The Book of Hibernation

After Kanai woke up, White Lake City immediately played the miracle hymn.

Aldin did not see Kanai until the next day.

Aldin can also understand this.The temple is not a hostel, so of course you can't just wake up and leave.Kanai's physical condition must be very bad, and he has to undergo some tests and treatments.

This trip, Aldin has not entered the main hall of the temple.He met Reynolds, the leader of the detachment, in the Cathedral, and gave him the potion made of winter thistle, and asked him to pass it on to others, and finally use it for Kanai.

Winter Thistle didn't go near the temple at all, and didn't even go to the Great Cathedral.After entering White Lake City, he has been hiding in the folk house to make the potion. He has designed the formula and the corresponding method of casting the spell in advance, and prepared the required materials, so the time spent on making it is very short, only about two days.

The temple knows the origin of this arcane potion.The mage who made the potion was a descendant of Haman, so he could make such a useful thing.

The mage had made some mistakes before, and although he had been pardoned now, he was still not fit to enter the temple.If the temple accepts his visit, it looks like the high-level priests are supporting the mage, as if they want to write off his past mistakes, and even encourage people like him... This is a bit of a face Big, doesn't look like the impact is very good.

Therefore, that mage can enter the great hall like ordinary people, but cannot enter the main temple.

Fortunately, the mage was very self-aware, he didn't come, he just asked others to bring the potion.Priests applaud it.

When handing over the potion, Reynolds asked on behalf of the temple, "Where is the person who made the potion now?" Aldin also answered.This matter cannot be concealed, otherwise it will appear very suspicious.

Aldin generously said the name of a certain street, and the temple was ignored after hearing it, but he was not very interested, and he didn't care about the specific location at all.

After the potion was brought into the temple, the priest did not use it directly, but conducted a strict inspection on it first.The results of the inspection showed that this arcane potion is not of a divergent nature, but of a reversal and cancellation nature, and it can only work on arcane spells in the surviving state.That is to say, if it is used on other targets, such as people or objects that do not have a lock spell, the potion will not have any effect, no different from clear water.

After confirming the safety, the pastor gave Kanai the medicine.Kanai is said to have woken up soon after.

After delivering the potion, Aldin has been waiting in the side hall of the Great Church, where there are some guest rooms.

In the afternoon, Aldin couldn't bear it anymore, and wanted to ask Renault to inquire about Kanai's situation.

Renault is not a guard. He is not on duty when he is inside the temple, and there is no question of whether to rotate.On the premise that he has no task or leave, he should be either resting or practicing.So Aldin went to the barracks area of ​​the Templar Knights.

In the reception room, a young deacon received Aldin and helped him find someone.After a while the deacon returned and said that Raynor was away and was not in the barracks or in the temple.

Aldin asked where Captain Renault had gone.He just asked casually, and was mentally prepared for the little deacon to say "I don't know".

As a result, the little deacon actually knew.

He replied calmly: "He was performing a temporary escort mission and accompanied Mr. Kanai out."

Aldin froze for a moment: "Kanai? Kanai is out?"

"Well. His situation is very special. He didn't fall into a coma due to illness, so his body muscles didn't atrophy obviously. It's just that he has a slight problem with his ability to balance and coordinate his limbs. He can walk after some exercise."

Speaking of this, the little deacon thought that he had heard that Kanai had a leg injury before. Maybe Aldin was surprised that the lame person could stand up and go out, so he continued to explain quite proudly: "The injured person was originally lame, but Bai Hucheng is different from other places. There is a divine art vein here, and the envoy personally took care of him for two years. This small injury has already been healed by the way. This is the gift of the divine art vein, and it is a rare miracle."

Aldin asked: "The temple allows him to go out?"

The little deacon said: "It is fine to be accompanied by priests. He is allowed to leave the temple, but he cannot leave the city for the time being."

Aldin is a relative of Kanai, Kanai went out, but no one from the temple came to tell him... Aldin was a little bit dumbfounded.

When he thought about it, it was quite normal.White Lake City is not a harbor city, and it is not within the sphere of influence of the Chamber of Commerce. The Great Temple of Miracles is also different from those small temples of teaching and reciting scattered around.In this place, Aldin is just a guest, and he can enjoy normal respect and courtesy, but he is not something that must be put in the first place.

It's not surprising that Kanai can go out; but Kanai didn't go to Aldin first, but went out directly and went to another place.

Aldin couldn't help smiling wryly.Back then in the forest, he himself did something of the same nature—Winter Thistle said that the spell casting was successful, but he didn't ask about Kanai's situation, and he didn't dare to go to the cave to see Kanai immediately.

