The sun is high

Shuge naturally rejected the waitress's words.

He has no intention of letting the other person enter his personal space.

Especially after seeing the abnormal underground floor of the Manor Hotel and the two suspicious-looking black masked waiters through the eyes of the Running Rat, he became even more unable to trust the people in this hotel.

The waitress obviously didn't know what Shuge was thinking. She did seem to have some "ideas", so when she was rejected by Shuge, there was even a flash of regret in her eyes.

But her professionalism allowed her to quickly return to normal. After handing the clock to Xiuge, she turned around and left, just as crisply as before.

The clockwork time has been calibrated.

It's 7:15 in the morning.

The snow continues.

Although due to the support of magic power and being in the manor hotel, Xiuge was not sleepy at all. He folded up the simple structural diagram he had drawn before and put it close to his body, then put on his coat and walked out of his room. .

His room is 309, located in the first half of the hotel corridor, near the stairs.

"The elevator for guest rooms is on the left hand side. There are a total of five rooms between me and it. Through this elevator, I can go to the lobby and all guest room and restaurant floors."

Xiuge closed the door, but his eyes drifted towards the other end of the corridor: "What if we go this way?"

With the idea of ​​taking a walk, Xiuge quickly followed the hotel corridor to the other end of the third floor.

He stopped at the door of the room marked "320."

In the diagonal corner of Room 320, there is the old-fashioned elevator used by the hotel waiters. This elevator is closed by a heavy wooden door with a logo. Next to it, there are two manors. Guards and a male attendant guard the premises.

Seeing Xiuge coming here, the male waiter immediately came up to him: "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

"I want to go to the restaurant on the sixth floor. Is this elevator accessible?"

"Sorry sir, this elevator is too old. Except for our occasional use, it is not open at other times."

The waiter smiled apologetically: "It is because we are worried about someone using it that may cause accidents, so there are guards guarding the manor here. Please understand."

"That's it..."

Xiuge did not embarrass the other party. He nodded, glanced at the structure in the corridor, and then walked in the opposite direction.

"The structure of the entire Manor Hotel is very simple. Except for the hotel lobby and the restaurant on the top floor, the structure of all guest room floors should be in an elongated 'T' shape... If the third floor is used as a reference, then the structure of each floor The number of guest rooms should all be twenty.”

"It completely corresponds to the floor structure hidden underground."

Xiuge recalled the details he had seen through Snitch before. While he was doubtful, he also felt that the hairs on his body seemed to stand on end.

A normal hotel, or a normal mansion, shouldn't have such a weird design.

Shuge had known before that there must be some problems with this manor hotel. He was even prepared to see some kind of laboratory, dungeon or even a ritual place in this hotel, but he never expected that he would actually be there. Under the hotel...

Saw another hotel.

This statement is a bit strange, but Xiuge really doesn't know what to call the part of the building that is hidden underground in the hotel and whose structure is basically symmetrical to the part above the ground.

Coupled with the number labels on the metal doors and the waiters wearing black masks moving on the underground floor, Xiuge had reason to believe that there were indeed "guests" living underground in this hotel...

As for whether he is a human being or not, Xiuge is not sure.

After all, those waiters wearing black masks already looked very abnormal.

"Does Old Zeke know about this situation?"

Shuge recalled what Zeke Ernst said to him late last night, and he had doubts in his heart, especially when the other party said that he knew what to do better than him...

To be honest, Xiuge felt that he didn't have a clue yet.

After a long period of exertion, Xiuge was indeed a little hungry, so he took the elevator to the restaurant on the sixth floor.

There are already a lot of people here. After last night's unexpected incident, the young people of the Ernst family are a little nervous, which makes them more willing to stay in a crowded place instead of staying alone in a room. .

The appearance of Shuge attracted the attention of these young nobles. Different from the discussions caused when he first arrived, this time, his appearance caused the restaurant to fall into a brief silence - not everyone stopped talking, but They invariably lowered the voice of the discussion and changed the topic of their discussion.

It wasn't until Shuge sat down at a table by the window that the restaurant returned to its original appearance.

The disc in the spiritual world accelerated slightly, and with the help of magic, the noisy sounds around him were immediately classified and turned into independent and clear conversations one after another.

What most people are discussing is really boring. Although the old Walter nobles like the Ernst family are very concerned about cultivating their descendants, the influence of environment and history can easily turn these young people into politicians. animal.

They were talking about some of the strategies that the family may have adopted recently, about the impact that the kingdom's policies may have on certain areas, or about some marriage issues between families...

The only thing that interested Xiuge was the topic that the four young men and women were discussing.

They all carry a certain military aura, and the brooches or badges pinned to their clothes indicate that they actually have their own rank in the army.

A young man with short hair said: "Merlin Lehe is trying to sign a treaty with us. They believe that the upcoming war is likely to trigger the regression of magical academic research..."

"That's true to a certain extent!"

The person who answered him was a heroic young girl: "But this is impossible. In our army, the cooperation between spellcasters and new weapons and tactics is being rapidly promoted and trained. Although among these tactics, those mages They are no longer as important as they used to be, but only if they exist in the military can we fully utilize our advantages."

“I don’t quite agree with Jenna’s opinion.”

Another older man with a resolute face said: "Based on the current situation in military factories in various places, what we are going to fight next is actually a new type of war based on steam ordnance. In this form of war, the role of mages will definitely increase. Those who have been further weakened... If we agree to the request made by the Legal Committee and both sides prohibit mages from joining the battlefield and instead allow them to transfer to the relevant logistics system, then it will actually be a good protection for our soldiers!"

