The soft maple city staggered, ready to tumble off a cliff and into chaos. This shining pearl in the city of treasures is growing old and depressed, mad, and full of the stench of social depravity and moral decay. Even if something strange crawled through the streets at night, only a fool would be surprised.

"In the blue sky and white day, thunder splits the mountain of revenants. A bolt of lightning struck the bronze seal on the Beast's Tomb, slicing off half of the forbidden rune. Stone rain fell from the sky. The statue bleeds. The priests of several temples reported that they had found several animals that had escaped after being disemboweled, never being able to get them back. In the steel fork barracks where the city-state garrison was stationed, the statue of the god of war was turned upside down. For nine days and nine nights, ten black vultures circled over the fort, and one even drove away the eagles that had lived on the paper tower......"

In the North Wind Tavern, a few mercenaries on leave were playing cards and chattering about the rumors they didn't know where they had come from. This is their unique holiday entertainment. As a security team hired out of the mayor's own pocket for personal safety, they don't usually have much time to relax.

The tavern is named "North Wind" because it is located on the breakwater avenue north of Soft Maple City, next to the Sea of Pain, and the whole tavern can feel the cool north wind in winter. Although many people suggested that the tavernkeeper should strengthen the house and at least put two rags in the holes in the walls, the old Burpee had no intention of acting.

"Hey man, what's the hurry? It's still summer, wouldn't a little wind blow better to relieve the heat?"

If someone continues to ask, then the old Burpee will most likely give that person a roll of the eyes, and then follow the example of a philosopher, and use his gray eyes to look out of the window on the side of the bar at the sea of pain not far away.

"I really don't know what he's looking at? What's so beautiful about that sea, I haven't seen enough of it for decades?"

In fact, those people are right, the Sea of Pain is really not interesting.

Offshore merchant ships weave through the network of waterways connecting Zhucheng, mottled sails dotted with dirty gray-brown waters. The air above was so thick and misty that it was hard to see the horizon, but the air near the surface was moving. There is always a small breeze blowing around the coastline, but it never goes near the shore, as if it were hiding from leprosy. Seagulls hover high in the sky and look close at hand. They are short-tempered, sluggish and lazy, just like most people this season.

"We've been working hard for the vile pickled Mapletown all this year, protecting him from his political enemies, mafia bosses, and undisciplined local troops, and we've been thanking him for the slightest. ”

The mercenaries sitting in the bar were tired of playing cards, gossiping, and pouring two glasses of light ale, which tasted little better than horse pee, into another daily amusement: complaining about the damn weather, the stingy employers, and the hard, low-paying work.

The drinkers who had gathered around them to watch them play cards were also scattered to other places with interest. Because complaining is the fuse, beer is the accelerant, and it is impossible to know when it will ignite the powder keg of emotions. Old fists, knives, and it is said that the group of mercenaries and a few wizards who can play "ghost tricks" can cause their temper and turn people into flounders.

"Oh, what the hell is that?" said the old Burbie, who was standing behind the bar, in surprise. Everyone's attention was drawn to his voice, and he followed the direction of his finger to look out at the sea of pain outside the North Wind Bar.

It was a big ship, super big, huge.

It was turning over the headland towards the dock on the shore. The beast was so large and clumsy that it dwarfed the dhows and schooners around it. A blue dragon's head protruded from the center of the wind-swept black sail, its eyes glowing red, and flames dancing behind the broken teeth. There is also a sparkling silver band around the motif.

"This ship is too big," muttered one of the mercenaries, "a ship of this size would fall apart in the face of strong winds and waves." ”

"Why? How do you know?" asked his companion.

"I've disappeared into the ship, I know a little bit about the ship," the mercenary's tone discouraged the others from continuing to ask.

After all, they are all mercenaries, and many of them have their own secrets of the past that they want to keep. It's no surprise that this team of bastards from all over the world are tied to a rope based on their past experiences and current situation.

"If you've been reinforced with spells, rather than simply fish-scale planks, asphalt, and rusty nails, then it's not surprising that a ship of this size is so large. Sure enough, there was a mage among the mercenaries who came out to play cards in the group, and when it came to his own professional field, he couldn't help but reveal a certain kind of conceit that only "professionals" have.

While the mercenaries were still watching, speculating, and babbling about what kind of cargo might be unloaded on it, the big ship had already sailed near the berth. Its massive body directly occupied the berths of twenty dhows (near which the poor little ones could almost be considered sampans).

Unlike ordinary offshore merchant ships, the large ship did not have a single oar on either side, but in the stern of the ship there was something like a chimney, constantly spewing black smoke outward. After half a day of docking, the chimney stopped spewing black smoke. The ship was not greeted by an ordinary registrar, but by the tax officer and port commissioner, who was the most senior officer on the dock.

As if believing that only some big man was worthy of the big ship, the king of the docks, who made all the merchants who came to Soft Maple City call him a "vampire" or a "jackal", ran out of his office and stood on the shore quietly waiting for the big man to come ashore, he seemed very nervous, and involuntarily took out his handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

On the deck of the ship, stood a group of tall sailors. They were all dressed in sharkskin-tanned armor and armed with uniformly styled two-handed weapons. Without the captain's order, these people would not have taken any action on their own.

"Soft Maple City, I really want to sigh, but I don't know ......" Quis stood up from the seat in the captain's room and said to a few of his companions beside him, "...... Should it be said that it is the arrangement of 'destiny'?"

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