Law of the Devil

Brush away the dust. The color of this box flickers with faint light, neither wood nor iron, even the knowledgeable Du Wei. For a moment, it was impossible to recognize the texture of the box.

The killing mechanism that shoots two crossbow arrows from under the pull ring obviously doesn't know what secrets are hidden in it. Du Wei put away the two crossbow bolts casually. He still has some doubts in his heart: this thing is obviously very old. And there was no rust on it. Moreover, the poison smeared on the crossbow arrows still adheres to it and has not volatilized with age-this is definitely not something that ordinary crafts can do. It can only be done with magic.

But... there is something magical in the Astrology Hall. This in itself is a paradox, since the continent is on. It was such an odd situation: magicians looked down on the church, and the church didn't like magicians. And at the same time. Both the church and the magicians look down on astrologers. Because astrologers are out-and-out magic sticks. The so-called prophecy is regarded by magicians as something to deceive people.

After pulling it, the box was tightly closed, and there seemed to be some hidden lock inside. Du Wei pondered for a while. He simply used his strength on his fingertips. Gently pinch. With a click, the hidden lock broke. After opening this box. But found inside...

empty?

Du Wei was stunned.

The box was empty. The inside of the box is wrapped with a layer of brocade, as the years go by. This brocade has long since rotted. The wind blows gently. It turned into fly ash. However. It is indeed empty.

"Could it be...the things inside have been taken away?" Du Wei muttered to himself.

He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. I was about to throw this box away, but I remembered how bad this box was. Even he couldn't recognize it for a while, so he stuffed the box into his arms again - because after losing his magic power, Du Wei's mental power was almost the same as that of ordinary people. So he didn't even dare to use the magic storage ring that he was used to.

In theory. Du Wei can still use magic now, he can spell, mental power and induction can also - but the mental power is too low. And can't meditate to practice growth. Now Du Wei can't say that he can't use magic at all, at least one or two of the simplest fireball techniques can barely be done, but. His mental power is low, almost after using two fireballs. will dry up.

Therefore, in order to save his already scarce mental power, he has tried his best to change his original living habits. I used to keep storage rings in my hands and no longer dare to use them. Because every time the storage ring is used. It will consume magic power, although for Du Wei in the past. The magic power consumed by using the storage ring is almost negligible-but now, he can't do it.

Du Wei walked out of the warehouse in disgrace, and the guard knights outside and the people in the astrology hall waited all night. Seeing Du Wei come out. Hurry up to greet him, the owner of the astrology hall has changed into a formal astrologer's black magician robe. The robe is black as the bottom. It is embellished with patterns of countless stars, seeing Du Wei come out. The curator wants to come up and get close. But Du Wei's loyal guard knights coldly blocked the outside.

"Don't be rude." With a smile on his face, Du Wei waved his hand to tell the guards to step aside, and walked in front of the owner. Slightly smiled: "Your Excellency, please forgive my presumptuousness, I was just in a hurry. I just came here to look up some astrological data... I think you know that I will go to war soon, before I go. According to the tradition of our astrologers, I always have to Divination."

The owner of the museum immediately became happy——Duke Tulip was talking about "our astrologer". Since the other party has admitted that he is also an astrologer, it is equivalent to his own.

"Hehe. Your Excellency, you don't need to be polite." The owner's face was full of smiles: "Your Excellency is about to go to war. I also know the news. How is it? If you need divination, I will bring someone tonight Your family will observe the astrology for you and divination this transit."

He is the identity of the chief astrologer of the palace. On weekdays, only the royal family can let him dispatch. The nobles of other royal palaces are just letting other senior astrologers in the astrology hall go. This time he took the initiative to volunteer for Du Wei's divination, which was already a blatant flattery.

But Du Wei said haha: "Thank you for your kindness. But no need... well, please don't mind, I am also an astrologer, so I dare not work hard for you."

The curator came back immediately. I know I'm reckless. He was excited for a moment. He just wanted to please Du Wei, but he forgot that Du Wei himself was also an astrologer—under normal circumstances, an astrologer would never ask another astrologer to do divination for him. The level of astrology is far higher than myself. Since it is a magician, it is always dignified.

