Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Conspiracy

The sorcerer Dorigen tentatively reached for the doorknob leading to the room of Aballister, her mentor.She didn't expect that she would hesitate to enter the room she regarded as her spiritual mentor and her former lover.Duo Ruizhen angrily grabbed the doorknob and walked into the room. Aballister sat in a comfortable chair and looked out of a small window at the Bright Plains in the distance, and the new parts he had ordered in the Wall of Trinity.For Dorigen, he is just a distorted existence now, not at all like the energetic and powerful magician before, who made her fall in love with him and ignited her enthusiasm even more.Aballister is still powerful now, but his power comes from his magic rather than himself.Black hair hung in disorder from his head, and the eyes, once black, were now like two hollows, sunken deep in the pointed face.Dorigen didn't know why she had found him attractive before, how she could have been able to lie next to him, because his body now looked like a pile of bones with loose skin hanging on it.

She pushed those thoughts away, reminding herself that Aballister's mentoring had given her such power, and that it had been worth it after all. Aballister's familiar is a bat-like winged creature named Druzil.It sat on a desk behind the magician in a gargoyle-like pose.A nervous-looking orc soldier stood in front of a desk, unaware that the creature standing inches away from it was alive. Dorigen hardly looked at the orc, but focused on Druzil.It was a cunning creature, and Dorigen didn't trust it at all.When Barjin was defeated in the Moezhi Library, Druzil was with him.And the only reason members of Walled Trinity didn't complain about its role in this defeat is that, in addition to Aballister and Dorigen, there was also the third great magician of Walled Trinity Druzil's existence was unknown to the members except Porg Reese.Aballister had wanted to introduce Druzil to the troops at the castle, but Dorigen had persuaded him to change his mind, at least not for the time being.

Dorigen looked back at the magician's hollow face, almost sneering at his unexpected and dangerous arrogance.From the beginning, Aballister had carefully guarded Druzil as his own private secret, and Dorigen wasn't sure she trusted the man's sudden transformation. Aballister, the hollow man who traded his body for magic, had grown rather vain over the past few weeks.As the priest leader of the Trinity Walled City, Ba Jin has always been Aballister's main opponent who wants to control the three-headed leader system in the Trinity Walled City.Now Ba Jin has disappeared. Druzil managed to wink slyly at Dorigen without drawing the orc's attention.

Dorigen responded with a hidden scowl, then turned to Aballister. "You summoned me?" she asked, sharp and to the point. "Yes." The magician responded immediately, without even looking at Dorigen. "Aballister," he murmured to himself, and then said, "Bonardus." He considered the word for a moment, then turned to Dorigen with a smile on his face, "It's still Aballister." Where is Te Bonadus? Would you prefer me to use one or both names when I declare the conquest of the region?" "This announcement will appear too soon," Dorigen reminded him. "What we have so far attempted to achieve has been a total failure." She studied the orc, apparently one of Ragnor's personal entourages. one.She turned to stare at Aballister, surprised that the magician could be so domineering when the cronies of his new opponents were standing in front of him.

"Be patient," said Aballister, waving his hand mockingly. "Ragnor is on the border of Simista, and when he decides to attack, the elves are finished." "The elves are only part of the enemy," Dorigen said, looking again at the trembling orc.Aballister waited, seemingly enjoying Dorigen's uneasiness, before telling the hideous creature to go. "Tell Ragnor that not only are we supporting him, but Talona is blessing him," Aballister said. "There is still a good fight!" After hearing this, the orc hurriedly turned around and rushed out of the room, and the door behind him slammed shut.

Aballister sneered and clapped. "My greetings, mistress of magic," Druzil called her maliciously by the name he had given the sorceress.The orc was out of the room now, so it spread its leathery wings, spreading them wide. "How is your nose today?" Duo Ruizhen couldn't help twisting her face when she heard this sentence.She had been a beautiful woman—perhaps a little too rounded for her kind—with a shapely, somewhat ordinary figure, and small but shining eyes of pure amber.However, her nose was ruined, a blemish on the vanity of the sorceress.Because in the early days of learning magic, Dorigen had practiced a big magical jump in the air, and she landed badly, lost her balance when she fell, and hit the stone floor face-first, and broke her nose in the middle.It has never straightened since.

