After waking up

Fatigue troubled Mullan. After class, he went directly back to the staff office on the top floor and rested on his desk.

Although Mulan is troubled by sleep quality, even dreamy sleep can be regarded as a kind of rest.

Not long after Mulan fell asleep, a crow began to echo in his mind.

The crow of crows woke Mulan up. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in a dark forest. He raised his body and looked at the sky. Crows all over the sky blocked the light.

Countless crows flew back and forth, and then suddenly seemed to find Mulan, and then they all rushed towards him.

"Ah~ah~" "Ah~"

"Woo~"

"Wu ah ah~"

grass!

The feelings in the dream were extremely real. Even Mulan, who could actively interfere with other people's dreams through constant hints and influences, did not realize that he was dreaming at this moment.

Mulan began to run, waving his hands to block the crow's attack.

"Get out!" "Get out of here!"

These crows were like crazy. Their sharp beaks hurt people even through their clothes, and Mulan's exposed skin was covered in bruises.

The forest floor seemed to be sinking continuously, and while running, the crows were too dense and affected Mulan's sight.

Suddenly, Mulan saw the road ahead clearly through the gap between the crows. The alarm in his heart suddenly rose. He stopped suddenly and grabbed the big tree on the side with his hands.

The dead branches and leaves mixed with gravel and soil were thrown out from Mulan's feet and fell into the abyss ahead.

Mulan's face was covered with sweat. He breathed rapidly and looked ahead with lingering fear. It was a huge abyss, as if a black forest collapsed directly in the center. It was probably several hundred meters in diameter, and its interior was even more pitch-black. No bottom.

Almost fell!

The crows in the sky were still attacking Mulan, but no matter whether he was scratched with blood or pecked off his flesh, he could not move forward. He could only stare at the abyss below, as if something was watching him.

Vaguely, outside the noisy crows, a vague and hoarse voice seemed to linger in Mulan's ears.

"Sari. Sari"

Countless crows became even more crazy, but Mulan had already calmed down. He was clinging to the tree with his left hand. Under the constant impact of the crows, he gradually retreated away from the abyss. Then he raised his claws and clawed hard at the heart of his left chest.

"puff"

Mulan's body trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was the Black Castle staff office.

"Hoo"

Mulan breathed a sigh of relief and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, but his eyes were uncertain.

I didn't expect to be hooked on this thing. What on earth is it, an ancient demon?

Mulan opened the book, and the impression of the abyss lingered in his mind. There was something looking at me under the abyss. What was it?

A pen was pulled out from the pen holder on Mulan's desk, spinning in circles in his hand, and then held by Mulan again.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish"

The tip of the pen kept scratching on the blank pages of the book. Mulan's hand speed became faster and faster, and the messy lines on the pages began to become regular.

I don’t know how long it had passed, but a somewhat deep pit appeared on the page. The inside of the pit was not completely dark, but Mulan drew something based on his imagination, a pair of deep and dark eyes, covered in black. The darkness extending from the feathers and blurry outlines seemed like black mist, and the specific appearance could not be seen clearly, but crows were flying in and around the pit.

After finishing the painting, Mulan put down his pen and held his chin with one hand, staring at the painting in front of him. When he thought of something, he would add a few more strokes, and then the outline of the black forest gradually appeared around the pit.

"What does Sali mean? Is it a pure scream or something else?"

Because the voice was too vague and hoarse, and it was in a nightmare, Mulan couldn't determine whether it was language or something else. Even if it was language, he couldn't associate it with the language.

"Yo? Our great educator is still here?"

A familiar voice sounded from the direction of the door. Mulan looked up and saw a cynical face.

"Professor Walton, you are finally back."

Walton felt his head grow bigger when he heard this title, because theoretically he also needed to teach, and this was approved by the Queen.

"It's popular to call Black Castle that now, huh?"

"Yes, I have completely adapted to it, but the students still don't recognize some of the professors."

Walton could hear Mulan's sarcasm, so he laughed and walked into the office.

"Hey, the young people in the coastal city are already so outstanding, but you also know that I am not suitable for educating students. You have educated them so well. What if I lead them astray?"

Seeing Mulan's thoughtful look, Walton quickly added.

"I'm referring to the theoretical content of magic, nothing else."

Mulan's mouth twitched, "Sir, are you thinking that you don't have three hundred taels of silver here?" I didn't think wrongly.

"That's not necessarily the case. After a few lessons, I will evaluate them together with the evaluation committee, and then select student representatives to listen to their opinions before we can make a conclusion. I said Sir, should you do the same?"

People like Walton were a little nervous when Mulan spoke. He had to find a way to change the subject immediately. Then he suddenly caught a glimpse of the drawings in Mulan's notebook, so he decisively spoke in a surprised voice.

"Raven Queen!"

Mullan originally didn't expect Walton to be a competent professor. He just wanted to get what he wanted from Walton through this kind of soft pressure without much trace, but this time he was about to make a big deal. Successfully diverted by Walton.

"Raven Queen?"

Hearing Mulan's doubts, Walton looked at him in surprise.

"Didn't you draw it? Don't you know?"

Mulan nodded and shook his head.

