The Book of Hibernation

In the village office, Dong Ji discussed the recent situation with everyone as usual.He didn't mention anything about the raid, everything was normal in his mouth, he just continued to pass the news as a routine.

Winter thistle brings the time and place for the next hostage exchange.The time is three days later, and the coordinates of the location are far from Hamer Village, but very close to the Khiva River.

The necromancer also proposed that this location is not only the location for the second exchange of hostages, but also the designated location of the temporary laboratory.Winter Thistle will work here until the last hostage exchange is completed.

Aldin had known for a long time that a temporary laboratory would be built, so he was ready.Recently, he had just recruited a group of handymen from Harbor City, and he also rushed to Hamer Village today.

Handymen are everywhere, and they can be hired in the north, but Aldin wants to transfer people from Harbor City.

It just so happened that a group of workshop mages were coming recently. They and their workers all started from near Harbor City. The handymen took part-time jobs to take care of and escort the mages. They were able to get two wages. Everyone was very happy.

Due to the fatigue of the boat.When the mages arrived in Fesisit, they went directly to find a house to sleep.The handymen were very energetic, and rushed to Hamer Village in no time to be on call at any time.

Under Aldin's arrangement, Winter Thistle met with the handymen and confirmed their work types and total number of workers one by one.He had to pass this information on to the necromancer.

It is said that this team of handymen used to work in the port, able to tally goods, do carpentry, build houses, and repair ships.They could do anything for the right price, and they all did it well, so Ardine had transferred them to take care of his fellow countrymen.

Among them, Dongji recognized several familiar people.For example, one of them was a tall, black-haired man with a stern face, as if he hadn't woken up; and the red-haired young man next to him, with freckles on his face, loved to laugh, and would secretly wink at Winter Thistle whenever they met.

Though impressed with them, Winter Thistle does not speak to them.

After the discussion in the village office was over, Dong Ji met several new faces in the village.For example, the envoy sent by the Carlos family, and the knight captain Renault who was responsible for escorting Kanai.At present, only Renault has entered the forest, and Kanai remains in the Council Tower.

Aldin went to have a private conversation with the Carlos family.Winter Thistle happened to walk past Captain Renault, and chatted with him naturally.

After learning that Lei Nuo is a detachment leader, Winter Thistle mistook him for Ryan's boss, and asked casually if he knew where Ryan was.

Renault didn't know Ryan, so he asked about the specific identity of this person. When Winter Thistle mentioned the execution team, Renault showed obvious surprise on his face.

"Why, did something happen to the execution team?" Dong Ji asked.

Captain Renault quickly said: "No. I'm just surprised that San Dilian's execution team actually came to the Jewel Forest. I've been in the south this year, so I haven't paid much attention to things here."

When he said this, Dong Ji became even more puzzled: "Shouldn't Saint Dilian's execution team come here?"

Renault said: "It's not that it shouldn't be. It's like this..."

He patiently explained to Winter Thistle, without taking trouble at all:

Fesisit is different from Shandonia.Sandonia is an ancient kingdom under the care of the lady of the day, and has a generational oath with the temple, and the temple and the kingdom are interdependent; while Fesisit is a free city-state established a hundred years ago, which has not been under the care of the oath, and is outside the oath.The execution team is subordinate to the Temple of St. Dilian, and St. Dilian is in the territory of Sandonia. If the execution team wants to go to Fesisit's gem forest to perform tasks, it is not enough for the temple to give orders, and Fesisit's The State Council took the initiative to request reinforcements from the execution squad and signed a written interim oath with the temple.In this way, the execution squad has the right to act here according to the teachings, and is not bound by the laws of the world.

Winter Thistle didn't know much about the oath between the country and the temple, but she also roughly understood that it was a matter of the scope of authority.

He hesitated and muttered: "The city-state council of Fesisit asked for help from the Temple of Daylight, which is a bit strange..."

Winter Ji thought it was strange out of intuition, but in fact he couldn't analyze why.He wanted Captain Renault to reveal more of his personal opinion, so he said it on purpose.

Then Renault really took the bait: "I was surprised too. People in the Northwest believe in Otarot more, and the temple of Otarot has always opposed the practice of blasphemy. It's not far from the city of the North Star, and they didn't ask Otarot. The Temple of Tarot asked for help, but turned to us... Maybe they are more willing to trust the Temple of the Day, if so, it is also gratifying. As patrollers, we are willing to lend a helping hand to everyone in need..."

Winter Thistle nodded perfunctorily, resting a finger on her lower lip.The first half of Renault's words are still useful, but the second half is basically unnecessary.

The Temple Knights of Otarot and the Execution Squad of the Day Knights... The biggest difference between the two is the way they deal with necromancers.

With the permission of the temple and the rulers of the region, the execution team of the White Knights can directly execute the necromancers in the area, but they only target the necromancers and their magic items, and ignore ordinary people who have contacts with the necromancers.For example, a businessman who sells contraband, this kind of person can be handed over to the secular law for trial, but he will not be under the jurisdiction of the day knight execution squad, unless he has committed a clear evil act in front of the knight.

