What Brian didn't expect was that in a harsh environment like the Lion Road, there were still civilians living here.

These civilians lived in houses made of soil and thatch among the weeds, and the rest fished in small leather boats in the bay, and built their homes on skewed wooden poles at the top of the dunes.

Most people seem to live alone and do not communicate too much with outsiders.

When the two walked to noon, Badrick's leopard suddenly roared, and then three women emerged from the weeds and gave the monk a straw woven basket full of clams.

Brian discovered that these three women, one of whom was very old, the other was a big belly, and the other was a young and beautiful girl.

There is no doubt that they are all ordinary civilians who cannot be more ordinary.

This made him ask in confusion, "Are these ordinary people living in swamp areas in the wilderness, afraid of encountering danger? Why don't they choose to live in civilized gathering places?"

"Because they have nothing to be scary, sir." Badrick told him:

"They just want to live, to live, to be old, sick and die, to love what they love. Even if they know that the lords of the Baldur Gate rule the land, few people have seen them. Even if the city nearest is Belgost, to them, is just a name."

Although the monk explained it very tactfully, Brian felt the concept similar to the "harsh government is more powerful than tigers" from the lines of his words.

Obviously, although life here is a bit difficult, at least it is not exploited or oppressed, and can be safely born, old, sick and dead, and leaves fall back to their roots.

As his strength improved, although Brian was the lord and even the Duke of the Kingdom of Cormier, he realized until now that he had not seen or felt the lives of civilians for no reason.

Moreover, the convenience brought by magic made him disdain for ordinary life, as if he had already left this world so that after Badrick took him and suddenly walked in this dangerous swamp area, he became a little unfamiliar.

Because of this reason, after he got used to it, his state of mind seemed to be changing silently.

This made him realize that as his strength continues to improve, he may not be able to succeed by accumulating a lot of experience, but relying on the tempering of his mood.

"Although they know very little about everything outside the road to the lion." Brian looked around and showed a thoughtful look and said to the monk:

"But they have their own faith in their hearts, right? I guess this should be your credit. It was you who made them complete their own redemption or regain their self. This made me wonder, how many years have you been walking in this area?"

"It's almost fifty years." Badrick sighed, and his leopard turned around and let out a whimpering low roar, and intimately rubbed his master's mud-filled trouser legs, as if to cater to the monk's words.

He said slowly, "It often takes half a year to walk from Candle Castle to Baldur Gate, and maybe longer, but I will not say that I know Sword Bay. I only glanced at the towers of the Great Mages and the castles of the Lords from afar, but I am familiar with villages and manors, those villages that are so small that they don't even have names, fences and mountains, streams that can make thirsty people drink water and safe caves that adventurers live in, even if there are no muddy and winding trails on the map, I know it."

"After all, I've stepped over every inch of land here by barefoot dozens of times." Badrick said with a smile.

"This ascetic monk is not simple." The thought of the golden dragon Paralandask sounded in Brian's mind, "But why didn't I feel the slightest ability of a monk in him, but instead I am more like an ordinary mortal, so strange."

Although Brian had the same doubts as Jinlong, he ignored this boring topic and looked at the ascetic monk with a slight respectful look and said, "Then you must live a lonely life."

"Not that." Badreck shook his head slightly and replied, "I have a loyal partner."

"Then does your leopard have a name?" Bryan asked.

"He must have it," said Badrick, "but I'm not his first master."

The leopard turned around and looked at the two of them coldly. He was big, shiny and slim, and his muscles were flowing back and forth like waves while walking, but he was very friendly.

"Who does he belong to?" Brian asked again.

"Of course he belongs to himself. As for his name, he didn't tell me, and I usually call him Maoer."

"I have also raised a cat, but it's just a cat girl."

Golden Dragon Paralandask seemed to feel a little bored and took the initiative to share the interesting stories of the past with Brian. "Although that cat woman is very arrogant and stingy, she always takes the initiative to put it on, but her body is softer than an elf, and it is really moist. I'll try to catch two of you if you have the chance."

