When the gray-green walls came into view, Turner realized he had reached the end of his arduous journey. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The city of Budar is not uncommon on the mainland to be named after a person, but it is the only one that bears the name of the bandit leader. This small city sits at the end of the northern plains, with the mountains of Tria in the background. It used to be a barren and barren land, and in autumn, white grass flakes drifted over the salt sands, and the occasional monster cub could be seen among the rubble. Until thirty years ago, a group of down-and-out bandits went into exile, Boudal? Vicky showed great foresight as a leader, realizing that he could use this as a base and take revenge on those who had expelled him. Over the next few months, Boudal led his minions through the nearby steppes. By the spring of the following year, Boudal decided that the time was ripe for the start of work: they already had a large number of prisoners and supplies in their hands - including some labourers and skilled craftsmen; The most critical stones can be obtained from the Tria Mountains behind them. When the autumn of the following year came, a castle appeared on the original wasteland. On the day of completion, Budar cut off the heads of ten horses and all the workers as a ritual to promise his subordinates that they would not have to continue to wander in the future. Over the next few years, Boudal gradually annexed the surrounding bandits, large and small, and managed to tear their enemies to pieces. The city of Boudal soon became famous in the steppe, and in addition to the bandits, other inhabitants began to live in the city. The first inhabitants consisted of a group of women, mostly caravan women who had been taken captive, and whose young bodies had given them the opportunity to survive. When the first women gave birth to babies whose father did not know who their father was, Boudal ordered them to be released from the wooden prison on the condition that the children they gave birth to were raised and that they could not leave the city for the rest of their lives. Some of them committed suicide, while others lived in urban areas to survive; The second group of inhabitants are outlaws, most of whom are fugitives, and among them are some black magicians who ignore morality; By the time some of the dark races arrived as the last inhabitants, the city of Boudal had become bustling. Boudal has become a gray area without rules, but the absence of rules is also a kind of rule, and even in such a chaotic place, capital is gradually showing its strength.

The sun had just risen overhead, and Turner was the only one who wanted to enter the city.

The guards of the gates were bandits - in the city of Budar, the bandits were both the stewards of the city and the masters of the fate of others. They do whatever they want, just to find a moment of fun. Nothing but violence could make them back down.

Turner saw this, so when one of the gatekeepers reached for his collar, he pierced the man's palm with a sharp knife.

The gatekeeper writhed on the ground with a bloody hand, but his companions had no intention of avenging him. The rest of the bandits sneered at their companions and waved for Turner to enter the city.

Glancing at the poor ghost on the ground, Turner stepped into the city gate.

What would a city run by robbers look like? Turner could have imagined it, but when he actually walked into the city of Boudal, he was still shocked by what he saw.

Filthy streets, poorly dressed women, and crow-covered corpses littering the alleys.

Walking forward, the crowd gradually became denser. Several ragged children weaved back and forth through the crowd, each accompanied by the angry shouts of strong men. Most of the people who live here are experienced and ruthless, and it is difficult for children to try to succeed; Occasionally, if you are unfortunate enough to touch someone you shouldn't have touched, you will be kicked several meters away or your fingers broken.

There are no rules prohibiting murder in the city of Budar, but the bandits will never clean up the aftermath for you - if you kill people in the streets, you have to clean up the ground yourself. This is a troublesome thing, of course, because most of the time these children can save their lives.

Is this lucky or unlucky? Turner didn't know. He felt as if he was walking in hell, the scene around him distorted and distorted in his peripheral vision, as if floating in a dream. The bizarre sight made Turner dizzy, and several times he resisted the urge to vomit in his stomach; He almost wanted to close his eyes, but a voice inside reminded him that he must not show a weak expression, otherwise the people around him would rush up and tear him apart in an instant. The thought of Miss Audella being trapped in the city at this moment made Turner feel uneasy.

Walking through the downtown area, Turner carefully watched the signs on the side of the road. These storefronts are the only way to buy goods in the city. In the city of Budal, all economic principles do not apply, and the price of commodities is set only in relation to the armed forces held by individuals. Therefore, when some forces poured in, the original women in the city lost their last means of survival. Few of them continue to make a living by selling things, and most of them have to do some kind of leather business.

Walking around a street corner, Turner's gaze met that of a woman. The woman stood in front of a shop, her dress and the ensuing flattering look on her face revealing to Turner who she was.

Turner didn't stop, he secretly quickened his pace and walked forward.

This is undoubtedly a prostitute, he thought, but before that? It's impossible to guess. She may have been a caravan advisor or a governess of a noble lady. She may have come from the bustling city of Ayers, who had discussed freedom and democracy with friends in the square of Inis, but now she was imprisoned at the very bottom of hell. How treacherous is fate, and how does life drag the singing lark step by step into the quagmire?

Turner thought back to the woman's flattering eyes, and to the woman's stunned face before that. For a moment, the sad expression overlapped with Miss Audella's face, and Turner felt a tightness in his chest.

But that won't be the case, Miss Audella is the only daughter of the Tagger Merchant Clan. Boudal would have taken her in exchange for ransom, which would be a great fortune, more than the entire city of Boudal combined. Greed is in the nature of bandits, and no one can refuse such an opportunity. Turner comforted himself as he looked up to see a shabby sign across the street.