But Otarot Knight is different.They judge all desecration of sacred life and death, and the scope of this "all" is very large.Manipulating the soul is of course an unforgivable crime; transforming a corpse is also a heinous crime; although you do not understand magic, but you hide and assist the necromancer, then you are guilty of the same crime as the caster himself; you do business with the necromancer, do not mix If you have a personal relationship, then you have also participated in the blasphemy of life... In short, according to the standards of the Temple of Otarot, both Winter Thistle and Aldin should be taken away, and it can even be considered that the current Hammer village There are basically no good people.

But on the other hand, if the person being interrogated does not resist, the Otarot knights will not kill him immediately, they will escort him to the city of North Star, and deal with it after the trial.Of course, the death penalty is very common, but there are also examples of lesser culpability or the merits of the crime.

The execution squads of the Day Knights are different.Their task is to carry out the final punishment, so they will deal with the necromancers and undead creatures on the spot, and there is no option to arrest them.The other relationships of necromancers have nothing to do with them.

If Fesisit wanted to completely solve the problem in the Gem Forest, it would be better to seek help from the Temple of Otarot.But now it seems that they not only want to kill the nearby necromancers, but also want to ensure that other people who have deals with the necromancers are not involved too much while killing the necromancers.They don't seem to want to get too deep into it.

More than a year ago, Winter Thistle had heard about the disturbances here in Harbor City.At that time, the number of monsters created by the necromancers increased greatly, forcing Fessisit to withdraw the line of defense, and a chamber of commerce leader was suspected of being killed in the chaos... At that time, the city-state council did not ask for help from any temple. They seemed to be lazy, as if Not in such a hurry now.They didn't even close the border completely, but continued to maintain the northern trade route, and Doris continued to lead the caravan northward.

Behind Delise is the Carlos family, who have been doing business with necromancers.They sent slaves, corpses, and common supplies to the north, and the northern necromancers were rewarded with arcane crystals.These things are crude consumables for spellcasting, and can be used for many weapons and utensils. After they flow into the south, the price is actually not low...

Various thoughts swirl in Dongji's mind.He always felt that there was some connection among them, but he couldn't compose a clear idea for a while.

He wanted to calm down and think about it alone, so he said goodbye to Renault, saying that he would find a room to rest.

Raynor said goodbye to Winter Thistle politely.After walking a few steps, he met Aldin at the corner of the path.In Renault's view, Ardine just happened to follow this path too.

The two didn't say anything, they simply nodded to each other and passed by.Aldin continued to walk forward, slowing down, following Winter Thistle from a distance.

Winter Thistle has been bowing his head in thought.Passing by the private house for him to rest, he didn't go in, but continued to walk aimlessly.

Looking at Winter Thistle's back, Aldin thought: I'd better make a sound and say something proactively. If I keep following behind so slowly, I might suddenly scare Winter Thistle.

He quickened his pace, and just about to speak, Dongji suddenly turned around.

After turning around, Winter Thistle walked towards Aldin without pause or surprise.

He stood still in front of Aldin with a dazed and shy expression on his face.This expression reminded Aldin of the past.When she first met Dong Ji, she had this expression on her face almost all day long.But things seem to be a little different now...

Winter Thistle looked at him and asked softly, "What do the Carlos family say?"

Aldin frowned and sighed: "What else can I say... They attach great importance to De Lisi, and hope she is safe no matter what. Maybe you have heard some rumors that although De Lisi does not have a surname, she is actually related to them by blood of."

This is nonsense.Dongji thought so in her heart, but didn't say it out loud.

So far, Aldin has said nothing surprising.But Winter Thistle found that her thoughts became clearer.As long as Aldin stands in front of him, he can constantly remind him, allowing him to deduce how the people in the chamber of commerce behave.

The vague idea that was in my heart just now gradually emerged with a clear ins and outs.

Winter Thistle said, "Actually, I'm worried about Doris."

Aldine asked, "Have you seen her lately?"

"No. The necromancer has put me under separate custody. I am worried about her because she is a more important hostage like me. The necromancer will definitely not let her go next time. And it is more difficult to catch her than me A lot, I was very honest when I was arrested, she might not be. Logically speaking, she should suffer more than me."

Aldin did not answer immediately.He wasn't sure what Winter Thistle meant.

Winter Thistle went on to say: "After I left Harbor City last year, I actually met Doris once. Not only her, but also her caravan. When I left the country from San Delian, I met a group of robbers. Her caravan saved me."

Aldin said, "It turns out that there is still such a thing."

"Yes. I heard that she used to be a mercenary, just like you and Kanai?"

"She did work as a mercenary, but she's not exactly the same as me. She is mainly responsible for inquiring about intelligence, and occasionally does some nursing care."

Winter Thistle sighed, "Then she and her caravan are quite secretive. Do you know how they rescued me?"