"Just ask yourself, kid," Dorigen replied.She moved to the table and began tapping rhythmically with her fingers, revealing an agate ring on her finger.Druzil knew what the ring could do, and it hid itself in its wings, as if afraid that Dorigen might unleash its faerie magic on it on the spot. "Stop arguing with your own," Aballister said, seeming actually amused by the whole thing. "There are important decisions to be made before my eyes, like what to call myself when I take the throne." Dorigen didn't appreciate Aballister's overconfidence at all. "Kaladon and the Moezhi Library are still there," she said darkly.When she mentioned the library, she thought she saw Aballister wince, but she couldn't be sure, because the magician hid all emotions with his hollow, dry face.

"The humans of Carradon would surrender without a fight," Aballister reasoned. "They're fishermen and farmers, not warriors. So you know, dear Dorigen, we've got to start preparing for the victory." Things to do. Rhya Tavan is not far away, and so is Simon. If we want to be accepted by the surrounding kingdoms, we have to act like rulers of order and the rule of law." "Diplomat Aballister?" Dorigen asked. "Order and the rule of law? Talona won't be happy." "I was the one who met the Avatar of Goddess Talona," Aballister reminded her pointedly.

Dorigen didn't need his reminder.It was that meeting that transformed Aballister dramatically, from simple ambition to turning his talents into something more terrifying and obsessive.It was no coincidence that Dorigen's relationship with Aballister ended shortly after that messenger's arrival. "Bajin is dead, and the priests are in disarray," continued Aballister. "Do you want us to start fighting our neighbors as soon as we complete our first conquest?" "The first conquest has never even begun," Dorigen said boldly. Aballister seemed on the verge of throwing a tantrum, but he recovered quickly. "You're right," he agreed, seeming to revert to the patient man he had been before, "but Ragnor is already on the border of Simista, and even now is attacking the Elven Forest."

"Have you thought about the consequences of his victory?" Dorigen asked.At the table, Druzil sighed, then nodded in agreement, as if expecting someone to point out this potential problem to the increasingly cocky wizard. "Ragnor holds great power," Dorigen began, "and the goblins despise magicians." "We'll beat him," Aballister reasoned. Dorigen nodded in agreement. "Maybe," she said, "but how much would such a conflict cost Wall Trinity? I know you didn't shed a single tear when Barjin died—and you did the right thing." See Seeing Aballister's scowl, she hastened to add the words, "But his failure cost us dearly. If he and the Chaos Curse succeed in taking the Moezhi Library, we can be in Rag When Nor began his attack on Simista, he launched an attack on Caladon at the same time. But now that the priests of the Library are monitoring the area, we cannot do so. If Ragnor wins the Elven Forest without suffering heavy casualties, he would gain the upper hand in the crowd. Maybe he's wondering what the neighbors are going to do with a half-ogre king right now."

These blunt words hit Aballister like a mace.He sat stiffly in his chair, staring straight ahead for a moment. He knew all this all along, and a string of unexpected messages came to Duo Ruizhen's heart.The woman glanced at Druzil, who was watching her from under its wings. But he didn't want to accept the fact, the imp added, as he was busy deciding whether to call himself "Aballister the Generous" or "Bonardus the Conqueror." Duo Ruizhen knew that the sarcasm in the little devil's words was true, but it was hard for her to believe that this familiar was so daring when its master was sitting right in front of it.Duo Ruizhen wisely chose not to answer.She deliberately turned her eyes away from the little devil and returned to the sitting magician. "The Walled Trinity is under your control, there is no doubt about it," said Dorigen, "but we must tread carefully, for the throne is not yet secure. Which priest will lead the order after Barjin? And how powerful will Ragnol become?" "What about little Pogras?" Aballister asked slyly, referring to the third largest and most out of the ordinary wizard in the Trinity Wall.Both Aballister and Dorigen thought he was an up-and-coming kid.The magician's real name