"Hehe, I was being reckless." The owner quickly laughed: "I forgot that you are also the title of court astrologer, um. But the tools needed for divination and astrology. I think you may not have all the tools in your underworld. I will prepare a set today. Send someone to deliver it to you."

Du Wei did not decline the owner's kindness. Before leaving, he sighed deliberately: "As an astrologer, I have never come here to meet the owner of the astronomy. I came today and saw our astronomy... Alas, it seems that many places have been in disrepair for a long time. It seems that the warehouse has not been repaired for some years. Presumably the funds in the library must be tight. Although I am the Duke of the Empire, I am also an astrologer, and I am also a member of this place-I was the one who interrupted last night. It's abrupt. But I will find an opportunity to report to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and ask him to pay more attention to our museum, and it would be best to allocate a certain amount of funds."

After saying this, everyone in the astrology hall looked happy, and immediately felt that the young Duke was a very good person, even after being woken up from the bed in the middle of the night last night, he had to wait outside all night. They were all forgotten in an instant.

Du Wei wrote a few bad checks casually and went out. People only thought that he was a dignified aristocrat, and he would never tell such lies to deceive people, and he was respectfully sent off by a group of astrologers. Du Wei left the astronomical hall. Before leaving, he also said that he might come to check the information from time to time. It's just that he is busy with state affairs. I'm afraid I can't come in person.

"It's okay." The curator immediately patted his chest: "Although there is a rule that outsiders are not allowed to enter the museum. But you are not an outsider. I know that you are busy with state affairs, and it is impossible to come in person all the time. When you need it, you can Send someone to come here with your warrant. You can read all the upper and lower warehouses of the astronomical museum. Or, if you need to check something. Send someone to pass a message. I will send someone to look for it. I will send it to you when everything is found. alright.".

This curator is so on the road. Sure enough, he is worthy of being an old Jianghu who can enjoy himself in the court. Du Wei smiled, before saying goodbye to everyone. He also gave instructions to his side in public: "You don't have to go back with me. Immediately go to Mr. Zack, pass on my words, and pay 50 million gold coins. It will be used as a personal donation to the Astronomical Museum to repair the warehouse. up.

Five thousand gold coins. Not to mention building a warehouse, building a new building is enough. The owner of the museum was so happy that everyone gave away thousands of dollars before sending Du Wei to the horse.

Speaking of which, the astrologers in this astrology hall, although their status is not low. But it's not extravagant - it's also a magic stick. The temple is naturally supported by countless believers on the mainland. However, these astrologers can only live on a little financial funds allocated by the empire every year. Occasionally, those nobles might come to ask an astrologer to do a fortune-telling, but they usually only reward a hundred gold coins at most.

Besides. The time of year when divination is needed. It's nothing more than those festivals or weddings and funerals. this kind of thing. There are not many a year, and there are hundreds of astrologers in this museum. There are also dozens of servants, eating and drinking, but barely maintaining a decent appearance. Plus now that Prince Chen came to power. The regent has practiced magic since he was a child. According to the tradition of magicians, astrology is also not highly regarded. The planetarium will not be taken care of even more, although the funds have not been cut. But the usual rewards are far less than those achieved during the reign of the old emperor Augustine VI.

Gradually, even the chief astrologer of the court seemed to be rarely called to divination.

Five thousand gold coins donated by Du Wei. How much is a windfall. How to make people unhappy?

Du Wei casually rewarded him with several thousand gold coins, which was nothing more than a trivial matter to him, but he didn't know that it was a big favor for him to let the planetarium go up and down. In the future, there will be some consequences that make Du Wei happy-this is naturally a later story.

Go back to the duke's mansion. Du Wei didn't sleep all night and was a little sleepy. He is no better than before, and it doesn't matter if he doesn't sleep for a few days. After his mental strength atrophied, he needs more sleep every day than ordinary people.

But after returning to the study. But he asked someone to bring some hot soup and tea over, instead he forced himself to study the box he brought back.

