RoleplayNovel Chapter 1418: The Lord and the Bard
Chapter 1418: The Lord and the Bard
After the telepathy was connected, Kelly's hurried and excited voice rang out: "Your Excellency, Old Nick has finally returned to normal!"
"Oh?"
Hearing the voice, Lei Xiao's eyes lit up.
I am not unfamiliar with the name Old Nick. I remember the first time I met him was before attending the Fanyin City auction.
The most important thing is that this crazy old bard is the only person who has mentioned the "Cataclysm" besides the prophecies and the prophets!
In other words, perhaps I can get some clues about the catastrophe from him, which is something I have been thinking about for a long time.
"According to Kelly's introduction, Old Nick was originally a well-known bard in Fanyin City. His strength was at the peak of the second level. He usually made a living by singing in various taverns and occasionally going on missions with familiar mercenaries."
"Until one day, Old Nick, as usual, went out of the city to perform a mission with a team of elite mercenaries as a team doctor. In the end, he was the only one who staggered back and fell in the snow at the city gate. Fortunately, he was rescued by the guards. After that, he became crazy and kept muttering "the catastrophe". "
"At the time, this matter was widely circulated in Fanyin City, and even attracted the attention of the city's mercenary union. After all, the destination where Old Nick and his team were on the mission was not very dangerous, and there were two third-level senior mercenaries in the team."
"However, even though the Mercenary Guild led several investigations, they still found nothing in the end. Because at the scene of the mission, not even the bodies of other mercenaries and any suspicious traces of battle were found. There was no clue at all."
"As a result, Old Nick was obviously frightened and could no longer communicate normally, so the matter was eventually dropped."
"In other words, apart from Old Nick, the only survivor, no one knows what happened to them."
After quickly recalling Old Nick's basic information in his mind, Lei Xiao nodded slightly.
At that time, after learning all this, I instructed Gail and Kelly to send someone to take good care of Old Nick and report to me as soon as there was any news. And now, I have finally received this long-awaited news.
"I hope I can get some useful information from Old Nick. Only if I get more clues about the Cataclysm, I can make better preparations. But now, I know almost nothing about it."
Thinking of this, Lei Xiao gathered his thoughts and asked again: "Kelly, where are you now?"
"Your Excellency, I am at the Shanglu Trade Fair in Fanyin City. Old Nick is also here!"
Kelly's respectful response was immediately transmitted through telepathy.
"Got it. I'll be there soon."
Lei Xiao closed his voice after saying this, and looked at Ariel beside him, briefly describing the situation, and said with a smile: "It seems that we will have to go back a little later."
“Things really just keep happening one after another.”
Hearing this, Ariel was surprised, and then she pulled Lei Xiao's arm and said, "However, as long as I am by your side, I am willing to go anywhere!"
"Then let's go now."
Lei Xiao said this and took Ariel into the Ice Stone City. The entire huge city then disappeared into the night sky.
Before heading to Fanyin City, Lei Xiao also picked up Hui Lao. After all, this matter was related to the Cataclysm, and the Mercenary Guild had been tasked with finding the source of the Cataclysm for hundreds of years. Perhaps they could be of some help or provide some ideas.
After everything was ready, accompanied by a flash of blue light, Bingshi City appeared near Fanyin City.
Walking out of the blue city gate surrounded by the crowd, Lei Xiao looked at the long-lost commercial city standing before him and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Whether it was conquering Kelly and Gale, and then helping Gale consolidate his position as president of the Shanglu Trading Association, or participating in auctions, fighting against the Black Abyss Brotherhood, and even the subsequent exploration of the ancient ruins of the Titans, this place undoubtedly carried many of his own footprints.
I remember the first time I stepped into this strange city, my heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness, but now, this place has long been under my control and has become a part of the vast territory.
Lei Xiao thought so as he walked towards Fanyin City.
"Subordinate, please see your lord!"
Kelly and Gail were already waiting at the city gate, and they saluted respectfully together.
