Chapter 5

At dinner, Alex put the soup and bread on the table, and Joey looked up and said, "Teacher, do you hear the thunder?"

Alex nodded and said, "The manor is surrounded by mountainous, and thunder and snow are more frequent than in the Eastern Continent." At dinner, Joey was absent from a snack, thinking about the kiss in the evening, and Alex frowned his eyebrow, There seemed to be something suspicious crawling in the dark. After the meal, Joey found him standing on the third-floor platform, looking at the snowy peaks in the distance.

Under the dark sky, countless thunder and lightning flashed in the blizzard, and thunder and lightning fell to the top of the mountain from time to time. This would be a sign that a blizzard was coming. It is like the scene described in "The Book of Doomsday"-the survivors of the world kneel on the top of the mountain and ask the gods for salvation from the dark sky.

Joyce suddenly had a strange thought-would anyone is setting up a magic circle there, or resurrecting an ancient demon god with evil spells?

Alex's words interrupted his infinite suspicion.

"What do you think it is, Joey," Alex said, taking his hand back into the palace.

"Huh?" Joyce thought for a while. Alex didn't say that he hadn't found anything wrong. With that said, Joyce thought for a while and said, "It's kind of like magic?"

After being reminded by Alex, Joey immediately felt that the matter was a bit serious and said: "That is not a natural phenomenon that is taken for granted..."

"Why?" Alex looked into his eyes.

"Because...because..." Joyce paced in the hall, vaguely catching something, but couldn't tell.

"All the lightning fell to the same place," Alex said.

"Yes!" Joyce admired Alex's meticulous observation and immediately said: "Someone maybe..."

"Create a thunderstorm?" Alex frowned. It was obvious that the mage was casting a spell: "But what's the use of creating a thunderstorm?"

A mage cast a spell on the top of a mountain less than ten kilometers away, and summoned all the lightning in the sky. This situation is not trivial, and the capital must be notified immediately. However, the capital is too far away from here.

"It's also possible that you want to destroy something." Alex pondered.

Joyce suddenly remembered something, turned around, and ran to the library.

"Joey!" Alex chased behind him and entered the library.

Joyce remembered an ancient legend, hurriedly flipped through the classics, found a map, spread it out, and Alex stared at the map intently. There are four landmarks on it, three side peaks on the northwest, northeast, and south, and a platform in the center of Maple Mountain.

"The place where the King of Heroes buried ancient artifacts..." Joyce murmured: "These three side peaks form an ancient magic circle, guarding the tomb of the mountains in Maple Mountain in the central area."

Alex said: "Wait, I don't get it yet, what role do the magic circles on these peaks play?"

Joyce used a pen to connect the three side peaks and explained: "These three peaks are all part of the magic circle. The lightning we just saw should be caused by the process of lifting the ban and triggering the enchantment. It is a self-defense mechanism, as long as the magic circle on these three peaks is lifted, they will be able to enter the Graveyard of the mountains easily."

"What's in the Graveyard?" Alex asked.

"An artifact called the Dragon's Magic Orb." Joyce said, "Of course, it's just a fragment. After the Holy War, the Dragon's Magic Orb was destroyed by the King of heroes."

"In the ancient Shaq royal family, there is a ballad about the dragon god descending to the world. The King of heroes once drove a dragon and beheaded the great lich in the north, and the dragon has been sleeping forever at the end of the frozen road. , Guarding the passages of the northern and southern continents... and the orb controlling the dragon was also crushed by the King of heroes himself and buried in the four corners of the continent."

Alex pondered, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "This is a legend in your royal family? What is the power of the Dragon's Magic Orb?"

"Wake up." Joyce said: "It is made of a mineral called Dragon Tears, which can awaken sleeping things. There are very few people who know this legend, and the documents that record it have been burned. Now, maybe some people know that there are treasures buried in the central of the cemetery, but hardly they know exactly what it is and what it is for. I think there are no more than ten people in this world."

Alex said: "Why don't you leave such an important thing in the care of the Holy See?"

"The people of the Holy See can't get it." Joyce said: "Even the Pope can't get in, because there is a special seal in the tomb. To open the seal, a special key is needed."

"What kind of key?" Alex asked.

At this moment, there was the sound of horseshoes outside.

