Shut up, brave man! I don't want to atone for my sins to you!

Only Charles was left standing there, completely confused and bewildered.

He couldn't understand why the relationship between the witch and the priest became so good.

When the pastor first appeared two days ago, the two of them were at loggerheads, and it was either you or me, but now...

The two of them understand each other so well that they almost seem like one person.

How strange...

Charles couldn't help but sigh in his heart, then shook his head, throwing away the messy thoughts from his mind.

The most important thing now is to meet Longjin I.

So he quickly caught up with the witch and the priest.

……

The three of them crossed the street and soon arrived at the palace of Longjin I.

Charles originally thought that meeting Longkin I would be troublesome, just like meeting emperors of other countries in the outside world.

But the reality was not what he imagined.

They only needed to identify themselves and explain their purpose to the guards. Not long after, someone hurried out of the palace, saluted them, and led them into the palace, through this small complex of buildings, and finally stopped in front of a palace.

"His Majesty is waiting for you inside." The guard told them respectfully.

After he said that, he turned around and left without waiting for the three to thank him.

The three of them couldn't help but look at each other.

The guards did not check whether they were carrying weapons, nor did they even ask to check the holy sword on Charles' waist...

Although the title of a hero is a guarantee in itself, and although Longjin I himself is a very powerful wizard, is this... is this a bit too simple?

Skipping all the unnecessary red tape and getting straight to the point - Charles clearly felt that he should be thankful for this.

After all, he has never liked those troublesome procedures and etiquette.

But now that all these red tapes have been removed, he feels somewhat uncomfortable. Perhaps this is what Lacie once told him, the so-called Ye Gong who loves dragons very much?

Ciel thought about it, glanced at the witch out of the corner of his eye, and took the lead:

"Then let's go in."

The witch and priest behind him responded with actions instead.

The two of them followed the brave man and walked into the palace with him.

……

At least on the surface, there seemed to be nothing unusual in the palace.

Longjin I seemed to be as incorruptible as Charles had guessed before, and his palace was far less magnificent than other palaces in the human kingdoms outside the world that Charles had visited. There were no carved beams and painted buildings, gorgeous totems embellished with gemstones, extremely luxurious and extravagant gold and silver decorations, precious carpets, and spices from the East.

Everything here can even be described as simple.

All the furnishings were so ordinary and dull, not even as good as the paradise built by the wealthy outside. However, in a sense, Longjin I might also be called the richest emperor.

——His palace was filled with books.

It extended from the door all the way to the deepest darkness, with only a winding path in the middle, and the rest was filled with books.

It was like a sea of ​​books.

The three of them walked on the path in the middle of the sea of ​​books that had not yet been flooded. A cold light fell above their heads, without any warmth and the brightness was not satisfactory. At most, it could only illuminate a small area around the path.

Perhaps they should feel lucky.

After all, the sea of ​​books is not a real sea. It will not cause ripples or waves. Even if they walk on a path that looks like a single-plank bridge, they don’t have to worry about being swallowed by the sea.

But Ciel still felt... weird.

Why did Long Jin I collect so many books? What was his purpose? And was all this related to Diesel's abnormality?

With these questions in mind, Charles led the witch and the priest slowly through the sea of ​​books and came to the end of the palace.

[To be continued]

-

61.The Emperor and the Letter

The three of them traveled in the sea of ​​books and slowly came to the end of the palace under the guidance of the cold light above their heads.

There, they finally met the Emperor of Diesel, Longkin I.

The emperor's appearance was not as majestic, strong and tall as his subjects praised him to be. On the contrary, although he wore a crown and a gorgeous robe, from a distance he looked even thinner than ordinary people, like a frail scholar.

But perhaps he was a scholar.

The White Tower never cultivates overlords or emperors. It only exports excellent wizards and scholars to the Pan-Continent. As for what kind of work they will do after leaving the White Tower, the White Tower never cares about it. This is the principle that the White Tower has always adhered to. The original intention of Laceel and Lao Deng to establish the White Tower was to explore the truth, and by the way...

By the way, they hope to make Pangaea a better place.

Long Jin I once studied abroad in Bai Ta. Although he left Bai Ta before completing his studies, it was inevitable that many unique traces of Bai Ta were left on him.

For example, a simple life, respect for books, and an almost fanatical pursuit of knowledge.

When the three met Longjin I, he was taking a nap on a throne made of books.

The cold white light from the roof fell on the emperor's body like a veil, gently wrapping him up and erasing the only trace of his majesty, making the emperor look a little...

Pitiful.

Charles suddenly remembered that since becoming the emperor of Diesel, Longjin I had become a lonely man.

In the past, he had Mad John and like-minded friends by his side; now he is praised by his subjects and fanatically supported by the Diesel people, but there is no one beside his throne.

The only things that accompanied the emperor all day long were loneliness and the boundless sea of ​​books.

