The Book of Hibernation

Judging from the clothes of the former, they are obviously not soldiers, but mages, maybe even mages from Hilda Academy.

Winter Thistle was very confused.However, he saluted the elder according to the due courtesy.

The old man smiled, took the suitcase from the young apprentice, and sent the apprentice away.

The apprentice temporarily locked the door when he left, and the old man did not object.

"Sorry, I can only place you here," the old man sat on the chair beside the table, "Don't worry, this is not a prison, it's Hilda Academy...well, it's also a prison of an academy in a sense .This is a brig that used to be used to punish apprentices, and then we basically stopped doing it, and it almost became a warehouse."

"This is Hilda Academy?" Winter Thistle was a little surprised.

The old man said: "Yes, you were sent here in a coma. It was a short distance from Harbor City. To avoid trouble, we cast a spell to make you sleep for a while, so you didn't wake up until now. It's a pity. Unfortunately, I can't take you to visit the academy, you can only live here for the time being. Because you are suspected of having a relationship with a very dangerous necromancer, the Arcane Federation needs to supervise you for a period of time, and entrust this matter to Leave it to the academy to handle it.”

Seeing the increasingly tense expression on Dongji's face, the old man immediately comforted him: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, you're fine, we all know you're not a necromancer, and we won't punish you. It's just that the situation is special now, we not only have to Supervise you, and you must also ensure that you do not have contact with other people in the academy—except me, I am your person in charge. This is the result of many discussions, and it is also the order of the head of the academy, and we must obey it. Don’t worry, it’s just a It's just a necessary process, nothing else bad will happen, and you will be able to leave soon, I can assure you."

Winter Thistle nodded blankly.When he lowered his head, he suddenly realized that he was dressed indecently now, so he blushed in embarrassment.He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the quilt over his legs.

The old man noticed his embarrassment: "I'm sorry, I made you a little disgraceful. I hope you don't mind, I don't mind anyway. Just treat me as an old doctor." Then, he dug out a A small iron box and a parchment bag, "Moon Moon Grass Ointment, and Saray Solvent. Since you are awake, you should know how to use it yourself, so I won't offend you."

Winter Thistle gratefully took it, and the ointment on his body now came from these two potions.

"Did you help me apply the medicine before?" Winter Ji asked.

The old man nodded: "It's a matter of duty. After all, you are Kanai's friend."

"You know Kanai?"

"Well, I was his teacher once," said the old man. "Morton, that's my name."

In fact, Winter Thistle never heard Kanai mention this person, but Aldin occasionally said that Kanai had followed a teacher to the academy.

"I am Winter Thistle. Nice to meet you, Master Morton." Winter Thistle bowed to the old man.

Judging from the old man's reaction, he should already know who Winter Thistle is.He smiled and nodded: "I heard Kanai mention that you are the refiner of the chamber of commerce. He values ​​you very much, and I will take good care of you for him."

The old man's gaze was very sincere, but Dongji didn't know how to respond to his words.

Not long ago, Aldin thought Kanai was a traitor, and Winter Thistle felt sorry for it secretly.Then things developed in a direction that Winter Thistle couldn't understand. Shocking situations happened one after another, and Kanai's problem became unimportant.

To this day, Winter Thistle still doesn't know what Kanai's position is, and whether he has betrayed Aldin.

Obviously, the old mage didn't know about the problems between the Aldin brothers, let alone the relationship between Winter Thistle and Aldin.In his opinion, Winter Thistle is just Kanai's mage friend in the Chamber of Commerce.

The old man had no way of knowing the entanglement in Dong Ji's heart, he only thought that he was quiet and shy, so he smiled and patted the back of his hand that he was afraid to put on his knee.

"I'm very happy that Kanai has his own friend in the chamber of commerce," the old man sighed. "Besides, this friend is also a research-oriented spellcaster, which is even better. At least it shows that his brother is not the only one in his life." .”

This sounds a bit strange.It seemed that the old man either had a problem with Kanai's way of life or Aldin himself.

When Dongji didn't know how to respond, the old man supported the table and stood up: "Unfortunately, I have a small meeting later, so I can't chat with you for too long."

As he spoke, he looked left and right, and finally remembered the suitcase that the apprentice was in charge of bringing just now.He pushed the suitcase to the side of the bed: "Here are some things for you, including a change of clothes, some books that I personally want to recommend to you, and other daily necessities. I don't know what else you need? You can tell me anything, as long as it complies with the rules, I will help you prepare."

Winter Thistle asked, "I do have a request... May I write?"

"Of course." The old man pointed to the suitcase. "There are pens, paper and ink in the things given to you. However, your letter may be checked by others. I don't plan to read it, but someone will."

"No problem, I understand. I won't write anything secret, after all, I don't know any secrets in the first place."

The old man nodded with satisfaction: "Okay. It will be very hard for you to live here alone. Can I come and chat with you when I'm not busy?"

"Of course, I am very happy!" Winter Ji stood up and bowed slightly to the old man again.