"Master Scott." The man's voice said outside: "Letter from the capital, for you."

Alex took the letter, saw the royal fire stamp on it, and asked: "What's your order from Odin?"

"The king and queen hope to see His Royal Highness Joyce, and let me take him back to the Festival of Grace." The messenger bowed.

Alex said casually: "Please tell him that you can't let Joyce go back for the first year. This is the rule. I must be with Joyce."

"If you want, you can come together." The messenger said: "Your Majesty the King has long admired your name..."

Inside the library:

Joyce put the lamp next to the bookshelf and took out another notebook. This is a note left by another priest who practiced here hundreds of years ago. Turning to a certain page, a sudden stretched out behind him. One hand covered his mouth. Just as Joyce was about to scream, he smelled a burst of fragrance and then became dizzy.

A man wearing scalp armor held Joyce and quickly turned out from the back window.

The notebook fell on the ground with a soft sound.

"...I hope to talk to you about the little prince..."

Alex was alert and turned back to the library. The library was empty, with curtains floating. Alex roared, "Stop!"

Alex jumped out the window.

Joyce was awakened by the cold wind, but a black pocket was covered on his head, and there were only two small holes for him to breathe.

Joyce guessed that this was a kidnapping case, but the man holding him had gotten on his horse and did not answer his words. When he got on the horse, he tied his wrists very quickly, put him on the horse, and galloped away on the horse.

Joyce's eyes were pitch black and he galloped for a full night. He felt the surroundings gradually light up. It should have been morning. He was too sleepy, and when he was drowsy, he finally heard people's voices.

The environment seemed to be wild, and a woman's voice said, "You kidnapped the prince like this, and his knight will definitely kill you."

The man who kidnapped him didn't speak. Joyce was still leaning on him, sleepy and unconscious, feeling like he was being lifted on the back of another man, who seemed to be a robber, smelling of sweat.

"Let's go." The woman's voice said again.

With the sound of horse clop, Joyce followed the robbers and began to advance over the mountains again. No one spoke along the way. He woke after a long sleep, and in the evening, the team finally stopped. Joyce was taken off the horse and put aside. The robbers seemed to know his identity and did not treat him rudely. As soon as he was placed on the ground, one hand untied the black cloth of his hood, and Joyce narrowed his eyes, unable to adapt to the light, and was hungry and cold.

There was a woman in a black robe sitting in front of her, surrounded by unfamiliar woods, and the bloody sunset in the distance gradually sank into the snow-capped mountains.

"Who are you guys!" Joyce yelled immediately.

"Quiet." The woman had pale lips and fair skin, as if she hadn't seen the sun for a long time. She wore a hood and covered half of her face. ''We will let you go back after our mission is done."

"Alex will not let you go." Joyce said coldly: "No matter what you want to do, I won't cooperate, you should just give up."

Joyce squinted at her, then turned to look around.

"Introduce myself, my name is Anida." The woman said coldly, "A friend asked me to fetch something. And I think you must know what it is."

Joyce was shocked suddenly, squinted and said: "You want to steal the relics of the King of Heroes!"

"To be fair." Anida said lightly: "It can't be regarded as stealing. The relics are originally belonging to my master."

"Who is your master?" Joyce frowned, staring at Anida, and said, "Are you a mage?"

Anida did not speak, Joyce said, "But I don't feel any magical fluctuations in your body. Who are you working for? If you are acquainted, you'd better put me back, otherwise, my brother and Alex will not let you go easily."

"Little kitty, you can't protect yourself now." Anida got up, stretched out her finger, and hooked Joyce's chin. Joyce was tied with her hands and couldn't resist. Don't go too far, Anida handed it to him again. A bowl of soup and said: "Drink it."

"I won't eat," Joyce said coldly.

"There is no poison." Anida replied: "You don't need to eat it, whatever you want."

Left words, Anida walked away, and Joey was sitting by the campfire. He kept thinking about how to escape, but Anida seemed to see through his mind and said coldly: "Don't even think about escape. You have no idea what creatures are around here. There are wild beasts, and you'll be eaten by wild wolves before you can escape far away."

As if proving that she hadn't lied, there was a faint wolf howl in the distance.

"You are an astrologer," Joyce said.

Anida was a little surprised, squinted at Joyce, and muttered: "I underestimate you, you are very smart."