Although he and Kanai are brothers, their appearance and personality have become less and less similar when they grow up, but in some small places, they may still be unavoidably similar.

It's a pity that the little deacon doesn't know where Kanai has gone.The deacons didn't go into the main temple very much. In fact, he had never seen Kanai.

Aldin returned to the guest room, thinking whether to wait for Kanai to come back, or go out to find him.

Kanai came to White Lake City a long time ago, only once, and only stayed for half a day.He should not be familiar with this city, and he has no acquaintances here.

White Lake City is a church city, mainly supported by the surrounding towns and various religious temples, and its own business is not developed.To put it bluntly - there is no large market, no magic item shop, no specialty shops, and no good wine or food. There is even only one hostel. In fact, there is really nothing to visit.

Where can Kanai go?He certainly wouldn't visit the sculptures in the Cathedral Square, he just didn't have that interest.

In the current White Lake City, there is probably only one place, or should be said, only one person that can interest Kanai——Winter Thistle.

After Kanai woke up, saw the medicine bottle, and heard the pastor tell the story, he must have guessed that all this had something to do with winter thistle.

He might propose to meet the "offspring of Haman" and thank him in person.This is also a legitimate thing.Since the mage was tainted and could not enter the temple, Kanai went out to find him.

Winter Thistle did not live in the inn.Kanai didn't know where Winter Thistle lived, and Renault knew the approximate block where Winter Thistle lived, but he didn't know which house was which.It is estimated that he and Kanai are strolling nearby at this moment.

In the end Aldin decided to go there too to see the situation.

Kanai went to find Winter Thistle, which was not a problem in itself; Renault was a smart man who understood some things very well, so he could rest assured.But Winter Thistle might not want to see the people of the temple. If he found out that Lei Nuo was coming, he might hide in advance, or even leave directly, which would be a bit troublesome.

Aldine didn't want Winter Thistle to leave too soon.

======================

The place where Dongji lives temporarily is deep in an alley, and there is a grain store at the entrance of the alley.Today, for some reason, many people surrounded the grain store, blocking the entrance of the alley.

While watching from a distance, Aldin wondered if something had happened to the grain store. When he got closer, he realized that something was wrong. Those people did not surround the gate of the grain store, but were all looking into the depths of the alley.

The residents of White Lake City were different from those in other places. They just gathered quietly, with worried expressions on their faces, but they didn't talk too much.

Aldin took the initiative to ask a person, and the person said that something happened to a family in the alley, and the people from the grain store saw it first, and there happened to be a temple knight nearby, and they told the knight about it.Now the knight and what looked like a priest went in and were examining it.

On the left and right of the alley are the outer walls of two tall buildings, and there is only one door leading to the house inside.That is to say, there is only one "family" in the alley, which is the house where Dongji is currently.

Aldin's heart sank, he ignored the dissuading voice behind him, and walked into the alley quickly.

He stopped in front of the wide open double doors.On the stone steps in front of the door lay a man, a male human, with a dagger in his right hand, dressed like a traveler.

It was known that this person was definitely dead without careful inspection. His throat was cut with a sharp weapon, and the blood flowed down the steps of the door and seeped into the cracks of the stone bricks on the ground, leaving a large black and red patch.

Aldin poked the dead man's head with his toe and looked at the face.It was very young, and it was an unfamiliar face, but it could be seen that it was from Shandonia.

Looking in along the dead man's toes, he could see a person lying inside the door. This was a woman, wearing a mage's robe and holding a material bag in her hand. She should have been killed during the casting of the spell.

The woman is also an unfamiliar face, and she is also from Shandonia, and the style of hair bun is common on women in the capital.This made Aldin vaguely think of something.

Going further in, Aldin found several more corpses one after another.Some were lightly dressed, more like travelers or merchants, while others wore armor, used enchanted swords, and carried more than one weapon.

For Aldin, this kind of person was too familiar—they were mercenaries, and they were probably members of the Peregrine Mercenary Corps.

Footsteps came from the second floor.Aldin raised his head and saw Captain Renault.

Renault also heard movement on the first floor, so he went to the guardrail to check.

Seeing that it was Aldin who came, Renault's expression not only did not relax, but his eyebrows were even more tightly locked.

Seeing his subtle expression changes, Aldin also clenched his fists, but his face remained calm: "What's wrong?"

"It was like that when we came," Reynolds replied.

"Is there more on it?"

"There are three more," Renault said, seeming to think of something, and immediately added, "They are all faces I don't know."

