Shadow World.

Gao Wen didn't know what human countries understand the shadow world today, but in the memories inherited, the Gondor Empire more than 700 years ago had some research on this aspect - those scholars who had been studying the scriptures all day long stared at the lattice ruler buried in the magic well all day long to speculate on the true appearance of the world, and there was a classic model used to describe the "layering" of the world.

In this classic model, scholars believe that the world is divided into several "boundary layers", among which the uppermost layer is the most stable material world, everything has rules to follow, can be directly touched and easy to observe, and is also the boundary layer in which most creatures in the world live. Under the material world, there is a shadow world that most humans cannot directly contact. The shadow world is a distorted reflection of the material world. Ordinary humans cannot directly contact and observe it, but they can perceive and measure it through the techniques of the magic and spiritual realm; from the shadow world, further down is the shadow world, which is a more vain and mysterious area, the reflection of the shadow world, which has reached the point where any magic and mental power cannot be explored. Some lucky magicians have captured a few shadow creatures with basic reason and can communicate, and guessed the existence of the shadow world from the words of those creatures.

Some radical scholars have expanded this classic model. They believe that there may be a deeper realm layer under the shadow world, but that layer already belongs to the realm of gods, and is the "base of origin" laid by the Creator God when he created this world, and is no longer a category that ordinary people can study.

According to Gao Wen's understanding, this model is like layers of translucent kraft paper. The real image of the real world is at the forefront, and the shadow of this real image is projected onto layers of paper, and the more you go back, the more blurred and distorted it becomes.

What he and Amber are in is the back of the first piece of paper - the Shadow Realm.

Even if it is just the second level, it is already a place that most humans have never set foot.

He wisely did not ask Amber why she had the ability to enter the shadow world at this time - and it can be judged by Amber's words just now that she was the first time she had "entered such a deep place". Most of the time she asked her, she would not get any answers.

There are still many secrets in this world that are worth exploring, and many things cannot be understood after hanging in the sky for many years.

After a simple judgment, Gao Wen felt that following Betty's footprints was the only breakthrough point.

But before leaving the scene, he still looked back with some concern. Hetty, Rebecca and others were still standing there in a state of "porcelain dolls". Their bodies were resisting the invasion of the fog of the vengeful spirit in the real world. However, in the projection of the shadow world, they were still at the moment of attack, and the black fog that penetrated from the ground was constantly disintegrating them.

Fortunately, they still have some time to judge by the rate of erosion of those fogs.

"Maybe this is the real state of the fog of the vengeful spirit," Amber also looked at Gao Wen's gaze, shook his head and said, "If we sell this discovery to the Secret Arts Association or the Star Artists Association, how much would it be worth?"

"They will give you a bunch of potions and tie a record crystal on your head, and the last exile technique will throw you into the Shadow Realm as a human flesh detective," Gao Wen gave Amber a blank look, "Come on, it's important to do it."

Amber followed Gao Wen while muttering: "But you can let you come forward. No matter how you say it is An Su's founding ancestor. Can they still pour medicine on the ancestor?"

"What do you think?" Gao Wen pulled the corner of his mouth, "They were willing to hang me on the wall, write it on books, and offer it to the table. Even the king was willing to lead the whole family to personally put a bouquet for me every year and give it three days off. It would be possible to make a good reputation without any risk. But if this ancestor really popped out of the coffin, the first reaction of the people who had me on the table before would probably push me back into the coffin, and then nailed more than 200 nails from all directions. If you were a little more ruthless, you would probably have to fill the lead..."

Amber was stunned: "Why?!"

Gao Wen glanced at the unintentional half-elf and threw it back in anger: "Because the three-day tomb sweeping holidays across the country are gone!!"

After saying this, Gao Wen walked forward with great strides, leaving Amber behind, and reacted for a long time before suddenly shouting: "Wait a minute! You're wrong! You won't take a holiday when you're visiting your graves! You only have three days off when you're celebrating the founding kings! You're dead early, so don't know..."

Gao Wen almost fell head-on.

However, although he gave up Amber's idea of ​​selling the information of the Shadow World, Gao Wen had his own plans. He was full of curiosity about the Shadow World, or... he was full of curiosity about the whole world.

So one day, he will understand all this.

The footprints did not extend far.

Perhaps because of the special environment in the Shadow World, the habit of judging distances in the material world is difficult to take effect here. Gao Wen and Amber just walked a short distance along the footprints, and a wooden house suddenly appeared in front of them.

