The Book of Hibernation

Winter Thistle woke up, turned over, and squinted to see food on the stool beside the bed.Frittata, pickles, cheese, and a cup of soup.

He fell into a drowsy sleep, and didn't feel anything wrong at the first moment, but was a little confused: I've never bought this kind of pickle, and I don't know how to make it myself. Who brought it?Did Dorling buy it?

After a while, he became much more awake, and realized that he was not at home, but in the gem forest.He is not lying on a stretcher now, but on a bed in the room. It seems that he has arrived in Hamer Village.

He rubbed his eyes, and before he got up, he heard a familiar voice from the end of the bed: "Is there something uncomfortable on your body?"

After waking up and hearing this voice, Dongji couldn't help being in a trance.

It seems that he is not in Hammer Village, but back in his bedroom in Harbor City—the room smells of lemonade and brown sugar pastry, and the green courtyard is outside the window. Aconite.

Winter Thistle slowly got up and looked at Aldin who was sitting at the end of the bed.Aldin's hair was a little longer, and it was not tied up, and it was loosely scattered around his neck and the fur lapel of his cloak. Now that he was in the north, he was naturally dressed more tightly than before. The scary python tattoo was covered by his clothes. His demeanor seemed more gloomy and majestic than before.

In fact, after careful consideration, Aldin looks a bit fierce, with black hair and black eyes, a tough face, and sharper angles between his eyebrows and eyes.When he was in Harbor City, Aldin always dressed loosely and casually, even a little sloppy at times, which reduced the gloomy feeling and made him appear more talkative.

Or it may be because the overall temperament of Harbor City is different from that in the north.The tense atmosphere in the Gem Forest and the banks of the Khiva River makes people and things different.

Aldin smiled: "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like this?"

Only then did Dong Ji realize that she was staring at him, and quickly looked away.

At that moment, Aldin's expression was too similar to the past, especially now that it was noon, and the atmosphere became... just like when they woke up together in the past.

Aldin said: "The pastor just checked you, and it seems that there is nothing wrong. Are you uncomfortable?"

Winter Thistle replied, "No. I'm not injured or sick, but I'm really tired from walking too much and staying up all night. When I walked over there, I happened to see the barracks of the Knights of the Day, so I asked them to carry me."

"It's okay. You eat something, the rest of us have already eaten."

Winter Thistle is indeed a little hungry.The thick soup is still warm, and it is pleasant to drink.In the early morning, he ate the dry food he brought with him in the forest, and now he was hungry again, probably because he hadn't eaten anything decent in the past few days.

Aldin sat aside, silently waiting for him to eat, without saying anything.

Neither of them asked "how are you" or "how are you here" or anything like that.There is no need to ask.It is not surprising that any of them are here, and they can understand the reason after a little thought.

Neither of them asked if the other was doing well.The same is not necessary to ask.When they separated, they both knew what the other's life would be like.

Winter Thistle had almost finished eating before Aldin spoke again: "By the way, your brother is here too. Now he is the real Knight of the Day, and he is a squad leader of the Gem Forest execution squad."

"Well, I heard about it." Just as Winter Thistle was about to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand, Aldin handed over a square scarf.

Winter Thistle took the kerchief.Aldin handed him another water jug.

When Winter Thistle took over the kettle, he realized that Aldin, like him, felt that the food made by the Fesisiters was too salty, and it was okay to eat, but his mouth tended to dry out after eating.Aldin must have eaten a lot of these things recently, so he knows that others need white water after eating.

Winter Thistle laughed while thinking about it.His guess was correct, that's exactly what Ardine meant.

When he finished drinking the water and handed the jug to Aldin, Aldin was also looking at him and smiling.

"Then let's go," said Winter Thistle.

"Where?"

"Is it... a place to talk about business?"

Aldin said: "Oh, you don't need to go out. There are not many people who talk to you directly. There are only three people. One is the pastor, who is responsible for conveying the meaning of the temple; the other is a lady named Glora, who is in charge of the chamber of commerce. She is also one of the members of the Fesisit city-state council, and she can represent the speaker. Then there is me, representing the chamber of commerce. People from the Carlos family should also participate, but they can’t come for the time being. Since there are not so many people listening, your health today No, then we won’t use that conference room. The three people will come over later, and we’ll chat in the room. It’s also warmer here.”

The city-state prepared a meeting room before, in fact, to accommodate a large number of guards.The necromancer said that they would send someone to negotiate. In everyone's expectation, they should send a team of people, and they might also bring the guardian golem to the village hall aggressively... But now it's just a lonely half-elf , was still carried in.

After checking by the pastor and various parties, this person is indeed not a necromancer.He is the brother of a Templar Knight and once worked in the Chamber of Commerce.

In this way, everyone will understand that necromancers will not show up, they will only send hostages to negotiate, and will not let their own people risk being detained.

Winter Thistle was secretly happy when she heard that she didn't need to leave the house.He was sitting on the bed with two pillows behind him, and it was nice to be able to wrap himself in the comforter and lean against the head of the bed without having to tuck his feet into those uncomfortable boots for a while.

