The Book of Hibernation

On this day, Winter Thistle sat at the table, staring at the small cauldron where the medicine was boiled.

There are magical defenses on the doors and windows of the laboratory. Ryan wanted to talk to Winter Thistle, but he couldn't walk in.So Ryan found a place outside the wall between Winter Thistle and Winter Thistle. Winter Thistle cast a small spell, and the two could talk smoothly through the wall, and only needed to make a small sound.

Ryan analyzed the situation at the pier, and asked Winter Thistle, "How about it, do you also feel a little strange?"

Ryan's mind was full of these things. Up to today, he had told Winter Thistle several times over and over again.

Winter Ji didn't answer, but asked: "Are you taking the afternoon off today? Aren't you going back to the house to sleep for a while?"

Ryan said: "The rest is just a time to take a shower and change clothes. I have washed it. We can also take turns to take a nap in the warehouse. I am not sleepy. Do you have any magic to detect what is in the box?"

Winter Ji said: "Yes, but I've been busy recently, so I can't go... Has that batch of goods been kept in the warehouse at the dock? Shouldn't it continue to be transported away?"

Ryan said: "The caravan will not continue to transport until all the follow-up goods have been delivered and the procedures are completed."

"Then in a few days, I'll take a look with you when I have time," Winter Thistle said, "Don't gossip about this, don't pester Aldin and Kanai with this."

Hearing that Winter Thistle agreed to watch it, Ryan's expression immediately stretched: "Okay! I understand! Then I'm going to leave."

The sound of armor colliding with the scabbard came from outside the wall, and Winter Thistle frowned: "Go back to the house and sleep for a while! Take off the armor and sleep again. You always make do with this, and your body will become more and more tired."

Ryan said: "I'm really not sleepy, I've rested before. I'm going to get something to eat, and then I'm going back to the pier!"

Winter Ji asked, "Why, isn't the food at the pier enough to eat?"

No one answered outside.Ryan has stepped out of the range of the spell and is out of hearing.Winter Thistle shook her head and sighed.

Chatting with his younger brother didn't delay Dongji's work.He put the fire in the small crucible, sprinkled a layer of the prepared medicine powder on it the moment the boiling stopped, and then recited the incantation, observing every change in the contents of the container.

He sat in Kanai's laboratory every day, but Kanai himself didn't come often.

Currently, Winter Ji is in charge of spot checking the quality of the purification of a batch of semi-finished spell-casting materials. In addition, there are some small experiments that he wants to study slowly.

In between doing these, he silently fulfilled the commission of the female necromancer.

The shrike powder is ready, and the black scopolamine cream is still fermenting, and it will be finished this evening.Right now in winter thistle's cauldron is an experimental material that could theoretically improve spell accuracy.As he took notes, he dispensed a little from the container and dropped it into a thick silver cup on another table.

There is a stone soaked in the liquid in the silver cup, which is the semi-finished storage method blood amber.Winter Thistle directly used the things to be tested on it, so it happened to be able to see the effect directly.

If everything goes well, he can go to the poorhouse again tonight, find March, and give her what she wants.

Suddenly someone said "Hey", which startled Winter Thistle.

He raised his head and looked across several rows of shelves, Aldin was leaning against the door.

"Scared you again?" Aldin asked. "Didn't you hear the sound of my unscrewing the door?"

Winter Ji quickly stood up and walked outside the experiment bench.On the one hand, out of respect, on the other hand, he didn't want Aldin to get close to the test stand.It's not that Aldin can't get close, it's that no one can, this is his little obsession as a refiner.

Aldin said: "Why do you look surprised? Are you surprised that I can come in?" He touched the small characters carved on the door frame, "Of course Kanai's laboratory has a bunch of protective spells, and he gave permission before you can enter and exit No hindrance. I am his own brother and his boss at the same time, so of course I have permission."

Winter Thistle said, "You're not a spellcaster, I thought you wouldn't come to this kind of place."

"Usually I really rarely come here, but now, I have to come in and have a look."

"why?"

Aldin took a few steps forward and approached Winter Thistle: "Because I heard from the maid that you have been here all day, and you didn't come out for lunch, and you didn't ask for water and food."

"You can't eat anything in the laboratory, and it's best not to drink water." Dong Ji lowered his head and smiled.

"So I want to see how you are, have you passed out?" Aldin stared at Winter Thistle deliberately, "Well, it's okay, your face is not particularly pale, but your lips are too dry. You should go out Eat something and drink some water."

"I will. I'll be done before dark."