The wooden house was small and broken. I don’t know how long it had been standing here. A circle of broken fences could be seen around the wooden house. Judging from the sparseness of the fences, it might not have any defensive effect. And in a corner of the wooden house, Gao Wen noticed a touch of color.

It was the color of moss, which seemed particularly abrupt in this black and white world, and as time went by, the little bit of color was fading away rapidly.

Betty's footprints stretched to the front of the wooden house.

Amber pulled out his little dagger and nervously gestured on his chest: "After that, you are the old man who rushed in with the gods and rushed in to cut melons and vegetables. I will hold you back..."

Gao Wen thought for a while, resisted the urge to throw her into the mine with the amber collar, but pressed one hand on the hilt of the Trailblazer Sword, and carefully pushed open the grayish-white door with the other hand.

However, no attacks came.

The wooden house is just an ordinary house, old and dilapidated, like an old black and white photo.

But there are people inside.

A man with a shattered beard and wearing a shabby robe sat behind the square table in the middle of the wooden house. He was so haggard and vicissitudes that Gao Wen could not judge his true age at all. Behind this man, two wooden racks filled with bottles and jars and an old alchemy platform could be seen.

The devices needed for magic experiments can be seen everywhere in the house, but they are all piled up with more dilapidated debris. Any normal mage who sees this shabby and miserable scene may have the urge to cry.

The man behind the square table raised his head and looked at Gao Wen's direction. He smiled stiffly: "Ah, guests - it's been a long time since there's no guests coming to my laboratory. And they're two?"

Amber poked his little head out from Gao Wen's side, and the half-elf girl's face was full of vigilance: "No... won't you fight?"

Gao Wen did not draw his sword, but he did not let his hand go too far away from the hilt. He kept an attack at any time and walked into the wooden house: "We passed by and came to find someone - a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, holding a pan..."

However, the man behind the table seemed to have not heard Gao Wen's words. He just smiled slowly and nodded slightly: "Please find a place to sit. Annie is preparing lunch. She can't find a place to rest in the mountains and forests. If you don't dislike it, stay here for dinner."

"Annie?" Gauwen asked subconsciously.

"It's my daughter," the man smiled, "very well-behaved."

At this time, the girl's scream came from the side: "Master?"

Gao Wenxun looked over and saw Betty standing next to a small door in the corner of the wooden house with a look of surprise.

"Betty? You're fine," Gowen immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm here to pick you up."

However, Betty shook his head slightly, and the man behind the square table looked at the little girl and asked gently: "Annie, is lunch ready?"

Betty nodded obediently: "It's almost done, dad."

The little girl turned around and crawled back to the kitchen. Gao Wen and Amber exchanged glances. After confirming that the strange man behind the square table had no reaction, they followed.

Betty was cooking in the kitchen, using her baby-like pan. A clump of pale flames leaped in the stove, and the sausages on the pan were frying.

Amber's focus is very clear: "Can you cook in the shadow world even be able to cook?"

"What's going on?" Gao Wen came to Betty and asked in a low voice.

From the girl's expression and behavior, it can be judged that she was not affected by spells such as mental control, but she stayed here to cook with her own will, and called the strange man outside "Dad" - this is really a bit strange.

"I don't understand very well," Betty's face showed a bit of confusion as usual, "but the man outside seemed to treat me as his daughter..."

Amber widened her eyes: "Then are you just treating someone as your father so obediently?"

Betty shook his head: "He's very pitiful...so I want to make him a meal before leaving."

Gao Wen and Amber looked at each other.

Then Betty suddenly reached out and took out a few times in the pocket of her maid's skirt, took out an old note and handed it to Gao Wen.

"Master, give it to me - this is what the man gave it to me. I don't understand a lot of things inside, but you should be able to understand it."

Gao Wen took the not-so-thick notebook in confusion, and hurriedly looked through the records on the last few pages.

Amber curiously put his head forward: "What? I look at me and see... Magic formula? Rune sorting?"

The half-elf-like lady who was confused by the complex symbols and formulas raised her head and looked at Gao Wen with a confused look on her face: "So that weird old man is actually a mage?"

"Strictly speaking, he is a wild mage," Gao Wen rolled up his notebook and knocked on Amber's head. "And didn't you see it when you entered the door and saw so many magical experimental tools!"
Chapter completed!