The sound of pursuit pierced the night sky, and the whole town boiled over, and tonight the whole town ushered in an unprecedented challenger.

"Find him, no matter what method is used, now! immediately! immediately!"

"He's on his way south!"

"Catch him, damn it, let this thief run away, we're all going to lose our heads tonight!"

In the streets, the guards rushed to the south, and then somebody yelled "East! find someone in the east!" and the guards turned around and rushed to the east.

On the windowsill on the top floor of a hotel, two men are watching the farce. The difference in size between the two is very large, one has a strong body, and the bulging muscles on his body are hard and solid, like solid stones, and the other person has occupied nearly three-quarters of the space on the windowsill. The other man was normally thin, with no features on the outside, except for a long sword pinned to his waist, and a small ribbon tied to the hilt of the sword, which was clearly used by women.

"That thief is playing this clown. ”

"Obviously, aren't you interested?"

"Forget it, I can't hold such a nimble and smart guy for my size. ”

"Yes, but this man is as bold as you are. ”

"Please, don't think too highly of me, I don't dare mess with Madame's things, it will make me die an ugly death. ”

"That's exactly where it's weird, why do nothing but send a bunch of garbage out. ”

"Didn't the 'Shadows' get involved? Didn't your sword react just now? ”

The man looked at the still-moving sword and shook his head: "No, no, maybe there is, but only at the beginning. ”

"Good fellow, I guess I was killed by that thief. ”

The man looked at his muscular friend like an idiot: "Use your brain before you speak, no one in the town can beat that monster except Madame." ”

"Not even you? I mean count your sword. ”

The man did not hesitate: "No." ”

Suddenly, a shadow appeared on the roof of the opposite building, and after standing firmly, he looked around, and his eyes happened to meet the two people in the hotel, and the other party stretched out his hand and waved vigorously to greet the two.

The strong man returned the salute warmly: "Isn't this our protagonist tonight." ”

The thief laughed: "Don't dare to be, don't dare to be." ”

He said this, but he leaned back with his hands on his waist and smiled, looking very proud of his performance tonight. The man knew it, no wonder the guards couldn't find the thief, there was no "him" here in the first place.

A face-to-face kung fu, two people who are also familiar with each other have begun to interact, thieves jump left and right with their hands instead of guns, biubiubiu, strong men defend left and right with hands instead of shields, the two staged a shootout across the street, and finally the strong man found an excellent opportunity to counterattack, a shot accurate "headshot" to solve the opponent, the thief kicked his feet, the big character fell on the roof, and the strong man perfectly collected the gun and hid his fame.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The man looked at the two guys, one was not afraid of death, the other was not afraid of things, and he was probably the one who didn't think it was a big deal.

The thief was rummaging in his waist bag, as if he was ready to take out a powerful "weapon" to start a new round of bloody rain with the strong man, the small waist bag did not have much space, and a pair of moon arc earrings were revealed during the rummag, which was a unique style of ancient earrings.

The man was startled, and the long sword was a little restless, this time it seemed that the matter was really bigger.

The two sides reorganized their "equipment" and were ready for the next round of "shootouts", but when the thieves "drew their guns", they suddenly paused, turned around and ran without looking back.

The strong man was puzzled: "Why did you run so suddenly?"

As soon as the words fell, a pale face appeared under the embrace of a group of bats: "You see?"

Strong man: "We don't know this thief, let's see if we break the law." ”

The man took over: "Good evening, Mr. Shadow, we just happened to meet, we never interfere in the affairs of the town, after all, we don't know whether to help or help, and it is ourselves who will be unlucky at that time." ”

Shadow: "So you do see it." ”

Strong man: "What do you see these two on my face? left and right, up and down, it seems to be eyes, what are eyes used for? Don't you look at them, are they used to pick out their noses?"

The man knocked on his companion and signaled him to shut up, this guy is really not afraid of things.

Shadow: "Did you notice the rest of the town watching?"

Tonight's town was as usual, the taverns and brothels were brightly lit, the men's noise and the women's panting, everyone obeyed their own rules in the wave of pleasure, as usual, no one walked on the streets outside, and no one poked through the doors and windows. The man stroked the hilt of his sword, realizing that it seemed to be a trap, and that there was more than one thief in the protagonist tonight.

Shadow: "You two stay here, you'll be welcomed in Chaos Town." ”

In the words, the former is a command, the latter is a threat.

The strong man didn't interject again, he had realized that things were not something he could say, and this kind of thing was still left to someone who was good at it.

