The Book of Hibernation

The sun gradually rose, and the sky was bright.The winter thistle has dragged the sled far away.

He saw that the time was almost up, and took out his compass to make a rough estimate of the location - the location where he was now was very close to the hiding place used by the necromancers.

The necromancer always thought that Dongji didn't know, but in fact, he had come in and out so many times that he had already figured out the approximate location.

Winter Thistle slowed down and muttered a spell.After a while, there was rustling in the bushes, and a clay golem appeared.

This is exactly the clay golem that the necromancer used in the cave.Now that the necromancers have all evacuated, they may bring light golem birds or shield guards capable of fighting when they evacuate, but they will definitely not bring ordinary mud golems.After all, this thing has extremely low technical content and poor maneuverability. It is not a pity to throw it away, and it is easy to make another one.

Winter Thistle summoned the slime golem before him.He had prepared countless runes in advance, and now embedded them into its chest.

After obtaining the rune, the clay golem stood beside Winter Thistle and walked side by side with him, and walked very slowly, almost at the speed of ordinary people walking in the mountains and forests.

Then, Winter Thistle took out another bottle of ointment and began to smear the clay golem.This is a masking agent for non-living objects.In the past few days, Winter Thistle has made many such things.

After applying the concealer, Winter Thistle took out the holy emblem given by the hunter.He stuffed the holy emblem into any seam on the golem's body, and covered it with the quick-drying patch he prepared to make sure it couldn't fall out.

Now Winter Thistle doesn't need to direct the golem, the golem will continue along the preset path.Its destination is the so-called "exchange location", which is the coordinates Winter Thistle told the hunter.

The hunter had already ambushed at the location Winter Thistle mentioned in advance.They can locate this holy emblem, and as long as they detect that "Winter Thistle" is indeed coming, they will believe that the necromancer is about to appear, and will continue to lie in wait.

After the golem gets close to the coordinates, it will stay for a short while, then continue walking.This time, it will walk towards the mountains to the west at a human pace, and it is not certain where it will end up.

Due to the effect of the masking agent, the hunter cannot see the golem with the naked eye. They can only detect that the target has reached the vicinity, but they cannot see where it is.This kind of effect looks like the mage is coming, but using invisibility, and is continuing to go to the deep mountain... It's more like going to see the necromancer.At this time, hunters will definitely not give up easily, they will continue to follow.

Perhaps over time, they will gradually realize that something is wrong, but at that time they have been led to a farther place, and it will take time to make decisions, and it will also take time to turn back.

After making all the preparations, Winter Thistle checked the spells on the golem's body again.Satisfied, he turned the sledge around, and the golem continued on its preset route.

After walking more than ten yards, Winter Thistle turned around abruptly.

Just now, he heard a strange noise from the bushes behind him, and the moment he turned his head, the branches in that direction were still shaking unnaturally.

The air is stagnant and foggy today, not because of the wind.It is also unlikely to be a wild beast. Today's gem forest is full of traces of necromancy spells. The wild beasts are dying and fleeing.

Could it be that the hunter of the dead is following him?Probably not... He set off from the river, the hunter should not dare to approach the river, but would lie in ambush at the appointed place.

Winter Thistle confirmed before that there are a lot of temple knights near the laboratory, and those people are from White Lake City, not Ryan's subordinates, and they have no friendship with hunters at all.

The hunters already knew that the city-state would be their enemy, so they shouldn't throw themselves into the net; and they wanted to kill all the necromancers, so they shouldn't disperse their combat power at this time.

Thinking about it this way, Dong Ji suddenly discovered that there was another possibility: the hunter thought that relying on location spells alone was not safe enough, so he even sent someone to follow him.

There is no need for many people, only one person is enough, two at most.It doesn't matter if these people are caught and killed, the loss is not too big.Dead Hunters don't take friendship very seriously anyway.

Winter Thistle's scalp suddenly went numb.He couldn't deal with dead hunters, not even one or two.

He was not only afraid, but also a little annoyed, blaming himself for not thinking about things comprehensively.He can come up with a lot of tricks in terms of spells, but he really doesn't know much about tactics. There must be flaws in doing these things.

He didn't want to waste time, so he didn't stop, thinking about what to do now while walking.

On the bright side, even if it is really a hunter of the dead, they will not jump out and kill him directly, they should take him back for interrogation... Dong Ji laughed dumbfounded, secretly lamenting that his requirements are really low enough, even this ability is not enough. It's "thinking about the good".

Winter Thistle tensed up and walked a long way.There has been no abnormal movement around him, and no one jumped out to attack him.

After a long time, he couldn't help wondering: Did I hear wrong just now?Actually no one is following?Just a few animals left in the forest?

As he thought about it, he looked back to see if Kanai on the sled was okay.