Aldin nodded, relieved.

Renault didn't know any of these people, which meant that there was no Winter Thistle among them.Renault had met Winter Thistle himself.

Aldin walked up to the second floor, and saw another corpse as soon as he came up. After walking a few steps, there was another corpse.

Further forward is the living room.The door was open, and a familiar figure was squatting and kneeling, looking at the third corpse on the second floor.

Hearing footsteps, Kanai turned his head and met his brother's eyes.

This meeting was a long time for Aldin, but not so long for Kanai, after all, he just woke up one day.

Someone told him all the things that happened during his coma, but after all, the narration was no better than his own experience, and it must be simpler. He listened to it like listening to other people's stories.

At this time, Kanai was still wearing the basic style of priest's robes, with a hemp cloak over it.There were still a few strands of gray hair caused by the dark clouds on his original black hair, but there was nothing abnormal in other places.

"Aldin," Kanai said, his voice a little hoarse, "you'd better come and see this man."

"how?"

"This man... come and see. I think... I'm not sure, he seems to be..."

Kanai must have encountered a very serious problem for hesitating like this.Aldin immediately walked over.

It seems strange to say... After Kanai woke up, this was the first meeting and conversation between the two brothers.

They completely omitted the greetings and the like, and directly talked about what happened before them.

According to the standards of ordinary people, this may not seem right, but for them, it is natural.

Aldin knelt down beside Kanai.

The corpse on the floor was also dressed as a traveler. The style of clothing was not eye-catching, but it could be seen that the workmanship was more exquisite, and there was a protective curse amulet hanging on his chest.

The man's fatal wound was from his left shoulder to his chest. In addition, his face had also been hit hard, so his facial features were slightly deformed, but Aldin still recognized him at a glance.

"Maida..."

Aldin was quite surprised.It wasn't that he was surprised that Mai Da would come to White Lake City secretly, but that he died here.

Kanai sighed: "It seems that I am not mistaken, Mai Da is in charge. Just now I was wondering if it might be someone similar... Do you know that he will come here?"

"I don't know. But I can guess why he came," Aldin said.

"In order to attack your mage?"

"You just woke up and you know everything?"

Kanai smiled: "I didn't know Winter Thistle lived here, and Lei Nuo was leading me to find him. At that time, someone stopped Lei Nuo on the road and said that this place seemed to be dead, so we walked in and went upstairs," he said. He raised his hand and pointed to the furniture, tables and chairs in the living room, "Then I saw those books, and that set of simple gadgets...I recognized whose belongings it was at a glance."

Hearing what he said, Lei Nuo was surprised: "What, the mage you want to meet lives here?"

Kanai nodded: "Yes, but he was not among the dead."

Lei Nuo asked: "According to what you mean, these dead are from the Ten Sail Street Chamber of Commerce?"

"Yes."

Renault looked at Aldin: "Could it be that someone was your enemy, attacked these people, and then took away the mage?"

Aldin and Kanai looked at each other without speaking.

After all, Renault is an outsider, and he doesn't know the twists and turns inside the chamber of commerce.

Renault just observed the situation roughly, but now that Aldin came, he and Aldin searched carefully from upstairs to downstairs.

Nothing was lost in the house, even Winter Thistle's personal belongings, spell materials, etc. were left in the room and not taken away.For mages, this is obviously not normal.It looked like Winter Thistle was indeed kidnapped, or escaped in an emergency.

The wounds of the dead were all caused by close combat sharp weapons, but judging from the situation at the scene, there was no large-scale and long-term fighting in the room. Everyone was dealt with quickly, and several of them were almost fatal in one blow.

Renault was very puzzled by this. He thought that no matter how many killers there were, it would not be easy to fight so many people.How can it be done so neatly?

Later they found that the order of death of these people was from the second floor to the first floor, from indoor to outdoor.

In other words, the killer didn't break in from the outside and start committing crimes, but he was already indoors.

These people are either unaware of the killer's existence, or have no defense against it.This is an assassination.

Even with an assassination, something still isn't quite right—how does the killer keep everyone from making a sound?

Under normal circumstances, once someone yelled, other people would immediately be on alert. This house is not big, and normal voices can be heard.The death condition of each corpse is different, and according to the death method of several of them, there will definitely be sounds.

Renault and Aldin chatted here, and Kanai's voice came from upstairs: "The masking agent, combined with the mute rune."

Kanai leaned on the guardrail and walked down slowly.Renault went to help him, but he waved his hand and refused.

