Xiangye Town is located in the southeast border of the Duoduo Kingdom, surrounded by mountains, dense forests, and relatively scarce arable land, but rich in natural resources, rich in high-quality flax, fragrant vine fruit, iron ore, sapphire, as well as mountain herbs, wood and leather.

The Hannesey family amassed considerable wealth with the resources in their domain, and Baron Hannisee built the town of Spice into a small city that could accommodate more than 30,000 people.

Every year during the windy season, a large number of homeless people flock to Hannishi's territory to accept the baron's employment and work in the harvest of fragrant vine fruit. When the cold water season came, Xiangye Town was short of food, and the homeless people who had earned money returned to the Ascending Stone City of the Grand Lord Marquis Dwemick to spend the winter.

It's the end of February, the windy season, and the weather is getting colder, and the displaced shanty towns outside Xiangye Town are already full of people. Those who did not have a place to live either grabbed other people's huts or gave up their harvesting jobs here and rushed to other territories to earn a living.

Keeping a shack is like keeping a job. Gangs of displaced people in shantytowns form alliances according to their respective areas, and those who stay behind are in charge of guarding their companions while they go out to work.

"Ahh Yes... Spare me, for the sake of the Most High... Spare me..."

A half-grown boy in a shabby felt coat knelt on the muddy floor of a shantytown and wept bitterly, his arms cut behind his back by a pair of slender and well-proportioned hands, and the sharp pain in his shoulder joints made him unable to move.

The abuser was a tall, thin man, with three horrific scars on his face that made him look like a ghost, and his eyes were cold and unforgiving, as if he would break the boy's shoulder at any moment.

Disability is an unbearable toll for displaced youth. He pleaded loudly, but the man was unmoved, and the people around him were just watching the excitement, and the people who could help him were all lying on the ground.

"This group of idiots actually dares to rob the territory of the ghost face. ”

"Boss Ghost Face, give this kid a good look!"

"Break his shoulders!

The onlookers were homeless guards of the shacks, and without exception, they used intimidation to show their cruelty and strength as a warning to those who tried to seize their homes.

"What's your name?" the man asked coldly.

"Barrel...... My name is Barrel. The boy endured the pain, trying to squeeze out a flattering smile and stared at the muddy ground.

"Okay, you follow me later. The man let go of his hand, first shut up the people around him with his eyes as sharp as a sword, and then shouted: "Get out of here!"

The boy watched in amazement as his unconscious accomplices got up from the ground, covered in mud, limping through the crowd of onlookers.

"Haha, boy, you're too tender!"

"Taken in by the Ghostface Boss, what a lucky boy. ”

The onlookers burst into laughter, but this time they showed friendliness.

The young man in the felt coat remembered that he had just been desperately trying with a firewood knife and a ghost face, and he was suddenly ashamed and annoyed, and spat at his former companion, but it attracted louder ridicule from the onlookers.

"Barrels, the six huts here are ours. If someone comes to stir up trouble, you call me. The man commanded the boy and walked straight into the largest hut.

The structure of the homeless shacks is simple, with a focus on rain protection and warmth, but the lighting conditions are very poor. A little sunlight breathed through the mud wall and poured into the room, outlining a hazy figure. When he saw the man close the wooden door, he chuckled and said, "Ghost Face, this time you did a good job." Experienced homeless people don't easily kill or maim people, that will only cause trouble for themselves. It seems that you have learned to intimidate and buy. ”

The man was silent for a moment, and then said astringently, "My name is Todd." ”

"Todd? huh...... Ghostface, your nickname is more majestic than your name. This is very good. I wanted to have a loud nickname that scared people to pee their pants, but everybody called me 'hey', 'hey', 'hey', 'dude', 'crumb', 'fat mouse'...... I know you have the strength and background, but you are an outcast, and you will be a gangster in the future... Well, maybe a gangster boss. Feige walked up to Todd, put his arm around his shoulders, and said affectionately, "Ghost Face, I'm doing this for your own good." ”

Ghostface is none other than Cadet Todd.

