In this dark and oppressive era, the imprisonment of thoughts from the church and the supernatural forces hidden in the dark were like a thick dark cloud weighing on the hearts of ordinary people. It was not invisible, but everyone could feel it and touch it every day. The strict curfew system was one of its manifestations.
After nightfall, all streets and alleys must be cleared. Except for those special people with permission, no one was allowed to linger outside. It was not only a reign of terror but also a form of protection. In the Dark Ages, the town at night was as dangerous as the wilderness. You never knew what was wandering in the streets. People who dared to leave their homes at night often did not have the chance to come back in one piece. Sometimes they were lucky enough to come back, but they had been replaced by something more terrible. In the Middle Ages, there were countless legends about this, and most of them were not legends at all.
Therefore, whether it was out of fear of the whipping of the patrolling cavalry or fear of the monsters in the dark, ordinary people would not linger in the streets after nightfall.
But there were always exceptions.
There were always some bold guys, either bewitched by the power of the heretics or coerced by the demon hunters, who chose an extremely dangerous profession, which was to be the eyes and claws of the night. They could evade the innate hostility of the demon hunters or the otherworldlings as humans, and they knew the intricate streets and alleys of the town like the back of their hands. The best of them could even recognize everyone in the town just by looking at their backs. These bold and skillful people used this talent to wander in the dangerous zone between secular and supernatural forces, providing limited loyalty to the otherworldlings and demon hunters who did not dare to show themselves or needed to move in secret.
If the price was right or the threat was strong enough, they could even serve both sides at the same time. Of course, this would bring death, but for those who had already embarked on this path, death was just an inevitable ending. They no longer cared about the length of life. All they cared about was the immediate enjoyment.
For them, the otherworldlings, demon hunters, and even the secular forces in between were all enemies and allies.
Gray Rat was one of the best in this field, and he believed that he was the smartest one among the best.
He never stepped too much into the supernatural side. Many of his peers had lost their lives because they could not resist the temptation of the mysterious knowledge. He also never coveted the gifts of his' master ', whether it was a demon or a demon hunter. He knew that a little of the reward was enough to maintain his current rich life, and a little more would be enough to kill him.
Gray Rat curled up in the smelly corner between two houses, covering himself from head to toe with a piece of tattered gray-black linen. He had been in this corner for nearly an hour, and in another ten minutes, he would move to another place. The night watchers would pass by soon. The guys in the black and blue smocks were often late because of laziness, but as a cautious' lackey ', Gray Rat would never take his luck in this aspect.
Once caught by the night watchers, the luckiest of them would inevitably suffer. The employers hiding in the dark would not jump out to help their servants for such a stupid reason.
The night was dark, and the air was cold. The ragged linen on his body could not protect him from the cold. Gray Rat carefully moved his numb hands and feet, and at the same time, he focused on the movements on the street. He squinted slightly, and the dark streets in his field of vision appeared a kind of fluorescent dark blue in his eyes. Occasionally, the living things that passed by would have a red outline.
A few small red spots ran across the street. They were the rats that could be seen everywhere, and this was the time when they were active.
Gray Rat understood why his peers died because they could not resist the temptation of taboo knowledge and power. In fact, even he himself often indulged in it. The Owl Potion could give him incredible night vision, the Wild Ritual could give him extraordinary strength, and the Meerkat Ointment could make him tireless and agile. All of these could easily give people the illusion that they were superior to mortals, and this illusion of transcendence was magnified when it was reflected in the Minions, who were of low status. Not everyone could resist this psychological addiction.
A man and a woman appeared in Gray Rat's sight.
He quickly gathered his scattered thoughts and focused his attention on the man and woman who had suddenly appeared.
Years of 'professionalism' reminded him that there was definitely something wrong with the man and the woman who were coming from the corner of the street.
There was no need to make a complicated judgment. Just a little thought would be enough. How many people would dare to wander outside during the curfew? Other than the night watchers and the patrol cavalry, even Gray Rat, who specialized in the sewer business, had to hide in the corner. Many homeless people would wander around Trout Alley at night, but it was a barren area of the city. Anyone who wandered there could be hanged on the gallows, and no decent citizens would sympathize with them.
