It was only then that Xia De realized that the young witch was abnormally excited. This was definitely not the joy of being noticed by an important figure, but rather a stress reaction after her mind was affected.
However, compared with being haggard and silent, this reaction is at least more normal and there is no need to worry for the time being.
So Xia De looked at the boy holding the torch, who was some distance away from the three people, as if trying to avoid suspicion and indicating that he did not want to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Judging from his clothes, the boy must be from an aristocratic family. He was not stout, but he was definitely not malnourished, so his age could be inferred from his height, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old.
"He arrived earlier than you. Since each person can only carry one torch in this place, it is safer to act together, so I didn't chase him away."
Miss Higgins said, and the boy trembled and thanked the witch, and then answered the question:
"Hello, hello, hello too, I'm Andorra Ade, I'm here to buy something too."
His timidity at this time was much more normal. Ordinary people in this era had no way to protect themselves when facing such a strange place.
"Now that we have introduced ourselves, it is your turn, sir."
The young witch looked at Shade, and Shade gave her name:
"Shad Hamilton, kind of a travel writer and detective."
The witch nodded slightly and continued to explain to Shade:
"The place we are going to next is a market hidden in the black fog not far away. This is just the entrance to the market. You must hold a torch to move inside. Please do not extinguish the torch. As for leaving here..."
She looked around. The fire could not penetrate very far, and the black fog was quite oppressive.
"The Witch Queen of the Desert outside will pick us up at a specific time. But you can probably sense that this is a chaotic place of time and space, so it's hard to say how long we have to wait."
Although she said this, her tone was relaxed:
"But I don't care. If I die unfortunately, the emperor will give my sister a large amount of compensation. For a witch like me who has no background, if I want to go further, I can only gamble on my luck."
"Your sister and you are not twins, right?"
Shade asked hurriedly, and Miss Leah Higgins looked at him puzzledly:
"Of course not. My sister is just an adult, and I am already... Why do you think they are twins?"
"Just pretend I didn't say anything. So, the camp is over there, right?"
He pointed to the direction he was about to go, and the witch nodded:
"Mrs. Miles wants to make up for the past regrets. The boy's country was destroyed, and he wants to save the tragedy. As for me, although I was hired, I am also prepared to make some deals. After all, this kind of place is not for nothing."
She paused and added cautiously:
"Most transactions in the Black Mist Camp require currency, and a few require emotions, sins, or even souls. However, His Majesty does not recommend that we use anything other than currency. Since you said you came here by accident, you probably don't have any currency for transactions, right?"
She took out a black coin from her pocket and showed it to Xia De, and deliberately put her hand in front of Xia De.
Shade took a look and knew that this was a coin he had never seen before. The black coin was about the same size as a shilling silver alloy coin. On one side was the witch's own head, and on the other side was a symbol of money. However, this was not a relic. Of course, Shade also knew that the young witch was deliberately testing him:
"I don't have such a thing. Don't worry, I won't snatch it away."
"You can't steal it either. These coins cannot be transferred to another owner other than through transactions. Look at my portrait on it. It means I am the owner of this coin."
"Then can you take me with you to the Black Mist Camp to have a look?"
"Of course, let's go now."
The witch said, and took the initiative to help the old woman up. Although she claimed to be hired, she was still very dedicated. At the same time, Shade noticed that Mrs. Miles's hat was decorated with purple flowers, which seemed to be thyme.
The old woman smiled at Shade:
"I'm getting old, and I want to make up for my past regrets before I die."
She took the initiative to tell Xia De what she was going to do:
"When I was young, my lover said goodbye to me and went to a distant place to join the war. I promised him that I would marry him when he came back, but I ended up waiting for him for a lifetime."
"Didn't you divine the whereabouts of the other party? Isn't your cousin very powerful?"
Xia De asked curiously, and Mrs. Miles shook her head:
"He promised to come back, and I believe he will keep his word... Even if he doesn't come back, I want him to tell me in person what happened to him. Look at this old-fashioned hat of mine, which he gave me before he left. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, these are all I remember about the day we parted. It was a really nice day."
