Chapter 36 Usul's Rebuke

  …

  Puzzle lock.

  When the word came to Matthew's mind, it shone like a newborn sun.

  The haze of memory was swept away.

  Part of the knowledge that was originally seen in the fog has become clearly visible.

  He held his forehead with one hand, with a look of reminiscence on his face:

   "A ritual."

"I read in a book that evil groups call war before encroaching on a territory—this is the beginning of a ritual called "Plunder," which originated in the Age of Enlightenment, when the gods were divided into The two camps of good and evil..."

  Age of Enlightenment.

  That was the era when the gods dominated the order of the world by virtue of their own might.

  At that time, the conflicts and struggles among the gods were very serious.

  They are generally divided into two camps, one good and one evil, attacking each other.

   After years of development.

  The children of the good gods mostly controlled towns and villages, while the believers of the evil gods wandered in the wilderness and ruins.

   The struggle between the two has never stopped.

  In order to please the gods they serve.

  At that time, the believers of evil gods often attacked and plundered towns and villages on a regular basis.

   Before that.

  They hold a grand "initiation ceremony" that includes fear-mongering—that is, spreading the gauntlet to target towns and spreading rumors of imminent disaster.

   Pass the move.

  They will have the opportunity to disrupt the situation in the target town in advance, which can reduce the resistance of their next attack; even if they can't achieve this goal perfectly, they can still gain the favor of the **** they worship by virtue of the ritual itself.

   This allows them to gain stronger evil powers.

   "So, the act of afternoon is not just the beginning of the looting ceremony, but also a part of the initiation ceremony?"

   Richard asked seriously.

  Matthew nodded:

   "If they are indeed imitating the Evil God believers in the Age of Enlightenment, then there is a high probability that they will do two things next, so as to completely complement the initiation ceremony.

  First of all, create a "signature event". The influence of this event must be large, and the result must be terrible. It is best to be linked to something familiar to the residents of the town;

   Then they will publicize the tragedy to spread panic.

  Accomplish this step, and the launching ceremony will be officially completed.

  In the Age of Enlightenment, the evil gods will send down a lot of divine blessings at this stage as rewards and pave the way for the follow-up formal "Plundering Ceremony". "

   Richard said approvingly:

   "Look, I knew you could do it, and this news helped a lot. I'm going to go straight to Zeller and pass this on to him."

  Matthew thought for a while:

   "If Puzzle Locks really exist, will you soon forget about them?"

  Richard smiled peacefully:

   "In theory, it is, but it is a matter of a longer dimension. If we deliberately remember, we will not forget it in the short term. The curse of the gods is not that powerful. Its horror lies in its pervasiveness."

   "Besides, if something impresses you enough to be unforgettable in this lifetime, then the curse can't help you."

   "Like I shouldn't remember the Puzzle Lock thing, but I just know it exists because... I'm impressed enough with it. "

  Matthew nodded thoughtfully.

  He noticed that when Richard said these words, although his tone was very calm, there was always a strange look in his eyes.

   This is exactly the same as when he said "This world is the world of spellcasters after all".

  Matthew guessed that this unfathomable retired thief may have a story that he still can't let go of.

  This story is most likely related to the caster and the puzzle lock.

  The two exchanged some secrets that might be hidden behind the plundering ceremony.

  Richard believes that the behavior of the three major organizations is by no means just imitating and paying tribute.

   They can definitely draw strength from the "initiation ceremony".

   As for the source of this power, it is still difficult to judge whether the source of this power is the "Void Master Yuklus" discovered by Matthew in the secret letter, or an evil **** who has been hiding his power for many years and suddenly made a high-profile comeback.

   "At least we can predict their next actions in advance."

  Richard got up and tidied up his clothes seriously:

   "I'm going to find Zeller right now. If it's convenient, you'd better go to the Lord's Mansion tomorrow. This is to avoid the most extreme situation - that is, Zeller and I have forgotten about it."

   Matthew agreed.

   "But do I just go to the Lord's Mansion so swaggeringly? Will Rhaegar have any objections?"

  He asked one more question.

  Richard glanced at him:

   "What can Lei Jia have to say, her daughter is arguing to go to your house to make up lessons every day, and now it is replaced by door-to-door, which is much safer for him.

