Blood tax

Chapter 458 Castle Strange Story ([-])

Kloseel's castle stands between the distant mist and a gray village and forest. The winding path bypasses the village and stretches into the dark forest along the undulating hillside.

There is no warmth under the hazy sky. The breath that overflows from the forest and the quiet coldness make people feel a little colder. Just stepping on the paths and stone bridges here can make people feel like falling into a glacier. panic and sorrow.

Kulala leads a small team on the way.

She had a feeling, a vague feeling, that she had been watched as soon as she got here.There was no breeze in the stagnant air, as if someone was whispering, trying to tell her something.

This feeling and the rustle in the breeze are entrenched in my heart, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get rid of such a powerless emotion.

After the defeat of last night's battle, the remaining headquarters of Berthier's column and the Homonworth spring camping group rushed eastward to avoid the pursuit of the rebels.

They ran from evening to early morning, and finally got rid of the enemy's trace.When they came back to their senses, everyone could already see the gloomy castle of the Kloseel family from a distance.

From here to the east is the farmland and small town under the protection of the lord.If all goes well, they can get supplies here and wait for reinforcements.

If everything goes well……

Kulala, who had been marching and fighting continuously all day, braced herself and carefully checked the unfamiliar bushes and shadows around her.The ominous premonition haunted her all the time, as if there was an abyss of no return ahead of her trip, which made her want to turn around and run away.

This feeling has never been experienced since the Whispering Forest the year before last.

On both sides of the not-so-narrow road stood huge stone statues, resembling human figures, probably the ancient pioneers of this family.They are a striking reminder that as long as one step forward, they will enter the territory of the Kloseel family.

These two statues, which are seven or eight meters high, have collapsed.Heavy boulders were crushed, crushed and dragged, leaving deep dents in the pavement.Moss and weeds have not yet grown on the broken and broken base, and the damage time is not long.

Kurala bit her lip.

Like everyone else, she has no choice.There are chasing soldiers behind, and everyone is exhausted just breaking through here.

The silver-haired Miss Shutoral raised her hand and waved lightly, giving the order for the team to move forward.Following them, the four first-year Xiutorals jumped out, crossed the stone statue in a scattered formation of alternate vigilance, and entered the Verona territory of the Kloseer family.

"Command, report from the reconnaissance team."

"There are traces of large-scale biological impact at the entrance, pay attention to vigilance."

"Every 30 minutes, the psychic ripples will be greatly disturbed, interfering with the communication signal."

"Reconnaissance team, command received. We'll be there soon."

A few minutes later, Ophelia, Berthier, and Nona arrived with the rest.

Having lost the professor, most of the Extraordinary, and almost all of the soldiers, this team that once numbered close to 40 has only [-] to [-] people left.

Neferti and her first-year classmates were among them.Despite the extra care, they lost all their horses and baggage, and staggered along with their weary bodies scattered and scattered.As soon as they arrived here, everyone fell into a deep dead silence and surrounded by a damp atmosphere.

The only good news is that there are no rebels around here.

"Maybe it's because of the scenery and the weather," said Berthier, who was the most knowledgeable of the group. "The combination of very simple things can have a huge power to infect us, but to explore this power, it is still difficult to understand." It is beyond our power. Don't worry, it is the influence of our environment, and if we rearrange the details before our eyes, we will be very effective in changing and even dispelling this bleak impression. Come with me!"

He led everyone up the hill, wanting to have a glimpse of the surrounding scenery.

An ancient lake of strange shape sleeps among the low gray hills, slender on both sides and wider in the middle, just beside the castle of Klosere, dark and gloomy, like black eyes, reflecting the dead bushes and Withered dead tree.The outside visitors gazed at the lake, and the dead water was there, like a blank pupil, watching them.

In the huge eyes, there is also the reflection of the unrecognizable castle, and the empty windows without curtains are densely packed, which is creepy.

Berthier, who witnessed this scene, was speechless.