“…”

"He will protect me on the journey, and even in such difficult times, with him by my side, neither beast nor evil humanoids dare to approach me."

Badrick frowned, "It's just that recently, Sword Bay has become very messy. According to the adventurers passing by, there have even been traces of devils at the Gate of Bod and Eltugad."

Brian nodded thoughtfully when he heard this.

As noon approached, they finally saw the shadow of the candle castle.

The castle is located on an island halfway from the shore. Even from a distance, you can find the wealth of the island. Terraces cover slopes, fish ponds, windmills on it, and paddles made of wood and canvas slowly rotate in the breeze blowing from the bay.

Brian also saw sheep eating grass on the hillside and burping birds walking leisurely in the shallow water around the ferry dock.

"Candle Castle is on the other side." Badrick pointed to the north of the bay and said:

"Under normal circumstances, the scholars of Candle Castle would take advantage of the evening tide to ferry us, but now the tide has receded, and we can hike to the other side."

Brian nodded slightly, already getting used to the life of Monk Badrek like an ordinary person.

As the other party said, it is now catching up with the ebb and retreating very quickly. The river that is isolated from the land retreats rapidly, leaving a vast brown mud flat, with slight rays of light, and tide puddles are spread all over it, flashing like gold coins in the bright sunshine.

"Why is it called Candle Castle here?" Brian asked.

"For those who live here are scholars, who contemplate, pray, silence, and seek knowledge and answers in books, and the only one who can accompany them in the darkness... is the candle."

Badrick smiled slightly and greeted Brian to follow, "Sir, if you want to sleep under the eaves tonight, you will now travel through the mud with me. We call it the path of faith. Only those who believe in faith can pass safely, and those who have evil thoughts will be engulfed by quicksand."

Brian carefully followed the monk's footsteps. He found that the so-called road of faith was really winding and twists. The candle castle seemed to stand in the northwest, but Badrick did not walk directly towards it. Instead, he looked far away, turned to the east, and headed towards the deep water in the bay.

The sea water in the distance was shining with silver-blue light, and the brown mud squeezed into Badrick's toes with a squeak.

From time to time, he stopped and used his wooden stick to test ahead. The leopard followed closely behind his feet, sniffing every rock, every shell and every clump of seaweed.

Brian followed behind, paying attention to the row of footprints left by the monk and the leopard.

After walking about two hundred meters, Badrick suddenly turned south, almost facing away from the candlestick. He walked another hundred meters in that direction, and then passed between two shallow tide puddles.

The leopard stuck his nose into one of the puddles. A huge king crab suddenly clamped his nose with pliers, causing him to make a whimper like a cat. The golden dragon Paralandask smiled in Brian's mind and finally received a gift package forbidden words.

After a brief but violent fight, the leopard trotted back, wet and covered in mud, holding the crab in his mouth.

"Aren't we going to go to Candle Castle?" Brian glanced at the castle not far away, and finally couldn't help asking, "Why do I feel like we are wandering around, not moving towards our destination at all."

"Because this is the road to faith, Mr. Brian." Badrick persuaded indifferently, "Only by faith, persistence, and piety can we find the peace in our hearts."

"Pious? Peaceful?" Brian smiled and said:

"I don't believe in the gods, so I naturally don't need any piety. As for peace, let alone peace of mind and peace of mind at all times."

"You can't help asking me questions, which proves that your heart has gradually been replaced by irritability. How can this be considered peaceful and peaceful?" Badrick replied calmly:

"There are many things that faith contains, and the gods are just one of them, such as faith and ideals."

He glanced at Brian meaningfully and said in deep words, "If Mr. Brian does not have firm beliefs and ideals, how can he break through to the legendary realm? However, although your strength has been greatly improved, your heart has not reached the corresponding realm."

"Okay." Brian shrugged helplessly, stopped talking, and followed Badrick honestly.

For some reason, when the other party said these words, he discovered a question that shocked him. His heart could not calm down as quickly as possible, and inexplicable irritability always emerged.

