A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

"Hey... Maya? What happened?"

he asks.

"...that girl you told me on the phone yesterday..."

Maya, pale and with trembling lips, handed him the newspaper.

Leon, who took over the newspaper, saw the report on it, "The Nasdaq index suffered a severe setback", no, no, no, it wasn't this one, it was a report the size of a tofu cube on the other side - "New Generation Supermodel Confirmed Missing" .

The report also attached a bust photo, which was taken from the huge photo of Sakaki Erika who once climbed on the glass curtain wall of the shopping mall.

Leon's head buzzed, and the blood that he had just thrown into the depths of his memory resurfaced again, causing his stomach to churn, and he rushed barefoot into the small bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet and retching for a while.

But this sudden nausea also awakened something that he had neglected in his subconscious mind. Before the worried girlfriend came in, he propped up his body and walked quickly into the living room of the house while shaking. darkroom.

Although the apartment is not very big, he still specially separated a darkroom for developing photos, and set up a separate sealed space and a sink at the door of the darkroom to wash away the chemicals that might be on his arms. potion.

The film shot yesterday was placed there, and the man quickly started to get busy with his hands and feet.

As a photographer, especially someone who shoots with a film camera, Leon couldn't be more professional about the process.Even though the current condition is not very good, he still adjusted the primer quickly, pulled out the film and photo paper, and started developing.

The word "processing" itself describes the basic method of operation. The developer and fixer are all ready-made. After half an hour, Leon took out the magnifying glass and searched for the photos hanging there to dry.

Sure enough, in the photos taken before that recorded the incident on the stairs at the entrance of the subway, apart from the helpless Erika Sakaki and the black gangster staring at the camera with a full face, there was also a strong man who was almost hidden in the corner. back view.

Carrying a large square bag, a gray suit, unusually broad shoulders, and a neat cropped hair as if cut by a sickle.

That's the guy, the murderer who swung the meat hammer in the subway car!

What happened last night was definitely not his hallucination, it was something that really happened!

Leon walked out of the dark room, hugged his restless girlfriend tightly, and comforted him softly.

No, it's better not to tell her these things... It was hard for her to be happy because she had made some money recently. If she knew that she was involved in such a bloody crime, she would definitely be worried to death.

"It's okay, Maya, I was just taken aback, because I met this person last night, so I couldn't accept it for a while."

The smart girlfriend Maya has already heard something wrong, and asked him seriously: "Then you went to the police station last night also had something to do with her?"

"...Yes." Leon could only answer, "Because I was the last person to see her last night, so I have to assist in the investigation."

Hearing that this is reasonable, Maya finally felt relieved, kissed his face, rubbed his shoulders and said, "If you're really in a bad condition, you can rest at home today. I have to go to work, there is something in the refrigerator I'll be back in the evening for the rest of the meal."

Maya's job is in a small restaurant that Lyon also frequents, where she is the day waitress.

But because both of them are vegetarians, and the job is not very lucrative, she already thought about finding another job to make a living.

After his girlfriend went out, Leon didn't stay at home as she asked, but went out and called the police officer from yesterday.

"I have new evidence and will go to the police station later."

A while later, in the police station, the black female police officer reluctantly put down the magnifying glass in her hand and shook her head.

"Your picture is well taken, sir...but it doesn't prove anything, and we still have no direct evidence of his involvement in any incident. We will not conclude that someone The suspect's... especially since Ms. Sakaki Erika has been missing for less than 10 hours now."

That was all she had to say, but Leon knew what she really wanted to say.

When you witness a murder, if you directly raise your camera, wouldn't it be great to take a picture of that scene?

Lyon, who was standing at the entrance of the police station, suddenly remembered the subway again. Seeing that it was still early, he simply turned around and walked towards the subway station next to the police station.

After a few transfers, he came to the subway station at 112th Street...the terminus of that subway line.

Sure enough, there is an atmosphere where violent crimes or biohazard events will happen. Compared with other stations in New York City, it is more dilapidated, and there are even suspicious dark yellow traces that have not been cleaned beside the pillars.

