, who was lying on the table and writing something, that is, the guy who looked a little thin, with white hair, did not lift his head, and said to Merlin who came out from the corner of the bookshelf in the room:

I have students coming here a lot and you might scare them.

Oh? Students?

Merlin flicked his fingers, casually took a book with faint magic power from the shelf, flipped through it, and said casually:

It's those female students who have an improper relationship with you?

The doctor stopped writing and drawing. He raised his head and looked at Merlin. He said:

You investigate me?

I'm an agent, Dr. Randolph.

Merlin replied with a normal expression:

If I don't investigate you, it would be weird, right? But I have to say, judging from your pretended age, you are really full of energy, tsk tsk, 4 lovers, I really don't know how you coordinate with them Relationship.

this is very simple.

Dr. Randolph reached out and took off his gold-rimmed glasses. He said to Merlin:

The relationship between me and them is just a kind of spiritual mutual comfort. I am not a person who indulges in carnal desires. I have been tired of playing that kind of game as early as a thousand years ago. You know, for men, it is impossible to control the lower body , will always make the problem quite bad. Of course, I know, you are definitely not here to discuss these physiological things with me, so, I guess, the things I entrusted to you have some clues?

Um.

Merlin put down the magic book introducing elementary meditation in his hand, then took out his pocket watch and looked at it. He said to the doctor in front of him:

In at most two hours, your son, Mr. Skorchi, the guard of the Golden Palace, will come to Earth on the Rainbow Bridge. I think you'd better be prepared.

Merlin looked up and down Dr. Randolph's attire, and said:

Get a haircut, a shave, and a change of clothes. If you're going to invite him home for dinner, you'd better get those little lovers out of your house. I mean, Mr. Scorch sees those When you are a woman, you may not be in a good mood.

What? You said he was coming to Earth?

Now, Dr. Randolph's calm expression could no longer be maintained.

He stood up abruptly from the chair, put his hands on the table, looked at Merlin, and said:

Are you sure you're not joking? How did you get in touch with him?

this.

Merlin took out Vostagg's family emblem and shook it in front of Randolph's eyes. When the latter saw the emblem, his eyes suddenly shrank, and he said:

Warhammer Dwarven Emblem of Mithril Hold in Wart Alheim! My Lord, Odin, how did you get this thing? Those dwarves have brains like stone! They don't even bother dealing with strangers.

Because of some special encounters.

Merlin didn't want to talk too much about his work, he briefly said:

You can understand that we met by accident. In short, the dwarf helped me. He is now taking your son through the Rainbow Bridge, but because the Rainbow Bridge between Asgard and Earth is blocked, they need to go through layers. application.

Having said that, Merlin asked curiously:

The dwarf mentioned the gatekeeper Heimdall several times, do you know that person? Is this Heimdall really as powerful as described in Norse mythology?

The Heimdall described in the myth is not as good as one-tenth of the real Heimdall.

Dr. Randolph packed his things swiftly and prepared to leave work early, and said to Merlin:

Heimdall is the number one general under Odin's command. He was once Odin's glorious executioner. His strength ranks among the top in the entire Nine Kingdoms, especially when he is connected to the Rainbow Bridge. He can use His power is almost unlimited. His eyes have been released with special magic by the witches, and he can see anything that happens in the Nine Kingdoms.

I once fought side by side with him. I have to say that even though I am disappointed with the whole of Asgard, I still have enough respect for Heimdall.

Randolph raised his head, looked overhead, and said softly:

I know. He saw me and he forgave me.

Okay, I'm going home to tidy up now, can I ask you to help my son bring back to my house with the guests of Asgard?

Dr. Randolph said to Merlin:

I will find a way to make a table of dishes that suit the taste of Asgardians, oh, of course, and your reward

This mature guy winked at Merlin:

That thing is in my house, I've got it ready, now it's just the last step.

Merlin leaning on the bookshelf shrugged and said:

Of course, I'm happy to help, and I also hope that the reward you will give me in the end will satisfy me.

Don't worry, you will be satisfied.

The doctor chuckled, and he told Merlin the address of a villa outside Seville, and then quickly left the office.

Nearly two hours later, in the evening, Merlin stood in an inaccessible mountain area more than ten kilometers away from Seville City. The emblem in his hand vibrated more and more frequently, which seemed to represent that the owner of the emblem was about to appear .

This thing is a locator.

Under Merlin's gaze, a bright beam of light appeared in the night sky, like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the sky, and finally landed a few meters in front of him, just like last time, it only lasted for a short time, It dissipated in the air.

In the circle of black scorched marks left by the beam of light, stood two people.

It was wearing a robe, 1.6 meters tall, the same as a wine barrel, and a dwarf Vostagg with a big beard, and behind him stood a strong young man wearing black armor and carrying a battle axe, 1.8 meters tall .

Ah, Merlin, friend of Midgard.

The dwarf opened his arms and called to Merlin:

We meet again.

Nice to meet you too, my Asgardian friend.

Merlin shook his hand and threw a bottle of spirits prepared in advance to the dwarf, who took it in his hand, unscrewed the bottle cap, sniffed it, then shrugged, and said to Merlin:

This wine is very ordinary, but I guess you must have spent your time looking for it. Although it doesn't meet the taste of Asgardians, it's okay. This is the wish of a friend.

