The sky was gray, and the ancient castle stood silently amid the patter of rain.

Trees and weeds grew wildly, ivy covered the cold stone walls, and fine greenery spread in the gaps. If it weren't for the bursts of light shining through the stone windows, this castle would have seemed abandoned many years ago.

Lost.

Compared to the castle itself, the name of the castle has long since disappeared over the years. It is said that the birth of the castle can be traced back to before the Wrath of the Scorched Earth, but no one can verify whether the story is true or false.

Many years later, this unknown old castle had a new owner and a new name. People nearby often called it Daisy Castle because the owner of the castle planted large tracts of daisies in this messy greenery.

, they formed a sea of ​​white and yellow flowers around the castle. Whenever the breeze blows, the sea of ​​flowers will play bursts of music.

That sea of ​​flowers left a deep impression on Dudel. He had lived in the gloomy steel jungle of Oath City Opos for a long time, and he had not seen that beautiful natural scenery for a long time.

After walking up the dusty stairs, Dudel soon met the owner of the castle in the big library of the castle.

Based on Dudel's understanding of the owner of the castle, he was already an old man. But at first glance, Dudel didn't think he was old. Instead, he read endless emotions in those bright eyes.

vitality.

The owner of the castle wore casual pajamas and welcomed Dudel's arrival with a smile. This kind gesture surprised Dudel. He still remembered the rumors about the owner of the castle.

People say that he is a lonely and strange guy. Although he has such a vast territory, he never takes care of it. There are no servants in the magnificent castle. He is the only one living here.

Dudel never believed the second half of the rumor, but on the way here, he could observe that the castle was covered with dust, and some places were even sprinkled with rainwater. Only when the owner of the castle moved around frequently

Only in places can you feel a little bit of the breath of life, such as this large library filled with countless books.

Dudel felt that this was not only the castle owner's big library, the castle owner also worked and lived here.

Not far away, you can see the castle owner's desk, with a typewriter on it and manuscripts piled aside. There is a blanket in the corner, pillows and a shotgun next to it.

Noticing the shotgun, Dudel raised his eyebrows slightly. He remembered an interview with the owner of the castle in a newspaper a long time ago. The reporter asked him how to ensure his personal safety when he lived alone in this empty castle far away from the city.

The owner of the castle smiled and said that he would carry a shotgun with him, and uninvited guests would be fed the shot.

At the time, Dudel only thought it was a joke by the castle owner. It seemed that what he said was true. Thinking of the castle owner's experience when he was young, Dudel thought it was reasonable.

"Mr. Dudel?" The owner of the castle glanced at Dudel, then at his watch, "You are very punctual."

The owner of the castle is very concerned about time, and Dudel knows this.

Taking a deep breath, Dudel tried to relieve his tension, and then he spoke.

"Hello……"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Dudel became nervous again, and he suddenly realized that he didn't know how to address the other person.

Yes, another big reason why the other person is regarded as a lonely weirdo is that no one has known his real name for so many years. At least that is the case for the public.

"Just call me a blue jay."

The castle owner smiled. He knew what Dudel was hesitating about. This situation had happened many times and the castle owner had long been accustomed to it.

Dudle swallowed and said cautiously, "Blue Jay?"

Dudel did his homework when he came. He knew what a blue jay was. It was a beautiful bird with a lavender blue color.

The owner of the castle once mentioned in an interview that there are very few blue animals in the animal world, and the blue jay is one of them. Its feather color is so special and beautiful... The owner of the castle likes this rare and unique nature.

"Otherwise? What you are interviewing now is an author. Is there any problem in calling me by my pen name?"

The blue jay looked at Dudel with a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes stacked together.

Dudel gradually adapted to the conversation with the blue jay and smiled to himself, "Sorry, this interview is very important to me, and I am also your loyal reader..."

"It's okay, it's okay."

The blue jay waved his hand, stood up from the sofa, picked up the wine bottle and poured a glass of wine for Dudel and himself, and the two clinked their glasses gently.

"Don't be so nervous, just relax and just treat it like an afternoon chat." The blue jay said and patted Dudel on the shoulder.

Dudel looked at this mysterious and solitary author with a complicated mood. The pressure of work, the excitement of seeing his true appearance, the contrast between rumors and reality... Dudel adjusted his mentality and entered into working mode.

"Mr. Blue Jay, I am here to interview you on behalf of the "Grey Fog, Industry and Delicious Shrimp Crackers" radio program."

"I know, I'm listening to your show, and I quite like it," the blue jay praised. "Looking at it, I can be considered a fan of yours, Mr. Dudle."

