The law of the silent gentleman

The Viscount de Ranchocourt was young, about 30 years old, in the prime of his life, with black hair cut very short, and a smile hidden under a well-groomed beard.He has the piercing eyes that are common to many rulers.He wears several rings on his hands, but he doesn't have a wedding ring, maybe he took it off on purpose, or he hasn't married yet (considering his age and status, it's quite rare).

He looked more like a majestic knight or a preaching priest than an ambitious nobleman.If he had seen him in other places, the assassin would definitely not have the thought of making him an enemy.

He and the bard were blindfolded by the soldiers and escorted to where the viscount was.After the blindfold was removed, they found themselves in the same room as the Viscount.

The Viscount sat at the end of a long stone table, on which stood a plate of wild berries, some cheese, and a bottle of wine.The wall behind the dining table was carved into a shrine, enshrining two statues of the deity, one black and one white, back to back.The idols had been enshrined here in ancient times, and had not been brought by the Viscount, for they were so dusty and cobwebbed that no one ever thought to clean them.The assassin believed in the ancient gods, and he recognized the two idols as the black and white twin goddesses - gods of immortality and rebirth - worshiped in the north.The appearance of the black god is a plump young woman, while the white god is a thin girl.

"Why do the two guests keep staring at the statue?" Viscount de Ranchocourt raised his eyebrows. "Compared to my living master, the two guests are more interested in the cold statue?"

The assassin and the bard stood at the other end of the long table, with their hands tied behind their backs, and a gray-clothed soldier stood on the left and right.

"I believe in the ancient gods." The assassin had nothing to hide, it was the truth anyway.

"Is this bard too?"

The poet stared at the viscount curiously: "No, I'm just surprised that there are statues of ancient gods where you are. You shouldn't believe this, right?"

De Ranchocourt laughed: "The statue was there when I found it, and I didn't bother to replace it."

The poet said "ah", as if he was convinced of something. "This was originally a fortress built by the ancient dwarves, and it is not uncommon to enshrine the statues of the twin goddesses. In ancient times, the twin goddesses were the most revered gods, regardless of the above-ground world or the underground world. The white goddess Moliye is the immortal god, In charge of all things that are eternal. The dwarves in the underground world love architecture and sculpture, and believe that art and beauty are eternal. The black goddess Shainluo is the god of death and rebirth, and the cycle of life, symbolizing that all things will be born and Death, and then rebirth, is the god of harvest, fertility, and guardianship of the dead. The elves of the earthly world believe that the journey of life has no end, but is transformed round after round in different forms. Later, the dragons came and conquered the land. Ancient Faith in the gods fades, and no one remembers them until the 'revival of faith'..."

De Ranchocourt interrupted his preaching tirade with an impatient wave of his hand. "I invited the two of you here not to listen to stories. My subordinates told me, do you know my purpose?"

The poet is not annoyed at being interrupted in his narrative.He calmly answered the Viscount's question: "Yes."

The viscount changed his position on the seat, propped his thigh with one hand, and scratched his beard with the other. "Why don't you tell me?"

"At first I thought your goal was the treasures of the dwarven kingdom buried deep underground. It is said that when the ancient peoples evacuated on the 'Black Crane Boat', many treasures that could not be taken away were left in the underground capital. But that is just unofficial history Just anecdotal. You wouldn't go to such lengths with a fabled legend unless you had unmistakable evidence. You must have other goals. Until I heard the name of the mountain..."

The poet raised his head, as if recalling something, "'Chevignon'. In the ancient imperial language, it means 'the place where the dragon rests'. The underground city here was once destroyed by the dragon, and then it was occupied by it. For a long time, the dragon slept here, waiting for the day of awakening."

Not even the beard could hide de Ranchocourt's smile.

The assassin stared at the poet in shock.He always thought that the purpose of the viscount was the underground treasure, but he never thought of this!Why does the bard know so much, and keep it secret along the way?

The poet said: "I guess, that dragon should be the legendary 'Dragon God' who assisted the two emperors Omaran and Darien and crowned them with the supreme crown—Rishtani, right?"

The Vicomte de Ranchocourt could not help applauding. "I'm impressed. Can you deduce so much information from just one place name?"

"Of course not. I have been to your territory and inquired about some news in Ponto City. Your mother is a female nobleman who married from afar from the neighboring country Muchania. After the last emperor of the second dynasty announced his abdication, the empire It fell apart, and each territory declared independence, forming many small countries. Due to the influence of "faith revival", most countries converted to the ancient gods, and only Muchania still adhered to the dragon god belief, because in Muka When Nia was still the Grand Duchy, Grand Duke Richard married the last princess of the Second Dynasty, and thus claimed to be the orthodox heir to the empire. Since Lingtang is a Muchanian, it is also possible to pass on his religious beliefs to his son. Within reason."

"I do believe in the Dragon God, but is there any connection between what religion I believe and my purpose of coming to Mount Chevignon?"

"I have already said that Chevignon is the place where the dragon god sleeps. Your real purpose is to awaken the sleeping dragon."

The poet fixed his silver eyes on the Viscount de Ranchocourt, and said word by word: "Because there is a rumor in the Dragon God Cult that the Dragon God will bestow supreme power on those who are qualified. Your ambition is not small, you know?" Y. de Ranchocourt, not satisfied with the status of Viscount, wants to become 'Guy the Great'?"

"Dragon?!" Antoine exclaimed, "You mean the dragon god in ancient times? Dragons really exist?"

