From Cecil's new Whitewater River Wharf, it was only a day's journey to Tanzania Town.
In the last part of the journey, Gwen and his party bypassed the main road and arrived near the stone bridge in front of Tanzania Town under the cover of the trees. They then lurked on the south side of the stone bridge and looked at the Tanzan Gate across the bridge.
"Did you notice? The town seems to be under martial law. "Pitman looked at the gate from afar and muttered in a low voice." There are no pedestrians on the bridge. The number of soldiers at the gate is abnormal. There are many ships at the wharf on the edge of the town. They seem to be detained there. "
The shadow under the nearby bushes twisted and Amber's figure emerged from the shadow. "I just watched the main road for a long time and didn't see any caravans or travelers passing by. The town's martial law should have lasted for at least two days."
"It seems that after Gold-eye Piegel's ship left here, the town restricted access," Gwen analyzed. "According to the plan, Byron will stay in Tanzania Town to continue to recruit serfs. His actions are conspicuous. It will be difficult for him to get away after the martial law. No wonder there is no news back."
Amber jinxed it. "Don't tell me something has happened?"
Gwen shook his head. "Looking at the gate, the town only restricts access. The order inside is still normal. Byron is a mercenary. He's very slippery. It's unlikely that he will fall in this kind of environment."
"Ahem, the problem is how do we get in." Pitman coughed twice. "Tanzania Town is surrounded by rivers on both sides and mountains on the back. The only entrance is a stone bridge and a gate in front of the town. It's all under the eyes of the soldiers. Do we swagger in?"
Knight Philip, a straightforward person, could not help but shake his head. "We don't know the situation in the town now. If the cultists have controlled Viscount Andrew, our appearance will definitely arouse the vigilance of those criminals."
It turned out that the young Knight was just old-fashioned and straightforward. He was not stupid.
Gwen narrowed his eyes slightly. A high-definition satellite image immediately formed in his mind.
"There is a road in Tanzan Mine. It can go from the east side of the town to the back of the town and directly to the castle area." Gwen opened his eyes. "But crossing the river is still a problem. Who is this bridge?!"
Gwen suddenly sensed a weak and sneaky presence nearby. He immediately turned his head and asked. After he spoke, Amber sensed the 'uncoordinated shadow' from the shadows around them. She immediately pulled out two daggers and twirled them in front of her... "Come out! We've found you! "
The dense forest was dead silent. But a moment later, the bushes under a tree suddenly shook twice. Then a dirty and messy little head popped out from behind the bushes. It was a little boy. His hair was yellow and messy, and it seemed that it had not been trimmed for years. He wore a coarse linen shirt and shorts full of patches and holes. He was a typical pauper. Years of malnutrition had made him sallow and emaciated, and his growth was slow. But only a pair of eyes, a pair of bright eyes on his face, had the kind of intelligence and light that adults of his class did not have.
But this pair of big eyes were now covered with a faint layer of mist, full of panic. He stood up from the bushes in a daze, his body trembling slightly. He even seemed to have forgotten to run.
"It's a child?" Knight Philip frowned. He never thought that the one who was' lurking 'in the forest would be such a ten-year-old child. And there was no fluctuation of power on his body. The Knight's Code of Conduct about helping the weak calmed him down a little. But the Knight's martial arts training made him not dare to take his hand away from the hilt of his sword. "Don't be afraid. Come over here slowly."
"Ah!" the child suddenly screamed in horror, then turned around and ran away.
"You're carrying such a big sword. It would be strange if he didn't run!" Amber looked at Philip as if he was an idiot. Then his figure flashed and blended into the shadows. A moment later, a short scream came from the direction where the child ran. Then, the shade in front of Gwen wriggled. Amber came out of the shadows again, holding the child by the collar. The ghostly level of Shadow Talent was really good. This guy ran like he brought a door with him.
The child was easily caught by Amber, and probably experienced a short journey in the Shadow Realm. This made him so scared that he really forgot to run. But his fear increased so much that Gwen felt that he would cry in the next second. But the child just kept his face straight and pursed his lips. In the end, he did not cry and just looked at the strangers in front of him in fear.
"Don't be afraid." Amber quickly comforted the child. "We're not good people …"
Gwen immediately glared at the Shame of All Things.
