Who is he?

It was a past worthy of being written in the songs of bards, but now it has become dark yellow and old. When the old man mentioned the name Hawthorne, he felt as if it was a lifetime ago.

He stayed here alone, repaying the people of Nail Town for saving his life. Everyone called him the Knight, so much so that he almost forgot his own name. It was not until he mentioned his name to others again that he realized that he had never forgotten it.

Hawthorne wiped off the dust on his armor and asked in a low voice, "What do you want from me?"

Countless characters flashed across the unscrupulous businessman's vision, marking the value of human equality. The content covered is innumerable.

"Your soul is valuable, but I don't think you will give it to me. Well... I'm not a philanthropist. If you are willing to give me the most precious thing in your life, I promise to help you."

Hawthorne was silent for a moment: "Deal."

An illusory contract appeared in the air, and as the two people spoke, it burned without fire, forming a mysterious connection.

The profiteer's smile suddenly became more genuine: "No problem, we can start tonight."

"I see. I need a moment to polish my armor and sword and take care of my old buddy. Please help yourself."

Hawthorne stood up and rudely pretended to drive the customer away. The profiteer went back into the house and covered the secret compartment and put the table in place. Just as he finished these things, there was a knock on the door.

"Master Knight, I'm here to bring you breakfast!"

The profiteer opened the door, and Daisy was still carrying a big basket. When she saw him, she greeted him happily: "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Daisy. I went to your chat yesterday, but it seemed like everyone didn't welcome me."

"Eh?" Daisy looked confused and thought hard. "Hmm... maybe it's because everyone was so grumpy yesterday? Come back today, everyone will definitely treat you well!"

"Of course, of course."

The profiteer took the basket with a smile. The little girl looked at the flexible bandage curiously: "What is this? It's magical."

The black-robed merchant replied in a singing voice, "Are you interested in it? This is my hands and feet, this is my skin, my mouth, nose and ears, and also my weapon. I use it to touch the world."

This answer sounded a little scary. Daisy rubbed her ears, confused and unconsciously skipped the topic, and put on a smiling face again.

"Wait till you finish your meal, and let's continue playing today! I'm the only kid in town, and everyone has things to do. I'm so bored."

"OK."

The profiteer casually put breakfast on the table and happily went out with Daisy.

Aunt Penny smiled and stuffed the bread into Daisy's arms. Uncle Dale sat at the door and smoked a cigarette. Joseph was talking to the old lady. Everyone in the village was peaceful and quiet. They smiled and greeted the two of them. Even though they were poor, kindness still warmed people's hearts.

What a nice town this is! Daisy recommended it to the businessman without any effort: "You will definitely like it here."

"You are right, but this place is too small for a businessman." The profiteer said, "I am always trapped here. Where can I go to buy goods?"

Daisy was very surprised. "Are you a businessman? I have never seen a living businessman. Mom said that businessmen always come to town in a big carriage. Where is your carriage?"

"My products are good things that don't require a carriage. Do you want to buy anything?"

"Whatever you want to buy?"

“You can buy anything.”

"Then I want everyone in this town to be happy forever!"

The two of them talked as they walked, and unknowingly came to a place they had never been to before.

Unlike the harmony of the town, the cemetery stood silently behind the town. Surrounded by solid iron railings, it exuded an inhuman coldness. Through the gate, you can see the tombstones inside. The profiteer was about to go in, but the girl stopped him in an uncharacteristic way.

"We can't go in. The cemetery is only open to people who have died."

The profiteer stopped and asked: "Can't we come in during normal times? Who is responsible for cleaning here?"

Daisy said seriously, "Gravekeepers hate being disturbed. Get out of here quickly."

Light white arrows split on the ground, pointing to everyone in the town. From the girl's perspective, there was no arrow in the cemetery. It was so clean there, like an isolated island.

