Whitewater Valley The smoke from the kitchen was pulled into a long diagonal line by the evening wind.
When Lin Ze and Saira returned to the stone castle, Colin was sitting at the stone table in the yard, whittling a wooden stick.
When he saw Lin Ze walking in, he breathed a sigh of relief at first, then his eyes fell on Saira. The sharpener in his hand stopped, and then he immediately put down his things and stood up, saluting respectfully.
"Morrison Patrol Officer."
"Colin Patriarch, there is no need to be formal." Saira nodded, his tone was very casual.
Lin Ze sat down on the stone bench, picked up a piece of leftover dry biscuit from the table and took a bite, which made his teeth tingle.
"It seems that the Inspector is still very respected?" Lin Ze glanced at Colin, who was a little reserved at the side.
"Of course, the patrol officer has taken good care of us Whitewater Valley over the years. Every year when collecting grain, he will reduce the amount we have to pay." Colin said at the side.
Saira waved his hand, tied the pony to the wooden stake at the entrance of the courtyard, walked to the stone bench and sat down.
Colin's eyes turned between the two young people.
"Master Dragonborn... is there any progress regarding Lin Zi's matter?"
Lin Ze swallowed the cake in his mouth, thought for a while, and roughly recounted what happened in Black Forest.
But he didn't mention the illusion, nor the consciousness of the woods. He only said that that thing was not a simple curse, but an entire life system. It would be very difficult to completely destroy it at the moment.
Colin said nothing after listening and was silent for a long time.
"Dragonborn, don't you have anything you can do?"
"Based on my ability, I can't think of a good way at the moment. This forest is not an ordinary tree, it should be some kind of Magical Creatures." Lin Ze patted the crumbs on his hand.
"Currently, the best option is for all Whitewater Valley people to move away."
Colin lowered his head and sighed, "The migration of more than two thousand people is not easy."
"Your patrol officer said he can help you." Lin Ze tilted his head towards Saira.
Colin glanced at Saira, moved his lips, but did not answer the question.
Lin Ze didn't ask any further questions.
The dusk light slanted on the stone wall, stretching the tables, chairs and figures in the yard.
Eve poked his head out of the kitchen and saw Lin Ze and Saira sitting in the courtyard. He was stunned for a moment, then rubbed his hands on his apron and walked out.
"Grandpa, the meal is ready."
Colin stood up and made an inviting gesture towards Saira.
"It's a simple meal, don't mind it, Inspector."
"Am I like a picky eater?" Saira took off the machete from his waist and placed it on the stone table. He sat on a chair, forked a piece of stew and put it in his mouth.
Eve sat down next to him, but his eyes kept glancing back and forth between Saira and Lin Ze.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Ze felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by her.
"I didn't see anything." Eve lowered his head and started eating.
After taking a few bites, I couldn't help but ask, "That forest..."
"The things inside Sickle are not easy to mess with." Lin Ze said with a faint smile.
Eve pursed his lips and did not ask any further questions.
The only sound left on the dinner table was the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.
Colin ate slowly, chewing the stew as if he was chewing on his thoughts.
Saira ate very quickly. After finishing the meal, he wiped his hands, took out a piece of folded parchment and placed it on the table, tapping his finger on the paper.
"Colin Chief, I have already told the lord that the grain that you Whitewater Valley will turn in this year will be reduced by another 30%."
Colin's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, then he put them down and stood up to salute Sela.
"Okay, okay, sit down." Saira pointed in his direction with the bone in his hand.
"But you have to think about one thing. The patrol cannot always speak for you. This is not a happy thing for the lords of the territory, so you should not think about relying on us. Although your lord knows about the farmland being swallowed up by the woods, you should not think that he will sympathize with you."
"Besides, your Lord Dragonborn has already made it very clear. If you are guarding a place that may be swallowed up at any time, it is better to make plans in advance."
Colin slowly sat back on the chair, his two calloused hands clasped together on the table, and his thumb rubbed the root of the other hand back and forth.
"Your Majesty the Inspector is right, but there are some people in the valley who have lived here for generations. Even though I can speak, they may not be willing to leave."
"Then let them choose." Saira put the bones on the plate.
"If you want to leave, the patrol team can help you resettle in the south. If you don't want to leave, don't drag others with you to die."
Colin stared at the dishes on the table in a daze for a while.
Eve was quietly clearing away the dishes next to him. His movements were so light that there was almost no sound coming from the dishes.
"Sir, Inspector." Eve suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
"What about the land to the south you mentioned?"
"It's more fertile than here, and it's close to the river, so it's easier to water. But it's closer to the Lord's Mansion, so the control will be much stricter than here."
Eve nodded, steadily picked up the dishes and walked towards the kitchen.
In the evening, Colin made a room for Saira.
Lin Ze still lives in the same room as before. When you open the window, you can see the fire in the yard. Saira is sitting by the fire and wiping her scimitar with an oilcloth.
The firelight reflected the curvature of the blade, casting a faint reflection on her face.
Lin Ze stood by the window for a while.
"Can't sleep?" Saira didn't look up.
"I was thinking about what you said about Bitterwater Swamp."
"What do you want to do with that thing? You'll know when you get there."
Lin Ze leaned against the window frame and watched as she turned the scimitar over and continued to wipe it.
"How many years have you been a patrol officer?"
"Seven or eight years, maybe."
After she finished speaking, she walked towards the house and waved her hand as she passed under the window of Lin Ze.
Lin Ze watched her back disappear behind the door of the room next to the kitchen.
Early the next morning, it was just dawn.
Eve was already busy in the kitchen, steaming a drawer of multigrain cakes and stuffing a pack of dried bacon for Lin Ze.
"Take it and eat it on the road."
"So much?"
"You helped us all go into the forest, and you were injured. I can't let you leave empty-handed."
Lin Ze nodded and stuffed the biscuits and jerky into Undetectable Extension Box.
Saira led the pony to the entrance of the courtyard, tied the two leather bags tightly again, checked his package again, and prepared to leave after confirming that nothing was missing.
"Let's go." She turned on her horse and moved neatly.
Lin Ze waved to Colin and Eve, and followed the horse out of the stone castle gate of Whitewater Valley.
The dew on the meadow on the north slope had not yet dried, and both of their trouser legs were wet.
Saira walked very fast, and the pony carrying luggage followed slowly behind.
After walking out of Whitewater Valley's realm, she suddenly said, "You said yesterday that the black forest has its own consciousness?"
"Yes."
"That forest has been trying to expand itself. Since it's so huge, I can't do anything about it." Lin Ze said.
Saira nodded silently.
"I used to think that wizards were no different from us, they just knew different tricks," she said.
"Then you are wrong. Because of their uniqueness, most wizards feel that they are favored by God, so most of them are lonely, cold and arrogant." Lin Ze shook his head.