"No need to be polite, just keep it simple, let's go now."
Lei Xiao nodded, and then flew towards his destination under the guidance of his two subordinates.
They quietly passed through the bustling neighborhood, and it didn't take long before Lei Xiao and his group had already stepped into the gate of the trade fair.
Walking along the familiar trade fair corridor, Lei Xiao finally stopped in front of a room at the end of the corridor.
"My Lord, this is it."
Kelly, who was leading the way, nodded to Lei Xiao and said, "This place has always been guarded and taken care of by the combat maids that I personally trained, and there has never been any problem."
Hearing the voice, Lei Xiao looked at the two female guards standing in front of the door. He saw that they had obvious muscle lines and were wearing maid outfits with shoulder armor and wrist guards. They looked very safe indeed.
Seeing His Majesty the Emperor coming in person, the two combat maids were filled with excitement. They immediately knelt down to salute, and then at Kelly's signal, they respectfully opened the door of the room.
Walking into the room, Lei Xiao noticed.
This is a rather spacious suite. A hunched male figure is sitting at the dining table, eating voraciously. Although he is neatly dressed and his hair and beard are obviously well-groomed, Lei Xiao still recognizes him at a glance as the dishevelled old Nick.
Compared with before, his mental state was obviously much better, but his hair and beard had almost turned white, and the wrinkles on his forehead became deeper under the light.
"I have met the president and Miss Kelly!"
Noticing the noise made by our group, Old Nick quickly stood up from his seat, wiped his greasy mouth, and said respectfully.
This is not surprising. After all, he is just an ordinary bard. Both Gale and Kelly are high-ranking nobles in the kingdom and one of the three largest families. Their identities and status are naturally incomparable.
After touching his chest and bowing, Old Nick's eyes fell on Lei Xiao, the leader, and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Who is this young man?"
"Old Nick, why don't you quickly pay your respects to the Emperor?"
Gale quickly stepped forward and prompted.
"Your Majesty?!"
Old Nick, who had just woken up, was obviously full of questions. In addition to being surprised, he quickly knelt on the ground and said to Lei Xiao in fear and trepidation: "I pay my respects to your Majesty!"
"No need to be polite, just treat me as an ordinary person."
Lei Xiao smiled slightly and nodded to signal Old Nick to stand up again.
Then, Kelly introduced the identities of Ariel and Gray Old Man one by one. Old Nick was stunned and could hardly believe his ears.
You know, he is not only a citizen of the Lengyan Kingdom, but also a registered member of the Mercenary Guild. Naturally, he knows the weight of these identities. He didn't expect that as soon as he woke up, so many bigwigs with supreme power would come to him. This simply made him flattered!
In addition to being shocked, Old Nick looked at Lei Xiao cautiously with awe and doubt.
Although he had never seen Ariel, the fifth princess of Lengyan, or Gray Old Man, the president of the Mercenary Guild, in person, he had been fortunate enough to see their magic portraits. However, he obviously had no impression of this young Majesty.
But whether judging from the attitudes and expressions of Gail, Kelly, Ariel or Gray Old Man, this young Majesty is indeed of extraordinary status. But he simply cannot imagine that this young Majesty is above the Queen of Cold Flame and the Mercenary Guild. After all, even Emperor Pars cannot stand above the Mercenary Guild.
"Old Nick, the human race today is completely different from what it used to be. It is definitely not the human race you remember."
After getting Lei Xiao's instructions, Kelly excitedly gave a brief description of the current situation of the human race. Especially when she talked about Lei Xiao's entry into the outside world, Kelly became so excited that she could not control herself and began to talk incessantly.
This time, Old Nick opened his mouth even wider and kept pinching his sagging cheeks to make sure he was not dreaming.
Being able to bring the entire human race under his command and bring peace to the world is unheard of even in the most magnificent and legendary epic stories!
You know, he himself is a bard who has been singing legends and poems all his life, but he has never heard of or even thought of such a crazy and magnificent feat!
