The night was low, and the dilapidated and dirty streets and alleys of the slums were shrouded in thick darkness. The occasional dim light from a shabby house could not dispel the night at all, but made the place even more dead silent.
There is silence in all directions, except for the occasional dog barking, this lifeless place seems to be forgotten by the world.
The squirrel was still walking through the cobweb-like complex and dilapidated alleys, leading Hao Ren and Lily deeper into the slums.
Hao Ren felt as if he was walking in a huge lair, and he was heading towards the most chaotic and filthiest core of the lair. The medieval city without planning was like a bloated diseased organ, its exterior had swelled to a stunning scale, yet inside, its oldest and most fundamental parts have begun to fester and decay, the city's once thriving neighborhoods turned into slums, overrun by garbage, sewage, rats and the homeless Returned beggars are flooded and occupied. These parts cannot bring any vitality and vitality to the city, but they cannot be separated from the city at all. The rulers are intoxicated under the sensuality and superficial glory, and at the same time they are surrounded by ideological imprisonment. Blinded by the bloody thrills of war and witch-hunts, they failed to notice—or were powerless to do so—the decline of the city itself.
The age of mythology is over, and the dominance of this world has finally returned to its aborigines. However, these young aborigines are not ready to start a new era at all. Humans have chosen temporary paralysis under this sudden change. , using ignorance and superstition to protect one's mind, but sooner or later, the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution will bring about two baptisms, and burn these bloated and festering cities and the gangrene in the cities.
But to Hao Ren, these things have already happened and are over. What he cares about now is when he can reach the "contact point" that the squirrel said.
"How much longer do we have to go?" he asked impatiently.
The squirrel walking in front suddenly shrank its neck. The potion he had taken before was weakening, and this decline seemed to have affected his spirit, making his will weaker and shrinking: "Just ahead , sir, just ahead..."
"There is only one dead end ahead." Lily's eyes shone golden in the darkness, she glanced forward, and said with gritted teeth.
"It's that dead end," Squirrel quickly explained, "Only the darkest corner is the safest, witches never communicate with people in open places..."
"I hope you didn't lie to us," Hao Ren pouted, "Anyway, in my opinion, you are already dead."
Squirrels really don't lie.
The three of them came to the end of this alley, and there were no forks and paths ahead: Hao Ren thought that those forks and paths would never end.
There stands a tattered, moss-covered stone wall, which may have been part of the clock tower or the city wall many years ago, but as time goes on and the city expands, the wall belongs to The majestic building has been swallowed up and disintegrated by the later buildings, and all that remains are the ruins in the old streets and alleys. The squirrel stepped forward and pulled away a few rags and dead vines hanging on the stone wall, revealing some potholes.
Those traces look like children's random graffiti, visually, they are carved with hard stones on the outer skin of the stone wall that has been weathered and loosened. Even the most careful and meticulous church personnel come to see these things. any doubt.
But the squirrel carefully pressed his hands on those graffiti-like lines, seeing him with a frightened expression, as if he was about to press his hands on a red-hot iron plate.
He just touched the wall a little bit, then backed away quickly trembling all over.
Hao Ren and Lily watched this scene curiously, and did not interfere with the squirrel's actions. The two of them were also particularly interested in the mysterious medieval witchcraft that was passed on.
The graffiti on the stone wall suddenly began to squirm.
Those lines seemed to have life all of a sudden, they struggled to break free from the shackles of the stone wall, crawled around on the wall, and continuously secreted a dark oily substance, just like stirring paint, and soon the oily substance It covered part of the wall, and those lines gradually dissolved in the "black mud", and then the "black mud" slowly rose, and an angry middle-aged woman's face appeared on it.
"You damn mouse!" The middle-aged woman twisted her face and made a chilling sharp voice, "You bedbug whose heart and liver should be dug out by the devil! You brought two strangers!"
Squirrel was heartbroken and almost sat on the ground: "Mrs. Mary! Please listen to my explanation! They are not witchers, they are here to find..."
However, he stopped abruptly just halfway through his words, and an unpleasant burnt smell suddenly emerged from his whole body, and large areas of red herpes quickly appeared on the squirrel's naked, exposed skin, red herpes It kept rising and falling, as if his body was burning with raging coals. In just two or three seconds, the man fell to the ground and completely lost his voice.
