The silver moon hung high in the sky, barely illuminating the remote and dilapidated alley.
A few flickering torches shone through the only narrow crack leading to the outside.
Thales snapped out of his daze when he heard the rude and rude cursing outside the alley.
Even though he was a little dizzy from moving underground, and the corners and alleys he passed through after he came to the surface were a little complicated, Thales knew very well that he had left the Secret Intelligence Department's protection and was exposed to Dragon Clouds City's field of vision.
He was in danger. Right now, his only hope to get out of the city … was the contact Putray had mentioned.
Thales focused his attention. The Sin of Hell's River surged at the right time to strengthen his hearing.
More than ten different breathing sounds appeared in his sensory organs from two directions. One side had an advantage in numbers, and the other side came alone.
"You've been in Dragon Clouds City for so many years." This was the cold voice from before. When he spoke in the crowd, Thales could vaguely sense his impatience. "You should know how serious this matter is. You also know how serious we are. This isn't a fight because of personal feelings."
The rude voice responded with a disdainful sneer. "Hmph!"
Thales frowned slightly. 'Who are they? Where am I?
Where is the person I'm supposed to meet?
'Damn Putray, he said he didn't want to be like the Secret Intelligence Department, but he still left me with a mystery.'
The confrontation between the two sides of the wall seemed to be continuing. The rude voice's reaction obviously made his opponents very unhappy.
The third voice rose again, as if he was still trying hard to convince the boorish man. "This is for our survival. From sealing the city, to raiding the city, to arresting people everywhere, they have never so crudely interfered with the gangs and underground businesses … Listen, Heroic Spirit Palace is serious this time. I think they don't even care if they die together with us."
Thales felt a chill in his heart.
A few hours had passed since noon, when Lampard was assassinated, and he fled Heroic Spirit Palace. The prince could roughly imagine Dragon Clouds City's current state.
"I don't think so," the rude voice answered casually. "I'm doing quite well."
* Bang! *
"Hey." Someone seemed to have knocked on a wooden board in anger. "You old —"
But with another muffled sound, he, who was about to explode in anger, seemed to be stopped by his companions.
Thales pushed his body closer to the rough and broken wall in front of him. He pricked up his ears and tried his best to grasp all the useful information he could.
"Really?"
It was the cautious third person. Compared to his cold-hearted companion, he seemed to be more inclined to solve the problem through negotiation. "Since this afternoon, all the goods that we planned to sell this month have been confiscated from the market in Sword District. The Old Black Hand of Camus Union has had his house raided in Dragonwings Square. Even the nobles of Spear District and Axe District have been sent to prison in batches. Even the subordinates of the powerful vassals like Karkogel have been implicated. As long as they have a criminal record, the patrol team will arrest them and send them to the water dungeon without any questions … "
"And you, do you think that you're special? Do you think that you can stay out of the poor people's Shield District and Hammer District just because of your relationship with the Ground-Shaker? Do you think that the patrols and the Archduchess' Guards will always let you go?"
He paused.
A cold voice took over his words. "You're wrong."
"And one day, you will pay the price for it."
Thales' heart skipped a beat. He heard a few key words.
The prince subconsciously looked around. This remote alley seemed to be quite old. The irregular brick walls were badly damaged, as if they would collapse at the slightest touch. The house on the left that was connected to the alley had obviously not been inhabited for a long time. This half-built house was in a worse state than the Abandoned House that Thales had stayed in before. It was as if someone had taken a huge hammer and smashed a third of it vertically downwards, starting from the roof.
But Thales immediately realized that the ground under his feet was also full of broken stones and rotten wood. There was even a deep pit of unknown origin.
'It's like …
'It's like a messy battlefield.
'Is there such a place in Dragon Clouds City?'
When he thought of this, Thales shuddered slightly.
Under the moonlight, he turned his head in disbelief. Through the narrow cracks in the alley and a few holes in the broken walls, he looked around. The broken beams of the house, the collapsed brick walls, the dirty path, and the faintly discernible stench …
Thales was stunned.