was Pogrith, but both Aballister and Dorigen called him little Pogrith because of the boyish shape of his face. "And you?" Aballister added. "Please don't doubt my loyalty," Dorigen assured him. "Without you, I would indeed want to be the leader of the three-party system of governance, but I know how to do it better, and I have more people than you." Patience that knows more. As for little Pograss..." She let the part hang for a moment, then smiled disdainfully, as if imagining the young brat challenging Aballister Bernardo A character like Si is too stupid. Aballister's laughter showed that he agreed with this view from the bottom of his heart. "So all that's left to worry about is the priest faction and Ragnor," said the magician, "and if we're careful and watch them closely, neither poses much of a threat." "Ragnor is some distance away," Dorigen reminded him, urging him to make a proposal. Aballister watched her carefully for a moment, as if trying to read what was going on in her mind. "Ragnor will not let you stay in his camp lightly," the magician commented. "I'm not afraid of him," Dorigen replied.She clapped her hands crisply three times, and Aballister's door opened again, and a man almost seven feet tall entered.Under the fine silk clothes, you can see the tangle of muscles all over his body.His rich, blond hair hung down his shoulders in braids at the sides, and his light blue eyes stared straight ahead with uncompromising focus.Aballister could barely recognize him except for his bronzed skin and the peculiar tattoo on his forehead: an arctic bug. "He can't be—" began the magician. "Tenek," Dorigen said affirmatively, "the savage I picked up from the shadow of the great glacier far away in Vaasa." "Dear Dorigen," cried the magician, with sincere interest but also disdain in his voice, "you tamed him!" Tenek growled under his breath. "Maybe a little bit," Dorigen replied, "but I'm not going to destroy Tenek's wildness, because that's not what I bring him around, nor is it fun." Aballister's jaw tightened a little upon hearing this comment.The sight of his ex-lover in the arms of the giant made him uncomfortable, not at all in fact. "It's impressive," he admitted, "but if you think he's a match for Ragnol, think again." Tenek roared softly again. "Don't take this as an insult to you," Aballister added quickly.The magician was never comfortable around Dorigen's dangerous pets.Beneath the edge of the huge desk, he felt for a wand, in case Tenek wanted to rush over and knock the savage away. "Your savage companions are undoubtedly powerful, perhaps the strongest humans I have ever seen," the magician continued, looking again at Dorigen, "but I doubt any human could beat Ragnor. That goblin ogre will kill him, and then you'll have to run all the way back to the Great Ice River and get yourself a new one." "I haven't seen the great Ragnol lose any battles myself," admitted Dorigen, "maybe your assumption is correct, but Tenek is not going to be an easy opponent, he has a warrior of the White Zerg in his chest The heart is beating, and I gave him more. I trained him to use power more precisely. Ragnor will find it very difficult to defeat this enemy, and if I help him behind Tenek , it's even harder." She tapped her fingers again, showing off her deadly ring. Aballister considered Dorigen's words for a long time, and Dorigen could see the skeptical expression evident on his pale, wrinkled face.In fact, if Raguenor decides to keep the two of them out, she also doubts whether Tenek can stand up to Ragnol as she claims, or how much her own extraordinary magical abilities can really do. effect.But for Dorigen, going to Simista was too important to the success of the operation to accept the possibility. "Ragnor might become too powerful for us to control," she commented, "one of the reasons why he has five thousand soldiers at his command." "We have three thousand soldiers here," retorted Aballister, "and a strong fortification, assisted by three magicians!" "Do you want a war like this?" Dorigen asked. "What title will you gain by fighting Ragnor?" Aballister nodded gloomily, then rested his bony cheeks on his bony hands, "Go then," said the magician slowly, "go to Simista, and help our dear Ragnor .Anyway, he should have a magician by his side if he hopes to handle the elves. I'll keep an eye on the priests while we prepare for the