Whispering Verse

It was only then that Shade noticed that the young witch was abnormally excited. This is definitely not the joy caused by being favored by a big shot, but rather like a stress reaction after being mentally affected.

However, compared to being haggard and silent, this reaction is at least somewhat normal, so there is no need to worry about it yet.

So Shade looked at the boy who was holding a torch and standing some distance away from the three of them, as if to avoid suspicion and express that he did not want to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Judging from his clothing, the boy must have come from a noble family. His figure is not strong, but he is definitely not malnourished, so his age can be inferred from his height, which is about fifteen or sixteen years old.

"He arrived earlier than you. Because each person can only hold one torch here, it is safer to gather together, so I did not drive him away."

Miss Higgins said, the boy thanked the witch tremblingly, and then answered the question:

"Hello, hello, hello, I'm Andorra Ade, and I'm here to buy things too."

His timidity at this time is much more normal. Ordinary people in this era have no way to protect themselves when faced with such a strange place.

"Now that we've introduced ourselves, it's your turn, sir."

The young witch looked at Shade, and Shade gave her name:

"Shad Hamilton, sort of travel writer and detective."

The witch nodded slightly and continued to explain to Shade:

"The place we are going to next is a market not far away hidden in the black mist. This is only the entrance to the market. You must hold a torch to move inside. Please do not extinguish the torch. As for leaving here... ..."

She looked around. The firelight could not penetrate very far, and the black mist was quite oppressive:

"Her Majesty the Witch Emperor of the desert outside will pick us up at a specific time. But you can probably feel that this is a chaotic place of time and space, so it's hard to say how long we will have to wait."

Although she said this, her tone was very relaxed:

"But I don't care. If I die unfortunately, His Majesty will give my sister a large compensation. For a witch with no background like me, the only way to go further is to go Bet on your luck."

"Your sister and you are not twins, right?"

Shade asked quickly, and Miss Leah Higgins gave him a confused look:

"Of course not. My sister has just grown up, and I have already... Why did you think they were twins?"

"Just pretend I didn't say anything. So, the camp is over there, right?"

He pointed in the direction he was going to go just now, and the witch nodded:

"Mrs. Miles wants to make up for the past regrets. The boy's country over there was destroyed, and he wants to save the tragedy. As for me, although I was hired, I am also prepared to make some deals. After all, this kind of place is not free. Come."

She paused and then added cautiously:

"Most of the transactions in the Black Mist Camp require currency, and a few require emotions, sins, and even souls, but His Majesty does not recommend that we use anything other than currency. Since you said you came here by accident, there should be nothing on you for trading. currency, right?”

She took out a black coin from her pocket and showed it to Shade, and deliberately put her hand in front of Shade.

Shade took one look and knew that this was a coin he had never seen before. The black coin was about the same size as a one-shilling alloy silver coin. On one side was the witch's own image, and on the other side was a symbol of money, but it was not a relic. Of course, Shade also knew that the young witch was deliberately testing him:

"I don't have such a thing, don't worry, I won't snatch it away."

"You can't take it away either. These coins cannot transfer the owner through other means other than transactions. Look at my avatar on it, it means that I am the owner of this coin."

"Then can you take me with you to the Black Mist Camp?"

"Of course, let's go now."

The witch said, taking the initiative to help the elderly woman. Although she claimed to be hired, she was still very dedicated. At the same time, Shade noticed that Mrs. Miles' hat was decorated with small purple flowers, which seemed to be thyme.

The old woman smiled at Shade:

"As I get older, I want to make up for my past regrets before I die."

She took the initiative to tell Shade what she wanted to do:

"When I was young, my lover said goodbye to me and went to fight in a war far away. I promised him that I would marry him when he came back, but I ended up waiting all my life."

"Didn't you divine the other party's whereabouts? Isn't your cousin very powerful?"

Shade asked curiously, Mrs. Miles shook her head:

"He promised to come back, and I believe he won't break his promise... Even if he doesn't come back, I want him to tell me personally what happened to him. Look at my old-fashioned hat. He gave it to me before he left. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, that's all I have left of the day we parted. It was such a beautiful day."