He took out the box and looked at it for a while with a magnifying glass. I knocked and tapped again to make sure that there was no interlayer in the box, and there was nothing hidden in it.

Taking another sharp broken sword, he gently cut open a corner of the box. After checking the information again, I found out the material of the box.

"Hmm. 'Niaolimu'. A rare kind of tree, as hard as iron. Its weight is lighter than ordinary wood. No wonder I haven't seen it, it's an extinct thing hundreds of years ago. So it seems that this The East and West are at least several hundred years old."

Du Wei remembered that he once studied the military history of the Roland Continental Empire. I know that hundreds of years ago, when the empire was expanding its navy, someone had proposed the idea. Warships are built from this bird-like wood: the wood is hard, clear, and extremely resistant to decay. If used for shipbuilding. It is really the first-class material.

It's just that the idea was not realized, because at that time Niaolimu was already very rare, and the number was very small, so it could not be cut down in large quantities. And this kind of plant became extinct for a time, and it can no longer be found on the mainland.

Du Wei has read various ancient books and documents of the Roland Empire. Conceited with a photographic memory, knowledgeable, and remembered such a thing. Now that I figured it out. After holding this box and playing with it for a while, the interest gradually faded away. Then he threw it on the table and stretched. Get ready to go to sleep.

Hmph, there is no way this thing is also a thing like the Moonlight Treasure Box. After opening it, holding it in your hand and shouting "Prajna Prajna Honey" a few times, can you go back to five hundred years ago?

Ha ha ha ha……

Du Wei smiled and was about to give up and leave, but suddenly saw the cotton cloth on the desk that he had just used to wipe the dust off the box. His eyes suddenly froze! The cotton cloth was covered in black, but it was a smudge from the inside and outside of the box.

His eyes flickered. Suddenly grabbed the piece of cotton cloth, brought it to his nose and smelled it...

"Um!?"

A smile appeared on the corner of Du Wei's mouth.

Although it has deteriorated. But it has a faint smell of ink! This is absolutely unmistakable!! In addition to the natural corrosion resistance of this bird from wood, the box is extremely delicate. After closing, the inside is airtight. After being preserved for so many years, the ink smell inside still exists!

Du Wei grabbed the box again and opened it. He reached out and touched the inner wall of the box. Sure enough, he felt a bumpy place, and the ink stain on the cotton cloth. Exactly what I left from wiping the inside of the box earlier!

I took the ***. Du Wei watched carefully under the firelight, and saw the inner wall of the box. But it is a raised carving. The texture is delicate, one by one. It's all so clear...

I just looked at it for a while, but my heart was at a loss, and I couldn't understand the meaning of these lines at all. There are also some places above, which seem to be some words faintly. But those words. It looks as though the strokes are familiar. I fully recognize it.

Du Wei closed his eyes and meditated for a while, his brows gradually loosened!

Figured it out!

He smiled and laughed at himself: "No wonder I can't understand it. Because the patterns on it are all reversed, and the ink is painted on the inner wall. It's just to print the patterns inside!"

With a laugh, Du Wei immediately took out a bottle of ink. Painted the inside of the box with a brush. He took out another piece of white paper and printed it carefully.

Unfold the white paper again and take a look! The patterns and text on it are immediately clear!!

This... this is actually a map!

Draw a picture on it. It is winding, but it seems to be a road. Occasionally, in some places, there are text marked locations. The characters used are all the characters of the Roland Empire. Just from the syntax point of view. They are all ancient words.

It's just that although it is clearly identified. But when Du Wei understood the contents of the map. But his face became more and more surprised!

because……

this map. Impressively...

Palace!

and. This is no ordinary palace map. And revealed. But it seems to be a map of underground secret passages built underground in the palace!

The twists and turns of the secret passage show. There are more than a dozen of them, and all these secret passages. Concentrate on a point in the center at last!

that place of concentration. It moved Du Wei even more!

white tower!!

The tallest building in the imperial capital. The one in the palace was a thousand years ago. It was built by the founding emperor Aragon, and successive emperors made unremitting efforts to repair and preserve it. That magic tower built with countless magic materials!.