  I think he's going to pay you to be Sif's governess sooner or later.

  You should be familiar with the working environment in advance. "

  …

  When leaving the Artisan Protection Association.

  Matthew is still remembering the lost and recovered knowledge. This feeling that he may forget at any time is very bad. He can only deepen it repeatedly, and plans to copy the word Puzzle Lock in his daily manuscripts when he goes back.

  Cross the lively two streets.

  The population gradually became deserted.

  Matthew came to a house in the northernmost part of the Craftsman District.

  Compared with the building of the Craftsman Protection Association.

  The house appears to be in disrepair, perhaps because of the fire, and black marks can be seen here and there on the walls of its facade.

  Several creepers covered it, and small white or pink flowers added a bit of vitality to this slightly depressed low building.

  The wooden door is half open.

  On the grass in front of the door, there is a group of mailboxes and a wooden sign crookedly inserted:

   Veterans Mutual Aid Association.

  Matthew leaned over.

  He rang the copper bell for a while, and walked in steadily after finding that there was no answer.

  Behind the gate is an open and cold front hall, with a faint herbal smell in the air.

  A few rough stone pillars came into view, and the reception area at the front desk was empty.

   "Vision is poor."

  It was clearly early in the morning, but it gave Matthew the illusion that it was getting late.

"anyone there?"

   He lowered his voice and shouted twice.

   After a while.

  The sound of footsteps came from the spiral staircase next to it.

  A figure appears at the end of the stairs.

  The man has gray hair and is old, but his steps are fast and steady.

  He is very tall and has to hold on to the handrail to keep his balance when going down the stairs, but his back is always straight and his posture is perfect.

   "I'm old Faron, who are you looking for?"

  The old man came to Matthew, sized up the latter with cloudy eyes, and his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.

  Matthew immediately sent Richard’s recommendation letter to:

   "My name is Matthew, and I'm here to find you. My friend needs a pair of weapons."

  Old Faron took the letter silently.

  Then he opened the wooden door to the maximum to allow more sunlight to penetrate in, and then he took out a monocle wrapped in layers of blue flannel from his jacket pocket, and finally read it seriously.

   "Mr. Matthew."

  Old Faron put away the monocle meticulously, and then said in a very formal tone:

   "I'm very old, I'm afraid I can't afford to forge new weapons for your friends."

   Matthew actually gave up hope the first time he saw Old Fallon.

  He looked at least seventy years old.

   It really doesn't look like the age where you can open a furnace for forging at any time.

   "However, when I was young, I collected a lot of weapons. For Richard's sake, I would like to sell one of them to you."

  Old Faron said again:

   "The current problem is that I need to know your friend's occupation, usage requirements, and various habits. It is best if he can come to the scene and let me see his hands, otherwise it will be difficult for me to choose a suitable weapon for him."

  Matthew thought about it and reminded:

   "My friend, he is not human."

  Old Faron’s expression remained unchanged:

   "This is nothing unusual."

  Matthew nodded.

  The old man in front of him was also killed out of purgatory with Rhaegar back then, so he must have knowledge and experience, so naturally he wouldn't make a fuss over some things.

  So he thought about it for a while, and then summoned A Bing.

  The light of the contract flashed by.

  A skeleton hidden under a dark red cloak appeared silently.

   "Skeleton? Can you walk a few steps?"

  Old Faron's eyes lit up with a little surprise.

   Matthew ordered Ah Bing to cooperate.

  The latter twisted his hips subconsciously while walking.

  Old Faron couldn't help but "hoo":

   "It's actually a knife dancer? It's the first time I've seen the undead retain the skills of a knife dancer. It's unbelievable!"

   Matthew was overjoyed, knowing that he met an expert today, so he hurriedly asked:

   "Are you familiar with knife dancers?"

  Old Faron thought for a while:

   "It's not familiar, it's just that I once spent a good time with a kind knife dancer. Unfortunately, we didn't get together in the end."

   said.

  He seemed to see the deep curiosity in Matthew's eyes, so he took the initiative to add:

   "The knife dancer is a characteristic profession of the Thousand Sails Islands, where the dancers perfectly combine dance and knife skills, creating an incredible way of killing.