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

Five days have passed since the monster was caught.

The monster was transferred from the Town Hall to the Temple of Daylight, where it was imprisoned in the temple's dungeons.The entrances and walls of the dungeon are engraved with sacred prayers, and are more suitable for holding the profane than the prison of the town hall.

In Harbor City, the Prayer Dungeon hadn't been activated for a long time, and the Patriarch and Knight Captain hadn't seen real monsters for a long time.

That afternoon, Aldin took a few of his men to the temple, went to the dungeon to take a look at the monster, and came out after a short stay.

The Patriarch invited Aldin to stay and have a cup of tea before leaving. Aldin understood that she had something to say.

In the reception room, the patriarch withdrew the deacon who entertained the guests, and Aldin also left all his subordinates outside.

The patriarch did a few routine prayers, then frowned and said: "There is news from the Great Temple, and the envoy may request that the creature be escorted to the Great Temple of White Lake City. Before that, you'd better put Ask everything you want to ask.”

Aldin said: "Your emissary really intends to escort him there? I don't advise you to do that."

The patriarch said: "The order hasn't come down yet, and the envoy and the senior priests are still discussing. When the order from the envoy comes down, I won't be able to be the master. However, based on my understanding of them, most of them will ask for escort. of."

Aldin turned the handle of the teacup and slowly shook his head: "White Lake City is too far away. To leave the country from the southwest of Sandonia, you have to pass through two counties in the middle, then the Long Rock Pass, and climb over the Eagle Mountain. Huolongyu still has to pass through a small border of Rekelia... There are too many uncertain factors on this road."

The patriarch sighed: "I know, the envoy must also know. But what else can we do? We have no way to kill it, nor can we trap it like this for a lifetime. We can only send it to the Great Temple, and the envoy And the senior priests may be able to figure out a way to deal with it."

Aldin said: "Actually, I have a suggestion. Not only can it be sent out of Harbor City, but it can also ensure that we don't have to worry about it in the future, and the process is safer."

"Oh? You talk about it."

"Don't take him to White Lake City. You can contact the temple of St. Dillian, and the two temples will send him out of St. Dillian's side, around the south of Fesisit, without going through the city, and then soon You can reach the nearest Otarot Temple in the northwest. Next, just hand over the monster to them. The Otarot Knights will definitely receive it and send it to the city of the North Star. The rest of the road will not return You are responsible. Anyway, the believers of the God of Silence love to take care of such things, and they certainly don't mind the trouble."

The patriarch immediately refused: "No. This is an act of shirking responsibility, which is contrary to what Ms. Bai Bai taught us."

Aldin didn't refute her, just looked at her and didn't answer.

She went on to say: "If we go this way, we have to get closer to the north. The closer we get to the Khiva River, the more likely there will be necromancers. This route is also very dangerous."

Aldin said: "This route is at least half as close as the road to White Lake City. When I am near Sandonia and Fesisit, I can also dispatch the mercenary group of the Chamber of Commerce to help you escort them to ensure safety as much as possible. .As long as the monsters are handed over to the Otarot Temple, we don’t need to worry about anything anymore. You are a priest, and you know the way of Otarot knights better than me.”

The patriarch thought for a while, but still disagreed: "Aldin, this is not just a safety issue. Think about it, what if we go north and something happens and the monster escapes... what will other people think? There may be people who suspect that Harbor City is in collusion with the northern Frostfield, that your mercenary group and my knights are not clean, that we deliberately went north and cooperated with the necromancer to send that monster back to Frostfield. "

Aldin frowned and shook his head: "Now everyone knows that Mai Da and I caught it. If we want to let it go, why did we catch it? Besides, even if there is a risk, I am the one with the greatest risk. What are you afraid of?"

The patriarch said: "Since the heat disturbance many years ago, the Daytime Temple in Harbor City has been criticized, and the Great Temple is also very dissatisfied. Later, because of the death of the young knight and the outsider, I lost face in front of the envoy Sweeping the floor, there are too many things I need to explain to her...Your risk is great, but the burden on me is not light. We must be cautious in this matter now. "

Aldin said: "That's right, it's because of caution that we should throw trouble at the Otarot followers."

"No, if you go to the Great Temple, even if something happens, it can only be regarded as a tragedy and accident, it's all because that monster is too cunning; and if you go to the north, if something happens, then you, me , more people...you will have to face another wave of pressure from all sides. You have to think clearly."

Aldin took a sip of tea and did not speak for a long time.

The road to White Lake City is too long, and there is a lack of knight barracks that can be connected in the middle. In the event of an accident, it is estimated that the Great Temple will not have time to come to help... But the Patriarch's consideration is also right, and the reputation risk she said does exist.

Aldin thought for a while, and said: "If your envoy gives an order, then I have no right to interfere. I just put forward my suggestion, and I hope you will also convey it to the envoy. In case they listen to your suggestion, directly Wouldn't it be better to order you to handover with the North Star City? We don't have to worry about it."

"Okay, I'll make some suggestions." The Patriarch nodded and clinked glasses with Aldin instead of wine.

