Shadowlands.
Gao Wen didn't know how the human countries today understand the Shadowlands, but in those inherited memories, the Gondor Empire more than 700 years ago did a lot of research on this aspect—those scholars who are rich and poor People stare at the boring classics and data all day long, staring at the lattice ruler buried in the magic well, in order to guess what the world really looks like, and there is a classic model used to describe the "layering" of the world.
In this classic model, scholars believe that the world is divided into several "layers", and the uppermost layer is the most stable material world. Everything in it has laws to follow, can be directly contacted, and is easy to observe. The layer where most creatures live; and below the material world is the shadow world that most humans cannot directly touch. The shadow world is a distorted reflection of the material world. Ordinary humans cannot directly touch and observe it, but they can Perceive and measure it through the skills of the magic and spiritual realm; from the Shadow Realm further down is the Shadow Realm, which is a more illusory and mysterious area, and it is the reflection of the Shadow Realm. To the extent that it cannot be explored, some lucky magicians caught a few shadow creatures with basic rationality and could communicate, and only guessed the existence of the Shadow Realm from the few words of those creatures.
And some radical scholars have expanded this classic model. They believe that there may be a deeper layer under the Shadow Realm, but that layer already belongs to the realm of the gods, and was laid down by the Creator God when he created this world. "The foundation of origin" is no longer a category that ordinary people can study.
From Gao Wen's understanding, this model is like layers of translucent kraft paper. The real image of the real world is at the forefront, and the shadow of this real image is projected on the layers of paper. Blurred and distorted.
What he and Amber were in was the back side of the first piece of paper—the Shadow Realm.
Even if it is only the second floor, it is already a place that most human beings have never set foot on.
He wisely didn't ask Amber why she has the ability to enter the Shadow Realm at this time—and judging from what Amber said just now, it was the first time for her to "enter such a deep place", so if she asked, she probably wouldn't get anything the answer.
There are still many secrets in this world that are worth exploring, and many things cannot be understood by hanging in the sky for many years.
After a simple judgment, Gao Wen felt that following in Betty's footsteps was the only breakthrough point.
But before he left the scene, he still looked back a little uneasy. Hetty, Rebecca and the others were still standing there in the state of "porcelain dolls". Their bodies were resisting the fog of wraiths in the real world. However, in the projection of the Shadow Realm, they were still at the moment of the attack, and the black mist seeping out from the ground was constantly disintegrating them.
Fortunately, judging by the speed at which those mists were eating away, they still had a while.
"Perhaps this is the true state of the fog of resentful spirits." Amber also glanced at Gao Wen's line of sight, shook her head and said, "If our discovery is sold to the Arcane Society or the Astrologers Association, how much do you think it is worth?"
"They will fill you with a bunch of potions and tie a recording spar on your head, and then throw you into the shadow world as a human detective after the last banishment." Gao Wen rolled his eyes at Amber, "Follow up, it's important to do .”
Amber was still muttering while following Gao Wen: "But I can let you come forward. How can you say that you are also the founding ancestor of Ansu? Can they still pour potions on the ancestor?"
"What do you think?" Gawain twitched the corners of his mouth, "They are willing to hang me on the wall, write in books, and put me on the table. Even the king is willing to lead the whole family to personally arrange a bouquet for me every year. Three days off by myself - there is no risk and you can earn a good reputation, but if this old ancestor really pops out of the coffin, the first reaction of the wave of people who put me on the stage before is probably to push me back In the coffin, more than 200 nails were nailed in all directions, and it was estimated that lead would be poured into it... "
Amber was stunned: "Why?!"
Gawain glanced at this unresponsive half-elf, and angrily threw back a sentence: "Because the three-day grave-sweeping leave in the whole country is gone!!"
After saying this, Gao Wen strode forward, leaving Amber behind to react for a long time before suddenly yelling: "Wait a minute! You made a mistake! There is no holiday when I sweep your tomb! Only for the founding king I only had three days off at the time! You died too early, so I don't know..."
Gawain almost fell headlong.
But even though he gave up on Amber's idea of selling the information about the Shadow Realm, Gao Wen had his own plan. He was full of curiosity about the Shadow Realm, or... he was full of curiosity about the whole world.
So one day, he will figure it out.
The string of footprints didn't extend very far.
Perhaps it was because of the special environment of the Shadow Realm that the habit of judging distances in the material world was difficult to take effect here. Gawain and Amber just walked a short distance along the footprints, and a wooden house suddenly appeared in front of them.