Man: "I would venture to ask, is this what Mr. Shadow meant, or does it mean 'Chase Town'?"

There was no answer, and the bats scattered, leaving only two people on the windowsill.

Strong man: "Isn't it good?"

Man: "At the moment, it's a bit of a bad thing. ”

......

...

A dark guild hall, where blood covered the white jade floor, and red tides flowed down the steps to form small waterfalls.

The aristocratic woman sat on a red chair and admired the artwork in her hand—a bloody human head with three holes in its face, its eyes and tongue had been gouged out and plucked out, and the hill behind the chair was a pool of stumps.

The aristocratic woman is very charming, not from her makeup, but from her natural temperament, from the temptation she shows in her gestures, even if she is in the sea of blood and holds the human head, what you can feel is not fear, but the primitive beauty and excitement exuded by bloody violence.

The silver cream dress was embroidered with lace made of gold thread and exposed to the outside, and the skirt was close to the body, revealing the wonderful body of the aristocratic woman, just right to highlight her graceful figure, and the hem was decorated with simple and luxurious jewelry, as if it were a flower blooming in the night.

The blood flowed all over the place suddenly, and they were gathered around the aristocratic woman, and finally all returned to the bottom of the skirt, as if all were absorbed by the long skirt.

The shadow appears on one knee in the guild hall, waiting for orders.

Noble woman: "You've been with me for a long time. ”

Shadow didn't answer, and the person he was talking to wasn't himself.

The aristocratic woman gently stroked the sideburns of the human head, and carefully brushed every strand of hair on the head at once, as if she were really treating a priceless treasure.

Noble woman: "I should have given you the reward you deserved for your final service, but...... I started too quickly, hehe, it doesn't seem to be too late. ”

The corners of the mouth are upturned, outlining a perfect arc on the flawless face of the aristocratic woman, not introspection and guilt, but the enjoyment of immersion. The aristocratic woman held the human head in both hands, and with a thumb soothed the human head and cheek, she pulled the human head closer, and tenderly dropped a kiss on his forehead, and the last flesh was corrupted in this kiss, leaving only an empty skull.

The aristocratic woman got up and walked to the corner, where there was a cabinet of exactly the same size as the wall, and there were different skulls on display in it, the aristocratic woman chose an empty seat to put the skull in her hand, and after adjusting the angle a few times, she returned to the chair contentedly, and only the last empty seat was left on the huge cabinet.

Aristocratic woman: "Ran away?"

Shadow replied respectfully: "Ran away, and the follow-up has been properly arranged." ”

Click, click, click

The aristocratic woman's sharp, slender nails scraped back and forth the wooden armrests on the chair, looking up at the full moon in the night sky through the window, and the color of her eyes gradually blended with the moonlight.

Noble woman: "Then let's be a little patient with anticipation." ”

Lower Devonburg

Mike's day starts early, and he has a lot of things to do, the first of which is to fill his stomach, not enough strength to do the work. After that, it is to finish some of the tools and materials that the store manager explained that they need to buy yesterday, and then go back to the antique store to clean up, take out the garbage, confirm whether the store manager's workbench is set up as required, and organize the catalog of things that the store manager needs to repair today, etc., and so on.

With everything ready, Mike returned to the familiar alley, and opened the door to find the store manager already sitting at his workbench with a piece of paper in his hand, which seemed to be a letter.

Mike: "Good morning, manager, I've bought you all the materials and tools you need, do you want to put them in the old place?"

The merchant didn't reply, he was carefully checking the letterhead.

Well, it's a long-term thing. Mike took the things to the back warehouse and sorted them out.

Mike: "By the way, the store manager, when I came home last night, I met the little man again, still the same old look, very drunk, he wanted to ask you if you still had any use for them, and the little man complained to me that he hadn't gotten the bounty from the store manager for almost a year...... No, it can't be said to be a complaint, it should be said to be ...... Grumbling?"

The merchant didn't have time to deal with Mike, and the pen and ink on the letter paper attracted him.

Old friend, maybe you should learn to try how to fit in, the experience of being a spectator doesn't get you what you want, don't spend all day in a shabby antique shop, you should go outside more, by the way, help me talk to Mike, I have a fun toy for him, I'll bring him next time we meet.

Your good friend

Hank

After reading it, the merchant pondered for a moment, and after burning the letter, he remembered what Mike seemed to have just said.

Merchant: "He's the only one?"