More than three months ago, on the orders of Viscount Randall, he and 42 elite soldiers of the Randall family disguised themselves as outcasts, rushed to Yehliu City overnight, and under the cover of the local gang, met the guide Feiqi.

Feige is in his 20s, medium height, and has an ordinary appearance, and belongs to the type that he can't find when he is thrown into a pile of people, but he laughs when he sees people, speaks pleasantly, and can bond with strangers in a few words. He took Todd all the way, and it took more than two months to enter the territory of the Kingdom of Dord.

The Randall family's soldiers were reduced to pieces and soon disappeared without a trace. In the end, Todd was left with only three men, Ron, Matthew, and Jamie. Among them, Ron's strength is the most powerful, even more powerful than the average trainee knight. And Matthew and Jamie are also extraordinary and sharpshooters.

They follow Feige into Ribbon and succeed in joining a gang of outcasts.

Under Feige's clever arrangement, Ron and the outcasts went out to collect fragrant vine fruits, while he and Todd were responsible for guarding the shack.

Ron picked the fragrant vine fruit for a month, and Todd looked at the shack for a month. Today, his patience has finally been exhausted.

"Feiqi, since you arrived in Xiangye Town, you have been very honest, staying in the shack every day, and you will not show your head if you can. Todd patted the arm off his shoulder and asked with a smile, "Why?"

"Ghost-faced man, we're here to do something big. I have to take responsibility for our little lives...... I'll tell you when it's time to say it. Feige smiled hippie, but his voice was very low.

"It's beautiful, but there's no truth...... I'm not going to give my life to an inferior person!" Todd slammed his arms around Feiqi's neck, pressed him to the table, and snatched the dagger that struck Feiqi's waist and abdomen, pressed against the back of Feiqi's ear, and jokingly said: "Daggers are better than mouths, it seems that you are an expert... It is said that if you stab from this position, you will not feel pain...... Isn't it, Mr. Killer?"

Todd was able to kill Feige with his bare hands, and his choice of dagger revealed his intent to intimidate. But Feige remembers Barroll's teaching: When someone holds a knife against you, never doubt his determination and recklessness!

He said decisively: "Hey, Master Todd, you have won!"

Todd let go of his hand and said, "Boy, you're smart. I like to talk to smart people, but I don't like to think of smart people. ”

"Master Ghostface, if you have anything to ask, just ask, I will tell you what I can tell you. But if you kill me, I don't think you'll survive. Feige rubbed his neck and said with a grin.

Todd slowly stabbed the dagger into the table until it was out of the handle, and said coldly: "Inferior, you think too highly of yourself and seriously underestimate me. ”

Feige watched the dagger completely pierce the solid wood table, and said dumbfounded, "Lord Todd, you are really powerful!"

Hmph, is Lao Tzu a trainee knight, or a senior trainee knight that Randall's master piled up with tens of thousands of gold soles...... Todd smiled coldly, but heard Feige say again, "Well, we have some buddies who can do it too." ”

Todd's expression suddenly froze, his strength was limited to Ron, and there were at least dozens of Randle family warriors like Ron.

This is also the reason why Todd is restless.

Todd believed that Viscount Randall would not sacrifice him easily if he spent precious potions to improve his bloodline and strength. At the same time, he also knew that in the minds of the great nobles, senior trainee knights did not have a high status, especially Viscount Randall, who had the golden potion in his hands, and as long as he wanted, he could create many senior trainee knights at any time.

Therefore, his future position depends on his performance, and this mission is obviously very risky, if something goes wrong, Viscount Randall will definitely have to dissociate himself, and his sacrifice will be logical.

Whether it's to win Viscount Randall's favor or to save his own life, Todd must get relevant information from Feige's mouth, rather than being at the mercy of a lowly commoner.

Todd suddenly asked, "Feige, who are you playing for?"