This is Turner's destination, part of his plan to rescue Miss Audrey. Turner walked across the street to the front of the shop, a dilapidated storefront that slanted across from the prostitution parlor, but there was not a single customer in broad daylight.

Turner raised his feet to enter the store, but a dark figure rushed through the corner. Before Turner could see the visitor's face, a dirty hand grabbed the package from his body.

The other party's strength was not great, and Turner easily cut his outstretched hand. After restraining the other party's movements, Turner saw the robber's face.

It was a skinny child, with bones propping up the entire silhouette outward. He was naked, with dark blue and dark purple scars intertwined. However, what touched Turner the most was that the boy was staring into his eyes.

That's like a beast...... No, more than the beast. Turner had never seen such a look of malice and hatred, and he couldn't help but think of the boy named Hill he had met before.

Seeing that Turner seemed to be stunned, the boy suddenly stretched out his left hand to pull out the weapon at Turner's waist, and then slashed straight at Turner's face.

Years of adventure saved Turner. In the moment of life and death, he jerked back and kicked the boy away.

Turner's kick subconsciously controlled the power, and the boy just rolled on the ground, glared at him and got up and ran away, still holding Turner's weapon in his hand.

Turner stared at his back for a moment, then turned and walked into the store.

"Why didn't you kill him?"

As soon as he walked into the store, an old voice reached Turner's ears. Turner looked inside, and behind the counter stood a gray-haired old man. Instead of looking this way, he bent over the counter. On closer inspection, he was holding his glasses in one hand and flipping through the ledger spread out on it.

"You're the eighth master?" Turner looked the old man in front of him up and down.

"Why didn't you kill him?"

The old man did not seem to intend to answer Turner's words, and he continued to repeat his question without looking up.

Turner realized that there was no way to escape, and he paused before giving his own answer.

"He's still a kid."

"But this kid can kill you, and there won't be a second of hesitation."

His words struck Turner in the heart, and Turner was silent for a moment before saying:

"The child is innocent."

Hearing this answer, the old man raised his head, and he stared into Turner's eyes from outside the frame of his glasses: "No one is innocent. In this city, it is a sin to be alive. ”

Turner was speechless, he knew that what he had said was true—that in the city of Boudal, a child of that age had survived until now, and that the crimes he had committed so far had been accumulating were unimaginable and intolerable to the outside world. But what's the solution? He's just trying to live.

The old man didn't intend to continue the pursuit, he moved his gaze back to the account book: "You're from outside, aren't you?" ”

Hearing the question of "Eighth Master", Turner hurriedly cleared the emotions in his heart. He glanced outside the shop and replied, "I was introduced by the fifth child." ”

"I don't care who introduced you." The old man interrupted him, his gaze still fixed on the account book: "Every week, outsiders like you come here. Within three days, their bodies would be hung on a flagpole in the middle of the city. Whether you have a blood feud or a high level of earth - I only care about one thing. He raised his eyes and glanced at Turner, "I'm sixty-seven years old, and I've been here for twenty years, and I don't want to be hung on a flagpole like you before I die." ”

"I know the rules."

"Everyone knows the rules, but there are very few who can survive the torture of Boudal's men."

Turner realizes he has to prove it, but his weapon has been picked up by the previous teenager. He looked left and right, picking up a knife from the counter next to him to prune medicinal herbs. Without hesitation, Turner raised his knife and slashed at the middle finger of his left hand, and after that there was a mortal battle waiting for him, he had to make sure that the impact was as small as possible - the middle finger of the non-dominant hand was an acceptable option.

Turner's fingers were almost sharp, and he looked up, and the old man was slowly withdrawing his hand.

"I have seen your enlightenment, and what you want is behind you."

Turner turned his head, and a crystal bottle was placed on the shelf, containing half a bottle of clear liquid.

Turner held it above his head, and the sun shone through the bottle on the ground. Didn't leave a shadow behind.

"Is this poison really incurable?"

"There is no antidote in the world, only an antidote that people can't get." The old man replied impatiently as he faced the account book.

"What are its main ingredients? The juice of the mandala flower? Or the blood of the ghost-faced butterfly? Turner asked, looking at the bottle, curious.

"Neither, it's the snot of the poison slime." The Eighth Master looked up at Turner: "Don't show that expression, layman. When it comes to toxicity, it is by no means inferior to the other two. ”

Despite his mixed feelings, Turner put the bottle in the package.

"Huh? It's ......."

Turner looked up, and the old man was squinting at the contents of his package.

Looking down at him, there was a wood carving. It was a gift from the strange boy on the road before.

"Ah, this was given to me by someone I met before. What's wrong? "Does this old man like such crafts? Turner thought he would die. Rather than fall into the hands of bandits who have no ability to appreciate it, it is better to give it to those who cherish it.

"If you like it......"

"You'd better keep it for yourself." However, the old man had already withdrawn his gaze, and he looked up at the clock hanging on the wall, on which the time was ten o'clock in the morning: "If you are willing to listen to the advice of this old man, I suggest that you wait until the moon comes out before acting." ”

It was a tactful eviction, and Turner said goodbye in amusement, turning to walk outside.

The old man watched his back disappear into the street, and retraced his gaze to the account book.

The second hand clicked, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Knock knock."

A knock sounded from the door, and the "Eighth Master" looked up at the figure standing at the door, and a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."