His original shoes were not suitable for walking in the mountains and forests, and they were worn out. The current shoes were given by the necromancer, and they didn't fit at all.

Dong Ji wandered away for a while, and after drawing his attention back, he noticed a detail in Aldin's words just now: "You just said that you represent the chamber of commerce?"

"Yes. I'm acting chief now," Aldean said.

"Need to say congratulations?"

"No. My actual identity is still in charge, and the chief is just an agent, with a one-year term. Ordinarily, I should have stepped down by now, but there have been too many troubles recently, and the formal election of the chief has been postponed to next year's spring equinox. "

"That should also say congratulations."

After Dong Ji finished speaking, she continued to tidy up the quilt and sat cross-legged: "Then let's get down to business. Let me think about it, where should I start..."

Aldin raised his hand to stop him: "I'll talk about it when other people come."

"Alright." Winter Thistle nodded.

But in this way, the two of them just sat like this, not knowing what to talk about.

At a certain moment, Winter Thistle almost asked "How is Kanai doing now", and he immediately realized that this was not a good topic.

They will talk about it sooner or later, not just now.He swallowed the words just in time.

Fortunately, this awkward silence did not last long.After a while, others finally came.

In addition to the priest and Glora, there were two more people involved in the conversation: Ryan and another temple knight.In name, the priest brought two assistants, but in fact it was an extra layer of protection against any dangerous preset spells on the hostages.

Seeing Ryan, Winter Thistle felt mixed feelings.Ryan proactively nodded to him, without showing any personal intimacy, and Winter Thistle didn't say anything, just staring at Ryan non-stop.Ryan was a little embarrassed by his stare, and his eyes dodged back and forth.

The pastor was a northern woman in her 50s. She knew that the two were brothers, and she was surprised to see how awkward they were.She told Ryan not to be too reserved, she brought Ryan here just to let the two brothers have a care.

Ryan nodded in agreement.This is not enough, the pastor also urged Ryan to go and say hello to his family.So Ryan went to the head of the bed tensely, squatted and knelt down, and patted each other's shoulders with Winter Thistle.

The content of this "talk" is very serious, but the form is very casual.Winter Ji huddled under the blanket, facing the five people sitting or standing across the room.

Glora brought a letter from the previous necromancer, which contained a list of hostages.She asked Winter Thistle to look at the list to make sure it was true.It's a pity that Winter Thistle hasn't seen every hostage, he can only be sure that De Lisi and Dolin are safe and sound.

"As long as Delis is fine, it will save a lot of trouble," Glora sighed, "Then let's start with the most important thing. What do those necromancers want?"

Before Winter Thistle opened her mouth, she subconsciously glanced at Aldin.

Aldin's heart tightened, he had vaguely guessed the necromancer's request.

First, they wanted Kanai.Or more precisely, they want dark clouds.

Wuyun is not only a mage, but also a rare undead creature, and it can be said to be a work of magic.His mentor must have devoted his whole life to research and failed countless times before he finally succeeded in making a finished product like him.

There is only one such masterpiece, and even Wu Yun himself has not been able to make a second one.For other necromancers, if they could get him, it would be like getting a masterpiece left behind by a certain master, or getting a hermit's mage tower.

When several necromancers attacked the escort team, they were almost able to take away the dark clouds.Because Kanai used a special spell, he trapped the dark cloud in his body and couldn't move it, and the necromancer couldn't control the body. In addition, there were a large number of temple knights and they fought bravely and fearlessly. In the end, the necromancers were outnumbered and could only retreat.

The escort team successfully sent Kanai's body to White Lake City, and the necromancer could no longer disturb him.White Lake City is a place with divine arts, and no mage dares to provoke a temple with divine arts.

Now, the necromancers offer to exchange the dark clouds for their hostages.This is the first requirement.

There is a second requirement.They asked Winter Thistle to bring a list of prisoners to be released.

These prisoners are also necromancers, most of them were caught in the city in the past one or two years, and some were caught during the robbery of the prison car.

This requirement is not difficult to achieve.According to Glora's recollection, Fichsite has not carried out executions in three years, and these people should still be alive.

The third requirement is simpler, requiring only money and supplies.Not even a lot.

According to Grolla's analysis, it's not because the necromancers are polite, but because their number is limited, and they can't take away anything they want.

The necromancer also told Winter Thistle to reiterate the attitude they expressed in their letter last time: as long as these three requirements are met, they will withdraw from the Gem Forest with their companions and return to the North Shore, and focus on magic research from then on. No longer pollute anyone or anything on the South Bank.

They also specially emphasized that after they all evacuate, if there are other lone necromancers in the gem forest, then the execution team can kill them if they want, it has nothing to do with them, and they will not interfere.

"That's all?" Arden asked.

Winter Thistle nodded: "That's all. Regarding the hostages, I have some ideas of my own..."

"You said."

"Their hostages are not limited to those on the list. In fact, the entire Gem Forest is their hostage. Many experiments in the necromantic system are very dangerous. If you don't pay attention to protection, they will be corrosive to the inherent elements. Before I was caught, I used analysis I checked the magic circle briefly, and the elemental fluctuations here are all messed up. I heard that there are various mineral deposits in the gem forest, and it is estimated that the mineral veins have been affected."