"I remember Murat said that he and Iseus were here to inspect the territory not long ago. Viscount Lilia was also with them." Nona murmured.

The scene in front of me is really unimaginable. A noble family was once active here.

In any case, they had to pass through here and go to the safe area to the east to take shelter; the continuous operations and fighting had exhausted everyone's dust crystals and materials, and the wounded also needed food and rest.

The castle of Iseus de Crozel is on the north side of the main road, and there is a village by the lake not far south.It was shrouded in a deeper haze, and even in the twilight of dawn, it was impossible to see clearly. What was vaguely discernible was that the entrance of the village was on a path extending from the road, and it was located on the lakeside below the hillside.

The cold and bare walls, the empty windows like eyes without eyes, the dense bushes, and the claw-like dead tree trunks among the withered bushes are silently watching them.

The farmland here is not barren, but the owner of the land has disappeared.

Are we really going there... Everyone hesitated to speak.In the end, it was Berthier who spoke out:

"We can't establish long-distance contact without supplies.

"Divide into four teams.

"Joshua, you take the wounded to the intersection below, set up an echo reinforcement device, and keep in touch.

"Dedius, Kulala, you search eastward to confirm whether the follow-up evacuation path is safe.

"Ophelia, take the first graders and a few sergeants to the castle to investigate, and find as many clothes, dust crystals, and spell-casting materials as possible. If there is a letter file, I would like to know what happened in this territory.

"Nona and I led a small team to investigate the nearby estates and gather food.

"We will gather here in two hours, everyone be careful."

……

Coming to the woods outside the village, the low hills and the old castle in the distance, the land that was originally bright suddenly fell into darkness.In the silent woods, there is not a trace of insects and birds singing.

It was too quiet here, and there was a slight and weird cry in the silent darkness.Vaguely, there seemed to be something watching passers-by from all directions.

The road turned another bend ahead.Nona turned around and waved the torch to get a better look around.The flickering firelight lit up a shade of trees, and between the dry vertical lines, a big black mouth rushed towards it.

"Wow!!!"

The whole team was taken aback.Nona hurriedly swept over there, only to find that the monster's huge mouth stopped in place.Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a building made of black stones. The wall on one side of the road had collapsed, and the uneven gravel looked like jagged teeth.

"This is the Holy Grace Hall?" Nona looked at it for a while, and finally saw some traces, "Look at the top, there is still half of the Holy Light's coat of arms."

She held up a torch and walked towards the ruins.Although it was early in the morning, there was no light from the fire, and after a few steps, it was already too dark to see.

The walls here are solid and thick, and the windows are small and crowded into the high walls.

After passing through the long and narrow hall, you come to the altar on the cross plane in front, where the horizontally expanded space becomes spacious.This is a design that is convenient for believers to gather near the altar to listen to the sermon. The oppressive space is suddenly opened up under the high hanging windows, so that the heart of worship and awe suddenly rises.

"The wall is tall and the window holes are narrow. The reason for this design is to make the wall strong enough to withstand the side push of the cross arch above."

Berthier's voice sounded from behind, and he had already led people in.

This Holy Grace Church has been abandoned for a long time, the central tower has collapsed, and even the tables and chairs arranged in the prayer room and the iron bell on the bell tower are gone.However, although the style is old, judging from the size and structure of the building, this Holy Grace Church is of high standard.

"This Church of the Holy Grace has been built for at least 1000 years." Berthier looked around carefully. "Although the structure of the cross arch is strong, it is too bulky. It has been replaced by the design of the rib arch and skeleton coupons in the second era."

As he said, he patted the wall: "Have you ever been to the Holy Light Chapel in Bayeran? The dome of the main hall there is more than 40 meters high, and the stained glass windows on the wall are as big as clouds. This is because of the light new style. The dome structure allows the buttresses to be lighter and taller. But~
"From the point of view of this building, it should have been very important and noble in the era when it was built. There should be a Sequence 7 priest presiding over it, which is the center of belief in the nearby area."

