-

Without any more excuses, no complicated processes, the tax collector announced the penalty.

The crowd was silent.

All around was the sound of snow falling and campfires burning.

The puppy makes a high-pitched whimper. His sister hugged him. The girl's eyes were full of fear and anger as if they were burning with fire.

Then the tax collector said, "Because of my good intentions, I am willing to give you three parts." Therefore, just choose one of them to be punished. The black dog will cut off the head of a man and sacrifice his blood to the earth and repay the king. Now, it is up to you to choose who will bear the blame. ”

Suddenly, this became a cruel scene of relatives killing each other.

Two adults, two children, the youngest child curled up in his sister's arms, so the remaining three looked at each other.

"A man is the breadwinner of a family, an indispensable hunter, and if you lose your husband, how can you pay your taxes in the future?" the tax collector admonished in a low, considerate voice, looking at them, "the son born to a man is the hope of the family, the new hunter...... And what can a woman do in this long, harsh winter?"

Young girl stares at her mother.

After just a few seconds, she jerked to her feet, pushed her brother out of her arms, and took a step forward.

"Sister, sister, sister—"

The puppy understood, screamed bitterly, and reached out to pull at the hem and sleeve of his sister's skirt.

"Good, you made your choice. The tax collector bowed.

Two "black dogs" in black armor silently stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and dragged her to the center of the square. Duna knelt in the snow with her back to the tax collector's tent facing the crowd.

Gina held her young son tightly in her arms and covered his eyes. He was still shouting and crying.

The tax collector walked up to the girl, took a jewel that hung from her breast, and recited a prayer with a religious connotation. He expertly navigated the process, and finally he said:

"God forgive your sins. ”

With that, the tax collector walked back to the eaves of the tent and raised his hand to the two soldiers.

One soldier held the girl on the shoulder, while the other raised the iron axe he was holding.

The girl closed her eyes and hung her head.

No one spoke, no one stepped forward. It seems that this is an iron law that cannot be opposed, a tragedy that has been witnessed several times.

-

Mo Shi stood between the crowds, almost dizzy from the confusion of memories and complex emotions in his mind.

These tragic situations in front of us are the ignorant sins that people will not be allowed to commit by the society that gave birth to Mo Shi.

This will demanded that he do something.

And reason prevented him from stepping forward.

- At a time when spiritual magic is sealed and physical abilities are far below average, what qualifications do you have to come forward to refute this trial and veto this massacre?

"Sir!"

The blue bird's voice suddenly rang out.

It spoke very quickly, "If you decide to save that orc's life, that is, to challenge the ancient and barbaric tax laws, you can apply to the Mastermind for an advance in the progress of civilization and give you the right to use the fourth-level elemental magic—"

"I'll do it!" Mo Shi interrupted Bluebird, "I'm going to overturn this unreasonable tax law." ”

As he swore aloud, everyone around him turned to look at him.

"Receive the instruction and start the application process. 』

Blue Bird – Blue gemstones emit a light with a fast frequency.

A woman's voice came from the cane, "Hello, your current Civilization Advancement Index is 0.015% based on the Endless Journey - Rulebook - Fifth Law"

-

The executioner's black axe paused at a high point before slashing down.

Aimed at the girl's outstretched neck, the heavy iron axe should have severed flesh and bones with a single blow.

However, in fact, when the iron axe was swung down, it suddenly crashed into an icicle in mid-air. The icicles snapped, the ice splattered, and the path of the axe was interrupted and bounced off—the axe vibrated and swung like it slashed through the girl's erect ear, sliced off a piece of flesh, and then slid off to the ground.

Duna covered her ears, her palms soaked with warm blood. Then she stared at the heavy iron axe that had been plunged into the snow and mud, and only then began to shiver.

The icicles that blocked the decapitation and pierced the ground were not without a source.

Looking along the snow, you can see a belt of ice with dense ridges growing on it. And at the end of the ice belt, there was a figure in a black robe half-crouching on the ground with five fingers on the ground. He braced himself with his staff, panting violently. The hood hides his countenance.

"What people!"

The tax collector took a step forward, and he was able to pause.

He clearly didn't understand what was happening and felt a little uneasy.

"It's magic...... That's magic!" An unfamiliar voice came from the tent, the voice had the hoarseness and tension of a teenager's voice-changing period, and the owner of the voice exclaimed, "What a magnificent magic, ice and snow manipulation, I dare say that this spell is even better than the teacher's work." ”

Then, out of the shadow of the tent came an orc boy.

"Master Dino!"

The tax collector bowed to him.

This "Master Dino" is at the border between boy and man, but he is very different from the boys of the village. He was richly dressed and had a beautiful sword at his waist. The most important difference is that his face has no hair and is a "human" face.

- Yes, that's exactly what Moshi knows about the face of the race.

There is no prominent nose bridge and snout, the tip of the nose is soft, the lips are pink, the eyes have a clear distinction between the eyeball and the whites of the eye, the eyebrow bone is raised, and there are two eyebrows, and the smooth forehead is covered with curly hair.

Despite having a human-like face, the boy's exposed hands still have hair and sharp claws, and his ears are also canine ears, which are slightly higher than those of the Moshi race, erect on either side of the head.

The young man walked towards Mo Shi.

Moshi withdrew his left hand, which was already red and purple in the snow, and he had to grit his teeth to endure the cold of the night. He was still half-kneeling. The spell just now was a fourth-level "freezing magic" of the water system, and Mo Shi overdrew his current physical strength and magic power for this, and immediately felt very tired and almost collapsed. But he is well aware that the matter is far from over.

The boy stood in front of him.

"Who are you, and why do you use magic? You just wanted to save that civilian girl?How dare you defy the verdict made by Duke Firefinch's agent for this?" the boy also had a series of questions, full of curiosity about him, "Are you also a 'Hyar'?"

Khayal ......

This seems to be what snowwalkers call nobles.

Just as Mo Shi pondered how to answer, the boy raised his hand and picked his hood with his scabbard.

Mo Shi subconsciously raised his head and looked at the young man.

The boy looked at him, his eyes widened in surprise, and his pupils shrank into two thin black slits.

The young orc's eyes reflected the strange appearance of Mo Shi's stranger: pale face, dark eyes, and slender ears on either side of the head, which branched out from between the strands of hair.

Twilight had fallen, and the light of the campfire was shaking.

The young man immediately put away all his playfulness and laughter, and said to him, "My name is Dino Celestial Shiner, Flame Catcher, son of Duke Firesparrow. Please ask for your honorific name. ”