The profiteer had a hunch that the solution to the problem was in the cemetery. Daisy insisted on taking him in a different direction. Once they left the cemetery, the girl smiled again, chirping like a carefree little bird.

The black-robed merchant listened to her voice and remembered how much he had learned when he was supplementing his knowledge in the church library.

Unlike in the previous life, corpses have a very subtle meaning to people in this world.

Most people have aversion to corpses. Once a mutation occurs, a dead body without vital organs will definitely become a nightmare for ordinary people. Except for powerful bloodline people like Dan, ordinary people usually transport corpses to places far away from where they live. There is no cemetery in the town of Nail that I visited before, and they prefer to deal with them on the spot.

The black-robed merchant's mind was no longer on the scenery of the town. When he returned to the old knight's house, he immediately asked him about the gravekeeper.

Hawthorne thought for a while. "I was also surprised when I first arrived. Piling up corpses in the black fog would undoubtedly breed monsters. But there is a gravekeeper in Nail Town. Under his patrol, the cemetery has never experienced any abnormal changes. Later, when my wife died, I went to the cemetery and found that he was a believer in the god of death."

"Life is the continuation of death, and death is the rest of life. The God of Death advocates letting the dead return to rest, and does not accept any living believers. It is indeed a rare thing to meet his believers here."

"Have you ever been near a cemetery at night?"

The old knight nodded. "When I first started patrolling, I was seriously injured once and fled to the cemetery. The monsters transformed by the gravekeepers are very quiet. As long as they don't destroy the graves, they won't hurt anyone. I have survived many crises there."

The suspicion of the cemetery increased again, and the profiteer easily persuaded Hawthorne to agree.

The old knight's eyes showed a hint of relief. After making the deal, he became carefree. The black-robed merchant was more powerful than he thought, which gave the knight a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough. He took the initiative to propose a plan in which he would attract the firepower and the profiteer would take the opportunity to enter the cemetery.

"There was such a big commotion last night, the monsters today will definitely be crazy. I am more familiar with the town, and if there is any problem, I can escape directly to the cemetery and reunite with you."

Everything was reasonable, so the profiteer naturally agreed. Time slowly passed until evening, and the last ray of light was swallowed up by the black mist.

As darkness envelops them from all sides, forming an airtight cage, the old man opens the door to the basement and walks down with the profiteer.

When Pegasus saw the two of them, he snorted excitedly as if he knew something. The wounds on his body had been rubbed with medicine and had healed into scabs. The armor and weapons on the rack were polished to a shine. Hawthorne saddled Pegasus, put on his equipment and helmet. The old man straightened his back and reached out to pat Pegasus' head gently.

"It's not going to be an easy day today. Old man, let's fight this together."

He climbed onto the horse, and the horse neighed and stood up in the small basement. It was so huge and powerful that it could crush solid obstacles. The gorgeous wings spread out, and the rotten scars could not affect the dazzling brilliance at all. The old knight and the Pegasus became one, and crashed into the wooden board above his head!

“Bang—!”

Wood chips and dirt flew everywhere, and the roof and the monster lying on it were all blown away.

The streets were filled with all kinds of monsters. The slime monster formed by the fusion of Daisy and her mother stretched out its hand to grab the Pegasus in the air. The latter dodged with light steps. Hawthorn, sitting on horseback, pulled up his longbow, his arm muscles flexed, and shot an arrow into the enemy's head.

“It hurts—ah—”

Daisy's scream set off a riot among the monsters. The Pegasus fearlessly charged into the encirclement, raised its front hooves and kicked the nearest monster's head to pieces.

The gentle eyes emitted a terrifying cold light, and it flapped its wings and flew up, cooperating with the knight to dodge attacks and sweep away monsters. Wherever the pure white light shone, the monsters melted one after another, and the man and the horse turned into a small fortress, invincible among the monsters.

In the pre-Dark Mist era, no one wanted to fight a Pegasus rider. As reliable as they were as companions, they were a nightmare when they became enemies.