Mike: "Well, what? Oh yes, of course it's not just the little man, his two companions are there, and they didn't say anything about the bounty mission, just let me say hello to you on their behalf, and the archer's sister said that because she was busy during this time, she would definitely come to the store to see the snow when she had time. I really don't understand this, we don't have snow in the store, the roof is fine, not to mention ......."

The merchant's questioning caused Mike to start babbling.

"Maybe you should learn how to fit in"

The words of the letter came to mind, and the businessman: "Mike." ”

Mike hurriedly stopped his mouth: "The store manager here." ”

Merchant: "If you meet them next time...... Also help me convey my greetings, and tell Laura that you are welcome to the store at any time, and as for the bounty mission, I will greet them when I have the opportunity in the future. ”

Mike: "No problem, manager, happy to help!"

A little attempt is fine, but within the limits of control, the merchant decided for the time being, and he sat upright, set out his tools, and prepared to start the day's work.

Mike couldn't stop talking while sorting out things: "When I first came, I heard a few adults say that the Holy See has recently executed a group of dwarves and a few elves who have broken the law, and the Holy See seems to be too harsh on them, I don't mean that there is no punishment for breaking the law, but one of them is a dwarf who just stole something, and it would be too much to be executed at this level alone, by the way, the store manager, the next time I see the little man, I plan to use these hearsays to scare him, do you think it is appropriate? I mean the kind of scare that is joking." ”

Mike waited for a moment, but before he could answer, he pursed his lips. Well, the store manager has started working now, it's normal not to be distracted and answer questions, don't be sad Mike.

Merchant: "I don't recommend it. ”

Mike's late answer made Mike happy: "Yes, you're right, maybe that's a bit too much for jokes." ”

Next, Mike began to find a topic without a word, and the merchant of course also answered without a word, and finally in this atmosphere, Mike finished the work at hand and was ready to move on to the next job.

Merchant: "Mike, I'll send these things to Uptown later." ”

Hearing the word "Shangcheng", Mike came out of the warehouse excitedly, and when he saw that it was a batch of sorted items to be auctioned, his interest instantly decreased a lot.

Mike: "Manager, you're going to give this to Forsa for auction? Why, Fossa isn't a top auctioneer at a trade fair, someone else can sell you for a better price, and you give him an extra nine percent commission for every transaction, and Fosa has recently moved into a new house, a bigger and more exclusive house. ”

Merchant: "Don't ask too many questions, it'll distract me, just do what I say." ”

Mike: "...... All right. ”

The merchant's answer ended the conversation, and with his habitual pouting in a faint protest, Mike began to wipe down the windows of the shop, and after estimating the opening time of the fair, Mike took the lot of lots and pushed the door open, and set off for the upper town.

Although this time it was because of work or to find the flattering Fusa, but after all, it was going to Uptown, and Mike's mood was still very good overall. The whole of Devonburg, apart from the mansion of the Marquis de Vale, was the most prosperous place in the Upper Town, where the streets were always filled with golden carriages, and everyone was full of confidence, and they talked elegantly about important things that Mack could not understand, and even the bricks on the ground were cleaner than the black bread sold in the lower town.

Although Mike yearns for all this, the best place in his mind is the store manager's antique shop, because it gives him a new future, and as a human being, he must know how to be grateful, which is a "big thing" that Mike can understand.

Coming to the entrance of Uptown, Mike took out the pass given to him by the store manager, at first Mike was surprised, because he couldn't understand why a person with a pass for Uptown would choose to open an antique shop in Downtown, or in a dark alley in Downtown, Mike felt that as long as the store manager was willing to open the store in Uptown, there would be a lot of rich people to buy it every day, not like now, there was not even a third living person in the store except them.

Sometimes Mike feels that the store manager who is sitting next to him is far away from him, not far and near, but a kind of "far" that he can never touch, and the two face each other seem to live in different worlds, and the store manager sometimes looks at him not like he is treating the clerk, but as if he is observing something. Mike didn't know how to describe it more accurately, and the thirteen-year-old didn't have the mental strength to think about it.

Walking through the bustling streets of Uptown, Mike needs to control his eyes with all his might, and there are tempting shops everywhere, barbecue shops with tantalizing aromas, toy stores displaying their new toys, and all the way is a test before reaching the trade fair.

"Look, isn't this our little Mike?"

Mike froze, and the familiar voice freed Mike from the many temptations, this is not someone he is good at dealing with, it should be said that he is the last person he wants to meet in Uptown.

Mike: "Hello, Mr. Butler. ”

Butler: "Hello little Mike, let me see, you brought a lot of things, where are you going?"

