rune hunter

Chapter 401 The Abandoned Castle

Even though he was psychologically prepared, the dilapidation of Blackstone Fortress was beyond El's expectation.

Rather than saying that this is an abandoned castle, it would be more appropriate to call it a "ruin".It was obvious that a war had taken place here, and it was a tragic war in which several silver-rank powerhouses participated.Half of the entire castle was in ruins, and the other half was riddled with holes.

This war may not have taken place for too long. Although the battlefield has been cleaned up, broken weapons and large dark red bloodstains still remain in the corners of the ruins.Judging by how dry the bloodstains were, it shouldn't take more than a month.The traces of swords and swords deeply imprinted on the walls of the castle silently narrate the thrill of that war from another side.

The castle itself should be temporarily uninhabitable. If this kind of dilapidated house does not undergo overall repairs, it is uncertain when it will collapse.But the land outside the castle is wide enough.This is a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, with an area of ​​about four to five square kilometers. Apart from the castle built at the entrance of the valley, there is only one abandoned ore smelting field in the valley, where dozens of metal melting furnaces gather. Together, the fireworks in the furnace have long been extinguished.On the surrounding mountain walls, there are still several mines of different sizes.

Other than that, it is basically flat land, but unfortunately, it has been covered with gravel excavated from the mine, but it is estimated that there is no fertile soil before this.

"What happened to this place? I heard from Mr. Franco that he suppressed a rebellion here. Could it be a rebellion by our insiders?" El looked at the desolate scene in front of him, and was silent for a moment. Turning to Harryland asked.

Since Logan didn't go into detail at the time, it meant that this was not a glorious history worth boasting about, and it might even involve the internal problems of Thunder Fortress, so of course it should not be told to outsiders.However, at this time, Harriland already had an exquisite dagger on his belt, and there was an enthusiastic girl giving him a sneak peek. Naturally, he couldn't stop talking.

Bribery is a science. Objectively speaking, there are almost no saints with perfect character in this world. The question is whether you can match what they like.If he wanted to bribe a young and energetic elite warrior with gold, he would definitely be regarded as a humiliation.But if there is another way, such as a tungsten steel dark pattern dagger made by a master craftsman, it is difficult for any warrior who knows how to refuse.

If at this time there is another beautiful girl who is good at spiritual charm whispering softly by her side and looking around, it will be even more deadly poison to the young man who is not very determined.

Compared with the gang of treacherous men and women who had traveled thousands of miles from the upper echelons of the exiles, Harleland was obviously just a rookie who didn't know much about the world.After the two-pronged approach along the way, he has completely regarded everyone as sincere friends and close partners.

"This was originally a vein of diamond rock, but it has been mined for some years, and it has basically been excavated. At that time, the lord was ready to abandon this place, but Master Lei Xius insisted that there are still some hidden mines here. Value, so I won the right to continue mining from the lord."

Harirand hesitated for a moment, looked back to see that there was no one else beside him, and whispered.

"Master Leixius? Is it the lord's son? How many children does he have?" El noticed the name Harirand mentioned, and continued to ask.

"Your Majesty has five sons and three daughters. The Eldest Young Master died in battle five years ago, while Franco is ranked second, and Master Lei Xiusi is ranked third." Franco's name was mentioned. At the time, Harirand's tone was a little annoyed, and he didn't even call him the young master, but when he mentioned Lei Xius, there was a bit of regret in his tone.

"Master Lei Xiusi has outstanding talent, extraordinary strength, and a very smart mind. He is the lord's favorite son. It's a pity that he was bewitched by others and insisted on digging in this mountain. In the end, he failed to dig out the mine and instead provoked him. The evil thing under the ground."

"An evil thing under the ground? Did you dig into the Underdark?" Hearing this, El couldn't help but be dumbfounded.Those underground bugs had already left a deep psychological shadow on him.But he quickly realized that the evil thing Harleland said should be different from what he thought of.

The "evil things" that humans often refer to usually refer to the existence of evil beyond common sense.As the overlord of the underdark region, the landwalker, the human overlord of the land, and the elves who rule the forest are called the three order races, and they are well-known lawful evil creatures.With Harirand's status, he wasn't so ignorant enough to mistake it for an unexplainable "evil thing".

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but it is said that it is an ancient tomb. The miners at that time dug through the wall of the tomb, and at the same time broke the seal of an ancient evil. Almost everyone who was in this area at that time fell into the In the nightmare, I became the puppet of that ancient evil." When Harirand said this, his expression was a little unsightly.