Listening to his explanation, Nona raised her head and walked under the half-destroyed beams: "So, a long time ago, there was a belief in the Holy Light here, and a temple that was revered at that time was built. But, Yi Hughes' family is the lord here, but it is the inheritance of wizards."

Berthier recalled: "The Klosere family has not always been a family of wizards. Earlier, they were believers in the Holy Light. There were priests in the family members, and the Holy Grace Church in the territory." Not surprisingly."

"Griffith has said that he and Aaron's family are very close."

"Yes, I remember too. 'Aaron' means 'the grace of the Holy Light'," Berthier said of history, "Magic has flourished for an era, but decades ago, there were still many The traditional land was governed by the monks and paladins of the Holy See of Light. The wizards at that time were also very powerful, but they never had the glory they have today."

……

Under the guard of Desai and others, Neferti and the first graders followed Ophelia into the castle.

The building is grand in scale, with tall gables running along the gentle slope by the lake.The hall, cloister, minaret and workshop are solid and complete, except for the decayed appearance, the whole building has no signs of crumbling.

However, the interior of the castle was ravaged by something, and many stairs and corridors were damaged and impassable.

Everyone came to the floor where the owner lived, and scattered in twos and threes to look around.There is a master bedroom, a magic workshop, a study room and a material library here, and it is the most likely place to find emergency materials for spellcasting.

Nefertti followed the stone steps to the door while paying attention to her steps.Beneath the arches of the hall, the heavy door was cold and bone-chilling.She tiptoed around and looked around, and found that it looked like the owner's study.

This is a cylindrical room that penetrates the upper and lower three floors, and the towering bookshelves reach the ten-meter-high roof.The collection of books and materials on the shelf was scattered, and there were even a few letters on the ground by the corner of the table that I hadn't taken away in time.

Neferti carefully picked up a notebook and looked at the cover.

The Diary of Lilia de Crozel

"On May 1445, 1,
"My brother is finally sending a letter from the south!

"He told me that this is an adventure in the hot and humid jungle and ancient civilizations, an archaeological miracle that unraveled the veil of the lost troll civilization.

"He bragged again, if it was really so easy to find the miracle, the archaeologists would have discovered it long ago. He would have lied to me, and Murat would not have lied!
"I'm really worried about his health, eczema, and skin diseases. He has been wearing a strange silver mask for a long time. Will the southern rainforest aggravate his illness~ I want to pray for him."

Seeing the girl's worry about her brother, Neferti sighed bitterly, and continued to read.

"On May 1445, 1,
"Brother is back! By the Holy Light, I was terrified. If Murat hadn't been with me these days, I must have been scared to death by the terrible things about Byelan. The sacrifice of the chosen one summoned What are they!

"My brother didn't seem to care. He spoke eloquently, talking to Murat and me, describing a magical lost world that has no trace in any literature.

"He said that there is a basin surrounded by high mountains. There are many extremely huge creatures living in the hot and humid dense forest and the ancient troll ruins. Rule that world together.

"I don't like it when he talks non-stop! Especially when he announces his adventures and then dives into the lab!"

"On May 1445, 1,
"What is brother doing? He didn't even tell Murat~ It's strange, they have a great relationship! I've also seen their notebook drawn by Ms. Xia Long, of course, it's an abridged version, the kind that can be read by ladies!
"I have to investigate and investigate!"

"On May 1445, 1,
"What~
"Iseus de Crozier, the viscount of the ancient family, brought back some dry stems and leaves of plants during his great southern expedition? I can pull a bag for him in 5 minutes in the garden!
"I'll tell Murat! Have a good laugh at the great explorer Iseus over dinner!"

Nefertiti somehow felt something was wrong.

She had a feeling, as if she knew and even saw those plant specimens with her own eyes.

Trembling, she turned to the next page.Miss Viscountess' delicate and beautiful words became confused and distorted here, and only one sentence was left:

"It's alive!"

(End of this chapter)