The Book of Hibernation

After Aldin walked out, he did not enter the study, but leaned against the door of the study and waited.

As soon as he emptied his mind for a while, he imagined another picture.

If they are not here now, but in Harbor City, many things have never happened in the two years, and Winter Thistle has never left: at such a noon, Winter Thistle just woke up, ready to change clothes and wash, and asked Al Ding went to wait for him outside... If this is the case, Aldin will definitely not come out, he will lean up and say something like "Is there anything we haven't seen between us", which will make Winter Thistle blush.

In fact, this is true, it is a fact.Now Aldin can quite well say the same.

He didn't say such a thing, not because of restraint, but because he really didn't think so just now.

He had to imagine it before he could have such a sweet picture in his mind.

Not long after, the winter thistle came out.He had already changed into his go-out clothes. He didn't wear a mage's robe, and he was dressed like an ordinary town resident.

This appearance was unremarkable, but Aldin was stunned for a moment.When he saw Winter Ji for the first time, Dong Ji looked almost like this, not like a mage, but more like an ordinary person that can be seen everywhere.

Winter Thistle walked to his side: "Is it because of Kanai that you came to me specially?"

This question is not easy to answer.It was true, but Aldin didn't really want to answer "yes".

There was a similar conversation between them.It was in the forest, and Winter Thistle had just finished casting the spell. He said, you are obviously not here for me, but for Kanai, right?

It was as if there was nothing else to say between them, and if there was an intersection, it could only be because of Kanai, not for any other reason.

Not so.Aldin would stand here today, there must be some other reason, and it seems that both of them understand it in their hearts.

But those reasons are invisible, intangible, unreasonable, impractical, and untimely.

So Aldin didn't answer directly.

Downstairs, the shopkeeper is still counting the feathers.She went on with her business, and Aldine and Winter Thistle went out to find a place to sit and talk.

Winter Ji lived in the workshop town for a long time, so he was in charge of giving directions and introducing places.

This small town is quite special, lacking the kind of lively tavern, and the passing merchants usually buy food directly at the post station.Winter Thistle takes Aldin to the inn where he lived.

The two went around to the backyard, and there were some tables and chairs under the corridor for guests to rest and eat, which was quieter than the front hall.

They were not too hungry, so they ordered some food and water, and the waitress brought the plates quickly, and then she was very discerning and never appeared again.

After sitting for a while, Dongji suddenly said, "Did you know that Kanai has also been here."

This is what he knew inadvertently.Kanai had eaten and stayed here before, and kept a bottle of wine in the counter.The bottle of wine was opened twice, and Kanai never came.

When Winter Thistle was staying, the boss saw that he was from the academy, so he asked him about Kanai.Kanai is quite famous among mages, but ordinary businessmen don't necessarily know what happened.

Winter Thistle didn't go into too much detail, and only said that Kanai was injured and sick, and was recuperating in the temple.

After saying this, Dong Ji asked Aldin: "You don't know, do you? Kanai even took the initiative to drink, and drank outside alone."

Arden really didn't know.He answered casually without much emotion.

In fact, he really wanted to say: Let's talk about something else, don't talk about this, okay... But he really has something to do with Kanai here, so we can't just let him talk and not others.

At this time, he finally remembered that there was an important thing that he hadn't brought out.He took out a drawstring cloth bag and put it on the table.The bag is round, and at first glance it looks like a small melon.

Winter Thistle had seen the bag just now.Aldin hadn't taken it with him when he went upstairs, and he took it from the red-haired man when they went out.At that time, Winter Ji didn't think much about it, thinking that it might be cash coins or something, and the quantity was a little too much.

"By the way, this is for you," Aldine said.

Winter Thistle asked, "What?"

This is not considered a formal gift and does not have to be opened by the recipient.So Aldin undid the drawstring himself.

The mouth of the bag was loosened, revealing two large rattan bowls fastened together with strings tied to them. Aldin cut open the strings with the knife he carried with him, revealing a ball of cloth inside, peeling off the cloth, revealing tinfoil, inside the tinfoil That's what he wanted to give Winter Thistle.

-Brown sugar pastry with pickled cherries, and cheese and coconut cream pancakes.They are good dream cakes and good morning cakes.

The number of good dream cakes is slightly more, and the number of good morning cakes is very small, only two pieces.Because winter thistle prefers dream cakes.

Before seeing them, the winter thistle smelled the bitter sweetness.Before tasting it, a familiar taste appeared on the tip of his tongue.

"I don't bring much, and the output is low now." Aldin pushed the rattan bowl towards the winter thistle. "It's getting hotter, the workshop won't do too much, and the output will be more in autumn and winter."

