"Is there a monster here? What an interesting store name." Cowell ignored the group of monkeys who looked like monkeys, and he said with interest as he looked at the name of the store.
If Cowell's judgment was correct, this was the store that Darkus ordered him to come to. The name and characteristics matched Darkus's description. Although he is not Darkus's adjutant, he understands the logic of Darkus' actions. He knows that Darkus does things for a reason and has a motive behind them. And this shop is the reason why the fleet did not spend an extra day to dock in Kislev Oerengrad and chose to come to this remote and ghostly place.
After arranging the security, Cowell pushed open the broken door and entered the dirty shop. He initially made a circle and then came to the shop inadvertently. As a result, the last store gave him a very, very bad shopping experience, and he had no intention of taking any detours. He just hoped that the owner of this store would not be as outrageous as the previous store and treat him like a monkey. If he continues like this, he will really kill someone!
"Oops!"
Erica Kramer, who didn't want to get into trouble and just wanted to live an ordinary life, cursed secretly and stepped back when she was about to close the store.
Because Erica discovered that a group of high elves wearing silver helmets were rushing towards her shop. She covered up some important drawings and took a deep breath to suppress her irritable temper. She knew Those arrogant high elves are not as easy to deal with as imagined.
She didn't want to cause trouble, but now trouble came to her door.
"Welcome."
Cowell ignored the greeting of the store owner as he pushed in. Instead, he observed the environment of the store. He could see that there were world maps and maps of some individual regions hung in the store, and messy drawings were everywhere. It can be seen that it makes the store look messy.
Cowell confirmed that this was the store that Darkus mentioned, and at this moment he already understood Darkus' intention of letting him come here. He raised his hand and gestured to his sister and Yilanya, then picked up the pile of drawings on a stool and put it on the table next to him, then sat down with his legs crossed.
After seeing Cowell, Erica's heart skipped a beat and her breathing became a little faster. She kept praying to Verena, the God of Wisdom, in her mind.
Although Erica is too old to walk, she is neither blind nor stupid. In her youth, she worked as a cartographer, responsible for sourcing monsters and working on cartography for Altdorf's menagerie. Because of her work, she needs to sail in large areas all year round, tracking down the monsters that have made their homes in the world's oceans and land, and taking a lot of notes on the monsters' living habits and habitats.
The human lifespan is so short. After her adventurous life, Erica did not choose to live in Altdorf, but returned to her long-lost hometown. When she was idle and bored, she made full use of her talent in drawing maps, drawing out places where monsters were said to be hiding, and selling them to adventurers or captains who were trying to avoid sea monsters.
The elf wearing a silver helmet and armor in front of Erica seemed to be a high elf, but she knew it was an illusion and the elf was hiding something! This is definitely a dark elf! She knew the characteristics of the dark elves, and the cruelty and viciousness hidden in those unique black pupils was a nightmare that had lingered in her life, and she was still awakened by nightmares from time to time.
Moreover, the high elf in front of her still had the cruel hook that only the dark elf could have. Erica had seen with her own eyes how the dark elf tortured her companions with that cruel hook. Not to mention the pointed nails painted black, pale skin and the spirit rings hanging from the pointed ears after taking off the helmet, these are the unique characteristics of the dark elves.
Cowell, who put his helmet on the table, quickly turned his head. He could feel that the shop owner in front of him became very nervous inexplicably for a moment. A flash of terrifying light appeared in his black pupils, and then disappeared in an instant. The corner of his mouth curled up and a slight sneer leaked out, his whole face looked sinister, his eyes narrowed to a slit, he put down his crossed legs and bent his back, put his elbows on his thighs, crossed his hands and leaned on his chin, He looked at the old woman in front of him in an extremely aggressive yet casual posture.
It had been a long time since Cowell had done this kind of gesture. It was a gesture he often made before torturing erring slaves at the manor in Krakarlond, and he could adjust the next position according to the slave's reaction.
"Sometimes it's not a good thing to know too much..." After Cowell finished speaking, his squinted eyes reopened.
Erica did not respond to Cowell's words, but swallowed.
"Don't be nervous...take a deep breath...relax. Since I appear in front of you in this manner, it means that I will not do anything to you. Of course, I advise you not to do anything extraordinary. You must know that this city The decaying towns cannot withstand our wrath." Cowell said in a relaxed tone.