Aldin waited for him to speak.

"They killed the bandits. It only took a short time. And there are many bandits, but they are few."

Before Aldin could respond to this sentence, Winter Thistle continued: "That's why I was even more surprised. They are obviously not ordinary businessmen, but they were all kidnapped by necromancers. Normally, something must happen when they are captured. There was a lot of fighting, but I hear there were no casualties during the kidnapping. Look, it's like..."

It was as if they hadn't resisted at all.

Aldin looked at Winter Thistle, and the two looked at each other.He understood, so Dongji didn't have to finish his sentence.

Aldine looked around and pulled Winter Thistle through the nearest door.The ordinary residents of Hamer Village have all moved out, and now there are many vacant houses in the village.

Winter Thistle made no objection and followed him through the door.

After closing the door, before Aldin could say anything, Winter Thistle spoke first: "Aldin, you want to save Kanai, and so do I. I only focus on the spells on Kanai, and I will not interfere with your other activities. matter, we have the same interests. I am not your enemy."

Aldin bolted the door, turned his head slowly, and leaned against the door panel. "What exactly are you talking about with me?" he asked.

"Among the circumstances I know, how many are false?" Winter Thistle said, "No, maybe it can't be said to be 'false', it should be said—how many of them were clearly involved in me, but they were kept from me. ?”

Aldin said: "You also said just now that we have the same interests. Why should I lie to you?"

"Cheating is not exactly the same as concealing," Winter Thistle said, "I'm going to say it straight. Just now, I figured out something. Fesisit asked for help from the Temple of the Day, and even called the execution team... this should be Is it the Chamber of Commerce's idea?"

Aldin was a little taken aback, but quickly recovered his usual expression.

He said: "The chamber of commerce does not have such power, and I alone cannot influence the city-state council."

Winter Thistle said: "Of course not by you alone. There is also Glora, who is in charge of the chamber of commerce, is your subordinate, and is also a member of the council. There is also Fei Da, who is in charge. Although he passed away, He must have left a lot of contacts. There are many people here who are inextricably linked with you and Gerola... Of course I don’t know how you guys operate. I only know the result. The result is that you got the execution The team started to kill the necromancers in the forest. Why is that?"

With a worried look on his face, Aldin walked a little closer to Winter Thistle.They might have been closer before, and he would take Winter Thistle in his arms to comfort him, but that was not the case now.

Did he just press Winter Thistle's shoulder, just like comforting other friends?

"Winter Thistle, what happened?" Aldin looked at the half-elf worriedly, "We had a lot of troubles in the past, for you, maybe I'm not trustworthy... But I still hope you can believe , Now it’s different from before, I won’t put you in danger. You seem to be very anxious, what happened, can you tell me?”

Winter Thistle shook her head dejectedly: "Don't do this. Aldin, don't talk to me like this. Be normal."

"What's 'normal'?" asked Aldin.

Winter Ji said: "All along, whenever I asked you about something, your first reaction was to lie to me and hide it from me. Sometimes it was a kind comfort, and sometimes it was to change the topic and divert my attention. In short, just don’t communicate with me directly. If the person in front of you is Kanai and Gerola, would you do the same? Probably not?”

Aldin withdrew his hand and stood with his arms folded, quietly looking at Winter Thistle.

After a while, he sighed: "You are right. But I hope you can understand that I am not belittling you."

"Of course I do," said Winter Thistle, "because I do it a lot, too."

"You often too?"

"I often treat others like this," Dong Ji smiled bitterly, and couldn't help recalling many old events, "The most obvious one is...for example, to Ryan. In retrospect, I almost never talk to him properly. Once he has something to say If there is any doubt, I will appease him as soon as possible so that he does not have to continue to think. Once our ideas conflict, and he wants to do something but I don’t want to, I will start to lie to him and mix the truth and lies to induce him. Don't let him do anything, always make the final decision according to my judgment..."

Winter Thistle shook her head, resting her forehead with her hands.

"I've thought about it a lot this year. After I figured it out, I suddenly realized that you often treat me like this."

This kind of relationship is also very good, very peaceful.As long as all the little cracks can be healed, life will remain intact.

Then... if it continues like this, before too long, the small crack will become a cliff like a moat.It can't be wiped away with a smile, and it can't be ironed out with body temperature. There is no other way but to let it develop and deteriorate.

Aldin thought about what Winter Thistle said, and couldn't help laughing.

He wasn't making fun of Winter Thistle, but lamented that Winter Thistle's judgment was really sharp and precise.

Winter Thistle is right.When he asked Dongji "what happened", he didn't really think that something happened, but wanted to guide Dongji to say more, so that he could guess what Dongji's purpose was and what he wanted to hear Such facts-in order to find suitable lies based on this train of thought.Just like before.

Winter Thistle looked back at Aldin, waiting for his serious answer.

Aldin said, "You guessed it right. The Chamber of Commerce really wanted the execution squad."