Tails and Quickrope watched in amazement at the tavernkeeper who sat at the empty table, sweating profusely.

What is the probability of going out at night to throw the corpse and encountering the tavern owner being robbed?

"Marina, where is your upbringing, why don't you invite our two new friends to sit down?"

Ricky still looked very talkative: "By the way, give them a drink, forget the wine, I need them to stay sober." ”

As he said this, he stared firmly at Tampa.

Have a drink and stay awake.

Tails and Fastrope looked at each other in disbelief, making eye contact with each other's feelings.

What the?

I don't know!

The mercenaries around them still stared coldly at the newcomers, exuding their own majesty in whispers and scorn.

Marina raised an eyebrow, sucked at Tails and Fastrope, and kicked an empty table beside her.

"Did you hear that?"

Tails and Fastrope looked at each other, wondering whether to sit down or not.

Marina sighed.

She lowered her head and drew two swords with a "swish"!

And when she raised her head viciously......

Tails and Quickrope had already appeared on the chairs next to the empty table.

It's like teleporting.

They sat upright on the table, their white front teeth exposed, and they smiled obediently.

The speed, the good attitude, and the sweetness of the smile made Marina, who was ready to see some blood and play, a little frustrated.

The mercenary behind him brought two drinks from the bar and unceremoniously "banged" on the table of the two.

Tails and Fast Rope subconsciously shrank back.

They pulled their hands back from the table, trying to stay away from the two drinks.

"What, worried about poison?" Marina looked at them contemptuously.

"We are not thirsty. "This is well-behaved Tails.

"Not thirsty. "It's a flattering fast rope.

Looking at the two with sincere eyes, Marina sighed again.

"yes, how do I feel ......?"

She raised her sword as the two mercenaries behind her silently stepped forward.

"You'd rather keep your hands empty, so you can get your weapons at any time......"

As soon as the words fell, Tails and Fast Rope shot out their hands neatly and tacitly, stretched out and retracted, and quickly picked up their wine glasses.

Both heads were raised at the same time, giving a friendly smile.

"No, no, no......"

"Where, Where, ......"

The action is done in one go.

Looking at the two of them who were smirking, Marina raised her eyebrows, her face twitching slightly.

She snorted disdainfully, and put her weapon away.

On the other side, the leader of the mercenaries, Ricky looked at the expressions of the two and sighed slightly: "Judging by the expressions of these two new guests...... I guess you were just bluffing, Tampa?"

The kidnapped protagonist, Tampa, with an ugly face, coughs.

"Listen, you're so flamboyant, the camp won't sit idly by. ”

Ricky, who had watched the two new guests with interest, returned his gaze to the boss.

"They're busy killing people in the desert, and it's just a personal vendetta," Ricky said with a smile, "So, they really won't care." ”

Tampa's expression became more and more stiff: "You know, you are destroying your reputation as a 'blood whistle', no employer or introducer would be willing to hire a ...... with a criminal record"

"Fame ......"

Ricky said nonchalantly, "Don't you know, it's a hammer deal—we're ready to leave Camp Bladefang, or even quit this business." ”

Tails, who was holding his wine glass tightly, looked around at the mercenaries in the tavern, their silent and quiet style licked an inexplicable tension into the atmosphere here.

Hammer deal......

These words made Tails extremely uneasy.

That means that the group doesn't care about the possible consequences.

So, what should he and the fast rope, the two of them who were swept in for no reason, get out safely?

"I have no grudge against your 'blood whistle'!"

Tampa slammed the table, gritted his teeth and pointed at Ricky: "Hey, it was your people who didn't have long eyes and moved the cheese of the big guys before they were caught in the camp, and I've been trying hard to intercede for you......"

In Tampa's self-defense, next to Ricky, a middle-aged man named Clay shook his head and smiled, and said to the man with his face covered, "You don't have long eyes?"

"Shut up. This was the masked man's unceremonious answer.

Tails silently watched their interaction.

According to Ricky's introduction today, Clay is a swordsman from the Northlands, and the masked man is dangerous, and they have just joined the blood horn.