He recognized this place.
He still remembered the rough and uneven texture of the dirt road under his feet, the old houses that were low and messy, and the alleys that were as complicated as a maze.
The only thing missing was the hustle and bustle of people.
'This is …'
Thales touched the broken wall and stared blankly at the house whose roof had been smashed off.
'This is Shield District.
'This is Dragon Clouds City's Shield District.
Six years ago, it was the Shield District that was destroyed in a single day under the frenzied battle between two Mystics.
'It's the Shield District where he escaped with Little Rascal. It's the Shield District where he fought back with Black Sword.
'This is the place.'
An inexplicable melancholy surged in Thales' heart.
'It's been so many years.
'In the end, I still returned to this place.'
However, doubts arose in Thales' heart. 'Why did Putray want me to come to this place?'
"Hahahahaha …"
The boorish voice suddenly laughed out loud, attracting Thales' attention.
"'You will pay the price', hahahaha …"
The laughter was very bold and wild, but Thales could hear the displeasure and anger in it.
With his senses strengthened by the Sin of Hell's River, Thales could vaguely sense that the breathing of the group of people opposite the rough voice was getting rougher.
It seemed like the situation was getting uglier.
The laughter gradually stopped.
"You know …" The rough voice stopped for a few seconds before he spoke in a low voice, even deeper than before.
"Six years ago, Vlad could no longer survive in Dragon Clouds City, so he played some tricks and turned the bazaar and black market into a mess. Coupled with the disappearance of that Far Easterner, Bow District's business was also empty. So, for a period of time, all the overconfident scums wanted to snatch these few pieces of bones …"
The rough man paused for a moment, and there was a hint of danger in his voice. "And after a few years of fighting, all of you who are still here actually think that you're somebody. Even the way you talk makes you sound like a big boss …"
'Vlad?
Is it … the man with eight braids under Lampard's command six years ago? '
Thales frowned. He subconsciously shrank back a little, completely hiding himself in the darkness behind the wall.
"Enough."
The cold voice spoke again, as if he was the leader of this group of people.
"We don't know about the grudge between you and Vlad in the past, cripple." There was still no warmth in his words. "We don't want to get involved, but everyone is making a living in Dragon Clouds City —"
"Ha!" The rough voice suddenly rose, interrupting him.
"Making a living?"
Even though this person was alone, he seemed to have a lot of guts. Not only was he not afraid in the face of so many people, his tone was even more arrogant.
"It's been a few years. With Vlad as an example, the increasingly strict patrols have confiscated your goods more than ten times, be it by water, land, or underground. The amount of money you've lost is enough to buy Dragon Clouds City, but you're still persistent, as if you can't lose all your money … Hey, are you really just trying to make a living by occupying the bazaar?"
In the face of the rough voice's questioning, the group of people did not speak, but Thales could feel that their breathing had become faster and more frequent.
"Even so, all of you have never given up on giving gifts to the nobles in the inner city, as if you can't spend all your money … Including the receptionist who was hanged because he was in cahoots with Black Sand Region. I know that you were the ones who gave him all his benefits."
The rough voice coughed and spat. He continued to speak disdainfully, "Hey, you're not doing it for fame or profit, and you're still acting like you're worried about the country and its people? Tell me, which gang did this just to 'make a living'? "
The group of people facing him was still silent, but Thales could already hear the sound of some people clenching their fists.
"Look, I know your background very well." The rough voice snorted and laughed again, but for some reason, it made people feel a chill run down their spines. "I know who you're working for. I know whether you're doing it for self-protection, or if you have other motives and backers …"
"Hey.
"Vlad has left, but his stench still lingers in this city, and it has not dissipated." The man's tough and boorish voice left a deep impression on Thales. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had met this person before.
"If I report this to the White Blade Guards, guess what the consequences will be?"
A silence that was longer than any before lingered between the two parties.
'White Blade Guards.
'This is bad.'