Renault asked: "I've heard of masking agents. It doesn't seem like it can make people invisible? Even if they are invisible, they should still be able to hear the sound; even if the killer is cautious and doesn't make a sound, how can he ensure that the victim doesn't make a sound? "

Kanai shook her head.He didn't bother to explain in detail, but he knew in his heart: Of course, those mass-produced masking agents on the market cannot make people invisible, but the full-effect masking agent from winter thistle can make people almost invisible.

Not only that, Kanai also found two feather talismans upstairs just now, both of which are half raven feathers, starched, with dark runes written in very small fonts.

Kanai had never seen such a feather talisman before, but he could recognize the general structure of the rune, and based on this, he judged that the spell attached to the feather talisman was a silent spell.

Under normal circumstances, this type of spell can only be used by the mage himself, not to make himself silent, but to prevent the sound within a certain range around his body from being transmitted, which is very suitable for use when a secret conversation is required.

The discovery of this rune now shows that Winter Thistle has instrumentalized spells.Just like that kind of short-term enchanting tool, as long as it goes through very simple training and the technique is correct, people who don't know how to cast spells can use it freely.

Kanai looked at Aldin: "I have been asleep for the past two years, and I don't know the changes outside. Now can the magic item store directly buy the full-effect concealer and this new gadget feather?"

"No," Aldean said. "There's never been a mass production of this kind of thing."

"That's no wonder," Kanai sighed, "As expected of Haman's son."

After hearing this, Renault nodded and said: "I understand, the killer used the things made by the mage, so he was able to attack so many people continuously."

He walked outside the door and looked at the alley, then turned around and said: "I have a good understanding of the situation, and I have a general idea. Now I have to go back and report this matter to the temple to see how to investigate next. But I am Accompanying Mr. Kanai out, it is said that he cannot be allowed to act alone...Mr. Chief, Mr. Kanai, please wait here for a while, don't leave until I come back. "

"No problem, you go." Aldin waved to him.

After Renault left in a hurry, Kanai walked up to Aldin and whispered, "No matter how convenient these tools are, they must be matched with specific techniques. Even if ordinary people get them, they may not necessarily know how to use them."

Aldin nodded: "I understand what you mean."

This killer, he can use a melee weapon similar to a tomahawk. It is not the first time to kill a humanoid creature. He does not hesitate and knows how to go straight to the vital point. The attack he makes is not a catharsis, but a very targeted execution.

And he had access to Winter Thistle, who had taught him how to use new magical tools...

Kanai said softly, "I guess who it might be."

"Me too." Arden replied.

Aldin also came to the door and looked down at the corpse on the stone steps.

Mai Da and these men died in White Lake City, but Aldin couldn't be happy.Looking at the bodies, he realized that something had gone beyond his expectations.

Aldin's complexion was not good.Kanai looked at him from the side, wanted to say something several times, but stopped talking.

In the end, Kanai made up his mind and said: "I can try to find them by casting spells, but the distance is too far... If I can get out of the city..."

Aldin said: "You don't need to come. I can guess where they want to go. Just follow the route they will take and follow all the way."

Kanai nodded silently.

He has not yet fully recovered, and his complexion was already pale, but now his whole body looks even darker.

Aldin continued: "Kanai, there are some things I have to leave to you to do."

Kanai raised his head, and his eyes recovered a little.

He wasn't the kind of person who was overjoyed and angry, but Aldin was his elder brother after all, so of course he could detect the subtle changes in his expression.

Aldin said: "I have to do some private things and need to leave temporarily, but I have a lot of work on hand recently, and now I have to leave it to you to do it. I will take you to get the documents in a while and tell you in detail You can't leave White Lake City for the time being, so work in White Lake City. The people I brought will cooperate with you, and you have to communicate well with the temple. Kanai, I temporarily grant you the authority to take charge of the chamber of commerce, and take full responsibility for taking over The aftermath of coming down."

Kanai thought that Aldin didn't need his help to do something, but after hearing this, he didn't react for a while.

After thinking for a while, Kanai sighed: "Actually, I don't want to be in charge, I'm not suitable. Now you are the chief, and you appoint me to be in charge as soon as I wake up, others will not be convinced."

"I know, so this is temporary, and you will have to step down in two months at most." Aldin patted his brother on the shoulder, "You will be under a lot of pressure in the days to come. I'm sorry, but these things can only Let you do it, I can't trust others."

"Okay, I understand."

Kanai also raised his hand and patted Aldin's shoulder, which was a common gesture among mercenaries.

The dark look in his eyes disappeared, and when he spoke again, his old tone returned.