Joyce said: "Do you know how I guessed it? You are with the robbers, and you don't seem to know how to martial arts, so you must have special abilities."

"You have no magical fluctuations in your body, nor the alchemist's medicinal smell." Joyce said again: "You are wearing black clothes, and your skin is very white, sickly white, so you must rarely see the sun."

The royal family of the Shaq Kingdom has an astrologer who lives forever on the high tower in the forbidden area behind the palace. He is a mysterious person. Crystal ball. No one has ever seen the face of an astrologer. Since childhood, Joyce has only seen the astrologer once, when he was five years old.

The astrologer gave him only the black robe embroidered with gold thread and the pale complexion. They will tell the royal family all kinds of prophecies. Some fathers believe it, and some don't believe it at all.

"What did the stars tell you?" Joyce moved his eyebrows, not nervous at all, but laughed, and said, "Does the gods from ancient times to the present guide you to steal the treasure of the King of Heroes?"

Anida said lightly: "Little gentleman, you better not know so much."

"Who hired you?" Joyce said, "The royal family of a certain country?"

Anida looked stern, Joyce smiled and said, "Am I right again?"

Anida immediately got up and walked aside. Joyce cried out again, "Astrologer, your stars didn't tell you the danger of that treasure?"

Anida left the bonfire and no longer faced Joyce. At this point, Joyce had uttered a lot of words and successfully drove the astrologer out of sight.

Joyce thought about a few information points in the conversation and tried to grind the rope on the stone. Suddenly, he heard Anida's voice behind the tree saying: "Someone must be sent to watch him. He is better than I thought. Quite cunning."

Joyce stopped immediately, knowing that it was not the time to escape. Not long after, a few warriors wearing hoods and helmets came over and carried him into the bushes like a chicken, and started a bonfire. The sun went down, and Joyce knew that even if he escaped now, he would have nowhere to go. Instead, he might get lost in the mountains and put himself in danger.

Before Alex came to rescue him, staying here was obviously the wisest choice.

Can Alex find himself? Joyce thought to himself, it must be possible. He is strong.

Someone brought the cloak over and put it on his body. The cloak was full of the scent of lilies. Joyce sniffed, as if he could smell something, his brows curled up, and he gradually fell asleep with anxiety.

In the middle of the night, Joyce woke up for no reason, and Alex's handsome face appeared in front of him.

Joyce was taken aback, and Alex immediately pressed his finger to his lips and made a silent gesture.

"I ask one question, and you answer one sentence." Alex said very quietly, "Where is the knight who brought you here?"

"I don't know," Joyce whispered. He turned his head and saw that the guards by the campfire were asleep. Alex looked back and said, "I pressed a few spots on the back of their necks, they will sleep for a while."

"Don't take me away yet." Joyce whispered, "I guess they have a conspiracy."

Alex frowned: "I have sent someone to pass the message to Odin, and he won't receive the news until about three days later..."

Joyce said: "They are going to the Graveyard of the King of Heroes... It's best to capture the astrologer alive and bring it back for interrogation."

There was the sound of footsteps in the quiet woods, and Alex retreated immediately, climbing the branch with one hand, and turning over the tree. Joyce pretended to be asleep instantly, closed his eyes, and lay on his side.

As the footsteps approached, a shadow stopped in front of him. Joyce opened his eyes slightly and saw that the man was the tall knight leader. He was always wearing a masked leather helmet, and he couldn't even see his eyes. .

The cloak on his body belonged to the knight, and he had a faint scent of lilies from head to toe.

He came over, sat down with his back against the big tree where Alex was, holding his arms and resting his two feet on a stone. Alex clenched the long sword at his waist and held his breath.

However, the knight leader didn't seem to notice him, lowered his head, and fell asleep after a while.

Early the next morning, Joyce was taken on his horse, led by the knight and astrologer, along the steep mountain road to the west of the rolling mountain. Joyce knew that Alex must be following the team, and was following them somewhere at the moment, but he didn't worry much.

He rode a horse and whistled leisurely, and the front astrologer Anida turned around and said: "Little prince, there is no need to send messages to your knight. He has no way to save you."