The knight attracted the attention of all the monsters, and no one noticed that the black-robed merchant quietly passed through the street, walking away from everyone.

Without the monsters that usually attached themselves to them, the buildings in Nail Town became as dim as pieces of stickers. He shuttled through the shadows and arrived at the cemetery as quickly as possible.

The towering railings were hard, and on them were mouths like petals, opening and closing to salivate over foreign flesh and blood. This could not stop the intruder. He stepped onto the ground of the cemetery without even disturbing anything.

The moment he entered the cemetery, the whole town fell silent. All the disputes, turmoil, and battles seemed to have never existed, and silence enveloped everything like snow.

The profiteers who stepped into the cemetery knew nothing about this. Unlike the chaos in the town, the cemetery was peaceful and tranquil. Those crazy monsters seemed reluctant to disturb the dead, and rows of tombstones stood in the black mist, like silent prayers.

The profiteer walked along the bluestone path, with mist lingering around the corners of his robe, gradually becoming thicker.

There are no monsters, no whispers, and not even any danger.

The breath that emanated from the black mist was as quiet as death itself. As soon as the profiteer took out the lantern, the light was silently swallowed up by the darkness.

Standing there and looking back, I saw that the houses outside the cemetery gate had lit candles at some point, attracting tired travelers back in the darkness.

Looking ahead, the darkness was like a bottomless abyss. The black-robed merchant walked in without much hesitation.

A voice whispered in his ear: "Turn back, there is nothing but terror ahead."

Another voice gently advised: "Turn back, there is no hope ahead."

Different sounds kept ringing in the darkness. Some were worry, some were threats, some were temptations, guiding him to leave along the way he came. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sound of horse hooves approached from behind. The profiteer turned around and saw a pure white horse running towards him, with no one on its back.

"Where's Hawthorne?"

Tianma showed a gentle and sad look, nudged the other person with his head, and urged him to ride on his back.

When the other party rode steadily, the white horse emitted a soft light and rushed towards the black fog in front of it without looking back.

For a knight, Tianma is the most loyal comrade.

When the contractor dies, it dies too. But when the owner is firm and unshakable, it has the power to overcome all obstacles.

Black mist entangled its wings, and bones entangled its four hooves. The skin and flesh were torn and wounded, black decay spread, and blood dripped onto the ground, making the breathing sound tired and heavy.

The horse never stopped moving forward, and it charged into the darkness with its head held high. Its white mane fluttered as it ran forward with all its might. The profiteer grabbed its mane, and the white horse staggered to its feet, carrying him to the end of the black fog.

The tombstones on both sides of the road gradually became clearer, with different words engraved on them.

【May my dear child be happy forever】

[Here lies my most beloved woman, she is the kindest person in the world]

[Mom, it’s so cold underground]

The wishes of mankind gathered here, and pale faces were inlaid on the tombstones, turning towards the profiteers. Lead-gray balls were inlaid in the place of their eyes, emitting a thick black mist.

Finally, Tianma fell down exhausted in front of the last tombstone at the end. The profiteer fell to the ground and saw that the tombstone had no words or names, but it was the center of the black mist.

The surging black mist almost solidified, and a vague figure stood behind the tombstone with his back to them. A huge lead-gray sphere hung above the figure's head, constantly swallowing up all the mist.

Their existence is between reality and illusion, and they have no reaction to the arrival of profiteers. A sticky sliding sound is heard, and the dead souls along the way break free from the shackles of the tombstones and reach out to the living to keep them. Lines of words slowly emerge in the center of the nameless tombstone in front of them.

"An outsider has broken into the happy town."

"He brought joy, happiness and blessings, but also pain, regret and tears."

"Some people love him and some people hate him. He brings hope and despair."

"Who is he?"

Behind him are the crawling and struggling undead, and in front of him is a cold tombstone.

The profiteer stared at the question for a long time, then bent down and wrote down the answer.