But looking at their current performance, they don't have the rustiness and distance they had when they first joined the team - such as the fast rope to Dante's big sword.

It's like knowing each other for a long time.

The two men had been sitting at the same table with the leader of the group when they first arrived, and the other mercenaries in the tavern, including the old-looking Marina, had no problem with this fact?

There is a problem.

Tails kept his suspicions in his heart.

This so-called mercenary team......

It's not that simple.

"If you blame me for this, or if you want to make a fortune before you leave, you're looking for the wrong person......" Tampa's defense continued.

But Ricky held up a finger and silenced all three men's voices.

"It's not business, it's not about grudges, old friend. ”

He said lightly.

Tampa paused slightly.

"And what do you want? mercenaries?"

Ricky curled the corners of his mouth.

"What we want, maybe a little too much......"

There was a hint of shrewdness and prudence in his eyes.

"But first, you can answer a question for us. ”

Tampa frowned.

Seeing this scene, seeing Ricky's questioning without shying away from them at all, Tails felt that something was wrong.

"About twenty years ago," Ricky's expression became serious:

"There's a mercenary army called the 'Big Nine', active around the desert, you know—just today, I heard you talking to the young man about it. ”

Ricky pointed at Tails, and everyone's eyes numbed the latter's smile.

The Big Nine?

What is it? Tampa said this thing?

Tampa looked at Ricky suspiciously, "So?"

Ricky nodded.

"The leader of that group is a young man of good stature - about forty or fifty years old now," Ricky propped himself on the table, slowly rubbing his fingers, as if recalling something:

"His swordsmanship is very special, the offense and defense are self-contained, the skills are mixed, but the connection is smooth and free, and he often surprises the enemy and catches people ......off guard."

Tails noticed that several of the silent mercenaries in the distance had tense expressions.

"Even in the face of a strong enemy or even a siege, we can resist the pressure under the disadvantage, and even not fall behind. On the other side of the table, the masked man suddenly spoke, his voice vicissitudes.

Ricky nodded slightly, looking into the distance, his eyes deep: "Exactly." ”

He turned to Tampa, "Who is he?"

Tampa was stunned for a moment.

"That's it?"

"It's important, you're the master here, you should know him. Ricky said silently.

Tampa took a deep breath.

"It's been too long, the 'Big Nine' more than twenty years ago, I was just a bitter idiot back then......"

He shrugged: "How is it possible to know?"

Ricky blinked and nodded kindly.

"You may not be old, but ......"

The leader of the mercenaries leaned forward, a confident expression on his face.

"This is 'my home'. ”

Tampa looked puzzled: "So what, this is a tavern, not a secret department." ”

Ricky snorted.

"You know, you guys have a nice sign. ”

Tampa stiffened slightly.

"More than 200 years ago, the stars appeared the first supreme queen in history, Elega Bright Star, who succeeded to the throne as the eldest princess, and once beat the Exeters to the ground, and retreated in a hurry, and even had to shrink the borders and abandon the cold castle. ”

That's how the joke comes from: only under the leadership of women and children can the Kingdom of the Stars defeat Exter—whether it's Sume I, who died at the age of twelve, Queen Esola, Queen Esola, or the Queen Thorn, Queen Eliga, and most recently, the Flower of the Fortress. ”

Listening to Ricky's words, the masked man snorted disdainfully.

"Conqueror of the North" Eliga.

Tails had heard of this history.

Of course, from the perspective of the "righteous indignation" of the Northlanders:

Princess Eliga is said to have a dissolute nature and boundless desires, and before her coronation, she had difficulty marrying because of her bad reputation and illegitimate son whose biological father was a mystery. For the sake of power, she even seduces her enemies with her beauty and body, instigates them to support her crown, and even insidiously seduces Cid Hustel - the wise Exeter co-king rejects the queen's "flashy beauty and ugly heart" ("Say no" - Tails's History Book Note 4), and he is captured by the angry "Bitch Queen" ("From the Endpoint to Eternal Star City, across the provinces"- Tails's History Book Note 13), who unfortunately fell into her clutches ("The body is honest" - Tails's History Book Note 15), was imprisoned in the castle, tortured night and night, and suffered humiliation (every time he saw this, Little Slippery would curiously ask Tails why he was smiling so strangely).