  In most cases, the knife dancers are advanced by women, but their leaders are most likely to be men. The leader of the knife dancers in my memory has power close to legend.

  Knife dancers have extremely strong assassination capabilities, and they are one of the two most fearsome rogue advancements in the sea kingdoms of the endless ocean. "

  Matthew curiously said:

   "What about the other one?"

   "Ninja."

  Old Faron released a strange syllable from his throat:

"Like sword dancers, ninjas are islanders who created a killing profession that can defeat the strong with the weak in order to protect themselves. In the past few decades, you can see many sword dancers and ninjas in Gem City and Longwan. However, since the incident of "Evil Dragon in the Sea", the islands where they lived were overturned or submerged by endless waves, and now it is difficult to see these two advanced wanderers. "

  Matthew secretly wrote it down.

  A Bing next to him did not respond to the old man's narration.

   Just kept twisting his hips.

   Twisting and twisting.

  His figure suddenly disappeared in place.

  If Matthew hadn't ordered the appearance in time, he might have turned to the backyard.

   "A very deep soul instinct, he must have been a very good knife dancer during his lifetime, and he may even be someone I know."

  Old Faron's eyes were full of emotion.

   said.

  With the help of Matthew, he grabbed A Bing's two palms and looked at them carefully for a while.

   "I know what weapon to choose for you, please follow me."

  Old Fallon led Matthew up the stairs.

  Take two steps.

  He suddenly stopped and asked:

   "You can summon skeleton soldiers with the inheritance of sword dancers, and you have a letter of recommendation from Richard. Are you the legendary "necromancer with a bone dragon"? "

  Why do these people react so quickly?

  Matthew smiled helplessly.

   I had no choice but to nod in acknowledgment.

   "You saved Sif, I am very grateful to you. Rega was unwilling to tell me your real identity before, which made me very annoyed."

  Old Faron said seriously:

   "Come on, boy, I have a present for you."

  …

   Matthew followed Old Fallon up to the third floor.

  When passing by the second floor.

  The smell of herbal smoke suddenly became stronger.

   There are many rooms on the second floor.

   The smell is coming from these rooms.

  Matthew glanced at it, and vaguely saw a few figures lying on wicker chairs.

"They are all survivors of the snake hunt. At that time, more than two hundred knights and servants went to Winter Snake Valley with us. In the end, less than fifty people survived, and more than thirty of them came to Rolling Stone Town. They died one after another in less than 5 years after settling down, and there are less than 20 people who are still alive."

  Old Faron explained:

"The poisonous mist of the Purgatory Viper is very terrifying. They just touched the edge of the poisonous mist, and then fell into the root of the disease that will not heal for life. Fortunately, Rhaegar is a good person and is willing to spend money to support them. These herbs are very effective for their illness. It doesn't help, and it's addictive, but it can relieve some pain."

   During the conversation.

  Matthew also heard a few helpless wailing from behind those doors.

  He hesitated:

   "Can't even Archmage Ronan do it?"

  Old Faron glanced at him:

   "Ronan is a good guy, but he doesn't necessarily take care of everything."

   Saying that they came to the third floor.

  Old Faron led them to an empty conference room to wait.

   Then he left.

   About twenty minutes passed.

  There was a creaking sound of planks trembling on the stairs.

   Matthew heard the prestige in the past.

  But saw old Faron walking in with two heavy boxes, one big and one small.

  Ma Xiuxiu wanted to step forward.

   But the other party stopped him with his eyes:

   "Don't worry, I'm not that old yet."

Snapped!

  He put the two boxes on the ground, then unlocked the copper lock on one of them, lifted the long and narrow velvet curtain, and two exquisitely shaped short knives with rounded arcs appeared in front of Matthew.

   "Try."

  Old Fallon deftly picked up a knife with the index fingers of both hands.

   Next second.

   His fingertip flicked.

  The dagger spun and flew towards A Bing.

   A Bing still looked dull and sluggish.

  It can be at the moment when the short knife is close to you.

  His hands grasped the two knives firmly like a magnet.

  Holding the two knives, he quickly stepped back a lot, and then involuntarily danced in a very rhythmic dance!

