那是霍金離開王宮的第一晚。408Please respect copyright.PENANAcI3kzMkrrw
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上次想起這個名字是多久以前的事了呢……坐在王位上的黑髮男子恍神了一秒,隨後將注意力從遙遠的赤龍山拉回眼前的覲見廳,官宦們你一言我一語地討論該如何解決眼前的「國家大事」,王后在他身旁正襟危坐,大門緊閉的廳堂裡燈火通明,不知是誰說道:408Please respect copyright.PENANAECjzdEWOiq
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「國王陛下,臣斗膽提議,派兵進駐鴉之森,營救霍金王子。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAkuGAgV5hoK
408Please respect copyright.PENANA9z9ui8LVWz
「否決。」國王幾乎是反射性地回答,所有的人都怔了一下,他甚至還能看到妻子用眼角餘光瞪了他一眼。408Please respect copyright.PENANA3YRO8nzHDs
408Please respect copyright.PENANAroLHECsLzw
某些較為年邁的老臣不約而同地想起國王上位時的情景,那已經是將近二十年前的事了,那時正是因為巫師引發的事件導致其餘王位繼承人死絕,才能輪到這位年輕的王登基。408Please respect copyright.PENANAuhn7dWTFZU
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他們都記得,短短的一年內喪禮是如何一場辦過一場,也記得,前任國王派往鴉之森的軍隊,在新王一上任便被撤回,當時此舉也引起不少反對的聲浪,但最終全被壓了下來。408Please respect copyright.PENANAZIyD3SUP7H
408Please respect copyright.PENANAS9iLZGG61Y
國王看起來像在沉思,火光將他瘦削的臉龐照得輪廓分明,王今年三十出頭,但容貌卻像是二十多歲的青年那般稚嫩。老臣們摸不透王的心緒,紛紛噤言,某位年輕的臣子說道:408Please respect copyright.PENANA5drnGV9mTW
408Please respect copyright.PENANA4Uq2waFUwh
「陛下,一國王子被巫師綁架,此事非同小可──」408Please respect copyright.PENANA2UpiRjq9J7
408Please respect copyright.PENANA1xd6PXaAuc
「你們如何證明是巫師所為?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAHp5z6tU1Jf
408Please respect copyright.PENANAMch5vjee3z
「王后陛下是見證人──」408Please respect copyright.PENANA93hRvHfS3G
408Please respect copyright.PENANAod1olOhTQD
「蜜拉看見的是霍金被白龍帶走,如何證明那條白龍與巫師有所關聯?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAPgLtqisNMi
408Please respect copyright.PENANAZkUSOV5T1S
「根據王子殿下傳回的訊息,他是被帶入一座高塔中,雖然沒有高塔的確切位址,但有龍的高塔就只有可能是巫師塔。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAjQMTP8SLhz
408Please respect copyright.PENANA5VxwVmR0Ko
「如何判定有龍的高塔即是鴉之森的巫師塔?又如何判定那條龍是巫師的龍,那座塔是巫師的塔?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAXlVgrhfesC
408Please respect copyright.PENANAdXZq70fkwh
「傳說故事中皆是如此記載……」408Please respect copyright.PENANAEHIpOTajPr
408Please respect copyright.PENANAtH7Ue2n15J
「傳說?你們以神話故事做為辯證的依據?」國王打斷了臣子的話語,強硬地說道:「也就是說,你們全是憑空猜測,事實上根本不曉得霍金被關到哪裡去了,就想要派兵到鴉之森去浪費資源?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAVJJLqUzJfF
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×408Please respect copyright.PENANASYOmIv8CLo
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時間回到霍金抵達巫師塔的第七天──408Please respect copyright.PENANAjgAdpWOTZf
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408Please respect copyright.PENANAXFtFBKF7o7
「汪汪!汪!」408Please respect copyright.PENANAywvUoequzh
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「嘎──嘎──」408Please respect copyright.PENANAST80LsE8V1
408Please respect copyright.PENANAIEv6FpXidV
高亢的狗吠聲與烏鴉嘶啞的啼叫迴響於廊道之間,幾分鐘前,一隻烏鴉飛入了四樓的走廊,在霍金反應過來以前,波可便衝出去撲咬了,不一會兒一狗一鴉就跑得不見蹤影,而當霍金追著牠們來到三樓,他剛把波可喚回腳邊,就聽見走廊盡頭傳來了另一聲烏鴉叫。408Please respect copyright.PENANAwv21xR0U4H
408Please respect copyright.PENANArPuDrFLtm1
一隻烏鴉場面就夠失控了,到底還有幾隻啊?!霍金不耐地往聲音傳來的方向一瞥,隨後詫異地怔了半秒──發出鴉叫聲的竟然是小白!408Please respect copyright.PENANAukWG2CvL6n
408Please respect copyright.PENANAAr5Wnk5O5b
走廊底端的白龍熟練地喊出與真正的烏鴉全無二致的啼聲,同時以後腳站立、縮起前腳,扮作鳥類的姿態並將牠們的肢體語言模仿得維妙維肖,不一會兒,這隻闖空門的烏鴉似乎就和白龍達成了共識,一同飛往塔外,在離開窗洞的剎那,小龍俄頃間化作大龍。408Please respect copyright.PENANApr5vrO7uCk
408Please respect copyright.PENANAQNCVkgkvbx
站在原地的王子愣愣地看著牠們飛走,不消一分鐘,白龍即獨自歸來,牠在窗邊降落,歪著頭對傻眼的王子說道:408Please respect copyright.PENANAEIYEjtHjMF
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「萵苣先生,你怕鳥嗎?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAFvGHB1q5bp