He laughed and drank the bottle of wine.

And Merlin looked at the young man in black armor standing beside Vostagg. He had weird hair, as if he had been shaved bald, and then painted some kind of battle makeup with black paint on his scalp. He also has a short beard, which looks mighty with his armor.

However, at this moment, there was a mixture of doubt, expectation and anger dancing in his eyes.

This gave Merlin a bad feeling about the upcoming father-son meeting. It seemed that Randolph's son didn't quite agree with his father's 'escape' from Asgard.

But this has nothing to do with Merlin, he has no reason to intervene in Dr. Randolph's family affairs, he just wants to fulfill his promise.

plz follow me.

Merlin pointed to the rented car beside him, and said to Verstagg and Skolchi:

Mr. Elliott has prepared a feast in his mansion, and he is waiting for your arrival.

Oh, the car of the earthlings.

The dwarf walked to the front of Merlin's rented car, looked at this very luxurious car, and said to Merlin:

There are old antiques similar to this car in the Antique Museum in Walter Alheim. The dwarfs in my hometown made this kind of oil-burning thing as early as more than 1,000 years ago, but hundreds of years ago, we Just abandon this backward means of transportation.

He opened the car door awkwardly, sat on the leather seat in the back seat, and chattered to Merlin:

I have a steamship consortium's latest floating shuttle in the mine of my hometown. If you have the opportunity to go to Walt Alheim, I can take you to race on the slag plain. There is also a wine cabinet here. , I really like this place more and more.”

The dwarf was quickly attracted by the small wine cabinet placed in the carriage. He opened the wine cabinet, looked at the various fine wines inside, and then began to drink by himself.

In the co-pilot seat next to Merlin, Skorchi silently looked at the front of the vehicle. After Merlin drove a few kilometers, he suddenly asked, with a slightly hoarse voice:

Your Excellency Merlin, General Vostagg told me that you are a man of great powers in Midgard. Then, can you tell me, Elliot Randolph, is he still doing well on Earth?

You should call him father.

Merlin said calmly while driving:

Although I know that you may have some resentment towards him, I also know that Asgard is a country that maintains its tradition while maintaining its advancement. Therefore, you should respect your father.

Father? Hehe

Scorch smiled and said:

When I was just born, he followed Odin to Midgard to fight. He didn't come back. Everyone thought he was dead. He died in a glorious battle. The heroic spirit has returned to the Hall of Valor. I also thought He was a fighting hero and proud of it, which is why I gave up my family's craft and chose to enter the military.

I want to be a glorious person like my father. But I have been deceived. I have been deceived for nearly a thousand years, Lord Merlin. Can you understand that feeling?

The past as you know it is false, you have been living in a false story, and then someone exposes that falsehood, you can no longer adapt to everything around you, and even want to escape from there.

Skorchi closed his eyes, and the sturdy Asgardian young man clenched his fists. He said:

He ruined his life, and then he ruined my life. And my mother and mother told me before they died that my father was a hero, but he was not.

But he's still your father.

Merlin twisted the steering wheel and drove the car into the country lane. He said:

Wars will always end, and veterans will struggle to adapt to a peaceful life and choose to indulge, but they will eventually return to life. Your father made these difficult choices. I don't know much about his past, but At least I know that in the last few hundred years, he has been active in various identities and has accumulated a very large and considerable wealth.

Merlin turned to look at Skorchi, he said:

Those are what he wants to leave to you. Of course, I shouldn't tell you these words. I think there must be a lot of things to say between you father and son. I just want to remind you, Asgardians.

Your father is caring about you in his way, and he didn't ruin your life, you gave it up yourself.

I don't believe that when you knew your father was still alive, you didn't even have the slightest joy in your heart. You may be a very powerful fighter, Your Excellency Skorchi, but you are not good at disguising, and I am an agent, I am good at Read the secrets of other people's hearts

A smile appeared on the corner of Merlin's mouth. He looked at the low-key but very large villa manor built in the woods in front of him, looked at the black railing door slowly opened in front of him, and said:

You're looking forward to seeing him too, aren't you?

Scorch didn't answer.

Two minutes later, the car stopped smoothly in front of the house in the villa manor, and Merlin got out of the car. He reached out his hand to stop Skorchi from picking up the tomahawk. He said to the young man:

Father and son meet, this is a happy event. Don't bring weapons.

Scorch moved his wrist, trying to pull the battle ax out of Merlin's palm, but with the strength of his elite Asgardian soldiers, he couldn't shake the battle ax that Merlin held in his hand.

Obviously, this Midgard man is not as ordinary as Skorchi imagined.

In fact, think about it, how could someone who can be regarded as a friend by an Asgardian general be so simple?

Talk to him well.

Merlin said softly:

There is no unresolved or inexplicable trouble between relatives.

Doesn't your hatred also come from love? You are like a child who is having a temper now. Your Excellency, Skolchi, stop doing these childish actions.

Merlin threw the Scorch's battle ax into his magic pocket, he patted the young man on the shoulder, and said:

Go.

Your father is waiting for you.