Dong Ji was stunned for a while, then asked, "How did you remember this?"

"I said last time that I will bring it to you when we meet again. Did you forget?"

"I really forgot." Dong Ji smiled.He really didn't remember it at all.

Now that I think about it, before they parted in the gem forest, Aldin seemed to have promised to bring this pastry to the next meeting.

Winter Thistle not only thought of this, but also remembered that there was another kiss at that time.

That's not the closest distance between them.Looking back now, those more intimate things seem to be separated by a layer of mist, like the stories of others, but this ordinary kiss... It is like the smell of brown sugar pastries, even if you don't taste it, you can still feel it. recall.

This kind of memory should have been sweet, but now it has become a burden.Without these, maybe they can get along more comfortably.

Winter Thistle was silent, with a dazed expression.Aldine could guess what he was thinking, because Aldine himself did the same.

So neither of them talked about it.

Winter Thistle said: "Thank you, I've made up my mind. Let's talk about business first. You must not have come here just to bring snacks."

Aldean said, "Can we talk about 'business' and not because I want to see you?"

"Do you want to see if I'm suffering?"

"No, it's because I'm having a hard time and want to complain to you."

Dongji smiled and said: "How is that possible? I have heard that you are no longer the 'Ardin in charge', nor the acting chief. You are the real chief of the Ten Sails Street Chamber of Commerce."

Indeed.The term of the acting chief has ended. After the beginning of the spring, the chamber of commerce officially elected the chief, and Aldin directly won an overwhelming majority of nominations.At present, there is no more suitable candidate than him in the top management of the chamber of commerce.

"That's why," Aldin said, "not everyone is convinced of me, and someone is secretly looking for my flaws. So Winter Thistle, I need your help."

Winter Thistle frowned: "The internal affairs of your chamber of commerce have nothing to do with me. What can I help you with? If you need cooperation in magic, we can talk about it in detail."

Aldin said: "I want you to come with me and stay with me for a while."

These words made Dongji stunned.

If you're looking for cooperation, you shouldn't use such an ambiguous term; if it's about personal relationships, this sentence specifically emphasizes the word "temporarily"...

Winter Thistle didn't know how to answer for a while, and didn't understand what Aldin meant.

"Aren't you..." Winter Thistle muttered, looking away from Aldin.

Aldin explained, "Someone might try to kill you. Do you remember Maida?"

"Can not remember."

"The thin steward. You saw him in Harbor Town Hall."

Winter Thistle nodded, remembering.

Aldin said: "He didn't take part in the Gem Forest and hid away all the time, but after that, he started to secretly engage in small tricks. He asked someone to check you and wanted to prove that you and that 'fake Rosen' It is the same person, but so far he has not been successful, and he has not been able to get real evidence."

Winter Thistle nodded knowingly.He remembered the pastor not long ago.

She came from the San Dilian Temple. At the beginning, she just wanted to confirm the identity of the real Rosen. As long as she could confirm that Rosen was not a refiner in the forest, she had already done her duty.

But she is obviously not satisfied with this, she is also actively looking for a fake Lawson, even negotiating with the academy is not enough, and she has to see Winter Thistle with her own eyes, and after seeing it is not enough, she also has to talk to the teachers and students of the academy... She investigates She worked so hard that even the priests of the Great Temple of White Lake City did not take the initiative without her.

Of course, it can be explained that she is such a person, with a strong sense of curiosity and justice, and not for other purposes... This explanation is also very reasonable, it depends on whether others are willing to believe it.

Winter Thistle said, "Maida wants to deal with you through me? I thought he was your friend."

Aldin sneered and shook his head.

Aldin had long imagined that this day would come.When Mai Da supported him to become acting chief, he had no good idea at all.

In terms of seniority, Mai Da was most likely to be elected as acting chief at that time, and Mai Da has been cultivating his own power, which shows that he really has this intention.Even if there is no fake Bellows, Maida will pull Bellows Jr. from the position of chief sooner or later.

However, something happened at this time.And what happened was unusual, involving necromancers, monsters, murder masters, and so on.

Becoming the acting chief under such circumstances is tantamount to being pushed up a cliff by a strong wind. Even if you stand still for a while, you have to be careful every step of the way, or you will fall if you are not careful.

So Maida gave up this opportunity and offered it to Aldin.

According to Maida's expectations, Aldin probably won't be able to do well as the acting chief. Even if he does well, the acting period is only about one year, and no one can gain a firm foothold if he changes in such a short period of time.

