When Sir Naylor awoke, it was dusk after a day. His first reaction was to touch his sword. No sword, no armor, no scales, no trousers, not even socks. He sat up in horror. Fortunately, he still had a thin cotton nightgown on him. This kind of light and fluffy clothes was too non-existent.
He looked around warily, and found that this was not an underground temple or a dark corridor, but a simple and clean hotel standard room. His personal belongings were well placed on the table, and there was a note under the long sword in Estee's handwriting.
She told him that this was the Gray Goose Inn in Black Cliff Castle, and they used magic to leave the underground ruins yesterday.
Naylor remembered: Yesterday they encountered a small-scale landslide, he rushed to protect the princess and Lisa with his body, as if he was hit on the head by something...
He took a moment to get dressed, hesitated at the armor, and finally put them in place.
The wooden door creaked, and Estee just came to him. She took him next door, where Lisa was whispering to the young mage.
Lisa was half lying on the bed, leaning on thick pillows, covered with an eiderdown quilt, with a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her dry, gray hair was cleaned and combed into a thin, loose braid. When she spoke, she would unconsciously twist the braid slowly, which was exactly the same as the mother Naylor remembered from her childhood. .
Yesterday's Lisa's eyes were blurred, her spirits were listless, and she couldn't even react when someone approached her. Today, she has completely returned to normal. Now her eyes are clear and her tone is gentle. Apart from being haggard and weaker than women of the same age, she is no different from ordinary people.
There are several books beside her bed, all of them are religious overviews, local biographies and so on. The young mage "Korev" is holding a map and sitting on the chair beside the bed. hand, pointing to something on the map, whispering something to the mage.
She can talk. She has a terrible voice, often stops mid-speak to think of words, and often can't complete sentences because of coughing...but she can talk.
Sir Naylor couldn't figure out why she hadn't said a word for so many years since her voice was fine.
Estee also walked over and sat beside Lisa. These mages seem to know Lisa very well... Naylor realized with shame that the princess and the mage must have been taking care of Lisa during her coma, so Lisa trusted them.
As for the "scholar" named Lott... that person seemed unreliable, and he didn't know where he went.
The young mage "Korev" stood up and cleared his throat, introduced the mother and son to each other in an awkward atmosphere, and then roughly talked about what happened this day... It was nothing more than entering the underground temple and then a landslide or something …
After listening, Naylor asked: "We all left the landslide passage safely, but where is Lisa's book? Have you brought it out?"
Burris and Esther exchanged glances quickly, and Esther asked tentatively, "Which history book are you talking about?"
Naylor thought about it carefully: "No... I mean, I don't know what book it is. My mother has always carried a book with a metal cover and a mirror on one side."
The two mages felt a chill down their spines. The Lord of Bones should have disturbed Naylor's memory, how could he still remember this book! Could it be that this book has such an impact on people that even a demigod can't erase the memory of it
Fortunately, Estee reacted quickly enough. She sat on the edge of the bed with slumped shoulders, with a look of regret: "Oh. The history books I mentioned also refer to it. It's okay not to mention it... you mention it..."
Naylor tensed up: "What's wrong?"
"It's a pity. Didn't the underground ruins collapse? We didn't have time to take it out. The situation was very dangerous at that time. You passed out to protect me. That Mr. Lotter supported you, and I protected Lisa, yes Koref brought us out with magic... none of us went to get that book..."
Hearing what she said, the gloom on Naylor's face was swept away: "That's fine! It's probably a cult book and a dangerous item."
After finishing speaking, he paced back and forth in the small guest room, looked out of the window, and then at his mother, with a hint of excitement in his eyes. Burris had seen that look before, and Count Herrolf looked like that before going out and eating.
Naylor finally organized his words and wanted to say something, but Lisa rushed ahead of him: "Don't tell the silent prayer."
Naylor froze. After reuniting after a long absence, my mother didn't try to get close to him, hug him, and didn't take the initiative to ask him anything... The first thing she said to him in her life was "don't tell the silent prayer".