Mike: "Yes, Mr. Butler, the store manager told me to come to Uptown to do some small things. ”

Butler: "I see, since this is the case, you should tell me as soon as possible, the Marquis admires Mr. Merchant very much, they are very good friends, as the Marquis's butler, of course I am willing and willing to do all the little things for Mr. Merchant." ”

Mike refused without even thinking about it: "No, no...... What I mean is that since the store manager personally told me to do it, I used the hands of others, even if they were good friends with each other, so in the eyes of the store manager, I would become a bad boy who relied on his personal connections for convenience and liked to be lazy, and I didn't want the store manager to misunderstand me. ”

That's right, in fact, the merchant had specially reminded Mike not to have anything to do with the Marquis of Vale, but the merchant didn't teach Mike how not to "get involved in a little relationship", so every time Mike met the butler, he always found all kinds of excuses to escape, and if he continued like this, he would not be able to find a new excuse.

Butler: "Little Mike, your idea is very good, I like it very much, this is the idea that a good clerk should have." Don't worry, the relationship between the Marquis and Mr. Merchant is extraordinary, you can tell me what Mr. Merchant needs first, and see if I can help, if I happen to be able to, I promise that it will be done properly and will not be revealed to be my own hand, and you can also watch from the sidelines in case I accidentally make a mistake so that I can save it at any time, so that it will not affect you, right?"

The tricky answer, every time, is that there is a clear gap between Mike and the housekeeper, this is the gap between experience and knowledge, and it is a chasm built up by something called "years", which makes Mike very headache, and in the end, Mike has no choice but to take the last way to stay by himself.

Mike: "Thank you for your kindness, but this time I wish I could do it myself, it means a lot to me, maybe next time, Mr. Butler, I'll be sure to ask you for help next time." ”

Thanking for the kindness of the matter and then promising to ease it next time, this is the perfect refusal wording, which Mike learned from the trade fair, and the method used by a nobleman to reject Forsa. Of course, it's not as gentle as Mike shows now, it's just a general similarity, after all, the nobleman doesn't treat Fusa from a commoner background so politely, at that time, it was more like telling Fusa that this matter is very important and your ability is far from enough, so you can't, next time there are other simple things to leave to you, it can also be said to simply look down on Fusa.

This kind of answer made the housekeeper unable to continue to entangle and could only agree, Mike was secretly happy in his heart, so that he escaped again, but he didn't expect that just as he was about to leave, little Mike was stopped again.

Butler: "Since this favor can't help you, maybe the Marquis can do another small favor to Mr. Merchant." ”

As he spoke, the butler took out a badge from his pocket, on which was carved an eagle with wings, and the skill of the craftsman must have been very good, for it seemed to Mike that it was a living eagle.

Butler: "The Marquis thinks that Mr. Merchant may leave Devonburg recently, and maybe go on a short trip to other places, such as Haikou City, who knows, going out with the Marquis's family crest will make the journey smoother, especially when some cities are heavily controlled recently." ”

Mike's face changed, but the butler smiled imperceptibly. After all, he is young, and he can't hide his mood better, and if he doesn't pay attention to it, it will flow to his face and turn into an expression to express it.

Mike felt himself starting to get a little angry, even though the other party was the Marquis's butler. The store manager mentioned once in the past two days that he might take himself out in a few days, and this can be said to be Mike's first time going far away, so he is very impressed and very much looking forward to it, which is why he will clearly remember where to go. It just so happened that the name of the place to go was the same as the example given by the housekeeper, and it also happened that the store manager also mentioned that Haikou City has recently been particularly strict in controlling people entering and leaving the city, and it is even more coincidental that the housekeeper happened to mention these two points today, and also specially sent a pass engraved with the family crest of the Marquis of Ville.

"Good friends" don't spy on them.

So Mike's attitude was very unkind: "Mr. Butler, don't you think this kind of thing is excessive? I can guarantee that the store manager will never like to be spied on, especially from his 'good friend'." ”

The words "good friend", Mike said through gritted teeth.

The butler didn't mind but smiled: "Child, the Marquis of Ville is the master of Devonburg, he can know everything he wants to know, and he will know everything he doesn't want to know, this is the power and responsibility of a lord, so don't put your mind on this inconsequential misunderstanding, focus on the things that Mr. Merchant has explained to you, this is 'significant' to you, isn't it?"

Mike didn't like it, it made him look like a vexatious child, an immature child, a child who easily misunderstood others and lost his temper at will, but he couldn't find a way to fight back, and even ended up watching the other person leave with a triumphant smile.

During this trip to Uptown, Mike was angry.