At the same time, the despicable and shameless Star People secretly gathered troops and took the opportunity to sneak attack. Fearing for the king's safety ("Why is he not dead" – Tails' History Book Note 24), the leaderless and scattered Exeters put up a stubborn resistance, fought bravely, and built an unyielding line in front of the Coldcastle ("Then lost the Coldcastle" – Tails's History Book Note 37), and finally crushed the conspiracy of the Star 'Bitch King' to enslave the Northlands.

By the way, the history book, full of Tails's gibberish and personal notes, was finally discovered by the Jinx lady, and Lord Nicollet, as the Grand Duke's bodyguard, was overwhelmed with emotion and determined to let it join the firewood in the fireplace, and do a little bit of the warmth of Valhalla in the cold winter.

Tails shook his head, drawing his attention back to his eyes.

Ricky continues: "But Eriga's old age was not very pleasant: the 'Conqueror' was seized from the throne by her brother and was exiled to the Western Wilderness, where she died in a state of siege and betrayal. ”

"The forces loyal to Queen Erika fled to the sand dunes of Bladetooth, and with the tacit consent of the Duke of the Western Wilderness, they did not want to serve the brutal 'Red King' and join him in his repeated conquest and counterinsurgency, nor did they want to leave the land and be buried in silence, so they chose to continue to fight for the Duke and the country on the western frontier in the name of mercenaries. ”

Ricky pointed to the door and smiled, "This is 'Queen Eliga's Last Wine Cup'." ”

Tampa took a deep breath.

"This is also the glorious history of the mercenaries of the Western Wilderness, or they think it is, and since then, this tavern, 'my home', is the dispatch center that the mercenaries cannot explicitly say in the Western Wilderness. ”

Ricky stared at him intently: "For more than two hundred years, political changes, and the rotation of the throne, 'my family' has always been the center of the mercenaries in the Western Wilderness, and it is a holy place in the hearts of many people. ”

"And you, Tampa, like the previous masters here, have taken over the position and intelligence of the previous boss, wandering between black and white, acting as an intermediary in this mercenary mecca, contacting the official forces in the camp on the one hand, and providing shelter for mercenaries who are outside the kingdom and the law on the other, introducing jobs, and vouching for them. ”

"Every mercenary or corps with a little seniority comes to Camp Bladetooth and comes here to greet the Snake and make connections, so you know the profile or even the details of almost every mercenary group - as long as they have visited this place and looked for business, they will leave a record. ”

Tampa let out a slow breath.

"You may not be the most powerful and powerful person in this chaotic camp, Tampa, but you are definitely the one who knows the most," Ricky's gaze turned sharply, "Maybe, you know a little too much." ”

"Look, we're not coming to you for nothing. ”

Tampa frowned tightly.

"Now, tell me, Tampa. ”

"Who is he?"

"Where are you now?"

Ricky said softly, "Among the Big Nine, the leader with the sword. ”

Clay and the masked man at the same table also turn to Tampa and force their eyes on the tavernkeeper from both sides.

The mercenaries' eyes grew more and more terrifying.

Tampa gritted his teeth, his expression twitching.

But he still shook his head: "No, what happened more than twenty years ago, it's been too long, and they disbanded a long time ago, I can't think about it at all......"

Ricky's smile slowly faded.

"It seems that you do not recognize our determination to be here today. ”

He said coldly.

With that, Ricky nodded slightly to Marina.

Marina smiled mysteriously and pressed her hands on the shoulders of the two new guests.

Tails and Quickrope turned their heads and looked at her quizzically.

This is what is going on-

But the next moment, Tails felt that there was a piercing chill coming from the place where Marina's palm was pressing!

Straight to the whole body!

Tails shuddered.

Chilly.

Extreme cold.

It's like someone suddenly swapped all of his blood for ice water.

Flowing all over the blood vessels.

At that moment, Tails' face turned pale.