Aldin said: "I just want to tell you that Kanai and I are going out to dinner tonight, and we may not be able to come back later. The servants will prepare everything as usual, just tell them if you have any requirements."

Winter Thistle asked: "I want to go to the market at night, can I?"

"Go if you want. This is what you mages should do. You can use the carriage as you like, and you can just find the driver from last time."

Winter Thistle smiled and nodded.

At this moment, Aldin lowered his eyes, and at first Winter Thistle didn't know what he was looking at, then, Aldin gently grabbed Winter Thistle's left wrist, and held his hand in front of his eyes.

"Where's the ring?" Aldin asked.He was referring to the plain silver ring from before, which could represent the identity of the visitor in the market.

Winter Thistle took out the ring from his waist pocket with his other hand: "It's not convenient to wear it when doing experiments. I will wear it when I go to the market." Of course he would put it on, after all, he has no cash.

Aldin nodded: "That's good. It's best to wear it after leaving the house. To be honest, the night in Harbor City is not very peaceful. You have to wear it to ensure that no one dares to bully you."

Dong Ji smiled and said, "Don't worry. No one will bully me."

"That's not necessarily the case," Aldin said, gently letting go of Winter Thistle's hand, and his eyes wandered to the small pointed ears next to the flaxen hair. "Few people dare to offend pure-blood elves, because doing so will attract Complicated question. But just because they don't dare doesn't mean they don't want to. For these people, half-elves are their best targets...you know what I mean?"

Winter Thistle nodded: "Understood..."

What Aldin said was not to threaten, and Winter Thistle knew exactly what he meant.

The status of half-elves in the human city-state is very special. People are not wary of them, don't hate them, and even like them a little bit; but at the same time, people see that they do not belong to the sea of ​​trees, have no hometown, and have no one to back them up, so they are easier to bully.

Aldin asked: "You traveled around before, and you must have encountered some unpleasant things, right?"

Winter Thistle replied honestly: "Yes, I have encountered it, but the situation is not bad. You see, there is a little knight in armor with me. Ryan will protect me."

Aldin said: "But your little knight was sent out to work by me. I'm afraid he can't accompany you in everything. In the future, when his tour period is over, he will have to live in a certain temple. How can he protect you then? .”

Dong Ji froze for a moment, then twisted the ring in his hand and said, "Don't worry, isn't it... you are protecting me."

Because Winter Thistle deliberately avoided, he didn't see Aldin's eyes.

"Of course." Arden said softly.

After speaking, he patted Dong Ji on the shoulder, and shook Dong Ji's hand holding the ring.

Humans are taller and have larger palms, which can completely wrap the fist of a half-elf in their palms.Winter Thistle was still holding the ring in his hand, and actually felt a little pain, but he didn't say anything, didn't frown, and Aldin couldn't feel it.

Aldin gave a few more instructions and left the laboratory.

Winter Thistle let out a long breath, and finally sat back at the table in a relaxed manner.

Walking out of the laboratory, Aldin hummed all the way to Kanai's study.

Kanai was buried in a pile of documents, raised his eyelids and saw Aldin, and sighed heavily.

Aldin leaned over to Kanai, sat on the edge of the table, and casually glanced at a few documents: "Why are you moaning? Was the fleet robbed by pirates, or did the city guard find contraband?"

Kanai said: "Not because of these, because I saw things that I shouldn't see."

Aldin said: "I know, there is an invisible watcher's eye in your laboratory, which can transmit the picture to your crystal ball... I'm just talking to the refiner, this is nothing 'should not see' Something? Are you a ten-year-old girl? If I sleep with him in the lab next time, you won’t go blind?"

Kanai lowered his voice and said in a threatening tone: "I warn you, he can sleep wherever you want, but not in my laboratory."

After finishing speaking, the two brothers looked at each other with their faces sinking like water. After looking at each other for a while, they suddenly laughed together again.

Kanai smiled and shook his head: "You feel uncomfortable without seeing him for a day, and you are so patient with him. It's not like you. Is it because he is a refiner? Afraid to scare him away? Actually, I don't think you need to be so careful , he won't run."

Aldin didn't answer directly, but asked: "Do you remember the 'Black Tiger' we raised?"

"Of course I remember, what's wrong?" Kanai said.

Heihu is a black short-haired dog with a huge physique, strong and mighty, with shoulders reaching waist height. It used to be a guard dog in the mansion. Now that it is old, it doesn't often come out of the kennel.