"When I was traveling abroad, I heard someone describe a nightmare he had. I just remembered it when I was bored, so I tried to draw it on a whim."

Walton nodded.

"Then your painting is somewhat interesting. I guess the people you met are the Cordel people, right? Legend has it that they are the descendants of the ancient Quinas people, and there is a legend about the Crow Queen."

"What legend?"

"Well, I kind of forgot, what is it that guides the souls of the dead? You should ask Sabastina about this kind of thing. She has researched the history and knowledge of the Quinas people. I saw that kind of thing Books that are boring and have no illustrations are boring.”

Walton said this, and then preached.

"But the Crow Queen itself is not a legend. In fact, during the Waratar Wizards' time, they discovered that the Crow Queen was probably an ancient demon that existed. Some even thought that the Waratar Wizards had deeply explored its knowledge and summoned demons. The capabilities are based on some of these results.”

Mulan rubbed his chin.

"So in which magic book can similar instructions be found?"

Walton shrugged.

"Maybe I heard it from someone, or maybe I saw it elsewhere. How can I know? I suggest you ask Sabastina or Mongli. One is fascinated by Quinas' knowledge, and the other is barely an inheritance. Part of the power of the Waratah wizards."

"Oh, by the way, I have something to go to the palace, so I won't talk about it for now. I'm relatively free these days. I'll talk to you later."

Not long after Walton arrived, he immediately walked away, with a look on his face as if he had nothing to do but just come to me to play.

But the more Walton behaves like this, the more elusive Mullan becomes about him. After all, such a person is notorious in the supernatural world and belongs to the category that should not be messed with.

Half an hour later, Sabastina invited Mulan into the residence with some surprise. She did not expect Mulan to come to visit.

The reception room is one of the tree houses. The interior space of the circular room is not small. There is a fireplace inside. The decoration is in warm colors and does not feel cold at all. This makes Mulan sitting here a little surprised.

"Please use, the tea made from Crystal Olive should taste good."

"Thanks!"

Mulan took the teacup handed over by Sabastina. He could smell a light olive fragrance and seemed to have a hint of mint. The Queen must have liked this kind of sweet tea.

"What brings Professor Jonst to see me? I don't think a busy man like you would come to chat with me, right?"

Mulan nodded, took out the book from his windbreaker pocket, and then opened it to the page he had drawn before.

"Raven Queen?"

Sure enough, Sabastina immediately said the term.

"Yes, after a brief exchange with you last time, I became a little interested in the Quinas people. I accidentally learned about the Crow Queen, so I came to ask you for advice."

Sabastina smiled.

"Then you asked the right person."

Sabastina sat down at the table, turned Mulan's book over and looked at it carefully.

"The painting is really good, it has a mysterious feeling of the Crow Queen."

“In the inheritance of the ancient Quinas people, the Crow Queen is the patron saint hidden behind the Quinas people. She is both a protector and the guide of death. When a Quinas person dies, the soul of the deceased will be carried away by the crow. Being by the Raven Queen’s side is how it’s supposed to be.”

"should be?"

Mulan repeated these two words, and Sabastina nodded slightly.

"Yes, it was originally like this. Around the second half of the Quinas civilization, the Quinas people no longer believed in the Crow Queen. They believed that the Crow Queen had betrayed Quinas' faith, although the crow was still the sacred object of the Quinas people. bird, but the Raven Queen is no longer a divine guardian but a shameful betrayer.”

"How to say?"

"The Quinas believe that the world has a lifespan like people. When the world ends, the Apostles will come. The Quinas need to welcome the Apostles and then follow them to be reborn in the new world. The Crow Queen is Quinas The protector of human souls and the watcher of the apostles.”

Sabastina couldn't help laughing again when she said this.

"Then one day, the Crow Queen, who had always been unresponsive, seemed to get angry belatedly. She couldn't stand the Quinas anymore. She had protected the Quinas for hundreds of thousands of years, and she thought she was being worshiped by the Quinas. For the true god, even though it is noble in the eyes of the Quinas people, he is more like a spiritual guardian."

"The Crow Queen announced to all the Quinas people through the Crow Cult of Quinas that her status needs to be higher. She also informed the Quinas people that the soul is not immortal, and most of their souls can only exist after death. In a few decades, it will become part of the Crow Queen's power. There should be no other world in that era, otherwise through appropriate means, the undead can remain in the other world for a long, long time."

Mulan showed an interested expression.

"Then what?"

"Then the Quinath people fell into anger and panic. On the one hand, they were afraid of the Crow Queen. On the other hand, they believed that they had been betrayed by the Crow Queen. They believed that the Crow Queen used the souls of the Quinath people as food. For this reason, they surrendered and In the chaos of resistance, war, and flight, the Quinas began to curse the Crow Queen, cursing her to fall into the abyss, cursing her to never stand up, and never see the light."

Mulan was thoughtful and asked after a long time.

"The Curse of the Quinas is in effect?"

Sabastina spread her hands.

"Who knows, I heard that Waratah wizards also came into contact with the Crow Queen. I don't know if it's true or not, but if it's true, I must have found her. So even if there are traces of the Crow Queen, they must only exist in The other world."