The next day, early in the morning.

In the cemetery in the upper town of Fallstown.

"Walking in the dark, walking on their own pilgrimage paths."

Thorne looked at the tomb just piled up in front of him and the words engraved on the tombstone, and bowed.

Then he stood silent for a long time, and finally with a calm tone, he said slowly: "May your soul rest in peace, dark elf Karlock... teacher."

After speaking, he placed a bouquet of white roses planted in the tower in front of the tombstone.

Immediately after passing through many cemeteries covered with weeds, I found the other two most familiar tombs.

"Not every hunter who wanders in a dangerous area becomes a ranger. A true ranger, who knows how to blend in with nature and experience its sanctity, and who, like a paladin, will be touched by the sanctity of nature."

Thorne looked at the clean tomb in front of him, and recalled again in his mind the way of the ranger that the ranger mentor told him.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of town and over the high walls that cut off the dangers of the wilderness, focus on hunting the dangers that linger on the fringes of civilization, fending off monsters and vicious humanoids that come from the wilderness, lest an intelligent civilization be ravaged and destroyed.

This is exactly the dream he chose to become a Ranger. Although he has gone through a series of shocking changes, and even joined the profession of Kendo, the Ranger's creed and obsession have always been deeply imprinted in his heart, and he has never wavered.

Therefore, every time he is in dense forests and vast fields, he can feel the intimacy brought by nature.

Thorne bowed deeply, stood silent for a long time, took out a bottle of frost wine, and gently swayed it in front of the grave under the watchful eye of a black owl, and then placed a bunch of calla lilies in front of the tombstone. , turned and walked towards another cemetery.

"Goo, goo, goo..."

The owl watched Thorne's leaving figure, chirped a few times, and a trill-like whine was floated by the warm spring breeze and drifted to a distant place.

"Only their compatriots can truly understand the difficulty of their own race. No matter what race, they always like to get along with people of their own race. Because they can find an inexplicable intimacy in their compatriots."

Thorne recalled the last words of the half-elf leader Oster on his deathbed, sighed with emotion, and said to himself:

"So the once ruined town of Falls became a gathering place for wandering half-elves, and Stallman became a sanctuary for the tiefling race.

In the same way, our homeless compatriots from other worlds also spontaneously gathered together.

Because many people do not want to bend their knees to the forces of the indigenous people, silently endure and abide by their culture and system, and then slowly forget their own civilization, and finally be assimilated into a poor person with sad memories.

So we built Twilight Town, Iron Horse Town, Horn Town, and the lower part of Falls Town in the Emerald Wilderness.

Even the dark elves of the Underdark have established the Fourth Scourge family of Rezim, and those in the Black Pearl Forest who have banded together to try to build their own city.

In fact, we are all a group of protesters who do not succumb to fate. "

Thorne was silent for a long time, bowed deeply to the tomb, and then took out a bottle of Gnomish Golden Wine and gently swayed it in front of the tomb.

He glanced at the ferocious geese slowly coming from the depths of the jungle, took out a bunch of bird of paradise flowers, put it in front of the tombstone, and turned away.

The fierce goose stretched its long neck to look at the blue sky, and a neigh cut through the sky.

Thorne walked along a weedy path, gradually stepping into the depths of the woods.

The surrounding trees are getting denser and denser, and the towering trees are growing in disorder. The huge canopy is like a giant umbrella, and the layers of branches and leaves also block the gradually sparse light, causing the light in the surrounding area to become more and more dim.

The whole forest was silent, not hearing the whispering among the branches, nor the branches swaying in the wind.

Only the rotten branches and leaves and the lingering mist filled it.

Thorne stopped, he was lying directly on the overgrown ground, his sharp eyes looked at the blue sky through the gaps between the mist and branches and leaves, watching the white clouds drifting leisurely in the sky, watching the cuts The falcon in the sky disappeared without a trace, as if seeing a free life.

There is a power that can make the green grass top open huge stones, just to meet the first ray of sunshine in life.

There is also a kind of power that enables a strong person to overcome difficulties and obstacles, just to reap the successes in life again and again.

This power is faith.

What is a belief?

Faith is a state, pursuit, and motivation.

It is a powerful force for the advancement of life, supporting them to overcome all difficulties, persistent pursuit, and never give up until they reach their goals.

It is a promise that cannot be changed in the vicissitudes of life, and it is also a beacon of hope in the long night, so that there is no more bleakness in our bumpy and displaced lives.

"Then give yourself a belief that when it is quiet, it is like the calm sea, and when it is gorgeous, it is like the splendid clouds in the sky. From then on, set foot on the road that will never get lost and fight endlessly."

Lying on the ground, Thorne showed an enlightened smile, then got up and penetrated the clouds and disappeared into the depths of the jungle.

...

Waterfall Shangzhen, the twelfth floor of the tower.

A light blue wave of light appeared on a portal made of a large number of precious gems and arcane materials.