The two took another sip of tea each, and the teacups had bottomed out, but the patriarch didn't intend to call for more water.

She kept frowning: "By the way, there is one more thing. We haven't found that female mage named Irene. She may have fled far away."

"There's nothing we can do if we can't catch up," Aldin said. "She still has two swearers with her. It's really not easy to kill her. Although she is a dangerous person, she may not threaten Harbor City. She has no ambitions." Therefore, as long as she does not appear, we are not in a hurry to kill her."

The pastor said: "That's right. In short, I will announce her crimes at an appropriate time. Temples and believers everywhere will pay attention to this person for us. She should not be able to approach Harbor City anymore."

"Speaking of her crimes..." Aldin lowered his voice, "The dozens of mercenaries are still underground in the city hall, and they have all been dealt with. Make arrangements tonight to examine the body, and then the cause of death can be announced .”

After several days of discussions, the Chamber of Commerce leaders and the local city hall have reached an agreement:

The various actions of this group of mercenaries were all instructed by the monster necromancer, and then they were poisoned and killed by the necromancer named Irene.

At the beginning, most of the people did not die because they ingested less poison. Three of them who ingested more were killed on the spot, and the rest were poisoned after being interrogated, and finally all died.

After they all "died from poisoning", all kinds of aftermath will be much easier.

The city hall can quickly appease the city guard soldiers and their families who are angry with the mercenaries, and it also prevents the possibility of the mercenaries regretting and withdrawing their confessions, saving a lot of trouble.

"Did they... all drink this time?" The patriarch held the empty cup, his face slightly frightened, "After what happened before, I thought they would be more vigilant..."

Aldin said: "As long as the conclusion of the temple inspection is that they were killed by poison, does it matter if they drink or not?"

The patriarch avoided Aldin's gaze, and nodded slowly: "Okay, I will examine the corpse myself tonight."

Aldin noticed her expression from the corner of his eye, and wanted to laugh a little.

There was compassion and sadness in her eyes, but it meant nothing.When it was time to engage in certain collaborations, she always cooperated happily without blinking an eye.

After talking with the Patriarch, Aldin left the temple.

He didn't take a carriage, but rode back all the way.When he and his men crossed the streets of the Harbor City, the nearby residents all gave way out of their own accord. Some were secretly watching him, and some were talking in low voices.

There was restrained fear in the eyes of the older man, but the younger the child, the hotter his gaze was, with obvious yearning and even reverence.

Aldean discovered this early on.He never returned those glances.

Looking back to how many years ago, when he was a child, he used to stare at foreign people with weapons like this. Some of those people were explorers, some were mercenaries, and in short, they were all strong, confident, terrifying men who carried weapons with them.

Now he occasionally gets stared at like this, but he doesn't enjoy it.Neither enjoy, nor repel, nor dislike.It just feels like everything is normal and normal.

After returning to the mansion, a servant immediately greeted him, saying that an important letter had been delivered.

Aldin took the letter and knew at once that it was from Winter Thistle.The letter was sealed with a wax seal, and the stamp was from Hilda's College.

In fact, this is not considered an "important letter". Really important letters are sent by Xinying or special envoys, not by ordinary mail.But Aldin had explained to the servant that all letters sent by the academy should be handed over to him as soon as possible.

Aldin walked under the vines and unfolded the letter paper.Aldin couldn't help laughing when he saw the letter for the first time.

Winter Thistle's letter was written very neatly, with the address "Dear Lord Aldine" on the title.Then he reflected on the first sentence of the letter, saying that his letterhead was too vague, he was used to it, and he didn't know what to call it better for a while, and hoped that Aldin would not mind.

Winter Ji asked about the recent situation, when he could leave the academy, and if he couldn't leave for the time being, was there anything he could help with, and so on.He also asked about Kanai, asking if the misunderstanding between their brothers had been cleared up.

Next, he asked what happened to Bellos, and mentioned the Dead Hunter and March.

He specifically mentioned that they helped him and kept him away from Harbor City in advance.He said that their target was only Bellos, not other people and things in Harbor City, and hoped that Aldin would not regard them as a threat.

Winter Thistle also spoke of the band of sellswords, those who had been in the dungeon with him.Winter Thistle recounted all the situations in the dungeon, and he advised the mercenaries to tell the truth and not to be affected by Bellos.

Winter Thistle said, if the mercenaries really have nothing to do with the necromancers and are just doing things for money, then I hope Aldin can take care of them and give them a chance to return to the Peregrine Mercenary Group.

In the dungeon, Winter Thistle specifically promised this to the mercenaries, saying that he would communicate with Aldin and say something to the mercenaries.

Aldin looked at the letter and sighed.

It cannot be blamed for the late arrival of the letter.Even if Dong Ji was beside him and said these things to him personally, the result of the group of mercenaries was still the same.

The sun was setting and the light was getting darker. Under the vines, I could hardly read the words clearly.

Aldin walked slowly to the study to write a reply to Winter Thistle.