In order to find out the truth, Xiao Tianjian simply picked up his granddaughter and left the store quickly. He still had a house in the town, not far behind the shop, just across the road, but it was a remote place on the outskirts of the street, and there were no neighbors around.

The house is very large, there is a small courtyard, the house is white and gold-rimmed with carvings, onion-shaped roof, very Weisha characteristics, but the verandah and pavilion in the courtyard are in a style that Minna has never seen, the courtyard is densely covered with flowers and plants, but they are all half-withered, it seems that no one has taken care of it for a long time, the fountain with a very beautiful shape is covered with moss, the water is dry, and you can vaguely see the corpses of fish half-buried in the soil.

Minna covered her nose and walked through the pool into the living room, and when she saw her grandfather wandering around the room, trying to find traces of the people who had lived here, she found a sofa herself, lifted off the big white cloth that covered the dust, and sat down to wait.

Although the furnishings in the house are covered with dust, you can still see that they are extraordinary. All vases, ornaments, clocks, candlesticks, furniture...... And so on, they were not ordinary objects, crystal wine glasses and white porcelain in the cupboard, even a little girl like Minna knew that they were very expensive things.

The sofa she is sitting on now, I don't know what kind of animal skin it is made of, it is moderately soft and hard to sit on, no one has taken care of it for so long, and the surface of the leather still has a faint luster. And the carpet under her feet is woven with scenes from the ancient legends and stories of the Cult of Light, with vivid lines, rich colors, lifelike characters, reaching out and touching it, it feels fluffy and very soft, I don't know what material is used? Minna remembered the carpet in her house, which her mother had bought from Maiton with great effort, and only woven simple flower and grass patterns, which were said to be very expensive, so how much did this carpet cost when she was in her grandfather's house?

But is this really grandpa's home? Minna looked at the light pink or lilac curtains fluttering in the wind around her, and the delicate silk embroidered pillows on the sofa, no matter how she looked at it, she felt that this place was more like the room of a noble lady as her mother said.

But there is a portrait of his grandfather hanging in the middle of the living room, it should be his home, right? In the portrait, the grandfather is wearing a black robe with a stand-up collar and buckles, I don't know if it is a Wisha or Noga costume, but the hem of the dress is embroidered with a long animal pattern with gold thread. Minna remembered that her grandfather once mentioned that it was their family's totem, an oriental mythical beast called "Dragon". She didn't understand why the creature looked different from the dragons she knew, but she did admit that it did look imposing.

Just as she was holding her head and wondering why this house seemed to be inhabited by women, Minna saw her grandfather coming down from the stairs and hurriedly greeted her: "Is anyone there?" ”

"No, but there should have been people living here half a month ago." Xiao Tianjian looked a little anxious, "The master bedroom or something has probably been unoccupied for a long time, but there are traces of human activity in the servant's room, and there is some flour and food left in the kitchen, judging from the degree of rotting meat, the servants have only been away for about half a month, and it is about the same time as the people in the trading house." He glanced at the living room and thoughtfully said, "I don't know why they left suddenly, and I don't know who took them, but it seems that they didn't resist, and the other party didn't have the intention of hitting the things in the house......"

"So...... Are those people good? Minna asked.

"I can't say for sure." Xiao Tianjian pondered for a moment and said, "I know who may know the news, you wait here, I'll go find someone to ask." Then he turned and walked out.

Minna hurriedly pounced on him and grabbed his clothes: "I'm going with you!" I don't want to stay here alone! "She didn't want to live the nightmare of being found in the Chamber of Secrets again.

Xiao Tianjian looked down and saw the determined look on his granddaughter's face, knowing that the child must have a knot in his heart because of his experience in Nomonka, thinking that she had seen a lot of the world with herself, and with her own protection, no one should hurt her, so he relented and agreed.

Minna happily followed her grandfather and returned to the street, turning an unknown number of corners before she came to a building. With a sign on the door that read "Fridorf", she knew it must be a tavern or something like that, but when she pushed the door in, the scene in front of her confirmed her suspicions.

However, unlike the tavern bars she had seen before, the shop was large, and although it was daylight outside, it was dimly lit inside, and it was lit by oil lamps or candles, so that another smoke filled the air, and she choked a small cough, and soon she smelled a strange fragrance again, and felt a little confused.

There are many customers sitting around a round table, but instead of ordinary tables and chairs, there are large sofas, and the men spread their heads on them, stretching their limbs comfortably, touching each other's glasses and talking quietly. Twenty or so handsome women dressed in revealing tulle dresses weaved through the crowd, bringing drinks and food to guests, occasionally flirting with people, long jade arms wrapped around men's necks like snakes.

As soon as Xiao Tianjian walked into the store, he attracted the attention of some customers, and as he got closer and closer to the counter, more and more people focused their eyes on him, and stopped talking, and the store was silent for a while.

