The Abandoned House was not a house, but a place in Eternal Star City. It was located in the second district of Lower City, adjacent to the infamous Black Street. Its total area was about the size of a street.
Thales once heard from the elders in the Brotherhood that the Abandoned House was said to have been built by the court of Constellation a hundred years ago. It also used to have a rather respectable name, but no one remembered it anymore. It was only recorded in the city hall. It was also once filled with the mediocre but bustling citizens of the capital of the kingdom.
No one knew when it started, but the Abandoned House became a place where gangs came in contact and negotiated, and occasionally fought.
Hence, under the company of blood and axes, the houses in the bustling streets became deserted, with only stone walls and bricks left.
It was said that the Abandoned House was once used as a place to dump corpses. To this day, children who grew up happily under the sunshine of the capital would be warned, "If you don't listen to me, I will send you to the Abandoned House." The reputation of the Abandoned House was second only to that of the terrifying Black Street.
When the Black Street Brotherhood rose to power and seized the hegemony of the underworld in Lower City District, the Abandoned House became the headquarters of the Brotherhood's child-beggar business in the city.
In order to facilitate management and to prevent the child beggars from escaping during the night, the Brotherhood had set up a ten-foot wide and fifteen-foot deep trench on all four sides of the abandoned houses. The trench was filled with sharpened wooden stakes and rusty nails, leaving only a stone door that could be locked from the back at the front of the abandoned houses.
Rumor had it that after countless corpses and tests, someone finally dug a secret passage in the deep trench and escaped. But at least in the four years Thales was in the Abandoned House, no child beggar was able to find the legendary secret passage. Instead, the number of corpses in the deep trench increased every year as the Brotherhood's business expanded.
It was said that every year, there would be blind children who tried to escape through the deep trench, so the Brotherhood had to clean up the corpses in the trench every year.
As its name suggested, the Abandoned Houses Land was made up of stone houses that had been abandoned for a long time. There were a total of twenty-three of them (there were originally more, but some of them had collapsed during the gang war many years ago, and some of them had been demolished by the Brotherhood). They were located irregularly behind the big stone gate. Some of the stone houses were "isolated", while others were closer to each other.
The lucky child beggars were assigned to Abandoned Houses with well water, while the unlucky ones, like the sixth house where Thales was, could only fill their water tanks with water from other houses — and this was usually not without a price.
Water and food often caused conflicts between the child beggars. For example, the water tank in the sixth house was obtained during the second year after Thales arrived at the Abandoned Houses. He reached an agreement with the seventeenth house next door to fetch water once a week through various means.
Before Ned and Coria arrived, there was only Sinti, Ryan, Kellet, and two other child beggars who were no longer alive. Even drinking water was a problem for them.
Now, what Thales and the others heard was the cry of their "leader", Diego, from the seventeenth house next door. Thales still remembered that when he fought for water, he threw a stone at Diego's head. At that time, Diego's cry was almost the same as now.
"Cajun! Someone come! We don't have it! Not us! "
Diego's cry was painful and panicked.
So much so that the child beggars in the sixth house, including Thales, could not react for a while.
However, Thales still had the memories of his previous life. His first reaction was to chase everyone in the courtyard back into the hole in the house. For a long period of time after that, Thales regretted this decision deeply. He wanted to hide.
Thales glanced at the inconspicuous stone slab in the corner of the house, and hid under the wall opposite the seventeenth house. He stared at the dog hole that connected the seventeenth house and the sixth house. Back then, this was the symbol of the alliance between the children of the two houses.
"What happened to Diego and the others? Is there a fight? "Ned asked curiously after he hid himself.
The child beggars did not live in harmony. There were not many harmonious houses like the sixth house in the Abandoned Houses.
Apart from Quide, many of the child beggars' injuries and even deaths were caused by the child beggars themselves. The children who were not even ten years old did not know how to hold back. For example, before Ned and Coria came, one of Thales' two former roommates passed away like this.