next step in our conquest." Dorigen didn't want to stay longer, in case Aballister changed his mind.She bowed and started to leave the room. "Dorigen!" Aballister called after her.She paused, her fists clenched at her sides, for she could guess that the suspicious magician would throw a new burden on her journey. "Take Druzil with you," Aballister said as she turned. "If you had him with you, you and I could be in touch from time to time. I don't want to worry about the important thing about Ragnor's progress." Know nothing." Dorigen had always been skeptical about Druzil's role in Barjin's failure, and she knew full well that Aballister had asked her to bring the imp with him to keep an eye on her and Ragnor.But how could she object?The caste system in the Walled Trinity is clear, and Aballister rules the faction of wizards in a three-party ruling system. "It was a wise decision," she said. Much wiser than you know, Druzil sent another message. Duo Ruizhen hid her surprise well. Aballister turned back to look at the small window, and then recited his own names alternately to see which one was more suitable to use when he became king. Less than an hour later, Duo Ruizhen stepped out of the Trinity Walled City.Tenek walked beside her, and the bat-winged imp flapped lazily behind them, using his magic to hide.Dorigen tried to hide her disdain as she passed the soldiers who were putting up new walls for the castle, for fear that the imp had begun to reciprocate its master. Dorigen didn't like the building work, and thought Aballister was an idiot for ordering it.Because of the privacy of this wasteland—like a protruding part of a natural rock—Fortress Trinity has survived many years without being surrounded by the civilized world.When travelers pass by this castle hidden in the northern foothills of the Snowflake Mountains, they never think that there is a building composed of exquisite tunnels and rooms hidden under their feet. But, as with Druzil's secret, which was about to be discovered by the soldiers in the city, Aballister clearly thought it was safe.He insisted that if the final battle stretched beyond the castle gates, they would need these new walls.Dorigen prefers secrecy, and hopes that the war will not extend so far north.She also guessed the real motive behind Aballister.The old wizard was thinking of victory, and he didn't really expect the castle to be attacked, but knew that a prominent fortress might help him in his dealings with his neighbours. I know what you're thinking, Druzil's words burst in, not too unexpectedly.Dorigen turned abruptly to face the imp, and the frantic flapping of its wings showed it hastily dodging aside in panic. "You do know," growled the sorceress, "because I'm trying to knock you out of the sky!" "I'm terribly sorry," the little devil said loudly, and landed naked on the ground in front of Dorigen, bowing low immediately. "Forgive my presumption, but your feelings are very obvious. You don't like it." Aballister's plans, and don't like the way he's behaved since Barjin's death." Duo Ruizhen did not answer, but deliberately maintained a ferocious expression that did not forgive it. "You'll find that I'm not your enemy," the imp promised. Dorigen hoped it was telling the truth, but she didn't trust it at all. ※※※ Cadderly knew it was time when Abereth, without a smile on his face, entered his room with Master Avery. "We're leaving for Simista today," Abereth said. "Goodbye," Cadderly said sarcastically. Abeles didn't find it funny at all. "You pack at once," ordered the elf prince, "take less. We'll be going fast, and the mountain roads are tough." Cadderly frowned and tried to speak back, but Avery cut him off, seeing the tension between the two men rising. "That's quite an adventure, young lad!" the portly Dean smiled broadly as he walked over to place his heavy hands on Cadderly's shoulders. It’s the world outside the library gate.” "And what did you pack?" Cadderly asked, the sarcasm in his tone uncompromising. His words hit Avery more than expected. "I wish I could go," the dean replied sharply, wiping his scarred face with a handkerchief. Please let me go with you." "Headmaster Thobicus refused?" Cadderly couldn't believe that the gentle headmaster would refuse any request from his headmaster. "I declined," Aberez explained. Cadderly stared at Avery incredulously over his shoulder. "I