Cowell's words seemed to be mixed with some kind of magical power. Erica followed Cowell's words and took corresponding actions. Although she didn't know what the dark elf in front of her was planning, she knew that it was best for her now. It was to cooperate, not to pull out the musket under the drawer and give it to the dark elf in front of him. She had already seen the magical wind flowing from the hands of the two female dark elves who were looking at her important drawings while they were inadvertently turning over them.
"Looking at your shop, it seems that you visited many places when you were young?" Seeing Erica seeming to relax after taking a deep breath, Cowell showed a satisfied smile and asked curiously.
"Yes, my lord," Erica replied cautiously.
"Relax a little more, we won't hurt you. I'm very interested in your experiences when you were young. Are you interested in telling me about it? It will be used to pass this boring time. If...I remember correctly, human beings are When you are old, you like to tell the past events of your youth." Cowell changed his actions, playing with the ring finger of his left hand and said nonchalantly, and after that, he blew on the nail with his mouth and flicked it.
Erica swallowed again, and then nervously recounted her past. She stumbled during the narration, and Cowell frowned as she listened.
"Have you been to Bihai? Then you must have visited Cathay and Nibon?" Cowell didn't want to hear the confusing story. He interrupted Erica's story and asked directly.
"Yes, sir."
Cowell shook his head boredly, then turned his head to his sister. When Alatar nodded to him, he nodded with satisfaction.
"I think you should have been to the continent of Lustria, right?" Cowell continued to ask what came to mind, and he wanted to tease the humans in front of him.
"Yes, sir."
"Then you must have met the dark elves of Naggaroth in the north, right?" Cowell didn't give Erica time to think, and asked the moment Erica finished her words.
"Yes, sir." Erica replied mechanically. The moment the words came out of her mouth, she realized something was wrong. The truth was just as Erica thought. The two dark elves who did not look for the blueprints but stood behind Cowell. After she finished speaking, the cruelty and viciousness in their black pupils almost became substantial. The female dark elf who knew magic also stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her.
"Don't be nervous...take a deep breath...relax." Cowell repeated what he had just said and then raised his hand and waved to indicate that it was okay.
However, this time Erica did not do what Cowell said. At this moment, her heart was filled with fear and nightmares from the past. Although her body was shaking like chaff, she could no longer move. She could no longer move. Take control of your body.
After Cowell saw Erica's appearance, he shook his head in disappointment. He slowly stood up from the chair, took out a box from his arms, put the chewing tobacco in the box into his mouth and started chewing it. , after placing the box, he took out a ruby that charged the flashlight from a black velvet bag. He first glanced out the window, then walked slowly to the counter with the crystal clear ruby, placed the ruby on the blind corner of the counter that was not visible outside the window, and slowly pushed it towards Erica.
"I'm sorry. It seems that my compatriots have left you with indelible memories. As compensation and trade, I give you this gem from the Lustria continent. I hope you like it." Cowell said After finishing, he turned around and leaned on the counter, with his back to Erica. He knew that he or his compatriots had brought deep fear to the old woman in front of him, so he picked up a drawing at random and read it. His brows furrowed as he looked at the drawing.
If it is correct, the location marked on the drawing is exactly where the fleet went around when it went south. It seems that there is indeed a Kraken sea monster there. When he thought of something, he suddenly turned around, ignoring Erica who was frightened by him, but casually picked up a charcoal pencil from the counter and started creating on the drawing.
"There is no shortage of terrifying monsters in the sea, and your map may mean a profitable voyage or a burial at sea.
If my guess is correct, although you no longer go out to sea for inspection, you will still use it based on Update your drawings with descriptions of sailors coming and going..."
Cowell suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He lowered his head to the ground and spit out the black water produced by the chewing tobacco in his mouth. Then he raised his head again and continued. , "And mark the migration of sea monsters based on new sighting reports and ship disappearances, even if these updates are wrong, because this kind of information is difficult to accurately judge." "
In exchange, I want to tell you a piece of news, our The fleet met Triton when they passed here." Ignoring Erica who seemed to be held there by a immobilization spell, Cowell continued to talk to himself.
The word Triton seemed to have some kind of magic, making Erica lower her head and look at the drawings, but Cowell's words that followed made her body tremble again.
