Silver Blade and Rose

"...what can I help you with?"

Zars froze for a moment, walked up the stairs to the side of them, and looked down at the book in Edwin's hand with some doubts.

It was a very thick hardcover book, the cover was dark brown, it looked like it should be made of leather, with exquisite embossing and words he couldn't understand, and the paper inside was old, yellowish and thin Light, as if it will be shattered due to flipping in the next second.Seeing him leaning over to look at it, Edwin moved aside a little in coordination, so that Zals could more easily see the content on the spread pages.

It was different from what he had imagined, and Zars found that there were almost no words on this page, and a whole double page was used to depict a complex and mysterious pattern: at the top was a bird of paradise flying in the clouds, and a delicate short sword hanging upside down In the center, the end pierces the back of a prostrate man, and a pair of pure white wings emerge from the slit pierced by the sword.To say that it is a pattern is actually a bit wronged, even if it is regarded as a painting, the degree of exquisite brushwork is not inferior to the illustrations in some books, and since it is a book in Edwin's study, there must be something mysterious about it meaning.

Zals frowned, stared at the pattern for a while, and couldn't help asking Edwin, "What book is it?"

He is not capable enough to see any specific problems, but he feels that there is something wrong with the pattern, which is a bit creepy and weird no matter how you look at it.Edwin and Grant didn't know what they were looking for here. If it was this thing... Could it be related to what Grant was going to do?

"This is the first volume of a travel book." Edwin handed the book to him, and he took out another volume from the shelf that was not inferior to it, and stacked it with the previous one. "It is said that the author is a very A famous bard who has traveled all over the world—including hell, the white lands, and the human world."

Zales nodded: "Then?"

"You don't know much about Baidi. This is the totem that symbolizes the 'White Messenger' Freisa." Knowing that Edwin didn't like being a teacher, Grant took the initiative to explain. When he was about to die, a key of God fell from the sky and opened the door to the White Land for him. After arriving in the White Land, Fraisa has been serving as a guide and a peace messenger. I want to find Fraisa's white clothes, so I asked Ed Wen asked me to come here to borrow this set of travel notes."

In fact, he overestimated Zals's knowledge reserve, not because he didn't know much, but because he only heard Edwin mention it once, and he didn't understand anything other than "almost like heaven".But the painting style of this totem is not much different from the angel in his understanding, and it can actually be imagined.

It’s just that he couldn’t understand why Grant was looking for this—the legendary messenger of the white land didn’t even know if it really existed. If he looked for this unknown travel note, would it have any special effect?

"...so?" he asked hesitantly.

It turned out that Grant hadn't understood Zales's brain circuit yet, and he was only curious about why, not what it was.Edwin didn't raise his head, and explained casually about his question: "Grant thinks he found Friesa's white clothes, and wants to use its power to go to hell again."

Zars suddenly realized.

Standing next to them, Grant suddenly felt that he was very redundant, so redundant that he was not in the same world as these two.

Why is it so hard for him to speak?

"I didn't just say that I found Friesa's white clothes for no reason, but I really need some evidence, and if there is no way to produce convincing evidence, Edwin may throw me out of here immediately." Grant curled his lips pretending to be pitiful, testing his attitude towards Edwin intentionally or unintentionally, "To be honest, I'm almost ready, let me try in the 'door', and you will know if it's true or not. Is it done?"

"How can I let you try it casually?" Zars was not fooled, turned the next page to read the content, and said calmly, "Would Edwin let you try it?"

"..."

This is beyond words.

There was no other way, Grant could only lower his head, and together with them, he took down all the books that mentioned Frieza from the bookshelf.Thanks to Edwin who can remember everything in these books, there are two shelves full of books around them, without his ridiculously good memory, they probably would have to search for several days.

In the end, they moved out three sets of books, put them in baskets and hung them upstairs, and then left the miniature library one by one.

Grant stood in front of a stack of papers, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Let me read them all and summarize them for you?" He said while resting his forehead.

"Don't worry, you have a week." Zales comforted him after getting the new case record, "Edwin and I are going to a village 300 kilometers away, and you can take the book with you. Come back when we get back."

"Can't I stay here and study?" Grant wondered.

This is actually a very normal request. After all, these three sets of books add up to half a person's height, and it is really inconvenient to carry them back and forth, but there is a reason for this, and Zars has no choice but to convey it according to Edwin's instructions.

He shrugged, and told Grant exactly what Edwin had said: "Edwin is afraid that you will sneak into the 'door' while he is away, so he does not agree to let you stay."

... Well, anyway, he is indeed a bankrupt person.

Grant reluctantly accepted this reason, saying that he would take the book back to his residence and drive over after they called.Zars felt a little sorry for refusing him to stay, so he helped him carry the bundled books to the door, and then asked, "How do you go?"

"How far is it, I'll take a taxi back." Grant exchanged mobile phone numbers with him, and took two steps outside with a book in his hand, "Don't worry, Edwin isn't here, I won't come here by myself, you don't have to look at me like that .”