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「啥?我幹嘛要怕鳥。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAkujuugFxum
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「噢,因為我看你一直呆呆的站在那裡,想說你是不是被鳥嚇壞了。」白龍的黑眼眨了兩下,「要是你怕鳥的話可就麻煩了呢,畢竟這裡常常有鳥飛進來。不怕的話就太好了。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAImaUb7U1Yz
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「不,我說、那個你──你能跟鳥溝通?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAxzfexSmEnO
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霍金語無倫次,小白理所當然地回答:「可以呀,我小時候還常常跟森林裡的鳥一起飛呢。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAst8Sy8mKU3
408Please respect copyright.PENANAwg0bNntd8P
「……龍跟鳥是親戚嗎?」408Please respect copyright.PENANA2TaYYQ8PnQ
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心底話在無意識間衝口而出後,霍金也察覺自己講了蠢話,而白龍則是瞠大了眼,彷彿從沒想過竟有人會提出這種荒謬的問題、不可置信地回道:408Please respect copyright.PENANAbeeSC0qUjA
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「當然不是!你看我沒有羽毛,也不像鳥一樣只有兩隻腳,而且龍還能比鳥多活很久很久呢!」408Please respect copyright.PENANAC9DnIemDPk
408Please respect copyright.PENANAsn8Lj9yMGs
有點惱羞成怒的霍金還在想要說些什麼擺脫這個話題,白龍就無自覺地以溫和的口吻替他打了圓場:408Please respect copyright.PENANAeycaITP5lD
408Please respect copyright.PENANAlK3lvkM5XA
「難道說,萵苣先生是因為我能和鳥說話才這麼問的嗎?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAM3LqC4rsEN
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「對啊。」408Please respect copyright.PENANALqhETJJ8JV
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「那萵苣先生之前也覺得我會說人話很奇怪嗎?」408Please respect copyright.PENANAQJYtBwyGIJ
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王子搖了搖頭,「沒有。」408Please respect copyright.PENANA8psExd5Bpm
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「那為什麼我一發出鳥叫,你就覺得很吃驚呢?」白龍偏著腦袋,獸瞳透出滿滿的疑惑,「這不都是只要肯學就會的東西嗎?」408Please respect copyright.PENANA9QGxaFCY11
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……他還真的沒想過這個問題,霍金一時語塞,最初他的確因為龍說人話而感到詫異,但由於童話故事裡不乏能言善道的龍,是以他也很快地接受了這個事實,可是龍學鳥叫,那根本是超出他常理範圍的情況,哪能混為一談。最後霍金只是隨口回應:408Please respect copyright.PENANANFqj0crnjW
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「誰知道,大概是因為我會說人話但不會說鳥話吧。」408Please respect copyright.PENANADcaZnN3fqk
408Please respect copyright.PENANAIeFwkjNPki
白龍點了點頭,「這樣啊,人類好像真的都覺得自己會的事情、就算其他生物會也是應該的,自己不會的事情,其他生物也不可能學會呢。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAfHxj4BmjNu
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「隨便啦……所以你本來就會說人話又會說鳥話喔?小白。」408Please respect copyright.PENANA2aDdFRHsZ1
408Please respect copyright.PENANAQw1S8YZw9n
「本來是什麼意思呢?」白龍拍了兩下翅膀,靠得離霍金更近一些,「如果是指萵苣先生你來到高塔之前就會,那的確是這樣喔,不過,要是你是指一出生就會,那就不是呢。我也跟你們一樣,是要學習之後才能使用語言的。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAekTP94M8Do
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霍金像是狡辯似的說道:「但是人類不管怎麼學,也不可能發出鳥叫吧。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAHOkYXjP02A
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「是嗎?」白龍將側偏的腦袋彎回正常的姿勢,「只要練習的話,龍可以完全模仿任何聲音喔,而且我也不是只靠叫聲和牠們說話的,身體的動作很重要。」408Please respect copyright.PENANAufyuxZvqgQ
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白龍慢悠悠地走到他們面前,霍金一個激靈,問道:408Please respect copyright.PENANAGXiJ3rkfiT
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「那你有學過狗的語言嗎?小白。」他先前問過白龍能不能聽懂狗說話,但搞不好白龍聽是聽不懂、可是卻能夠說?或是能理解部份的意思?408Please respect copyright.PENANAMs81KvmiR2
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「沒有呢。可是萵苣先生想知道波可在想什麼的話,可以去問涅澤爾大人喔。」408Please respect copyright.PENANA7H9rdvwQDi