Even the staff here are lazy and have no intention of working hard at all.No wonder the violence happened near here, because no one was paying attention to the train carriages. Only a very small number of passengers got off the train at the terminal, and the whole place was shrouded in an atmosphere almost equivalent to that of the wilderness. atmosphere of.

However, among the trains that passed here, there was not a single train that had no plastic seats and was covered in silver-gray metal. He waited in the subway station for a long time, until the staff of the New York subway noticed him and came to chase people away. can wait.

Moreover, even if he waited for that train, or even that person, what could he do?That guy is a strong man with extraordinary strength just by looking at his appearance, and judging from the scene where he can smash the skull of an adult with a single hammer, this strength is not ordinary.

Speaking of this, Leon thought of the eyeballs that had been squeezed out of the woman's eye sockets again, and couldn't help feeling a little sick.

Facing a murderous devil of that level, he couldn't do anything at all.Photography can't really absorb the soul of human beings!

"Wait... the guy in that strange bar must be quite strong, right? If I ask him for help, will he..."

Leon didn't have any awareness not to involve others in the incident, especially the other party was obviously too strong a man, and the two oversized swords behind him didn't look like a joke!

It's just that he is not near his home now, that is, he is not near the street where the bar was last time.If you want to go there to attract people, do you have to go back first?

Leon, who was thinking this way, subconsciously looked at the buildings on the street while walking, and then saw the wooden door that was extremely conspicuous on the wall of the modern building.

The neon sign of "BAR" was hung on the wooden door, and there was no other decoration; people passing by in a hurry turned a blind eye to the door, only Leon stopped and looked at it with a troubled face.

How to describe it... Is this bar a bit like chewing gum stuck to the soles of leather shoes?There is a feeling that I can't shake it off...

Chapter 7 The Amazons

Although Lyon had already made up his mind, it was the big Dosten who came to the tavern first on this day.

While photographer Leon was still in the subway station of his own world, waiting for a train that seemed to never appear, Dosten walked in again and nodded to Xue Li behind the bar.

"Have another glass of that wine from last time."

As he spoke, he took out a few more gold coins from his bag.

"It seems that it is quite easy for you to make money, and you have made a fortune in such a short period of time." Xue Li said, put the money in the drawer, and served a glass of strong wine to the big man.

"It wouldn't have been this easy."

Dosten's face was a little dignified, but he just shook his head, didn't say anything, turned around and sat down at his own table.

He is not a person who likes to tell others about his plight, especially this tavern is not in their world yet...

That's right, he has nothing unacceptable to the setting of "coming from outside the world". After all, the so-called "world" is dormant deep in the Arreat volcano... The duty of every generation of Harrogath is to guard It, even those who go out as mercenaries and start adventures like him, will consciously return to the northern plateau after a period of time.

The Harrogath people who died in a foreign land often tell their companions that the dying request is "the fallen leaves return to their roots"; even if their strong bodies no longer exist, their souls will become the eternal guards of the Worldstone Fortress.

Speaking of money... Gold is not only a currency, but also a relatively good magical power carrier, so it is very valuable even in the eyes of non-human races.Not only those evil races with certain intelligence like the "fallen demon" will collect them, even zombies or beasts that have no intelligence and only act on instinct will pick up gold and carry it with them because of their natural affinity for magic.

Of course, there are also regenerated corpses, which were collected slowly after waking up, and those that were carried with them before death, but the amount is not much.

Dosten's wallet swelled up quickly, not only because he took some money from Elder Nihlasek before leaving, but also because he encountered too many monsters on the road—too abnormal.

As long as he could remember, he had been adventuring in the wild with adult warriors, helping people clearing up fields to clean up wild animals, but he had never seen such things as regenerated corpses appearing in groups.

He is sensitively aware that something bad is happening in the world he lives in...but he doesn't know what it is.

