The huge team that was walking silently in the projection of the city suddenly raised their eyes, and countless "gazes" fell on Amber's hiding place in an instant-even though the residents of the shadows have no facial features at all, even though they have no "eyes" on their faces, However, at the moment when those invisible clouds wrapped in bandages raised their heads, Amber was still 100% sure—they were watching themselves.
At this moment, Kohaku felt all the hairs on her body stand up, and her heartbeat stopped for half a beat.
She has only encountered such a horror and a sudden cardiac arrest once in her life-it was a night of war, and she was shivering in an ancient tomb, looking at a man who had slept for seven hundred years. The old zongzi lifted the lid of his coffin...
Not so thrilling and exciting at the moment!
However, in the next second, she noticed that the inhabitants of the shadows just cast their sights on this side. This huge "migration team" did not stop at all. They were still moving forward in silence, as if they were fulfilling a certain mission, and they kept heading north. Moving, and in the process, their "gaze" never left her position.
They just walked forward, silent, watching, countless eyes fell on Amber in silence. Gradually, Amber began to realize that this silent staring and moving forward suddenly turned away from all the eyes just now. At that moment, it was even weird and terrifying.
She swallowed subconsciously, and slowly stood up from where she was hiding—the concentrated eyesight showed that there was no point in hiding her figure here. Standing on the edge of the tall building, she quietly looked down at the huge team that was slowly "migrating" from below. The eyes of both sides met silently in the air-they still didn't stop, and Amber didn't look back.
Amber thought for a while, after all, she resisted the urge to open a shadowy rift and return to the present world. She had gradually calmed down. After the huge and terrifying feeling of weirdness and oppression faded a little, she took a breath and raised her head. Looking at the direction where the "Shadow Army" came from, he leaped towards the top of another nearby building with a little step.
She wanted to see where such a large number of shadow residents came from, to detect intelligence and report it in time...this is her mission.
Although the scene in front of me is weird and disturbing, at least one thing remains the same: the inhabitants of the shadows will not attack themselves. These chaotic and suspicious "comrades" are just as "suspicious" as always. As long as this is confirmed, she will Feel relieved.
Amber's figure began to move between the continuous projections of the building, like a quick finches, it shuttled and jumped between the distorted walls, the curly roof and the broken floating tiles, and the shadows lingered behind her like a cloud, supporting her. She moved her body across the sky in a way that completely violated gravity, and left a series of faint trails behind her.
Under her feet, the "army" composed of the inhabitants of the shadows also constantly shifted their gaze, watching the figure crossing the sky in a continuous march. This scene was silent and treacherous-but Kohaku forcibly ignored what these sights brought to her. Under heavy pressure, she forced herself not to care about the army, but to cast her gaze further away, to the vast suburbs outside the city.
I don’t know how long she has crossed the border of the city. At the end of this distorted projection, there is the endless wilderness outside Cecil City. On the vast land, what she sees is still countless shadow dwellers. , Can't see the source, can't see the end, they seem to converge from a more distant place, and continue to carry on the mysterious "march."
Amber suspected that even if she followed the direction of the source of this army for a whole day, she would not be able to see the beginning of this army... She even suspected that all the inhabitants of the shadow world had gathered together and were moving towards a certain goal. .
This scene is like... a "pilgrimage."
Humber finally shook his head and turned around to tear open a shadowy rift. The opposite of the shadowy rift showed the scenery of the current world-I am afraid that there will be no results if we continue to track it. The most urgent thing is to go back and report her findings.
She did not choose to return to Cecil Palace through the "shortcut" in the shadow world because she was worried that tearing the "passage" to Cecil Palace in front of the "army" would cause unexpected troubles. After all... she actually I don't know much about my "comrades" who are silent and weird.
…
The fine sea waves hit the black coastal reefs below. The sea water turned into white foam in the sound of the flapping, and was stained with a layer of orange-red brilliance in the sinking sunlight. The steep sea-facing cliffs stood on the waves. Above, facing the erosion brought by the sea breeze, the entire cliff appeared mottled and peeled off.
