"It's ironic, isn't it?"
Darkus knew what Talos was expressing. The golden pond had a different meaning to Talos. His lover, family members and companions died because of the golden pond. This place was so inaccessible before, but now it is full of people, and it has become the pacifier of Talos's guardian. Perhaps there is a deeper meaning hidden in Talos's words. After all, he was the one who banished the great demon at that time. But he ignored it, he was just here to deliver something.
"I feel your pain, but don't be manipulated by Dracola. Maybe sharing your feelings with others can help to take some of your burdens and make you feel a little lighter. The road may be a long one, and it may well be Centuries, after all, you have experienced it, and there are some things you know. In the end, whether you succeed or not, you will become stronger and wiser because of the experience. Pain and hatred are not permanent companions, but for a period of time Don’t try to be a passer-by.
Stay sensitive to the things around you and don’t let negative emotions stop you from feeling the beauty of life. On this long road, you may find some unexpected scenery and meaning. Don’t Fear change, instead embrace it and learn more from it. Ultimately, you may find that the strength and wisdom this journey has given you is more valuable than the success itself. Ivan would be very happy if she knew ." Darkus told Talos full of nonsense that he himself did not believe.
"You are really... good at comforting people, this is..." Talos showed a bitter expression when he said it, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by something that Darkus put into his hand.
"I acquired this unintentionally. It is the property of a Shadow Tribe witch doctor. As for what Shadow is and what a witch doctor is..." Darkus spread his hands and rolled his eyes at the end. He was too lazy to do so. Explaining to Talos whether or not these were true, he continued, "That's not important. What's important is that this statue is a medium through which you can connect to Eth Haiai." "
Thank you..." Talos said in a tone of voice. He was still full of bitterness, but his expression regained some vitality.
"There is a skill in dealing with them. Try not to promise anything... If they are not there, we will find a way." After finishing speaking, Darkus patted Talos on the shoulder, turned around and left the tent.
Darkus, who walked out of the tent, felt that Ivan's soul was like a gray thread. In fact, he could ask Erth Hayai directly, but he didn't want to do so, and just like he had thought about before, he didn't I think there is a very small chance that Aiwan's soul is in Erth Ha'iaina, and it is in the south. It is very likely that it is in the Chaos Demon Realm. Ai Li is guarding the golden pool and is tied too deeply to the Slaanesh Demon. He will go to the subspace in the future, and Aiwan's soul...
Darkus raised his head and looked at the twin moons, his thoughts were constantly spreading, and he thought of what he did for Maru during the battle of Grond. Mede, the fear lord at the rear of the throne, met an equally bad end. Mede at the rear was captured and eventually transformed into the Demon Prince of Slaanesh. Perhaps then... a powerful lineup should be organized to beat Slaanesh. pause? Seal it by the way? Thinking about this, he suddenly laughed. He felt that he was getting more and more swollen now, and it was time for him to take stock of himself.
Drusala in the tent was sewing a belt. Although the team members came out of the Chaos Demon Realm in one piece, they lost a lot of things. As far as Darkus is concerned, the pair of magical boots, the suit of armor that he has been wearing since the ship, the crotch belt and the bits and pieces on it, the scarlet sword and the Eye of Taebok all exploded. Fortunately, those other There is no big problem with the stuff. Now she is sewing a new cocoon belt for Darkus when she has nothing to do at night.
"What happens after?" Genevieve, who had just returned, sat next to Drusala and asked with interest. She had not participated in the rift journey and was very curious about the experience of this journey.
"Then? The twisted dragon came towards me at an extremely fast speed, but before me..." Drusala raised her head and looked at the returning Darkus mid-sentence.
"He is still like that."
"If...he doesn't adjust, pain and hatred will engulf him, and darkness will eventually fall on him." Drusala nodded, and she followed her lover's words and said, Although she did not communicate with Talos, she could clearly feel many of Talos's emotions. She had seen too many people like Talos in Grond, and she was one of them in the past. Fortunately, she met him. To Darkus.
Darkus did not continue this topic, and he was not a god who could inspire and influence believers. He walked to the box in the corner of the tent and took out the recurve dagger wrapped in cloth.
"A lot of things were thrown there, and I thought this dagger would do the same, but fortunately..." Darkus sat on the chair next to the table, put the dagger in front of Genevieve, and then ate it. I picked up the fruit gummies placed on the table.
"Hahaha, is it sour?" Genevieve ignored the dagger, but looked at Darkus' twisted expression and laughed.