am the prince of Simista," the elf reminded him, "and no one may enter my realm without my permission." "Why did you reject Master Avery?" Cadderly asked boldly, ignoring Avery's silent, if frantic, hint that he should not pursue the matter any further. "As I told you before," replied the elf, "we will go fast. Horses will not be able to carry us all the way, and I am afraid the Master will not be able to keep up with us. I do not want to delay returning time, but also don’t want to leave an exhausted man in the wilderness to die.” Cadderly couldn't refute, and Avery's embarrassed expression begged him not to press the question any further. "So it's just you and me?" Cadderly asked the elf, and it was clear in his voice that he didn't like the idea at all. "No," replied Avery, "there was another person who also agreed to go, at the request of Prince Abereth." "Principal Portelope?" "It's Miss Maupassant." Danica!The name hit Cadderly like a mule's kick in the face.He straightened up, eyes wide, trying to figure out how Abereth had found the opportunity to invite Danica with him.His Danica!And she accepted it!Cadderly couldn't help but wonder if Danica knew that Cadderly was going on this trip to the forest before Danica accepted the invitation. "Why are you so surprised?" Abeles asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his musical voice, "Don't you suspect—" "I have no doubts about Danica," Cadderly replied quickly.His scowl turned into a look of confusion when he realized that too much was being conveyed in his answer. "Calm down, young man," said Avery, holding him steady, "Danica only agreed to go with Aberez when she knew you were going to go with her." "As you wished," Aberes added slyly, and this time even Avery scowled at the elf, because both of them knew that Aberes was doing it on purpose. To make Cadderly suspicious. "We're leaving in an hour," Aberez said.He stood unmoved, very composed, his black hair and silver eyes shining in the morning light that streamed through the windows of Cadderly's room. "Bring what you want, and you'll have to suffer in silence for whatever you don't bring." The tall, proud elf turned and walked away without another word. "I'm starting to hate him," Cadderly admitted, breaking away from Avery's grip. "He was worried about his hometown," the patriarch explained. "He's arrogant." "Most elves do," says Avery, "because they've lived so long that they believe they've been through more than everyone else and are therefore smarter than everyone else." "Did they really live long and outsmart others?" Cadderly asked, shoulders slumping a little.He hadn't thought about this part of Abereth before, that the elf knew more than Cadderly would see in his lifetime, and that when Cadderly's body became part of the dust, At that time, Abeles will live a long time in good health. "Some are, and they're smart, I'd say," Avery replied, "but most aren't. The elves grow distrustful and hostile to outsiders, and they're stuck in their own right, living within their own domain, Little is known of what is going on out there. I first met Prince Alberes thirty years ago, and I think I learned more from him then. His body and attitude seemed to match the That's about it. Alright," Avery continued, turning to the door, "I won't bother you to pack. I don't think he'll wait an extra minute after Abeles talked about it for an hour!" "I don't want to live centuries," Cadderly said just moments before the Master left the room, "yet," continued the young scholar as Avery turned to face him, "I'm not sure either." Have you ever started living yourself?" Avery was quite surprised to hear these words, and examined Cadderly for a long time.He had noticed something had changed in Cadderly since Barjin's attack, but this was the most obvious evidence that something was deeply disturbing the young scholar.Avery waited for a while, but when he saw that Cadderly had no intention of saying anything else, he shrugged and closed the door. Cadderly sat on his own bed, not blinking.The world was changing too fast for him.Why did Abeles invite Danica to accompany him?Why did he become the one who killed Ba Jin?The world is changing so fast. And he immediately realized that he was moving too slowly.He'd find enough time to calm down and think, but right now, he had to get ready for the trip, or he might end up being dragged out of