Immediately afterwards, a black shadow appeared, and when the light gradually dissipated, the face of the figure was also clearly revealed.

Thorne, the half-elf ranger shrouded in a black cloak, stepped out.

"Why are you?" Thorne looked around, but did not find Andrina's figure, so he put his doubtful eyes on another petite figure and said, "Ms. Malvasia, when did you come? here."

Malvasa, who was standing on the chair, put the mithril knife in her hand on the table and turned to look at the half-elf standing beside the portal.

She looked at Thorne carefully, the eyes hidden in the shadow of the brim were surprised at first, then a natural smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she extended her small hand to say hello: "It's Thorne, long time no see, your change It's just too big."

The two had parted from the city of ruins and had not seen each other for more than a month, but in this short period of time, the aura of the ranger's whole person was obviously different.

The so-called momentum is naturally generated after a person has experienced a lot of blood slaughter.

His strength didn't seem to have improved a lot, but the former Thorne, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up, his every move would show a faint murderous aura, and he couldn't hide it from her eyes at all.

Moreover, his sharp-edged aura made it easy for people to perceive that he was full of unkind cold hostility and instinctive alienation from strangers, which meant that he would not restrain this kind of aura.

This is why she always likes to make fun of this ranger, because if there is a rich expression on the face of the facial paralysis, it is really interesting.

But now, the aura of his whole person has become a little more settled, and the faint murderous aura has been completely restrained by him.

Even Malvasia felt an illusion in Thorne's sharp eyes that he saw the sun and the moon through the clouds, as if this person had seen through life and had an indestructible belief.

In the entire waterfall town and horn town, the one who gave her the strongest feeling was the druid Qingchen from the Emerald Garden. Now Thorne's temperament has begun to move closer to Master Qingchen.

However, when comparing the moods of these two people, Master Qingchen looks very natural, calm like water, and the ancient well has no waves. The road that Thorne is going to take is more like a simple and unpretentious scabbard, hiding a sharp-edged blade.

"It seems that the depressing darkness in the Underdark didn't pollute his mind, but instead tempered his state of mind more solidly." Malvasa glanced at Thorne with a gratified look, thinking to herself.

Then she raised her head and smiled and joked: "I came here more than a month ago, and I have been marking the magic circle in the element pool yesterday. You only care about making out with your little girlfriend, how could you notice me as a lonely person."

Lonely?

After saying these four words, the goblin wizard looked dazed for a moment, and then smiled helplessly.

"What about her?" Hearing the other party's joke, Thorne asked casually instead of defending and refuting.

Because when he came back yesterday, he found that Andrina had been busy on the 12th floor with the rune engraving of the Eye of Insight at the top of the tower, so he wondered why the goblin wizard didn't let her help.

"She, clumsy, will only cause me trouble, so I kicked her out." Malvasia naturally knew who Thorne was referring to, so she said with a smile.

kicked out?

Thorne looked at the smiling goblin wizard and didn't know how to change his mouth. As a guest, he even drove the master away. I am afraid that only the one in front of him can do such a thing.

"Clumsy, I don't see it. Are you saying this a bit too much?" After thinking about it, Thorne retorted.

Because after he came back yesterday, he has been with Anderina all the time, watching her engrave the rune formation, and found that the other party did not appear clumsy.

On the contrary, it still looks very skilled.

"Just kidding." Malvasa heard a bit of dissatisfaction in Thorne's tone, and replied casually, and then continued:

"The Eye of Insight device in the tower is almost completed. There are several complicated procedures that I have to do myself. I don't think she can help much by standing here, so I let her go down to learn spells."

"That's really hard for you." Thorne replied sincerely to Malvasia.

If the tower has the Eye of Insight device, then it is not afraid of the sneak attack of the Heruk Hobgoblin.

Because when they approached the scouting range of the Eye of Insight, their every move was clearly displayed in the crystal ball connected to it in the tower.

At that time, the defensive force of Waterfall Town can deal with it in advance.

If the Eye of Insight made by Malvasia is completed, then in the automatic operation state, the scene within 30 kilometers of the entire town can be observed at the farthest.

Moreover, in addition to being unable to penetrate solid barriers, the Eye of Insight cannot block its peeping from hallucinations, darkness, invisibility, and thick fog.

Therefore, as long as the Eye of Insight operates, the actions of the Heruk Hobgoblin are simply invisible in their eyes.

Thorne glanced at the goblin wizard who was concentrating on his work, stopped disturbing the other party, and was about to turn away.

"Wait a minute." Sensing Thorne's intention to leave, Malvasa hesitated for a moment, then stopped his figure and said, "Wait a minute, I have something to discuss with you."

After the goblin wizard finished speaking, he continued to work without looking back, until he carved the last magic rune, then turned around and cast his reddish eyes on Thorne, silent for a while, and said slowly:

"Thorn, do you think that with the strength of the two of you, can the entire wizard tower be built completely?"