"Less sugar." Darkus said while eating. In fact, it was not that exaggerated. He was just making Genevieve laugh.
Darkus, who has been idle recently, is also researching making sweets while he is thinking about other things. In his opinion, these things complement each other. Sugar is just a manifestation. Taxes must be collected. How to collect taxes is a science. He is not prepared to collect salt taxes.
However, elves are generally addicted to sugar, so they would turn the salt tax into a sugar tax as they had thought before, but Darkos didn't want to sell the kind of white sugar or beets that he could see in his previous life. This involves other points, such as the eating habits and methods of elves, as well as the hidden cultists of Slaanesh and the future system model of Naggaroth. In addition, adding sugar to the gas tank has actually been lit. It just depends on whether he wants to .
Darkus wants to sell candy bars, gummy candies, cans, and drinks with low cost and high profit. They can be distributed and become a kind of hard currency. The key is that the elves agree to eat them. He made Lauren Loren's pomegranate-like fruit into a hard viscous substance like pig's head paste, which was soft and chewy at the same time. Then he coated it in white sugar. According to legend, only the Eastern Roman emperors could eat pomegranate gummies. it is done.
In addition, Darkus is researching how to make Lauren Loren's other products into sugar, which can further deepen the bond between Lauren Loren and Nagarond. You can transport the sucrose from the Lustria continent to Lauren Loren for processing, and then transport it back to Naggaroth through buy-back and sell it to those powerful people. After all, it was labeled Lauren Loren after you mastered it. . Exported goods are good no matter which world they are in. They are fashionable, rare and other attributes. As far as he knows, silk clothes from Tilea are very popular in Naggarond.
Or sell it to Asul, who came to Lauren Loren for smuggling, or to those imperial guys. In this way, Lauren Loren's Enil will have profits and various things that will follow, and even involve the social system. Various trade methods can also be derived to achieve a trade balance instead of unilateral input. If necessary, Darkus can order the sucrose provided to Lauren Loren to be cut off, just like other things.
"By the way, have you met your sister?" Darkus asked casually after diverting Genevieve's attention.
"Red Moon..."
"This name is really suggestive."
Middenheim is the largest city in the northern part of the empire and an important town in the empire, connecting the east-west, north-south national highways. Middenheim is big, but that's about it, because Middenheim is located on a flat-topped mountain that has been flattened, and its potential is limited. After all, the mountain is so big, but it still has a population of 300,000 to 400,000 people. .
Genevieve did meet a vampire, and the Red Moon was the name of a bar with luxurious, stylish interiors and a hint of suggestiveness, but that was it, it was a bar, not a chicken yard. Upstairs is a small casino, while the lower level houses the bar and stage, where a three-piece band played throughout the evening.
According to the observations of Wren and Genevieve and the information provided by Middenheim Enil, the customers of Red Moon are the upper class in the city, and tickets are required to enter. The bar was packed from around 10pm, and the cabaret was raunchy but never vulgar. The climax is at midnight when the boss lady takes to the stage in a fiery red dress.
"The moment that person stepped onto the stage, Ren told me that he thought of Tatlin, whom you and he met on the ship. In his opinion, the boss lady had some similarity with Tatlin."
The landlady is a charming and mysterious woman. She looks to be in her fifties, but she is definitely more than that. Just like Genevieve, whose appearance is forever fixed at sixteen, she might also be a hundred-year-old woman. There is no doubt that she is a descendant of the Lahmian family. Her almost endless lifespan makes her cautious and patient. Additionally, she has been able to evade detection thanks to Middenheim's White Wolf Flame.
Gurzhi Feng usually does not appear in civilized places, but usually appears in the wilderness. Of course, nothing is absolute. Middenheim is one of the largest sources of Gur's wind on the planet. The Gur's wind in the eternal flame of the White Wolf Holy Fire spurts out like silver flames. For those casters with second sight, the Gurzhi wind blowing through the streets is like a boiling tide, flowing through the streets and into the wilderness outside the city.
This has also resulted in a particularly large number of monsters and monsters in Middenheim. Witches, wizards, mages, necromancers and vampires can hide themselves through the wild winds of Gur.
None of this is important. What is important is that Darkus heard some useful information. He probably understood how the vampires of the Lahmian family lurking in human society operate. According to observation and intelligence, the nobles, wizards and scholars of Middenheim have a very good relationship with the landlady. Sometimes the palace ladies accompanied by multiple maids or high-ranking officers of the Black Panther Knights will also appear at Red Moon. middle. This court lady is said to have great status and influence in Middenheim, and she can even influence the decisions of the ruler of Middenheim politically. Darkus believes that this is how the Lahmia family has become an invisible black hand, conducting political conspiracies and gathering intelligence in human society.
