【Congratulations on completing the task】

【Start settlement now】

When Trist saw the words appear in front of him, he looked up and saw that the wall clock pointed to exactly twelve noon.

The sun is shining outside the window. In this abandoned city, an area where rich and poor meet, it is rare to have an afternoon without the sound of gunfire or fighting.

He knocked on the table.

Soon, a young man came running over, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Mr. Drizzt, are you back?"

Young Stone was relieved to see Trist and he quickly straightened his clothes.

"I'll make you some coffee."

Stone hurried to the kitchen, boiled water and ground coffee.

Trist stood up and saw his busy figure, feeling an unreal feeling.

But his decision did not change.

In the future, he will die, and Stone will become the chosen one and continue to walk in the silent land. Moreover, this young man will inherit his will. For Trist, that is enough.

As he had discussed with Jost, if one person's life could save the world, then this was a perfect deal.

Although, as Lu Ban and the others told Trist, Xuanjun's seal will continue to consume human lives to maintain it, Trist's behavior is no different from Jost who ignited the original torch.

But this is okay.

Trist took the coffee from Stone.

The coffee was hot and had a rich aroma. He hadn't had a drink like this in a long time.

"By the way, there is something I want to tell you."

Thinking of this, Trist spoke.

"What?"

Stone thought Trist was a little strange, so he looked over.

"…Forget it, I'll tell you when the time comes."

Trist thought about it and decided that there was still some time before that fateful moment, so let the two of them enjoy the remaining time.

He took a sip of the coffee, which was bitter with a hint of sourness, like a gift from fate, always with a price tag.

…

Stone returned to the detective agency.

He felt a little uncomfortable, so he looked up at the clock. It was twelve o'clock noon.

It's foggy outside the window, and industrial exhaust obscures the sky. In this place where rich and poor areas meet, sunlight has become a luxury. Compared with ten years ago, pollution is more serious. Wastewater pollutes the rivers and the air becomes full of particles. It seems that this city is no longer suitable for the poor to survive.

He stood up, went to the kitchen, and made himself a cup of coffee. The bitter taste spread on the tip of his tongue. He stared out the window at the city.

Suddenly, Stone felt a sore nose and squatted down as if he had collapsed. He made a hoarse sound in his throat, but it was difficult for him to shed tears.

Like a person suffocating, Stone's chest kept heaving and twitching. He couldn't utter a word and could only squat there quietly, waiting for his mood to calm down.

After a long time, until the sun set, Stone finally stood up. He still didn't shed tears, but seemed to have aged many years.

Opening the notebook, Stone picked up the pen and began to take notes seriously.

…

Back to reality, Xia looked around.

When passing through the colorful black, Xia even had a thought, that is, when she returned to reality, would there be something completely different from before.

But my room is still the same as before. The bookshelves are full of books that have been read countless times and have faded covers. The cabinets are filled with bottles and jars filled with various snacks, honey, biscuits, jerky, etc.

There was parchment on the table, which contained some information about monsters.

Xia saw that the parchment on the top contained information about [Thousand Foot].

Perhaps, this mission was already destined.

She changed into light clothes and walked out of the room.

This is the Gray Tower, the location of the academy. Xia's mission this time is during the agent's vacation. Counting the days, she will set out on her journey again in a few days, walking on the edge of the Black Forest and fighting those monsters.

In the square, people were coming and going. Young wizard apprentices were walking in groups of two or three. They were discussing issues related to magic intensely. Through the magic network, magic had become quite popular in this era.

But no one noticed the tall gray tower.

Even Xia was only amazed by the grandeur of the tower when she entered school. For many years afterwards, she treated it as a background and never paid any more attention to it.

But now, when Xia saw the blazing pale flames, she sighed.

A friend who is familiar to me is being burned there. This torture has lasted for thousands of years and will continue forever.

After withdrawing her consciousness from the long-lasting pain, Xia suddenly noticed that there were several girls looking at her.

"Excuse me, Miss Quirres?"

The other party asked timidly, holding a heavy book in his arms.

"Yes, that's right."

Xia replied calmly that she painted like this most of the time in the Kingdom of Night.

"That's great. I'm a loyal reader of yours. In fact, I'm reading your book right now."

The girl screamed excitedly, and came to Xia with her companions, showing the cover of the book in their hands.

"Investigation of the Alienation of Monsters".

This is a book compiled from the papers left by Xia. It draws on some of what she saw in foreign lands and analyzes the characteristics and alienation process of common monsters in the Kingdom of Night. It is an extracurricular reading for an elective course at Gray Tower Academy.

"Can you sign this for me?"

The other person opened the book to the title page and handed it to Xia.

Xia signed her name straightforwardly and returned it to the other party.

"Ms. Quevenris, do you have any plans to write a new book? I think your work, well, the ideas are very unique, and your understanding of the world is also different. I am looking forward to it!"

The other party asked again.

"No, not yet..."

Xia answered out of habit, and when she saw the gray tower again, she thought about it and changed her words.

"If there is, it might be research on the magic network."

"Magic web?"

After hearing what Xia said, her little fans didn't quite understand. To these young people, the magic network was something that existed for granted, just like the sun and the blood moon. They didn't know what the point of studying it was.

Xia said goodbye to them and continued walking towards the Gray Tower.

This tower was just like when it was first built, full of features that were incompatible with the traditional aesthetics of the Kingdom of Darkness. The damaged gaps on the tower were obviously caused by the magic tide.

Below the Gray Tower is the academy’s large library, which can only be entered by mages of a certain level. Above that is an absolute restricted area.

Now Xia understood clearly that it was Jost who was constantly being burned.

"Joster, are you looking at me?"

She whispered softly.

The torch of the Grey Tower illuminates the earth, as always.