This is......

Not only that, but the cold also carried an unbearable dull ache, like a pair of brothers who were desperately charging regardless of the way out, violent and crazy, invading his nerves inch by inch.

Worst!

Realizing that something was wrong, Tails shrank back, trying to fend off this terrible force.

Fast Rope reacts faster than him.

"Ahhh

I saw that the fast rope had round eyes, and his expression was frightened and painful, as if he had seen the legendary ferryman of the Prison River.

His face contorted in the eerie cold.

Tampa stared dumbfounded, as he watched the tortured two.

And the mercenaries looked calm, even smiling, as if they were commonplace.

Tails gritted his teeth in pain: the cold made him extremely uncomfortable, but his whole body was numb and difficult to get rid of.

Right now.

Rumble!

A force that had been silent for several days suddenly woke up from Tails's body!

The Sins of the Hellriver reacted with explosive speed and rhythm like a beast that broke the gates, filling Tails's entire body like a beast that burst its banks.

Rush to that riotous and cold force.

What's wrong?

This is Tails who has not had time to react.

In a moment's time, the Sins of the River of Hellland met that force.

Immediately, Tails couldn't stop shaking!

But not because of the cold and dull pain.

In fact, the feeling that that power gave him slowly faded, whether it was cold or painful.

But another monster struck without hesitation: the sins of the Hellriver boiled over his body, like an enraged beast, with such a violent and frequent rate that it was second only to several times when his life was in danger.

Tails was taken aback.

What the?

And that's not all.

The sins of the River of Hell crept into his heart like a demagogic potion, and the senses of hell activated themselves without calling, and his eyes were subconsciously focused on Marina's vital points: eyes, throat, heart, armpits, lower abdomen......

More than.

Tails "saw" a lot.

The finishing power in her body was rushing and frantic, gathering in Marina's hands and arms, slowing down the fatigue of her muscles and nerves, strengthening the senses on her skin in order to anticipate her opponent's next attack, and with a terrifying aggression that would spread wildly for each violent collision - Tails suddenly found himself aware of this.

Tails shook his hands, feeling the position of the dagger behind his waist.

But......

As long as I move in place...... You can kill her by surprise.

An urge to storm stormed Tails' mind, making him want to strike immediately.

Very comfortable.

This urge made him very comfortable.

Would love to ......

Urged by the sin of the Prison River, he subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch the dagger.

But at that moment, Tails felt a strange tingling pain in his forehead.

What followed was an inexplicable coolness that spread from my mind.

[May you ......]

A peculiar and slight tinnitus rings in the ears.

【Forever...... Journey ......】

This coolness and tinnitus seemed to have some effect, almost instantly severing the connection between the sins of the Prison River and Tails!

The desire to burst out is gone.

Tails came to his senses!

He took a deep breath, but immediately noticed that something was wrong.

Many people—the mercenaries in the tavern, including Ricky and Clay, as well as the masked man—frowned and stared at him strangely.

Staring at Tails with his head bowed and panting.

As if there was something different about him.

And the other side.

"No, no, no, ah-"

The fast rope still twisted his face, screaming endlessly, trembling uncontrollably, and drenching in cold sweat.

"Ahhh

Marina, who pressed the shoulders of the two of them, looked at the painful fast rope, and then looked at Tails, who was all right, and became more and more confused.

She let out a confused "huh" as she gripped Tails' palm harder and harder.

"What......" Ricky narrowed his eyes and whispered to Clay beside him.

In the scream of the fast rope, Tails reacted instantly!

The alarm bells in his heart are ringing!

Worst.

Worst!

Me and Fast Rope, we are different!

The next second, Tails tried his best to imagine in his mind the worst, most painful, and terrible experience he had ever encountered in his life—which was not easy, because it was difficult for him to compare which was the "most"—trying to replicate his emotions and reactions

"Ahh

Pretending to be in pain, how painful it is to learn how painful it is.

It's also hard.

After all, acting can never compare to the real reality, and Tails has to work hard and focus to be able to hold back the heart-rending and hysterical and crazy shaking of the fast rope.