He was just a warrior, the type to charge straight up with a sword in the face of evil creatures, who could neither decide nor change the world; but he blew the horn anyway, and the warning sound echoed through the mountains , I hope that the piles of monster corpses and the message he left nearby can make the clan vigilant in advance.

Seeing that he was just drinking in silence and not interested in talking, Xue Li could only shrug his shoulders and continue to busy with his own affairs.

At this moment, the door of the tavern was pushed open again.

In came another new guest, also tall and strong...for a woman.

This female guest has long blond hair, a tall figure, and a rather wild dress style. Under the bright red tights, her abdomen and navel are exposed. Looking down, you can also see two dazzling smooth thighs under the skirt .

She wears straps on her knees, forearms and elbows. She looks agile and capable. She has healthy and round limbs, a strong waist line, and vaguely visible streamlined muscles. She has excellent proportions and is biased towards wheat. Skin, sexy body like a female leopard, ready to pounce to hunt its prey at any time.

Like Dorsten, the female guest was also armed in all parts of her body that would not interfere with movement.She carried a roll of javelins on her back, a small buckler hanging outside the javelins, a bow and quiver hanging diagonally from her waist, a skinning knife and a dagger next to her shoes, and belts were tied under the ribs on both sides and hung with iron rings Two crescent scimitars.

Her face was painted with red blitz marks, but even so, she could see the beauty and heroism of the face under the sword eyebrows.Even in this strange place, she didn't have any sense of recognition or embarrassment, she just glanced around generously, and nodded to the other guests who met her gaze.

The lady came over and saw Dosten at a certain table next to her. She smiled and sat down on another chair at the same table.

"Why, Highlander! How do you do? It's rare to see a warrior like you in the Isles."

In fact, the first sentence she opened her mouth was to call her "barbarian"...but that was too disrespectful.

Others probably have a sense of superiority and contempt for these tribesmen from the edge of civilization, but the Amazons certainly don't.In terms of the degree of openness, the Skovo Islands are not necessarily comparable to the tribes in the northern highlands.

Dosten just looked up at her and nodded in greeting.

The Amazons are all women... This has something to do with their social habits, and people in this world are used to it.But don't underestimate their fighting power because of this. If there is a race in this world that can challenge the Harrogas with their own strength and skills, it must be the Amazons.

The Amazon lady also took out two identical gold coins and handed them to Daiger who came over. By the way, she looked at her outfit curiously, and then turned around and asked, "My name is Cassia, handsome boy, what's your name?" ?”

"Little handsome guy?" Hearing this, Xue Li expressed that his mood was not stable. How could a bald man over two meters tall and full of muscles be called a little handsome guy?But if you look closely, Dosten's face is indeed very young.

"Dorsten. I'm not near the archipelago, but I think... since this tavern doesn't belong to our world, you can walk in no matter where you are."

The Harrogath answered.

The Amazonian Cassia frowned, and she didn't have a strange feeling... She has been to almost all the countries on this continent, but she has never seen a place where the residents are like the guest who met her eyes just now Like that, yellow skin, black eyes, like to wear long robes.

Are you saying this is a different world?It also makes sense.

Moreover, the lamp above the head does not seem to be supported by any magical power, but the light is bright and stable, better than any oil lamp in a noble's home.

"No wonder I felt like using a portal when I walked in just now."

Cassia touched her chin and whispered to herself.

The teleportation spell is one of the most popular spells in Sanctuary. Even civilians without any magical power can use it. You only need to tear off the scroll that specially seals the spell and throw it on the ground before the magic power circuit is activated. Can create a portal that can lead to a specified location in the scroll record.

The promotion of this spell is largely due to the research of the Horadrim Order... that greatly reduces the cost of manufacturing scrolls, and a mage apprentice who has prepared enough mana potions can make thousands of scrolls in a day .

Horadrim... Another name that has long since disappeared into history.

At least Cassia didn't know anything about what this order had done, except for things related to teleportation scrolls.

When Daige brought her a glass of sparkling wine, seeing the translucent liquid with gold in the powder in the glass, she was not only amazed but also amazed.