Later, the agency period was extended due to the incident in the gem forest, but this is not too important.The incident in the Gem Forest made Aldin and his former allies turn against each other. The Carlos family lost completely, and they also lost their fire. They will definitely not stop there, but will continue to toss various incidents.At this time, it is very easy for the chief to make mistakes, which may damage the reputation of the chamber of commerce, or cause a series of substantial losses.

It's a pity that Aldin has been doing things steadily, and Maida has never been able to find a suitable opportunity.

He was counting on the Carlos family to make waves again, but the Carlos family's counterattack was far less powerful than he expected; he wanted to win over several other leaders, among whom Glora had completely turned to Aldin, and the other two hid far away He secretly observed the direction of the wind, and the person who might become the new person in charge in the future has also been pretending to be confused, obviously not wanting to participate more.

At this time, the Academy released Winter Thistle.The Austrian Federation believes that he is not at fault, and there is news among the casters that he is the son of Haman.

Then, Maida noticed Winter Ji again.

Speaking of this, Aldin asked: "Winter Ji, why are you suddenly willing to disclose your life experience? If you continue to hide it, Mai Da will not notice you. He always thought you were just my subordinate and lover, and I threw you out a long time ago." Step aside, now that you reveal your background, he can immediately guess what's going on."

Winter Thistle said: "You also said that he has not found any evidence, he can't prove that I have done dangerous things, and he can't put the blame on you. If he insists on continuing to investigate, it is tantamount to questioning the Austrian law. The Federation is also causing trouble for King Sandonia, and even brushed the face of the Great Temple of White Lake City, which will harm the overall interests of the Chamber of Commerce. He did this, threatening you on the surface, but actually giving him Make your own enemies. He probably won't investigate any further."

It was the first time Aldin heard Winter Thistle speak like this.

With his elbows on the table and his chin resting, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar half-elf.

"Your analysis is correct," Aldin said, "I also think Maida will not start from this direction again."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"These are all methods on the surface. If it is not obvious, he can still come to covert. There are people under him in Gongfang Town. They are standing still now, but they may not know what they will do in the future."

Dong Ji asked suspiciously: "He wanted to deal with you, but he wanted to attack me? Could it be that I am your weak point?"

"At least others think so."

"What's the use of 'others think', as long as it's not."

"I hope not too."

After Aldin finished speaking, Winter Thistle looked at him subconsciously. The two eyes met for a moment, and then looked away at the same time.

At this time, a waitress passed by and ran towards the small row room in the backyard with a bunch of curtains in her arms.When she passed by the table, she glanced at it out of the corner of her eye. The two guests looked at the food on the table expressionlessly, without touching the tableware. The food was hardly touched. Neither of them said a word. Very dignified.

The waitress knew that this kind of person should not be seen too much, so she hurriedly left.

After the footsteps disappeared, Winter Thistle raised her gaze a little.

He still didn't look directly at Aldin's face, for fear that his eyes would accidentally meet again.

After a while, Winter Thistle said, "Actually, even if you don't come, I'm getting ready to leave Workshop Town. It's about time."

Aldin asked, "What time?"

Dong Ji didn't answer right away, but said: "You asked me why I made my personal background public. Actually, there are two reasons. One is because the external situation has changed, and my thoughts have also changed; the other is because I need a chance..."

"Chance?"

"It's justifiable to go to see Kanai and help him unlock the opportunity of the possession lock."

Aldin was taken aback by this.

Possession lock?Is the lock still on Kanai?He thought that all the spells on Kanai had been lifted.

Winter Thistle told him that Kanai would "take time" to wake up.It would be bad if Kanai woke up immediately in the forest, and it would easily arouse the vigilance and suspicion of the temple, so Aldin fully accepted the situation in front of him, pretending that everything was the same, and let the temple take Kanai back.

The high-ranking priests of White Lake City have been using divine arts to clean up the undead breath on Kanai's body. After the cleaning is almost done, Kanai will gradually wake up and heal, which is more secure.

The divine art vein can clear away the undead.If ordinary undead creatures are brought into the divine art vein, it only takes a moment to complete the cleanup; clearing high-level undead creatures is more difficult, takes a long time, and may endanger the spirit of the sacrificer, but as long as you are careful, you can succeed in the end; It took almost two years for the temple to clean up monsters like Wuyun, which is reasonable.

In this way, the temple eliminated the monster and cured Kanai.Glory to the day watchers, rejoice.

After leaving the gem forest, day by day passed like this. According to the news from White Lake City, Kanai's breath of death has been slowly weakening. Until recently, it is said that it is almost undetectable.

It seemed that the time had come, but Kanai did not wake up.

These days, Aldin didn't show much on the surface, but he became more and more worried in his heart.

