The slum that Gaio was talking about was in a ruin under the viaduct to the southwest of the hill - it might not be appropriate to call it ruins, because it looked more like it had never been built at all, with large and small rubble piles and two-and-a-half-story brick buildings piled up everywhere, and the stone pavement beneath his feet was also intermittent, and there were even many wreckage left behind by the fire.

Edward, who had just arrived, didn't know where he was going, and after breaking into the dead end for the second time, he decisively grabbed a passer-by, stuffed a silver coin into his hand, and the other party immediately bit it excitedly, and after making sure that Edward did not deceive himself with the painted iron piece, he immediately took his hand and walked towards another alley.

Along the tower-like viaduct, the man soon led Edward into a very dilapidated neighborhood, even more suitable for the term "ruins" than the surroundings - full of shantytowns, the road under his feet was winding and muddy, and there were even a few cattle pens built next to the road, and mountains of garbage were piled up outside the fence, which emitted an endless stench.

"This is the Spear Street you're looking for—though we call it Rag Street. The man was absentmindedly introducing Edward, and his hand was still snorting at the silver coin, wiping back and forth with his dirty sleeve: "I don't know what you are doing in this kind of place, the Spear Street is full of beggars and shabby houses, and poor ghosts who don't know where they come from!"

"Why?"

"Who makes the rent cheap here, even the apartment in the lowest block of Shuwei Mountain now costs twenty copper plates a month, and it is enough to live here for two—although there is only a well in the whole street, and there is not even a canal, and even the tax collectors are not willing to run here. Answering Edward's question nonchalantly, he pointed to the intersection quite enthusiastically: "There's a tavern at the front of the corner, it's fairly clean - you can go there if you find someone." ”

"I don't remember telling you that. The corners of Edward's mouth rose slightly, and he glanced at the man, "How do you know that I am here to find someone?"

"Otherwise, what are you here for, to find a girl or to see the scenery?" he pouted, and shrugged his shoulders with a disdainful smile: "Don't worry, I won't talk too much when I take your money." ”

"I hope so. Edward smiled slightly, took another silver coin from his pocket and tossed it to him, striding towards the tavern to which the man was pointing. Seeing the silver little cutie flying in mid-air, the guy didn't care about Edward anymore, and quickly reached out to catch it.

"Oh, Radiant Cross bless!" greedily looked at the two silver coins in his hand, he quickly grabbed the money tightly and stuffed it into his coat pocket, and the two brand-new Turin silver coins jingled inside: "What a strange kind man...... Well, a rich hillbilly, too!"

Walking through the muddy and narrow alleys, Edward found the tavern the man was talking about behind a tree with a picture of a beer glass hanging from it. Tightening the black cloak he was wearing, Edward paced inside.

In order to disguise his identity, Edward did not wear the new clothes at the headquarters of the Knights, but changed into the short squire coat he wore when he came, and specially found an old cloak with buttons, which was fastened on his right shoulder to cover most of his body, looking like a guest who had just arrived from out of town.

Probably because it was not yet evening, and there were not many customers in the tavern at all, except for a few drunks huddled in the corners and dozing off with flasks in their arms. Behind the counter facing the door stood a proprietress wearing a light blue cardigan dress that had been patched up, but it was almost white. The light red curls hang down on the sides of the ears and temples, and the lines at the corners of the eyes look old, but they still have the charm.

"Oh, my little gentleman, look at your dusty appearance, why don't you sit down and have a glass of wine and rest, what do you want to have? Although our neighborhood is very poor, there is some good cider, and if you are willing to pay a few more coppers, you can get another fresh grilled fish." ”

"Have an apple bar and forget the fish. Edward smiled and sat down on a chair in front of the counter and handed the money to the hostess, "I have something to know, maybe you can tell me." ”

The proprietress smiled amorous ways, and her slender right hand climbed up to the palm of the black-haired young man and took the silver coin, brought him a large glass full of wine, and looked at the rich foreign young man with slanted eyes: "Then a decent person like you from other places, can you ask where you came from?"

