ninth dragon stone

The war has just ended, and there is almost no decent city to be found in those human countries, large and small, everywhere is dilapidated and depressed.But there is hope hidden in such dilapidation and depression after all, because peace has finally come.A strong, brand-new seal has just been completed in Minghui City, where the Pope and the Knights Templar are stationed. The bunker is closed and locked, and there are twelve iron gates between people.It is named after the sealer, and will run silently and silently in the underground of Minghui City forever in accordance with her will.

"I use the undead to stop the demons from rushing to your surface world from the city of the abyss. They are the ghosts that were forcibly brought back to the human world by the book of the dead 500 years ago. As long as the seal is still restraining them, they must fight for mankind. Fight until humans take the initiative to terminate the contract."

"Sure enough, it is a wise decision to ask you to go out. 'The mage never dies, but the dead live forever'—and who can live longer than the master of the city of Enoch?"

While talking, they came to the outside of the temple. It was night at this time, and the bright moonlight shone on the low and dilapidated temple, which was not as bright as the ocean formed by the torches on both sides of the street.The Pope, who was wearing armor over his robe, walked to the edge of the steps and stopped, while the Necromancer went straight down the stairs in the firelight, took the cloak handed to her by the attendant, and came to the carriage waiting at the bottom of the stairs.The door of the carriage was closed after she sat down, and she looked out the window at the people holding torches who came to find out, many people wanted to see the true face of Prince Vendre; some of them were old, some were young, some There are still children in the arms of their mothers, of all kinds and in an endless stream.

"Who else?" she said to herself, the torchlight illuminated people's faces, and it was also dancing in her eyes, endlessly.

Her carriage drove into the night, and the cheers of men, women and children around the temple could be faintly heard in the distance behind her, wave after wave:

"Hail the Lord!"

"Hail the Lord!"

■

After returning to Silver Spring Town, the frightened crown prince called his wife and the three paladins who had just participated in the whole incident together, closed the door of the study and said, "You have to do something."

"Behind Inks is the Pope, and the Pope's goal is you, Gloria and Silver Spring Town." It is not impossible to replace me as the heir at the last moment." After a pause, he seemed a little anxious, "And now that he has trusted them very much, let the situation develop in the direction that Inks expected. We are all bad, you have to do something."

"Your Highness, you are right," said Rowlands, "but we have no evidence."

The crown prince immediately jumped up and wanted to refute, but Rolandes made a gesture to calm him down, and then said: "You have good reasons to judge this way, because you know the various situations of Luo Xian very well, and you Rich experience. But Silver Spring Town is different from Koroa. If there is no conclusive or seemingly conclusive evidence to support our actions, once an uprising will be regarded as a coup, it is easy to lose ministers and feudal lords Your sympathy. Your younger brother already has the support of the Pope, if secular forces also fall to him, you will be very passive."

The crown prince thought about it carefully and felt that his words made sense, so he couldn't help frowning and sighed in annoyance.The crown prince's wife also sat on the chair with her back tensed, subconsciously clenched the folding fan in her hand, raised her head and asked Rolanders for help: "Then what should I do?"

Rolanders thought for a while and asked her: "How is His Majesty the King's health recently? Has his illness improved?"

Hearing his question, Veronica couldn't help but glance sideways at him, but Rolanders didn't pay attention to her at all.The crown prince replied: "The doctor said that his health is better than the previous days. I saw him walk in the garden during the warmer days last month. However, the doctor also said that as the weather turns cold, his condition will be worse." It won't get worse and it doesn't necessarily mean anything, and you think he's been sitting on the throne for too long?"

As soon as the words came out, Inge and Veronica immediately changed their expressions. Inge opened his mouth to explain something, but Veronica grabbed her from behind.The crown prince himself was extremely calm, and the tone of the question was unwavering, and the biggest reaction was to roll his eyelids.His wife, as if she hadn't heard it, was still sitting on the chair with a straight pen and a dignified expression.Rolanders replied calmly: "Why? I just thought that since His Majesty is still in good health, your most urgent task is to get those messy priests away from him and replace him with some credible ones." Friend, this shouldn't be too difficult for you who actually manage political affairs in Luoxian City, right?"