An unnatural dullness flashed in Feige's eyes. Seeing this, Todd sneered, "It seems that you are a wild dog without an owner, and I can kill you at any time, right?"

The master-slave relationship forms the cornerstone of the vassal system. The nobles of the royal capital regarded themselves as "the king's dogs" and were proud. The lord called the elderly vassal "old dog" as a reward for loyalty and unwavering affection. The ownerless wild dog is a completely derogatory term, and having no owner means having no identity and being able to be killed.

Feiqi's eyes finally changed when he looked at Todd, and he asked cautiously, "Master Todd, do you know?"

Todd said proudly: "The master personally handed over the task to me. But my master is not your master! ”

Feige was in awe, he had followed Balor for so long, and he didn't know what he was working for.

Todd struck while the iron was hot, shook his head and said, "The master sent me here because I know the nobles and the homeless people even better. Your rhetoric and tricks are useless to me!" he said softly, "I can see that you were very nervous when you arrived in Xiangye Town...... Cooperate well with me to complete the task, I will do my best to ensure your safety, and I will introduce you in front of the master. ”

"Master Todd, I don't know much...... Feige scratched his messy hair vigorously, making an excited and frightened look. He had to survive from Todd's hands first.

"I want to see the shadows. Taudra sat down on a bench and asked.

"I really didn't know he was there, we're all one-way contacts now......"

Todd pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "My master told me to obey the Shadow's arrangement...... What is your mission?"

"The Shadow told me to take you over, train you to blend in with the outcasts, and then try to blend in with the gangs in Ascending Rock City, and then I can get out. Feige said honestly.

"Who's the Shadow?"

"My adoptive father, Balor. The name is just a title, and he's also good at makeup, so I don't necessarily recognize him even if he's standing in front of us. Feige shook his head.

Todd rubbed the corners of his forehead and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me what you know." Like, why are you so scared!"

"Things are a little complicated......"

Feige sorted out his thoughts and said slowly, "Our opponent is the Brotherhood of Kamen...... The Kamen Brotherhood works for the Southwind Merchants, who infiltrate the Thieves' Guild in Ascending Rock City to fight the freedfolk traders of the Bucks Traders. And the Bucks are our employers...... At the very least, we're serving the Bucks on the surface. ”

"In the beginning, we made some progress. The freedfolk traders of the Stag Merchant Clan and the local thugs helped us enter Ascend Rock Castle, and the Kamen Brotherhood's forces in Ascending Rock Castle were defeated one after another. But no one thought that this was a trap they had laid...... After the Bucks Merchant Group's eyeliner was exposed, the killers of the Kamen Brotherhood killed them all. Fei Qi said in frustration: "We have lost our inner response and helpers in Ascending Stone City, and have become blind and deaf, so we can only retreat to Xiangye Town. But the Kamen Brotherhood didn't give up, and they also followed, and assassinated Pete, the hyena leader of Xiangye Town...... He is a shadow son that we have cultivated with great difficulty. ”

Todd sneered, "That's all Barol can do? Doesn't he see the trap of the mask?

"You can't say that...... We have too few people at our disposal. Although the big bosses keep sending experts over, you know, their brains are not very good...... Fighting head-on, Kamen was killed by them very badly...... It's not okay to beat the streets with a stick. Masked people can see through their disguises at a glance, and ordinary villains can take them out from behind. Fei Qi sighed: "Before the mask cleansed the power of the Buck Merchant Group, we first set up a bureau for our people to kill a security soldier, and the sheriff led the army to take our lair in Ascending Rock City...... A lot of guys died. ”

"Of course, there is good news. Feige said self-deprecatingly: "The stewards of the Bucks Merchant Group no longer dare to interfere indiscriminately, they are all up to us now." ”

Todd thought for a moment and asked, "What's the situation in Xiangye Town?"