She coughed a few times, and with the help of the red-haired witch, she left the campfire and came to the path. The boy followed them with a torch, but did not dare to get too close.
The witch patted the old woman's back gently and continued to say to Shade:
"We can't stay in the market for too long. You and I are fine, but Mrs. Miles and the boy over there are just ordinary people. They have to get back here before they can't hold on any longer."
The group raised their torches and walked towards the depths of the black fog. Shade asked:
"How long can you stay here?"
"It's hard for me to give you a time scale in a place where time and space are confused. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work... You must protect the flame. Without the flame, you will be lost here forever. So, it's best for everyone to act together. Even if one person's flame is extinguished, others can still protect her."
She supported Mrs. Miles and walked behind Shade, while the boy was further behind. Away from the bonfire, the temperature dropped rapidly, and mist could be exhaled from her mouth when she spoke. Visibility was further reduced, and the black fog became thicker. The area illuminated by the four torches seemed to be the only safe zone left in the world.
"I have one last question."
Xia De, who was leading the way ahead, could already vaguely see a shadow-like figure appearing in the black fog ahead. His body was obviously able to withstand the severe cold, but at this moment he still couldn't help shivering:
“Is this strange place related to the gods?”
Tree Father's mission is to make deals with the god of commerce and wealth, not with the weird things that gradually appear before him.
"I haven't heard of it. I don't know."
The young witch raised her collar and shook her head decisively. She was wearing a thick cotton coat, and only her hands holding the torch were frozen white. Shade panted and nodded. He understood that perhaps his main task was not to help the group reach their respective deals, but to find the god first. Thinking of this, he quietly looked at his three companions this time. The boy and the old woman also looked like they were out of breath due to the cold and oppression. Their faces were pale, but none of them gave up moving forward.
"I wonder if the gods are lying in wait among us, just like they did in the Forest of Thousand Trees."
While thinking about this, he did not forget to take out his cotton coat from his pocket and put it on. The other three people were already prepared, so they did not need Xia De's help.
The so-called "Black Fog Camp" was quite close to the bonfire, but it was not noticeable just now because of the influence of the black fog. As the shivering people gradually walked forward with torches, after only a dozen steps, the end of the uphill path was their destination.
The terrain was very open, and the strange weeds and wild flowers on the ground had been cleared, revealing the black land covered with a layer of frost. In the fog, translucent figures like shadows appeared as the fog was dispelled by the firelight. They were either sitting or standing, and these shadows had similar postures, and each had their own goods and stalls in front of them.
But all the shadows here were completely still and motionless, and there was no sound around. This place was like a frozen oil painting. In addition to the shadows, there were also stalls and roads between the stalls. As for the camp itself, it looked quite large, or because the field of vision was limited and it was impossible to see far away, so there was no end in sight.
Apart from the four of them, there should be no other guests here. The strange scene illuminated by the fire made Xia De and the other three stop subconsciously.
"Look here."
At the entrance to the camp at the end of the trail, a worn notice board was inserted diagonally into the soil. Holding a torch to look carefully, various messy claw marks formed crooked letters on the notice board. Those densely packed letters were not only understandable to Xia De, who knew all the languages, but also to the remaining three people.
For this is the writing of this era of the Fifth Age:
Fair, fair, fair
"That's good."
Xia De praised softly, and the white mist in his mouth extended into the fog that could not be illuminated by the firelight. He adjusted his breathing and asked the young witch beside him:
"Who do you want to trade with?"
From the entrance of the camp, most of the goods on the vendors' stalls were covered by a thicker black fog, and it was impossible to see what they were selling. The few goods that could be seen clearly were bloody limbs or strange pieces of meat squirming in dirty bottles. In addition, the black shadows had no characteristics, so it was not easy to find a specific target.
"I don't know either, but I've taken other people's money, so I can't take no risks. I've got a plan, please follow me."
It was obvious that she was a little afraid of this place, but she still stood out bravely. She first trembled and gave Mrs. Miles a few instructions, then walked past Shade and approached the stall on the left side of the camp entrance with a torch.