After hearing this, a smile gradually appeared on the crown prince's face, and a few lines even appeared in the corners of his eyes: "Of course it's not difficult. Then what? What are you thinking?"

Rolanders waved his hand quite modestly. "What good idea can I have? Since your supporters in the Holy See are concentrated in Silver Spring Town and Gloria, I can only suggest that you stabilize the situation for the time being and don't be impatient. As long as you successfully succeed to the throne, everything will be fine." It's easy."

The crown prince stared straight at him, his dark pupils were like two needle points: "Then how can it be easy?"

Rolanders met his gaze and said calmly: "I went to Gloria before you came. The mages are more confident in their own power than us, so they are even more reluctant to let Minghui City go." In my eyes, this kind of disdain is even lacking in concealment—Goria today is almost a free city-state, the bishop’s church is imposing but empty, and he can’t even receive an invitation to a formal banquet.”

"The two parties in the conflict are not only His Royal Highness Inks and you, but more importantly, the Pope and us; he doesn't want us to gain autonomy, but wants to be his slaves. And we," he shrugged, appearing Very calmly, "Since the knife is raised above the head, can you still sit and wait for death?"

The crown prince looked at him, with a smile slowly covering his whole face. If he had a wine glass in his hand at this moment, he might not be able to resist coming to have a toast with Rowlands.When he was in a good mood, he was able to devote his attention to other people. He kindly praised Inge and Veronica for protecting him just now, and asked their names.Inge watched silently as Rolanders reassured the couple before sending them off.The tense air in the room disappeared, and it was suddenly too empty.

Veronica's voice sounded a bit abrupt: "This is what you want to see."

Rolanders answered calmly: "It's pretty good, maybe it's a blessing in disguise."

The female knight had no desire to continue talking about this topic, and left after saying "I'm going to find Leiana".Inge was at a loss in the room: "What is she talking about?"

Rolanders smiled, and briefly summarized the previous conversation between the siblings.After listening, Inge commented thoughtfully: "You have thought everything through."

Rolanders sighed a long time, and came to him from where he had been standing just now, with a bored look on his brows, which made him appear a little indifferent: "I must do this. Veronica wants to be a member of the Knights Templar It is not advisable to stay forever. For her and my own future, I must stabilize that Highness and let him take the initiative. Otherwise, once the Pope supports Inks to take the throne, Minghui City and Anglos will join forces. We will be the ones who will die then."

Inge also frowned upon hearing this. "Is it that serious?"

"Yes," Rolandes replied blankly, "The conflict between Silver Spring Town, Gloria, and the Pope is no longer a matter of the past two years. The small matter of how to distribute the nine dragon stones back then can be mutually agreed upon by both parties. The non-committal wrangling for a long time is enough to prove that the contradiction has reached an irreconcilable level.”

Inge really didn't know about this incident, and Rolandes didn't talk much about it, but said lightly that it was just a fuse.Under the joint pressure of the Knights Templar and the Master's College, the bishop sent finally agreed that the nine dragon stones should be divided into [-], instead of all being owned by Minghui City as the Pope wanted.This result made Pope Fian VI very unhappy, and what made him even more unhappy was the bishop's description of the negotiation process-the "rudeness and aggressiveness" shown by Rowlands and the dean of the Law School made him feel greatly hurt. disobedience and offense, and more concerns about the loss of power.

As Rowlands said, the tendency of those two places to become independent and self-governing has not been a day or two, and the grievances in the Pope's heart are getting deeper and deeper, and he always looks for an opportunity to settle it.

Coincidentally, not long afterward, King Angrose fell seriously ill, and the opportunity came.

"I really hate this kind of thing," Rolandes changed his subject, as if the dark clouds had dissipated and revealed the sun, and the indifference and boredom in his words just now were swept away, "Think about it carefully, whether it is a new king丨 or The new Pope seems to have left me with no desire to be loyal," he leisurely walked to the window, opened it, and the bright sunshine and cool wind poured in from outside, "the work of the Templars is not like People think so innocently, why don't I just retire after finishing this vote."