But Charles was still ready to draw the holy sword at any time, and the witch and priest behind him also took out their wands and staffs at the same time.

Perhaps sensing the approaching hostility, the emperor slowly opened his eyes in the pile of books.

A moment of confusion flashed across his almost black pupils, but he quickly came to his senses.

Then the emperor closed the unfinished book between his knees and carefully placed it on the pile of books beside him. Then he stood up and looked at the brave man, the witch, and the priest who had appeared in front of him at some point.

His gaze briefly lingered on the faces of the hero and the priest, and finally fell on the face of the witch.

The emperor showed a slightly nostalgic expression.

"You are..." He opened his mouth and uttered a hoarse and low voice, "The Witch of Twilight?"

The witch nodded:

"Yes."

"It's really you... cough," the emperor said, and suddenly covered his chest and coughed twice, "This makes me... a little surprised."

"Accident?" The witch asked subconsciously.

"Yes, it was an accident." The emperor replied calmly.

A smile as vague and fleeting as morning dew appeared on his thin and old face.

Then he said:

"Thirty years ago, when I was still studying at the White Pagoda, I heard of your name..."

"Dawn and Dusk Witch Lacele, you are a top witch who is in no way inferior to Dean Verliden. Without your help, the White Tower would not have been built from scratch."

"Back then, when I was still studying in the White Tower, you were a legend among us students..." The emperor paused and made a joke that didn't quite fit his temperament. "At that time, there was even a rumor that anyone who could see you would gain the favor of the God of Magic."

The witch didn't know how to respond after hearing this, so she remained silent for a moment and said "hmm" softly.

The emperor nodded:

"But I didn't get to see you until I left the White Tower. Dean Verliden told us that you were a loner and didn't like interacting with people, so you left the White Tower early and I don't know where you went to live in seclusion."

He let out a soft sigh from his throat, as if reminiscing about some carefree times that had passed.

"Seeing you reminds me of the past."

The emperor sighed.

Then, he turned around and looked at the brave man who calmly moved his feet and stood in front of the witch.

"You seem worried about what I might do to the Lady of the Twilight Witch," he said to Ciel, "but you don't have to be so nervous, hero of the present world. I am only a secular emperor. How could I threaten a real witch?"

Longjin I's tone was extremely humble, without any of the majesty of an emperor.

But for some reason, his words were particularly convincing. Even Charles, who had been on high alert, could not help but relax after hearing his words and explained in a low voice:

"I'm sorry, but the situation is special. Diesel is now..."

At this point, Charles' voice stopped abruptly.

He did not reveal to Longkin I all his speculations about the disaster of thirty years ago.

That's enough of what he said, at least that's what he thought.

If Longjin I was truly their friend rather than their enemy, he would have guessed what he was thinking and spoken the next words on his behalf.

And if Longjin I had been corrupted by the Slender Man, or if he was like the other Diesel people, and was disturbed by some kind of cognitive barrier, then...

Charles' thoughts were interrupted here.

Because he saw that a look of doubt appeared on Longjin I's face that was not disguised.

"What did you say?" the emperor asked, "What happened to Diesel?"

"..."

Charles' heart slowly sank.

Sure enough, just as he guessed, Longjin I seemed to have his cognition disturbed, just like the other Diesel people.

But he did not give up. He tried to make Longjin I aware of Diesel's abnormality through indirect methods.

"Before us, two investigators from the White Tower came to Diesel... Do you have any impression of them?" he asked.

Long Jin I was stunned for a moment, and replied:

"I did meet with two investigators from the White Tower, but I don't know if they are the two you are talking about."

He recalled and said:

"It was a young man and an old gentleman, both of whom came to me, but later, they both left Diesel."

"..."

Ciel sighed inwardly.

He didn't know about the young man, but the old man who came to Diesel first...

Did that old man really leave Diesel?

Thinking of this, Charles couldn't help but ask:

"So...what did they both talk to you about?"

However, Longkin I was much smarter than Charles thought. As soon as Charles said this, he frowned and asked back:

"Why are you asking this? Did something happen to the two investigators after they left Diesel?"

Apparently, even he himself thought this inference made sense, so he immediately added:

"No wonder. I felt strange as early as when I met the second investigator. Although I left the White Tower thirty years ago, I have heard of the so-called investigator's code. Of course, in the thirty years since I left the White Tower, the investigator's code may have changed a lot..."

Longjin I suddenly turned and looked at the witch.

"But if I remember correctly, investigators usually act alone. It is rare for two investigators to go to the same place to investigate, unless..."

His expression became serious, and his black eyes showed a hint of hesitation:

"Unless something really happened in that place, and the investigators who went there failed to complete their mission successfully."

"Three of you," Long Jin I asked in a low voice as if he understood something, "Did you come to Diesel this time because something unusual happened in Diesel?"

Immediately afterwards, he asked again:

"Does your arrival mean that the first two investigators who came to Diesel failed to complete their mission? Have they already..."