"Of course, the information about the evil was told by the magicians later. They believed that the soldiers manipulated by the evil had suffered irreparable damage, so Franco led his troops to capture the castle and take the ancient The evil thing and all its puppets were slaughtered, and the castle was destroyed at the same time."

"Puppet? Irreparable damage? Is it brain damage? Illithid or beholder?" Hearing the "ancient evil" described by Harirand, Dreyer's eyes lit up immediately, as a demon Although he is not an expert in this area as a warlock, he still dabbles.

"It should be a spirit sucker... I remember what those magicians said. They said too much at the time and I didn't remember anything, but that thing must be a humanoid creature. We saw the corpse at the time. That looks disgusting." Harirand said, gesticulating twice with his hands around his mouth.

"The head looks like an octopus? That's right. Illithids. But... Illithids hidden in ancient tombs? This is the first time I've heard that illithids are born psionic warlocks. How did you kill it?" Dreyer interjected and asked with great interest.

"We dispatched five silver-level generals and seven magicians to block the illithid in this castle and fight for a day and a night. We lost three people, and Franco was also seriously injured at the time. But in the end, I killed that evil thing." Harirand shook his head and said, "I know what you want to ask, don't worry, we have cleaned up this place thoroughly, including the tomb under the ground. It is clean, and there will never be any unclean things. Except for the mountain road leading to the Thunder Fortress, the mountains on all sides are covered with black forests, and there is no possibility of foreign invasion. It is very safe for you to stay here. "

"I'm not particularly worried about security issues, but if only the mountain road under our feet leads to the outside world, doesn't that mean that if the enemy appears from this direction, we will have nowhere to escape?" El Looking at the road under his feet, he couldn't help asking.

"It is impossible for the enemy to attack here." Harirand said firmly.

"What you said is as if that Mr. Illithid just now didn't exist." Dreyer kicked away half of the bricks on the side of the road, with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"It was just an accident. I can assure you that this kind of accident will never happen again here. As for the undead you are really worried about—they can't break through the Thunder Fortress." Harirand's face was a little embarrassed, but his tone remained the same. Unwavering.

"Since Mr. Harirand has made such a promise, we shouldn't be suspicious anymore. This is not the way to be a guest." Tiana waved her hand to stop El and Dreyer from attacking.The gap between the two sides' views on this issue is too large, and it is not suitable to delve into it at this time.

"Mr. Harirand, you have also seen that our team is not just an army, but also a large number of refugees in exile, most of whom are women and children. To settle these refugees, we need more than It’s food, and other daily necessities are needed. Do you have any suggestions in this regard?”

The various experiences in the northern counties and Istaron have made the girl realize that it is not easy to convince the local lord.It is difficult for people who have not personally experienced the ravages of plague and natural disasters to feel the unforgettable horror.Before the undead army attacked the Thunder Fortress, it is estimated that Lord Churkin would not pay enough attention to it.Anyway, it is the utmost benevolence and righteousness for me to describe truthfully here, and let them suffer a little bit so that they can wake up their minds.

Compared with the plague and natural disasters, the girl is now considering more practical issues.She must take responsibility for maintaining the normal life of these refugees.And the daily expenses of tens of thousands of horses are by no means as simple as a 1+1 arithmetic problem.

"Miss Ranstadt, you don't need to worry about people's livelihood issues. The merchants in Silver Ingot Fort are famously well-informed, and I believe they will come to you soon."

Unexpectedly, this question did not bother Harirand either, but when he talked about those businessmen, his expression was a little weird.

"Businessmen? Are free trades allowed in Thunder Fortress?" El asked curiously.Because there is a black-hearted businessman lady like Laorana by his side, he also has some common sense about business.Generally speaking, in a highly militarized area like Thunder Fortress, merchants are basically not allowed to come and go freely.Moreover, although there are many castles here, there are almost no "residential cities" in the normal sense. The interior of the fortress is also self-sufficient and militarized. It is hard to imagine how many business opportunities and profits there will be.

"Of course not, but the merchants in Silver Ingot Castle have permits." Harirand explained, "But I have to give you a piece of advice, as long as you have other options, don't make deals with those guys. Then The blood-sucking vulture is the most shameless scum I've ever seen!"

(End of this chapter)