But the seventeenth house was considered a minority in the Abandoned Houses. Diego had brown skin, small eyes, blond hair, and was a carefree but stubborn child. At nine and a half years old, he appeared to be more of a leader than Sinti and Thales. At least the child beggars in the seventeenth house listened to him. This was also the reason why the battle for water between the sixth house and the seventeenth house was full of twists and turns.
"It doesn't look like a fight. Could it be that the other houses are bullying Diego and the others? It must be Karak from the tenth house! He loves to bully others! "Kellet seemed to have figured something out and said hurriedly.
"Then we have to hurry and help them! We promised them to help each other! "
Cripple Ryan wanted to run out of the hole and crawl into the dog hole. But before the moonlight shone on his upper body, Ryan was dragged back by Thales.
"Don't worry, it's not Karak! It's something else! "Thales listened to the screams next door with a solemn expression.
"No, Diego!"
There was a dull sound as if a sandbag was thrown against the wall. But this time, it was another child, Ursola, who was crying.
Thales remembered this eight-year-old child. When they were fighting for water, Ursola tightly pursed his lips and stood beside Diego.
When the two sides started fighting, it was also Ursola who hugged Sinti's thigh and did not let him get close to the fight between Diego and Thales. If Thales did not attack Diego's knee and quickly pick up a stone, the sixth house might not even have a fixed water supply to this day.
"Something's wrong!"
As the oldest child in the house, the puzzled expression on Sinti's face gradually turned solemn. As the child beggar in the sixth house who worked with Thales the most and had the best rapport with him, Sinti was silent most of the time. But whenever he spoke, it was either something important or something crucial.
Soon, the puzzled and solemn expressions on the children's faces turned into horror.
"Beg for mercy! Beg for mercy! Continue! I love to hear you begging for mercy! "
A deep but crazy voice came from next door.
None of the child beggars in the Abandoned House would ever forget this sound. To them, this sound was even scarier than that of a demon from hell. At least a demon would not break a child beggar's bones inch by inch, slash open a child beggar's face with a knife, or dip a child beggar's head into a vat of water in the name of "quenching your thirst" (Do demons really not know how to do that? At least the child beggars did not know that.
It was Quide.
Quide Roda, the leader of the child beggars in Black Street Brotherhood. He was also the child beggars' nightmare and bane.
"No! Boss Quide! We were wrong! We … Ah! "
"Let's see if you still dare to speak nonsense! Do you dare to scold me behind my back! Damn it! Red-haired woman! Damn it! Baldie! Damn it! Jala Charleton! All of you deserve to die! "
As Quide cursed in a delirious manner, a series of beating sounds came from next door. Sometimes it was a fist, sometimes it was a stone, and sometimes it was the sound of a human body colliding with the wall.
"Help! Help! Diego! Kali! Marita! Get up! Save me! "
"Run! Run! Ugh! "
"Oh my god! Where are the guards? Where's Mister Rick? Oh my god! He wants to kill us, he wants to kill us all! "
"No! No! "
Heart-Wrenching cries came from more than one person. The Abandoned Houses under the moonlight seemed to be soul-stirring in Thales' eyes.
It took Thales three seconds to realize what Quide was doing.
He turned his head abruptly and looked at everyone in the sixth house. Ned and Coria were shivering in the hole in the wall. Ryan, who was about to rush out to help, was scared stiff.
Kellet and Sinti were not any better. The former's anxious and fearful gaze moved back and forth between the few of them. He wanted to speak but could not speak. The latter's face was pale as he stared at Thales.
* Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack! *
"You bunch of damned scums! Even you dare to mock me! Mock 'Blood Axe' Quide Roda! Even you dare to — "
"Haha, go on and scream! Why aren't you screaming anymore? Scream! "
The crazy roars and painful screams echoed in his ears, accompanied by the cracking sounds that no one wanted to think about.
Thales knew that at this moment, panic had already spread in the sixth house. He racked his brains frantically to think about the current situation.