The so-called power refers to financial resources. Thorne is naturally aware of this, so he pondered for a moment and said, "Of course you can."

After all, he has now begun to develop his own power, and he believes that as his strength increases, there will be more and more ways to make money. It is only a matter of time before the wizard tower is established.

"What you think is pretty good." Seeing Thorne's confident look, Malvasia smiled helplessly.

"What do you mean?" Thorne walked over to Malvasia, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Do you know how much money just this eye of insight cost?" Malvasia asked without answering Thorne's question, sitting on a chair and pointing to the crystal ball on the table.

"All the secret materials and gems add up to about 150,000 gold coins." Thorne frowned and thought about it carefully, and gave his answer.

Because he asked Torvey to order these materials for him, he must have some understanding of the total price.

However, the money was not paid by him, but paid by Anderina.

Of course, even if he was asked to pay, he wouldn't be able to get that much out of him.

During a trip to the Underdark, the materials for the sword and the cost of the Dilo dwarf's sword casting directly took away the only little he had.

If it wasn't for the fact that the mercenary chief found a good piece of equipment, and that in the Arena of Rezim King City, he had beaten himself to win every duel, and he wouldn't even be able to afford the cost of casting a sword.

"These 150,000 gold coins are just your little girlfriend's own expenses. I have already paid for the real big money for you in advance." Malvasa pouted and said truthfully.

"You mean, you brought your own materials when you came." Thorne looked at the goblin wizard in front of him and couldn't sit still.

If the other party's sentence is true, then the commitment will be great, and he will help the transformation and pay for it out of his own pocket. If he kills him, he will not believe that this goblin wizard who is so selfless in the eyes of Sigrid's black dragon is so selfless , so generous.

However, there is no need for the other party to lie about this kind of thing, as long as he confirms with Anderina, it will be clear.

So, it's a bit intriguing what this goblin wizard from Horn Town means.

Seeing that Thorne did not have suspicious eyes, Malvasia smiled, playing with the mithril carving knife in her hand and said:

"Maybe my vision is too high, so think about everything in the long run. The upper limit of this wizard tower may determine how long we can all persist in the emerald field."

"Are there other deadly threats on the Emerald Field besides the hobgoblins in the Serenity Forest and the gnolls in the Great Sword Mark Mountains?" Thorne saw that the other party was not joking, so he expressed his guess .

He once heard a plane insight who called himself a credit knife man say that one day in the future, the entire emerald field will be turned into a barren desert. Is this what Malvasia is alluding to?

Thorne watched the goblin wizard quietly, trying to find the answer from the other's expression, but unfortunately he couldn't see anything.

"That's it." Malvasia looked at Thorne honestly.

"I see, I will pay attention to the wizard tower in the future." Thorne didn't ask, because he knew very well that even if he asked, the other party would not reveal anything.

"The reason why I asked you about the cost of the Eye of Insight is to tell you that with your own ability, it is very difficult to bear this huge cost." Malvasa was silent for a long time, looked up at Thorne, and said:

"So, if you want to build the wizard tower, you must concentrate all the power."

"You mean..." Thorne said meaningfully.

"Don't you want them to help you share the pressure?" Malvasa smiled and said when she saw Thorne with a floating expression: "Don't worry, my Horn Town will fully support you."

"I understand what you mean." Thorne thought seriously for a long time, and finally got up and gave Malvasa a respectful salute. After leaving a sentence, he turned and left.

"I hope you really understand." Malvasa looked at Thorne's back, and the corners of her mouth evoked a faint smile.

The goblin wizard stared at the crystal ball in front of him for a long time, and solemnly took out a platinum coin engraved with a floating fortress from his pocket.

She quietly stared at the platinum coin in the palm of her hand for a long time, picked up the mithril carving knife and skillfully carved a pentagram magic circle on the table.

Immediately afterwards, the platinum coin in her hand was thrown into the air.

This golden coin, shining with the light of platinum, rotated in a graceful arc in mid-air, and gently fell into the center of the pentagram circle.

At the moment of touching the array, the pentagram array immediately flashed a light blue light.

This platinum coin engraved with a floating fortress was directly swept by an invisible force, swirling, and slowly fell down.

"Is there still no turning point?"

Malvasia looked at the platinum coin that was slowly falling, stood on the chair with a complicated expression, and suddenly stumbled again, almost falling off the chair.

Immediately afterwards, a deep sense of powerlessness enveloped her body, and in a trance, she seemed to see frequent flickering illusions on the shimmering platinum coins.

She saw the fragmented continent, the burning of countless blood and fire, and the ruined floating fortress falling into the abyss...

In the end, the flickering picture was frozen to the endless desert.

There, the wind roared, and the sand filled the sky.

"Killing gods...creating gods...protecting gods..."

The goblin wizard Malvasia stretched out a trembling little hand to gently wipe away the traces of blood that overflowed from the corner of her mouth, and took off the pointed hat on her head. Her long coiled hair was already covered with silver threads.

…………