As a psychic warlock with a strong ability to reach the legendary realm, Brian's will and beliefs are extremely firm. He can calm down in an instant at any time and think about any problem rationally.

But today, he was unable to achieve this effect no matter what.

This made him vaguely realize that he was very likely to have really, as Badrick said, his heart did not reach the corresponding state with his strength.

Thinking of this, he no longer repelled his heart, and began to follow the monk who led the way, step by step and move forward silently like an ordinary mortal.

The mudflats are shining with damp light around them, reflecting nearly a hundred mottled tones.

The mud is dark brown, almost like black, but there are also golden sand, gray and red protruding rocks, and clumps of black and green seaweed.

The trekking birds trek through the tide puddle, leaving many footprints, while the crabs sprint on the surface of the shallows, avoiding the lively leopards.

Although the air had a smell of sea salt and rottenness, Brian found that this made him instinctively repulsive, but made his heart feel particularly peaceful.

Time passed by bit by bit in the silent journey, only mud sucked Badrick's bare feet, and then let go with a "pop" reluctantly, as if a squeaking sigh.

When two people climbed over the pile of gravel surrounding the island shore, Brian accidentally discovered that three of them had been waiting here at some point.

They wore the tan robes of Candleburg scholars, with wide bell-shaped cuffs and pointed hoods, two of them wrapped in long wool cloth around the lower half of their faces, and only their eyes were visible, while the other had a blank scroll embroidered on their robes representing the emblem of Ogma, the god of knowledge.

"Master Badrick." The person who spoke was wearing the Ogma emblem, and he said with a respectful expression, "I haven't seen you for almost a year. Welcome, and your companions."

The leopard turned his head coldly and lay on the ground, stretching out his burrs' tongue to combed his hair covered with mud. Badrick shook off the mud on his feet, "We requested to stay in Candle Castle for one night."

"Of course, I have prepared a sumptuous food for you, but..." The scholar hesitated for a moment and looked at Brian, "The rule master of Candle Castle must have told this companion."

Before Master Badrick could speak, Brian continued to say, "Of course, I still know a little about the rules of Candle Castle. Don't worry, I won't make Master Badrick embarrassed."

Any adventurer who wants to enter the candlestick will only cost a book.

This seems to be a very simple condition, but for most people, it is difficult to ascend to the sky.

Because this book must be not in this candle castle, known as the "Ferren's largest library", and it must be identified by the Guardians of the Book, and its value is at least about 1,000 gold coins.

After Brian finished speaking, he took out the book he had prepared long ago, which was the "Black Forbidden Book" he obtained from the madman Ogasla and handed it to the bookkeeper who wore the Ogma mark.

For some reason, when Brian handed over the book, he obviously felt his heart calm down inadvertently.

The state of calming down at any time has returned, and it is even better than before.

What moved him the most was that there was a vague trend of breakthrough in the mental plane.

Just when he was puzzled by this, he suddenly discovered that the three bookkeepers and Master Badrick beside him all showed a long-awaited expression.

"Congratulations to Mr. Brian." Badrick used calm words to relieve his doubts, "Successfully lifted the curse that Ms. Lost has cast on you."

"Ms. Lost Curse?" Brian was really shocked when he heard this. He quickly opened the property bar to check, but found that there was no abnormality at all.

"That's right." Master Badrick said:

"The first time I saw you, I noticed the power of the curse from the Lost Lady. This curse is secret and powerful. If you had not handed over the Black Forbidden Book in time, you would have become a madman who lost his mind as Ogasla as time goes by."

"This is the price you can read the Black Forbidden Book." said the bookkeeper wearing the Ogma emblem:

"Only gods like Ms. Lost, who have powerful divine power can quietly plant such a curse power on you through this book, so that you will not notice it at all."

After saying that, he solemnly took out a golden cover made of unknown materials, carefully wrapped the "Black Forbidden Book" and said with a pious look:
Chapter completed!