Kanai was wrapped in a cloak and tied with leather ropes, and was firmly fixed on the sled.Winter Thistle did not cover Kanai's face with the cloak, but exposed his face, and buckled a felt wide-brimmed hat on it, so as to keep out the fallen leaves and dust, and also to prevent Kanai's face from being cut by grass branches .

Putting the cloak directly over his face would make Kanai look like a real corpse.Winter Thistle would not do that.

After confirming Kanai's situation, Winter Thistle turned around and stopped after walking a few steps.

There was a man standing in front of him, just a few steps directly in front of him.

This man was tall and tall, wearing dark leather armor and a mask made of broken leather.I don't know when he approached, but Winter Thistle didn't hear a sound.

Dong Ji felt the cold air rushing from his heart to his whole body, his mind went blank, and he stared at that person in a daze.

Next to the man's head was a sword hilt and a bow. It seemed that he carried a lot of weapons on his back.Winter Ji's eyes moved down slowly, saw the arrow box, and saw that the man was holding a scimitar in his hand, the blade was black, it should be blood.

He looked away, and saw the coiled whip hanging from the other side of the man's waist...

The fear disappeared instantly.Winter Thistle's tense body finally relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death..." Winter Thistle sighed.

"Sorry, didn't mean it." Aldin replied.

After speaking, he put the scimitar back into its sheath, and pulled off the soft leather mask with one hand, revealing the upper half of his face.

Aldin's dress looks like a dead hunter, but upon closer inspection, there are many differences.Hunters also carry a variety of weapons, but mainly short weapons, the most common being daggers, hand axes, and maces.None of the dead hunters that Winter Thistle had seen could carry long swords and bows, probably because they often moved in places with dim light and complicated terrain, so they were not suitable for using these weapons.

And that whip.Seeing it, Winter Thistle fully recognized that it was Aldin.Northerners also carry whips, which can serve as many tools in the wild.And the way the Sandenians roll their whips is different from that of the North, and the difference can be seen at a glance.

"Is someone following me?" Winter Thistle asked.

"Well, two people," said Ardine.

"Then..." Dongji originally wanted to ask how those two people were doing, but then thought, this question is completely unnecessary.He had already seen the blood on the scimitar just now.

So he asked another question of doubt: "You already knew that I would leave alone?"

Aldin said, "Yes. Because I know you made a sledge. You say it's for pulling corpses, but I guess it's more than that."

The winter thistle was going to be the sled, mainly to use it to bring Kanai out, not to really need any other corpses.

It is suspicious to make a sled for no reason. Others saw that it was to transport something, so he said that he was going to pull corpses for experimentation.This reason is very reasonable, and then he really pulled back a corpse and put it in the laboratory.

Dong Ji sighed, "Sure enough, you can guess it. You actually came in person? Why didn't you send someone down?"

Aldin smiled and said, "Others are very busy. And since it's a secret, the fewer people who know about it, the better."

Winter Thistle asked: "You don't seem to have followed me from the beginning, how did you find me?"

Aldin said: "The Templar Knights and the city-state guards are camped in the southeast direction. I guess you will go west. It is relatively close to the necromancer's stronghold. I guess you are going in that direction, and you may pass by in advance. It's within range. It's not hard to find you—sledges leave marks on the ground, even light ones, especially on ground like this where there's no road at all."

After finishing speaking, Aldin approached and sized up Winter Thistle: "In the end, I really found it, and I also found the hunter who was following you. Fortunately, you are fine. Didn't you use spells to hide yourself?"

Winter Thistle said, "I used a masking agent when I left the lab. I neutralized the agent when I was far away, so people can see me now."

"Neutralization, why?"

Winter Thistle glanced at the sled: "For Kanai. Prepare for the next spellcasting. I can't have active magic potion on me, it will affect the effect."

Aldin nodded.He squatted down by the sled, lifted his wide-brimmed hat for a look, and snapped it back on again.

After standing up, he asked: "Is this safe? The temple will definitely detect the spell fluctuations in the laboratory, and they may find that Kanai is missing."

Winter Thistle said, "It can't be found by long-distance detection alone. I have prepared."

Aldin smiled.Although he covered the lower half of his face, he could tell just by looking at his eyes.

He looked at the half-elf beside him—Winter Thistle often looked down when he spoke, and his attitude towards others was soft and weak...Only when he talked about spells, he could see absolute confidence in his eyes, and even occasionally there was a hint of confidence in his eyes. Flashes of pride and cunning.

For a refiner like Winter Thistle, it would be great if he could stay in the Chamber of Commerce... His value is not limited to those research notes, nor is it limited to the technology left by his parents.He can do more things, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a treasure waiting to be developed.

But Aldin also knew that Winter Thistle would not come back.No matter how good the treatment is, even if he is asked to raise conditions casually, he will not agree to come back.

Winter Thistle found Aldin looking at her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Aldin said, "Nothing. Give me the sledge."