It is also the core of the largest magic defensive position that opens the entire imperial capital!

This magic circle is extremely powerful, Aragorn even boasted back then. Even if the legendary dragon clan comes here in full force. It is also difficult to break through this huge magic circle! And the core area that hosts this magic circle is the inside of the palace, the tall white tower that has existed for a thousand years.

And this White Pagoda, on weekdays, is an absolutely forbidden place in the palace. Historically, only court magicians can approach the White Tower, but only two people in the entire empire have the right to enter the White Tower.

One is the chief magician in the court.

another one. It is the emperor himself.

And other than that, anyone. For any reason, under any circumstances. Dare to approach the White Tower. Kill without mercy!

In the palace, so to speak. If it is outside the emperor himself. If you dare to get close to the White Tower...even if you are rich and noble. Governor of the Imperial City. The commander of the imperial forest army, even the prince and princess... the court magician has the right to kill you on the spot without the emperor's approval!

This is the iron law. In the nearly thousand years since the founding of the empire, most of the iron laws laid down by Aragorn have been abolished. But this iron law is the emperor of all dynasties. They have always been respected to the death!

But this map. But it is clearly an underground secret map in the palace, leading directly to the White Tower...

The muscles in the corners of Du Wei's eyes twitched a few times, and he felt a little dazed.

Subconsciously knocked on the table.

Such a secret map, the content on the map. Absolutely a rebellious existence! Then, who is the person who drew this map?

What is the purpose?

besides. Why is such a secret map stored in the planetarium?

Du Wei picked a chair. sat down. Then pick up the box. He intended to destroy it, but with a thought, he carefully put it away again.

Touching his brow, Du Wei thought with a wry smile: This thing. I can't tell the origin.

Let’s talk about the underground secret passage in the palace first—it’s such a huge project to be able to build a secret passage underground in the palace. No one else can do it, only the emperor himself can do it—is it Aragorn?

In the legend. Back then, in order to build the huge magic circle, Aragorn laid tons of magic crystals under the white tower in the center of the palace as the base of the tower almost extravagantly! Not to mention anything else, but there are a lot of magic crystals buried underground. And in the White Tower, it is said that there are countless top-quality gemstones that maintain magic formations. There is also the top of the White Tower, such a huge piece of Mithril and the largest piece of magic gemstone in the whole continent!

It is said that there is a map of the magic formation left behind, but he was the strongest under the starry sky back then. The most powerful warrior and magician on the mainland. Aragorn arranged it with his own hands!

Even if there are so many treasures aside, the map of the magic formation left by Aragorn is a supreme treasure for magicians!

For thousands of years. I don't know how many evil magicians have been tempted to try to steal it!

fortunately. The court has always kept a team of court magicians who are only loyal to the royal family. For thousands of years. Guarding the white tower, at least killed many people who tried to break in.

It is said. When Aragon built this magic circle, it cost the empire almost two years of financial revenue-for a newly established empire. Such an approach is absolutely absurd!

not to mention. At first. The Roland continent has been unified. There is only the Roland Empire on the mainland, the only country that spends so much to build such a huge magic circle—for whom? To deal with the air?

It's only because of Aragorn's ridiculously high prestige back then. Only in this way can he forcibly suppress countless voices of opposition. Willing to go his own way.

Perhaps, only Du Wei can understand: Aragon did that. It must be to use this magic circle. After many years in the future. Deal with the return of the sinners.

Pour the power of the whole country. Plus a nearly god-level powerhouse. And the twelve Saint Laurent knights of the Holy Order. All the top magicians on the mainland worked together to create such a huge magic circle!

Secret way?

Can do such a big project in the palace. Except the emperor himself. Absolutely impossible.

Well, let's solve the first problem first: let's assume that this underground project was created by Aragorn himself.

But... what is he doing with such a thing?

And this picture. Was it drawn by Aragorn? If not, who? And who stored it in the planetarium?

Du Wei frowned and thought hard. At this time, a thought that hadn't appeared for a long time suddenly came to my mind. familiar voice.

"It's me, I drew this picture."