Time passed bit by bit. When the snowy tavern gradually becomes lively, it also means that night is coming.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and a long black shadow was rising in the alley.

"Hey! Lucia, how many flowers did you sell today? ”

There are good people and bad people in the snow. But the world of adults is always blurry and **. Only children can directly express their likes and dislikes. And the one who is most disgusted by his peers among Xueman's children is Bryce.

And now she was in front of a little girl with a basket of flowers, and she had a couple of dirty little boys blocking the other end of the alley.

"Please go away, Bryce!" The little girl selling flowers lowered her head and whispered.

"That's not going to work. You haven't answered my question yet. ”

"It's none of your business." She tried to squeeze past Bryce, but was blocked by Bryce's arm, unable to take a single step forward.

"How can you say that it has nothing to do with it. We're good~sister~sister~" Bryce pressed her shoulders tightly and said with a hippie smile, "Good sisters should help each other, shouldn't they?" ”

Her hands were so strong that Lucia's shoulders ached as if they had been caught on fire! The pain forced her to say what Bryce wanted to hear.

"Yes, yes."

"Very good." Bryce nodded. "Your good sister is just short of money. I'm sure you're willing to give generously? ”

Lucia looked horrified. She hugged the flower basket tightly and stepped back again and again. "No, you can't. You can't take my money! ”

"Oh~ It's up to you." Bryce shook his head and gave Lucia a hard push to sit back. Then she moved her fingers, step by step, towards Lucia.

She deliberately walked very slowly. I admired the girl's panicked face.

"Please. Bryce, I'll starve to death if you take my money! Lucia pleaded quietly, but she couldn't elicit even a shred of pity in the heart of her abuser. Instead, Bryce gave her a heavy kick to the weak shoulder. Her attempt to get her up was a complete failure.

"Go to the lower level of the tavern, to the side alleys of the city. With such a beautiful face as you, there are [good Samaritans] who are willing to help you. You should thank me for showing you a good way to get food and clothing. You see, just put two legs on one, and you don't have to think about anything after that. Shouldn't you thank me? With that, she reached for Lucia's pocket.

"Woo!"

A scream. But it was Bryce who made the noise.

"How dare you kick me!?" She clutched her knees. There is a noticeable footprint on the neat and tidy trouser leg.

"Lads! Give her a little color and voila! ”

Annoyed, Bryce called out to her minions. And the boys who were originally guarding another gap in the alley were obviously not satisfied with just watching. They almost rushed up in impatience, and the rain of punches and kicks fell on the girl who fell to the ground. Soon, Lucia, who was only able to curl up to protect herself, was beaten all over her body and had no ability to resist.

But even though she couldn't lift her hands anymore, she was still able to express her last anger with a sharp look.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have such a look at this time." Bryce crouched down and shook his finger flirtatiously.

"Someone will discipline you."

"Perhaps. But that person is definitely not you," she pulled a knife from her sleeve. Gently patted Lucia's face with the cold back of the knife. "If you don't know what respect is. Then I don't mind having that word engraved on that lovely face of yours forever. ”

In the twilight of the moon and the stars, the cold steel stings the skin like a thorn. No one until Lucia had a lot of thoughts in her heart at this moment. But there will only be one end result.

She gave in.

The girl sobbed under her breath and closed her eyes. Then she could clearly feel the feeling of her pockets being emptied.

The poor kids' money hiding skills didn't work at all. Even the two Septins stuffed into the soles of their shoes were lightly searched. It fell into Bryce's hands.

It's over.

Lucia didn't have a penny left on her. She only eats one meal a day. Losing all her money meant she would have to go hungry today. Such hunger would consume all her body. And when the stars and moon are falling, it is extremely difficult to pick fresh wildflowers.

Well, she only has two paths to go.

One way is to live without dignity. The other is a dignified death.

Lucia is an orphan, but she is not an outcast. She was educated to know that there were some things that she couldn't give up even if she died.

Even if you die, you must wash away your shame with blood before that!

At that moment, the clanging sound of coins falling to the ground was heard.

"Don't say I don't leave you a way to live." Bryce's deep voice came from not far away. Soon, she led the group of boys out of the alley in high spirits.

Lucia opened her eyes. Two silver coins were lying quietly in front of her eyes.

The money was small, but it was enough for her to keep going. It was enough to extinguish all her courage and blood.

She took the two silver coins into her arms. Tears silently slipped from the corners of her eyes.

…………

"Eldest sister, why do you want to leave a little money for her? There's no way she's going to rebel against us. Shortly after the group left the alley, a boy finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Bryce his question.

"You know what?" Bryce glanced at him disdainfully. "What's in it for us to drive her to death? It's better to give her some hope. Wait until she's made enough money for us to harvest again. Humans are fragile animals. As long as you endure the first time, there will be a second time. When she gets used to it, we'll be able to squeeze more out of her. Haven't you heard a phrase? Thin ditches can water more land! ”

"The eldest sister is wise!" The little villains all showed admiring looks. They didn't even imagine this trick of dominating people's hearts!