The wooden house is small and dilapidated. I don't know how long it has been standing here. There is a circle of incomplete fence around the wooden house. Judging by the sparseness of the fence, it may not have any defensive effect. And in a corner of the wooden house, Gao Wen noticed a touch of color.
It was the color of moss, which stood out in this black and white world, and as time went by, that bit of color was fading fast.
Betty's footprints stretched all the way to the door of the cabin.
Amber drew out her own small dagger, and gestured nervously in front of her chest: "Later, you old man will drive directly into the sky to chop melons and vegetables, and I will hold you back..."
Gawain thought for a while, and resisted the urge to throw Amber into a landmine by the collar. Instead, he pressed one hand on the hilt of the Pioneer Sword, and carefully pushed open the gray-white door with the other hand. the gate.
However no attack came.
The inside of the wooden house is just an ordinary room, old and dilapidated, like an old black and white photo.
But there are people inside.
A man with an unshaven beard and a shabby short robe was sitting behind a square table in the middle of the wooden house. He was so haggard and vicissitudes that Gao Wen couldn't judge his real age at all. Behind this man, he could see two A wooden shelf full of bottles and jars and an old alchemy table.
The devices needed for magical experiments can be seen everywhere in the house, but they are all piled up with more tattered debris. Any normal mage will probably want to cry when seeing this shabby and miserable scene impulse.
The man behind the square table raised his head, looked in Gao Wen's direction, and showed a stiff smile: "Ah, guests—it's been a long time since I have had guests come to my laboratory. And there are still two?"
Amber poked her head out from beside Gao Wen, and the half-elf girl's face was full of vigilance: "No... don't you want to fight?"
Gawain didn't draw his sword, but he didn't let his hand go too far from the hilt, he walked into the cabin ready to attack at any time: "We passed by here to find someone—a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, She's holding a pan..."
However, the man behind the desk didn't seem to have heard Gao Wen's words. He just smiled dully and nodded slightly: "Please find a place to sit, Annie is preparing lunch, and there is no place to rest in the deep mountains and old forests. Stay here and eat."
"Annie?" Gawain asked subconsciously.
"It's my daughter," the man smiled, "very well-behaved."
At this time, a girl's exclamation came from the side: "Master?"
Gawain followed the prestige and saw Betty standing by a small door in the corner of the wooden house with a surprised expression on his face.
"Betty? As long as you're fine," Gao Wen breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm here to pick you up."
However, Betty shook her head slightly, and the man behind the square table also looked at the little girl and asked gently, "Annie, is lunch ready?"
Betty nodded obediently: "It will be soon, Dad."
The little girl turned around and went back to the kitchen. Gawain and Amber exchanged glances, and after confirming that the weird man behind the square table didn't respond, they also followed.
Betty was cooking in the kitchen, using her precious saucepan. A clump of pale flames danced in the stove, and the sausages on the pan were sizzling.
Amber's focus is very clear: "Can people even cook in the Shadow Realm?"
"What's going on here?" Gawain came to Betty's side and asked in a low voice.
Judging from the girl's demeanor and demeanor, she was not affected by spells such as mind control, but she stayed here to cook with her own volition, and called the weird man outside "Daddy"—this is really a bit strange up.
"I don't really understand," Betty said with a confused look on her face as usual, "but that person outside seems to regard me as his daughter..."
Amber's eyes widened: "Then you treat him like a father so obediently?"
Betty shook her head: "He is very poor... so I just want to cook him a meal before leaving."
Gao Wen and Amber looked at each other.
Then Betty suddenly reached into the pocket of her maid skirt, took out an old notebook and handed it to Gao Wen.
"Master, here—this is given to me by that man. I can't understand a lot of things in it, but you should be able to understand it."
Gao Wen accepted the not-so-thick notebook in doubt, opened it and hurriedly flipped through the last few pages of records.
Amber moved her head forward curiously: "What? Let me take a look... Magic formula? Rune sorting?"
The half-elf lady who was dazed by those complicated symbols and calculations raised her head and looked at Gawain with a bewildered expression: "So that strange old man is actually a mage?"
"Strictly speaking, he's a wild mage," Gao Wen rolled up his notebook, and tapped on Amber's head, "and you didn't realize it when you saw so many magic experiment instruments when you entered the door!"