“Pray, what dost thou both stand about for?!” the armored guard demanded. “Go hence and assist in catching fish for Lord Sorrowshade, or find some other task to occupy thy worthless selves!”The stranger immediately nodded.“Of course, my lord. We shall do so at once.”He bowed respectfully before turning away and dragging Alan along with him.Alan followed, his mind racing. ‘Why does this guy keep dragging me around as though we’re friends?’The more he thought about it, the stranger’s behavior seemed increasingly suspicious.He had appeared out of nowhere, attached himself to Alan, and insisted on accompanying him everywhere. Even when the guards had decided to send Alan to the mountain, the man had risked his own safety to follow him.At the time, Alan had thought he was simply an unusually kind person.Now, he wasn’t so sure.‘Come to think of it, he never really explained who he was or why he was helping me. His goal must have been the crystal all along. But who is he? Could he b