And just at the top of the cliff, which seems to be not very stable and reliable, is lined with row upon row of houses and gloomy towers. It is a completely different architectural style from the countries of Loren, with its slender ridges and dark colors. The walls and the deliberately highlighted spire structure seem to have a mysterious texture.
A young woman with black shawl hair and a faint scar under her cheek stood on the edge of this "City of Coastal Cliffs", quietly overlooking the breaking waves that were breaking on the coastline below the cliffs, as if she was sinking into In thought, it took an unknown amount of time before she retracted her gaze and looked at the blocks in the city.
As a senior cadre of the Military Intelligence Bureau, "Sparrow Bee" has been active as a foreign businessman in this violet city named Prandall for a year and a half. Although there is no way to go to the inland areas, at least In this border city, she is already familiar with all the local customs, the city on the cliff—but for some reason, she has recently felt that this city is bringing her a weirdness. Strangeness.
The city is still the original city, and the buildings are still the original buildings. The locals living in this city have not changed much. However, all the information related to "outside the city", especially the "inland areas" is not changed. In the past half a month to a month, subtle changes have taken place, and the one who perceives such changes... seems to be the only "outsiders" like her.
The Sparrow took a breath, turned and walked towards the inner block. The gloomy and weird houses and tall towers were bathed in the sunset at dusk. The slender silhouette of the building made her think of those looking through fences or doors and windows. The bizarre phantoms of light and shadow that I saw in the cracks, for some reason, these city scenery that I was used to seeing on weekdays actually gave her a kind of dreamlike unreality.
A passerby approached him on the street, a familiar local, and the Sparrow Bee smiled on his face, calmly stepping forward to say hello: "Mr. Torrig, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Miss Flora-although it's almost evening now," the local called Torrig responded with a smile. The "Flora" in his mouth was exactly what the sparrow was using when he moved in this city. A pseudonym, "Did you go to see the scenery on the coast again?"
"The coast of breaking waves at dusk is very beautiful, especially when looking down from outside the high wall of Plantel," said sparrow bee casually. "I can't see such a scenery in my hometown. It is far away from the sea and there is only a river from the door. Flowed before."
"I remember it was called Baishuihe, right?" Torrig responded enthusiastically. He seemed to have a good impression of the "Miss Flora" in front of him. It was a pleasure for him to be able to talk with him on the side of the road. "Seriously, I am also longing for the Loren continent on the other side of the sea. I have lived in this city for more than 20 years and have never seen the scenery of a foreign land..."
"My hometown does not have the open sea and the cliffs on the coastline, but there are lush forests and mountains that undulate outside the city—Mr. Torrig, if you are really interested, you might as well try to apply to Lord Lord. "The corner of the bird's mouth was raised, quietly leading the trend of the topic, "Now the trade between Prandall and Beigang has become the norm, and more and more Violet people have become merchants between the straits. You are often in the Chamber of Commerce. While helping, it shouldn’t be a problem to ask Mr. Klin of the Chamber of Commerce to help open a certification document, right?"
"Apply to the lord?" Torrig was stunned, as if his thoughts were interrupted for a while, but after a second or two, he reacted with a helpless smile on his face, "I don't think I can pass the lord's review. He has never liked being a businessman like me in an inner city. You know, the best choice for an inner city is to become a mage or an alchemist. This is the responsibility of our blood. Run like me. Helping in the Chamber of Commerce has actually caused dissatisfaction among the elders in the family..."
The Sparrow was watching Torig's eyes quietly, and then suddenly asked: "Speaking of which, the lord hasn't been seen for a long time, I remember... it's been almost a month, right?"
"Has it been so long?" Torrig blinked in confusion, as if he had never thought about this question, but the expression on his face became normal in the next second, with a faint smile, "This is also normal. The lord has always been a simple person, and a high-level wizard like him will always focus on magic research."
"That's true too," Sparrow was just laughing, as if she was just talking about some small things casually, and naturally changed the subject, "The weather is getting colder and colder. Is your uncle okay over there? I remember you mentioned to me before that your uncle suffers from stomach problems every winter, and I am just about to import a batch of medicinal materials from Beigang..."