Then came the second sentence: "Don't tell the silent prayer that I'm alive, let alone that you're looking for me. It doesn't make sense."
Naylor frowned: "But... father and brother have the right to know..."
Lisa looked directly at him, her face was tired, but her eyes were very firm: "I hope you keep a secret and don't mention me, but I have no right to order you. You can choose what to do. If you must tell it, I will tell you." Powerless to stop."
Estee looked at Burris, who pouted secretly. There is a joke between their teachers and students: Knights of the Temple have three great advantages-listen to flattery but not persuasion, take soft but not hard, fear their mother more than their father.
Lisa has suffered a lot in this life, and she was born as a bard. She must have a thorough understanding of the character of the Templar Knights.
Sure enough, after a difficult psychological struggle, Naylor bowed slightly to Lisa: "I understand. I will respect your wishes... I will not tell anyone about your whereabouts until you agree. Now I have to go back, I've been away for too long, it's time to report back to the temple... I hope you can trust me, after returning to the temple, I won't say anything."
Lisa nodded and smiled, but said nothing. Naylor waited stupidly for a while, and finally bowed his head and walked out of the room.
After hearing the sound of the knight going down the stairs, Boris and Estee breathed a sigh of relief.
Lisa clicked on the map in Burris' hand: "Okay, let's continue."
"Okay." Burris agreed with his lips, but his thoughts couldn't help drifting away... He almost felt a little sympathetic to Naylor. Lisa doesn't seem to care much about this "long-lost son" at all, and she treats him politely and coldly, like he's just a stranger.
The priestess continued their previous conversation, pointing out a way on the map.
From the Northern Frost Plains to the Gem Forest, then to Ord and the northern border of today's Sago, cross the Luoyue Mountains, enter the Western Desert Plain, and then return to Sago from the south side of the mountains, walk into the Central Plains of the mainland, all the way to the east , and then returned to the north again, sailed from Sandonia, stayed on several islands, returned to land, and came to the five-tower peninsula where the training institute is located today...
Some people traveled across the ocean to find new shelters, while others returned to the Central Plains and continued to wander in several areas in the southeast.
It is said that this is the path that the priests of the Black Lake Guard have walked for generations.
Lisa herself certainly didn't go this far. Every Black Lake pastor remembers the paths traveled by others, and spends his life continuing their journeys. Because they were expelled and denied, they lived a hard and hidden life, but they never disappeared, let alone stopped.
In order to find the sacred objects related to the guardians of the Black Lake, and to find the temples left in ancient times, they can travel all over the world.
Lisa is the luckiest of them all. She accepted the bequest of her ancestors, obtained the holy relics and ancient books, and brought the books to find the temple guarded by the Black Lake.
Her lifelong wish is to finish reading this book, to listen to the last words of the dead god, to see the secrets left outside the world, and to know the legends that no one sings.
It is said that this book has disappeared for many years, and Lisa's ancestors got it in a deal with the island elves because of a coincidence. They keep it secret all the time and pass it on to their descendants or students.
Hearing this, Boris secretly sighed: Not only did Morvia not continue Finney's research, but he even sold part of Finney's collection... It is estimated that he only left things related to controlling the murlocs, at most some more. The writings and notes of these tutors, all items that he could not read, did not understand, and seemed to be more valuable, should have been sold outside the Tower of the Abyss.
Fennette is too miserable, expelled from the academy, let down by the students... If only he was born in the present age, now that alienation and toxicology are completely legal, his life will definitely not be so bleak.
However, this proves one thing from the side: there is no magic trap on the ancient book, otherwise Movia would not be able to live until now.
"Ma'am, did all your ancestors read this book?" Burris asked.
"They didn't last." Lisa sighed.
"What is 'failed to persist'?"
Lisa said: "Come on, let me explain to you slowly. I am old and very weak. Maybe I will die soon. Before that, I would like to tell these things to those who want to hear people."
Hidden priests believe that "Midnight Chronicle" was written by the guards of the Black Lake, and it was written and completed before the plane was separated; while "Silver Hymns" was continued to be written by envoys, priests, believers, etc. , started writing after being separated from the plane.