"Ah, no, we're not bad people." Amber quickly corrected herself and then explained to Gwen apologetically. "It's an occupational disease. I haven't changed …"
"We won't hurt you." Knight Philip put his hand on the child's head. "You see, I'm a Knight. I'll protect you."
The little boy trembled in fear at first, but after hearing Philip's words, he calmed down a little and nodded his head, as if he did not fully understand what was going on.
Gwen took this opportunity to speak. "You're a child of a family nearby? Why are you wandering in the woods? "
However, the little boy was frightened by Gawain, who was two meters tall and had a square face. He quickly retreated.
"You don't have to be afraid. He's my liege." Knight Philip quickly said. "He's an upright and kind person."
At this time, Amber saw that the child had not spoken from beginning to end. She could not help but mutter, "Is he mute?"
Gwen was just about to say 'don't talk nonsense' when he saw Pitman next to him frowning. Then, the old Druil stepped forward and pinched the child's chin, opening his mouth and taking a closer look.
"His tongue was cut off." The old Druil let go of his hand and said after a moment of silence. "And it's been cut off for at least two years."
The words that Gao Wen wanted to say were immediately stuck in his throat. He did not know what kind of change his expression had in that instant. He only knew that when Hu Po looked at him, Hu Po shrunk his head back. Then, he suppressed his anger and said, "Such a young child, what crime did he commit to have his tongue cut out?!"
Even the barbaric and backward laws of the Middle Ages would not cut off the tongues of children under the age of fourteen. Even the Church of the Blood God, which was known for its ruthlessness, believed that children of this age would not be guilty of "verbal sins."
The Pitman shook his head. "The cutting of the tongue was done skillfully, and there are traces of magic. It's not a punishment for a crime, but a mute child servant. Most likely, he's a slave of a big merchant. Those big merchants often do this. They use mute children as personal servants because they can't speak or write. Unless they meet an Extraordinary who knows Soul Magic, they will never reveal their master's secret."
Gwen was speechless.
He did not know what to say at the moment, but before he could speak, the little mute whose tongue was cut off moved first. He suddenly stared at Knight Philip's breastplate, then grabbed the young Knight's arm and pointed at a certain spot on the breastplate. "Ah! Ah!" he yelled.
Philip was at a loss for a moment. The young and promising Mr. Knight had no experience dealing with children. He opened his hands to show that he did not understand at all. But Gwen noticed the thing the child was pointing at. "Have you seen this emblem?"
"Ah … Ah!" The little mute nodded repeatedly and pointed at the thing on Philip's breastplate even more forcefully.
It was the emblem of the Cecil family.
Gwen's heart skipped a beat. He instantly connected the dots and immediately asked, "Where did you see it?!"
Little Mute randomly gestured, his mouth emitting unclear sounds, but he was completely unable to communicate with others. Because of this, he appeared to be abnormally anxious. In the end, this child simply jumped onto a nearby rock, standing on a high point and pointing his hand in a certain direction, desperately gesturing.
Then he jumped down, grabbed Gwen's hand, and shook it hard.
Gwen said, "You know where it is, and you want us to follow you?"
The little mute nodded vigorously with a pleading look on his face.
Gwen and the few people around him exchanged glances. Without much consideration, they decided to follow the child.
Of course, he thought a lot, such as whether this was a trap set by the cultists, or whether the child in front of him was instigated and coerced to do so. After all, those brainless cultists were capable of anything. But in any case, some dangers had to be faced, especially in a situation like this where there was no other way. Following the child to see the specific situation was the only choice.
They quickly left the main gate of Tanzania Town and followed the little boy into the woods. They followed the direction of the Whitewater River and turned south for a short distance. As they walked, Gwen suddenly realized where the child was taking them.
Walking down this road, there was only one place that could be called a "landmark," and that was "Gorlin's Mill," located southwest of Tanzania Town. It was an old water mill, next to the Whitewater River. It used to belong to the Leslie family, but now it had fallen into disrepair and was abandoned. There were many unemployed people near the mill, but now the atmosphere in the town was so tense that the nearby thieves had probably stayed far away.
Sure enough, after walking along the path in the woods for a short while, they heard the sound of the river lapping against the riverbank. They walked out of the woods, and a traditional Ansu water mill appeared in front of them.
"Ah — ah!" The little mute raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the mill, and then pointed to the emblem on Philip's chest, indicating that the person with the emblem was in the mill.
The four of them observed the surrounding terrain, then raised their vigilance and walked toward the mill.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