Thales, who was caught in the middle of this confrontation, only felt that the atmosphere was getting worse. He looked around anxiously, but to his disappointment, he realized that there were only two ways to leave the alley. He could either crawl out of the narrow crack in a carefree manner and arrive in front of the two parties, or he could step on the broken stones and broken wood on the ground from the other side and jump over the wall in a flashy manner.
'Neither of them is a good idea.'
After a long time, the cold voice in the crowd on the other side slowly sighed.
"There have been no White Blade Guards for a long time, Gleeward." His tone was soft, but it was malicious. "Ever since the calamities descended and the day the Great Dragon reappeared …
"The late king has passed away, and times have changed. Both Eckstedt and Dragon Clouds City are no longer what they used to be."
The words that rang in the night startled Thales a little.
He had roughly figured out the identities of both parties.
Their positions were probably not very high, but they should not be ignored in Dragon Clouds City. They affected many people's lives, and they were closely related to the middle management of the government like the patrol team.
Thales felt a sense of familiarity toward this kind of person, which he had not seen in a long time.
As expected, in the next second, the boorish man known as Gleeward spoke coldly.
"So, you found a new master?"
He spat in disdain. "What? Is Chapman Lampard's penis so delicious that you have to queue up to take a sip of it when you pass by while taking a dump?"
"Damn it …" One of them seemed to be unable to hold back his temper. He took a step forward, but he was immediately stopped.
"Silence!" This time, it was the third voice. He seemed to be the one with the most weight after the cold voice.
His words were obviously much more cautious. He spoke in a negotiating tone, "I know, Chief Gleeward, we usually don't interfere with each other, and we have a tacit understanding, but this time —"
But Gleeward did not seem to buy it. His boorish voice interrupted the other person.
"Then get lost."
Gleeward's boorish voice was unpleasant and piercing to the ears. "I don't care how important that prince is, I don't care who assassinated that kinslayer, I don't care what kind of bullsh * t Heroic Spirit Palace is playing, I don't care whose balls you black-skinned dogs are licking, I don't care whose bones you took to get involved, and I don't care whether you want to rebel or get promoted. I only care about one thing: you sons of b * tches —" Thales bit his lower lip.
Thales bit his lower lip. 'As expected, his disappearance caused a series of chaos in Dragon Clouds City, and even affected these …'
Gleeward pounded his fists and growled, "I'm going to kill you.
"Stay away from my land!"
His words instantly caused the crowd to burst into an uproar.
"This old cripple …" The sound of a blade stabbing into wood could be heard.
"We should teach him a lesson …" A few people sneered maliciously.
"If you ask me —" one person said in annoyance.
But these people's words came to an abrupt halt.
They seemed to have been stopped by their leader.
Just when Thales breathed a sigh of relief and thought that the conflict had ended …
"Gleeward, Gleeward, Gleeward, the famous Gleeward."
It was the leader with the cold voice.
"You're Gleeward, the one who is rumored to be able to fight against the Five War Generals." His voice traveled faintly into Thales' ears from beyond the illuminated alley. "You lost both your legs in the disaster six years ago."
Since then, you have never been able to stand again. "
'Lost a pair of legs six years ago?
'Six years ago.'
Thales seized the word.
Gleeward was silent for a few seconds.
"Ha, you're talking about my legs. They've been lame since decades ago." The rude man did not show any weakness. His laughter was still relaxed and at ease. "Six years ago, I thought they were an eyesore, so I sawed them off."
"You have a problem with that?"
The breeze blew through the narrow gap in the alley, creating a low whistling sound.
The cold man continued, "Not only that, you've also lost an eye."
"Half of my vision."
"Eye?" Gleeward's voice suddenly rose.
"Heh, I thought it was too much for my head with it in my eye socket, so I took it off."
A few muffled sounds were heard. He seemed to have flicked his forehead.
The cold man laughed.
"Also, you only have three fingers left on your left hand.
"You can't do anything whether you clench your fist or hold your weapon."
