Deep in an alley somewhere away from an abandoned factory, in an inconspicuous old hut, an oil lamp is suddenly lit.

In the flickering lights, you can see the simple and old furnishings of the cottage, the slightly moldy ceiling, the faded wallpaper, and a dark crack in the corner of the room that is slowly squirming and shrinking.

The terrifying-looking bonhound was lying motionless next to the crack, like a dead dog that had lost its strength, and at the other end of the pitch-black chain, Shirley, who was wearing a long skirt with white trim on a black background, carefully adjusted the wick of the oil lamp, and came to the window again, and glanced at the sky outside with anxiety.

“…… The creation of the world is made," the girl exhaled softly, "but fortunately I got home before night fell completely, or I would have died like a dog in some stinking gutter." ”

Not far away, the ghostly hound lying on the floor immediately raised his head, and a hoarse voice came out of his throat: "Just say it, don't talk about dogs." ”

"Can you still talk? I thought you lost half your life on this trip to the shadows," Shirley turned her head to look at Gou, "Can you say it now?" Why do you suddenly have to run away - and in the most dangerous secluded way? Didn't you say that there are countless demons in the deep sea waiting to chew up your black bones? ”

"No matter how many demons there are in the deep sea, I can walk around, and I can run if I can't beat them, but just now...... If you don't run quickly, you might not be able to run away," the Hound finally seemed to catch his breath at this time, and raised his head slightly to look at Shirley, "You should be glad that I reacted quickly and opened the rift the moment that terrible guy shifted his gaze, otherwise as long as his eyes still fall on you and me, I won't even be able to open the escape passage!" ”

Shirley frowned and slowly walked over to the Shadow Hound: "So what the hell is going on?" Why are you afraid of this? The guy named 'Duncan'...... Have you ever seen a dog? Is he some big man in the annihilation of the Church? Or is there some dark demon standing behind him? ”

The Hound seemed to recall some extremely terrible feeling all of a sudden, and its bones clicked for a moment, and then he muttered in a low voice, "I haven't seen him, and I don't know him." ”

Shirley's eyes suddenly narrowed: "I've never seen you afraid of being like this!?" ”

"Even if I haven't seen it, as a ghostly demon, I can 'see' a shadow more terrifying than death!" The ghostly hound suddenly raised his head, and the hollow red eyes "stared" at Shirley, "A human shell is stuffed with a whirlpool of light and shadow that makes me feel insane even when I look at it, do you think I can't be afraid?!" ”

Speaking of this, it paused, as if to organize the language to describe how she felt at that time to Shirley, who was a human being, and organized it for a long time before slowly speaking: "When he spoke, I could hear 10,000 overlapping voices roaring at the same time, and when he watched, I could feel that all my fates from birth to death were spread out and laid flat on the ground for people to see, let me tell you, the last time I encountered such a scary thing, it was the time I saw the 'Holy Lord' in the deep sea!" But the Holy Lord He can't move, and when we meet that person today, he can walk! ”

Shirley was furious by the dog's frightening tone and eyes (although its eyes were just two glowing holes), but she still subconsciously muttered, "Why didn't I feel anything at the time...... I think he's very kind......"

"So sometimes I envy the inefficient and sluggish perception of you humans - this barrier of ignorance is truly the treasure that the world has given you, and it can make you all die with a smile on your face in the midst of the mad and twisted catastrophe," the Hound fell down weakly again, "continue to be blind, the world can be a better place—poor puppies like me are not so lucky, and every once in a while I will see something that can scare the dog to death......"

“…… How can there be such a timid demon as you in the world," Shirley couldn't help but glance at the dog, and then seemed to think about something thoughtfully, and said hesitantly, "But when you say that, I don't think we should run...... If that's really a super powerful big guy as you say, then maybe you can hug your thighs! You see, he was quite kind to us just now, and he asked us about things, and it seems that he didn't deal with those sun mongrels, isn't this an opportunity? I'm coquettish, pretending to be cute, in case I'm a backer......"

Before the girl finished speaking, she heard the sound of the pitch-black iron chain, and the dog, who was still lying on the corpse a second ago, suddenly jumped up: "Put away your crazy idea immediately!" You're frenzied enough to open the subspace portal! ”

Then it paused, and then continued to admonish uneasily: "Listen, never deal with such an inherent, indescribable thing with a human shell, they are more cunning than pure demons, more sinister than real humans, and their peaceful conversation with you will always be just an appetizer of a feast - don't look at him just now, but do you think that after you tell him everything you know, he will still let you leave completely?" ”

It seemed that the stern tone of the ghost hound that had never been done before, Shirley seemed to be a little calmed, she finally gave up her bold idea, but still muttered: "Got it, got it—but why is your tone like an old mother......

The ghostly hound threw himself on the ground: "Nonsense, I raised you!" ”

Shirley snorted, then looked out the window at the sky, and when she saw that the night was already falling, she stepped towards the window.

The black iron chain was tight, and with the girl's footsteps, the ghostly hound who wanted to rest on his stomach was helplessly dragged to the ground and moved, and the huge and heavy ghostly demon was dragged around as if there was no weight in Shirley's hands: "What do you want to do, can't you let me lie down, I am tired from such a big fight today......"

"The main reason for the fight is that I'm doing my best, okay?" Shirley looked outside without looking back, "I'm looking outside...... It was completely dark, and the street lights had just come on. ”

"After all, it's a slum, and it's good that the authorities can make sure that these street lamps maintain the most basic ability to ward off evil spirits, don't expect them to be lit before dusk like other urban districts," the dog muttered, glancing back at the oil lamp on the old dining table, "Let's turn off the lights in a moment, oil is expensive." ”

Shirley pursed her lips: "...... Turn it off before going to bed, or it's too dark in the house. ”

Ah Gou purred in his stomach, but he didn't say anything.

In the city-state, the city's administrators and builders carefully planned the location and number of "street lights", the most basic exorcism devices, and the gas lamps distributed throughout the city could ensure that the entire city was protected after dark, so that the surface dwellings were safe to use both electric and oil lamps, and even to turn off the lights in the room after the street lights were lit.

But there are forgotten corners of the city, and in the depths of the slums, which are even more dilapidated and dilapidated than the lower city, there are far fewer gas street lamps than in other areas, and these street lamps are almost enough to maintain safety day and night, and this state of "enough to use" is obviously not reassuring.

So in the slums, oil lamps and grease candles that use flame lighting are a must-have for every household.

If the street lamp is a quarter and a half late, then the light of the fire in the home can at least temporarily block the darkness after the sun sets.

Of course, there is another important reason why many poor families use oil lamps and candles: they cannot afford the relatively high cost of retrofitting electricity.

Bright, clean and safe, electric lights have long been the first choice for every household in a safe and secure city, but in this slum hut......

What can bring Shirley and Dog a sense of security is still the flickering flame in the old lamp.

In the dim light, the voice of the ghostly hound broke the silence: "...... Do you want to go out for activities this time? ”

"Hmm."

"Keep bothering those sun mongrels?"

"I'm looking for them for information."

"Pretty much ...... anyway But now, it seems that they don't know exactly what happened eleven years ago, and if you look at the situation today, even they are asking the locals to inquire about it......"

"This is because today's wave of people happens to be from Rensa, and maybe there will be a harvest next time."

"Okay, if you like."

"Dog, the next time you weave a camouflage for me, just rely on it, don't expose it halfway."

"I just hope I don't run into that horrible guy today again - I suspect that our breath was exposed early today because there was such a strong 'interference' ...... on the scene"

"Okay, okay, you say yes......"