"Okay, Kelly, that's enough."
Seeing Old Nick's shocked look as if he was almost petrified, and even his whole body began to tremble, Lei Xiao quickly interrupted Kelly's words.
The old bard has just come to his senses. If he falls mad again, I don’t know when I will be able to communicate with him again.
"Old Nick, when you woke up just now, weren't you wondering why you were at this trade fair?"
Kelly smiled awkwardly at Lei Xiao, and then concluded: "It is because of His Majesty's care that you are able to have such a comfortable environment. Otherwise, you would still be living on the streets and would probably have died long ago. Not only that, His Majesty also took out a large number of precious healing potions, otherwise you would not have recovered."
"It was your majesty who saved me and bestowed such a favor on me."
Old Nick's weather-beaten face was filled with excitement. He knelt down to Lei Xiao again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life!"
"Hurry up and get up. It's just a piece of cake."
Lei Xiao helped the other person's shaking body back to the chair and said bluntly: "Sir Nick, the reason why I came to meet you immediately is mainly because of a major event that concerns the survival of the human race and even all races."
"Ah? Your Majesty, why do you say that?!"
Old Nick's face immediately showed a trace of panic and confusion, and he quickly said, "I don't understand what your Majesty means. Please explain it to me."
"Although this sounds unbelievable, it is true."
Lei Xiao first summoned Xiaoyue, a stone elf who was good at healing, and told her to be ready to calm Old Nick at any time, and then explained: "Sir Nick, have you heard of the term "catastrophic change"? "
"Cataclysm?"
Old Nick's face was immediately filled with confusion, but then his confused expression suddenly turned into horror, and he blurted out: "Your Majesty, are you talking about the Cataclysm?!"
After saying that, Old Nick's originally pale face turned pale instantly. It was obvious that he thought of something horrible, and his body began to tremble violently uncontrollably.
"Angel's Caress!"
Xiaoyue reacted extremely quickly. Her slender fingers quickly drew a golden magic circle in the air, causing a soft and warm golden light to cover Old Nick's body.
As the golden light danced, Old Nick's nervous expression quickly calmed down. He took a deep breath and nodded heavily to Lei Xiao, saying, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I did vaguely hear this word in my last memory."
"Last memory? Old Nick, are you talking about the time when you were on a mission with that team of elite mercenaries?"
Ariel's eyes lit up and she asked, "What happened then? Why did you come back alone? Where did the other mercenaries go?"
Ariel, who was traveling hand in hand with Lei Xiao, knew the ins and outs of the matter very clearly.
After hearing Ariel's question, Gail, Kelly, and Gray Old Man were all curious and concerned, and cast puzzled looks at her.
Especially Mr. Hui, he had actually heard about this matter.
However, at that time he had been sailing in the waters near the human race, busy with the big mission issued by Wang Xi, which was to find the source of the catastrophe, and was not in charge of the mercenary guild.
By the time he got the news and wanted to look for Old Nick, the latter had already been secretly protected by Kelly at Lei Xiao's order, so he naturally returned empty-handed.
But now, the Mercenary Guild has become Lei Xiao's right-hand man, and this matter is no longer divided.
"Your Majesty, the story begins with the mission I took on. It was a sunny afternoon, and frost warblers were singing happily among the branches..."
After finally calming his mind, Old Nick's eyes began to blur, and he was obviously lost in his memories.
That afternoon, after receiving an invitation from his fellow mercenaries, Old Nick quickly packed his equipment and joined the mercenary team as a team doctor.
The mission of this mercenary team is simple, which is to go to a monster cave in the mountains near Fanyin City and eliminate a group of mutated black steel spiders entrenched there.
“Although the mutant black steel spider is known for its strong defense, its strength is only at the second level after all. My team has two third-level senior mercenaries. This should have been an extremely easy mission…”
Old Nick took another deep breath and continued to describe. (End of this chapter)