"I agree, the weapons of those plain guys are too backward!"

The short-haired young man clenched his fists and said: "As long as our artillery regiment launches an artillery attack, it will be like a divine punishment for them... Their front will be defeated in an instant, and after that, any conventional regiment's advance will be able to defeat them." They were destroyed on the spot!”

Jenna was still trying to persuade the other party: "Ole, don't be blindly confident. There are many things that have not been verified... It is not just new ordnance that affects the war."

"But you must have seen it last night?"

Young Ole lowered his voice: "That... that illegitimate son, he shot three times in such a short period of time, must have used the latest firearms, maybe experimental models, even he can shoot so accurately and quickly , our soldiers have no problems! Think about it, three bullets in a few seconds will kill three people on the battlefield!"

Hearing this, Shuge shook his head.

The increase in the rate of fire brought by the new revolver rifle is of course very terrifying, but in fact, the continuous shooting he performed before was even discounted. After all, he also changed the magic bullets during the period... From this point of view , these young soldiers' judgment of new weapons is still very good.

Once this kind of weapon is installed in every soldier, its effect on the battlefield will be extremely terrifying.

However, the histories Shuge had studied in the past told him that once a war begins, people will burst out with unlimited creativity under extreme pressure.

It is not difficult to embrace new technologies. With the wealth accumulated by Delan and the plain countries, they may find a suitable response method in a short time.

He had no intention of participating in the relevant discussion, so he turned his attention to the other side.

The ones who are most sensitive to the incident in Room 410 last night...are those young ladies who are relatively simple-minded and love literature, opera, paintings and other artistic works.

Shuge saw that Miss Hannah, who had been ridiculed by her sisters as "too sensitive", now became the center of the conversation.

Everyone, including Hannah herself, believed that the strange phenomena she had experienced before were actually harbingers of last night's horrific case.

Hannah seemed to really enjoy the experience of being surrounded by sisters asking for details, but during the chat, she naturally told the content of Shuge's subsequent conversation with her, and Shuge silently described her description. Hearing this, he couldn't help but frown.

Because from the conversation of these ladies, he had already had a bad premonition - they might think of themselves as some interesting mysterious figures, which is not a good thing. After all, among the Walter nobles, Although marriage is prohibited between cousins, the occasional "romantic anecdotes" are often passed down as good news.

Xiuge believes that the "halo" and "title" he currently has are enough, and it would really be too much for him to have any more.

Fortunately, the restaurant was efficient enough and his breakfast had been delivered, which prevented him from suffering too much while sitting here.

Although it is breakfast in the Ernst Manor, it is actually not much different from the meals in other parts of the Walter Kingdom. It still consists of sliced ​​bread, fresh jam, several kinds of sausages with different flavors, and of course, sliced ​​bread. Good fruit and a hot drink that tastes similar to coffee, which the Waters like to call a "refresher."

"It's a really strange feeling..."

Shuge flipped through the memories in his mind, and then he helplessly discovered that dining in the family manor was actually what Shuge Ernst hated the most, because it meant that he would always encounter... Such and such people and things.

But these days are different.

"I hope you will feel better after knowing the current development of the situation."

Xiuge said silently in his heart, and then put a piece of pickled sausage into his mouth.

"Holy shit... St. Steele flavor? So sweet!"

Xiuge was aroused by the weird smell of sweet, salty, and spicy in his mouth, but he persisted in the end and swallowed it with a frown. After swallowing the sausage, he felt a strong The smell of sweet wine surged up from his stomach again.

This feeling is really very Saint Steele.

Due to their proximity to the north and Merlin Lehe, Saint Stir's food style will also tend to be sweet. In addition, they also like to drink a lot of alcohol.

After all, there is a big difference between the ordinary residents in the Kingdom of St. Steele and the mages in Merlinlehe. The common people do not have the rich means of heating like the wizards, so they can only use alcohol to numb themselves. The body senses.

"Fortunately, it's just sweet wine..."

Shuge shook his head, and then took a sip of the "refreshing drink" to suppress the discomfort in his throat.

At this time, a hotel waiter came over. He came to Shuge's side and handed over a large envelope that looked like it contained a lot of things: "Mr. Shuge, I have a letter from you." , it was sent from the Mage Council."

"Mage Council?"

Seeing that Xiuge was a little confused, the waiter reminded him in a low voice: "Sir, the Council is the former Legal Committee on the Plateau. This is their new name."

"Okay, I know."

Shuge reached out and took the envelope. It was a very standard magic letter. It did not use fire paint but a special magic seal. The shimmering crystal mineral powder outlined a standing figure on the seal of the letter. The giant eagle pattern on the magic book is used instead of the "Eye of Mel" logo used by the Legal Committee.

"Hmm...a temporary design? These mages are quite efficient."

Xiuge smiled slightly, and then injected some magic power into the seal.

In the faint magic light, the seal sealing the letter gradually faded away. Then Xiuge opened the envelope and took out the contents inside.

A letter, a palm-sized, two-finger-thick black velvet bag, and a delicate metal pendant.

Xiuge took the pendant in his hand, and saw that a stream flowing between the rocks was carved out of the circular pendant. It was different from the stream-level mage badges that Xiuge had seen in the past. This one was issued by the Mage Council. Among the new emblems, the stream is actually decorated with blue magic crystals - which makes it look like real flowing water, constantly reflecting dazzling light under the light.