She coughed a few times, and with the help of the red-haired witch, she left the bonfire and came to the path. The boy followed them with a torch, but did not dare to get too close.

The witch gently patted the old woman's back a few times and continued to say to Shade:

"We can't stay in the market for too long. Fortunately for you and me, Mrs. Miles and the boy over there are ordinary people. They have to get back here before they can't hold on any longer."

The group of people raised their torches and walked toward the depths of the black mist. Shade asked:

"Approximately how long can we stay?"

"It's hard for me to give you a time ruler in a place where time and space are confused. If it doesn't work, it won't work... You must protect the flame. Without the flame, you will be lost here forever. So, it's best for everyone to act together. , even if one person’s flame is extinguished, others can protect her.”

She walked behind Shade, supporting Mrs. Miles, and the boy further behind. Away from the campfire, the temperature dropped rapidly, and mist could already be exhaled from his mouth when he spoke. The visibility was further declining, the black fog became thicker, and the area illuminated by the four torches seemed to be the only safe zone left in the world.

"I have one last question."

Shade, who took the initiative to lead the way, could already vaguely see a shadow-like figure appearing in the black fog ahead. His body was obviously able to withstand the severe cold, but he still couldn't help but shiver at this moment:

"Is this strange place related to gods?"

The task of the tree father is to make deals with the god of commerce and wealth, not with the weird things that gradually appear in front of him.

"I haven't heard of it, I don't know."

The young witch raised her collar and shook her head decisively. She was covered in a thick cotton coat, and only the hand holding the torch was white from the cold. Shade gasped and nodded. He understood that perhaps his main task was not to help the group of people reach their respective deals, but to find the god first. Thinking of this, he quietly looked at his three companions this time. The boy and the old woman also looked like they were out of breath due to the cold and oppression. Their faces were pale, but no one gave up on moving forward.

"I wonder if the gods have already lurked among us, just like they did in the Forest of Thousand Trees."

Thinking in my mind, I didn't forget to take out the cotton coat from my pocket and put it on. The other three are prepared, so they don't need Shade's help.

The so-called "Black Mist Camp" was quite close to the campfire, but it was just not noticeable because of the influence of the black mist. As the trembling people gradually moved forward holding torches, after a dozen steps, the end of the uphill path was their destination.

The terrain is very open, and the strange grass and wild flowers on the ground have been cleared away, revealing a black land covered with a layer of frost. In the fog, translucent figures like shadows emerged as the fog was dispersed by the firelight. They are either sitting cross-legged or standing. These shadows have similar postures, and each has its own products and stalls in front of it.

But all the black shadows here were completely still, and there was no sound anywhere. This place is like a solidified oil painting. In addition to black shadows, there are stalls and roads extending in all directions between the stalls. As for the camp itself, it seemed quite large, or it could be said that the view was limited and could not see very far, so it was impossible to see the end at a glance.

Apart from four people, there should be no other guests here. The strange scene illuminated by the fire made the four of them, Sha De, subconsciously stop.

"Look here."

At the camp entrance at the end of the trail, a dilapidated notice board is stuck diagonally in the dirt. Holding a torch and looking carefully, various messy paw prints formed crooked letters on the notice board. Those densely packed letters could not only be understood by Shade, who was familiar with all texts, but also by the remaining three people.

Because this is the text of this era of the Fifth Age:

【Fair, fair, fair】

"That's not bad."

Shade admired softly, and the white mist in his mouth extended into the mist that was not illuminated by the fire. He adjusted his breathing and asked the young witch beside him:

"Who do you want to trade with?"

From the entrance of the camp, most of the items on the vendors were covered in thicker black fog, making it impossible to see what they were selling. The few goods that can be clearly seen are all body parts in molds of flesh and blood, or strange pieces of flesh squirming in dirty bottles. In addition, those black figures have no characteristics, so it is not easy to find specific targets.

"I don't know either, but I took other people's money and I can't take no risks. I already have a plan, please follow me."

It could be seen that she was also a little afraid of this place, but she still stood up bravely. First, he trembled and gave some instructions to Mrs. Miles, then crossed over to Shade and approached the stall on the left side of the camp entrance with a torch.