Chapter 1,039 Little Heitan’s Strange Behavior

"Xiao Heitan should be fine..."

When Jeluka and I came back to our senses from the sea of ​​books, we found that it was completely dark, so we hurriedly left the Mages Guild. We passed by the laboratory of the Naha Naha team of the Saving Humanity Project and took a look. We found that inside The lights were still bright, and an unconcealable smell of gunpowder even came out of the crack in the door.

Mages of the two races, you have worked hard, come on, and don't fight, I wish you the best.

Jeluka made a V-sign for victory with a facial expression (I feel that this gesture is too simple and universal, and can easily be imitated by others). Needless to say, what she meant was probably: Humph, I’m close to you. The maid is indeed unparalleled in wisdom. She just uses a little trick to make these guys work like cows and horses.

Although I really want to complain about this guy's black-hearted capitalist ideas, this time it is indeed thanks to her suggestions, even if it is some unscrupulous little tricks, otherwise I don't think it will be possible to rely on the alliance mage team alone. , will work so hard to do research for Xiao Heitan.

By the way, I have also found a lot of information on Dragon Soul Grass, and even found some decisive books. I can basically confirm this thing with a very vulgar name, except for the one that is marked as a mystery within a mystery by all the books on the continent. , and even the existence of Dragon Paradise, which is even doubtful, can only be found there, and it is impossible to grow in other places. Unless there is someone who can freely enter and exit Dragon Paradise, the Dragon Soul Grass may flow out. Otherwise, The only way we can get it is to go to Dragon Paradise and deal with those dragons.

This is totally unexplainable, you bastard! ! Let’s not talk about where the Dragon Paradise is. Even if we knew it, would those giant dragons be able to entertain us in a friendly manner and politely offer us a piece of Dragon Soul Grass? !

Upon discovering this fact, Jeluka and I both felt as if we had been deceived by the toothbrush stall owner with the "non-hair-removing" brand. We angrily lifted the table, almost transforming into Godzilla and blowing the entire toothbrush. The library was shaken.

After that, because it was getting dark and we were worried about Xiao Heitan, we decisively gave up our revenge plan and hurried home.

"Hey, where is the person?"

A dim kerosene lamp was lit in the dark cave, but there was no one inside. Jeluka and I couldn't help but look at each other, and a thought flashed through our minds.

Could it be that he went to the mine again?

"You wait here, maybe Xiao Heitan will come back soon, and I will go to the mine to have a look."

I frowned, put on the cloak I had just taken off, and said to Zeluka.

As a result, as soon as she took a step forward, she was held by Jeluka's little hand.

"Is His Royal Highness an idiot?"

"I don't want to be scolded like that by you again for no reason." I looked at Jeluka speechlessly.

Ahhh? Why do I say "again"?

"Isn't there this?"

Jeluka dug into the pocket of her maid's uniform and took out a magical thing. The dim kerosene light reflected the metallic luster. When I took a closer look, I saw that it was a pirated stalker that had been left behind for a long time. guide.

"Ah, I forgot all about it!!"

For a moment, I couldn't come back to my senses, and then I clapped my hands hard and shouted suddenly.

In the past few days, I have been busy getting used to civilian life, thinking about Xiao Heitan and how to seal the painful worm's activities. I have completely forgotten about the crystal shards, and even more so. The painful worm came from the crystal fragment embedded in Xiao Heitan's forehead.

Therefore, with the pirated tracking magic device, Xiao Heitan's whereabouts will not escape our control.

"I really don't know if His Highness is too focused or if he is really an idiot."

Jeluka sighed like this and put the tracking magic device on the left side of Tucao slowly's head again. In an instant, the skull biscuit gave off a piercing earring alarm.

If it is worn on the head all the time, it can probably be used as a hundred-watt light bulb. I just don't know whether it needs to be recharged and how long the battery life is.

Seeing that the originally dark cave suddenly turned white as if it had been flashed by lightning, I couldn't help but complain in my heart.

"It's nearby, it's not a place, the direction...is this way."

Because of the reaction immediately shown by the tracking magic device, we can instantly judge that Xiao Heitan's current location is not very far from us, definitely no more than 20 kilometers. At least, for those above our two pseudo-realms For a strong person, 20 kilometers is not a long distance.

Skillfully playing with the tracking magic device, after a while, we came to a very close place. Standing in front of us was a deserted mountain that stretched for dozens of miles. Starting from a few hundred meters high, the mountain became steeper. , the higher you get to the top, the more straight the cliff becomes like a knife blade, like a long-necked funnel lying upside down.

This shape is somewhat similar to the Demon Fortress, but the height is far from enough. The top of the mountain is only a thousand meters, and the natural peak pillar supporting the Demon Fortress is more than three thousand meters from the lowest cliff on the ground. the height of.

This is definitely a deserted mountain. From the traces we observed along the way, it is very clear that it is not an experience area for adventurers, and few ordinary civilians dare to venture into such a dangerous place.

The question is...why did Xiao Heitan come here?

Suppressing the doubts in our hearts, we raised our heads slightly and looked at this deserted place and the third person appearing in the depths of the night.