Gleeward retorted nonchalantly, "Hey, have you never picked your nose before? Don't you think it's more convenient this way? "
When he heard these words, Thales frowned deeply.
'That lonely figure outside the wall …
'What kind of man is he?'
The cold man ignored Gleeward and continued, "That's not all. In that disaster, your people suffered heavy casualties. Count them. How many of your brothers did you personally bury in Shield District six years ago?"
This time, Gleeward was silent for a long time.
A long time.
It was as if he had fallen silent.
Another gust of wind blew past. The firelight outside the alley trembled slightly.
The man named Gleeward sucked in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"My brothers are made of iron." His voice was slightly deep, but he still refused to show any signs of weakness.
Gleeward's voice trembled slightly. "Tsk, if we really fight, it's just a normal thing for us to fight one against ten."
Silence was the only response he received.
Thales listened quietly and formed an image of the man in his mind. He had lost both his legs, an eye, and his left hand was crippled.
He was crude, rude, and ill-mannered. He was like a bandit.
However, at the same time, he was forthright, stubborn, and stubborn.
After a while, the cold voice started to chuckle. "Hehehehe …"
"Don't make me laugh, Gleeward. Look at how crippled you are now. Forget holding the Soul Slayer Pike, you can't even stand up. You even have to rely on a wheelchair to walk …"
As a response, Gleeward spat in disdain.
"Look around you. Look at this place that has been plowed by calamities and great beasts. It's poor, run-down, decaying, pitiful, despicable, the Shield District that you rely on for a living and are proud of."
The cold man clicked his tongue and said, "Look at this terrible state. Not only has your Shield District never recovered, it's getting worse. I heard that you don't even have enough manpower to watch over Oriole Brothel? Forget about the fact that you have to take care of the orphaned families of your brothers, maybe you should ask your wives and daughters to help. You know, you can even earn some 'extra income' by watching over the brothel? "
Mocking laughter rose from the crowd.
This time, Thales did not hear Gleeward's retort.
"Think about it carefully.
"This is no longer your era, old cripple." There was a hint of threat in the cold man's words.
"If you force yourself and refuse to see reality clearly, you will only be digging your own grave and dragging everyone else down with you."
The sound of footsteps rose. It seemed like the cold man was slowly pacing forward.
Thales heard Gleeward's breathing become rougher.
"We didn't declare war on you not because we're afraid of you, but you seem to be looking down on us. Why? Do you think that you're still a famous supreme class heavy swordsman? Do you think that you're still the respected Chief Gleeward? Do you think that you're still the light of the people who can rally to your call in Dragon Clouds City? Or that hero who wields the Soul Slayer Pike and protects Dragon Clouds City?
"But in reality …"
The man's voice was very calm, as if there were no fluctuations in his emotions at all, but it was incredibly chilling. "Since six years ago, you've been nothing. The one gasping for breath under that incomplete shell of yours is just a cripple waiting for death in a wheelchair. "
This time, Gleeward's breathing became rougher. He even let out a low, deep snort.
But his rude voice did not come again.
It was as if Gleeward had given up on fighting back.
The cold voice caught Gleeward's sore spot. He smiled slowly. "For example, right now, if we shoot you with crossbows from a dozen steps away … What can you do?
"If we're really serious, if we really want to do something to you, to Shield District, to Hammer District, to your poor subordinates, to their wives and children, to the livelihood of their employers, and to make their lives a hundred times worse than they are now …"
The man's words became slower and slower, and it made Gleeward's heart grow colder.
"What do you think a cripple like you, who can't even walk, can't hold a sword steadily, can't even see the road clearly, and can only live in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, can do?"
Gleeward still did not say a word.
He seemed to have truly fallen silent.
"Look at the situation clearly and make a wise choice." The man sneered and stopped moving. "Since you know the people behind us very well, then you should know that we are very powerful and can do it, but a cripple like you can't stop us, can't stop us, and can't stop us.
"So, I'll give you another chance, Gleeward. Reconsider your answer …"
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