The group of people's pleasantries lasted for about fifteen minutes, and during these fifteen minutes, Benjamin could not understand the situation and could not get in the conversation at all. Therefore, he could only hold his forehead and stand silently.
but…
The sudden appearance of more than twenty mages in a small town was obviously not an accident. Not to mention, the secret passage leading from the blacksmith shop to here, and this underground warehouse like a secret base.
Therefore, even though Benjamin was still in a state of confusion, he still made a judgment.
These people are organized.
Of course, judging from the way these people get along and the content of their chats, this is a loose organization. Their current situation was like meeting a neighbor at the vegetable market and chatting in random directions. The content of the conversation basically had nothing to do with magic. They were all about things like "How are you doing lately" and "The price of wheat has gone up again." ", "So and so had a fight with so and so again", it was so down-to-earth that it was a bit scary.
Are these really a bunch of mages
When mages gather together, shouldn't they wear mysterious robes, everyone keep their distance, be cautious in their words and deeds, and discuss mysterious magical issues
Benjamin resisted the urge to complain and sighed silently.
"Um... let me introduce you to a new friend." Finally, everyone seemed to have finished chatting. The lady boss clapped her hands, looked at Benjamin again, and asked casually, "By the way, you should be a mage, right?"
“…”
Benjamin wiped his sweat and replied: "Yes, I am a mage."
Suddenly, more than twenty people burst into warm applause, as if to welcome his arrival.
… I don’t know why, but it feels like a team-building activity. Next, shouldn’t we start playing some weird ice-breaking games
Thinking like this, before the plot develops into something weirder, Benjamin quickly spoke and asked: "I have a question, how did you find out that I am a mage?"
Hearing this, the landlady shook her head.
"We didn't know you were a mage. At first, we thought you were a member of the church." She explained, "First you ran into my shop, looking strangely. You didn’t buy anything, as if you were investigating something. At that time, I felt very suspicious, but after a while, you ran to the old blacksmith’s shop again. There were several shops on that street, but the old blacksmith and I were the only ones who were mages. As a result, you just happened to be looking around in my and his shop. In this way, when I secretly told the old blacksmith, he assumed that you were a member of the church."
“…”
So, was this the reason why the blacksmith attacked him inexplicably
Benjamin was unable to complain.
Unexpectedly, he was just hiding in the shop of these two people to observe what was going on inside the door. As a result, they mistakenly identified him as a member of the church.
Okay... He had to admit that his behavior in the store was indeed a bit weird. Maybe in the eyes of ordinary people, Benjamin is just a little strange. But in order to avoid the church, the mage would be more sensitive, so it is not impossible to think about things wrongly.
"Don't be angry. The old blacksmith is doing this to protect us." Another young girl in the crowd said, "He is a stupid person. He wanted to knock you out first and then tie you up, but you escaped. , so he took the lead. After all, if you are really a member of the church, then we are all doomed."
Benjamin shook his head helplessly.
It's not like he was really angry with the blacksmith. After all, he also hindered his business in his store, so after going back and forth, they could be considered even.
"Then why did you change your mind later, thinking that I was not a member of the church, and brought me here?" After thinking about it, he asked again.
"That's not easy. You were chased into the street, and the people on the other side of the gate saw it. If you were really from the church, how could the bishop at the gate ignore you?" The landlady laughed a few times and explained.
Immediately afterwards, another middle-aged uncle spoke again and added: "As for why I brought you here. This place is relatively remote. We can confirm your origin here. If you are not a mage, then we will silence you." It will be more convenient.”
As he said this, everyone laughed heartily, as if he was not talking about "silencing you" but a joke like "peeing in your wine".
Benjamin was speechless.
From their natural attitudes and the uncle's gentle tone, he had a vague feeling that these people had probably silenced many people.
How did this simple yet cruel team spirit develop
Obviously, these people are not joking. After laughing, they looked at Benjamin with a murderous look in their eyes, indicating that they were still not sure of Benjamin's identity as a mage. Therefore, Benjamin had no choice but to use an ice-breaking technique to prove that he was really a mage.
After Benjamin used the spell, their eyes returned to goodwill again. It seemed that only at this moment did they really accept Benjamin, and the greetings just now were just Tai Chi.
Then, they began to introduce this strange team to Benjamin.
In fact, it cannot be considered a team or organization. According to them, this gathering has only existed for less than a year. A year ago, they were still living in different parts of the kingdom, living their original ordinary lives. Some were blacksmiths, some were textile workers, some were chefs, and there were circus clowns... It took them all to become mages. Not long, at most three years, and at the shortest just a few months, for new members.
Most of them learned magic accidentally: some got the magic book by accident, thought it was some strange novel, and became magicians after reading it; some met an anonymous magician and were given some advice by passing by. Then I learned magic; and for those who have self-enlightenment, one day they discover that they can emit flames, so their talent must be very good...
From a certain perspective, they are not "mages" in the strict sense, but more like apprentices or half-baked spellcasters. They didn't have much clear understanding of magic, but one day they suddenly discovered that they had what the church called "demonic power." They felt very scared, but they still had to live their lives, so they tried to survive.
After becoming mages, in order to avoid being hunted by the church, they left their hometown and came here. They wanted to escape abroad, but they were blocked by this chasm-like gate.
Some of them died trying to force their way in. Some people were afraid but unwilling to give in, so they stayed in Crewe Town and waited for the opportunity. In this way, they gradually got in touch and formed such a strange gathering. Everyone supported each other and worked together to find a way to break through the blockade of the door.
"Then... has anyone successfully escaped?" After hearing this, Benjamin asked after thinking for a while.
Knowing that these twenty people were all blocked from the door, and it seemed that they had been blocked for more than a year, he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Is this door so powerful
Hearing this, the young girl shook her head.
"There once was a mage who was proficient in wind magic. He wanted to use flight to fly over. As a result, he was purified by a holy light in mid-air." She said with some regret, "Before, there were also people who had tried it. I walked through the gate and tried to climb over the mountain, but there were many monsters on the mountain, and there were even griffins sitting on the top of the mountain. At that time, only the one who could fly barely escaped back, and the others all died there and became Food for monsters.”
…Griffin
Benjamin was a little surprised when he heard this.
Is there such a thing in the nearby mountains
Headache…
The national border of Horli Kingdom was more difficult to cross than he imagined.
If you fly from the mountain, your head will be pecked by griffons; if you fly near the gate, you will be shot down by the church; if you dig a tunnel, you will not be able to dig it out even after three to five years of work. Is it possible... that he really wants to stay in Crewe Town, open a shop and do business like this group of mages, and live a life of debating whether cabbage is expensive or cheap every day
despair.
"Then... you can't get out of the door, why do you still stay here?" So thinking of this, he asked helplessly.
"Who says we can't walk through it." However, the landlady slapped her knees and replied excitedly, "Andre has been studying ways to deceive crosses. As long as those crosses don't recognize us as mages, we can Walked through the front door openly!"