Behind the counter stood a man who looked to be only in his twenties, tall and slender, but his complexion was rare fair, and his facial features were handsome, compared with the sturdy and dark-skinned men around him, there was an indescribable feminine beauty. He wore a Wisa robe made of black silk, a pair of slender white hands peeking out of his cuffs, and a palm-long silver jar turned nimbly between his fingers.

As soon as he saw Xiao Tianjian approaching, he stopped what he was doing, a meaningful smile appeared on his face, and he raised his hand to say hello: "My esteemed Earl, it's been a long time, Frido greets you." There was a peculiar rhythm in his tone, as if he was singing, which Minna thought was nice, but how could that tone make people feel awkward?

Xiao Tianjian stopped in front of the counter: "It's been a long time. He glanced around, and the people began to whisper something almost after Frido's greeting, and looked at him with a strange look, as if there was some schadenfreude or a hint of good play, was there something he didn't know was going on?

In a flash of thought, he smiled: "I haven't been here for a few years, it's rare to see so many friends again, the old rule, I invite everyone to have a drink, and ask for the best wine." "Throw out a bag of gold coins. Minna recognized it as the money bag in the secret room of the Normonka branch, which contained twenty gold coins, and opened her mouth without saying a word.

Frido whistled, "You're so generous, so how about a glass of ice and fire wine for everyone?" I heard that your family business is the largest underwriter of ice and fire wine in the whole continent. ”

Xiao Tianjian smiled and acquiesced, and two more whistles rang out from the surrounding crowd, and then two people stood up and bent down to thank him, and he smiled and returned the salute. The others, however, just watched, smiled meaningfully, exchanged glances with each other, and did not say anything, unlike how many people had thanked or toasted him in the past. Xiao Tianjian was sure once again that something must have happened.

Glass after glass of wine was served, the men were in a happy mood and generous in their rewards, and the women seemed to be more enthusiastic. A beautiful girl wearing a small pink vest and purple gauze skirt swayed her slender waist, and her jade hand climbed up Xiao Tianjian's shoulder, and almost the whole person was pasted: "Generous guest, how about you invite me to have a drink?" ”

Minna smelled the pungent smell of perfume on her body and fanned her hand in disgust. Frido chuckled: "This is the new yarn, our trump card, Lord Earl hasn't seen it, right?" Xiao Tianjian glanced at him unmoved: "I have something to ask you, let irrelevant people go down." Frido smiled and said softly to the girl, "Did you hear that?" You're not qualified to wait for this guest, get out. ”

The beautiful girl's face changed, and she immediately straightened up and left. Minna dared to breathe hard. Frido ignored her and only asked Xiao Tianjian, "What do you want to ask?" ”

"Where have the people of my house gone, and the people who live in my house? Half a month ago, who took them away? ”

"You're such a humorous person." Frido covered his mouth and smiled, "I'm not one of yours, how can I know where your family has gone?" Hehehehehe......"

Minna suddenly shivered, and felt goosebumps rise on her body, this person was so strange.

Xiao Tianjian's face turned cold: "You are the biggest intelligence dealer in Mengli, what happened in this town, will you not know?" I wonder how the Duke of the Underground will feel when he hears his men say this? ”

"Hehehe......" Frido laughed a few more times and waved his hand, "You are too humorous, the Duke of the Underground has already gone underground, where else can you feel anything?" ”

Xiao Tianjian's face was almost frosty: "What do you mean by this?!" ”

"Hehehe...... Lord Earl, you are so clever that you really can't understand me, do you? Frido put on a look of sneering as he could barely hold back a smile.

Minna thinks this person is really annoying, all the people she has seen who open a tavern are very welcoming to her grandfather, and treat her very well, but this person, although he is very good-looking, has a strange tone of voice, grandpa has spent so much money on him, why does he still mock grandpa?

As she sneered, she suddenly felt a powerful momentum emanating from her grandfather Xiao Tianjian's body, approaching Friedo, and at the same time, it also emitted a part of it on the other guests. The hustle and bustle of the store fell silent again, and everyone felt the hero's strength.

Xiao Tianjian knocked on the counter inadvertently and said lightly: "It seems that I haven't been here for a long time, everyone seems to have forgotten who I am, thinking that I can only stand here with the power of the duke." ”

Freedo's face was pale, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly. He hurriedly lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry, I offended." ”

Xiao Tianjian retracted his momentum at this time, and when he saw the adoring look in the eyes of the little granddaughter next to him, his mouth curled, and he said to the young man behind the counter: "It's not convenient to talk here, let's change places." ”

Frido complied and led him to the back of the shop, and Minna hastened to follow. As soon as they disappeared from everyone's sight, it caused a heated discussion among everyone in the store, and many of them thought about their own thoughts.