Inge didn't know how to respond to his emotion for a while, and was confused by his sudden emotion to distinguish the truth from the false, so he could only answer without any practical meaning: "What else can you do after you retire."

Unexpectedly, Rolanders turned around and replied with a smile in his words: "To tell you the truth, I really thought about how to use the little money I saved to become a handicraft workshop owner or a trade union boss. It’s almost time to write a written plan. Do you want to try it together then?”

Return the written plan, you have a lot of free time, Mr. Captain.

Inge waved his hand: "Whatever you want, tell me when you really plan to implement it. As for the Pope." He pursed his lips, and his light voice sank again, "Safety is the most important thing."

Rolands smiled silently. "of course."

Inge put his hand on the doorknob, and before leaving, he added with his back to Rolanders: "I have a friend in Minghui City, if you need, I can go to her to find out what you might need. Information. What do you think?"

Rolanders touched his chin. "Be careful not to startle the snake."

■

On the other side, Veronica learned from the housekeeper that Leiana was staying in her own room, so she looked for her.Pushing open the door, she saw the young girl folding a few pieces of clean clothes and putting them into a box, and then she remembered that she was leaving tomorrow.Leiana heard the door opening, raised her head and said, "Master Veronica."

Maybe it was because she hadn't recovered from the fright just now, and her voice sounded weak.Veronica closed the door and walked into the room, and Leiana sat down on the edge of the bed, with her open suitcase at her feet. "I never thought that there would be a day when I would see my sister die in front of me." She said in a low voice.

Veronica hesitated whether to reach out and touch her hair, or hug her, as people usually do when comforting others;Her opening became as if she was changing the subject abruptly: "After you go to Minghui City, don't come back."

Leiana raised her head immediately: "Why?"

Veronica sat down next to her, and said with a normal expression: "The seal of the city of the abyss is too old, and it has been loosened in the past few years. Such accidents may happen again in the future. In that case, Silver Spring Town will become a big city. Danger—repelling the demon soldiers is our most basic duty." She glanced at Leiana and finally got to the point, "If you come back, you may join us in the battle, just like Jocelyn did today. "

The image of Jocelyn nearly dying under the hammer of the magic soldier immediately appeared in Leiana's mind, and she subconsciously bit her lower lip. "When Alyssa was killed, a few drops of her blood splashed on my face, and it was already cold. I don't think I will ever forget the way she fell to the ground with a broken back and bloody flesh. "She looked at the ground very dimly, "No matter what happens to the seal, I don't think I can stand by and do nothing, I—"

"You're thinking too much," Veronica interrupted her rudely, "Going back to Silver Spring Town can't help you avenge Alyssa, and there's no guarantee that you won't find yourself again." , she felt that she was speaking too strongly, so she softened her voice and said, "It will take at least two years for you to go from apprentice to trainee priest in Minghui City. At that time, Silver Spring Town didn't know what would happen. If There are frequent wars, and everyone's life is equally cheap, how do you know that you will be the lucky one?" What's more, Rolandes has no plans to compromise with the Pope, and if Leiana returns, it will be even more so if it is affected. What Veronica didn't want to see—or that's why she persuaded Leiana not to come back: if it was just fighting, she still had some ways to protect her, but she was really powerless about politics.

But Leiana didn't know this, she listened to Veronica's words and thought she was really only worried about the destruction of peace, so she said in an almost innocent voice: "But I hope you are!"

She held Veronica's hand, her eyes were very sincere: "I don't want you to be like Alyssa. I know you can't compare, you are a well-trained fighter, but you also said, really Everyone is the same on the battlefield, so I thought, if I become a priest, I can help you, and maybe I can save you like you protect me." The more she said, the redder her face was, Wei Ronika felt her palms sweat a little.

What a desperate frankness.She looked at Leiana, her golden eyes reminded Veronica of the sunset that fell on her back when she returned to the city that day, even through the cold armor, there was still heat transmitted to her skin, gentle and warm, reassuring.

But she moved Leiana's hand away slowly but firmly: "Do you remember what Jocelyn told you? Do you remember the miserable face when Inge met you for the first time?" Seeing Leiana's face Looking surprised for a moment, she smiled slightly and stood up: "Forget it. You protect yourself, and I will be thankful."

