Xiao Worm looks like a very different girl on the surface, but in fact, after a long time of contact, you will find that she is not difficult to get along with at all, although she talks and does things, but she has a cute energy, especially for those close to her.

With such a girl by his side, Turtledove may have laughed more recently than in the previous ten years combined, his childhood memories are not very good, he spent his youth in Mouse City, and what he does every day has nothing to do with "entertainment", it is all a knife licking blood.

So Ikaruga is genuinely happy now, and he is not a serious person at heart, so the two of them amuse each other along the way, making the originally long and boring journey less boring.

What they're going to now is a place called Grey Ridge.

……

"Why did you come to a place outside the law?"

Holding the steering wheel with both hands, the turtledove and the bug chatted casually.

"What, do you want to know my story?"

The little insect leaned sideways, one arm sticking out of the window, as if trying to grab a handful of the cool afternoon breeze and stuff it into the car and blow away the sweaty heat.

"I just think it's strange what is it that deserves to be investigated under pressure from both the New Empire and the Wings of Freedom."

Turtledove was telling the truth, he was really curious about this.

"I don't know," the worm's eyes became drifting, "I said earlier that I suspect that there is a cat between the New Empire and the Wings of Freedom, that's all my guess, what the truth is, I'm not investigating now." ”

"Alright," the worm retracted his arm and sat upright, "you told me yesterday about when you were a child, so I'll tell you my old story." ”

……

Worm's father was the former leader of the Freedom Wings, and she didn't look like her father at all, and in terms of appearance, Worm inherited more from her mother.

Worm's mother died of illness when she was very young, so Worm's memories of her mother are nothing more than an old yellowed photograph and the occasional dictation from her father.

Later, something happened in the Wings of Freedom, and Worm's father's original subordinates usurped power and became the new leader of Freedom Wings, not only killing Worm's father, but also trying to kill her as well, but fortunately, someone in Freedom Wings moved Worm elsewhere in advance, so that she was spared.

Since then, Worm has lived a life of exile, and in order to escape the endless pursuit of the Wings of Freedom, she has to venture into the sphere of influence of the New Empire, but she did not expect to be tantamount to a sheep's mouth, and several times she was almost caught by the people of the New Empire.

However, it was during that time that Worm discovered that there seemed to be an ulterior secret between the New Empire and the Wings of Freedom, and that she was isolated and in an enemy camp, and even if she wanted to, there was no way to do it, after all, it was a fluke that she was alive.

Later, Worm meets a mysterious person, who tells her that she was once a loyal subordinate of Worm's father, and that the unsuspecting Worm almost fell for it, and that if Galahad hadn't helped her, she would have been caught.

Galahad took the worm to the land of the law, but the two had a big quarrel, because the worm wanted to continue to investigate the truth, and Galahad advised her to live well, many things were a foregone conclusion, and it was impossible for a small worm to have any impact on the situation.

However, the little worm's temper is also very stubborn, and it is difficult to change what she recognizes, and after a fight with Galahad, she leaves, wanting to go to the oasis alone, but as soon as she appears, she is targeted by the new empire's forces in the extralegal land, the wolf's den.

Forced to hide in the ruins of a city, the little worm never thought that he would meet the turtledove there, the first time the two met was not very pleasant, and they used to oppose each other.

This is what the worm had to say before he met the turtle dove.

……

"So you basically don't know anything, you just think there's a problem, and you make up your mind to go to the oasis?"

"That's right."

The turtledove looked at the bug like a madman.

"I still don't understand why you're going to the Oasis."

"Because I heard that the Oasis exists, and it's important for the Freedom Wings, I wanted to try my luck there."

"Heard? Try one's luck? ”

"I'm amusing you, I actually have very reliable sources, but I can't tell you, or I can tell you later."

“……”

Turtledove shrugged his shoulders, he didn't care too much about the "source" and "news" of the worm, nor did he care too much about what was going on between the new empire and the wings of freedom, he had already taken the reason that the worm had come up with for him as his real purpose, - yes, the turtledove just wanted to find Galahad through the worm and ask him for advice on the means of evolving "rage".

……

There was still a long way to go from the Gray Soil Ridge, and the turtle dove and the little worm choked on the air that was wafting from there, and the little worm stretched her hand out of the car and beckoned, and soon her palm was covered with a thin layer of dust.

"What the hell are we doing in this place?"

Turtledoves have known about the existence of Ash Ridge for a long time, and it is said that there were many mines in the vicinity for a long time, but then an accident caused the coal mines to burn here, and the fire burned for several months, and although the flames on the surface were extinguished, the underground still burned with flames.

Coal dust is blown into the sky by hot air currents, cooled and then descends, covering every inch of the surface of the earth, hence the name Ash Ridge.

Almost everything here was destroyed by the fire, and the surviving humans had long since moved away, and even wild beasts were reluctant to approach this place, which was too desolate for plants to grow, and was gray everywhere.

It is also rumored that it is haunted, and that a handful of homeless people who are not afraid of death once wanted to build a new camp here, after all, the endless geothermal energy can dispel the cold of the night in the desert, and no one has seen them again.

Not even a little news.

Ikaruga is not afraid of fighting people head-on, even in the face of a behemoth like a wanderer, he has the courage to drive a motorcycle to knock over the other party, but I don't know why, he is a little afraid of ghosts.

It's a little funny to say, such a big man is still afraid of ghosts, but the turtledove is afraid, and he is especially afraid of the toad that swims around in the river, and when he sees the toad, the turtledove's legs can't help but weaken.

Of course, he didn't tell the worm about his self-esteem.

……

Parking the pickup truck from a distance, Turtledove looked at the desolate and dilapidated gray ridge in front of him, and couldn't help but think of those terrifying legends about this place, and suddenly felt that his legs and stomach were a little tendoned.