Zals froze for a moment, realizing that he had been misunderstood, but he didn't say anything. He watched Grant walk up the street with a bundle of books, and walked slowly towards the intersection where there was a taxi.It was already dark, and only the street lamps were still conscientiously standing on both sides of the street, glowing and glowing. Seeing Grant's back getting smaller and smaller, and gradually walking to a place where he could not see, Zals suddenly thought, this was once the other side A very familiar residence.

Grant had worked at No. 179 for a long time, and he would not be completely indifferent to it. Now that he is replacing the other party, Zals feels a bit complicated, but he does not regret the decision to let Grant leave.

Edwin actually gave him a chance to choose: whether to allow Grant to stay here, the decision is in his hands, and Edwin will not interfere further after expressing his position.Zals chose to let Grant leave, not because he distrusted him so much, but because he felt that if he was allowed to stay, even if he made up his mind not to sneak through the "door" at the beginning, he would inevitably be tempted by its existence.

Yes, "The Door" is not a completely dead thing, it has its own unique allure, curiosity and obsession will become its means of motivating you, because it has been around for many years, wanting to peel off the seal that has bound itself for a long time.

It was from Edwin that Zals heard about this and that he didn't want Grant to stay at No. 179.

He didn't know if Grant was bewitched by the "door" last time, but now he was unwilling to let this possibility have a chance to come true.

"gone?"

Zals went upstairs and knocked on Edwin's door, and heard the people inside asking.

Gently pushing open the concealed door, Zals responded, pulled out the chair by the window and sat down opposite Edwin.

"What are you thinking? A look of reluctance."

"No, I just sent Grant away." Zars answered the wrong question, and as if thinking of something, he changed the subject and asked him, "When are we going to leave?"

It was almost time for bedtime, but Edwin didn't wear his usual nightgown, but changed into a rare black suit, with a hunting cap on his head, as if he was about to go out.Zals was still wearing his daytime clothes, he hadn't washed or prepared anything, and he felt a little apprehensive when he saw that he was ready and ready to go - he didn't tell him that he was going to leave, and he hadn't packed his things yet.

"I have something to do, and I'm going out later." Edwin's expression remained unchanged, he took the last sip from the coffee cup, and then said, "You can take a nap, I will be back tomorrow morning, and then set off again. "

"……Oh."

Since Edwin said so, it must be inconvenient to take his itinerary with him, and Zals didn't intend to ask more, and decided to wash and rest after the other party went out.But when Edwin stood up to put on his coat, he turned his head and looked at him for a while, as if thinking about something, and finally changed his mind.

"Forget it, you change your clothes and come with me." He said to Zars.

Half an hour later, Zales drove Edwin away from 179 Rockhill Street.

He changed into the same all-black clothes as Edwin, but since he didn't have a formal suit, he had to make do with a black T-shirt, which was pretty decent.Zals looked up at the rearview mirror, realizing that he did look like a driver compared to Edwin sitting in the back seat.

Before leaving, Edwin stopped him from dragging the suitcase and explained, "I'll be back tomorrow morning, so I don't need to bring the suitcase."

"Then what are we going to do?" Zales asked blankly.

"Go borrow a 'key'."

Until the navigation destination was set according to Edwin's intention, Zals who was driving still didn't understand where he was going and what he was going to do.Because Edwin's destination was in a national forest park, a wild forest located in the southeast, this kind of vast and uninhabited place, no matter what was in it, Zalls would not be surprised.

Strange, why did Edwin suddenly change his mind and decide to bring him along?

He didn't bury this question in his heart. After all, he was used to Edwin answering his boring questions. Zals drove the car and asked without thinking: "Why did you ask me to come with you?" ?”

To his surprise, Edwin slightly raised his eyebrows in the back seat, and did not answer his question immediately.

"You'll know when we get there." He closed his eyes and began to doze off.

The forest park is also open at night, and very few tourists choose to camp in it. Zals drove his car and stopped in front of the gate and talked to the gatekeeper, and got a sign representing camping tourists.

"There is no need for the tent, we have it with us, thank you."

He declined the gatekeeper who was selling tents, brushed the sign on the gate of the car entrance, and the closed gate opened in response.

Driving through the gate and on the way to the campsite inside, Zals looked at the dense forest in the distance and tried to distinguish the direction, muttering to himself: "Southeast...Where is the east?"

It didn't take him long to find the southeast, and drove to the location Edwin said.In the introduction of the forest park, there are no rare animals or unique landscapes in that area. It just happened to be included in the park planning and became a part of the park. It should be just a virgin forest.But the place Edwin would come to in the middle of the night without sleep, no matter how he thought about it, it would not be just a forest with nothing.

Zars had a general guess in his mind, and he wasn't sure, but what was certain was that there must be some important person in it.

Otherwise, Edwin wouldn't have come here looking for "keys" dressed as if he was going to a funeral.