After Wren and Genevieve appeared, the life of the landlady changed slightly. Through Genevieve and the landlady, they were also the medium of midnight dignitaries, and thanks to the lack of social relations, Wren successfully and... This vampire named Eva-Dietrich of the Lahmian family got in touch. After some verbal banter and a physical conversation with the bodyguard, Eva became a non-staff member of Shadowhunter.
Just like spies usually have many identities, this Midnight can also obtain some information about the elves in the northern forest by following Ren's line. She also exchanged some information about Middenheim with Renn, and by the way informed Genevieve, a companion of Altdorf's Lahmian family.
"In other words, she doesn't know the information about Drakfels?"
"No, she said there should be information about Altdorf?" Genevieve's cold pupils flashed with a glimmer of light.
Darkus knew that Drakfels was active in the Gray Mountains, and then disappeared. The mountains were so big, how could he know where he was? Can't find it even if I look for it. He could only rely on some information, which is why he asked Genevieve if she had seen those sisters. If those Lamian sisters didn't know, he would have to ask Aslay who lives at the foot of the Gray Mountains. Unfortunately, we will have to borrow some giant eagles to scout the Gray Mountains and find Drakfels' castle.
From Darkus' point of view, finding it is the most troublesome thing. Once found, it will be easy. He believes that his team can deal with Drakfels' army.
"Is there anything else interesting?" Drusala, who was sewing, asked casually.
"Yes, there are too many. Let me think about where to start." Genevieve became interested and started talking again.
From what Darkus heard, it seemed that Renn and Genevieve took Enil and the Shadowhunters, and mixed into Middenheim along with the humans who had nowhere to go after being driven away by Enil. Then we came to a nightclub called Singing Moon. Unlike the Red Moon Bar, this place is not famous for song and dance performances, but more for acrobatic performances. It has a huge wine cellar with the best drinks in Middenheim, including various wines and spirits from the old world. Wine, as well as the Aynière wine and fruit brandy that he often had.
Of course, just like everything is absolute, the Singing Moon will also have singing performances, and they are the best, because the court bard is a regular visitor here, and the hunting master is also a patron here, these two have titles The guys are very influential in the court of Middenheim, and they occasionally invite equally influential judicial champions to visit here to spread Aenir culture.
Harvest Goose is probably the best restaurant in Middenheim and the bill was impressively long but the human consensus was that the bill was reasonable as the quality justifies the price. The owner here is not a halfling, but an Aenir, which leads to lively discussion about the relative merits of halfling and elven cuisine. The name of the Harvest Goose comes from the ancient custom of Middenheimers eating geese during the harvest season. Juicy roasted meat paired with fruits and spices has become a signature dish here. Ripe fruits, ultra-light pastries, caramel, and crystallized wine Equally delicious as the mouth-watering sorbet.
Only some of the highest echelons of Middenheim would patronize this restaurant. Human dignitaries often ate here, and the court bards and hunting masters would not patronize it either. One was there to eat, the other was to play, there was no conflict.
To put it bluntly, the Singing Moon and the Harvest Goose are Enil's bases of activity in Middenheim. They are functionally similar to the Red Moon. The two titled guys and the owners of these two shops are both Enil. , that hunting master is a relative of Lord Kaia.
After Wren and Genevieve obtained information from these two stores, they began to carry out activities in Middenheim centered on the two stores.
Hearing this, Darkus couldn't help but clenched his fists. Good guy, when he was fighting to the death in the Chaos Demon Realm, Ren was still eating, drinking and having fun outside. He had to strike hard!
According to Enil's information, Renne and Genevieve learned that there was actually Asul in Middenheim. That Asur ran a shop called Ice and Snow House. As the name suggests, Ice and Snow House was not something Ice and Snow World sells ice, just ice. While the ice is sold, perishable items are also entrusted to be stored, and the ice hewn from Blackpool each winter is taken into custody.
According to the Enils, the boss is a female Asur with long silver hair, an awkward manner, and is overly friendly, and her companion is a sullen male Asur. They claim that they are visitors from Dawn Fortress. They live alone and never come into contact with the Aenir. The Aenir have also visited. After all, they have the same origin. They hope to get some information about Ulthuan from them. and Asul's message turned out to be full of ambiguities.
