After the fire in the col was extinguished, only a pile of gray-white embers remained.
Lin Ze sat up and moved his stiff neck, and the bones in the back of his neck clicked twice.
It's not bright yet, and there is a thin layer of bluish-grey floating on the eastern hillside.
The pony was standing next to a short tree, the strips of cloth on its ears had been rubbed off by itself, and it was gnawing at the dead grass on the ground.
Saira is still sleeping, holding Scimitar in his arms, breathing very shallowly, and the expression on his face is much more relaxed than during the day, without the toughness of the patrol officer.
Lin Ze didn't rush to wake her up and stood up first and walked around the camp.
Before going to bed last night, he set up "Banishing Charm" and several "Trip Jinx" outside the camp. He did not dare to place his safety on the woman in front of him, so he still had to be fully prepared.
He squatted on the edge of the camp and checked around. Outside "Banishing Charm", a piece of withered grass had been trampled down, and the traces were very new.
He was very sure that these were not the footsteps of the two of them yesterday.
Looking at the marks on the ground, he was sure that more than one person had been here.
The footprints are very scattered, but they look like they belong to at least four or five people.
These footprints have been spinning in circles since they encountered "Banishing Charm". It seems that they are just a group of Muggle with evil intentions.
"Get up quite early."
Saira's voice came from behind, hoarse as if he had just woken up.
She walked over holding a machete in one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other.
"What happened?"
"Someone came here last night." Lin Ze pointed to the footprints on the ground.
Saira squatted down, pressed his fingers on the edge of the footprints, and looked at the break of the grass stem.
"Looks like four or five people."
"Oh, Shet! You told me that your spell was very safe, and that's why I finally couldn't bear the sleepiness and fell asleep!" Sela patted his head with some annoyance, as if to try to wake himself up.
"If it weren't for my spell, our heads would have been separated from our bodies by now." Lin Ze shrugged.
"Uh... Okay..." Sela scratched his head after thinking about the key points.
"This place is quite close to the Quarry Village ruins. It is probably the same group of people we saw yesterday." Saira said.
"They're probably targeting us."
"Bandits?"
"It's hard to say, he might be a deserter or something else." Saira walked back to the camp and started to pack up.
"This area is close to the the North border. During the war a few years ago, many deserters ran into the mountains. After the war was over, some of them fell to the ground. These people have weapons from the regular army and are different from ordinary bandits."
Lin Ze followed her and used the wand to help her roll up the blanket.
When the two of them packed up and set off, it was already broad daylight.
Going north along the mountain col, the terrain begins to sink, and the dead grass is gradually replaced by low moss and lichen. The soil under your feet becomes softer and softer, and a small stream of dark brown water will emerge when you step on it.
The muddy smell in the air became stronger, mixed with the unique rotten sweetness of aquatic plants and silt.
After walking for about two hours, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up, and a gray-green swamp appeared in view.
Bitterwater Swamp.
The swamp in front of us is huge, at least much bigger than Lin Ze imagined.
The edge of the gray water surface is invisible, and there are scattered small mounds covered with reeds and liverworts. Let's call them small islands.
Between the islands is dark water, and occasionally bubbles rise from the bottom and explode on the surface.
There are several wooden houses scattered on the edge of the swamp. The roofs are paved with thick sedge and the walls are made of mud mixed with reed stalks.
There was thin smoke coming from the chimney of one of the wooden houses.
"This is it." Saira got off his horse and led the pony towards the wooden house.
A skinny old man was sitting outside the house chopping firewood. When he heard the sound of horse hooves, he raised his head and narrowed his cloudy eyes.
"Sir Inspector?"
"Old Matt, long time no see." Saira tied the horse to the wooden stake in front of the house.
The old man put down his axe, stood up and wiped his hands on his apron. He looked past Saira and landed on Lin Ze, and paused for two seconds.
"Who is this?"
"The person invited to help is a wizard." Saira said calmly.
The old man's hand paused, shook his head, turned around, opened the door and walked in.
"Come in, it's cold outside."
The wooden house is very small, with only a set of low tables and chairs and a wooden bed.
The stool was covered with animal skins, the fire in the stove was blazing, and the water in the iron pot was gurgling.
The old man filled a bowl of hot water for each of them, then pulled out two roasted roots from the stove and placed them on the table.
"How are you doing Old Matt?"
"This place is not peaceful recently." Old Marcus sat down and put his hands on his knees.
"Last month, three people who claimed to be looking for medicine entered the swamp and have not returned yet."
"A few days ago, another group of people passed by here. They said they were sent by the lord to check the sentry tower. After entering, only one person ran back. When he came back, the soles of his feet were covered in blood. He was muttering something incomprehensible. He died the next day."
"What about the body?" Saira asked.
"The local lord's people came and took it away, saying that they would send it to the royal capital to ask the king for an explanation." Old Matt said and shook his head, as if he felt that it was impossible for the other party to get an explanation for doing this.
Lin Ze held the bowl and listened to the conversation between the two without interrupting.
"Is there a road in the swamp?" he asked.
"Yes, you can cross it by walking north for about half a day. But only the local herb collectors know that road, and you have to re-travel it every once in a while. The aquatic plants in the swamp grow quickly, and the trail your front feet step on will be swallowed by your back feet."
Old Matt glanced at Saira, "You want to cross the swamp?"
"Yes, I have to go take a look at the sentry tower." Saira said.
The old man was silent for a while, then stood up and walked to the corner, pulled out a roll of leather tied with hemp rope from under a pile of miscellaneous items, and spread it out on the table.
What was drawn on it was a map of a swamp. The ink lines had faded to gray, but a few winding passages could still be discerned.
"This is an old picture, more than 20 years old, so it may not be accurate." Old Marcus drew a line on the picture with his finger.
"But the general direction is correct. Just follow this path. If you encounter a fork in the road, choose the narrower one. The wider the water, the shallower it will be, and the narrower the water channel, the deeper it will be."
Lin Ze memorized the directions of several passages on the map, took out his wand and tapped it lightly on the map. A very faint fluorescent light lit up along the ink line, and then went out.
Old Marcus's eyelids jumped at the sight, but he didn't say anything.
Saira folded the picture and put it in his arms.
"Let's take a rest here today. You can help us get some food from the nearby village. We'll start again tomorrow." As he spoke, Sela threw a small jingling cloth bag to Old Matt, which should contain local coins.
Old Marcus responded, took the bag and got up to get ready.
Lin Ze walked outside.
The wind blowing from the direction of the swamp carries heavy water vapor. People who live here all year round will suffer from rheumatoid arthritis early on.
Saira followed him out of the house and leaned against the door frame.
"If we enter the swamp tomorrow, can your witchcraft protect us both?"
"Of course, but I suggest you don't take your pony with you. I can take you away if something happens."
"Okay." Saira nodded without thinking, and then wrapped his coat tighter.