"Here, Ormskro, the capital of the Sali tribe, was destroyed by our fleet five days ago. I don't think it will take long for news from the north to reach here." Kewell said in a relaxed tone. It was as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. In fact, to a certain extent, he did not participate in the raid on Ormskro. He and Maranur had been guarding the ship in boredom. .
"In exchange, you have to tell me one thing. How did you figure it out? After you finished speaking, we left. Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. You will continue to guard this house. You call the store with monsters here, continue to update your drawings, and continue to welcome your new day." Cowell raised his head and stared at Erica, his tone was serious and a little relaxed.
"Hooks... pupils... nails... and... earrings..." Maybe Verena, the god of wisdom, heard Erica's prayer and responded, or maybe Cowell rambled on about something else. It was the first time she saw such a fine ruby, which diverted her attention. At this moment, she was gradually freed from her fear. She stammered and narrated to the rhythm of Cowell's pointed nails tapping the counter in an orderly manner.
"Do you have any other rare drawings packed in boxes or locked in safes? I think you can see that these drawings of yours are of great use to us. Maybe we will rely on them in the future. Use your drawings to hunt for sea monsters." Cowell, who was half leaning on the counter and half leaning on the counter, saw his sister nodding to him. When he thought of something, he took out a sapphire as big as a fingernail from the black velvet bag, generously Putting the square one on the counter, he asked again.
"No more, sir, really... no more."
Cowell's eyes stared straight at Erica. He nodded with satisfaction after finding no trace of Erica's cover-up or lies.
"I think the ruler here will definitely ask you what happened. Although I don't know what his character is, maybe you can use this sapphire to deal with it." Cowell walked towards the door without looking back. Said casually.
With her head lowered, Erica breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Cowell walking out with her peripheral vision, but just as she was about to exhale, Cowell, who had already walked out, stepped back again, causing her to Neither exhaling nor spitting out the breath.
"Have a nice day, dear lady." Cowell waved his left hand to Erica and showed his good manners. His expression was both funny and exaggerated, and he smiled and said in a frivolous tone.
As the broken door was gently closed, Erica could no longer control her body, and her trembling body sat down under the counter. As tears flowed from her eyes, fishy liquid also flowed from between her legs, soaking her beloved long skirt.
While Darkus and the others were looking through the drawings brought back by Cowell, Renn, who was polite to the ruler of Sakaar and finished his meal, also returned to the ship. At three o'clock in the afternoon, which was the time chosen by Belloda, the fleet left this desolate and desolate town and began to sail westward to the Nordland of the Empire to complete this final sea voyage.
There is a monster shop here that closes its doors after the high elf visits and refuses to accept customers.
At midnight, Totten's boat-shaped supply store ignited a raging fire that could not be extinguished. When daybreak, Totten's competitors gathered in front of the burned-out store, showing gloating looks and showing Proof that he was not present last night.
One competitor finally couldn't control himself in the middle of speaking and burst into hearty laughter. Soon his laughter infected other competitors. Although there will be disputes between them in the future, it does not prevent them from laughing at Totten's tragic experience now and venting their inner anger at being squeezed out of Totten's share.
Totten, who had suffered all the losses, was on the verge of tears. This was no longer a problem that his mother could solve by continuing to increase the loan amount for him. He could only go to the ruler of Sakaar to help him a little for the sake of past kindness. He tried to exaggerate what happened yesterday and put the blame on the group of elves. The misunderstanding was also caused by language communication.
The ruler who was eating breakfast ignored Totten, who had become worthless, and had no idea of inviting Totten to have breakfast. He raised his hand to show Totten the sapphire ring on his finger, and then waved to the butler to send Totten out of his mansion.
Darkus, who had also finished breakfast, raised his binoculars and looked at the Odraar watchtower on the coast. Although the watchtowers of the Sons of Mannann were all over the coast of the Oster Territory, according to the manual, what he saw in front of him was This one is the most core and the most telling.
The person who originally built the Alderal Watchtower was "The Devout" Alderal. Behind this involves Mannann's belief system and a long and smelly history...
I can't sleep, and the 4,000-word target on the 20th is completed. , but... there should be more? Who knows? Perhaps only the Lord of Changes knows, ah~ Praise Tzeentch
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