Winter Thistle said, "No, I've enchanted the sledge, and it's very light. You've got to be nimble, and you'll have to be nimble if anything happens to you."

"Okay. Then go on, you will lead the way."

Aldin walked in the front, keeping vigilant while poking away the messy branches and leaves with a machete, and the winter thistle behind was responsible for pointing out the direction to go.

There is no formed road in the depths of the forest, and it is very difficult to walk. Now that Aldin is helping them, their speed of travel is much faster, and the time lost by stopping just now has been made up for.

Winter Thistle looked at Aldin's back, and always felt that this person was different from when he was in Harbor City.

Has he really changed?It seems that there is no such thing.He just wore different styles of clothes, nothing else changed.

After pondering for a while, Dongji suddenly realized where this "different" impression came from:

Aldin was a mercenary when he was young, and Winter Thistle had never seen him at that time, but he had imagined it more than once.In the imagination, Aldin, a mercenary, did not have a python tattoo on his body, or if he had, it would not always be exposed; he would not wear the baggy clothes in Harbor City at that time, nor would he wear Armor that is too heavy, probably light leather soft armor; his hair is either short, tied up, or wrapped in a hat, which is certainly not casual anyway; he will carry a lot of weapons, because he There were many weapons hanging on the wall of his bedroom. Winter Thistle hadn't seen Aldine use them much, but he could imagine them.

Aldin's appearance now basically conforms to Winter Thistle's imagination, which is quite amazing.

They traveled a long way and arrived at their destination in the afternoon.Winter Thistle has been to this place before - it's a hideout for necromancers attacked by hunters.

Hunters will never come here again, necromancers dare not come back here again, and the city-state party has never been here, and can't be found... So Winter Thistle chose this place.

The entrance of the tunnel is between the big trees and rocks, and it is a stone crevice covered by vegetation.Aldin was about to go in first, but Winter Thistle stopped him.

"Just stay outside," Winter Thistle said.

Aldin asked, "What, is there anything I can't see? Or are you going to sneak out another exit and get rid of me?"

Winter Thistle shook her head: "Of course not. Ah... wait, I take back what I just said. You have to come in too, and you have to help me get Kanai in. There is a ladder in the hole, and the sled cannot get in."

Aldin smiled, and went with Winter Thistle to untie the sledge.

This feeling reminded him of the past: walking in an unfamiliar dense forest, cooperating with mages, entering underground ruins to find valuable things...

At that time, he was the leader, and the mage was Kanai, and his main job was to assist him from the side; but now he has become the facilitator, and the mage around him is the one who makes the decision.

"Aldin..." At this moment, Winter Thistle called him softly.

"how?"

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"Yes," said Aldin, "we're almost there, aren't we?"

Winter Ji said: "There is no need to be so happy. I may not succeed, and I may fail."

"If it fails, it's business as usual, it's the same as before," Aldean said. "What you should worry about is what will happen if it succeeds."

The straps on the sleds were all untied.Aldin carried Kanai's body on his shoulders, stood up and walked towards the entrance.

Winter Ji didn't like this posture of carrying people very much, and frowned beside her.All the way he avoided treating Kanai the way he would treat a corpse.Aldin explained that it is impossible to climb a ladder with a person hugged sideways, and a sleepy person cannot hold him tightly, so he cannot carry him on his back.

The two entered the tunnel one after another.Winter Thistle continued walking in no hurry, he took out a small stone, rubbed it gently on the rock wall, and recited a spell.A ball of light lit up on the top of the cave, at first it was just a grain the size of a broad bean, and then the same ball of light lit up one after another, spreading along the top of the cave to the depths of the tunnel, forming a soft but steady illumination.

"It seems that you have made a lot of preparations in advance." Aldin sighed.

This hiding place is part of an abandoned mine. The tunnel leading to the depth has been filled, and the few areas left in the shallow layer have been used as temporary residences by necromancers. In fact, the area is not that big.

Winter Thistle led the way and took Aldin to the cave he had chosen in advance.

They passed by many corpses along the way. The decay of the corpses was very low, and there was basically no peculiar smell in the air.This is actually not normal, even if it is cold outside, it is not cold enough to preserve the freshness of flesh and blood.

Aldin asked Winter Thistle what was going on, and Winter Thistle said that it was related to the remnants of the spell.Necromancers have been hiding for so long, and they are not idle every day. They have been doing various researches.Necromantic spell residues have always been very stubborn, and affecting the appearance of corpses is only the most common phenomenon. In addition, it will interfere with other spell effects, change the elemental composition of forests and minerals, and may even passively awaken undead creatures.Everyone said that the necromancer polluted the gem forest and threatened the safety of Fesisit, and that was what they were referring to.

"Will these remnants affect your spells?" Aldin asked.