Aldin said: "When I play with the black tiger, I often pat it on the back, and it also likes to be 'beat'. The kid is very thick, and the flesh is tighter than a human, and it is 'poof' when you pat it. Sound. When training it, if it dares to be provocative, I will beat it with a stick. If you are more aggressive, it will be honest. It’s okay to train more intensively, but it will be calmer and more peaceful if it is tired to the ground every day. Be obedient. And its body is so strong, you don’t have to worry about hurting it.”

Kanai said: "Yes, I remember these. Only you have hit it, but it is the closest to you."

Aldin asked again: "Then do you remember the 'bubble'?"

"I remember. Isn't that a dog we took with us when we were young? It's been dead for many years. It's white. I picked it up by the sea. I still named it."

Aldin said: "The foam is not the same as the black tiger, the foam is only so big..." He gestured with his hands, "It's about the size of a cat, no, it seems to be a circle smaller than a cat. It looks round, but in fact The whole body is full of fuzzy hair. Think about it, have I ever hit it? Not only have I not hit it, I also have to pay attention to my strength when playing with it, and I have to be careful when I walk, in case I accidentally step on it , that little leg is broken."

Kanai rested his chin on one hand, listened quietly, and commented: "You are right. But don't look at this kind of puppy as delicate, its brain is not stupid. It is as smart as a big dog and can understand everything. "

"So, you have to train and you have to play, and you have to play together, so that you can develop loyalty," Aldean said. "The difference is that you have to be gentle with this little thing. That's what I mean."

"What about... the other one?" Kanai asked.

Aldin said, "That's the temple's working dog. Let's just borrow it for a while, and we can't keep it."

"He sued me a few days ago, saying that the bodyguard of the caravan looked like a slave trader."

"You can do it as you see it. After all, we are just helping out at the pier, and it's not our goods. Instead, it's winter thistle, which is really a surprise to me..."

Kanai raised the corner of her mouth slightly.Recruiting a temporary bodyguard is indeed a trivial matter, but it is no accident that the half-elf brothers came to apply.

However, Aldin liked the winter thistle very much anyway.The result is good enough.

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Aldin and Kanai also went out in the evening.It is said that they are going to a banquet, but in fact there must be a lot of business to be discussed at the banquet, and the time for them to come back will not be very early.

After night fell, Winter Thistle prepared all the things to bring, ate something and went out.

When he reached the gate of the mansion, the carriage was already waiting for him.Aldine must have known he was going to the poorhouse and had made arrangements in advance.

The coachman was the same as last time, taciturn and didn't like to look up at people.After knowing the destination, he didn't speak, but made a respectful gesture and opened the door for Dong Ji.

There are not many people on the street at night, and there is only one place in Harbor City that is relatively lively, and that is the street where several romantic places gather.

You need to cross this street to get to the almshouse.The winter thistle is in the carriage, and through the curtain, you can hear the singing of warblers and swallows on the street, and you can also smell the oil and fragrance of wine and vegetables mixed together.

Suddenly, the carriage gradually slowed down and finally stopped. The driver stepped down and knocked on the door: "Sir, there is someone blocking the way."

Dongji thought that there were many people on the street, so someone blocked the way, so he lifted the curtain and asked, "Then can we go around?"

The coachman shook his head, smacked his lips, and turned to look ahead with a troubled expression.

Winter Thistle opened the door and came down, looking in front of the horses.I saw a woman in a red skirt standing in the middle of the road, with disheveled hair, holding a large package wrapped in a cloak, staring at the carriage, as if she had some grievances with them.

Winter Thistle looked at her suspiciously.When he met her eyes, he was surprised to find that she was the necromancer named "March".

The last time he saw her she was wearing a cloak and sombre clothes, but now that she had been dressed up a little, she didn't look like a mage at all, so he didn't recognize her immediately.

Winter Thistle walked over: "Why do you..."

Without waiting for him to approach, March walked towards him quickly, pulling him to get into the carriage: "I'll wait for you here specially. Get in the carriage and we'll talk. The poorhouse is not safe, so don't go there yet."

Because Dongji didn't show any resistance, the coachman didn't stop him, and let the woman and Dongji enter the carriage together.On this street, the sight of "a flamboyantly dressed woman walking into a boxcar" is so common that no one takes it as a surprise.

When they got into the car, the driver didn't continue to drive immediately, but asked "Where are you going?"

March whispered "cemetery."Winter Jij frowned, feeling that it was a little too strange to directly refer to the cemetery, so he told the coachman for her: "Go to the Temple of the Day Patroller."