Minna followed her grandfather to a small room at the back of the store, which seemed to be a bedroom, completely different from the previous one, the furniture was very simple, clean and tidy, and there were two pots of green plants on the windowsill, and in the sunlight there were light yellow flowers the size of rice grains, exuding a faint fragrance.

Frido asked Xiao Tianjian to sit down, and was about to pour tea, but he stopped him: "No need, you answer my question first." ”

"Yes." Frido stood carefully before him and replied respectfully, "The men of your merchant house and the servants of your household left Monri fifteen days ago, and they were taken with a group of fresh faces and armed men, many of whom were masters. I can't find out where they came from, but judging by what they say and do, they must be Easter's men, and the steward of your shop gets along well with them, and seems to have made an appointment with them. ”

Xiao Tianjian breathed a sigh of relief slightly, but when he heard Frido say "but", he became nervous again.

"But the lady of your family, Ziya, left the house three years ago, and went with her maid and a few guards to the oasis ten kilometers west of Monli. She opened a tavern, restaurant and casino there, and because she didn't have to pay taxes, it attracted a lot of people to play there, and the business was very good. ”

Xiao Tianjian frowned: "Three years ago? How did I not know? "He didn't pay much attention to that woman, it was just a singer given to him by the Duke of the Underground, and he had no feelings, and he had already helped her cancel her cheap status, and gave her a large sum of money, and let her live in his mansion. Now that she took the initiative to leave and has her own career, he doesn't have to worry too much. But this feeling of being kept in the dark is not good. Why didn't the people in the trading house mention it to him?

"I heard that she has some disagreements with the people in your firm, and you haven't been back for a long time, so you left."

Xiao Tianjian nodded, and asked again, "What about the duke?" He really ...... He's dead? ”

"Yes." "This was seven days ago," replied Frido, cautiously, "when his nephew, in collusion with the Nogars, set a trap when he came to Monri to inspect him, poisoned him, and arranged for him to be ambushed. He was ...... However, one of the guards escaped and returned to Westside to uncover his nephew's plot, only to kill himself. In order to seek justice, the duke's men fought with the Nogars, and the boss over there also died in the chaos. Now that there is no one in charge of the overall situation, it is a mess, and there are several groups of people in Monli, but the market is quite peaceful. ”

Xiao Tianjian frowned, and somehow remembered what he overheard in Nomonka: "His nephew is unreliable, I already knew it, but how could he be so easily fooled?" "That man had always been shrewd, and I couldn't believe he died like this.

"This ...... I don't know, but there were several consignments of goods that happened at the same time that day, and the Duke thought that I and a few other people in charge were not doing our job well, so he whipped us and sent us to find out the situation, so we didn't go with ......."

Xiao Tianjian's face changed, and he didn't continue to ask, but just asked where his old friend was buried, and Frido's head hung lower: "The body is in West, and it hasn't been mourned yet......"

Xiao Tianjian was stunned, although he knew that once that person died, his subordinates would definitely fight over who would inherit the huge underground kingdom, but he didn't expect that he wouldn't even hold a funeral. There was a faint anger in his heart, and he stared at the young man in front of him. This Frido was also that man's right-hand man, but he didn't expect that his master had only been dead for seven days, and he would dare to be rude to himself as an ally of the old master.

Frido felt the murderous aura on Xiao Tianjian's body, and his hand trembled slightly, but he gritted his teeth and held on, thinking that he couldn't let him kill him no matter what.

At this time, Minna spoke up: "Grandpa, that duke...... Is that the friend you said gave you the house? Her question greatly reduced Xiao Tianjian's murderous aura, and there was even a faint smile on his face: "That's right, it's him." We used to drink together, and although he was very ruthless to his enemies, once he decided that you were his friend, he would help you think about everything and be very generous, and he was a very good person. ”

Minna felt a little pity: "Why did he die?" I really want to meet him......"

"Yes...... Xiao Tianjian pondered for a moment and said, "Minna, I'll send you back to my house later, you just stay there and don't run around, I'm going to West." I'll ask this person to deliver something to eat. ”

Frido was overjoyed and was about to say something, but Minna interrupted him first: "Don't! Is Grandpa going to leave me again?! I'm going with you! ”

"Obedient!" Xiao Tianjian rarely showed a stern look, "There will be a fight there at any time, it's not a place for children to go!" You stay in the house for me, and when I do the funeral for my friend, I will come back and take you away! If you are really sensible, you should be obedient! ”

Minna bit her lip and stared at him for a while, before she nodded: "I know, I will be obedient ......"

(ahem...... I'm going to abuse it again tomorrow~~~ But after the abuse, there will be a happy time~~~ There are so few messages in the past two days, is there really nothing to say? ）