A panting black-robed mage.

"Sir Elder."

His figure flickered several times, and finally appeared in front of us, bowing slightly.

"No need to say more polite words, where is Xiao Heitan?" I stopped and asked anxiously.

"this……"

The black-robed mage smiled bitterly and looked at the mountains behind him.

"Is it there?"

I also raised my head in disbelief and looked at the straight cliff that was nearly a thousand meters high, with the peak completely hidden in the night sky.

Although this kind of height is nothing to the adventurers here, if you are a civilian, let alone Xiao Heitan, even a strong adult will have difficulty climbing.

The mage nodded silently, confirming our guess.

"Take us to see it."

I pulled the mage up, and his figure swept away. Jeluka followed closely behind, and the three figures shot straight up towards the mountain peak.

Then, at nearly four-fifths of the height, Xiao Heitan was found under the guidance of the mage.

She was nesting on a large raised rock in the cliff. Although the position was not large, it was enough to carry the weight of this thin body. The fierce wind nearly a thousand meters above the ground made her look like a broken leaf in the wind. It seemed as if he would be blown away at any moment, fall from this thousand-meter-high place, and be shattered into pieces.

Even if the environment is so dangerous, this is a rare landing point on this cliff. Xiao Heitan probably wanted to take a rest here, panting tiredly, curling up tightly, trying to shrink himself even smaller to reduce the impact of the strong wind. Invasion.

Seeing this scene, the two of us almost screamed.

"Can't show up."

Reason has stopped our actions. If we go out now, we will be exposed.

No wonder the mage was panting when he first appeared. For him who is not yet able to fly, it must be very difficult to protect Xiao Heitan at such a high altitude. However, even a mage has such a difficult time. As an ordinary person, How did this little Heitan get here with her thin body, and why did she do such a more dangerous thing?

I want to know, at this moment, Jeluka and I are very eager to find out the answer. If we don’t find the answer and cannot understand Xiao Heitan’s thoughts, we will simply not be able to enter her heart and be recognized by her. The emergence of her parents' identity is just a waste of effort, it cannot drive away the negative feelings in her heart and make her truly happy.

After waiting for a while, Xiao Heitan took action.

As a civilian's flesh and blood, resting here can certainly replenish some physical strength, but if you stay for a long time, your body will be frozen by the cold wind. It seems that Xiao Heitan understands this and will continue without fully recovering. Choose to climb up.

She seems to be very familiar with this place. Even if she can only judge by a little light, she can skillfully find the next climbing point. Her thin body sticks to the cliff like a gecko to avoid being blown down by the strong wind, and then she climbs skillfully. When we climbed up, it didn't look like we were here for the first time. Discovering this fact not only made us feel relieved, but also made us more worried.

It's not the first time... it's not the first time... I'm familiar with the climbing points... and I have proficient climbing skills... In other words, Xiao Heitan has often done this before?

This little body has endured so many hardships in the past! !

Not only the two of us, but also the eyes of the mage who was being carried in his hand became slightly wet. Searching the entire Dark Continent, I am afraid that we will never find anyone of our age who has suffered as much as Xiao Heitan. People, these sufferings are enough to crush an adult, but she can bear it with her small body.

Generally speaking, if you live in such an environment, even if you don't starve to death from freezing and exhaustion, you will still choose to commit suicide.

Suddenly, I even had this idea in my heart. Although it is unpleasant and makes me feel creepy just thinking about it, I can't completely erase this idea. For such a small child, the gray color of his eyes is clearly telling. He has lost the meaning of life, is afraid of the world, and has endured so much suffering. I am afraid that no one would be attached to this kind of life...

So what is it that supports Xiao Heitan to survive and persist in the hellish five years until now? Is this child at an age who should be acting like a spoiled child in the arms of his parents extremely complicated, or is he extremely innocent?

All of this is a mystery. Jeluka and I suddenly discovered that if we want to truly save Xiao Heitan, it is more important than searching for the dragon soul grass that exists like a mouthful or suppressing the painful worm. There seems to be a more important and priority task in front of him, which is to understand Xiao Heitan.

"Your Highness..."

Jeluka couldn't bear to see the little black tan clinging to the cliff again. Every step up the climb was full of frightening scenes, so she buried her head lightly in my arms, as if she was looking for some support. Like, he murmured with a cry.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, Xiao Heitan will be fine."

Gently patting Jeluka in my arms, I stared closely at Xiao Heitan's movements. If anything went wrong, I would immediately rush up to rescue her, even if my identity was exposed.

However, Xiao Heitan did not give us a chance to reveal her identity. Although the process was full of thrills, just like walking on a high-altitude tightrope, in the end, she climbed to the top with skill and perseverance.

With her feet on the ground, Xiao Heitan's body immediately rolled a few times on it. In the mercury hair that was blown by the cold wind, you could see that she was breathing heavily, and her fingers covered with blood stains were moving in unison. Her strength was gone, and her squinted eyes were filled with a sense of joy of surviving the disaster - it wasn't that she wasn't afraid, it was just that there were more important feelings than fear, which pushed her to do this.