Renn and Genevieve went to find out out of curiosity, but the result was not... When the owner and companions of the Ice and Snow House saw Renn, they mistook him for Enil. After all, his ancestors came from Charis. After the kingdom took root in Nagaroth, which was full of Nagaryth elves, its appearance also changed. The hair became black, but the iconic pupils were missing. As the shadow hunters who followed him entered the house, the faces of the boss and his companions suddenly changed. Those shadow hunters were serious Nagaryth elves. Although they were wearing Enil's services, they were only for humans to see. of.
The owner of the Ice and Snow House, who was stuck in a traffic jam with no way to escape, got rid of everyone after a friendly exchange. Her name was Adria and she came from Nagarund. She originally lived a good life in Nagarund. , but the birth of her son broke her peaceful life. A dabbler in spellcasting, she saw in her son the potential to become a spellcaster. Although her son had not learned to cast, she feared that as her son grew up, sorceresses with second sight would reveal his secrets. , and then she ran away with her son...
Adria begged Renn and let her mother and son go as if they were Enil. They had left Nagaroth, and her son had not become a real spellcaster.
From the exchange, Renne learned that in order to provide reasonable excuse, Adria hid a fragment of the dimension stone under the stone slab of one of the ice chambers. If someone tried to find the source of dark magic here, she might be able to attribute the corruption to the warpstone, giving her a chance to escape.
However, Renn may have stayed with Darkus for a long time, and became Druchi in Naggaroth, Asul in Ulthuan, and Aenir in Lauren Loren. He is here to find the shadow hunter's periphery, looking for an intelligence provider. He is not a spy of the Witch King who comes to hunt down the warlock. He is serving the Hand of the Witch King.
Renn was not interested in any warlock who might become a spellcaster. On the contrary, he was more interested in Adria. Her ability to run away from Nagaroth and come to Elsin Alvin's invisibility and various acumen in dealing with things made her He believes that Adria has all the conditions to become an outsider of Shadow Hunter, and she is the best intelligence officer.
The result is that Renn did not embarrass Adria, nor did he embarrass Adria's son. Instead, he gave Adria an offer that she could not refuse. He would come back to ask for instructions. If possible, Adria's son would go to the tower. Er Litanel learns to become an Aenir spellcaster. If it doesn't work, he will pretend that nothing happened. No matter what the outcome is, Adria will continue to stay in Middenheim or go to Altdorf. As Shadow Hunter's outside line, he is responsible for gathering intelligence.
Darkus didn't comment on Ren's behavior. From his point of view, Ren didn't do anything wrong, because he knew that the warlock who could kill Malekith in the prophecy of destruction was not someone else, but there was something wrong. I can’t say it explicitly, since now is not the time anyway.
Sending him to Tal Litanel to become an Aenir spellcaster is a good choice in Darkus' opinion. Maybe this warlock will not be able to rise to the occasion in the end or become a strong man guarding one side. . Marist, a political animal, might make some fuss about the warlock in the future, but he didn't care. On the contrary, if Marist dared to play like this, he would give Marist a lesson.
or? Ren's behavior and Marist's character gave Darkus another inspiration. Maybe he could send a male Druchi who has the potential to be a spellcaster during this period to Lauren Loren? As an exchange of resources? It would be better than being killed in Naggaroth. Maybe he could study it with Malekith after he goes back?
In return, Adria tells Wren a secret about Blackpool.
The Great Park is Middenheim's largest park, standing in the center of the city and open to the public around the clock. The park is crisscrossed by wide gravel paths that meander through tree-lined lawns. There is a tree-lined avenue surrounding the park, with wooden benches, small fountains and statues throughout the park. On sunny days, dozens of vendors set up stalls selling food and drinks, and some students offered letter-writing services.
How beautiful, how harmonious, and incompatible with the so-called Warhammer.
In addition to flowers and plants, there is a lake called Blackpool and a stadium called Bernabeu in the big park. The existence of Blackpool is a mystery. In terms of form and shape, it is almost the same as other mountain lakes. However, the lake has a very strange phenomenon. No matter how strongly the sun shines on the surface of the lake, it does not reflect the light. Even on a bright summer day, a person standing at the edge of a pool staring into its depths seems to be looking through a pane of glass rather than a mirror. No one knows the cause of this strange phenomenon, and most residents simply attribute Blackpool to Ulric's will.
Then... on a dark and windy night, with the guidance and help of the Enils, Renne, Genevieve and Adria entered the big park and sneaked into the Black Pool. Soon, they I found a piece of ice in the mud at the bottom of the pond.
In the ice, there are several fragments, and these fragments are...