"But they are still your comrades-in-arms." Leyana's voice sounded full of loss and a little hurt.

Veronica replied calmly: "Because they didn't fight for me. I can't stand your heavy friendship."

Leiana stopped talking altogether.Veronica sighed and tried to change the subject: "Go ahead and prepare. Tell me what you need. I'll send someone to make some for you. Before you leave tomorrow morning, ask them to prepare something you like to bring with you. Arrive at Minghui No one will care about you in the city, so you can ask for more blessings from now on."

Leiana smiled very sadly: "Are you saying goodbye to me, Lord Veronica?"

"No." Veronica opened the door, without any emotion in her words, "There is still one night."

Then she left.Leiana sat on the edge of the bed in the room, listening to the sound of her footsteps moving away steadily, and did not move for a long time.

■

The next day, because of the previous trap, the crown prince and his wife worried that there would be more variables if they stayed in Yinquan Town, so they decided to end the autumn hunting ahead of schedule and return to Luoxian, the capital of Anglos.Roland Spinger escorted them all the way back. The convoy was much more low-key when it left than when it came, and left the city after lunch.

The bishop's convoy set off earlier than them. He had long planned to send envoys to Bright City on this day, and Leyana would set off with this convoy.Before leaving, Veronica handed her a well-packed box, saying it was a gift for her. Leiana thanked her and put it away immediately.

Everything was very ordinary, and there was no serious farewell.Inge and Jocelyn came to see her off, Inge told her to take care of her body, Jocelyn asked her to work hard; Rolanders didn't come because of a lot of things, he asked Inge to convey his greetings, and left her alone Be careful out there.Leiana agreed to them one by one, it would be impossible not to feel a little warmth in her heart, but that was all.Like the dead leaves falling silently on the thick meadow in the dim autumn day, she looked back at Silver Spring Town at this moment, and her heart was also calm like this—I'm leaving, she thought, goodbye.

Five days later, Leiana arrived at Bright City, which was ten times more beautiful than what Jocelyn had said.The bishop's messenger took her to the temple, and she stepped into the white pointed arch, and saw the golden altar and the thousand candles surrounding the altar, and she saw that even the corridors were taller than silver. In Quanzhen, gorgeous patterns fell on the robes of bishops who passed by through the colored windows, which looked different from ordinary people.In those moments, she understood that her previous life had just turned a page.

What she didn't know was that a few days later, an old acquaintance of hers also arrived in Minghui City, hiding it from anyone's eyes and ears.Wearing an unremarkable cloak, the traveler came to the archives of the Holy See with familiarity, saying that he wanted to see the deputy curator.The librarian of the archives had been ordered earlier to take him up, speculating about the identity of the visitor as he walked, but his face and name were completely unfamiliar, and the clothes and clothes couldn't tell why.It wasn't until the man was invited into the deputy curator's room, and the door was gently closed behind him, that the woman's teasing voice revealed his true identity:

"What wind brought you here, my lovely Lord Paladin?"

Inge took off his cloak, hung it on the hanger, and replied, "Of course it's a peaceful and peaceful world."

"Peace and prosperity," the red-haired mage Jon snorted disdainfully, pushed the monolithic eyes, and lowered his voice, "The manuscript sealed by Ishield has been called many times in the past month, if you want to ask This is the word."

Inge asked calmly, "What does this have to do with me?"

Jon came to him with folded arms, and the window snapped shut at her step. "You came just in time," she said, "and I was going to write to Silver Spring, too."

"I have communicated with my teacher Tinosha before, and we agreed that the situation seems to be more serious than we originally thought."

Tinosha is the current city lord of Gloria and has led the mage academy for decades.As soon as she said this, Inge's expression became serious. "How did he say?"

As a result, Jon came up and gave him a blow to the head:

"The loosening of Ichelde's seal is not the aging of the outside rumors at all. There was nothing wrong with the formation that the sorcerer set up back then, it was completely man-made."

The author has something to say:

The necromancer who appeared at the beginning is the old acquaintance Ichelde hhhh

The next chapter is over~