Quide was beating up the child beggars in the seventeenth house. No, judging from Quide's appearance and the frequency and strength of his beating, it was not as simple as venting his anger tonight!
Besides, even though Quide was a bastard, he would not beat up all the child beggars in the entire house at once. Oh right, where is Rick? What about the guards and the patrolling thugs in the Abandoned Houses? Even though the houses might not be able to hear each other through the stone walls, the thugs on the streets would definitely be able to hear each other!
Of course, Thales did not know that the guards in the Abandoned Houses had been reduced to two people. Moreover, the two thugs would never come again.
"Thales, what — what should we do?" Sinti instinctively felt that something was wrong when he heard the tragedy next door. His pale face was already covered in sweat as he kept asking Thales.
"Quiet, no one is allowed to make a sound! We — "Thales furrowed his eyebrows and thought hard for a solution. However, before he could finish speaking, he saw a child beggar's figure emerge from the dog hole between the sixth house and the seventeenth house.
Coria was so frightened that she let out a small scream.
Thales' eyes were very sharp. He could tell with one glance that the person who emerged from the seventeenth house was Nsora, whose head was covered in blood.
However, Nsora seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. Without waiting for Thales to help him up, Nsora panted and fell to the ground. He did not care about the blood on his head and face.
"Run! Run! We have to — "
Thales and Sinti anxiously helped him up. The screams and roars were still ringing in their ears. However, Nsora seemed to have lost his mind. He did not speak no matter how they asked. He only muttered "run" with a horrified expression.
That was until Thales used a slap to wake him up.
"What's going on? Did Quide come to vent his anger? "
Nsora's tears flowed down his face.
"Qui — Quide — he's crazy! He wants — we are not the only ones. He, he wants all of us — to go in one house after another, to see — "
Nsora was already rambling incoherently, but it was enough for the child beggars in the sixth house to understand what was happening. The six small faces instantly turned pale, and even Thales could not help but feel fear in his heart.
I heard crying and went out to take a peek. I saw Quide dragging Larry from the third room. There was blood everywhere. Then I saw me. "
"He grabbed Ca- Ca- and slammed him on the ground, and Diego - Diego tried to stop him - and then - he punched him hundreds of times, and Diego didn't move - and - and Marita, and Quade pushed him into the fire - ooh - the fire -"
Thales felt his skin crawl.
It was not that he had never seen Quide beat someone up. However, most of the time, he would be stopped by multiple thugs just before he was about to kill someone. As for whether the children who were beaten up would be permanently disabled, the Brotherhood did not care about this.
`The third house is finished - finished, and ours - he has just been fighting the Midlands - I don't know how many houses - '
However, before Ensola, who was crying and complaining at the same time, could finish, Thales covered his mouth with his hand.
At this moment, through Thales' actions, everyone realized that the crying and roaring next door had disappeared. The seventeenth house was quiet, as though the children had fallen asleep.
Only a rough panting sound was left, and it was still moving slowly.
Everyone knew what this meant.
Almost all the children in the sixth house began to tremble.
At that moment, Thales suddenly turned his head and tried his best to lower his voice, "Listen, let's quickly —"
* Bang! *
There was a loud sound.
The door of the sixth house was kicked open.
At the door, Quide's swaying figure slowly approached. His ferocious and evil grinning face looked at the seven shivering children.
"Ran - Where did you run off to? Eh, you - you look a little familiar... "
Everyone in the sixth house was stunned, and Thales was no exception.
Quide rubbed his nose. Thales saw that his face was bright red. It was the color of drunkenness.
His hands were also dark red in color.
That was the color of blood.
Quide looked at Thales who was covering Nsora's mouth tightly for a while.
"I, I remember you!"
The expression on his face kept changing. Gradually, it changed from a sinister smile to one of ferocity and hatred.
"You are that, that brat that was caught by that damn baldy..."
"It's you! You must be the one laughing at me behind my back! Am I right? "
"It must be you..."