The blue jay's kindness made Dudel feel panicked for a while, and then he relaxed completely and murmured, "There is always a deviation between rumors and reality."

"Just like fantasy and reality, the deviation is the stage for us creators."

The blue jay sat back in his seat, crossed his feet, and stretched out his furry thighs from his pajamas. He didn't care about his image, "Please hurry up, Mr. Dudle, I have something to deal with later."

"Okay, okay."

Dudel took out the notepad he had prepared in advance, which already listed several questions that Dudel wanted to ask. He asked the blue jays one by one in sequence.

"There is a woman who appears in all your works, a woman with flaming opal eyes. I want to know why this is? Does she have some symbolic meaning?"

After Dudel finished speaking, he hurriedly added, "I know many people have asked you this question, and you have not answered it. If you don't want to answer, we can skip this question."

"It's okay, I can answer this question," the blue jay explained. "One of the reasons why I accepted your interview is that it's time to talk to you about this."

Dudel was stunned. It took him dozens of seconds to understand the meaning behind the Blue Jay's words, and he became uncontrollably excited.

The woman with flaming opal eyes.

There is such a character in all Blue Jay's works. She does not participate in the main line of the plot, just like an abrupt shadow that shuttles through the text on the page.

It is everywhere and exists forever.

Some critics once criticized this meaningless character, but as Blue Jay created one amazing work after another, the woman with fire opal eyes gradually became a kind of spiritual totem and became the symbol of Blue Jay's works.

logo.

Later, there was even a joke that how to judge whether a work was written by a blue jay is just to see if there is a woman with flaming opal eyes in the book.

As time goes by, the past criticisms no longer exist, and everyone wants to know what the Fire Opal woman actually represents.

In the past few decades, countless people have interviewed this lonely weirdo and tried to learn a thing or two about the woman from him, but the blue jay has always kept silent, no matter how valuable the other party's promise is, or whether

It was a personal threat, and he didn't care.

Until today.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little rude... It can be said that I have read your books since I was in school. I am curious about her and it has been in my heart for a long time."

Dudel apologized profusely. As a radio host who talked at midnight, he felt that his social skills were quite good, but in front of the blue jays, he often behaved ugly.

The blue jay smiled and waved his hand, "It's okay."

"So who is she?"

Dudle picked up his pen and notepad and listened carefully to the Blue Jay's next words.

People have many speculations about the woman with fire opal eyes, the most credible of which is that some people believe that she is the woman that the blue jay dreamed of when he was young.

Judging from the outside world's knowledge, Blue Jay has never been married, and this is still the case until he is fifty-nine years old. The more Blue Jay is like this, the more convincing this guess is.

"It's still a secret that cannot be told."

The Blue Jay raised his finger and put it in front of his lips, "But what I want to tell you is that my new book will explain everything about her."

"Your new book? You mean new book!"

Dudel almost lost his breath again. It had been ten years since Blue Jay's last book was published. People thought that Blue Jay would never write another book. After all, he already had enough fame and reputation.

With massive wealth, the blue jay's life should now only consist of enjoyment.

"That's right, I've been planning this new book for ten years... no, far more than ten years. What I can tell you is that this will be a... um..."

Blue Jay himself didn't know how to describe the content of this book. After hesitating for a while, he decided on the type of the new book.

"It will be an autobiographical fantasy.

All the secrets you care about will be answered in this book."

Dudel's breathing became rapid. He didn't understand what autobiographical fantasy was, but he knew the importance of the news. "This is big news. Is this an exclusive report?"

"Of course not," the Blue Jay raised an eyebrow at Dudle, "I wrote to every newspaper about this, and you just happened to ask."

Hearing this, Dudel was a little disappointed, but his disappointment was quickly covered up by his excitement.

Duder pressed, "So when will your new book be released?"

The blue jay explained seriously, "It should take some time. I have finished writing the first half of the story, and I still haven't finished the second half. When I sort it out, maybe it can be divided into two parts and published."

Dudel asked again, "What's the title of the new book?"

A helpless smile appeared on the blue jay's face. He shook his head and responded, "I'm sorry about that. I haven't thought of a name for it myself."

"Is there no other information that can be revealed besides this?" Dudel asked reluctantly.

"No more. I want to give this work as a surprise to my readers. Too many words will only make this surprise eclipse."

Dudel expressed his understanding, and then he sighed, "For readers like me, it is the greatest comfort that you can have new works coming out."

"Then please wait patiently. I think it won't disappoint you."

Blue Jay was very confident about his new book and promised Dudel.

The two continued to talk for a while, until the blue jay stood up, ending the interview.

"Okay, it's time to end, Mr. Dudle, I have something to do next."
To be continued...