Hao Ren never expected that "Mrs. Mary" would execute the traitor so decisively and in such an unbelievable way.
He quickly thought about what to say next and a few points for attention in dealing with witches in his mind, and "Mrs. Mary" did not cut off contact immediately after executing the squirrel, her face was still on the stone wall, And let out a sneer: "Hmph... Of course I know they are not witchers, idiots."
Then she turned her gaze and looked at Hao Ren and Lili where the old god was present: "And then you two... The traitor who got in the way has shut up, we can talk safely, who are you?"
Hao Ren glanced at the squirrel's body: "Tsk tsk, this guy died really wrongly."
"It's a necessary precaution," said Lady Mary with a hoarse laugh. "I'm grateful for him bringing you to me, but I don't want him to bring any other new 'guests'..."
Hao Ren asked curiously, "Are you sure we're not demon hunters?"
"If you are demon hunters, you should have burned the damned holy flame in front of me along the thread of witchcraft by now," Madam Mary showed an impatient expression, "We'd better get to the point quickly, if you If you just came to chat with me, then I will not accompany you."
"I'm a wizard passing by," Hao Ren nodded. "The one next to me is my friend, a young werewolf."
Lily immediately bared her fangs and ears in cooperation. If Hao Ren hadn't covered it in time, she would even have wanted to whimper twice.
"Wizards and werewolves..." Mrs. Mary showed an interested expression on her face, "This is an interesting combination. It has been many years since werewolves and wizards have walked together... It seems that you are not enemies at least. Then you come to me, poor What's the matter with the witch?"
"I heard that you have gathered a lot of people and want to rescue a captured witch?"
"Aha—that's just mouse talk, there aren't any arrested witches, but if it weren't for that, the morons in the church would be focusing too much on us, humans who have no power but It's really troublesome for them to gather together with holy water. What? That's all you want to say? Then it seems that you are not smarter than the mice... "
Hao Ren frowned, and realized that he really needed a better reason to find an excuse to sneak into this group of wizards. After thinking for a while, he came up with an idea, and cut straight to the point: "Well, the arrested witch was just a random thing I said. One question, I have something more important to ask you, where are you?"
"You can say now," Madam Mary showed a vigilant look, "we don't welcome strangers."
"What if this stranger brings news of the witcher?"
"ah-"
After a scream, Madam Mary's face instantly disappeared into the stone wall. It seemed that she subconsciously stepped back half a step out of panic, and then her face reappeared, with a huge shock on her face: "You What did you say? Witcher?! You know what you said?!"
"No one would joke about this kind of topic," Hao Ren said with a serious look on his face. "How long have you guys gathered here? A month? Or longer? You're too slow to hear from the outside world..."
The expression on Mrs. Mary's face changed rapidly. At the same time, Hao Ren noticed another blurred image shaking around her face made of "black mud". intense discussion.
"It's true that we haven't been collecting information from the outside world recently, but the wilderness is severely blocked, and there is hardly any news coming in," Mrs. Mary said as if explaining, and as if telling Hao Ren something. , "You said you brought news of the witcher, but what evidence do you have?"
Hao Ren pulled out the holy silver dagger from his waist casually: "Do you think this thing can be regarded as evidence?"
The unique faint halo of the holy silver dagger was particularly obvious in the dark. It shone slightly in Hao Ren's hand like a condensed moonlight. Madam Mary's tone changed the moment she saw it: "This is their weapon." ... how did you get it?!"
"Then we'll have to talk about it after we meet." Hao Ren shrugged and put away the dagger. "Fair trade is the long-term solution."
The witch on the opposite side seemed to be still hesitating, so Hao Ren pushed again: "You should know that wizards who can wander around with a witcher's weapon are not common, and there is a werewolf next to me, no matter what you want to do Whatever, you will all need this power."
Mrs. Mary said darkly: "But power beyond your control is not a good thing."
"Then it's up to you to weigh yourself—you and I know what kind of era it is. These days, the most important thing is to survive."
There was another long silence, and just when Hao Ren was about to give up, the face on the stone wall finally spoke.
"Leave from the west gate after nightfall tomorrow, and follow the guidance of the crow to a place where the moonlight cannot shine. I will wait for you there."