How long does this "false time" take?He even thought about the possibility... Could Winter Thistle have lied?

Winter Thistle told the necromancer that he could separate the dark clouds, and then told the temple that he couldn't do it, and then told Aldin that he could really do it... So, is there a possibility that Winter Thistle really can't do it? Arrived, or did, and failed?

In the forest, Winter Thistle said that the spell was successful and that Kanai could wake up, but Aldin let him go.If Winter Ji left and lived incognito and silently, it might not be easy to find him again.

Aldin later recalled that he was frighteningly naive—did I not consider the possibility that Winter Thistle was lying?Since Winter Thistle can deceive the necromancer and the temple, of course he can deceive him alone.

Just when Aldin became more anxious, he suddenly heard the news that Winter Thistle had been "released".Soon after, the spellcasters in the workshop were talking about the Son of Haman again.

After hearing this, Aldin secretly rejoiced: since Winter Thistle did not hide, it should mean that he did not lie.

Before coming to see Winter Thistle, Aldin had already thought about what to talk about: one was to remind him to be vigilant against Maida, and the other was to find out what was going on with Kanai.

But when he met Winter Thistle, Aldin always didn't want to talk about Kanai directly.

For some reason, Kanai seemed to have become an anchor, or a thorn, and the thorn did not hit the person directly, but stuck in the ambiguous distance between the two people.

The thorn must be pulled out, and all will be clear; but if the anchor is lifted, the ship will float away.

Aldin frowned and was thinking about something, but Winter Thistle spoke first: "You may have thought of it. Yes, Kanai could have woken up a long time ago. I deliberately kept him awake and let him sleep for a long time. Time. On the surface, it looks like this: During my confinement, a certain mage cast a possession lock for Kanai. The mage had read Haman's spell book and learned it very well, so no one else could undo it. This magic. Now that mage is missing, he may have fallen into the icy water and drowned. In this way, if you want to undo the spell he left behind, you have to find someone who is as proficient in Chimera Arcane as he is, even better than him. He's a better man..."

Aldin looked up at him: "So, 'Son of Haman' is a good choice."

"Son of Haman" also served the chamber of commerce. At that time, contraband products and murders occurred in the market managed by this person, which led to his expulsion from the chamber of commerce, and he was imprisoned for more than a year.

During the confinement, he left his father's spellbook to the chamber of commerce, so many unfamiliar mages also learned the skills from Harman.

Now the son of Haman has regained his freedom. Although he is not a great magician, he is also well-known in the workshop town.

He had already left the chamber of commerce, but the chief of the chamber of commerce found him again and needed him to go to White Lake City to help treat his relatives.

Of course he would agree.It would be a good deed if the White Lake City Temple could assist the heroes in the healing of a spellcaster.

In fact, it is not that difficult to revoke the proof lock.Winter Thistle couldn't do it in the past, because even if the spell was revoked at that time, the dark cloud and poison in Kanai's body could not be resolved.Things are different now.

Winter Thistle had a somewhat apologetic expression on her face: "Maybe it made you feel uncomfortable. You have always been smart, and you should understand why I did this. Kanai can't wake up too easily. To complete this matter, the temple must look Dominance; and I must also wash away the doubts that I have carried because of you. The 'spell book' has been given to you, and I must have the capital to settle down."

Aldin did not speak for a long time again.

He just remembered the food on the table now, so he took a few mouthfuls of each item, but he was not interested in each item.In the past, he always liked to talk while eating, but now he suddenly became a person who eats without saying a word.

Finally, he picked up the water glass and took a few more sips, then put the glass back on the table heavily.

The wooden cup made a crisp sound.Once, once before, he had put down his glass in the same way, making the thistle across the table shiver with fright.

Not at all this time.Winter Thistle heard the noise, just looked at Aldin silently, and took a few bites casually, also looking like he had no appetite.

"Well, it seems that everything that needs to be said has been said clearly," said Aldin at last, "how about it, will you come with me?"

"I'll go with you." Winter Thistle replied quickly.

Aldin smiled.

Originally, this was all right, he could not say anything.He can go directly to arrange the next thing, and won't talk about it in detail.

But he couldn't help but say it: "Aren't you afraid?"

"Why ask that?"

"Isn't it because you can't stand the Chamber of Commerce...can't stand me, so you just want to leave? If you follow me this time, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to run away later?"

Winter Thistle said, "What I didn't like before, I still don't like now. But I'm not afraid."

"why."

"You said that when you were a child you were afraid of snakes. Then?"

Aldin showed a clear expression and nodded slightly.

He didn't answer, and didn't need to.