Looking at Tails' painful expression, Marina's brow slowly relaxed.

That's right.

Seemingly...... This is short and sluggish.

She nodded in satisfaction.

The mercenaries slowly retracted their doubts.

"Enough!"

Tampa's roar interrupted Marina's torture of the two men, both real and acted, and made her let go of her hand.

Fastrope collapsed on the table with a demented face, grunting miserably, twitching from time to time.

Tails collapsed on top of the fast rope in a similar way, so that he could rise and fall with the latter's trembling without having to force himself.

But his heart was full of horror and doubt.

What was that-

"What's that!"

Tampa angrily looked at the miserable two, "Your poison, your bone-breaking technique, or legendary magic?"

"Just a few small means to make you realize our determination. Ricky still looked at him politely.

"I know, you've been a soldier, Tampa, and you're probably still a tough guy, but ......"

"If they are really your people, then take it as an urging and encouragement to you," the mercenary leader chuckled: "If it's not ......"

"Take it as an example. ”

He waved his hand to Marina, "Push harder." ”

Tails and the fast rope shuddered in unison.

Tampa looked at them in disbelief, his expression bewildered and hesitant.

"That's it!"

Tampa snorted reluctantly before Marina smiled and pressed her hands again.

He looked at Ricky with displeasure.

"The Big Nine, yes, the Big Nine, I remember. ”

Ricky nodded in satisfaction.

Tails and Quickrope breathed a sigh of relief and looked gratefully at the tavernkeeper.

"......" Tampa cursed under his breath.

"Say that again, please?" said Ricky.

Tampa snorted angrily and reluctantly spoke:

"More than ten years ago, I mean the year of blood, most of the Western Continent was at war: the desert was in chaos, the southern nobles and mobs rebelled, and finally there was Exeter's unprecedented army southward, and many famous mercenary teams here in the Western Wilderness - Soul Breaker, Double-edged Sword, Moon Scar, Evil Punisher, Immortal Hunters, Servants of the Sun—were all affected by the war, and they were unlucky, either dead or scattered, or even removed from the list, and the Big Nine were no exception......"

A middle-aged man named Clay interrupted him unceremoniously: "We know that history better than you, cut the nonsense." ”

Tampa froze, casting an unhappy look at Clay.

"But under that appearance, only a few people in the circle know," he said angrily, "the Big Nine, they survived the bloody year......"

Ricky's gaze focused.

"That's what I heard from Daddy Rooney...... One night after the battle, the settling powerhouse of the Big Nine, scarred and covered in blood, knocked on the tavern door. ”

Tampa gritted his teeth.

That night, Daddy Rooney found them a doctor, and overnight, he helped the Big Nine dispose of all the assets they left behind so that they could disappear. ”

Tampa snorted.

"And the guy you asked? By the time he reappeared, it would be years later. ”

The mercenaries who whistled their horns in blood glanced at each other with solemn expressions.

"Some of the old people told me that for more than ten years, in the interior and south of the Star Kingdom, a new and powerful underground gang believed in him as a myth. ”

"He's getting more and more powerful, even more so than when he was a mercenary, at least, he dares to go toe-to-toe with the Blood Vials, who are the minions of the nobility, and he has almost no defeat," Tampa said coldly:

And every time he appears, it is like a legend, with a head and no tail, and no trace. ”

Hearing this, Tails was shocked!

The new and powerful underground gangsters......

-for-tat with the Blood Vial Gang......

Tampa exhaled and looked at the other three with hatred: "He has a new name......"

He didn't finish.

Because another person helped him with the answer.

"Black sword. ”

The only masked man clenched his fists and made a cold sound.

Tampa froze.

At that moment, almost all the mercenaries in the tavern were breathless.

They looked at each other as if they had found the greatest treasure.

"Right?"

The masked man said slowly, sentence by sentence: "Because what he uses is a black and extremely unpleasant hand, no matter how he chops and stabs, or parries, it is very weird......"

"Ancient Demon Sword. ”

From an unseen angle, Tails' pupils slowly focused.

(End of chapter)