Giannis coughed violently again.Giuliano pats him on the back worriedly.After the seizure passed, Giannis panted and said hoarsely: "Of course it exists. I am a scholar who specializes in the study of dragons. I have... published several papers proving the existence of dragons. But it is different from most people's ideas. Different, I think dragons are not gods, but a kind of high-level intelligent creature, just like...cough coughcough..." He coughed a few times, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his chest heaved violently, "Like some kind of monster. The dragon family Just a wonderful creature. They are strong, beautiful, able to fly, and have extraordinary power. Human wizards, alchemists can manipulate elements and magic, and dragons can, and they are more powerful and skilled than humans. But they It's not an unattainable god..."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and continued: "I have studied history and collected many folk legends. I think the so-called 'Dragon God' is the result of the ignorant ancients deifying the extraordinary dragon. For the ancients, the powerful Isn't the dragon just as respectable and awesome as a god? Or maybe, the "Dragon God" is a myth deliberately fabricated by the rulers in order to consolidate their own status. Legend has it that both Emperor Omaran and Emperor Darion have received thunder from the Dragon God. The help of Shitani, is this a means of the ruler? In order to find the truth, I left Akton and came to Lorjan. My destination is this mountain... Chevignon, in the old saying It means 'Wyrm's Rest', and I think this is where the dragon Reshtani sleeps. I want to find it to prove my point. Unfortunately, I even met De Ranchogu gang."

His body shook and he couldn't hold it anymore.Giuliano helped him to lie down.The thin scholar was trembling, a layer of red appeared on his pale face, and he was very excited.

"They brought you here?" asked Antoine.

The scholar gave a slight "hmm" in agreement. "They killed my guide and bodyguard, I had to submit..."

"Why did the Viscount de Ranchocourt look for dragons? ... Certainly not for academic research."

Yannis smiled contemptuously: "He is so ambitious that he wants to be an emperor so much that he wants to go crazy, and he actually tries to ask the 'Dragon God' for help... Ahem... Do you know that he believes that as long as he gets the approval of the Dragon God, he can conquer the world?" He shut me down here and asked me to find the trace of the 'Dragon God' for him. I persuaded him to give up, but he refused. In the end he felt that it didn't matter if Rishthani was a god or a monster. If it was a god If it is a monster, he will tame it, let it be his minion, and conquer the world for him. It's really... really wishful thinking..."

Giuliano tugged at the hem of his shirt uneasily.If the viscount's purpose is to hunt for treasure, it's easy to understand.But he was looking for the dragon?It's a fantasy!In his opinion, the Viscount is simply crazy!

"But you didn't find it, did you?" he asked. "There are no dragons?"

The scholar gave him a blank look, "Of course it exists! Look... look at this underground city..." He turned his head and looked at the ruins in the huge hollow, "This used to be a dwarf city, but it was destroyed... Who Can it be done? Who has such power? Only the dragon. It has taken possession of the ruins and made it its lair. I have found other evidence..."

His bloodless lips trembled, "Those giant poisonous spiders...they are not ordinary spiders, but 'spider guards', a creature closely related to the dragon clan, and it can even be said...under the domination of the dragon clan. The dragon is sleeping At times, the spider guards would spin webs around it to protect it from intruders, and those daring intruders were the spider guard's reward and delicious meal. Since there were spider guards here, it meant that there were dragons... at least there used to be dragons. The small number of spider guards means that the dragon has already left or is hiding. If I can... go down to the ruins and find more evidence, maybe I can... solve the mystery of the dragon's whereabouts..."

The scholar coughed violently again.This time the episodes were longer than usual.He covered his lips, but blood flowed from between his fingers.For a moment, Giuliano thought that the scholar might just die.But he eventually recovered.

"I was bitten by... a poisonous spider, and I won't live long. It's a pity, I've already reached this place..." He said, a tear of unwillingness slipped down the corner of his eye.Giuliano couldn't help feeling sorry for him.He is a scholar who only wants to learn, why must he suffer such torture?

"I have a wish...a...last wish..." Giannis gritted his teeth and spit out that terrible word, "Can I ask you..."

Antoine already had tears in his eyes. "Please tell me, as long as I can do it, I will do it for you!"

"On the table in the room... there is a notebook... please bring it for me..."

Antoine fetched the notes like a whirlwind and handed them to Giannis for confirmation.

"That's right, that's it..." The scholar touched the note, and put it back in Antoine's hands with great care, "I have a younger sister named Constantia, who is also studying at Akton University... Like me, she is also a scholar who studies dragons... Please, give her my research notes..."

"I will hand it over to Miss Constantia myself!" Antoine burst into tears.

"Then... that's good... I believe you..." Giannis' voice gradually dropped, "After I die, please leave my body... here... this place... I've already... ...I really want to see it with my own eyes..."

The following words turned into vague murmurs, gradually becoming inaudible.Giuliano and Antoine waited for a while until the scholar was completely quiet.

It was so quiet.Everything is eerily silent in this huge artificially dug hollow, the ruins of this ancient city.It was as if the world had been destroyed, and they were the only ones isolated in the boundless world; it was as if the entire river of time washed away everything, leaving only these three lonely people.They are in the majestic torrent of history, and they can touch those legends that are thought to have been annihilated long ago—not the boring words they read from books, but the real history.At this moment, Giuliano felt himself a part of a long history, connected to ancient generations through the power of language.Did the refugees who broke into the ancient temple feel the same way?Did they feel the same awe-inspiring silence when they awakened the sleeping elven priests, converted to the ancient gods, and retrieved the lost faith?

Giuliano reaches out to feel for Giannis' pulse, then withdraws his hand like lightning.

He found nothing.The scholar's heartbeat has stopped.