Sanctuary doesn't have such good wine, she's sure.

She murmured an apology to the young Highlander, and walked to the bar with her glass in hand.

"... Boss? Could you please introduce this tavern?"

"Of course." Xue Li put down the book in his hand, "Although everything that needs to be said has been written on the whiteboard over there, I am willing to answer for you, guest."

After introducing the feature of this tavern connecting different worlds, Boss Xue also specially emphasized: "Under normal circumstances, guests who come here are about to encounter important events that can change their lives. I wish you good luck."

And at this moment, as if to prove his words, a certain freelance photographer also walked in at this time.

Leon's expression is much more negative than the two people sitting at the table, feeling a combination of frustration, fear, shock, despair and other emotions.

As soon as he saw Dosten, he walked over quickly as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, and said earnestly to the strong man, "...please help me."

Dosten, who was drinking, heard this and could only ask him to sit down and ask in detail what he could do to help him.

The so-called non-fighting does not know each other... Although the two had a little conflict when they met, it was not the other party's fault at all, but Dosten, who overreacted, was more responsible.Although that matter has passed, he still feels a little sorry, if there is something that can help the other party, he will not refuse.

But what Leon wanted to say might not be so common... After drinking a glass of wine and calming down a little, he told this tall and strong man what he had seen and heard.

As he described what he experienced bit by bit, the faces of Dosten and Cassia who came back and sat at the table became more and more serious.

Dosten was not very good at words, so he could only turn his head and look at Cassia, waiting for her to speak.

The Amazon soldier gritted his teeth, regardless of whether the two matters were related to him, and asked directly: "The most important question is, are you sure you didn't see satisfaction from the murderer's face at that time."

"Absolutely not, that was the thing that impressed me the most..." Leon swallowed nervously, "His expression was completely calm, as if he was completing a job that had been done thousands of times."

Cassia closed her eyes slightly, and her voice was already filled with anger: "People who are naturally fond of doing evil will never remain indifferent at that time...or they will scream like fallen demons, or they will Showing a distorted expression as if possessed. I really wonder what kind of demon created such a guy.... Highlander, your name is Dorsten? This is your friend, do you want to help him?"

"Let's go."

Dosten's answer was simple, nodding towards the Amazon.

As everyone in Sanctuary knows, the Harrogaths and Amazons are the most loyal allies you can find.

[113. No. 113]

Chapter 8 Frontiers of Civilization

Before heading off to another world, Dosten briefly spoke to his new comrades about his discovery.

He said: "The world has become less peaceful. In the ice at the foot of Mount Arreat, countless regenerated corpses are about to move. An evil force is secretly operating, but I don't know what it will be."

Cassia nodded, and answered with a serious expression while checking the bowstring: "I also have a similar feeling. Before returning to the islands, I have been accepting combat employment near Lugoin, and the monsters there have recently become more ferocious. Now, the originally peaceful trade roads are no longer so safe... beetles, vultures, giant eagles, no matter what they suddenly become bloodthirsty."

"So what do you think is going on?" Dosten asked her.

"...don't know... I guess no one in this world knows. Maybe it's just a common phenomenon caused by the magic tide, but maybe it's a precursor to a bigger disaster. It's a pity that none of us can predict the future. "

Speaking of this, Cassia seemed to suddenly remember something, and her expression changed suddenly.

Can you predict the future... There really was a legend in the clan, saying that there were not only warlike Amazons on the Skovo Islands, but also another secret group composed of not-so-strong women —The Order of the Blind Sisters.

The artifact they master is "blind eyes", which can see through time, understand the past and predict the future.

The Order of the Blind Sisters had exhorted the elders because of the Amazon's notorious cruelty to men; but the elders of course ignored an organization that was utterly incapable of holding power in a martial nation.

From that day on, the blind nuns hurried away with their artifacts, and it is said that the last descendants participated in the battle of Tristram that sealed Diablo, the king of fear.