Winter Thistle said, "I chose this place just to give it some impact."

"I see."

Eventually they came to a circular cavern.There is a pergola standing beside the wall of the cave, on which there are scattered bottles and jars, and there is a platform built of gravel in the middle of the room.The countertop is a flat stone slab with a protrusion in the middle and blood grooves left on the side. It seems that many terrifying experiments should have been carried out here.

Aldin put Kanai on the table.Winter Thistle said: "That's all. You go outside and wait. Whether it succeeds or fails, I will tell you."

Aldin raised his eyebrows: "Do you have to drive me away?"

"It's not driving away, it's that you don't need to stay here."

"Tell me the reason why I have to go," Aldin said, "Is it because my staying here will affect the effect of the spell? Or is the process of casting the spell strange, and you are afraid that I won't be able to accept it? Or is there something that must be hidden from me?"

Winter Thistle sighed.He leaned on the stone platform, deliberately found an angle with his back to Aldin, and then whispered: "It's not those complicated reasons."

"what is that?"

"You are here, I will be very nervous..."

When Winter Thistle just turned her back, Aldin originally wanted to get closer, gently hold Winter Thistle’s shoulders as before, and then communicate slowly... After hearing Winter Thistle’s answer, Aldin suddenly stopped.

Some unpleasant things happened between them.Of course Aldin remembered, and Winter Thistle certainly remembered it even more.

"Don't be nervous. As I said before, we won't be the same," Arden said.

Winter Thistle still had its back to him.For some reason, these words made Winter Thistle's head hang even lower.

Winter Thistle said softly: "That's not what I mean. If you stay here, I will always think about the past, not only about you, but also about my indiscretions towards Kanai... I will be distracted, I will Guilt. This is not good, now I must focus on spells."

Pausing for a moment, Winter Thistle added: "That 'guilty' is not aimed at you. It's just that you make me think about it."

Aldin couldn't help laughing again.

Today is not a good day, everyone is tense, but he hides his face under a leather mask, but keeps secretly laughing.It's so weird.

Looking at Winter Thistle's back, he still wanted to go forward a little bit, want to brush the broken hair from the half-elf's sideburns like before, and want to kiss the cheek next to the pointed ear a few times.

He didn't want to use such a thing to express any meaning, but simply wanted to kiss.

Still, he didn't do it.

So, according to the meaning of Winter Thistle, Aldin left the cave and returned to the surface by the same route.

He didn't stand at the entrance of the cave, but found a place to hide in the nearby tree shadows and kept vigilant.

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

At the same time, the atmosphere on the banks of the Khiva became increasingly tense.

The necromancers arrived on the ice ahead of time and hid in the foggy area.Everyone huddled together, and under their feet was a concealed magic circle with a diameter of about eight feet, unable to take a step.

They have been monitoring the spell fluctuations in the laboratory.Now the sky is already bright, and the whole morning has passed, and there is still no movement in the laboratory.

So far, no magic circles have been detected in the laboratory, no one has cast new spells, and the concentration of magic potions has not increased or decreased.In the most common terms, people in that room are idle, doing nothing.

In the morning, the necromancers were still patient, thinking that they didn't understand the refiner's way of doing things... In the afternoon, they all felt that something was obviously wrong.

In the forest by the river bank, the execution team also lay in ambush from early morning to afternoon.

Ryan has been keeping an eye on the hilly forest to the west, checking carefully with a telescope from time to time.The person he was waiting for never came.

According to the prior agreement, the dead hunter should appear by the river in the morning, set foot on the ice, and search for the necromancer hiding in the fog.

Necromancers may use spells to hide and are not easy to find. The actions of hunters will alarm them. On the one hand, it will make it easier for them to show their feet. The execution team can justifiably step on the ice and participate in the search and attack.

But the hunter has not shown up until now, nor has he sent a signal as promised.

Lane couldn't figure out why.Could it be that the hunter had an accident?Or had the hunter already dived into the fog, but was unwilling to signal?

Ryan hesitated, and took out a small thing wrapped in suede from his arms.He has been carrying this thing for more than a year.

This is the all-purpose masking agent made of winter thistle.

In the past, Winter Thistle made a lot of servings, and Ryan carried a lot, some of which were used up one after another, and some of them were just kept on him all the time.It's not that he hid it on purpose, but that he didn't pay much attention to magic potions, so he didn't go out of his way to count them.He kept the masking compound and supplies for the maintenance of the weapon together without paying attention.

Not long ago, he found this masking agent when he was packing up.He thought about giving it back to Winter Thistle, but he never wanted to talk to Winter Thistle alone... As a result, he always carried the potion with him.

I don't know if the masking agent will expire, and if it has been used for more than a year... Anyway, Ryan decided to use this masking agent.

He wanted to use it to hide himself, first to see the mountain road that hunters must pass through, and then to search on the ice.