  …

  「Your summon, Bing, likes the weapon you gave him very much, and his loyalty to you has increased to 115!

  …

  Thanks to your gift of treasure, A Bing shared his ability "step back" with you!

  …

  Back step: Through a tactical action, you can quickly pull back a position to get rid of the opponent’s entanglement”

  …

  Good guy, you just can't put it down?

  Matthew was a little dumbfounded.

  Before I bought the things with the money, Ah Bing shared his abilities in advance. Did he learn a certain sense of cutting first and playing later?

   "Looks like he likes it."

  Old Faron’s tone was tinged with relief:

   "The pair of short knives are called "Firefly" and "Bright Moon" respectively. They were made by the duergar master craftsman. Its former owner was a highly skilled drow assassin. She was an impressive woman. "

  Matthew looked at him thoughtfully:

   "Are you familiar with her?"

  Old Faron said calmly:

   "It's not familiar, it's just that we spent a good time together. Unfortunately, we didn't get together in the end."

   Matthew felt that these words were extremely familiar.

  Old Faron has continued to introduce:

   "The fireflies and the bright moon don't have any particularly outstanding enchanting effects, but their texture and sharpness are good enough. In the right hands, their lethality is no less than that of a demigod.

  In terms of abilities, Yinghuo can increase the time of stealth and the speed of shooting; Bright Moon will provide a large amount of extra damage when the combo takes effect.

  In short, they are the best short knives in my hands. If it wasn’t for Richard’s introduction and because you saved Sif, I wouldn’t sell them to you. "

  Matthew suddenly had a toothache.

  Old Faron said so.

   Then this pair of short knives must not be cheap!

   Sure enough.

   When he asked the price.

  This veteran who has always maintained a meticulous temperament rarely reveals a taste of profiteers:

   "800 gold coins, no bargaining."

  Matthew shook his head slightly.

   This price is too high, far beyond the bottom line he can afford!

  The purchase funds he arranged for Ah Bing was 200 gold.

  The difference between the two is three times.

   "You can also rent."

  Old Faron suggested:

"I know the price is a bit high, but the weapons of the rogues are not at all cheaper than your mages' weapons. It's hard to find such things in the market, let alone Rolling Stone Town. Even if you go to Strom City or White Rock City, you may not be able to find the same quality. arms."

   "If you rent, you only need to pay 10 rents per month, but you need to pay the rent for the first two years in one lump sum in advance, and you can pay later - you need collateral, land deeds or real estate."

  Matthew pulled the pair of short knives out of A Bing's hands calmly.

   "I still need to think about it."

  He put the knife back in the case.

   "Don't worry, you have plenty of time to think."

  Old Faron smiled apologetically:

   "Actually, I also want to sell it to you at a lower price, but as you can see, the situation here is not good, and I can't ask Rhaegar for money every year."

  Matthew nodded in understanding.

  Old Faron opened another box, and what was inside was a long and thin whip.

   "Take it and try it."

  The old man said gently:

   "This is the gift I mentioned earlier to give you, and it represents my gratitude."

  Matthew took the long whip.

  He gently stroked the snake-like protrusion with his hand.

  New news also flashed in front of my eyes.

  …

  「You have obtained the Necromancer’s exclusive weapon "Usul's Rebuke"!

  …

   Ursul's Rebuke (Long Whip)

   Description: This whip is usually only used against undead creatures.

  When you swing this whip at an enemy undead creature, you are equivalent to applying the effects of "Dispel Undead" and "Rebuke Undead" on the target unit, and you have a very high priority for dispelling undead creatures;

   When you swing this whip on your undead creatures, your undead creatures will lose a small amount of soul fire and get a powerful buff randomly!

  …

  Remarks: Some undead creatures are easily addicted to whipping. When using it, please pay attention to the state of their soul fire, and don't let extreme joy turn into sorrow.」

  …

After seven days of fever, the fever finally subsided today, but there are still many symptoms: cough, dizziness, eye pain, sore throat, diarrhea, lethargy... I still have to take care of it slowly, and it is estimated that the current update rhythm will be maintained before the end of the month. I will try to write as much as possible , but still guarantee the body and quality. thanks for your support.

  

  

  (end of this chapter)