"It's hard for our people to infiltrate the gangsters in Ascending Rock City, and they can't find the masked lair at all. Kamen often sends strong men to assassinate the villains of Ribbon Town. Of course, we also sent people to assassinate the villains of Ascending Rock City...... The two sides are at a stalemate. ”

"The people sent out by Balor have all gone and never returned, and you don't dare to show your head in Xiangye Town?" Todd asked coldly.

Feige was speechless, acquiescing to Todd's opinion.

"Isn't Kamen strong?" Todd asked again.

"The most powerful one is about the same as Ron, maybe a little stronger. Feige thought for a moment, and then added, "They don't have as many people as we do. ”

Todd nodded and continued to ask, "Do you have any other footholds besides Xiangye Town?"

Fei Qi glanced at the other party in surprise, and said with a chin head: "Horseshoe Town and Cassie Town north of Xiangye Town are in our hands......"

"Arrogance!" Todd said disdainfully, "It's in the hands of the lord, it's always been like this!"

"On the surface, there are four forces, the Kamen Brotherhood, the South Wind Merchant Group, the Bucks Merchant Group, and us...... In fact, there are still four forces, the big lords of Southwind, Bucks, and Ascending Stone City, and the small lords below. The yakuza only work for the lords, and without the support of Baron Hannisee, can you gain a foothold in Fragrant Leaf Town? Without the approval of the Dwemick family, can the Kamen gain a foothold in Ascending Rock City? Southwind and the bucks are fighting, and the minor lords of Duoduo are also fighting with the big lords. The reason for their struggle is very simple, the south wind is robbing the bucks of their business, and Ascending Rock City is blocking the little lord's financial path! That's why Fragrant Leaf Town, Horseshoe Town, and Casey Town will cooperate with Bucks to resist the infiltration of Ascending Rock City. ”

Feige smiled ashamedly: "I don't understand what you said, but we are not from the Bucks Merchant Group......"

"How do you know that the Bucks are not the master's people?" Todd interrupted him and asked rhetorically.

"Huh?!"

"My master is far more powerful than you think, and you know nothing about the nobility. Todd gave him a contemptuous look and said, "The masked man is hiding in the shadows, but he can't hide the eyes of the Thieves' Guild in Rock City. I guess Balor wants to send someone into the Thieves' Guild and find the Mask's lair. But those who have strength do not have the mind of a villain, and those who have a brain do not have the strength to protect themselves. So, the host asked me to come over and cooperate with Balor. ”

Todd stood up, grabbed Feige by the collar, stared into his eyes, and said, "The victory or defeat in this battle lies with the lord, not with us and the Brotherhood of Kamen. If the lords deem it necessary, the people below will continue to fight until the lords reach a tacit understanding. The question is, will you survive to that day?"

"I... I don't know......" Feige said in a daze.

"My master believes in Balor's loyalty, but his ability is not worthy of his master's attention!" Todd let go of the cold sweat on his head and said lightly: "Find out the people in the mask and kill them again is not enough to settle this fight, but it can increase the master's bargaining chips." But the Kamen Brotherhood occupies a favorable location and has many eyes and ears, and if they follow Baror's method and mix in from the bottom, there are not enough people for them to kill. ”

"I'm not going to follow Baror's orders! I'm going to go it alone, and you'll follow me in the future, understand?" said Todd condescendingly.

Seeing those cold eyes, Fei Qi did not doubt the other party's killing intent at all, and he said respectfully, "As you wish, my lord." ”

"You are not wrong to call me an Lord, I am indeed a knight. Todd smiled and patted Feige on the shoulder, "I'll follow the noble method to find the mask." ”

"What do you need the little one for, my lord?" asked Feige flatteringly.

"Prepare me 400 gold soles, and I'll go to church to get a bloodline document first. Todd paused, then smiled, "I've been to Rock Castle before, and I have an acquaintance who works for the Marquis de Wemick, and he must be happy to introduce a Wild Knight to the sheriff of Rock Castle. ”

"What about Lord Balor?" asked Feige, apprehensively.

Todd said contemptuously, "The rats should stay in the rat holes, and your task is to help me contact the rats." ”