Aldin said: "It is indeed the case. So now it is not only the Fesisiters who are anxious, but the nearby countries and city-states are aware of the seriousness."

"Then what do you think, their request..."

Aldin said: "If you ask me what I think personally, I certainly don't want to hand Kanai to them."

The priest sitting next to him sighed: "I can understand. Kanai has been doing well in the Great Temple this year. The high-ranking priest said that we should have hope and be patient. Sooner or later, the Temple will find a way to save him. .If we want to give him to the necromancer, wouldn't our previous efforts be in vain..."

Glora asked, "Then do you think these conditions are acceptable?"

"How is it possible to accept it?" The pastor shook his head.

This not only involves Kanai's physical problems, but more importantly, the dark cloud itself is a great hidden danger.

Wu Yun didn't continue to study the art of transferring souls before, so he didn't pose too much threat.From Wu Yun's own confession, it can be known that all its teachers and companions are gone, and it is the only successful experimental subject left, and it does not have the ability to continue researching on its own.

As a brand new undead creature, its characteristics are extremely astonishing.This kind of creature not only deceives death, but also maintains most of the characteristics of a living person on the surface. It can maintain a coherent memory when changing bodies, and its ability to cast spells is not damaged. The soul and body are synchronized at an extremely fast speed...

If Dark Cloud starts working with other necromancers, over time, such undead creatures will surely start to spread.

At that time, I am afraid that no one would dare to attack any necromancer anymore.If you unfortunately kill him, you may be taken over by him.

Since the monster was able to replace the head of the Chamber of Commerce in the past, it may also replace the generals or even the leaders of various countries in the future.

Such a thing is not only a monster, but a disease that eats away at the soul.

Glora said: "I'm going to say something you don't like to hear. Judging from the current situation, if I convey the requirements of the necromancer to the city-state assembly, most of the members of the assembly will tend to agree to these requirements. Release the prisoners and send them to the city-state assembly. Supplies are trivial matters, and they can be the masters; but about Kanai, they can’t be the masters, so they may contact other countries on the river bank to put pressure on us together.”

"Do you know why we can't release the cloud?" the pastor asked.

Glora nodded: "Of course I know. But I need to convince all members of the city-state council. As for the Carlos family, they may not understand the danger of dark clouds."

Aldin thought for a while, then asked Winter Thistle, "Did the necromancer say a time limit?"

Winter Thistle said: "The time limit for the exchange of hostages? They haven't mentioned it, maybe they haven't figured it out yet, and we will discuss it in detail in the future."

Aldin smiled.He exchanged glances with Glora, and Glora nodded slightly.

"We just said, we can agree to these conditions," Aldin said.

The pastor asked, "What about Kanai..."

Aldin only said to Winter Thistle: "You tell the necromancers like this. We agree to hand over the dark clouds to them, but we don't agree to hand over Kanai. So in this matter, we have to find a way, and it takes time Besides, we have to send Kanai here from White Lake City after all, and the journey will take time."

The priest wondered, "What are you talking about? We can't release the dark cloud. Even if we could, we can't separate it from Kanai for the time being."

"Yes, this is a problem," Aldin said, "the necromancers must know this too. They also know a lot of things, such as knowing that Kanai is my younger brother, knowing that I am the acting chief of the Ten Sail Street Chamber of Commerce, and knowing that The attitude of the temple is the same as mine. Therefore, it must not be easy to take Kanai away from us, and we will procrastinate on this matter for a long time-they will have this psychological preparation."

The pastor was still puzzled: "What's the difference between this and rejection?"

"We didn't refuse, we agreed, it just takes time," Aldin said, "We have to remove the spell on Kanai, release the dark cloud, and let it regain the ability to transfer to the prepared prisoner's body, Let that body go with the necromancer. But Kanai must stay... Even if it's just a body, it must stay. We have to do this."

The pastor said in surprise, "We can't do it!"

"We're just saying it can be done, but it will take time and it's dangerous."

The pastor wanted to say something more, but at this moment she noticed Aldin's expression and immediately understood what he meant.So she nodded slowly.

When it came to dispelling the spell, Aldin glanced at Winter Thistle.

The two of them had discussed this issue before, and the atmosphere at that time was really not pleasant.

When mentioning this matter today, Aldin didn't really want Winter Thistle to do anything.The look he gave Winter Thistle was just a subconscious reaction.

Winter Thistle also probably guessed Aldin's thoughts.

They need time, which is a very reasonable request indeed.Among other things, it will take a long time to bring Kanai over.

And the longer the time dragged on, the more we could figure out the details of these necromancers.

Winter Thistle said, "I know what to say. But what if the necromancer doesn't believe it?"

Aldin asked: "Let me guess... Is there an old acquaintance of ours among the necromancers?"

I don't know if this is speculation or intuition, but it is accurate.Of course he was referring to March.

Dong Ji shook his head and sighed: "There really are..."

Aldin smiled and said, "Go and tell her. As long as it is what you say, she will definitely believe it. Then she will convince others for us."