"My uncle?" Torrig blinked in confusion. He has been in such confusion since just now, and now this confused state seems to have finally affected his external words and deeds: his speaking speed has begun to become very fast. Slowly, it seems that there are rusty gears spinning hard behind every sentence, "My uncle...Miss Flora...I don't quite understand what you mean..."
"Uncle Tolle, have you forgotten it?" The Sparrow Bee asked in a very natural tone while watching the changes in Torig's expression. "Isn't he living in the city of Palansanto near the interior? You often write letters. Contact—You have a very good relationship with him. I remember that he made a special trip from Palan Santo to see you last winter. I also met with him at the time..."
Torrig looked at the Sparrow bee in confusion. He listened carefully to every word that the attractive black-haired girl with scars on his face said to him, but every word was formed in his mind. He lost the bizarre illusion, and reorganized into a completely incomprehensible language in the circling twists, and gradually accumulated and changed in his thoughts...
But suddenly, the confusion on Torig’s face disappeared, and his body swayed imperceptibly, as if his thinking had restarted. The corners of his mouth curled up, and he said with a normal and natural smile: "The lord has always been a deep and simple expression. People, high-level wizards like him will always focus on magic research..."
The sparrow was watching this young man who was born and raised in Plantel quietly, watching the other side's natural smile.
She knew that this was really a living person in front of her.
But not exactly.
"That's true," the young dark-haired girl laughed, and then waved goodbye. "It's getting late, I have to go back to the shop to take over. Goodbye, Mr. Torrig-we had a great conversation."
"Of course, Miss Flora, I too... I am also very happy," Torrig responded quickly, his tone a little nervous, and he couldn't help saying more when he saw the black-haired girl in front of him about to leave. In one sentence, "Um... can I have a meal together at noon tomorrow? I have prepared good pine cheese, which is made by the best cheese workshop in the city..."
"Sorry, I have arrangements tomorrow," Birdbee shook his head apologetically, "but I will visit if I have the opportunity next time."
She waved her hand, turned and left, and walked towards the ramp leading to the inner block. The moment she turned around, the faint smile on her face converged slightly, turning to a cautious and serious look.
Plantel does not produce pine cheese at all, which is a specialty of the inland city of Palan Santo.
The new setting has been changed, and the “cutting” between this city and the “Violet Inland” is becoming more and more obvious...
Sparrowbee did not stop in the border area of the city anymore. She quickly passed through the streets and familiar shops of those border areas, and entered the inner block of Plantel before night fell completely.
The magic street lights on both sides of the road are gradually brightening, and the soft brilliance is dispelling the darkness in the city. As you enter the inner block, you see more pedestrians on the road. A sense of loneliness.
Sparrow slowed down, and walked through the wide and neat streets of the city like ordinary citizens. Pedestrians passing by in front of her wore violet kingdom-style clothing. Those dark-colored coats and blouses looked deep and elegant, and at the same time There is a sense of distance lingering, just like the impression left by this mysterious hidden country on other countries in the Loren continent. The magic street lamp with iron carvings on the roadside sprinkles a warm light yellow light. Shadows of different shades are left under the feet of pedestrians on the road.
On both sides of the street, lights were also lit up in the windows of critical shops, occasionally the door of the shop was pushed open, and the crisp copper bells jingled.
These are all normal street scenes at night. Sparrowbees have been active here for a year and a half, and I have watched them for a year and a half, and they have long been used to it.
But for some reason, an unspeakable sense of disobedience always came out of my heart. Even when she looked at such a normal scenery, she felt that everything she saw seemed to be covered with a layer of suspiciousness. She felt that the whole city was "deceiving" herself.
If the anomalies she discovered here in the past period of time were all conclusions drawn from clues and intelligence, then at this moment... she seems to be directly "touching" the anomaly in this coastal city.
Or put it another way: the anomaly has occurred long ago, but it has been hidden. It has been accumulated to this day, and finally reached a certain critical point where it had to conflict with the real world.