"Hmph." Bryce raised his head proudly. "Boys, let's go to the next target."

"Oh! Long live the eldest sister! The bad boys cheered in unison. Then they went deeper into darkness under the leadership of the leader.

And at this very moment. Lucia in the alley finally recovered a little bit of her body. She struggled, struggling to get to her feet.

"Uh......h It hurts. ”

Although the bones were not injured, the bruises on her hands and feet were no different from broken bones.

With her current physical condition, it is clear that going to sleep is more problematic than filling her stomach. Holding on to the wall, the girl limped towards the snowy central part of the city.

There is the Temple of Ginalais. Although the temple guards are fierce, they will not let the disheveled Lucia enter like this. But the new Ruby Priest is a benevolent man. She specifically allowed orphans and homeless people to rest in the courtyard outside the temple. And that's one of the reasons why Lucia was able to survive in this increasingly cold weather.

She made a lot of effort to leave the alley. Passers-by along the way ignored her. Also, who wants to deal with a little girl like her, who is dirty and torn, and walks with a limp? Until she returned to the courtyard, she received no help in any sense.

Then she found that the stone bench she used to use was occupied.

It was a young girl wrapped in a dark cloak, and the edge of her hood showed that she had short blond-red hair. Most of her face was covered in shadows, but the thin chin gave Lucia a sense of familiarity—as if she had seen it somewhere.

Lucia shook her head. Get this superfluous thought out of your head.

"There's a free spot next to it." She whispered, pulling out the old blanket she had hidden from under the stone bench.

However, a white hand stopped her.

"Sorry for taking your seat." The voice of the strange girl was as clear as a stream in the suburbs. At some point, she stood silently behind Lucia. The girl could even clearly feel the inexplicable touch of the gaze under the cloak scanning over her body.

"You're injured, why don't you go to the temple for medical treatment?" The girl asked curiously.

"I don't have any money."

The girl in the cloak seemed to be a little confused. "The temple has to charge money for even such a minor injury? It's weird. ”

She placed her hand on top of Lucia's head, and a stream of heat traveled through Lucia's veins. And all the pain was far away from her.

"You don't have to charge for this."

Lucia looked at her smooth hands and feet in amazement. She could barely believe her eyes!

"Thank you, thank you!" She bowed to the girl. Then he looked at her with reverence. "I'm Lucia, and I'm selling flowers around here. You must be a noble wizard! ”

"Wizards?" The girl looked at her hand with some hesitation. "Probably so. Not...... As a matter of general etiquette, I should also give my name. You can call me uh...... Minnie. ”

"It's really a wizard! You've been there a lot! Can you tell me about it? ”

"There's nothing to say about it. It's nothing more than walking around, looking, and calling. And the biggest headache is not the enemy, but one's own companions. Minnie suddenly remembered a certain shield swordsman who was causing a lot of headaches.

"You've joined a mercenary group?"

"Mercenary group...... Not...... Sort of. Minnie pondered for a moment and replied.

"But you seem to be alone now?" Lucia asked, a little confused. But she suddenly sensed that the question seemed a little sharp, so she immediately apologized to Minnie again, "I'm sorry I asked a bad question. ”

"No, there's nothing to hide." Minnie Mouse waved her hand. "The deputy chief and the chief fought among themselves, and then the two sides were at loggerheads. It's finally time to decide the winner, and another strong outrageous thing that came out of nowhere beat the deputy leader half to death. As a result, now the leader alone flew north, I don't know how far. It is estimated that he will not wake up for a while. The deputy chief also lost his ability to act. And the new little sister is completely useless. As a result, I had to do everything! Don't you know that waking people up in the middle of a sleep is the most annoying! As she spoke, she fell into a state of fragmentation. One complained vigorously.

"Don't those two guys understand that neither of them can live without each other!? The leader is a fool, and the deputy leader is only awkward. Messing around simply doesn't let the dragon ...... Man is alive! Do they know how embarrassing it must be to finally get in shape only to find themselves in the stable!? It's not easy for people to wake up, and when they come out to visit old friends, they will be beaten up for no reason! and was forcibly dragged into them. Even if you don't get a good night's sleep, you won't get enough sleep! Don't you know that dark circles are ugly!! Uh-"

She suddenly realized her gaffe and quickly closed her mouth. But he found that Lucia, who was standing next to her, was already stunned.

"That's really...... Not a very good situation. Minnie said with some embarrassment.

At that moment, a hurried sound of horses' hooves relieved Minnie's encirclement. She turned her head, only to see a black shadow galloping away in the direction of Longxiao Palace.

Sentry?

"Sniff—" Minnie snorted. The brow furrowed slightly.

"It smells of blood."

And at this moment, Lucia, who had fallen into a stupor, also returned to normal. She looked at Minnie Mouse strangely. "What's going on? Minnie-sama? ”

"Not a good thing." Her gaze pierced through the walls, taking in the glow of the fire that lit up the small half of the sky.

"It's time for you to sleep, Lucia." She whispered softly to the overwhelmed girl.