Joyce smiled and said, "You seem scared when you say that. If you are really not afraid of him, why should I stop? "

Anida did not speak, but Joyce did not want to cause too much alertness, stopped the whistle. After walking for a full day, they arrived at an abandoned village halfway through the mountain.

The mountain Graveyard is not far away, and it is there they are marching to. Joyce's heart was beating, thinking of the ancient legend about the Dragon's Magic Orb. In the abandoned village, standing an old man with a gray beard, wearing a black magic robe, embroidered with a flying flame bird.

Joyce suddenly felt horrified, this is a mage! Worse than his expectation, with Alex's ability, he must be unable to deal with this mage.

Anida brought Joyce to the old mage and said, "Teacher, I brought the descendants of the Shaq royal family."

Joyce stepped back fearfully. The old mage held an ancient wooden staff and looked up and down Joyce. He was tall and loud, and said, "Ah, a little priest, how old are you this year?"

Joyce's breathing seemed to stop, he did not answer, standing in front of the burly magician, like a chicken without the ability to protect himself. He felt that Alex was nearby, and his only wish now was that Alex never came out.

Anida and the knight leader stood behind Joyce, and Joyce was shocked when he saw the old mage.

"This is Master Hannibal." Anida said, "He won't hurt you, little prince."

The mage Hannibal laughed and said, "I just want to borrow a little bit of your blood to use it, dear little prince, I have no intention of opposing your father and brother."

"You... won't succeed." Joyce said, "I won't help you open the mountain Graveyard."

Hannibal was a little surprised and asked, "Do you know what's buried here?"

The mountain graveyard is just a few miles away from this abandoned village. Joyce didn't dare to answer. He stepped back, looked at the old mage, and said: "Getting the fragments of the Dragon's Magic Orb will only bring disaster to you. "

"A faithful disciple of the Pope." Hannibal smiled slightly and said, "Next time you see him, please say hello for me. I will keep the fragments of the magic orb buried here by the King of Heroes temporarily."

"Master." Anida politely said: "The sun is already down, so why don't we rest here, and how about going to retrieve the treasure tomorrow morning?"

Hannibal nodded happily, and then asked, "These friends are...?"

Anida replied: "These are the warriors I recruited on my journey. They are all loyal and willing to follow you, Master."

Hannibal was obviously satisfied and nodded: "Very well, let them take care of this little prince."

The robbers took Joyce into the ruined house, and the masked rider personally guarded it outside. Joyce said to the masked knight: "Hey, can you hear me?"

The masked rider glanced back into the room, did not answer, motioned to hear it.

Joyce felt that Alex was near here, and was slowly approaching him. He wanted to save him. He couldn't tell why. It was pure instinct. At this time, it's best to distract the guard.

"Hey, do you know the power of the Dragon's Magic Orb?" Joyce said: "It will awaken the corpses in the frozen ground. Once these living dead are resurrected, you will cause a catastrophe."

The Masked knight did not answer, and Joyce said again: "Those who use the orb will be defiled and desecrated. Ordinary people cannot use it. Now stop right now, it is not too late. Even the King of Heroes was cursed by this orb, and his body is gradually being cursed by this orb. Erosion, decay..."

At this moment, a hole in the roof burst with a bang, Alex fell, drew his sword, and cut the rope in Joyce's hand. Joyce immediately pulled back and Alex reached out and hugged him. Protecting the two with a shield, hit the wall and rushed out of the ruined house!

The masked knight reacted faster, no longer chasing inside the house, but withdrew and went around the wall, swinging a sword! The sword took Alex's throat straight, Alex leaned back and avoided, but the masked rider grabbed Joyce's arm and snatched him back!

The two of them didn't seem to dare to startle the mage in the distance. Alex drew his sword and swung it, but the masked knight grabbed Joyce in front of him. Alex said angrily: "Asshole!"

For fear of hurting Joyce, Alex immediately called in. Joyce yelled and staggered into the arms of the masked knight. He hadn't eaten for a full day. At the moment, his whole body was weak and powerless. The Masked knight was startled, and when he looked down, Joyce shot out like lightning and took off his helmet!

The moment they took off their helmets, both Joyce and Alex were stunned.

In the dark, the young man under the helmet had dark blue eyes, short blond hair, a fair and beautiful face, with a tall nose.

"Brother," Joyce said.

"Sure enough, It is you, Odin," Alex said solemnly.