After resting for a long time, Xiao Heitan's next action finally told us her purpose of climbing up here after all the hard work.

On the flat land at the top of the mountain, there is a piece of leeward grassland, with a small patch of plain-colored iron thorn flowers in the middle.

In Rogge Camp, others might not even take a glance at these inconspicuous little flowers. However, in the Demon Fortress, a desolate place with almost no grass growing, picking one such iron thorn flower can be worth as much as It's worth the wages of digging coal mines for several days.

For a place with a harsh environment like the Demon Fortress, this small piece of grass and a cluster of simple flowers is already a place to cleanse the soul. Xiao Heitan squatted beside the grass, muttering something to himself, dimly There seemed to be a hint of color in her eyes, giving the impression that, well, these flowers seemed to be her friends.

Finally, after saying something softly, she started digging in the soil and stopped after picking only three flowers. She carefully put the iron thorn flower with the roots still covered with soil into her arms. She came to the edge of the cliff and took a deep breath. Untie the rope from around your waist.

Then, a scene that surprised us and was also thrilling appeared. Xiao Heitan looped one end of the rope around the stone, grasped the rope tightly with one hand, and slid down the cliff with his bare feet.

This is an almost 90-degree cliff. Is it really possible to slide down like a ski?

However, the answer is right in front of us. Xiao Heitan really did it. Although the rope was not long enough, he could only stay at the footing point. He pulled the rope off, reattached it and continued sliding. In this way, he changed more than ten footing points in a row. Finally, they slid to the foot of the relatively flat mountain, leaving the three of them stunned and trotting back all the way.

This... this is so amazing. How should I put it? It's more incredible than seeing antelopes on the plateau jumping between the cliffs. How flexible do you have to be to do this? Even if it were replaced by If I, or any other adventurer, seals my power as an adventurer, I will not be able to replicate what Xiao Heitan did just now. I will only end up falling headlong under the cliff and rolling to pieces.

Unexpectedly, that thin body is full of dexterity and strength, but it is not surprising. In the past five years, Xiao Heitan has been doing the same thing as those adults, digging or pulling ore in the mine, but he has been really beaten by Xiao Heitan. It’s just that I was shocked by Tan Xiashan’s method...

When we came back to our senses, Xiao Heitan's figure had disappeared into the night, and we hurriedly followed. You must know that along the way, we encountered a few monsters. Although they were not many in number, in this dark environment At night, being discovered by any one would be a dead end for Xiao Heitan. There would be no other choice. Therefore, the road from the foot of the mountain back to the mine home seems smooth and easy to walk, but it is actually dangerous. No less than climbing that mountain.

Xiao Heitan's steps are very nimble and as silent as a cat, which greatly reduces the risk of encountering monsters. You must know that in this kind of dark night, many monsters are found by the sound of footsteps and slight vibrations from the ground. Hunting object.

In addition, Xiao Heitan's strong mental power also helped a lot. Her keen sense of dangerous smells allowed her to unconsciously avoid many dangers. This is what we discovered along the way.

Like a cat, with a thin and light body, it came back without any danger. When we arrived less than two kilometers away from the mine, Jeluka and I did not intend to wait any longer. We ordered the mage to go back with Moon Wolf. The illusion turned into the appearance of Xiao Heitan's parents and he immediately went to greet them.

"Little Heitan."

From a distance, we eagerly waved and shouted while rushing forward. Even though we were following and protecting them in the dark, our burning desire to see each other immediately remained undiminished.

"Dad...Mom?"

Xiao Heitan raised his head slightly in surprise, as if he couldn't believe that we would go so far and find her.

Jeluka rushed forward quickly, and before Xiao Heitan could say anything, she rushed forward and gave Xiao Heitan a hug, holding her petite and thin body tightly in his arms. .

"You idiot, where on earth have you gone? We are worried to death."

With a choked voice, Jeluka squeezed Xiao Heitan tightly as if she wanted to punish him, her wet eyes shed tears like a bursting dam.

Although I had followed her all the way and knew her whereabouts and what she had done, Jeluka's crying, and the hot tears pouring out of her eyes and seeping into the little black hair, But it was definitely not made by me using illusion.

Even if I want to cry, I'm a bastard. Why does this daughter like to make people feel sorry for her and make her cry? ! !

"Mom...it's dangerous here..."

Feeling the hot moisture passing from her hair to her cheeks, Xiao Heitan was stunned. After a long time, she spoke softly in a small voice full of inexplicable trembling.

"This is not the place to talk. Let's talk about it when we go back."

After wiping the corners of my eyes, I patted Jeluka, took the small black charcoal from her hand, and carried it on my back.

"Wow... wow wow..."

Little Heitan, who seemed not to have expected that I would do this, lay on my back and let out a timid little exclamation.

"Don't talk now. I'll talk to you properly when I get home."

Holding back the trembling in my words, I put on my father's airs and refused to refuse.

The owner of the thin body on his back seemed to be silent for a moment, and then, gradually, with extreme caution and hesitation, as if he was testing something, he transferred the weight of his upper body to my back bit by bit...