The man and woman in the distance were dressed neatly. Although they did not look like decent citizens, they were certainly not beggars from Trout Alley.
The fact that they were swaggering down the curfew street and looking around furtively was enough to be a major point of suspicion.
Which side could they be? Monsters? Or monsters that specialized in hunting monsters? Or was it a new trick of the church, a secret agent searching for witches?
Gray Rat thought quickly in his mind, but just as he began to think, he found that the man and woman suddenly stopped.
A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Gray Rat's heart. Years of experience in this dangerous field told Gray Rat that he had been exposed.
However, before he could react, the woman in the long dress had already disappeared from his field of vision. He could only vaguely see a fog-like phantom sweeping across the entire street, and then he was pressed down by an unimaginably powerful force. A pair of iron-like hands clamped down on his neck and the back of his right shoulder. At the same time, a cold female voice rang out, "Don't move, or I'll tear you apart."
But after hearing the cold warning, Gray Rat felt relieved. The man was still alive, and the other party was communicating with him, which meant that he was not targeted by the most terrible thing. Blood slaves and infected werewolves who had lost control would not say a word of nonsense.
Since the man could communicate, there was still hope for him to survive. At worst, he would have another master after tonight.
Hao Ren curiously looked at the skinny man in front of him who had been subdued by Lily in an instant.
At first glance, he thought that the man was a beggar that could be seen everywhere in the poor areas of this era. The man in front of him was dry and thin, like a tall hemp pole. His yellow, curly hair covered his scalp, revealing a pair of evasive gray eyes. The man was also wearing a tattered grayish-black linen. The linen had probably not been washed since it left the textile workshop. It exuded a sour and rotten smell that was hard to ignore. Of course, the smell could have come from the whole street. There were too many strange smells in this place.
But soon, Hao Ren realized that the man in front of him was certainly not a beggar. A beggar could not wear sturdy cowhide boots, and the neat clothes under the ragged cloth were certainly not something a tramp could buy.
Lily also said that the man had the 'smell of magic potion.'
"Whose lackey are you?" Hao Ren looked at the skinny man in front of him, recalling the knowledge of this era that he had heard from Hasse. "Who gave you the magic potion?"
Gray Rat was trembling in fear because this gesture would please the other party, whether the other party was a monster or a hunter. At the same time, he tried to observe the appearance of Hao Ren and Lily, but he could not distinguish their race and origin. He bowed his head and grabbed the button of his coat. "'Gray Rat' salutes you. I'm just a nobody who works in the gutter. My last employer has long left. So if you like, I'm your lackey."
Sure enough, these guys who were born to adapt to this era had no loyalty and were cunning to the point of stupidity.
"I'll give you another chance to reorganize your words." Hao Ren motioned Lily to tighten her grip. "Don't fool us. We can still smell the fresh smell of magic potion on you. Who are you working for now? What's in this town? "
Hao Ren did not ask "who" but "what", which was also one of the special terms used to deal with these "lackeys."
Lily's grip almost broke Gray Rat's shoulder blade, but the hand on his neck prevented him from making a sound. It was not until the unbearable pain subsided that Gray Rat could finally breathe again. "I … I'll talk … I'll talk … Witches, several witches, and a wizard. They gathered in this town recently because a powerful witch was captured a few days ago. They probably want to save her."
"A witch?" Hao Ren frowned. He had guessed that there must be some supernatural creatures looking for Vivian's treasure in this town, but he did not expect to see a captured witch. Was she a real witch? Or was she just a poor victim of the crazy witch-hunting movement?
He looked at the man who called himself "Gray Rat". The man's emaciation could be explained. It should be the sequelae of long-term consumption of low-quality magic potions. Even now, Gray Rat still had the smell of magic potions on him. He thought that his body had gained superhuman strength, but he did not know that these "superpowers" came at the cost of life and health. The existence of this guy was enough to prove that the witches and wizards he mentioned were real witches. Then, the so-called "captured witch" should be real.
Could these wizards have something to do with Vivian's hibernation?
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