Edward showed a somewhat "shy" look, and the corner of his right mouth rose upward: "I'm from Fort Hague - that's a really poor place, and you can't find a lady as amorous as you." ”

"You're also from Fort Hague?" The woman suddenly showed the appearance of a little jasper, and pressed the thick lips with the fingers of her right hand in surprise, and her eyes widened: "This is really fresh, that little guy also said a few days ago that he was from The Hague Castle!"

"Oh...... Maybe we know each other. Edward's face was a little more smiling: "Can you tell me who he is?"

"Oh, that's a pious little fellow, and it's the first time I've ever seen a priest come to us to preach. The proprietress was sad again, and she seemed to want to laugh again: "He is a priest who has just come to the capital, and he claims to have been sent by the Radiant Cross to preach, but it's a pity, quite a good child, but he ran into the Black Gang." ”

"What's going on?"

"How can I, a helpless woman, know so much?" the proprietress suddenly sighed, her towering breasts pressed against the arm of the black-haired boy. Edward immediately understood, and took out two more silver coins and held them in his palm: "But apparently you still know something, right?"

"I have to warn you, don't do anything stupid. The proprietress calmly took the silver coin from Edward's hand, and her bright red and seductive lips were almost on Edward's face: "Those people are not easy to mess with, we don't even have a tax collector in this neighborhood, it's all Blake's bastard and his scum who are exploiting us - this street is all his." ”

"I thought the whole city of Turin was your majesty's. Edward whispered, taking a sip from his glass, "Aren't the garrisons in the city in charge?"

"Where are you? The royal palace on the hills of Marcherus, or the castle of the Knights of the Sacred Tree, and the ruins of Spear Street are unattended, otherwise how could you be controlled by that bastard?" replied the proprietress indignantly, "It's easy to find them, and the dilapidated villa in the block is his." ”

"Thank you!" Edward nodded, raised his glass and drank the blood-red wine, then pushed open the door and left the tavern, the lady who was watching shook her head.

.................. Inside the muddy floor of the Spear Street embankment was a completely crumbling ruin, and here and there you could see crumbling buildings, dusty piles of rubble, and a few walls that remained alone.

If you are a kind, you may be able to vaguely see that this was once the manor of a wealthy nobleman, and indeed it was - before the city of Turin became the "holy land of the five hills", the nobles here had a penchant for building villas and estates in the suburbs.

And after 300 years of ups and downs, only a dilapidated villa can still stand in this muddy quagmire in this once luxurious garden, and it has a new owner.

"Is that little cub still chirping?" In the empty hall, Blake, who was sitting on a broken chaise longue, frowned, and asked the little minion under his hand very impatiently, "Didn't you teach him a good lesson?"

"No, it seems that he was tired during the day, and he was already asleep by this time. The little minion was embarrassed to hold on to the edge of the chair and replied in a low voice: "We beat him a few times, but ......"

"But what, what's there?!" Blake slapped him in the face with a scolding slap, and his voice was crisp: "A poor priest, are you still worried about who he can call? Don't forget that this is Spear Street, my Blake's territory!"

"But...... But he said that he was a priest of the Radiant Cross. Holding his red and swollen face, the little minion was quite aggrieved, and he was a little afraid: "That's the Holy Hall, if we are discovered......"

"Found? impossible, absolutely impossible!" Blake spat out, "You've seen a few priests come to Spear Street, and in their eyes it's a big dung pit! ”

"If it were normal times, just teach him a lesson and throw him out, anyway, this little cub is also a priest, and he should give in a little bit. The gang leader suddenly sighed: "But that 'adult' insists on letting us detain him, and I don't dare to say anything." ”

"Speaking of which, who is that 'adult'?" the little minion asked curiously, "Why did you give us so much money and weapons...... What the hell are they doing?"

"I don't know, don't ask too much - it doesn't matter who they are, just give us gold and silver, and we'll do the work for them, and don't care about the rest, the more you know, the faster you'll die!"

Blake lectured the little minion with an unkind face, and before he could finish speaking, the door was suddenly slammed open, and a panting subordinate stood there holding on to the door frame, staring at a swollen right eye.

"Boss, yes, somebody!"