The "words" in the book are not words, but an ancient magical rune. This kind of rune contains a huge amount of information, which can compress language, characters, senses and memory. A character is a legend, a paragraph can present a person's complete life, and a piece of parchment can describe the rise and fall of a country.
The book is only half a square thick, but the contents contained in it are enough to fill a library.
Reading it is quite a difficult task. Only those who can decipher the runes can understand it, and those who can understand it may not be able to persist in reading it.
Another peculiarity of the book is that it is divided into two halves, the chronicle on one side and the hymn on the other, separated by a thick cowhide.
When reading the miracle part of the first half, you can only read from front to back in order, and you cannot turn back. Just like life can only go forward but not backward. If you turn back, your mind and memory may be damaged, and the degree of damage varies from person to person.
The second half of the book is relatively loose, you can read it over and over again, this part is written by priests and envoys, and it does not have such a powerful force of order.
While reading the first half, Lisa flipped back several times. She knew that this would destroy her sanity step by step, but she couldn't help but reread some parts that she couldn't understand.
And that's not even the biggest price readers have to pay. More strictly, once you start reading this book, you are not allowed to speak again, nor can you mention anything about the book through words or gestures until you finish reading it completely.
Once you relapse, the content you have read in your mind will disappear, and in severe cases, you will completely forget the existence of the book. If you choose to re-read after forgetting, and then accidentally break the precept again, after repeating this several times, your soul will be damaged, ranging from confusion and memory fragmentation to complete collapse and becoming a delirious idiot.
Lisa said: "My grandparents, my teachers... They didn't persevere. Everyone knows that it is difficult, so no one will criticize the losers. Fortunately, I did it. This is my lifelong wish. Now I Very satisfied."
Burris thought for a while and asked, "Ma'am, are these reading rules for all living beings who try to read, or are they just for mortals?"
Lisa froze for a moment: "You actually asked me this..."
"Is it weird to ask that?"
"It's kind of..." Lisa smiled weakly, "When my teacher failed, her sister said, God, how could anyone be willing to pay so much for reading a book? No matter how meaningful a book is, it's not worth your life …”
Burris said: "It's not difficult to understand. To tell you the truth, many people don't understand how mages are willing to spend their lives in boring research. In my opinion, ma'am, you don't 'give' life, which is what you are. life."
A gleam flashed in Lisa's eyes, and she lowered her head shyly: "It's unbelievable, you can think like this at such a young age. Thank you."
Thank you too, because I am not young. Boris nodded perfunctorily, still thinking about the question just now: "About the reading rules of books... Are these regulations only for mortals? It stands to reason that the true god is above the holy things, and they will not be ruled by the holy things." Effects. As for angels or priests with divine spells, they may be subject to some restrictions, but holy objects should not harm them... "
Lisa coughed lightly. She talked too much today, as if she was a little tired: "I don't know... In fact, the so-called 'rules' do not exist in the book, and they are not written in the book. We, Pastor Heihu, have slowly learned the truth through sacrifices and lessons. It sums up the reading rules of mortals."
Boris touched his chin and nodded: "If there is no taboo mentioned in the book, it means that the true god or the envoy can use it at will. They will not be in danger of confusion, so there is no need for warning..."
So, what if it is a demigod? This doubt hovered in Boris' mind, but he didn't ask it in the end. Lisa probably couldn't answer anyway.
Estee straightened the cushions for Lisa and let her lie flat on the bed. The afternoon's conversation had made Lisa happy, but it had also made her weaker.
The two mages took care of Lisa and prepared to go to the next room to continue discussing about books. At this time, there was a loud noise in the room in the middle of the corridor.
Burris had the entire floor of the hotel covered up, and there were no other guests here. It was Boris' room that made the sound.
"It's the Maharaja!" Boris frowned, "He secretly wants to read that book!"
Estee asked, "How do you know it was he who wanted to read?"
"My door and windows have protective spells, and only he can walk in without triggering the spells. Because of this, I set up some small traps in the house that have nothing to do with magic... He must have stepped on the traps Already!"