"It must be you!"
Thales felt a chill in his heart.
Rick carefully steered the carriage. He forced himself to calm down and felt the warmth behind his neck.
Fortunately, everything was normal.
That ghost did not appear.
It was probably having a headache because of Quide.
In front of him, the big house of the Black Street Brotherhood gradually approached.
Rick heaved a sigh of relief.
"Accountant!"
Layork's voice could be heard. The assassin from the Brotherhood was shouting for Rick from twenty feet away.
Layork's face appeared in the distance. It was as though he had appeared under the light of the torch. He asked in a dissatisfied tone, "Why did you come at this time? This is a knife business! You want to join in the fun with that pair of accounting hands of yours? "
Rick was stunned for a moment. As the carriage moved forward, he saw that the small square in front of the big house was filled with the shadows of torches.
They were all figures standing quietly, and every single one of them was wrapped in black cloth.
The black cloth belonged to the Brotherhood.
There were at least a few hundred of them.
Rick suddenly realized that almost all the people in the Black Street Brotherhood were here.
Rick quickly moved to the side and got off the carriage. He took a few quick steps forward, and with the help of the moonlight, he saw his superior, the plump Morris, who was also the boss of the human trafficking business in Eternal Star City. He was discussing something with a few other figures with different silhouettes — a two-meter-tall yellow-haired giant, a mysterious figure dressed in a dark red long robe, and a plump and honest man.
Rick was startled.
He recognized them. They were the other big shots of the society.
There were even a few leaders who did not usually stay in Eternal Star City.
Rick walked past groups of black-clothed thugs who were armed to the teeth with axes, knives, daggers, and even studded clubs. He walked straight towards Layork.
"Layork, it's nice to meet you. Forget it, I will not talk nonsense. What do you want to do tonight?"
Rick did not like Layork, just like how he did not like Rick. They had to meet frequently because of their work. Both of them had a tacit understanding about this.
However, Layork was the one who knew the most inside information and was the quickest to ask about it.
"Didn't the boss tell you?"
Layork curled his lips in disdain and glanced at Rick.
"Old rules. When facing the Blood Bottle Gang, other than Mystic Guns and infantry crossbows, you can use any weapon …"
The assassin, who was known for his efficiency and ruthlessness, touched the scimitar behind his waist. It was as though he was feeling the sharpness of the scabbard.
Rick was shocked. 'Against the Blood Bottle Gang …'
The assassin took a deep breath and licked his lips with a playful smile.
"Tonight, we will take down Red Street Market!"
-
"Is there still no news from Yodel? What about Sunset Temple? "
A middle-aged noble with gray hair asked solemnly as he faced a luxurious chair in front of the stove.
"Patience, my friend. We have waited for twelve years. It does not matter if we wait a little longer."
The robust figure stood up from the chair and grabbed a scepter inlaid with a bright blue crystal. Upon closer inspection, the crystal on the scepter flickered with starlight slowly but rhythmically.
"Our pointless guesses here will only show that we are doubting Yodel's abilities. Moreover, did he not bring the flame of that lamp? I believe that he is already very close to his goal. He is just making a final confirmation, "the robust figure said slowly.
The middle-aged noble bowed deeply.
"It's not that I doubt Yodel's ability, and I've never underestimated his loyalty. It's just that …" He paused for a moment and sighed. "Yodel is too calm and callous. Compared to his unwavering loyalty to … He doesn't care about anything else. Just like twelve years ago, I'm worried that he …"
The middle-aged noble did not continue speaking, and the robust figure did not immediately reply.
The robust figure walked to the French window with the scepter in hand. He looked out into the distance at the brightly lit and resplendent Great Temple.
Even the moonlight could not compete with such brilliance.
"Then go and make preparations. Immediately head to the Temple in secret. Once you have news, set off immediately. Do not wait for Yodel's signal."
After a long while, the robust figure said slowly, "I have no reason to doubt Yodel. He will not hesitate to act when it is time."
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