the library by Aberez in nothing but this suit. He filled a bag with a change of clothes and pens, and put the magic light tube in it too.It was a long, narrow cylinder that glowed when the lid was opened, and Cadderly could turn the switch to narrow or widen the beam. After packing, the young scholar puts on a blue silk traveling coat and a wide-brimmed hat tied with a red ribbon and centered with the sacred symbol of the Denierian order: an eye at the top of a candle.He picked up his staff with a ram's head handle and walked down the hall. When he reached the door, he turned around and was stopped by his own conscience. Cadderly looked down at his feather ring, as if it might offer some comfort in what he was destined to do.The bottom of this ring is a hollow circle, which contains a small bottle of dark elf sleep poison brewed by Cadderly. The tip of the arrow is a cat's claw. would become a potential weapon. But Cadderly knew he couldn't rely on it, because using a blowgun took time to fit the point, and he wasn't sure the poison would work.Dark elf poisons were not effective on the ground for long, and though Cadderly had carefully guarded his investment, keeping the sealed vials in a powerful box cast with a dark spell, since it was created It has also been several weeks. Reluctantly, the young scholar walked back to the wardrobe and put his hand on the handle of the cabinet door.He looked around helplessly, as if trying to find a way out of the trap he had fallen into. He can't afford to fail on a year-round study. Cadderly opened the closet door, picked a wide strap from a mass of hanging leather cords, and tied it around his waist.One side of it had been repurposed into a wide, shallow holster that held a one-handed crossbow designed by the dark elves.Then Cadderly produced a cartridge belt, feeling a little relieved when he saw that only three explosive arrow points remained.There are about forty other points of arrows on the belt--it was designed to hold fifty--but they are hollow in the center and have not yet been fitted with small shock-oiled bottle, so not as wickedly explosive as those three already packed. Although he was fighting inside, Cadderly couldn't help but untied the small leather strap and took out the crossbow.It's a perfect masterpiece, crafted by Evan and Pikel.But its beauty was overshadowed by Barjin's dead eyes, for that was the weapon Cadderly would wield on that fateful day.He originally fired at a mummy, and the undead creature wanted to kill Ba Jin.However, one weapon pierced through the coarse cloth that wrapped the mummy and hit the chest of Ba Jin, who was sitting helpless in a corner.Cadderly remembered well the sound of the point of the arrow shattering the vial and exploding, the piercing echo that had haunted him day and night. "Belag wants me to give you this." A voice came from the door.Cadderly turned, surprised to see the tall, lanky Zirkan Rufo standing there with his head tilted to one side.Although they had been friends for a while, Rufo had avoided Cadderly quite deliberately over the past few weeks. Cadderly flinched when Rufo pulled out a small clay container, because he knew what was inside.Belag's alchemy shop was blown up in the chaos caused by the Chaos Curse, and the alchemist thought the shock oil recipe had also been set ablaze.Cadderly, who didn't feel sorry for the loss, lied to Belag that he no longer remembered where he found the formula.But the alchemist, determined to reward Cadderly for his heroism against the evil priest, vowed to find it. When Cadderly took the bottle, the same troubled and helpless look flashed across his face as he had when he took the crossbow.The bottle was full, and Cadderly figured he could fill another twenty vials with its contents.He tried to think of a way to escape, maybe he could pretend to accidentally drop the bottle and break it, but after thinking about the disaster that might be caused by doing so, he immediately reconsidered the feasibility of this method. "You're surprised to see me," Zirkan Rufo said in his flat voice.His black hair was clung to his head, and his black eyes shone like twinkling black dots. "You don't come around very often these days," Cadderly replied, raising his head to face the taller man. "Are you mad at me?" "I..." Rufo stammered, his bony features twisted uneasily.He ran one hand through his tangled black hair. "The curse has affected me badly," he explained. "Forget about the curse," Cadderly advised him, feeling some sympathy, but not much, because Rufo's behavior while the curse was in effect was not right.The tall, lanky man even took a shot at Danica, and the young woman quickly dismissed him as she beat him to the ground. "Let's talk more when I get back," Cadderly said, "I don't have time right now—" "I pushed you down the stairs," Rufo said suddenly.Cadderly's words caught in his throat, his mouth gaping open.He had indeed suspected Rufo, but it never occurred to him that he would admit it. "Many people acted unwisely while the curse was in effect." Cadderly managed to say this after a lengthy silence. "That was before the curse took effect," Rufo reminded him.In fact, that push started the whole chain of actions that caused the curse to take effect. "Why are you telling me?" Cadderly demanded, his gray eyes narrowed angrily. "And why are you doing this?" Rufo shrugged and averted his eyes, "I think it's because of that evil priest," he whispered, "who caught me in the wine cellar when you were looking down the secret staircase to the lower level. " "Then forget about the accident," Cadderly said, with as much restraint of anger as possible, "and stop blaming yourself. Barjin is a formidable opponent, with tricks and spells beyond our imagination." "I can't forget," Rufo replied. "Then why did you come to me?" Cadderly snapped. "Shall I forgive you? Well, then I forgive you. You are forgiven. Your conscience is at peace." Cadderly pushed him away. Continue to walk down the hall. Rufo grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him around. "I can't ask your forgiveness unless I forgive myself," he said, and his hurt look touched Cadderly deeply. "We all have reasons to forgive ourselves," Cadderly said, looking down at the bottle in his hand.His eyes revealed that Ba Jin's death was also entangled in his own mind. "I wish I could go with you," Rufo said. Cadderly could not answer for a moment.Rufo was full of surprises today! "I must regain my dignity," said the bony man. "With you, I must see this threat, whatever it is, until it is over. Only then will I be able to forgive myself. Five What he did a week ago." Cadderly started dodging down the hall, but Rufo persisted in pulling him back. "Brother Dwarf is gone," Rufo reminded him, "and Newander the druid is dead. You're going to need help." "You're asking the wrong person," Cadderly replied, "Master Thobix—" "Principal Thobex leaves the decision to Dean Alfoy," interrupted Rufo, "and Alfoy leaves the decision to you. I can go with you if you let me. They are That’s what he said, and Prince Aberes agrees.” Cadderly hesitated and thought only for a moment.After all that had happened, he wasn't sure he trusted Rufo, but he couldn't ignore the pleading look in the bony man's dark eyes. "You have less than half an hour to pack your bags," he said, and Rufo's dark face lit up. "I've already packed it." For some reason, Cadderly wasn't surprised. Albereth and Danica waited for Cadderly outside the library's ornate double doors.此外还有艾福利，波缇洛普，以及两匹无人乘坐的马——显然教长们预料凯德立会允许鲁佛同行。 丹妮卡朝凯德立现出了一抹大大的微笑，但在看到鲁佛跟着凯德立后面走出门来时，她的微笑立刻消散殆尽，丰满的双唇也抿成了一个怒容。 凯德立只是耸耸肩作为解释，一面爬上丹妮卡旁边的马匹。 当她看着鲁佛笨拙地攀上马时，表情柔和了一些。这名男子是这么笨手笨脚，丹妮卡无法不感到同情。她朝凯德立点点头，因为她也决定将过去放在一边，专注在眼前的旅程上。 「你会在路上及精灵森林中看到许多惊人的景象。」波缇洛普对凯德立说，一面走到他的马旁边。凯德立试着不去注意，为何这名轻松自在的女教长身着过分拘谨的服饰，但在这么热的夏天里，她的长手套实在很不搭调。 「无与伦比的景象。」波缇洛普继续说道，「我知道，你在这段离开图书馆的短短时间中学到的东西，会比你待在这里这些年所学的还要多。」 凯德立好奇地看着她，不确定该怎么回应这些奇怪的话。 「你会明白的。」波缇洛普说，然后她很努力想藏住一声轻笑，并不想要嘲弄这名学者。「比起他人的冒险，自己的生命更有趣，亲爱的凯德立，而比起读书，活着本身也更重要。」 「不过，若你还是有空闲时间的话……」她继续说，然后从自己的袍子里拿出一大本书。当她一把书拿给他的时候，凯德立就晓得那是什么了，因为他就跟同教派里其他的教士一样，打从一进图书馆就开始研究这本书了：普世和谐之书，德尼尔教派里最神圣的书。 「为了让我得到好运？」他问，仍然感到困惑。 「为了让你有书可读。」波缇洛普利落地回答。 "but--" 「我确定这本书的内容你都可以倒背如流，」波缇洛普打断他，「但我怀疑你有真正地读过它。」 凯德立不知道自己是否看起来跟他所感觉的一样白痴，他赶紧把自己掉下来的下巴给合上。 「文字可以有很多种读法。」波缇洛普说，然后她踮起脚尖，直到可以在凯德立脸颊上轻啄一下，「这，才是为了给你好运。」这位女教长解释道，对丹妮卡眨了眨眼。 「噢！我真希望可以跟你去！」艾福利教长突然喊道，「再看一次西米斯塔！」他用手帕在眼睛上抹了抹，然后擦擦那张圆胖的脸。 「你不行。」艾贝雷斯冷冷地说，对这冗长的道别场面感到不耐烦。他碰了一下白色骏马泰美瑞萨的缰绳，然后这匹神驹迈开步伐，每跨一步就有无数的铃铛声响起。齐尔坎·鲁佛追在精灵的身后，然后丹妮卡也启程了。 凯德立看看普世和谐之书，再看看女教长波缇洛普，然后微笑了。 「当你有所成长的时候，对世界的看法会有许多改变的。」波缇洛普小声地说，其他的人听不到她的话。「而当书里的文字仍跟以往一样的时候，你对它们的解读则非如此。德尼尔的心是诗人之心，而诗人之心会随着云的阴影而飘动。」 凯德立用双手抱着这本厚书。他对于世界的看法，以及对于道德的看法，的确已经改变了。他杀了一个人，而且不知怎的发现到，自己的第一趟冒险，将远远超过他所读过上千本关于传说的书所描写的。 「好好读它。」波缇洛普坚定地对他说。她向图书馆转身，一只手臂勾着艾福利，拖着他一起往回走。 凯德立的马迈开了第一步，而这名年轻教士的旅程也就此开始。